Chapter 471: Living Fathers, Who Could Ever Outplay You Lot

He believed the Ministry of State Security had long had a plan.

It was simply that they lacked an undercover who could infiltrate the research team.

Now that he had successfully done so, and had a clear picture of the relationships among the people inside, all he needed to do next was follow the script the Ministry of State Security had written and keep playing his part.

"Are you confident you can find that person?"

Li Mingzhao, by the look of it, was still not entirely at ease.

"No confidence." Yu Dazhang shook his head:

"Whether we can find the person doesn't depend on me—it depends on whether the other side can keep their nerve."

"But one thing is certain: the smarter that person is, the more easily they'll give themselves away."

Saying this, the corners of his mouth lifted unconsciously, a smile spreading across his face:

"Smart people, you see—the mistake they're most prone to making is being too clever for their own good."

Whether in his past life or this one, the criminals he had encountered were, on the whole, never the especially stupid sort.

From this alone one could see that not just anyone has the ability to commit a crime—at the very least, one's psychological makeup must be stronger than the average person's.

"As long as you have it figured out, that's fine."

Li Mingzhao then shifted the topic and began laying out this operation's plan:

"Two days ago we released Wang Ze and that enemy special agent responsible for passing messages back."

"They're now working for us, so the other side still doesn't know the plan has been leaked."

Turned them? Yu Dazhang could hardly believe what he was hearing.

It had been no time at all, and the other side had already become informants for the Ministry of State Security.

Could it really be that secure?

"Leader, aren't you afraid they'll feign surrender and then take the chance to escape?"

Yu Dazhang felt this possibility was very real:

"And they already have overseas backgrounds—escaping abroad wouldn't be any great difficulty for them."

There was another possibility: they might choose to go back to the enemy agents and continue playing the role of their pawns.

Only, the odds of that were slim—better to cooperate with the Ministry of State Security than to go back to being a pawn.

The enemy agents weren't fools either; being top-tier agents, they were bound to have a suspicious streak—they certainly wouldn't dare use anyone who'd been a prisoner of war again.

"You can set your mind at ease on that score." Li Mingzhao said confidently:

"Since we dared to let them go back, we have the confidence that they won't do anything to betray us."

Living fathers, who could ever outplay you lot… Yu Dazhang nodded with a heavy, solemn expression.

He had already seen the Ministry of State Security's methods for himself.

Just looking at Wang Ze's reaction after interrogation, it was clear they truly wouldn't dare betray.

When a person has been scared out of their wits, they don't dare harbor even the slightest thought of betrayal.

You have to understand—fear itself is a form of loyalty.

"Tomorrow at noon, we'll release the last person who broke in."

Li Mingzhao continued:

"He'll carry back the news that we're about to relocate, and at the same time, we'll also leak some related information on the research team's side."

"The relocation preparations will take us roughly three days."

The following afternoon.

Yu Dazhang and the two buddies he'd only recently gotten to know gathered together again.

"Have you heard?"

Chen Yang said mysteriously:

"We're pulling out. Apparently this place has been compromised, and the higher-ups are transferring our entire research team to a safe location."

Liu Hai, hearing this, immediately chimed in:

"I heard too—they say the transfer will be done within three days."

"Professor Ying just notified me to archive our group's current work progress. Starting tomorrow, the project will probably be put on hold."

Yu Dazhang offered no opinion, just kept nodding beside them, looking as though he had only just heard the news.

"How could this place have been compromised?" Chen Yang, looking quite puzzled, said with a frown:

"We've got a no-fly zone overhead, and mountains on all four sides—not even a bird could fly in. How did the information leak?"

Yu Dazhang looked at him with an innocent, blank expression, as if wanting to ask something but not knowing where to begin. Though in the end he said nothing, his expression was absolutely on point.

"On that point, I do happen to have heard something."

Liu Hai then glanced toward the direction of the testing hall, looked around left and right, and said in a lowered voice:

"Since Researcher Zhang went home on leave, he hasn't come back. Do you think that's normal?"

He said this looking at Chen Yang.

The other man, hearing it, frowned slightly and thought for a moment:

"Yeah, it's been almost three months. Who takes leave that long and still doesn't come back? Could something have happened to him?"

Yu Dazhang watched from the side. Though he said nothing, he kept observing the changes in both their expressions.

Finally getting to the main topic… In all the days he'd been here, this was the first time he'd heard them discuss that researcher.

"Something definitely happened." Liu Hai said quietly:

"I heard from people in his group that Researcher Zhang defected abroad and has already been taken under American protection."

They really can spin a yarn… Hearing this, Yu Dazhang felt like covering his face.

They do say rumors stop with the wise.

In fact, the smarter someone is, the more they love to gossip.

Not only do they love to chat, they even embellish the original story, fabricating an entirely new tale out of thin air.

"Can't tell at all," Chen Yang said in surprise:

"He had been pursuing Professor Ying all along, like a stubborn plaster, chasing for so long — would he really be willing to just walk away?"

Liu Hai, hearing this, immediately took offense.

"That was just him pestering her. Professor Ying was sick to death of him. In my view, the one happiest about him not coming back is Professor Ying herself."

At this moment, Yu Dazhang wished he could pull out a notebook and jot down all the key points.

Gossip like this — if no one told you, you'd never guess it.

Who would have thought that the researcher killed by the other party was actually one of Ying Xuelian's pursuers.

The next day.

Just past noon, Yu Dazhang suddenly heard gunshots from outside.

He was someone who had been through real combat many times, so he could naturally distinguish gunshots very clearly.

On top of that, his hearing was already far beyond that of an ordinary person, so the moment he heard the shots, he immediately pinpointed their source.

The direction of the grove!

The other side had sent another squad over… Yu Dazhang's expression grew increasingly heavy and solemn.

No need to think — it was obvious that National Security had deliberately let them in.

This was also part of the plan he and Li Mingzhao had worked out together.

The people who had sneaked in earlier to observe were all pawns, so among those who infiltrated this time in squad formation, there was bound to be a big fish hidden.

The reasoning was simple.

Any squad with more than three people must have a leader, otherwise they'd be a scattered mess.

Soon, the others in the experimental hall also heard the gunshots.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and walked toward the main door.

The guards at the door saw this and immediately blocked the entrance:

"It's dangerous outside, no one is to go out, fall back."

At this moment, Yu Dazhang had also come to the door, but he didn't stand with the researchers — instead, he faced them.

His gaze swept quickly across their faces, not sparing even the two academicians.

Since the gunfire outside was still continuing, no one noticed what he was doing.

After about a minute, the shooting stopped, and Yu Dazhang also stepped back to stand among the researchers.

Compared to his earlier solemnity, there was now a faint smile on his face.

Found you.

(End of chapter)