Chapter 394: Fifty-Fifty

Liberation North Road.

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

Xiang Yingxin, dressed in a floral cheongsam, sat before the vanity, decked out in all her finery.

"You're going out this late?" Mao Renfeng's voice sounded slightly weak.

"Madame Jiang invited me to the residence to watch a movie." Xiang Yingxin replied coldly while meticulously applying her lipstick.

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

"Having a fever isn't the same as being mentally ill; just have your subordinates take you to the hospital."

Xiang Yingxin curled her lip, stood up with utter disdain, didn't even bother to glance at him, and clicked away downstairs, swaying her hips.

She had long since given up on this man.

Thinking back to when Dai Li had brokered her marriage to Mao Renfeng, she had used her connections to pull strings and had even borne Mao Renfeng several children.

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

She had thought this well-known "nice guy" of the Secret Service Bureau would know how to return a favor and stay together for a lifetime.

Who would have thought that as soon as Mao Renfeng gained power, he would despise her in every way and even lock her in a mental hospital.

Such a ruthless blow from a long-married couple had completely broken Xiang Yingxin's heart.

If she hadn't been a close friend of Madame Jiang and had the Madame whisper in the Generalissimo's ear, causing the Generalissimo to be displeased and order Mao Renfeng to bring her out,

she would have died in the mental hospital long ago.

For such a heartless, ungrateful wretch, Xiang Yingxin wished he would die sooner, just so she could cut out his heart and liver to take a look.

And he wanted her to take care of him? Not a chance.

It was only because Mao Renfeng was currently a confidant of Madame Jiang, and she had to consider the Madame's face, otherwise she would have divorced this bastard long ago.

Mao Renfeng struggled to the window.

Watching the Madame's graceful, plump figure get into that familiar sedan in the night, a look of pain could not help but surface 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 and Yu Jishi were together.

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

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

Mao Renfeng spat out the curse with murderous intent in his eyes.

Back then, he knew Xiang Yingxin was Dai Li's mistress; Dai Li had brokered their marriage to win him over and keep him under surveillance.

In those years, Xiang Yingxin had used the excuse of helping him build connections to dally 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 it.

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

Unfortunately, he had still been too kind.

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

Now that he... couldn't touch Yu Jishi, he feared this bitter resentment would be hard to vent.

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

Mao Renfeng forced himself to endure the dizziness and dragged his body back 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 know.

"Watch that trash can closely.

"No matter whose people that bunch are!

"Zou Yuan, listen well, at all costs, get... get the person into your hands."

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 man was wearing a gray trench coat and looking around while on the phone; one look and it was clear there was a problem.

Xiao Guohua slowly walked up behind him.

Zou Yuan hung up the phone.

Turning his head, the two locked eyes; Zou Yuan felt as if he had been electrocuted, his whole body trembled, and he lowered his hat brim, hunched his neck, and ducked into a nearby alley.

"Captain Zou, what did the Bureau Director say?" a staff officer on the side asked in a low voice.

"Damn it, we've run into a tough one.

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

"Tonight's mission is likely going to be difficult.

"The Bureau Director has ordered that as soon as Old Zheng appears, we are to take him down at all costs.

"Remember, show your credentials first.

"The other side might be secret agents from the Jianfeng Data Group; don't open fire unless absolutely necessary."

Zou Yuan instructed.

"Yes," the subordinate respectfully acknowledged the order.

"A bunch of small-time punks!"

Xiao Guohua, standing in the phone booth, sneered, flicked away the cigarette butt, and picked up the phone to dial Hong Zhiyou's private line.

Fortunately.

Inspector Hong hadn't gone out tonight.

"Hello, Inspector Hong.

"There are dogs behind me.

"That old dog Mao Renfeng wants to reap the rewards.

"Good, I understand."

He hung up the phone.

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

Chai Qian had been staying on Quanzhou Street.

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

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

He did indeed have two choices.

Hide, or surrender.

But Chai Qian truly couldn't bear to give up his status as the head of the Work Committee; he could get a lot of money, and there were so many admirers and followers.

Surrendering to become a traitor would allow him to live.

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 or hold a nominal position. Where else would he get so much extra income?

Therefore, he had to hide.

Wait until this wave passed, then talk.

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

Chai Qian looked around; the beggars were all bragging and chatting, and no one was paying attention to him. He secretly fished an expensive watch out of his pocket and took a look.

It was nine o'clock.

Today was Wednesday.

According to his agreement with Lili, once the wind blew tight and he escaped, he would have Xu Li drop a 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, he had to find time to meet her recently, no matter what.

Otherwise, wouldn't he explode?

Of course, there was also the delicious steak.

It was about time.

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

Very quickly.

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

Chai Qian didn't rush to take it.

Instead, he deliberately used his stick to rummage around in the two trash cans, looking here and there, 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 then limped toward a nearby alley.

Xiao Guohua signaled, and several people dispersed, following into the alley from different directions.

Soon, Chai Qian walked up to a dilapidated old house.

After glancing around to make sure no one was there.

He sat on the blue brick steps and, with excitement and trembling hands, opened the food box.

The long-missed aroma of spaghetti mixed with black pepper steak made his eyes glow with excitement.

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

Before he had even fully swallowed, he grabbed the steak and began gnawing on it in large bites.

Because he was eating too fast and the pepper was too sharp, he began to cough violently.

What a pity.

Lili forgot to buy cola.

Otherwise, it would have been the perfect match.

Sigh, this stupid woman, she just can't get a single instruction right.

What a damn buzzkill.

Just as Chai Qian was enjoying his meal, heavy footsteps echoed from both ends of the alley.

Not good.

Chai Qian realized he had been exposed.

He took off running.

Xiao Guohua and his group blocked the way from the left.

Zou Yuan charged in 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 loudly.

"Wh, what?" Chai Qian was, after all, a man who had seen the world; he wiped his mouth and feigned being hard of hearing.

That he had managed to survive until now was related to his rich experience leading enemy-work teams in the past.

The other party had called out "Old Zheng."

This meant they did not know his real name and did not know his appearance.

There was room to bluff here.

"Stop pretending, we've been tracking you for a long time.

"Come back to the Secret Service Bureau with us."

Zou Yuan sneered.

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

As he spoke, his gaze drifted to the remaining half of the steak on the side, and he swallowed his saliva.

"Take him away."

Zou Yuan was no ordinary person either.

He instantly captured this detail.

An average person would have had their legs go weak with fear upon hearing the three words "Secret Service Bureau."

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

He was no mere mortal.

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

He turned his head to look at Xiao Guohua and the others.

Xiao Guohua had not said a word the entire time.

The other brothers also had gloomy faces.

They were like statues of emotionless killing gods.

While his scalp tingled, Zou Yuan squeezed out a smile and flashed his credentials:

"Brother, I am Zou Yuan from the Third Division of the Secret Service Bureau.

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

"I'll be taking him."

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

"Take him away."

Zou Yuan waved his hand.

Three subordinates escorted Chai Qian away.

"Wait, my, my steak.

"Let me finish eating before I go!"

Chai Qian was getting a bit anxious.

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

But he was craving that bite of steak right now.

"What time do you think it is, and you're still thinking about eating? Move!" Zou Yuan kicked him, wishing he could immediately leave the sight of these living Yamas.

They walked a few steps.

Xiao Guohua pulled a silenced pistol from his waist.

Several of his subordinates did the same.

"Hey!"

Xiao Guohua called out.

Zou Yuan turned his head subconsciously.

Bang, bang!

Xiao Guohua coldly pulled the trigger.

"Not good."

Someone else reacted, but it was already too late.

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

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

Chai Qian hugged his head and squatted on the ground.

"Take him away.

"And them too."

Xiao Guohua waved his hand.

Several men quickly escorted Chai Qian into a car.

Others carried the corpses through two alleys and threw them into a truck.

Then, someone brought over large buckets to wash away the bloodstains in the alley.

After the cleanup.

Xiao Guohua got into the car, and they went their separate ways.

Ten o'clock at night.

Hong Zhiyou was rarely at leisure and was playing Chinese chess with Yu Zecheng.

"It's almost the New Year.

"If we were in Jinhai, we would have already put on our cotton-padded trousers.

"Coming to this place, I feel like I've lost track of the days; it's nothing but heat, heat, and more heat.

"I wonder how your senior sister is doing."

Yu Zecheng took a sip of tea, placed a piece, and sighed.

"Last time in Tokyo, I saw Xiaohui.

"She said that the Three People's Party had investigated secretly, and it is highly likely that Cuiping was transferred to the Northeast.

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

"The Northeast?

"That's a troublesome matter. Cuiping has old injuries from when she fought the Japanese devils. The Northeast winter is so cold, and now is a time of major construction; she's someone who can't sit still, and if she catches a cold, she'll definitely suffer." Yu Zecheng frowned and said worriedly.

"Ma Kui and Li Ya have both used Cuiping as a pawn before.

"Mao Renfeng wouldn't be unaware of this.

"In order to fight against Jiang Jianfeng, if he intends to start with you, he will definitely order the spies lurking there to search for or even kidnap your senior sister.

"The Northeast is vast and sparsely populated; if she hides in some remote corner, the spies will walk their legs off and still won't find her.

"Relatively speaking, it's safer.

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

"The underground organization on Wandao is on the verge of destruction, and even if it were rebuilt, it would be hard to play a major role again.

"Your role is to lie dormant.

"Except for intelligence like that regarding Vice Minister Wu, which concerns the progress of liberation, you must not intervene in anything else, especially anything related to the Work Committee.

"You have only one task: to live well.

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

"In other words, to die with value!"

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

"Yes, sir." Yu Zecheng smiled and gave him a salute.

"You say it.

"Life is truly marvelous; when I first arrived at the station, you were only a lowly Lieutenant.

"In just a few short years,

"If I hadn't experienced it myself, even the movies in Shanghu wouldn't dare to portray it like this."

Yu Zecheng laughed.

"You never would have imagined you'd marry your senior sister and come to Wandao, would you?" Hong Zhiyou said with a smile.

"Sigh.

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

"Living like a monk every day.

"It's incredibly boring."

He curled his lip and sighed.

As the two were chatting, Xiao Gan walked to the door and called out softly, "Inspector Hong."

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

Hong Zhiyou put down his chess piece and stood up.

"Alright." Yu Zecheng didn't ask further.

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

Whatever he didn't want him to know, asking would be a waste of time.

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

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

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

"Sister Rui said she'd introduce me to a good one once I finish my mission and return to Xiangdao," Xiao Gan smiled.

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

"Work hard.

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

"Yes."

They reached the front courtyard.

Xiao Guohua was smoking.

"Uncle," Xiao Gan bowed slightly and called out.

"Inspector Hong, there was a bit of an accident," Xiao Guohua said.

"Did Chai Qian run away?" Hong Zhiyou frowned.

"No.

"The person has already been taken into our custody.

"Mao Renfeng's subordinates have also been dealt with cleanly.

"But when our men went to find Xu Li, Mao Wanli led the team himself, equipped with submachine guns, so the brothers tailing them didn't dare to go in and snatch her.

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

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

Xiao Guohua reported.

"Hmm, not going in was the right choice.

"Old Xiao, thank you for your hard work, go get some rest," Hong Zhiyou gave a faint smile and instructed.

"Yes."

Xiao Guohua turned and left.

Hong Zhiyou paced in the courtyard, deep in thought.

His arrangements had no issues.

Keep an eye on Xu Li, catch Old Zheng.

Then deal with Xu Li.

Completely close the loop on this matter.

But clearly, Mao Renfeng and his nephew were no pushovers either.

Taking one each, in the end, it was still a draw!

Now, the fear is that Xu Li might be hiding some evidence that could be detrimental to Vice Chief Wu and Old Yu.

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

"Zhiyou, has something gone wrong?" Seeing his expression was off, Yu Zecheng asked anxiously.

"Old Yu, go to the Ministry of National Defense again tomorrow and tell Vice Chief Wu that Old Zheng and his lover have been captured, and 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, with the island currently under lockdown, identity checks for entry and exit are very strict; the port and airport management offices are likely under martial law by now, and the grain ships won't be back that quickly.

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

Hong Zhiyou said solemnly.

"Alright!"

One o'clock in the morning.

After making several unanswered phone calls, Mao Wanli drove hurriedly to Mao Renfeng's residence.

"Big Brother.

"Sister-in-law."

After calling out a few times and seeing no one answer, he took out his key, opened the door, and burst in.

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

"Big Brother."

Mao Wanli hurriedly made a phone call and summoned a doctor.

After a long while, Mao Renfeng finally regained consciousness; he leaned against the head of the bed 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 not have made it.

"Why don't you get a physical check-up?

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

Mao Renfeng waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, just not being used to the local climate; it's easy to catch a cold when the sea breeze blows, no need for any check-up."

"Where is sister-in-law?"

Mao Wanli asked irritably.

"Where else would she be, she went to play cards again," Mao Renfeng gave a bitter smile.

"Vile woman!

"Big Brother, the group led by Zou Yuan responsible for watching 26 Quanzhou Road has gone missing, but 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 by Jianfeng's people.

"Damn it, on one hand, they use our Confidentiality Bureau as a tool.

"On the other hand, they snatch food right out of our mouths.

"He's just afraid that we'll gain merit in front of the Generalissimo and steal the spotlight from his bullshit data group."

Mao Wanli grumbled.

"No.

"I'm more worried that it's Hong Zhiyou's people," Mao Renfeng frowned.

"Isn't Hong Zhiyou one of Jianfeng's people?" Mao Wanli didn't understand.

"It's different.

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

"Furthermore, he is 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 that much nerve?

"Daring to handle Old Zheng, that's the person Jianfeng is desperate to capture to gain merit," Mao Wanli said.

"Lao Zheng is very valuable.

"If he dies, many people can be saved.

"If I were a Red agent, I would also take that gamble."

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

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

"No, those few people seem to have vanished into thin air," Mao Wanli said.

"This is troublesome.

"You had best go look for 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 is clever.

"Daring to dance 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 does not move against him,

"at the very least, it will create a rift between them.

"That would also be advantageous for us."

Mao Renfeng sneered.

……

(End of chapter)