Chapter 190: Hong Zhiyou's Three Strikes

"Speak."

"What exactly is going on with that fellow surnamed Zhong in the interrogation room?"

Wu Jingzhong pointed at him and demanded sternly.

"Station Chief, I never expected to arrest someone from the Dangtong Bureau."

"According to Qi Physician's confession."

"At the time, Zhou Yunyi was protecting this person with his life, calling him 'comrade' every other word."

"Moreover, the direction he was heading was toward our disguised 'Mr. Dong'."

"Who the hell knew this guy surnamed Zhong would be the representative sent by the Dangtong Bureau to the Jinhai Economic Investigation Group."

Li Ya scratched his head in distress.

"What did I tell you?"

"I told you to be careful in everything; if you throw a brick in Jinhai, you might hit a big shot you can't afford to offend."

"You didn't believe me."

"Now look, the Chairman is furious, had Chen Bulei question me, and accused me of not understanding the big picture, still playing those life-or-death internal power struggles between the Zhongtong and Juntong."

"He even threatened to strip me of my position."

"Li Ya, oh Li Ya!"

"You really are a troublemaker."

"If it weren't for the sake of your late Master, I would shoot you dead right now!"

Wu Jingzhong said in a towering rage.

"Station Chief, I'm sorry."

"I, I will explain it to Comrade Jiang Jianfeng," Li Ya said, pursing his thin lips.

"Yes."

"You've found yourself a good backer," Wu Jingzhong said.

"Station Chief, actually, it's not a total loss."

"Last night, Yu Zecheng and his wife went to that street; if Zhou Yunyi hadn't turned, they definitely would have entered the hotel."

"I can only say I was defeated by Zhou Yunyi and this Lin Tao."

"This couple never intended to be truly used by us from the very beginning."

"My men discovered that Lin Tao has already committed suicide."

"Zhou Yunyi really dug a huge pit for me before he died."

Li Ya gritted his teeth in hatred.

"Is that the only loss?"

"You obtained the codebook for the radio calls, which was originally a lethal trump card; if you hadn't been so impulsive and had hidden it well, you could have accomplished great things in the future."

"Now look, you traded it for a dying woman."

"A low-value local committee member who had already been exposed."

"The methods were clumsy, simply appalling."

Wu Jingzhong frowned, forcing himself not to blurt out the word "idiot."

"Yes."

"It's a pity about that 'Dream Butterfly' book; the Red Ticket side will definitely change their codebook now," Li Ya sighed helplessly.

"Enough."

"Now we need to figure out how to smooth this matter over."

"Let them all come and discuss it."

Wu Jingzhong said.

Soon, Hong Zhiyou and the other two walked in:

"Station Chief, Captain Li is here too."

"Sit down, all of you."

"Last night, Captain Li was at the Hongqiao Hotel trying to lure and capture Red Tickets."

"Unfortunately, because of the betrayal of the local committee member Zhou Yunyi, the operation was botched."

"On the scene, we arrested a representative of the Dangtong Bureau's economic inspection group sent to Jinhai."

"Now Ye Xiufeng is complaining to the Chairman."

"I've managed to shoulder the blame for now."

"Bureau Chief Mao has given strict instructions to investigate this to the end."

"What do you all think?"

Wu Jingzhong looked at the three and asked.

"Station Chief, such a big matter, why didn't my Intelligence Division hear a single whisper of it?"

"I have always been the one negotiating with Zhou Yunyi."

"If I had gone to persuade him, it might not have ended up in this situation."

Lu Qiaoshan said with great dissatisfaction.

"Qiaoshan, the matter has already happened; let's think of a countermeasure," Wu Jingzhong had no heart to bicker over this issue.

"Station Chief."

"The Dangtong Bureau isn't necessarily clean, right?"

"There must have been many people present at the time; we can find some witnesses to describe the situation on the scene."

"Besides, since this person is a representative of the investigation group, why would he appear at the Hongqiao Hotel at that time?"

"Was he trading intelligence?"

"Or perhaps playing around with women?"

"Or maybe he is the contact for the Red Tickets; all of these are possibilities."

Hong Zhiyou was best at this kind of thing.

"Hmm."

"I strongly suspect that Ye Xiufeng is shifting the blame to cover for his subordinates," Yu Zecheng echoed.

"Station Chief, I think you must fully support Captain Li this time."

"Insist firmly that he was indeed luring Red Tickets."

"Don't forget that the Dangtong Bureau representative surnamed Zhong and the Red Ticket member Zhou Yunyi joined forces and opened fire on our men."

"They even killed two field agents from the Confidentiality Bureau."

"We are clearly the ones who suffered, so why let Ye Xiufeng pin the blame on us?"

"Isn't he filing a complaint?"

"We can file one too, a complaint with solid evidence."

"Don't forget, Captain Li was secretly sent by Jiang Jianfeng; I don't believe the words of his own son carry less weight than Ye Xiufeng's."

Hong Zhiyou held up his index finger and said decisively.

Li Ya felt a warmth in his heart as he listened from the side.

He glanced sideways at Hong Zhiyou, his expression showing less arrogance and more gratitude.

He finally understood why the Station Chief valued Hong Zhiyou so much.

This person is indeed a sycophant.

But he also possesses a shrewd political mind.

He is an ally worth winning over.

"Hmm, that makes sense."

"The Red Tickets opened fire."

"As an investigation group, they were lusting after beauty."

"Li Ya, you must use all resources to dig up the background of this guy surnamed Zhong after he arrived in Jinhai."

"Especially whether he took bribes."

"Whether he had close dealings with certain concubines, and you must also thoroughly investigate the woman he brought with him."

"Additionally, his testimony and witnesses regarding the Red Tickets must be complete."

"I'll trouble Zecheng to put in some effort and get these matters settled."

"With these three strikes, I don't believe Ye Xiufeng's mouth will dare to be so tough anymore."

Wu Jingzhong slapped the table and set the tone on the spot.

"Don't worry, Station Chief; the affairs of the Jinhai Station are my affairs."

"I will go handle it immediately."

Yu Zecheng accepted the order gladly.

"Old classmate, thanks," Li Ya said with a smile, putting his hands in his pockets.

"We're classmates, no need to be so polite with me."

"You all discuss it, I'll go get it done first."

Yu Zecheng smiled harmoniously and walked out quickly.

"Qiaoshan."

"You go and take charge of contacting the newspapers.

"You must minimize the public opinion that is unfavorable to us.

"This battle concerns the reputation of the Secret Service Bureau; it is only allowed to be won, not lost. Do you understand?"

Wu Jingzhong looked at the dejected Lu Qiaoshan and said.

"Yes, Station Chief.

"Your subordinate will go handle it right away."

Lu Qiaoshan suppressed his displeasure and squeezed out a smile.

Then, he glanced at Li Ya, turned his head, and walked out with a gloomy and cold expression.

"Station Chief.

"This Section Chief Lu seems very dissatisfied with me," Li Ya said.

"What?

"You poked a hole in the sky, yet you still want people to worship you like a Bodhisattva.

"Be content.

"Go do your job!"

Wu Jingzhong said with a straight face.

"Yes.

"Thank you, Secretary Hong."

Li Ya smiled slightly and walked out.

"Teacher.

"Captain Li has really poked a big hole this time," Hong Zhiyou said once there were no outsiders.

"Indeed.

"To be honest, I am in a difficult position.

"I originally wanted to use this opportunity to send this Buddha back to headquarters.

"But Jiang Jianfeng did not agree.

"He even blamed me for not protecting my subordinates and for shirking responsibility when trouble arose.

"Thanks to you, the situation was resolved in time.

"Otherwise, I don't know how Ye Xiufeng would have made a scene."

Wu Jingzhong took his teacup, took a sip, and said.

"That is true.

"Captain Li is capable, it's just that he is too arrogant and too impatient in his work," Hong Zhiyou said, keeping him company with intimate words.

"Use him for now.

"I still trust Li Ya's ability and his loyalty to the Party-State.

"Besides.

"He is, after all, wearing the halo of being hand-picked by the Crown Prince, which makes it easier for us to talk to the garrison and other government offices.

"Once he messes up a few more times, I want to see what face Jiang Jianfeng will have to keep him here."

Wu Jingzhong nodded and said.

"Yes.

"He should still be used," Hong Zhiyou agreed.

"The old residence of Zhang Xun, have all those treasures been collected?" Wu Jingzhong whispered, now that there were no outsiders.

"They have been collected.

"A full half-warehouse of treasures, even more spectacular than a museum.

"Teacher, if you were to go, you probably couldn't finish looking at them in ten days and ten nights.

"It is no exaggeration to say.

"These alone are enough for us to go to America and buy a hundred, a thousand large farms.

"Don't you always envy the Shanghai Police Chief Zhang Shi for going to Taiwan to become a farm owner?

"As long as you are happy, we can buy in North America, France, Xiangdao, or Spain—wherever you want to buy, you can buy; Zhang Shi can't even compare to one of your fingers."

Hong Zhiyou walked behind him and began to massage his shoulders.

"You, are there really that many?" Wu Jingzhong was so pleasantly surprised he couldn't believe it.

"You will know once you go and see.

"There will only be more than I described," Hong Zhiyou said.

"Zhiyou.

"You know whose these things will be in the future, right?" Wu Jingzhong asked with a smile.

"I know.

"They are all for Rui Rui's children," Hong Zhiyou said.

"As long as you understand.

"You must not be arrogant or impetuous; you must be humble and cautious.

"Isn't it only half a basement?

"Keep going.

"You must fill the basement no matter what."

Wu Jingzhong turned his head to look at him and laughed happily.

"Yes.

"For the children, I will work hard," Hong Zhiyou nodded.

"Your approach today was very correct.

"For someone like Li Ya, you cannot go head-to-head; you must get along with him well.

"He is very arrogant.

"But the look in his eyes when he looked at you just now was very admiring and friendly. Did you feel it?"

Wu Jingzhong was now extremely fond of this "true disciple" and prospective son-in-law.

"I felt it, and I am very happy.

"If someone from Jiang Jianfeng can become a friend, that would be for the best," Hong Zhiyou nodded.

"Yes.

"To be honest, I am happy to see them fight it out.

"Otherwise, Li Ya would ride on top of our heads.

"As for you, smooth things over among the various parties.

"It must be a fight without chaos, a fight without injury; only then is it beneficial for us to control the situation. Do you understand?"

Wu Jingzhong squinted his eyes, enjoying the act of imparting his strategy.

"Yes," Hong Zhiyou nodded.

"Why do you think Director Yu went to that street last night?

"According to Li Ya's account.

"At that time, if Zhou Yunyi had not defected, Yu Zecheng would likely have stepped into that hotel.

"Could he be a Red agent?"

Wu Jingzhong asked.

"Teacher.

"Even the clumsy Ma Kui knows how to find someone to take the blame when he messes up a job.

"Not to mention the seasoned Li Ya.

"If it were me, I would have to say the same; you can lose the battle, but you cannot lose face—isn't that normal?

"Yu Zecheng and Mrs. Yu just went to listen to a crosstalk performance.

"If you really think in that direction, there are many municipal and military officials who like that sort of thing at crosstalk venues; you can't label them all as Red agents.

"We cannot look at Yu Zecheng differently just because he is in our Secret Service Bureau.

"The key is that he is currently investigating Wu Taixun.

"Zhu Qiling has already entrusted someone to call me today.

"It is time to reach into our pockets; it is better to avoid extra trouble, don't you think?"

Hong Zhiyou spoke softly and gently to defend Yu Zecheng.

"You are sympathizing with him," Wu Jingzhong said.

"No, I am sympathizing with the money," Hong Zhiyou said.

"Fine.

"For the sake of the money, I can only believe he is innocent," Wu Jingzhong nodded.

"How are the arms negotiations going?

"The two major administrative offices of Zhangyuan and Baoding are already plotting to attack Zhangjiakou.

"If we can't produce the goods, the Generalissimo will hold you and me accountable."

After a pause, he brought up official business.

"They are already being packed into crates and loaded onto trucks; they are all American-made weapons. One batch was phased out by the Marine Corps, and the other was produced by a North American arms company."

"My old classmate helped us negotiate a good price."

"All in all, we can save another twenty thousand US dollars."

"The rice, flour, grain, and oil were shipped out last night; we didn't dare pass through Baoding, so we sent them directly to Zhangyuan via the mountain roads."

Hong Zhiyou said.

"That's great."

"I finally understand why those high-ranking officials at the Ministry of National Defense are all scrambling for military supply jobs."

"Just by flipping these hands..."

Wu Jingzhong did not specify exactly how much he had earned.

But ever since Dai Li died, he had truly been blessed with good fortune, filling his coffers to the brim.

"Come to my house for dinner tonight; Rui Rui's mother keeps asking about you."

"You need to be more sensible."

"Come home and visit more often when you're free."

Wu Jingzhong reminded him solemnly.

"Understood." Hong Zhiyou nodded.

After eating some fruit, Hong Zhiyou returned to his office and began reading the newspaper.

"Brother, are you busy?"

Lu Qiaoshan poked his head in and asked.

"Brother Shan, is something the matter?" Hong Zhiyou put down the newspaper and stood up to welcome him.

"Sigh, nothing much."

"I just feel stifled inside." Lu Qiaoshan sighed and said.

"Didn't you go to the newspaper office?" Hong Zhiyou asked.

"I'm not that idle, running errands for Li Ya personally."

"I left it to my subordinates."

"He caused such a huge mess, and even Ye Xiufeng went out to file a complaint with the authorities, yet he came out completely unscathed."

"Brother, I'm afraid my chances of becoming Deputy Station Chief are gone."

Lu Qiaoshan said with a bitter expression.

"How could that be? You're being too pessimistic, brother."

"The Station Chief is just giving him a chance because he's new."

"Don't worry, with Li Ya's personality, he's bound to offend people, and he'll definitely stumble sooner or later." Hong Zhiyou said.

"Besides, you are the Chief of the Intelligence Section."

"What is the Intelligence Section?"

"It is the eyes of the Action Team."

"If Li Ya goes blind, what can he possibly accomplish?"

As he spoke, he gave Lu Qiaoshan a subtle hint.

Lu Qiaoshan bit his lower lip and gave a dry laugh: "Brother, your words have truly awakened a dreamer."

"That's right, I don't believe Li Ya can still jump around once he's blind."

"Even if he tries to jump, he's bound to hit a wall head-first." Hong Zhiyou laughed in agreement.

"No wonder we're brothers; we think exactly alike."

As Lu Qiaoshan was laughing, his expression suddenly turned cold, and he stared fixedly at Hong Zhiyou:

"Brother, why did you speak up for him and help him out of his predicament today?"

"Brother Shan, let me be blunt."

"You are a Lieutenant Colonel with Zheng Jiemin backing you, and he is an old classmate of Jiang Jianfeng; the two of them drink tea and chat every day, so everything is easy to negotiate."

"Put it this way: even if you broke Li Ya's dog legs, there would be someone on Jiang Jianfeng's side to smooth things over."

"Can I do that?"

"I can't afford to offend him; if I don't do him a favor today, who knows when he might come after me next time."

Hong Zhiyou said with a look of helplessness.

Having said that, he lowered his voice and added:

"Have you heard?"

"Heard what?" Lu Qiaoshan blinked.

"This entrapment operation was supposedly aimed at Section Chief Yu."

"Didn't Liu Xiong keep investigating Section Chief Yu before?"

"Section Chief Liu used to be a counselor at the Qingpu Special Training Class, and according to the Station Chief, he and Li Ya were like father and son."

"Li Ya came back to take revenge."

Hong Zhiyou said, feigning a mysterious air.

"Really?"

"He has that kind of relationship with Liu Xiong?" Lu Qiaoshan was very surprised.

"Yes, could the Station Chief be lying?" Hong Zhiyou nodded.

"Then Old Yu is in trouble."

"The hatred of a father's murder is irreconcilable." Lu Qiaoshan said.

"So, it's Section Chief Yu who should be worried, not you."

"What else do you have to be upset about?"

Hong Zhiyou comforted him softly.

"Hearing you say that, I feel much more at ease."

"Just wait."

"From today on, I'm going to turn Li Ya into 'Blind Li'."

A cold sneer curled the corners of Lu Qiaoshan's mouth as he stood up and left.

Jinhai, Nanjiang Road.

Nine o'clock in the morning, an auspicious time.

Amidst a burst of firecrackers.

Luo Anping, the owner of Tongyuan Bookstore, dressed in a blue long gown, cupped his hands in a salute to the passing neighbors:

"Starting from today, the bookstore is officially open for business."

"I invite all neighbors and passersby to come and show your support often..."

"Shopkeeper, the books are ready; when should we send them to Mr. Yu?"

The tall assistant, struggling to open his eyes that seemed perpetually sleepy, whispered into his ear.

"Tonight."

"It's inconvenient during the day with so many eyes around."

Luo Anping said.

"Understood." The assistant nodded.

Night fell.

Luo Bing, the bookstore assistant, carried a cloth bag and cautiously arrived at Yu Zecheng's courtyard.

"Knock, knock."

He knocked on the door.

Yu Zecheng opened the door, looked at this unfamiliar face, and asked vigilantly:

"Who are you looking for?"

"Mr. Yu, right? I'm an assistant from Tongyuan Bookstore."

"Can I come in and talk?"

As Luo Bing spoke, he tried to squeeze inside.

"I didn't buy any books." Yu Zecheng blocked him outside the door.

"I was sent by Shopkeeper Luo."

"The organization has established a new..."

Before Luo Bing could finish his sentence, Yu Zecheng pulled out a gun and pressed it against his head.

(End of chapter)