Chapter Fifty-Six: The Big Fish Takes the Bait

"To South Lake!" Lin Mucheng said. The Fourth Division's headquarters was set up right by the lake.

"Alright! Please sit tight!" The rickshaw driver responded, and as soon as Lin Mucheng was settled, he swiftly pulled the cart and set off.

Once they rounded the street corner, Ning Zhiheng, who had been watching from the shadows, gave a quiet order, "Hou Cheng, Wen Xingsheng, each of you take a rickshaw and follow them, but keep your distance. Leave one rickshaw waiting at the intersection."

He then looked at Liu Yong beside him, who understood and replied, "Along the route to South Lake, we've stationed personnel and rickshaws at each designated point. Chen Yanqing and the others are all in place!"

Ning Zhiheng nodded, took out a notebook, and began jotting down notes on the first blank page.

Long-term surveillance of a target is a grueling and monotonous task. Ning Zhiheng poured tremendous effort into weaving an invisible web around Lin Mucheng, monitoring his every move closely.

But as the days passed—an entire week, in fact—nothing came of it.

Counting on his fingers, Ning Zhiheng realized it had been fifteen days since receiving the encoded message via radio. By this timeline, Lin Mucheng should have received his covert instructions fifteen days ago.

Such a length of time was enough for the Japanese Tokko headquarters to discover that Huang Xiansheng had been captured, and once the cause for the windmill group's silence was found, their intelligence agency, with its renowned efficiency, would surely initiate the second protocol to activate their agents and reorganize the Shadow Group.

How would Tokko headquarters activate Lin Mucheng? Ning Zhiheng had no way of knowing. All he could do was monitor as best he could, for Lin Mucheng was different—he was personally recruited by Huang Xiansheng. Huang Xiansheng did not know the identities of other moles, but he knew Lin Mucheng's. Had Huang Xiansheng betrayed Lin Mucheng? That was a matter Tokko headquarters needed to verify and sort out.

He concluded that someone would soon come to verify Lin Mucheng, so every person appearing around him was considered suspect. That was why he committed such manpower to full-scale surveillance.

Lin Mucheng lived a highly regimented life. On weekdays, his routine was simply between home and headquarters, hardly venturing elsewhere. In the headquarters, Ning Zhiheng couldn't monitor, but he doubted Tokko had enough influence to insert someone into the Central Army's main division for such verification work. If they really could manage that, Ning Zhiheng would concede defeat.

For now, he focused on overseeing Lin Mucheng's daily life. After work, he usually dined at a restaurant near his home, went to the Carefree Ballroom on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for recreation until about ten at night, then returned home. He hadn't spent nights out nor brought any dance hostesses home during the week. Considering his background—being a second-generation official—his habits were rather disciplined.

On weekends, he would go to his father Lin Zhen's home for lunch, then to the Army Officers' Club for cards and chess, and still spent his evenings at the Carefree Ballroom, always home before ten.

When visiting the ballroom, Chen Yanqing would don the attire specifically purchased by Ning Zhiheng—a sharp suit—and enter, never taking his eyes off Lin Mucheng. Each time, Lin Mucheng chose different dance hostesses, clearly on a whim, with no pattern.

Ning Zhiheng even investigated the hostesses Lin Mucheng interacted with at the Carefree Ballroom, but found nothing unusual.

For the Army Officers' Club, Ning Zhiheng went himself—only his credentials allowed entry. Yet, there was no special discovery. The officers playing cards and chess with Lin Mucheng never spent time alone with him; there was no chance for covert contact.

As for his household, there was an elderly maid in her fifties. The investigation revealed she was brought from his father's home, her background was entirely clear.

It could be said Ning Zhiheng had done all he could. But if Lin Mucheng took no action, how could there be any results?

Still, Ning Zhiheng was extremely patient and prepared for a war of attrition. Given the critical nature of Lin Mucheng's position as confidential secretary, he would certainly be among the most valued agents by Japanese intelligence. He couldn't just be left idle; the period of dormancy would not be long. The verification process might have already begun—perhaps he just hadn't noticed.

Three more days passed. It was now the eleventh day of surveillance at noon. Ning Zhiheng was in a room not far from Lin Mucheng's home, carefully reviewing his tracking notes.

This room was rented temporarily, serving as Ning Zhiheng's command post, mainly because it was close to Lin Mucheng's home. Ning Zhiheng had been staying here lately, making it convenient for close surveillance.

The records were his own, painstakingly detailed—every time slot, every contact, every conversation, nothing left out, everything listed as thoroughly as possible.

At this moment, Liu Yong hurried in, beads of sweat on his forehead, obviously rushing with urgent news.

"Chief Ning, we've just found something new—someone else is tracking Lin Mucheng!" Liu Yong said breathlessly.

"What happened? Take your time," Ning Zhiheng motioned him to calm down.

"Today is Sunday; Lin Mucheng didn't go to work. He left early for his father's home. Later in the morning, he came out and took one of our arranged rickshaws. Xiong Hongda was about to follow when suddenly a stranger appeared, also took a rickshaw, and told the driver not to go too fast, to follow Lin Mucheng's cart from a distance.

He didn't know all the rickshaws near Lin Mucheng's father's home were ours. Xiong Hongda was right there, heard everything, and immediately notified me. He himself followed as well," Liu Yong explained, wiping sweat from his brow.

Hearing this, Ning Zhiheng immediately stood up. The person he'd waited for so many days had finally arrived—the Japanese were indeed patient, making him wait half a month. But good things come to those who wait. The banquet he'd set was finally being attended.

He asked urgently, "Where is this person now?"

"Still following Lin Mucheng. They should be wandering around the Wenchang Street area; looks like Lin Mucheng is shopping," Liu Yong replied.

Wenchang Street was a famous commercial district in Jinling, filled with all kinds of shops and storefronts.

"The terrain there is complicated, dense with people, easy to lose someone. Come, I'll go myself—we must meet this guest we've awaited so long!" Even Ning Zhiheng's patience was stretched thin.

Unlike Lin Mucheng, the amateur spy, anyone sent by Tokko for verification would surely be a seasoned operative, trained in tailing and surveillance. Ning Zhiheng worried his own men might lack experience, follow too closely and alert the target.

This was the big fish he'd finally lured in with Lin Mucheng as bait; he couldn't let it escape.

Ning Zhiheng and his men quickly arrived near Wenchang Street. From a distance, they saw Gong Ji'an waiting at the corner. Spotting Ning Zhiheng, he walked briskly over.

"Chief Ning!"

"Where is he?"

"Lin Mucheng is in the tailor shop ahead, looks like he's ordering a suit. This shop specializes in bespoke suits.

The person tailing him is across the street, eating a bowl of wontons, hasn't left yet! Definitely watching Lin Mucheng. Xiong Hongda is keeping an eye from behind. There are too many people here; rickshaws are too conspicuous, so I've had everyone scatter for now.

Six rickshaws are on standby near the street corner. What should we do next?" Gong Ji'an was a seasoned investigator, handling matters with meticulous order.

"Spread the word: from now, abandon Lin Mucheng's surveillance. If we keep following him, this person will notice, and once the bird is startled, it flies away.

Focus all attention on the newcomer—that's the big fish we're after!" Ning Zhiheng decided without hesitation. Now that the main target had appeared, Lin Mucheng was of little value.

Lin Mucheng was just one member of the Shadow Group, but Ning Zhiheng's goal was never him—it was the entire group.

This guest was likely responsible for verifying and reactivating the whole group. Whether he'd contacted others before was unknown.

But due to Huang Xiansheng's situation, Lin Mucheng's verification would surely be the strictest. Ning Zhiheng decided to abandon Lin Mucheng altogether—no room for luck.

He signaled his men to disperse and slowly approached himself. Sure enough, across from the tailor shop, at a wonton stand, three customers were eating.

One table had a man and woman, chatting intimately—a couple, clearly. The other was the guest Liu Yong had mentioned.

Ning Zhiheng's eyesight was excellent, observing from afar. The man was ordinary in appearance, ruddy-faced, dressed in a blue robe and black cloth shoes—a man in his thirties, blending seamlessly into the crowd. Had Ning Zhiheng not known his identity in advance, he would never have suspected him.

He'd chosen his spot well, deep inside, with his back against the wall, giving him a clear view of the tailor shop's entrance and the street's flow of people, with a broad perspective. Yet few would notice him nestled against the wall.

A bowl of wontons sat before him, which he ate slowly. Occasionally, he would glance up, his gaze sweeping casually toward the tailor shop.

Ning Zhiheng discreetly signaled Xiong Hongda to move even farther away. He himself browsed a nearby used book stall, picking up a book and leafing through it nonchalantly.