Chapter 384: Mission Failed

When He Yuzhu rushed to the roof of that small building, it was already empty.

Only a small red pinwheel stuck in the brickwork was spinning whirringly in the wind.

He immediately activated the Scanning Function and discovered that there were no traces of the enemy within a radius of 120 meters.

This was a busy commercial district; the secret agent had blended into the crowd, making it impossible to find them.

Therefore, he did not give chase, but instead began to search the rooftop to see if he could find any clues.

After walking a circle, he discovered that on the side of the building facing the back street in the Northwest, a piece of Rope was tied firmly to a concrete pillar, with the other end hanging down toward the street below.

Clearly, the secret agent had slid down from here to blend into the flow of people in the streets and alleys.

He Yuzhu continued his search and found a heavily worn Rifle in an abandoned old wooden cabinet, with a People's Liberation Army uniform thrown beside it.

He Yuzhu picked up the gun and examined it repeatedly; it was a broken piece of junk, likely ten years old or more.

Not long after, Tian Dan arrived with a group of Police.

She stepped forward quickly and asked in a hurried tone, "Where is the person? Did you catch them?"

He Yuzhu shook his head: "After that person fired the shot, they didn't delay for even a second and escaped down the rope. Below is a commercial street; they blended into the crowd. Even if I were faster, I couldn't have caught them."

Tian Dan patted his shoulder and said, "It's fine, we will catch them sooner or later."

A technician from the bureau took the Rifle, inspected it inside and out for a long time, and said, "The rifling in this barrel is almost worn smooth; it must have been fired at least ten thousand times. To hit a target with a single shot from over five hundred meters away without calibration—this person is definitely an expert!"

"Dan, is Jiang Chongnian dead?"

Tian Dan shook her head, "Not dead, but I doubt he can be saved!"

He Yuzhu pointed to the rapidly spinning pinwheel and said, "For an excellent sniper, failing to kill with a single shot is still a mistake!"

The technician looked at He Yuzhu in confusion, feeling that this person's standards were too high.

Tian Dan closed her eyes and remained silent for a moment before speaking: "After the contact person realized we had an ambush, they likely concluded that Jiang Chongshan had already been exposed or even defected, so they changed the plan on the fly. From seizing the gun and choosing the sniper spot to completing the assassination, it took less than twenty minutes. This is a very difficult person to deal with."

He Yuzhu spoke up: "Dan, have you arrested everyone around Jiang Chongshan?"

Tian Dan nodded, "They have all been brought back to the bureau." She turned to a colleague nearby, "Lao Ma, you continue to survey the scene to see if you can get any useful information. I have to go back to the bureau to interrogate those people."

"Got it!" Lao Ma carefully examined the footprints.

He Yuzhu drove, and Tian Dan remained silent the whole way, as if immersed in every detail of tonight's operation to find what had gone wrong.

As they neared the Public Security Bureau, she suddenly spoke: "Zhuzi, what do you think about today's events? I keep feeling like something isn't right!"

"Dan, my thoughts are a bit different from yours. I think there were at least two people involved in the street today, one inside the station and one outside. The person inside the station discovered our hidden sentries and immediately sent word out; the person outside then started to seize the gun and find a sniper position to coordinate with the person inside."

Tian Dan nodded, "That is possible. Why did the person coming for the contact discover us, while Jiang Chongshan did not?"

"People have different abilities. Chen Xueru has a talent: no matter how you disguise yourself, as long as she sees your eyes, she can recognize you. This person has extremely strong perception."

Tian Dan asked, "Then do you think they successfully made contact?"

He Yuzhu shook his head, "I really can't be sure about that. However, I suspect that the family with the child and that female doctor are both suspicious!"

Tian Dan nodded and said nothing.

"You must interrogate those people around Jiang Chongshan carefully, including the wonton stall owner."

"The little girl being sick probably wasn't faked!" Tian Dan said.

"That female doctor touched the bowl Jiang Chongshan was eating wontons from! This detail cannot be ignored!" He Yuzhu said.

Tian Dan nodded and said, "I will interrogate her thoroughly. You wait for me at the Public Security Bureau; once I'm done, we'll touch base again."

He Yuzhu nodded.

Three hours later, Tian Dan walked out of the interrogation room with a weary look on her face.

He Yuzhu went up to her and asked, "Did you find anything?"

Tian Dan shook her head: "That family—the man is a Regimental Commander from the Fourth Field Army who was seriously wounded while fighting on Hainan Island. For the last year, his health has been poor. He didn't like the South, so he insisted on applying for demobilization to work in Beijing. His background is very clean. The woman graduated from Tongji Medical University; her family practiced traditional Chinese medicine, but she studied Western medicine. She previously worked at a hospital in Shanghai run by Germans. Recently, the Germans left, and she successfully applied for a job at Beijing First Hospital as a gynecologist. Her family and history have all been checked; no problems were found."

He Yuzhu mused, "Did you search that woman?"

Tian Dan nodded.

"Can you give me that woman's address?"

Tian Dan looked at him and nodded: "I can give you the address, but don't do anything reckless. If you find anything, you must notify me first."

"Listen to you, as if I'd do something!" He Yuzhu curled his lip.

As soon as the bell rang at Hongxing Primary School, Liu Guangtian walked out of the classroom swinging his shoulders, his eyes darting around. He was looking for a child who was easy to bully so he could find the feeling of "being the big brother."

He hadn't gone far when he saw Yan Jiefang and a few older children gathered at the school gate, acting arrogant.

Liu Guangtian rolled up his sleeves, preparing to go up and "educate" them, but the group of children began to chant in unison: "Bed-wetter King, really quite a thing, sleeps until the sun is high, cold as ice in the bed, hey! Cold as ice!"

Liu Guangtian's face turned red to the roots of his ears in a flash.

This matter had always been kept strictly under wraps in his house; how did this little brat Yan Jiefang find out?

His fists clenched, making a cracking sound; he wanted nothing more than to rush up and beat them.

But they were just singing a nursery rhyme; if he made a move, wouldn't that be admitting it?

Gritting his teeth until they ached, he turned abruptly and ran toward home.

The group of children behind him chased after him while shouting, the sound of the nursery rhyme like a tail he couldn't shake off.

Liu Guangtian crashed through his front door, slammed it shut with a "bang," and roared at his mother while panting: "Mom! Did you tell Yang Ruihua about me wetting the bed? Yan Jiefang is leading a bunch of kids shouting it at the school gate; how am I supposed to go to school now?"

The second mother was picking vegetables; upon hearing this, she slammed the cabbage in her hand into the basin: "You little bastard, do you think I have nothing better to do than spread your shameful business around?"

"Then how did they know?"

"It's probably your younger brother who let it slip!" The second mother glared at him crossly.

It must be said that this second mother's way of thinking was truly different from ordinary people; instead of solving the problem, she only intensified the conflict.

Liu Guangfu, who hadn't started school yet, had just finished playing with other children in the courtyard and returned home. As soon as he entered the door, he was slapped by Liu Guangtian.

Liu Guangfu burst into tears, and Liu Guangtian grabbed his ear, asking sternly: "Did you spread the news about me wetting the bed?"

Liu Guangfu covered his face and sobbed, "I didn't..."

"Big Brother certainly wouldn't say anything, and Mom and Dad wouldn't talk about it outside either, so who else in the house would say it? Isn't it just you left!" The more Liu Guangtian spoke, the angrier he became.

Just as they were arguing, Liu Guangqi returned from outside.

After hearing Liu Guangtian finish explaining the ins and outs of the matter, he thought for a moment and said, "Guangfu doesn't seem like he's lying, and I certainly haven't said anything. That leaves only one possibility. Mom and Dad have been saying lately that they want to take you to see a doctor; perhaps someone in the Houyuan heard them when they were talking."

Liu Guangtian was stunned, then gritted his teeth and said, "I understand! The one in the Houyuan who would do such a wicked thing must be Xu Damao. A few days ago, he asked me to steal frozen persimmons from the neighbors, and I didn't agree; this guy must be holding a grudge against me."

Liu Guangqi patted him on the shoulder: "Don't go provoking Xu Damao; he has money and people now, you can't beat him. If you really want to vent your anger, go take revenge on Yan Jiefang. I know he gets up on the dot at five o'clock every day to go to the latrine. If you splash two basins of water in front of his door beforehand and sprinkle some honeycomb coal ash, I guarantee that as soon as he steps out in the early morning, he'll land right on his backside."