Chapter Forty-Nine: Receiving the Message

Ning Zhiheng picked up his teacup, took a sip, and smiled as he said, "Do you know who Xiaowan's parents are?"

"Who are they? Surely from a wealthy family, given such generosity?" Liu Datong had long suspected as much. Xiaowan's delicate skin and gentle manners made it clear she wasn't just any child.

Ning Zhiheng nodded with a smile. "You’re sharp. Xiaowan’s biological parents are Director Chen Guangran and his wife from Hangzhou’s Public Works Bureau. You’re lucky this time, having formed such a bond. When you visit them in the future, prosperity will surely follow."

Hearing this, Liu Datong was overjoyed. He hadn’t expected that simply caring for Xiaowan for ten days would lead to such good fortune.

He put his hands together and sincerely thanked Ning Zhiheng. "It was thanks to you, Commander Ning, for giving me this opportunity. If you hadn’t arranged for us to look after Xiaowan, I wouldn't have gained so much. To be honest, I wasn’t caring for her for the money. The child is so well-behaved, I treated her like my own daughter."

Ning Zhiheng’s expression turned serious. "That’s the right attitude. One shouldn’t only focus on gain and loss! My mother often said: maintain a kind heart, do good deeds, and you’ll reap good rewards. As long as one’s conscience is clear, harms no one, and avoids evil, a good end will come sooner or later."

Liu Datong nodded repeatedly in agreement. In truth, one reason he decided to follow Ning Zhiheng, besides seeking protection in chaotic times, was because Ning Zhiheng had gone out of his way for a stranger like Xiaowan—arranging care and even searching for her family. It showed his character could be trusted. Now, hearing Ning Zhiheng speak, Liu Datong felt even more fortunate to have chosen the right person to follow.

He put away the gift box and said, "Commander Ning, let me report the recent developments. We’ve acquired Yunlai Car Service—five hundred yuan in legal tender. Liu Yong has officially taken over and set everything in order. He’s full of energy and insists on thanking you in person. I’ve told him to keep the accounts and report to you monthly."

Ning Zhiheng waved his hand. "The car service remains under your name. Listen, my intention isn’t to make money, but to use it as an intelligence outpost, so you shouldn’t focus on profit. Collect only a symbolic fee from the rickshaw drivers. It’s best to acquire a few more car services—the more informants, the wider our reach. Make sure the drivers know: any suspicious person or event must be reported, and there will be generous rewards. Pass this down to everyone; it’s crucial! Datong, don’t be short-sighted. The petty earnings from rickshaw drivers aren’t worth the trouble—there’s little money, yet it’s easy to sow resentment. Not worth it."

Liu Datong nodded quickly. "Understood. It’s not about the money; it’s for intelligence gathering. Rest assured, I’ll make sure everyone knows."

"And another thing—what’s the status of those two human traffickers from last time?" Ning Zhiheng’s main reason for seeking Liu Datong was this; an explanation was needed for Chen Guangran’s sake.

Liu Datong hurried to answer the sudden question. "They’re still locked up. Would you like to interrogate them? Or—"

"It’s not me—it’s Xiaowan’s parents. Director Chen and his wife are furious and wish to punish them severely. They specifically mentioned it; tomorrow I’ll send someone to retrieve them and deliver them to Hangzhou for the couple to deal with."

Liu Datong hesitated, wanting to speak further. Ning Zhiheng’s sharp eyes caught the issue immediately.

"What, is there a problem with such a trivial matter? Is someone foolish enough to release the prisoners?" Ning Zhiheng asked.

"Not exactly; they’re still in jail, no one dares let them go. However—" Liu Datong said awkwardly, "There’s a police captain in our bureau named Wang Maocai. He forcefully took over the case midway and extorted two thousand silver dollars and six gold bars from the traffickers. He kept everything for himself, leaving us nothing. We’d hoped to bring you a share, but now—"

Hearing this, Ning Zhiheng felt a surge of anger. What was happening lately? Yet another person dared steal from him! Though Ning Zhiheng cared little for petty money—he wouldn’t have remembered it if Liu Datong hadn’t mentioned it.

But as the old saying goes, "I may not want it, but you must offer it!" Even if Liu Datong had brought the tribute, Ning Zhiheng would have dispersed it. Whether he accepted it was one thing; whether it was offered was a matter of attitude.

He narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "A fool risking his life for money!"

Liu Datong, hearing the change in Ning Zhiheng’s tone, was secretly pleased and quickly said, "This Wang Maocai became captain by flattering the bureau chief. He’s committed plenty of misdeeds, and worst of all, he hogs everything, daring to take any money. People call him 'Wang the Skinner'—anyone who passes through his hands gets fleeced."

Ning Zhiheng spat out a mouthful of tea dregs and said darkly, "If he wants to die, I’ll oblige him. It’s time to change your position too; it’ll make things easier. Tomorrow morning, I’ll personally retrieve the prisoners. I’ll deal with 'Wang the Skinner' while I’m at it, and give you some support."

Liu Datong was ecstatic. His timely words had hit the mark; Wang the Skinner was finished, and it was finally his turn to rise. After a few more words, the two parted and went home to rest.

Early the next morning, Ning Zhiheng arrived at the Military Intelligence Bureau. As soon as he reached his office, Wei Liangbi nodded outside and led him into his own office.

"Here are two thousand dollars—each of us gets two thousand, and Shi Hong gets one thousand." Wei Liangbi handed over a stack of bills to Ning Zhiheng. Since it was hush money, all those in the know should get a share. Wei Liangbi was always fair-minded, so Shi Hong received his portion as well.

Ning Zhiheng nodded in understanding, put away the money, and after some thought said, "Senior brother, I’d like to review the officer files of the Eleventh Division in the coming days. Could you arrange the procedures?"

Wei Liangbi’s gaze flickered. "Why? Have you found a lead?"

This younger brother was his lucky star, a master at cracking cases and had brought him much benefit lately. Was there another breakthrough?

Ning Zhiheng didn’t hide much from Wei Liangbi, since his next steps required support and help. He shook his head, hesitating. "Just an immature idea—nothing confirmed yet. I feel Huang Xiansheng’s confession isn’t complete; he’s definitely hiding something. I want to start investigating those close to him—colleagues, friends—to see if anything turns up."

Wei Liangbi didn’t answer immediately. He glanced at Ning Zhiheng, somewhat concerned. "Zhiheng, our bureau’s reputation isn’t great. There are quite a few like Qian Zhong. But we brothers must have boundaries. If someone is truly suspicious, we mustn’t let them go. But we can’t be too ruthless or make enemies everywhere. The Eleventh Division case is monumental; there’ll be a big shake-up soon. Word is, it’ll happen in a few days. If you investigate now, people will connect the dots and hold grudges. Better to wait until things settle; then I’ll help you apply for access."

"They’re going to deal with a whole batch?" Ning Zhiheng asked quietly.

Wei Liangbi shook his head. "I don’t think so. It’s only a security lapse. But in recent years, our Whampoa graduates have become increasingly influential in the military—thanks to the principal’s promotion. Some old hands resist giving up power; they’re all long-time subordinates, so it’s hard to push too hard. That leaves things in limbo. Now, this security breach is the perfect excuse. The division’s military secrets were completely exposed to Japanese spies—it’s a grave dereliction of duty. The best outcome is being sidelined."

Ning Zhiheng agreed with Wei Liangbi’s analysis. Changing blood quietly was the most suitable solution.

"By the way, last night there was the first transmission on the channel confessed by Huang Xiansheng!" Wei Liangbi suddenly remembered, wanting to discuss it with Ning Zhiheng, whose abilities he now trusted completely.

"There’s a message? What’s the content?" Ning Zhiheng immediately felt tense.

"The windmill has changed, entering dormancy. Second contact method activated," Wei Liangbi recited.

It meant the Shadow Group had been compromised. Ning Zhiheng wasn’t surprised—the capture of Windmill, Yanagi Shuki, had been nearly half a month ago, and the arrest made quite a stir. To be honest, the Japanese Special Higher Police’s response hadn’t been swift.

From Ning Zhiheng’s experience, most 'carrier pigeons' and their headquarters maintained regular contact to ensure radio safety. Half a month without a fixed transmission was enough for the Special Higher Police to sense something was wrong. Now, all contacts were cut and they’d entered hiding. Likely not just the Puppeteer, but every Shadow Group member would receive the same instructions.