Chapter Six: There Is Still Hope

Liang Deyou dashed into the house, with Ning Zhiheng gripping his Browning pistol tightly as he quickly followed close behind.

Inside, the room was a scene of utter devastation from the explosion. Eight bodies lay scattered across the floor. Six of them, dressed in Zhongshan suits, were members of the action squad; the other two, clad in coarse cotton garments, must have been their targets.

At that moment, Huang Taoguang, who had heard the explosion from outside, rushed in, realizing something had gone wrong.

Liang Deyou surveyed the carnage, his fury barely contained as he rounded on Huang Taoguang, cursing, "What the hell happened here? Wasn't it supposed to be just Fu Cheng? Where did these other two come from—did they drop from the sky? You’ve been surveilling this place for a month, haven’t you? Now all my men are dead! You owe me and the action department an explanation!"

Huang Taoguang was just as bewildered, his face blank with shock. "That’s impossible! Nothing unusual was detected! How could there suddenly be two accomplices? Did they hide in this courtyard for a whole month? It doesn’t make sense!"

Liang Deyou stomped his foot in frustration and sighed, "Faulty intelligence from your department led to heavy casualties for the action squad. Neither of us can escape responsibility. How are we supposed to explain this to our superiors?"

Liang Deyou had no powerful backers—he had worked his way up from the lowest ranks of the military, inch by inch, enduring hardship at every step. His position was hard-won, and he lived each day cautiously. But repeated failures recently had cost him many subordinates; this time, he simply could not dodge accountability. His sense of despair was palpable.

Huang Taoguang was equally pained. The Intelligence Department bore most of the blame: a month of surveillance, yet they failed to discover any accomplices inside the target’s home. It was inexcusable for a team of trained operatives.

Ning Zhiheng stepped forward to examine the bodies. In such a confined space, the violence of the explosion and the earlier gunfight meant none had survived. Among the dead spies, one had fallen headfirst at the bedroom door. Judging by the scene, he likely saw his companions in the living room being captured, tried to shoot at the action squad, and was wounded in the exchange. In desperation, he threw two American grenades, choosing mutual destruction.

"Two of them took out six of our men—madmen, the lot of them!" Liang Deyou ground his teeth in rage.

"Is Fu Cheng among these two?" Ning Zhiheng inspected the faces of the two spies in coarse clothing. The explosion had left their features blackened and unrecognizable. He had only glimpsed a blurry photo earlier and could not confirm if either was Fu Cheng.

Huang Taoguang hurried over and examined the faces carefully, suddenly shouting, "No! Neither of these is Fu Cheng!"

Liang Deyou came alive at these words, darting into the bedroom in a flash. If neither man was Fu Cheng, he could still be somewhere in the house.

The living room was filled with corpses. The only place left to hide was the bedroom. Ning Zhiheng, realizing this, quickly followed. He was concerned for Liang Deyou's safety; although the senior officer was taciturn, he had always treated Ning well and was a reliable superior. Naturally, he did not wish to see Liang Deyou come to harm.

Both men gripped their pistols, ready to react at a moment’s notice. But the bedroom was empty. The space was small—just a bed, a wardrobe, a long table with chairs, and a lamp on the nightstand. There was nowhere to hide.

They checked under the bed, but it was empty. The two exchanged disappointed glances. Could it be that Fu Cheng had never been at home at all?

Just then, Huang Taoguang tiptoed into the bedroom, disheartened by what he saw. Ning Zhiheng asked, "Are you sure the surveillance team confirmed that Fu Cheng returned home and never left again?"

"Absolutely positive. Two teams were watching simultaneously—there’s no way they both missed something. Yet he’s nowhere to be found," Huang Taoguang replied, just as perplexed. The Intelligence Department’s agents were elite—such a mistake was unthinkable.

"Then he must still be in this house—there’s something wrong here. Let’s search every inch of it," Liang Deyou insisted, unwilling to give up. At least Fu Cheng was alive; if they could capture him, all was not lost.

He ordered the team to search the courtyard thoroughly. Ning Zhiheng concentrated on the bedroom, reasoning that if a person had secret items or an escape route, he would keep them close at hand, in his most private space, so as to react swiftly in an emergency.

"Move all the furniture out. Inspect every wall and floor tile—search every inch!" Ning Zhiheng commanded his men.

The team set to work, moving the furniture. Suddenly, as one man shifted the wardrobe, it slid aside with barely any effort.

"Sir, something’s up!" the excited agent shouted.

Liang Deyou rushed over and gave it a hard push. The wardrobe swung open like a door, revealing a hidden doorway in the wall behind.

"There’s a passage!" Spirits lifted at once. Liang Deyou, visibly relieved, signaled for two agents to enter cautiously, weapons at the ready.

After a tense wait, a voice called from the passage, "Captain, it’s clear!"

Everyone hurried in. The passage was short, barely two meters long, and led to the adjacent house. The advance team reported, "Captain, this house is empty too. The door’s wide open—the target must have fled!"

Liang Deyou refused to give up hope. "Split up and search every corner—leave no stone unturned!"

The team fanned out, searching inside and out. Ning Zhiheng inspected the layout; it was nearly identical to Fu Cheng’s house.

It became clear that the spies had been cunning, renting two adjacent homes in parallel alleys and breaking through the connecting wall. To outside observers, it looked as if Fu Cheng lived alone, with no contact with the outside world.

In reality, he had been in constant contact with his two accomplices, who likely had their own false identities. Living next door, they were there to guard and support Fu Cheng—a clever arrangement indeed.

Ning Zhiheng realized that, given the time since the shooting began—at least ten minutes had passed—the target had ample time to escape. It was unlikely he remained inside.

He strode to the courtyard gate, opened it, and stepped outside. He found himself in a narrow alley. Following it, he discovered it ended in a dead end. Retracing his steps, he quickly reached the main thoroughfare of Beihua Street.

There, he saw Shi Hong and his team, along with several policemen, blocking the alley entrance with barricades, preventing anyone from passing through.

Shi Hong spotted Ning Zhiheng emerging from a side alley and hurried over. "Zhiheng, what’s the situation inside? As soon as I heard the gunfire, I knew something was wrong. We didn’t have enough men, so I called the nearby patrol officers and locked down the street!"

Ning Zhiheng silently praised Shi Hong’s quick thinking—he had immediately secured all possible exits, greatly reducing the target’s chances of escape.

Ning swiftly recounted everything that had happened. Hearing the report, Shi Hong’s face darkened. With such a massive blunder and heavy losses, and the target still at large, how could they possibly explain this in their report?

"Hong, how long was it from the first gunshot to the lockdown? Did you see anyone suspicious?" Ning Zhiheng inquired.

"About five minutes. At first, with so few men, we could only block one alley. Fortunately, this is the capital, so there are plenty of patrolmen. Once we showed our badges, we managed to summon enough officers to control the street—but we can’t keep it locked down for long," Shi Hong replied after a moment’s thought. "Any longer and we won’t be able to justify it."

Nanjing was a crowded city. If the target wasn’t caught within the cordoned area, the odds of finding him, even with a search, were slim.

Ning Zhiheng considered for a moment. "Hong, help me analyze this. Before the raid, Fu Cheng had no warning—otherwise, all three would have fled, not just leave two men to die. Since he was unaware, he had to be in the house when we struck."

Shi Hong nodded in agreement.

"That means Fu Cheng holds a higher position in their organization than his two accomplices. The men in the bedroom stayed behind to cover his escape, while he fled through the hidden passage. The timing was tight—he couldn’t have gotten far before you locked down the area. He should still be within our cordon," Ning Zhiheng said, his words deliberate and precise. "He hasn't escaped yet."

Shi Hong found himself in full agreement, secretly impressed by Ning Zhiheng’s composure and clarity. For someone just out of the academy, his analysis was remarkably thorough.

What Shi Hong didn’t know was that Ning Zhiheng’s previous life had honed his nerves and caution—essential traits for survival in complex bureaucracies. His meticulous mind put him leagues ahead of his peers.

"So what do you suggest we do now?" Shi Hong’s opinion of his young colleague had shifted; now, he instinctively sought Ning Zhiheng’s thoughts.

"What else can we do? Use brute force! Bring in more men, seal off every exit, and search every house, every nook and cranny—dig if you have to. He must be found!" Ning Zhiheng replied. There was no other way.

As the saying goes, it takes a hundred men to find what one can hide. In such a densely built area, a person could conceal himself anywhere, but to find him would require a massive and thorough search. If luck was with them, they might just succeed.