Chapter 358: Fifty-Fifty

Jiefang North Road.

Mao Renfeng lay on the bed, a hot towel on his head, groaning "aiya, aiya."

Xiang Yingxin, in a floral cheongsam, sat before the vanity, dressed to the nines.

"Going out so late?" Mao Renfeng's voice was slightly weak.

"Madam Jiang invited me to the residence to watch a movie." Xiang Yingxin responded coldly while carefully applying lipstick.

"Can you not go tonight? My chest hurts terribly; I think I have a fever." Mao Renfeng leaned against the headboard, helplessness in his eyes.

"Having a fever isn't the same as having a mental illness; just have your subordinates take you to the hospital."

Xiang Yingxin curled her lip, stood up with extreme disdain, didn't even bother to look at him, and walked downstairs, swaying her hips.

She had long since given up on this man.

Ever since Dai Li arranged for her to marry Mao Renfeng, she had used her connections to pull strings and had even borne Mao Renfeng several children.

Serving her husband and raising children—if there was no credit, there was at least hard work.

She had thought this "good old man" famous in the Baomiju would know how to repay kindness and spend their lives together.

Who knew that as soon as Mao Renfeng gained power, he despised her in every way and even locked her in a mental hospital.

For a long-married couple to deal such a lethal blow completely broke Xiang Yingxin's heart.

If she hadn't been a close friend of Madam Jiang, allowing Madam to whisper in the President's ear, and the President, unable to watch, ordered Mao Renfeng to take her out,

she would have died in the mental hospital long ago.

For such a wolf-hearted, dog-lunged creature, Xiang Yingxin wished he would die early so she could dig out his heart and liver to see what they were made of.

She wanted to take care of him? Not a chance.

It was only because Mao Renfeng was currently a confidant of Madam Jiang that she stayed with this bastard, out of respect for Madam; otherwise, she would have divorced him long ago.

Mao Renfeng struggled to the window.

Watching his wife's graceful, plump figure get into that familiar sedan in the night, he couldn't help but feel a flash of pain on his face.

That was a car from the Presidential Aide-de-Camp Office.

Sent by Yu Jishi.

Mao Renfeng had long known that this slut was sleeping with Yu Jishi.

Every time she used the excuse of going to the residence to play cards, watch movies, or drink tea, she was actually secretly dating Yu Jishi at a suburban mansion.

"A dog can't change its habit of eating excrement."

Mao Renfeng spat, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Back then, he knew Xiang Yingxin was Dai Li's mistress; Dai Li had arranged for them to marry to rope him in and monitor him.

Over the years, Xiang Yingxin used the excuse of helping him build connections to have affairs with many people.

Mao Renfeng had kept this bitter resentment bottled up inside.

In the past, fearing Dai Li, he could only play the grandson and endure.

Once Dai Li died and he squeezed out Zheng Jiemin to become the Director of the Baomiju, he immediately locked the slut in a mental hospital.

Unfortunately, he was still too kind.

If he had known she was this cheap, he should have slaughtered her back then.

Now he... couldn't move against Yu Jishi, and he was afraid this bitter resentment would be hard to vent.

Thinking of this, Mao Renfeng's chest hurt even more, and coupled with the intermittent low-grade fever, his vision went black, and he almost fainted.

Mao Renfeng endured the spinning sensation and dragged his body to the bed.

Just as he was drifting off, the phone rang.

Mao Renfeng picked it up and said weakly: "Hello, it's me.

"I understand.

"Watch that trash can.

"No matter whose people they are!

"Zou Yuan, listen carefully: at all costs, get... get the person."

Xiao Guohua stood in the shadows of the street corner, smoking a cigarette, his hawk-like eyes fixed on the person making the call not far away.

That person was wearing a gray trench coat and looking around while on the phone; it was obvious there was a problem.

Xiao Guohua walked slowly behind him.

Zou Yuan hung up the phone.

Turning his head, their eyes met; Zou Yuan felt as if he had been electrocuted, trembled all over, lowered his hat brim, shrank his neck, and ducked into a nearby alley.

"Captain Zou, what did the Bureau Chief say?" The staff member on the side asked in a low voice.

"Damn it, we ran into a tough one.

"I don't know where so many good hands popped up from.

"Tonight's mission is going to be difficult.

"The Bureau Chief has ordered that as soon as Old Zheng appears, we must take him at all costs.

"Remember, show your identity first.

"The other party might be a secret detachment from Jiang Jianfeng's Data Group; unless absolutely necessary, do not open fire."

Zou Yuan ordered.

"Yes." The subordinate accepted the order respectfully.

"A bunch of small fry!"

Xiao Guohua, standing in the phone booth, sneered, flicked the cigarette butt away, picked up the phone, and dialed Hong Zhiyou's desk phone.

Fortunately.

Inspector Hong hadn't gone out tonight.

"Hello, Inspector Hong.

"There are dogs behind us.

"This old dog Mao Renfeng wants to eat the ready-made meal.

"Good, I understand."

He hung up the phone.

He turned and returned to the street corner, waiting patiently.

Comrade Chai Qian had been on Quanzhou Street the whole time.

At this moment, he lay on the bed, feeling as uncomfortable as if ants were crawling all over him.

Ever since receiving the call from Secretary-General Kuang, Comrade Chai Qian had hidden in this small temple that had been abandoned for a long time, mixing with beggars.

He did indeed have a dual choice.

Hide or surrender.

But Comrade Chai Qian truly couldn't bear to part with his status as the person in charge of the Work Committee; he could get a lot of money and had so many admirers and followers.

Surrendering and being a traitor could keep him alive.

But there weren't many big fish left on the island; once they were all cleared out, his utility value wouldn't be high—at most, he'd be an advisor with a nominal position. Where else could he get so much extra income?

Therefore, he had to hide.

Wait until this wave passed.

It wasn't like he hadn't been hunted before; hadn't he always turned danger into safety?

Comrade Chai Qian looked around; the beggars were all bragging and chatting, and no one noticed him. He secretly took out his expensive watch and glanced at it.

It was nine o'clock.

Today was Wednesday.

According to his agreement with Lili, once the wind was tight and he escaped, he would have Xu Li drop the packed Western meal into the trash can near a tailor shop on Quanzhou Road every Wednesday at nine in the evening.

Thinking of the hot, youthful Lili.

His blood burned fiercely; damn it, no matter what, he had to find time to have a rendezvous recently.

Otherwise, wouldn't he explode?

Of course, there was also the delicious steak.

It was almost time.

Comrade Chai Qian swallowed his saliva, wearing a tattered straw hat, leaning on a stick, and stumbled out along the deep, narrow alley.

Soon.

He arrived at the trash can and saw the packed steak inside at a glance.

Comrade Chai Qian didn't rush to take it.

Instead, he deliberately used his stick to rummage through the two trash cans, looking around, acting very much like a professional scavenger beggar.

To avoid arousing the suspicion of passersby or secret agents.

He picked up a pile of trash, mixed it with the Western meal, and limped toward a nearby alley.

Xiao Guohua gestured, and several people dispersed and followed into the alley from different directions.

Soon, Comrade Chai Qian walked to an abandoned old house.

After checking around to make sure no one was there.

He sat on the blue brick steps, opened the food box excitedly and tremblingly.

The long-lost aroma of spaghetti and black pepper steak made him so excited that his eyes glowed green.

Comrade Chai Qian grabbed a handful of spaghetti and stuffed it into his mouth.

Before he had completely swallowed it, he grabbed the steak and gnawed on it in large bites.

Because he ate too quickly and the pepper was strong, he coughed violently.

It was a pity.

Lili forgot to buy Coke.

Otherwise, it would be the perfect match.

Sigh, this stupid woman; she couldn't get a single instruction right.

It was truly f***ing disappointing.

Comrade Chai Qian was eating happily when heavy footsteps sounded at both ends of the alley.

Not good.

Comrade Chai Qian realized he had been exposed.

He took to his heels, wanting to run.

Xiao Guohua's group blocked him from the left.

Zou Yuan rushed over from the other side.

One on the left and one on the right, they blocked him right in the middle.

"Old Zheng!"

Zou Yuan shouted.

"Wh, what?" Comrade Chai Qian was, after all, a man of the world. He wiped his mouth and pretended to be hard of hearing.

He had been able to live until now because of his rich experience leading the enemy-work team in the past.

The other side called him "Old Zheng."

This meant they didn't know his real name and didn't know his appearance.

This left room for deception.

"Stop pretending; we've been watching you for a long time.

"Come back to the Baomiju with us."

Zou Yuan sneered.

"Officer, I'm just a beggar; you, you..." Comrade Chai Qian asked with an innocent face.

While speaking, his eyes aimed at the remaining half of the steak, and he swallowed his saliva.

"Take him away."

Zou Yuan was no ordinary person either.

He instantly captured this detail.

Most people would have had their legs go soft with fear upon hearing the words "Baomiju."

This guy, even at this moment, was still thinking about a bite to eat.

He was no ordinary person.

Zou Yuan was very excited, realizing he might have really caught a big fish.

He turned to look at Xiao Guohua and the others.

Xiao Guohua had remained silent the whole time.

The other brothers also had gloomy faces.

Like statues of emotionless gods of death.

Zou Yuan, while feeling his scalp tingle, squeezed out a smile and showed his credentials:

"Brother, I am Zou Yuan from the Third Section of the Baomiju.

"I am acting under the secret order of Director Mao to arrest this person.

"I'm taking him away."

"Good!" Xiao Guohua nodded and cleared the way.

"Take him away."

Zou Yuan waved his hand.

Three subordinates escorted Comrade Chai Qian and left.

"Wait, my, my steak.

"Let me finish eating before I go!"

Comrade Chai Qian was a bit anxious.

He wasn't panicked about being caught; he would just sell out.

But he was craving this bite of steak right now.

"What time is it, and you're still thinking about eating? Go!" Zou Yuan kicked him, wishing he could leave the sight of this group of living hell-gods immediately.

After walking a few steps.

Xiao Guohua pulled out a pistol with a silencer from his waist.

Several subordinates did the same.

"Hey!"

Xiao Guohua shouted.

Zou Yuan looked back subconsciously.

Pa-pa!

Xiao Guohua pulled the trigger coldly.

"Not good."

Someone else reacted, but it was already too late.

The Security Section men were like ruthless machines, firing rapidly.

Zou Yuan and the others didn't even have time to draw their guns before they tilted and fell into a pool of blood.

Comrade Chai Qian squatted on the ground, holding his head.

"Take him away.

"And them too."

Xiao Guohua waved his hand.

Several people quickly escorted Comrade Chai Qian into the car.

Others carried the bodies, turned two alleys, and threw them into a truck.

Then, someone brought large buckets and cleaned the bloodstains in the alley.

After processing.

Xiao Guohua got into a car, and they split up and left.

Ten o'clock at night.

Hong Zhiyou was rarely free and was playing chess with Yu Zecheng.

"It's almost Chinese New Year.

"If we were in Jinhai, we would have already put on cotton pants.

"Coming to this place, I feel a bit lost in the passage of time; besides heat, it's just heat.

"I wonder how your senior sister is doing."

Yu Zecheng drank some tea, dropped a piece, and sighed.

"Last time in Tokyo, I saw Xiao Hui.

"She said Sanmin had investigated secretly, and Cuiping was highly likely transferred to the Northeast.

"Because of you, the confidentiality is very high; specifically where she went, besides Director Huang in Jinhai and Line One, no one should know." Hong Zhiyou didn't hide it from him.

"Northeast?

"That's a troublesome matter. Cuiping has old wounds from fighting the Japanese; the Northeast winter is so cold, and now it's a time of great construction. She is a person who can't stay idle; if she catches a cold, she will definitely be uncomfortable." Yu Zecheng frowned and worried.

"Ma Kui and Li Ya both tried to make an issue of Cuiping.

"Mao Renfeng wouldn't not know this.

"In order to fight Jiang Jianfeng, if he intentionally wants to start with you, he will definitely order the agents lurking there to find or even kidnap your senior sister.

"The Northeast is vast and sparsely populated; if she hides in a corner, the agents won't find her even if they break their legs.

"Relatively speaking, it's safer.

"Now you understand the organization's intentions, right?

"The underground organization on Wandao is on the verge of destruction; even if it is rebuilt, it's hard to play a big role.

"Your role is to lie dormant.

"Except for intelligence related to the liberation process like Vice Minister Wu's, you must not intervene in anything else, especially anything related to the Work Committee.

"You only have one task: live well.

"When the critical node arrives, you can provide critical intelligence.

"That is to say, die with value!"

Hong Zhiyou picked up a chess piece and dropped it heavily on the board: "Check!"

"As you command, Officer." Yu Zecheng smiled and saluted him.

"You know.

"Life is truly miraculous; when I first came to the station, you were just a small lieutenant.

"In just a few years,

"If I weren't an eyewitness, even the movies in Shanghai wouldn't dare to act like this."

Yu Zecheng laughed.

"You also couldn't have imagined that you would marry your senior sister and come to Wandao, right?" Hong Zhiyou smiled.

"Sigh.

"There's only one bad thing about coming here: no women.

"Being a monk every day.

"It's so boring."

He curled his lip and sighed.

As the two were chatting, Xiao Qian walked outside the door and called out softly: "Inspector Hong."

"Old Yu, it's getting late; you go rest first."

Hong Zhiyou put down the chess piece and stood up.

"Good." Yu Zecheng didn't ask much.

What Hong Zhiyou wanted him to know, he would naturally say.

What he didn't want him to know, asking would be in vain.

"Little brother, are you used to it here?" Hong Zhiyou walked slowly along the wooden stairs and asked.

"As long as Station Chief Wu, you, and my uncle are here, it's the same everywhere." Xiao Qian said.

"Haven't you thought about starting a family?" Hong Zhiyou asked.

"Sister Rui said that when I finish the mission and return to Xiangdao, she will introduce me to a good one." Xiao Qian smiled.

"It's also thanks to your blessing, Inspector Hong; Auntie and Duoduo are doing well in Xiangdao now, and Duoduo has also started school. Anyway, following you, there's a future." His gaze was grateful and respectful.

"Work hard.

"Soon, I will take you all back to Xiangdao." Hong Zhiyou nodded and said.

"Yes."

Arriving at the front yard.

Xiao Guohua was smoking.

"Uncle." Xiao Qian bowed and called out.

"Inspector Hong, there was a slight accident." Xiao Guohua said.

"Comrade Chai Qian ran away?" Hong Zhiyou frowned and asked.

"No.

"The person has already been taken into custody.

"Mao Renfeng's subordinates have also been cleaned up.

"But when our people went to find Xu Li, Mao Wanli led the team himself, equipped with submachine guns; the brothers watching didn't dare to go in and snatch her by force.

"He saw with his own eyes Mao Wanli taking Xu Li into the car.

"It is highly likely that Mao Renfeng made a contingency plan."

Xiao Guohua reported.

"Hmm, not going in was the right choice.

"Old Xiao, thank you for your hard work; go rest quickly." Hong Zhiyou smiled indifferently and ordered.

"Yes."

Xiao Guohua turned and left.

Hong Zhiyou paced in the courtyard, thinking.

His arrangements had no problems.

Watch Xu Li, catch Old Zheng.

Then deal with Xu Li.

Thoroughly close the loop on this matter.

But obviously, Mao Renfeng and his nephew were no pushovers.

Taking one each, in the end, it was still a fifty-fifty split!

Now he was afraid that Xu Li was hiding some evidence that would be unfavorable to Vice Minister Wu and Old Yu.

Thinking of this, Hong Zhiyou went upstairs and knocked on Yu Zecheng's door.

"Zhiyou, did something happen?" Yu Zecheng saw his expression wasn't quite right and asked anxiously.

"Old Yu, you go to the Guofang Force again tomorrow and tell Vice Minister Wu that Old Zheng and his lover have been arrested; tell him he must find a way to leave Wandao." Hong Zhiyou said.

Yu Zecheng's face changed drastically:

"When did this happen?"

"Not long ago.

"You'll know tomorrow night." Hong Zhiyou didn't explain too much.

"Will Zuo Lan be in danger?" Yu Zecheng asked again.

"Hard to say.

"But if there is contact, there will be traces.

"As long as Zhu Yan is exposed, she will be in danger.

"However, the island is currently sealed, and identity checks for entry and exit are very strict; the port and airport management offices are probably already under martial law, and the grain ships won't be back that fast.

"We must start the 'Gu Zhengwen Plan' as soon as possible."

Hong Zhiyou said solemnly.

"Good!"

One o'clock in the morning.

After making several calls with no answer, Mao Wanli drove hurriedly to Mao Renfeng's residence.

"Big Brother.

"Sister-in-law."

After calling a few times and seeing no response, he took out his key, opened the door, and broke in.

As soon as he entered the inner room, he saw Mao Renfeng collapsed on the floor.

"Big Brother."

Mao Wanli hurriedly called the doctor.

After a while, Mao Renfeng woke up, leaned against the headboard, and asked weakly: "Sixth Brother, why are you here?"

"Big Brother, you have a high fever of 40 degrees; if I hadn't come, you might have been gone.

"Why don't you get a physical examination?

"How long have you been on Wandao, and you've already been sick several times."

Mao Renfeng waved his hand and said: "It's nothing, just not used to the water and soil; it's easy to catch a cold when the sea breeze blows, no need for any physical examination."

"Where is sister-in-law?"

Mao Wanli asked angrily.

"Where else could she be? She went to play cards again." Mao Renfeng smiled bitterly.

"Slut!

"Big Brother, the group led by Zou Yuan responsible for watching 26 Quanzhou Road has disappeared; fortunately, I was nearby and detained that Xu Li." Mao Wanli cursed in a low voice and reported.

"Old Zheng is lost?" Mao Renfeng was shocked and sat up straight.

"I suspect he was snatched away by Jiang Jianfeng's people.

"Damn it, on one hand, they use our Baomiju as a gun.

"On the other hand, they snatch food from our mouths.

"He is just afraid that we will make contributions before the President and steal the limelight from his bullshit Data Group."

Mao Wanli cursed.

"No.

"I am more worried about Hong Zhiyou's people," Mao Renfeng said, frowning.

"Isn't Hong Zhiyou Jiang Jianfeng's man?" Mao Wanli didn't understand.

"It's different.

"Hong Zhiyou lives under the same roof as Yu Zecheng.

"And he is still secretly transporting grain to the mainland.

"If Old Zheng falls into his hands, this line will be broken, do you understand?"

Mao Renfeng said coldly.

"No way, he has such guts?

"Daring to handle Old Zheng—that's the person Jiang Jianfeng is anxious to make merit with." Mao Wanli said.

"Old Zheng is very valuable.

"If he dies, many people can be saved.

"If I were a red ticket, I would also gamble on it."

Mao Renfeng coughed a few times, his eyes tightening again:

"Did anyone see who Zou Yuan was fighting at the time?"

"No, these people seem to have evaporated into thin air." Mao Wanli said.

"Trouble.

"You'd better go find Zou Yuan and see if there are any clues pointing to Hong Zhiyou." Mao Renfeng ordered.

"I will go to Bashengyuan tomorrow morning and leak this wind to Jiang Jianfeng.

"Hmph.

"Hong Zhiyou thinks he's smart.

"Daring to jump under Jiang Jianfeng's nose—the Jiang father and son are not to be trifled with.

"Even if he relies on MacArthur and Jiang Jianfeng doesn't move against him,

"at least he will have suspicions about him.

"This is also beneficial to us."

Mao Renfeng sneered.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 359 =====