Chapter Forty-Eight: The Traces of the Mole

In these five scenes, each one brought Ning Zhiheng a wealth of useful information.

The first scene confirmed that Huang Xiansheng's true identity was Japanese.

The second scene, if Ning Zhiheng's speculation was correct, was of great significance; it revealed an extremely secret training program for Japanese spies. It could be determined that many Japanese spies like Huang Xiansheng had undergone years of rigorous training in that mysterious valley before infiltrating China and going into hiding. These individuals were indistinguishable from genuine Chinese people; they had meticulously prepared identification documents, and, as with Huang Xiansheng, their assumed Chinese identities even had real relatives alive to validate their backgrounds. Their concealment was so thorough as to be undetectable, and in the years to come, these dormant agents would pose a grave threat to China's military and national defense.

The third and fourth scenes again confirmed Huang Xiansheng's true identity.

Most crucial was the fifth scene, which directly exposed the subordinate he had developed.

Compared to the previous case with Yukita Koju, the information revealed in these scenes was far more valuable.

It was clear that Ning Zhiheng's hypothesis was valid: as long as he asked the dying suspect the questions he wanted answered, he could force the suspect to recall relevant memories, resulting in scenes that were more valuable. This provided strong evidence for Ning Zhiheng's ability to glimpse others' memories in the future.

As for this hidden subordinate, in Huang Xiansheng's memory, the two sat quietly in a room, speaking in low voices. He could not discern the young officer's exact height, but it was apparent that the officer was slightly taller than Huang Xiansheng when seated together. Huang Xiansheng stood at 1.70 meters; thus, the young officer was likely between 1.72 and 1.75 meters tall—a considerable height for a Chinese, especially a southerner, in that era.

The officer wore the epaulets of a major. To have such a high rank at such a young age was rare. He was certainly well-educated; otherwise, he would not bear the rank of major so young. It was highly probable that he was also a graduate of Whampoa Military Academy.

A Whampoa graduate would, after a few years of experience and with a powerful backing, find it easier to be promoted to major. Take Wei Liangbi, for example: after only a few years since graduation, he had already become a major and was soon to be promoted to lieutenant colonel. These were the elite, the pride of the army.

The exact timing in Huang Xiansheng's memory was unclear; he had reestablished contact with his Japanese handler six years prior. This memory fragment had to be within those six years, likely in recent years. Thus, the officer's rank could have advanced in that period, perhaps now being a lieutenant colonel—though such a promotion was difficult for field-grade officers.

Moreover, this young officer had fair, handsome, refined features—he did not resemble a combat commander, but rather, someone in a position like operations staff, confidential secretary, or adjutant, similar to Huang Xiansheng, able to access classified information.

Now, the scope of this individual's identity was clear: his age was likely between twenty-five and thirty, not much deviation; his height between 1.72 and 1.75 meters; he possessed a high level of education, perhaps even an alumnus; his rank was at least major, possibly lieutenant colonel; and his position was most likely staff, secretary, or adjutant.

The investigation should, of course, begin with the Eleventh Division, since Huang Xiansheng was an operations staff officer there, and this young officer was likely his colleague or friend. He must have held a critical post; otherwise, if he were of no use to Huang Xiansheng in gathering intelligence, Huang would not have risked exposure to recruit him. He had to be worth the risk.

If he could not be found in the Eleventh Division, the search would have to expand, prioritizing officers stationed near Nanjing. If that failed as well, the search would widen further.

Ultimately, the most valuable asset was the highly accurate portrait in his hands—this was the most direct and precise evidence.

In summary, searching for this man should not be too difficult. By methodically following these clues and conditions, one could gradually eliminate the possibilities.

Ning Zhiheng was confident it would not take long to uncover this hidden mole.

Yet finding him was only the first step in solving the case. With these conditions in hand, the first step was not difficult. The real challenge was the second step: how to prove that the young officer was indeed the mole. He could not possibly explain to others how he had found the mole—could he rely on nothing but a scene in his mind? No one would believe him!

He needed to find conclusive evidence. With the loss of his handler, the mole would certainly go to ground. If he took no action, Ning Zhiheng would have no evidence to apprehend and interrogate him.

Thus, the second step was the hardest. Ning Zhiheng felt a headache coming on but decided not to dwell on it for now. The immediate priority was to find this man. As for what to do next, he would have to play it by ear, making decisions as circumstances arose.

Having considered everything, Ning Zhiheng rolled up the portrait, preparing to go to Military Intelligence tomorrow and, as before, have it photographed for future reference.

Only now did he feel the pangs of hunger in his stomach, realizing he had been alone at home for a long time. Just painting three portraits had taken nearly six or seven hours, and he had long missed lunch.

Seeing that it was almost dinner time, Ning Zhiheng rose, gathered his things, and took out one of the gift boxes.

This gift box had been specially sent by Mr. and Mrs. Chen Guangran during his stay in Hangzhou. From Xiaowan's account, they learned that a kind-hearted woman in Nanjing had cared for Xiaowan as her own daughter for ten days, and were deeply grateful. They prepared a gift and entrusted Ning Zhiheng to deliver it to Liu Datong's wife.

Ning Zhiheng pocketed the gift box and hurried to the small restaurant to wait for Liu Datong.

Upon arrival, he quickly ordered some dishes to satisfy his hunger, then called for a pot of tea and waited patiently.

At this moment, he felt all the more that there ought to be a more efficient way to communicate with Liu Datong. Every time, they met at the restaurant at shift changes, and many matters could not be discussed in a timely manner.

Perhaps it was time to give him a job with an office and a telephone. This would not be difficult for Ning Zhiheng. As it happened, Liu Datong had been a patrol squad leader for quite some time. A promotion would serve as a reward for completing his recent task.

After waiting for over an hour, it was time for the shift to end. A head poked in at the restaurant door, glancing left and right; upon spotting Ning Zhiheng sitting at the table, the man broke into a broad smile and hurried inside—it was Liu Datong, ready to head home after work.

Every day, on his way to and from work, he would stop by the restaurant to see if Ning Zhiheng had returned.

"Officer Ning, you're back? Is there something you need?" Liu Datong sat across from Ning Zhiheng, delighted.

Ning Zhiheng smiled. "I've got good news for you!"

He pushed the gift box toward Liu Datong.

Liu Datong was briefly stunned. Whenever Officer Ning sought him out, it was always good news—he had already received rewards twice. Grinning, he said, "Whenever you look for me, it's always something good—I've already gotten rewards several times. What's it this time?"

He reached for the gift box, opened it gently, and was astonished to see it filled with dazzling, exquisitely crafted pure gold jewelry—a pair of substantial gold bracelets gleaming beautifully, the surfaces engraved with delicate patterns. Earrings, necklace, ring, hair ornament—each piece was grand and radiant! A whole box of matching gold jewelry.

No wonder the box had felt so heavy; its contents were surely of considerable value!

The sight startled Liu Datong, who asked, half in disbelief, "Officer Ning, is this for me?"

"Dream on!" Ning Zhiheng laughed and scolded. "It's for your wife! Don't misunderstand—it's not from me. Xiaowan's mother prepared it especially for your wife. She heard from Xiaowan that your wife became her godmother, so this is a token of her appreciation for your family's care of Xiaowan."

This was entirely unexpected for Liu Datong, who stammered, overwhelmed, "It's too precious, too precious! Xiaowan really remembers us! She truly is a good child!"

Liu Datong was deeply moved, feeling a warm glow in his heart.