Chapter 208: Dong Cheng Arrested, the Entire Station in Danger

"Zhiyou, do you think Yuan would be in an opera troupe?" Yu Zecheng asked.

"I don't know.

"Old Lu has always been meticulous in his work; he had people interrogate them and check the registers.

"Besides, if he were really hiding in an opera troupe..."

Hong Zhiyou stroked his chin and began to think.

"That Li Ya watching operas and flirting with young girls must all be a facade.

"This is a path he paved in advance.

"Why choose an opera troupe?

"It suggests he has an old friendship with the troupe leader; you have to realize he went to Yancheng from Jinhai.

"He lived here before.

"It is entirely possible that he had many dealings with people here."

Hong Zhiyou stroked his chin and began to analyze it carefully.

"How about you find him tomorrow to probe him about the opera?" Yu Zecheng asked.

"It's not appropriate for me to go.

"I represent the Station Chief; someone as sharp as Li Ya would notice something if I asked too much.

"There cannot be even the slightest thing that is disadvantageous to the Station Chief."

Hong Zhiyou refused very cautiously.

"Yeah.

"Grown men, who talks about opera for no reason?

"Even if you find Old Xie, he wouldn't be able to make up anything fancy."

Yu Zecheng nodded, feeling deeply troubled.

"As long as the money is right, he will make up something fancy.

"Just let Old Xie go; tell him to test Li Ya's knowledge of opera."

Hong Zhiyou said very firmly.

"Fine, you treat Old Xie like a god, what else can I say? It's settled.

"Are you paying, or am I?

"That kid's fees are ruthless."

Yu Zecheng asked, blinking his eyes.

"The ones in a hurry are the Station Chief and you all.

"Whoever Yuan Peilin wants to expose, let him expose; it has nothing to do with me!"

Hong Zhiyou couldn't even be bothered to pay him any mind.

"Fine, I'll pay." Yu Zecheng nodded, feeling the pinch.

Now that Mr. Yong's wallet was dry.

He had also started to tighten his belt.

How could he still dare to scatter gold and silver like before to carry out missions?

Ten o'clock at night, light rain.

Under the dim streetlights.

Li Ya held a black umbrella, standing in a dark corner, his eyes fixed intently on house number 69.

"Captain.

"The postal worker and the telephone bureau staff we disguised as this morning have already confirmed it; Xu Yuanshan is at home.

"At seven o'clock.

"Someone went in to visit Xu Yuanshan.

"Wearing a hat, I couldn't see the face; it seemed very mysterious."

His confidant Gao Yuan, who was not tall but looked very capable, reported.

Li Ya's eyes lit up, and he asked in a low voice: "Has the person come out?"

"No.

"Unless there is a secret passage, Wang Pu and I have been watching here the whole time without even blinking; that person definitely hasn't come out."

Gao Yuan answered very firmly.

"Great!" Li Ya was overjoyed.

The person Yuan Peilin exposed had very deep roots.

On the surface, he was a distant relative of Chen Lifu.

He had previously held important positions in the Executive Yuan and was also very prestigious in the literary and artistic circles.

It is said that when Tang Shaoyi and Young Marshal Zhang were in Jin, they both lived in his residence for a period of time.

It is evident that this person's status was not insignificant.

If not for Yuan Peilin's leak, who would have thought that such a celebrity who never had to worry about food or clothing would be a Red ticket?

According to intelligence.

Yuan Peilin himself had never had any dealings with Xu Yuanshan.

It was just that when he held an important position in the Yancheng Border Defense, he inadvertently saw an internal document about Jinhai, which mentioned this address.

It was marked with the word "Top Secret."

It was originally sent to Ke Gong.

But by a stroke of luck, he saw it.

Yuan Peilin did not know who lived at this address.

But he had read the contents of the top-secret document; this was a key point for direct contact between Jinhai and the Yancheng organization.

If it could be said that the entire Jinhai underground organization was destroyed.

69 Yanjin Road was the final spark.

One can imagine the importance of this Xu Yuanshan.

The people who associated with Xu Yuanshan could also be key Red ticket members.

After all, the Jinhai underground organization was in urgent need of recovery.

At this time, it was entirely possible that they had sent a key official to take charge of the overall situation.

"Heaven helps me, catching two big fish in one net!"

Li Ya gritted his teeth, his gaze turning cold as he ordered:

"Deploy men around the courtyard to prevent escape.

"Move!"

Inside the house.

Mr. Dong was drinking tea with Xu Yuanshan.

"Old Dong, why did you come to Jinhai?" Xu Yuanshan asked.

"The organization sent me to Zhenjiang to discuss the procurement of military supplies.

"Since I was passing through Jinhai, they arranged a new task for me.

"The underground liaison station here in Jinhai has never been able to be established, and the previous clear-text radio station was deciphered, leaving several comrades on the first line as idle pieces.

"With war imminent, the organization is anxious, and these comrades are also anxious.

"They don't trust the liaison point.

"So I had to be sent over to mediate.

"Fortunately, both sides have successfully made contact, the work is progressing well, and the comrades of the anti-traitor squad who assassinated Yuan Peilin have all been rescued."

At the mention of Yu Zecheng, Dong Cheng's face showed pride and relief that he could not hide.

"But the work of the liaison station hasn't been done beautifully.

"I just received intelligence that the one who died at Xiuchun Tower is likely not Yuan Peilin."

Xu Yuanshan frowned and said.

"Not Yuan Peilin?

"Yuan once served as the section chief of the Border Defense Investigation Division.

"This person knows a lot of intelligence.

"If he doesn't die, it will be very troublesome."

Dong Cheng's expression became grave.

"The anti-traitor squad has already had one incident; it's very difficult to carry out missions again.

"Forget it, Old Dong.

"With the lesson from last time, no matter how urgent the anti-traitor work is, we cannot be reckless.

"I'll take you to the pier first, and we can make a detailed plan for the matter here after I contact the organization."

Xu Yuanshan ordered.

The two stood up just as they were about to leave.

Then, a scream was heard from downstairs.

"Not good, something's going to happen." Xu Yuanshan grabbed his gun and covered Dong Cheng as he retreated from the back.

"Xu Yuanshan!"

Just as he was about to climb over the wall, Li Ya shouted.

The two had no choice but to slowly raise their hands and turn around.

"Dong Cheng?"

When Li Ya saw Mr. Dong, his expression shifted from surprise to ecstasy:

"Truly, one finds what one is looking for without even trying.

"I was just worrying about having no capital to earn merit.

"Last time I used a fake you to go fishing.

"Now it's good, I've caught the real one.

"Heaven is truly helping me!

"Take them away!"

The next day.

Wu Jingzhong carried a lunch box into the office.

"Master, why are you here so early today?" Hong Zhiyou asked while throwing a rag.

"It's all because of your mistress, she insisted I bring you breakfast.

"She kicked me out of the house early.

"Have a taste.

"Stir-fried rice noodles, a Cantonese specialty."

As he spoke, he handed over the food container.

"Thank you, Mistress." Hong Zhiyou opened the wooden tray and took out the stir-fried noodles, eating them in big mouthfuls.

Must say, the taste wasn't bad.

A specially hired chef is just different.

Just as he was eating, Li Ya walked in, beaming with joy. Seeing Hong Zhiyou eating with such relish, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva: "What are you eating? I haven't seen this in Jinhai."

"Captain Li is here.

"Yuezhou stir-fried noodles, a Cantonese breakfast; it's indeed hard to find in Jinhai."

Hong Zhiyou smiled.

"Do you want to try some?" He turned the chopsticks around and handed them to Li Ya.

"I do love good food.

"Let me try."

Li Ya didn't stand on ceremony; he took the chopsticks and grabbed a large portion.

The fragrance of bean sprouts, eggs, and stir-fried noodles mixed together instantly filled his mouth, and he became excited:

"Mm, mm, not bad.

"I used to think the yellow soup beef noodles at Wang Laosan's were the best.

"I didn't expect there was this waiting for me.

While praising it endlessly, he took several more large mouthfuls.

The originally exquisite plate of stir-fried noodles hit the bottom in the blink of an eye.

"Master, when will you lend me your Cantonese chef for a few days?" Li Ya wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and asked with a smile.

"Easy to say.

"It's just a bit expensive.

"However, as long as you put your heart into it, this is enough; there is nothing in this world you cannot eat."

Wu Jingzhong smiled and rubbed his fingers as he spoke.

"Don't worry, Master.

"The student will certainly put his heart into it; didn't I accidentally earn some merit last night?"

Li Ya tilted his head and sucked the lingering taste from his lips, his expression arrogant yet triumphant.

"Earned merit?" Wu Jingzhong's heart sank.

"Master, Captain Li, you two talk, I have something to do back in the office." Hong Zhiyou immediately took the tray and the bowl and chopsticks and walked out.

"Master.

"Yuan Peilin confessed about a big fish.

"He can be considered the highest-level person in charge of the Jinhai underground organization of the Red Ticket."

Li Ya said, full of ambition.

"Highest level, how high?" Wu Jingzhong frowned.

"Xu Yuanshan!" Li Ya said.

"That retired official of the Executive Yuan on Yanjin Road, the cousin of Chen Lifu?" Wu Jingzhong was still very familiar with this name.

"It is him." Li Ya nodded.

"Nonsense!

"This is Chen Lifu's man.

"You've just poked the hornet's nest of the Dangtong Bureau one after another, and now you've gotten yourself into trouble with Chen Lifu's relative.

"Do you know what the consequences are?

"Are you trying to declare total war on the Dangtong Bureau on behalf of the Secret Service Bureau?"

Wu Jingzhong scolded with a straight face.

"So what if he's Chen Lifu's man? Don't say a distant relative, even if he were a first cousin, we have to arrest him if he's a ticket-traitor.

"I said the same thing to the Chairman."

Li Ya said proudly.

"Is there evidence?" Wu Jingzhong asked.

"Yes.

"First, this was confessed by Yuan Peilin.

"Secondly, I caught someone in Xu's residence.

"This person is of an even higher level than Xu Yuanshan.

"It is a truly big fish."

Li Ya tucked his hand into his pocket and smiled triumphantly.

"Such good luck.

"With such a high level, did you flip a somersault cloud overnight to Yancheng to catch him?"

Wu Jingzhong was very repulsed by his arrogant and frivolous demeanor.

"You guessed right.

"This person really did come from Yancheng.

"Dong Cheng!"

Li Ya said.

"Dong Cheng?

"The person you mentioned as a fake bait at the Hongqiao Hotel last time?

"The one who met secretly with Yu Zecheng in Yang Family Village?"

Wu Jingzhong asked in surprise.

"It is this person.

"I have already locked these two in the interrogation room and tortured them for a whole night.

"Just waiting for you and Director Yu."

Li Ya smiled.

"Dong Cheng is Dong Cheng.

"Yu Zecheng is Yu Zecheng; before there is absolute evidence, do not lump them together.

"Don't be in a hurry to draw conclusions; interrogate them first."

Wu Jingzhong was just in a "honeymoon period" with Yu Zecheng, so naturally, he had to speak in his favor.

"Understood.

"Then I will go call Director Yu."

Li Ya was afraid he would leak the news.

"Go ahead." Wu Jingzhong waved his hand.

After Li Ya left.

He was so angry he just clapped his hands: "Hey!"

It was truly a case of fearing what you don't want to happen.

He was just afraid of Li Ya earning great merit.

A few days ago, Wu Jingzhong had already called Qiao Jiecai, telling him to ask Li Ya for the person.

Who knew that Li Ya was so cunning.

He found a bunch of excuses, and Qiao Jiecai, hindered by his own relationship with Jiang Jianfeng, could not press the matter further.

Now it was too late.

This Yuan Peilin really had some substance.

He had bitten onto two big fish.

It was truly a case of explosive good luck; one couldn't stop it even if one tried.

For a moment, Wu Jingzhong suddenly felt a bit dazed.

He suspected that he might be getting old.

In front of his own student, he had actually lost control of the situation.

Very quickly.

Li Ya not only called Yu Zecheng in, but also invited Lu Qiaoshan and Hong Zhiyou along.

"Station Chief, everyone is here," Li Ya said.

"You all have come at a good time.

"Captain Li captured two suspected high-level Red Ticket officials on Yanjin Road last night.

"They are in the interrogation room now.

"Let's go, let's go take a look together."

Wu Jingzhong glanced at the two generals without a trace and said with a pleasant expression.

They arrived at the interrogation room.

Xu Yuanshan and Dong Cheng were locked in electric chairs, already beaten until they were covered in blood.

As soon as Yu Zecheng and Hong Zhiyou entered, they nearly broke out in a cold sweat.

It was Dong Cheng.

Damn that Li Ya!

"Mr. Xu, could you give me an explanation?" When Wu Jingzhong first arrived in Jinhai, he had visited Xu Yuanshan at his home, and their relationship was quite decent.

"Wu Jingzhong, I am the one who wants an explanation.

"Your men, without rhyme or reason, arrested me and my friend.

"Wu Jingzhong, your subordinates are truly ignorant of the rules.

"I want to see Minister Chen, I want to see Mao Renfeng and Zheng Jiemin, and have them give me an account of this."

Xu Yuanshan began to shout.

"Mr. Xu, my apologies.

"It is true that this Captain Li is my subordinate.

"But he is a core member of the Jiang Jianfeng Iron-Blooded Youth Corps; their rules are truly different from mine.

"Please bear with it."

Wu Jingzhong directly revealed Li Ya's identity.

"Can Jiang Jianfeng's people just break into private homes and violate freedom?

"We are trying to establish constitutional government now, not military government!

"What is the difference between your behavior and that of bandits and robbers!

"I want to see the Chairman!"

Xu Yuanshan put on airs of seniority.

"Stop putting on this hypocritical act.

"Would I arrest you without evidence?

"Your true identity is a secret Red Ticket operative in Jinhai.

"I know you won't admit it.

"Look at who this is!"

Li Ya turned around and took out Dong Cheng's photograph and files.

"Dong Cheng.

"Formerly the director of the Border Defense Investigation Section, later assigned to Jingling as the First Secretary of the Regional Committee and head of the Jingling intelligence network.

"Don't tell me the person in this photo isn't you."

As he spoke, he practically shoved the photo into Dong Cheng's face.

"I don't know what Red Ticket he is talking about.

"I only know that Mr. Dong is in the medicinal herb business and is my friend."

Xu Yuanshan argued based on reason.

"Mr. Dong, to tell you the truth, the person who gave you up was once your colleague.

"Do you want me to bring him here for a face-to-face confrontation?

"Of course, we don't need to do that at our Secret Service Bureau.

"With this evidence, if you don't confess, you're dead!"

Li Ya treated this as his own personal stage, interrogating him on his own.

Lu Qiaoshan, sitting to the side, had a face ashen with rage; he looked left and right, and seeing that Yu Zecheng and Hong Zhiyou were also expressionless, he suddenly felt terrible.

As the Intelligence Section Chief, he naturally knew about Dong Cheng.

But the damn opera troupe owner hadn't even been caught yet.

And Li Ya had already achieved such a miraculous feat.

What was the point of playing anymore? He could basically discard his pieces and concede.

"I have nothing to confess.

"I don't know what you are talking about either."

Mr. Dong remained calm with a smile; clearly, there was nothing in this world that could scare him.

"You know what I want you to confess.

"Back in Jingling.

"Oh, that is to say, after Director Yu was shot by Qin Shuangcheng near the Shaanxi Guild Hall, how you two met at Yang Family Village, and how you introduced Director Yu to join your organization.

"Including whether Zuo Lan was involved in it.

"You can talk about all of these."

Li Ya glanced at Yu Zecheng and smiled brightly.

"Captain Li, what do you mean by that?" Yu Zecheng asked with a frown.

"Don't misunderstand, Director Yu.

"Someone handed me some files left behind by the Jingling Political Security Bureau.

"There is some information in them that is unfavorable to you.

"To prevent you from being framed, I specifically arrested this person to clarify things in front of everyone; if it turns out to be slander, it will clear your name."

Li Ya was not Ma Kui; he still had some skill in his speech.

"Thank you, Captain Li," Yu Zecheng said with a faint smile, though his back was already soaked with cold sweat.

"Speak.

"Once you speak, all of this will be yours, and you will be free again."

Li Ya took out his seven gold bars and placed them on the table.

"I don't know this gentleman.

"I am just a medicinal herb merchant."

Dong Cheng looked at Yu Zecheng and said.

"Not confessing, are you?

"I have plenty of time to play with you.

"Lao Wu, be a bit harsher."

Li Ya raised his hand and gave the order.

Lao Wu looked at Wu Jingzhong; he knew who the person in charge was.

"Do as he says.

"As for this Mr. Xu, let him be for now until there is evidence."

Wu Jingzhong glanced at the two of them, stood up, and walked out.

Returning to his office, Wu Jingzhong's expression was terrifyingly gloomy.

Hong Zhiyou walked in quickly, closed the door, and served him tea:

"Teacher, sit down for a while."

"Man proposes, God disposes; this Yuan Peilin is truly extraordinary.

"He doesn't act unless he has to.

"But once he acts, it's astonishing.

"He's almost got me completely bewildered!"

Wu Jingzhong held his left hand behind his back and pointed angrily.

"Indeed, who could have imagined that two such big fish were hiding in Jinmen."

"Master."

"The dossier on Dong Cheng must be fake; how could those outdated intelligence reports from the General Bureau of Political Security be taken seriously?"

Hong Zhiyou said.

"The problem is, once this Dong Cheng is escorted to Jingling, Jianfeng and Director Mao will surely want to personally intervene."

"Mao Wanli has always wanted to take my position."

"Will Director Mao use this matter to attack Yu Zecheng and drag me down with him?"

Wu Jingzhong voiced his own concerns.

"This matter is not difficult to resolve."

"First, we untie it knot by knot."

"Isn't Xu Yuanshan a relative of Chen Lifu? He also served as a high-ranking official in the Executive Yuan and has extensive connections."

"Have Minister Chen bail this person out."

"The remaining one, Dong Cheng, is also easy to handle; as long as he refuses to confess and we find Yuan Peilin and eliminate him, this material alone won't be enough to pin anything on Yu Zecheng."

"Don't forget, Wanlilang is already dead."

"If Qin Shuangcheng had known the truth, Director Yu would have been nailed to the cross by Ma Kui last time."

Hong Zhiyou analyzed carefully.

"That makes sense!"

"Go to Xu Yuanshan's house and tell his wife not to go to Chen Lifu, but to go to Director Xiong Shihui of the Northeast Headquarters to plead for mercy."

Wu Jingzhong turned his head and gave the order sternly.

"Is Xiong Shihui more effective than Chen Lifu?" Hong Zhiyou asked, puzzled.

"You don't understand this."

"Li Ya dared to use torture on Xu Yuanshan, so he must have consulted Jianfeng's opinion."

"The Chairman has always been dissatisfied with the two Chens and wants to kick them out."

"Going to Chen Lifu to plead for mercy is simply adding fuel to the fire."

"But Director Xiong is different."

"It was he who helped Jianfeng rise in Ganxi; when Jianfeng was battling Kang Ze, Xiong Shihui strongly supported Jianfeng in establishing the Youth Corps and running the Party School."

"Both the Chairman and Jianfeng know of his kindness."

"Otherwise, they wouldn't have handed over such an important territory as the Northeast for him to oversee."

Wu Jingzhong analyzed with seasoned experience.

"Master, your eyes are like torches; you see through everything at a glance."

"Your student is impressed."

Hong Zhiyou said, convinced.

"Find a way to send a message to Dong Cheng and tell him to hold out, to hold out until the end."

"The key is still this Yuan Peilin."

"Zhiyou, we can't afford to drag this out any longer."

"If we drag it out any longer, the Jinmen Station will change hands; don't underestimate the Deputy Station Chief, this 'deputy' title is not simple."

"That is a position that can handle real matters."

"If Li Ya sits firmly in that seat, Jianfeng's hand will truly have reached in."

"Now, while I, this old classmate, still have some face left."

"We must extinguish Li Ya's dream of becoming Deputy Station Chief."

"Three days, I will only give you three days."

"You must find this person and execute him!"

Wu Jingzhong's expression turned stern as he issued the death order.

"Master, I might have a plan that could work," Hong Zhiyou said slowly after a moment of contemplation.

(End of chapter)