Chapter 202: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, the Oriole Follows Behind

Liu Pu returned to the Security Section.

Xiao Guohua was slumped over his desk catching up on sleep; he had spent the entire night outside the two station chiefs' doors, not daring to blink even once.

Even if he were made of iron, he was too sleepy to keep his eyes open at this point.

Hearing footsteps, he opened his eyes and asked, "Did you say it?"

"Yes."

"I leaked it just as you said."

"That box of matches also fell into the hands of Lu Qiaoshan."

Liu Pu replied.

"Good, well done. You stayed up all night too, go to the dormitory and get some sleep," Xiao Guohua instructed.

The matches were taken by the station chief on purpose.

This was also the plan Li Ya had set, intending to leak it deliberately to lure various factions into "delivering a meal" to the Xiuchun Pavilion.

"Thank you, Section Chief." Liu Pu left gratefully.

"This play is getting more and more exciting."

Xiao Guohua shook his head slightly with a smile and continued to slump down to sleep.

Lu Qiaoshan picked up the matchbox and went to the Secretary's Office.

Hong Zhiyou was drinking tea with Yu Zecheng.

The only ones truly busy in the station were the Action Team, the Dispatch Office, and the Intelligence Division.

Like him and Yu Zecheng.

Generally, when the station chief had no orders, they had plenty of time to drink tea and read the newspaper.

"Both of you are here." Lu Qiaoshan invited himself in.

"Old Lu, sit down quickly."

"Any leads?" Yu Zecheng asked.

"A little."

"The station chief and Station Chief Qiao went to Tanggu last night." Lu Qiaoshan closed the door, sat down, and said in a low voice.

"Tanggu?"

"You mean the person is hiding over there?" Hong Zhiyou feigned surprise.

"This Li Ya is quite cunning."

"He used the two generals as pawns, deliberately taking a detour through Tanggu. Guess where they spent the night last night?"

Lu Qiaoshan asked in a deep voice.

"Where?"

"It certainly wasn't at home; if they had been at home, the station chief wouldn't have looked so haggard just now," Hong Zhiyou said.

"You guessed right."

"They went to visit the Xiuchun Pavilion." Lu Qiaoshan lowered his voice even further.

"No way. Ever since the New Life Movement, the house rules regarding this have been very strict."

"Generals visiting a brothel."

"Old Lu, you shouldn't talk nonsense."

Yu Zecheng said in a panic.

"It was all arranged by Li Ya."

"It's a feint; the person is very likely hiding in the Xiuchun Pavilion."

Lu Qiaoshan cupped his hands around his mouth and whispered.

As he spoke, he took the matches out of his pocket and placed them on the table.

"I found them in the backseat while inspecting the vehicles."

"If it weren't for the secret meeting with Yuan Peilin,"

"With the station chief's rebellious prostate and his nature of loving antiques more than beauties, would he bother going to the Xiuchun Pavilion?"

Lu Qiaoshan leaned in closer and analyzed with a smug look on his face.

"That makes sense."

"However, Old Lu, we still need to be cautious and verify."

"Don't fall into Li Ya's trap."

Yu Zecheng reminded him.

"The Xiuchun Pavilion, that is indeed a possibility."

"Old Lu, I feel that this man surnamed Yuan cannot hide forever without coming out."

"People are iron, food is steel."

"He has to eat, drink, and relieve himself, right?"

"With Li Ya's caution, he shouldn't arrange meals casually for such an important figure."

"He will order takeout or have the canteen cook."

"We can start from that angle."

Hong Zhiyou pondered.

At the moment, Yuan Peilin's whereabouts were a mystery.

His intuition told him that Li Ya was playing a game of feints.

Only by piercing through this layer of window paper could one see the deeper truth.

"I'm already watching."

"Just wait."

"By tonight at the latest..."

Just as he was speaking, dense footsteps came from outside the door.

The three walked to the door and saw the Action Team members moving in a hurry.

"What is this for?" Lu Qiaoshan asked.

"Oh, Division Chief Lu is here, perfect."

The big-eared Qi Physician leaned over:

"Team Leader Li took down an underground contact station last night, and there are two more labor movement strongholds waiting to be cleared."

"By the way, Team Leader Li said he doesn't have enough manpower."

"He wants to ask you to transfer a few from the Action Team."

"Do you think our Intelligence Division is very free? No!" Lu Qiaoshan scolded coldly with a sour face.

"Yes."

Qi Physician nodded, losing face, and waved his hand, shouting:

"Brothers, be quick."

"Finish this job, and Deputy Station Chief Li will have a big reward."

"Hey!"

"You plague-ridden thing, believe it or not, I'll tear your mouth apart." Lu Qiaoshan was furious when he heard this.

"Calm down, calm down."

Hong Zhiyou quickly held him back.

"See that? It's intentional."

Lu Qiaoshan spat in dissatisfaction:

"A villain who has gained power; I'll deal with these lackeys sooner or later."

"And they want people."

"Do I look like a pushover!"

"Not a chance."

Yu Zecheng also sighed with a hint of jealousy: "Sigh, Li Ya just got lucky; Station Chief Qiao has taken a liking to him."

"I heard this Yuan Peilin is one of the founders of the Central Plains intelligence network."

"And he is the dual leader of Peiping and Tianjin."

"A proper heavyweight figure; who knows how many big fish can be reeled in once he's caught."

"If we don't find Yuan, let alone the deputy station chief position, the station chief position will be his sooner or later."

"No, I must step up the deployment. Every day late, the man surnamed Li gains more credit, and you and I face more danger." Lu Qiaoshan walked out impatiently.

Eleven o'clock in the morning.

Lu Qiaoshan called Lu Yuxi: "Xizi, did you follow them?"

"Followed them."

"Meals were ordered from five restaurants in total."

"One portion was delivered to the Longhua Hotel..."

Before Lu Yuxi could finish on the other end of the phone, Lu Qiaoshan interrupted him: "Was any delivered to the Xiuchun Pavilion?"

"Yes!"

"The one sent to Embroidered Spring Pavilion is Deputy Team Leader Qi Physician."

"I watched him personally; this man is very cautious and changed locations three times, but he still couldn't escape my sharp eyes."

"Excellent." Lu Qiaoshan clenched his fist in delight.

"Keep watching him, and be sure to be cautious."

After speaking, he hung up the phone and quickly dialed another number:

"Sheng Xiang, come to my office for a moment."

A moment later, Sheng Xiang slipped in, closed the door, and smiled craftily: "Director Lu, is there a deal?"

"A big deal."

"I have found the hiding place of Yuan Peilin," Lu Qiaoshan said.

"Yuan Peilin?"

"That is worth a fortune. Right now, the Red Tickets, the Dangtong Bureau, and even the gangs are looking for him. Information about this person is already being bid at seven gold bars."

"If it's an old hand like you, ten gold bars, no doubt about it."

Sheng Xiang said, his face flushed with excitement.

"Be steady, what kind of behavior is this, shouting and yelling?" Lu Qiaoshan frowned and reprimanded him.

"I want ten gold bars."

"Whatever you can squeeze out beyond that is yours."

"Also, try to sell it to the Dangtong Bureau."

"They want to get rid of this Yuan Peilin even more than the Red Tickets do right now."

Lu Qiaoshan instructed.

"Don't worry, I'll go handle it right now." Sheng Xiang pondered, realized there was still profit to be made, and readily agreed.

"Go."

Lu Qiaoshan said.

Action Team office.

Li Ya leaned back in his chair, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the newspaper in his hands, a satisfied smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

He had been busy all night thanks to the solid information Yuan Peilin had spilled.

He had arrested quite a few people.

He had specifically arranged for the Jinhai Daily to run it as the morning headline.

If he guessed correctly, Jiang Jianfeng and Bureau Chief Mao should have seen the news by now.

He wanted to see who else would dare to be unconvinced of him serving as the deputy station chief!

He must be promoted.

He must make money.

He must make arrests.

This was the life goal Li Ya had set for himself while struggling in Yancheng.

Whoever dared to block his path.

Never mind one Lu Qiaoshan, even ten Lu Qiaoshans wouldn't be enough.

"Team Leader Li."

"Lu Qiaoshan has taken the bait."

"He took the matches from the car and also measured the fuel."

"Furthermore, when our people delivered the food, there were tails following the whole way."

"They should have locked onto Embroidered Spring Pavilion."

Qi Physician walked in and reported with a face full of joy.

"Self-righteous thing."

"Very good, secretly increase the manpower, and send all the tough guys over there in secret."

"I estimate that the people from the Red Tickets and the Dangtong Bureau will make their move in these next few days."

"We just need to wait to catch the fish."

Li Ya bit his lip, tilted his head, and sneered.

"Yes, Team Leader Li."

"When you are promoted to deputy station chief later, don't forget to pull your brothers up," Qi Physician said.

"That is a must."

"Take this, you've been busy all night, take the brothers to have a bowl of mutton soup to nourish yourselves."

Li Ya took a few silver dollars from the drawer and handed them over.

"Got it."

Qi Physician took them, weighed them, and said.

Jinhai Dangtong Bureau, Director's office.

Sun Chuanzhi looked at Xie Ruolin and asked with great delight:

"Is this news of yours true?"

"Did someone really find out news about Yuan Peilin?"

"Sun, Director Sun."

"Whether it's true or not, I dare not guarantee it."

"But the other party is asking for fifteen gold bars, so it shouldn't be a joke."

"You also know that for those of us in this circle, if we blow such a high price on one deal, our career in this business is basically, basically over."

"No one would joke with their own rice bowl."

"Just tell me, do you want it or not?"

Xie Ruolin said with a smile, stuttering.

Where did the funds for Sun Chuanzhi's few mistresses and the mansion on Changde Road come from?

That middleman profit from him helping Sun Chuanzhi resell information on a daily basis certainly played a part.

Therefore, when there were no outsiders, the two spoke quite casually.

"Fifteen gold bars, wouldn't that be too expensive?" Sun Chuanzhi frowned and said.

"Not expensive."

"Last time Zhong Wangguo was killed, Bureau Chief Ye not only failed to get back at them, but also got splashed with dirty water."

"Our Dangtong Bureau was a real eyesore in front of the Leader."

"Bureau Chief Ye is very dissatisfied with you."

"If we can get rid of Yuan Peilin and give the Secret Service Bureau a slap in the face, I believe Bureau Chief Ye will be very happy."

"Is your seat not even worth fifteen gold bars?"

Xie Ruolin smiled and persuaded him.

"The problem is that the credibility of this information is unknown."

"You have to give me some sort of assurance, right?"

Whenever money was mentioned, Sun Chuanzhi, who was always stingy and cautious, felt a pang of pain.

"I can only tell you this."

"Yuan Peilin is in the hands of the Secret Service Bureau, and this information was leaked by a key member of the Secret Service Bureau."

"I wouldn't dare say one hundred percent."

"At least seventy percent is true."

"This thing is a hot commodity right now; if you don't want it, others will make their move."

Xie Ruolin said.

"Fine."

"I'll take a gamble, just consider it a gift for Bureau Chief Ye's birthday next month."

"Go to San'er to get the gold bars."

Sun Chuanzhi gritted his teeth and agreed.

"This big gift, Bureau Chief Ye will surely be hap... happy."

"You wait, I'll go to the Shangquan Society to get the information right now."

Xie Ruolin was efficient.

He quickly drove to the mansion of Sun Chuanzhi's mistress, took the fifteen gold bars, and headed straight for the society.

He met with Sheng Xiang privately.

"Old Sheng, is your information reliable?"

"Fifteen gold bars, our Director Sun has given his word; if it's fake, he'll definitely kill you and me."

Xie Ruolin looked around and asked in a low voice.

"It was leaked by that person, could it be fake?"

"This morning..."

Sheng Xiang leaned into his ear and muttered for a while.

"Fine."

After listening, Xie Ruo handed twelve gold bars to Sheng Xiang.

Sheng Xiang's goods.

They were among the few in this market that could still fetch a high price without a stamp or a date.

Sheng Xiang accepted them gladly, making a small profit of two bars.

Xie Ruo also gave a dry laugh, having made a small profit of three gold bars from Section Chief Sun.

A win-win.

No, a three-way win.

He turned and saw someone.

This guy was a Red Ticket, often haunting this place.

When it came to buying intelligence, a Red Ticket wouldn't even blink when spending money.

"Old brother, want to know the inside scoop on Yongxing Textile Factory stocks?" Xie Ruo stepped forward to make contact.

The man understood and followed him to a corner.

A quick flip.

Xie Ruo earned several more gold bars.

Returning to Sun Chuanzhi's office.

"How was it, did you get it?" Sun Chuanzhi asked hurriedly.

"Got it.

"Yuan Peilin is hiding in the Xiuchun Pavilion.

"Wu Jingzhong and Qiao Jiecai... they cooperated with that Li Ya, running all over Tanggu just to pull the wool over people's eyes and hide this Yuan Peilin."

"Little Xie, if this can be verified, you will have performed a great service," Sun Chuanzhi said.

"No, I wouldn't dare.

"Just sharing the burden for the Section Chief," Xie Ruo said with a smile.

"Go call Section Chief Wei in."

Sun Chuanzhi couldn't wait to take Yuan Peilin's head.

Right now, the Red Tickets were searching the whole world for Yuan Peilin.

Strike first, and he could claim the credit.

If he were late, those fifteen gold bars would have been thrown down the drain for nothing.

Near dusk, Tongyuan Bookstore.

Luo Bing walked to Luo Anping's side and whispered:

"Shopkeeper, it's been verified; Yuan Peilin is very likely hiding in the Xiuchun Pavilion."

"Is the intelligence reliable?" Luo Anping asked in a deep voice.

"It should be.

"Our secret agents around the Xiuchun Pavilion have discovered quite a few spies from the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics.

"On the second floor, there is a side room; someone saw Qi Physician, the deputy captain of the action team, go in to deliver food.

"As expected, Yuan Peilin is likely hiding there."

Luo Bing said.

"Hmm.

"Regardless of whether it's true, we must act.

"The organization has confirmed that Yuan Peilin was not kidnapped, but defected long ago.

"Just last night and this morning.

"One of our underground communication stations was destroyed, and several important comrades from the labor movement organization were captured by the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics.

"They had all previously gone to Beiping to attend a meeting.

"If we don't eliminate Yuan for a single day, there's no telling how many more people in our organization will bleed and sacrifice themselves."

Luo Anping said solemnly.

"Should we check in with Mr. Yu first?

"He is with the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, he might have some wind of it."

Luo Bing suggested.

"Good, I'll call him now." Luo Anping nodded.

Evening.

Yu Zecheng had just finished dinner.

The phone rang, and Yu Zecheng went upstairs to answer: "Hello, this is he.

"Good, understood."

"What's wrong?" After coming downstairs, Cui Ping asked.

"Sigh.

"Old Luo says they've found Yuan Peilin.

"He wants me to go over and advise."

Yu Zecheng frowned.

"That's a good thing.

"That dog of a traitor, just in one night several comrades from the labor movement are gone.

"If we don't slaughter him early, are we keeping him for the New Year?"

Cui Ping said with great joy.

"I always feel things aren't that simple.

"What Hong Zhiyou hinted at is that this operation is very likely planned by Li Ya, and even the Station Chief might not know Yuan's whereabouts.

"Because the Station Chief does not want Li Ya to become the Deputy Station Chief.

"Lu Qiaoshan used a box of matches.

"Just by strolling through the Xiuchun Pavilion, one could deduce Yuan's hiding place.

"It's too simple."

Yu Zecheng shook his head with worry.

"Then what should we do?" Cui Ping looked at him.

"Old Luo has a hot temper.

"He's new here, completely in the dark, and he will definitely try to eliminate Yuan Peilin at any cost.

"If this is truly a trap set by Li Ya.

"The comrades carrying out the purge will be in great danger."

Yu Zecheng said while putting on his coat, "Let's go, go see Old Luo.

"I'll see if I can stop him."

Cui Ping curled her lip and said, "Sigh, you have the brains, and you know how to keep things to yourself; it would be great if the organization let you be a leader."

"Enough of that, let's go."

Yu Zecheng finished dressing, sprinkled some incense ash at the doorway, and walked out with Cui Ping.

(End of chapter)