Chapter 364: Establishing a Project Team

Lao Sun Tou's testimony was like a massive stone cast into a deep pool.

What it stirred up was not a splash of water.

But a bottomless chill.

The Shopkeeper was not at the Steel Factory.

The Shopkeeper was at the City Bureau.

Those three words seemed to dim the Interrogation Room's dim yellow lights by a few shades in an instant.

Li Ping'an's back tightened silently.

City Bureau.

It is the higher‑level supervisory unit.

The place where they direct work and receive reports.

It is also, in theory, the safest, most reliable rear area.

Did the Shopkeeper's tentacles really reach there?

No.

Perhaps not tentacles.

The Shopkeeper himself could be sitting behind a desk in some office of the City Bureau.

With a hand gripping a red‑blue pencil.

Reviewing documents on anti‑espionage work.

Issuing seemingly normal orders.

At the same time.

On another invisible chessboard.

Maneuvering death soldiers like Lao Dao.

Manipulating pieces like Su Xiulan.

Setting up a lethal move such as blowing up the new workshop.

No wonder.

No wonder Lao Dao could obtain the old pipeline map of the plant.

No wonder Su Xiulan could be under long‑term surveillance yet remain unnoticed.

No wonder their actions always manage to evade the sharp edges of routine inspections.

If there were a pair of eyes already positioned to overlook the whole situation.

If there were a hand already holding the authority to interpret part of the rules.

Li Ping'an felt a surge of cold anger.

It was not directed at Lao Sun Tou, nor even at the Shopkeeper he had not yet met.

It was aimed at the Infiltration itself.

At this desecration and erosion of trust and the system.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the churning emotions.

Staring at the limp, mud‑like Lao Sun Tou.

Who exactly? Which department of the City Bureau? What position? Code name? Characteristics?

Lao Sun Tou shook his head with difficulty, his eyes hollow.

I don't know… really don't know…

Each time it was a one‑way order.

The Dead Letter Box's location would change.

Sometimes a loose brick beneath a park bench.

Sometimes a compartment in a discarded newspaper recycling bin.

Sometimes… even behind a public restroom's water tank.

The instructions were simple.

The rendezvous time, place, and code.

Or the characteristics of the hand‑off personnel and the items to be delivered.

Occasionally there would be money, not much.

And also… this button.

Lao Sun Tou's gaze fell on the copper button on the table, filled with deep dread.

If the order required identity verification, or needed me to prove I had completed something.

Then the button, or an imprint of the button, had to be placed at the designated spot.

Seeing the button was like seeing the Shopkeeper.

That is the rule.

I have never seen the Shopkeeper in person.

The messenger is sometimes someone like Lao Dao.

Sometimes… a person wearing a large mask and hat, face obscured.

The voice has also been altered.

But once…

Lao Sun Tou paused, seeming to strain his memory.

Once, the instruction in the Dead Letter Box was not the usual cipher.

It was an ordinary scrap of paper, with a few characters printed on it.

The paper was crisp, and in the lower right corner there was a tiny, faint red imprint.

It seemed… it seemed like document paper from some unit, accidentally stained.

I secretly lifted a small portion of that imprint.

Lao Sun Tou's voice dropped even lower, almost inaudible.

It was like a… rectangular frame, with a five‑pointed star inside, and… seemed to be part of the characters "file".

Very small, very blurry.

Li Ping'an's heart leapt suddenly.

Paper used for files in a subordinate department of the City Bureau?

This is an extremely important yet extremely dangerous clue.

Its importance lies in that it narrows the scope from the massive City Bureau down to a specific functional department.

The danger is that pursuing this clue inevitably stirs the interior of the City Bureau.

It would involve those who could be Shopkeeper colleagues, even superiors.

This is no longer a cat‑and‑mouse game within the factory area.

It is, within the system's high walls, searching for a termite camouflaged as a beam.

The difficulty and risk are soaring exponentially.

Li Ping'an quickly weighed the options.

He asked Lao Sun Tou to describe, as thoroughly as possible, all the characteristics of the orders he had received.

Paper, ink, folding method, phrasing habits.

And the subtle traits of every intermediary who transmitted orders or had contact with him.

Even if it was just a walking posture, a habitual small gesture.

Lao Sun Tou strained to recall, speaking in fragments.

Li Ping'an recorded everything carefully.

He knew that the information extracted from Lao Sun Tou would be about all there is.

This thread has, for now, reached its end.

The next step must turn toward the City Bureau.

But how to turn?

Under what pretense?

Report directly?

Report to whom?

If the Shopkeeper really is in the City Bureau and holds a high position, the usual reporting channels may already pass through his hands.

Stirring the grass and startling the snake is the mildest consequence.

More frightening is being bitten back, being labeled as sowing discord and framing comrades.

Li Ping'an felt his temples throb.

He had Chen Jianghe take Lao Sun Tou down, keep a tight watch, and at once inform Project Team Sun.

This matter must be coordinated through higher‑level, more reliable channels.

He stayed alone in the Interrogation Room.

The smoke spread again.

He needed calm, needed to think of a way out.

City Bureau…

Several names and faces of City Bureau leaders flashed through his mind.

One who had presented at meetings, with a booming voice.

One who came down to inspect work, gentle in demeanor but demanding.

One whose signature had only been seen on document approvals.

Who is the Shopkeeper?

Or rather, who could be the Shopkeeper?

What is the motive?

Faith? Profit? Coercion? Or a combination?

The Shopkeeper has been arranging the Steel Rolling Mill for over a decade; the goal is clearly more than just causing a few sabotages.

That new Workshop layout map shows his sensitivity to technological upgrades and his destructive intent.

It is a strategic‑level perspective.

Far beyond what an ordinary operative could possess.

Behind the Shopkeeper likely lies an intelligence network with long‑term planning and resource backing.

Within municipal agencies, how many people like the Shopkeeper exist in this network?

Li Ping'an snuffed out the cigarette.

He cannot sit and wait for death, nor act blindly.

He stepped out of the Interrogation Room; outside the sky was already bright.

The factory area awoke, broadcast announcements, machine hums, workers' clamor intertwining into a vibrant cacophony.

That cacophony is what he must protect.

Yet the threat comes from within the walls that should be protecting that very noise.

He returned to the office and dialed the confidential number that Sun had left for him.

He concisely reported Lao Sun Tou's testimony, highlighting the two key points "City Bureau" and "archive paper imprint".

The other end of the Telephone was silent for a long while.

Sun's voice carried unprecedented gravity.

I understand. This matter exceeds our current authority and investigative scope. I will immediately report to the higher‑level special task force. On your side, keep absolute secrecy, halt any actions that might draw the City Bureau's internal attention. Await further instructions.

Li Ping'an put down the Telephone.

Halt the investigation?

He understood Sun's caution.

But that meant passive waiting.

And the Shopkeeper, would he wait?

The news of Lao Sun Tou's capture may already have leaked through some channel.

At this moment the Shopkeeper must be like a startled Poison Snake, either ready to launch an even crazier counterattack or silently wiping away every trace that could point to him.

Waiting gives the opponent time.

He was restless.

His gaze fell on the draft "Merit Report" of Xu Damao on the desk.

Xu Damao…

That fool who got tangled in the accident is now lying in Yi Yuan.

Could he also become a target that the Shopkeeper needs to "handle"?

Li Ping'an immediately summoned Chen Jianghe.

Deploy reliable personnel, secretly protect Xu Damao, publicly claim his injuries are severe and require isolated treatment, forbid all visits. Including factory leaders and any City Bureau condolence parties, all must be politely declined.

Chen Jianghe realized the seriousness of the situation and nodded gravely.

Additionally, Li Ping'an lowered his voice, "You handle something yourself."

Find a way, without using official channels, to learn whether in the past one or two years the City Bureau's internal departments—especially archives, secretariat, logistics—have had any abnormal personnel transfers, retirements, or … accidental deaths. The key is whether anyone's social ties link to Yongli Machine Factory, foreman surnamed Tan, or Su Xiulan's brother Zhang Jianguo.

Chen Jianghe's eyes hardened.

Director, this…

It's very dangerous. I know. Li Ping'an looked at him, so you must be extra careful, use the most covert method, only gather public information, never probe deeper. Understand?

Understood. Chen Jianghe gritted his teeth, I will be careful.

After Chen Jianghe left, Li Ping'an walked again to the window.

Sunlight illuminated the factory area, but could not penetrate his currently gloomy heart.

The Shopkeeper was like a ghost, attached to a healthy body.

To excise it may require cutting flesh and bone, even shaking the skeleton.

This is a contest more perilous than confronting an enemy wielding open flame.

Because you don't know whom to trust.

You don't know which seemingly normal procedure hides a lethal trap.

He even began recalling whether some directives issued by the City Bureau in the past contained subtle illogicalities.

Whether certain leaders, when inspecting the factory, showed unusually keen interest in particular areas?

Suspicion breeds phantom fears.

Yet he must stay vigilant.

Because the phantom may truly be in uniform, sitting in a bright office.

The Telephone rang suddenly.

It was Sun.

The voice was urgent.

Ping'an, higher‑up orders: establish a joint investigation team, directly led by people from the department, City Bureau personnel temporarily stand aside. Immediately prepare a top‑secret detailed report on all clues, evidence, and involved persons of the Steel Rolling Mill series incidents. The investigation team arrives tonight; be ready to report in person.

Li Ping'an's spirit was lifted.

The department intervenes directly!

This shows the top level has taken it seriously and bypassed the possibly infiltrated municipal link.

That's good.

But it also means the struggle has escalated to a higher level.

The Shopkeeper's network behind may be forced to jump the wall in desperation.

He answered in a deep voice.

Understood. Report will be ready immediately.

He put down the Telephone and threw himself into work.

He sorted and organized all materials, linked them logically, forming a clear, solid report.

Every name, every clue was cross‑checked repeatedly.

He knew this report would be the first dagger thrust into the shadows.

The blade's direction might target some sanctimonious figure.

Evening.

The report was finished.

Li Ping'an carefully sealed it and affixed a top‑secret label.

He walked to the window, watching the factory area's lights come on one after another.

Workers finished their day's work, chatting and laughing as they walked home.

This ordinary yet precious scene is the meaning of his battle.

No matter how deeply the shopkeeper hides.

No matter how splendid the clothes he wears.

As long as he wants to destroy this peace.

Li Ping'an will spare no expense to drag him out of the shadows.

Even if that shadow comes from within the high walls.

Night fell.

Several unmarked jeeps silently entered the Steel Rolling Mill and stopped below the Security Department building.

The Joint Investigation Team has arrived.

The true contest now truly begins.

And the shopkeeper, has he already heard the wind?

Where will the scepter in his hand swing next?

Li Ping'an adjusted his collar, picked up the heavy report, and walked toward the stairwell.

His steps were steady and resolute.

Like the steel fortress behind him, silent yet unshakable.