Chapter One Hundred Eighteen: A Sudden Arrest (Please Vote)

The group arrived outside the Butterfly Garden Dance Hall in the southern part of the city. At this moment, Liu Datong and several of his plainclothes subordinates approached them.

"Datou, is he still inside?" Ning Zhiheng asked.

"He's still in there. I've inquired; for the past few nights, Dai Daguang has been bringing his woman here to dine and relax, staying until midnight. He arrived early today, so I expect he'll be here for a while longer. They are in private room number six, with two of his bodyguards standing watch at the door!" Liu Datong was no longer the man he once was; his capabilities and methods had improved tremendously. In his jurisdiction, he was now known as a "master detective"—experience had truly forged him.

Before Ning Zhiheng had arrived, he had already clarified the situation.

"Captain, should we move in now?" Wang Shucheng asked.

Ning Zhiheng pondered for a moment. Instead of answering Wang Shucheng immediately, he asked Liu Datong, "Based on your investigation, has this Dai Daguang remained in Nanjing the entire time without leaving?"

Liu Datong was taken aback. He thought carefully before replying, "He shouldn't have left. I looked into his background; he is a local, having been involved with local gangs for a long time. Later, he established himself by opening a trading firm. Now, he plays both sides of the law and is quite a prominent figure—definitely someone of status!"

After hearing this, Ning Zhiheng nodded to himself. It seemed that an arrest was necessary. According to past experience, targets were usually placed under surveillance for a period of time to uncover as much information as possible while the opponent was off-guard, with arrests only being made when no further progress could be achieved.

When the Intelligence Section had captured the leader of the Shadow spy cell, "Pinwheel," they had kept him under surveillance for a full month. In the end, they gained nothing and, exhausted of patience, decided to make the arrest. The final result, however, was that Pinwheel died under the brutal interrogation of the Interrogation Section without revealing anything.

Based on Ning Zhiheng’s experience, Japanese spies who had undergone professional training possessed a stubborn will to resist. Both the difficulty of capture and the difficulty of interrogation far exceeded those of Chinese spies who had been recruited through coercion or bribery.

As for Dai Daguang, since he was a local who had spent his entire life developing in Nanjing, he was likely just a subordinate recruited by the Japanese. Once such a person was captured and subjected to the cruel, harsh interrogation methods of the Interrogation Section, it was almost certain he would confess.

Given this, Ning Zhiheng decided to use Dai Daguang as the breakthrough point for the case. He would initiate the arrest immediately; prying open his mouth should yield results.

Meanwhile, in a luxuriously decorated private room inside the dance hall, Dai Daguang, the owner of Xinghe Trading Firm, was listening to music and drinking red wine with his mistress, Guo Ruxue, whispering softly to one another.

"Old Dai, it's been several days. Have your men finished their business? I’ve been staying at a hotel for days; it doesn't feel comfortable when it’s not my own home!" Guo Ruxue asked softly.

She knew that Dai Daguang had originated from gang life, and his methods were inevitably somewhat unscrupulous; he would stop at nothing to get things done. This time, he had even made her vacate her house to facilitate his men's work. Knowing his temper and methods, she dared not defy him, but fortunately, to appease her, Dai Daguang had bought her many gold and silver ornaments.

"You, you're so small-minded! The house isn't going anywhere. Isn't it good that I’m keeping you company these few days? I’ll pick out two fine cheongsams for you tomorrow!" Dai Daguang laughed dismissively. "It’s just a small matter; it will be done in a few more days."

Dai Daguang took the search for the family crest seal quite seriously. This matter had been entrusted to him by Su Yu, the Deputy Director of the Second Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Policy Planning Office.

Su Yu held a key position with real power. When Dai Daguang had previously encountered difficulties in his business, he had spent a large sum of money to bribe this deputy director to clear the path. Since then, Dai Daguang had deliberately cultivated the relationship, and the two had gotten along well—put plainly, it was a transaction of interests.

Director Su accepted his favors and provided him with a certain level of official help, while Dai Daguang, in addition to paying tributes of money, also handled some of the "shady" business for these high-ranking officials. This was a classic case of collusion between officials and businessmen.

Four days ago, Director Su had come to him and entrusted him with a task, claiming that two family heirloom jade pieces had been stolen, and demanding that he recover them as quickly as possible without alerting the police. Director Su had emphasized that these jade pieces were extremely precious to him and insisted that the task must be completed.

Naturally, Dai Daguang dared not slacken, so he specifically assigned the task to his most capable bodyguards, the brothers Zuo Gang and Zuo Qiang. Zuo Gang had once killed a rival to avenge his father and, with Dai Daguang's help, had fled his hometown, remaining by his side ever since. The Zuo siblings were skilled and cautious, and they had always been his reliable helpers. Dai Daguang felt at ease leaving the matter to them.

Besides, the task was not difficult. According to the information provided by Director Su, it was merely a case of simple theft by a habitual thief. He believed that it wouldn't take long for there to be results.

In fact, that was true. If it weren't for Cui Er's rickshaw-puller neighbor who had reported him for the sake of a reward, if it weren't for Liu Datong paying special attention to the bodies at the North Street landfill due to Ning Zhiheng’s instructions, and if it weren't for Ning Zhiheng’s meticulous judgment and timely intervention, Cui Er would have long since fallen into the hands of the Zuo siblings, and the crest seal would have been retrieved.

Dai Daguang estimated that, with the skills of the Zuo siblings, the job should be nearly finished by now.

"I’m not being petty. I’m just afraid your men don't know how to be careful and will leave my home in a mess. You know I don't like others touching my things. When I go back, I’ll have to replace everything in the house!" Guo Ruxue pouted coquettishly.

"Fine, fine, we'll replace everything! You women are truly troublesome!" Dai Daguang said with slight impatience. He knew Guo Ruxue loved cleanliness; had it not been for the importance of the task Director Su had arranged, he would not have treated it so seriously.

"By the way, you said this was to find family heirlooms for a friend. What if your men can't find them? Won't they stay in my place forever?" Guo Ruxue asked. The large mansion was registered under her name and was a major pillar of her future security, so she could not help but be concerned. She longed to return as soon as possible.

"Rest assured! It's nothing major; it will be resolved soon!" Dai Daguang said.

"Tell me, are those two jade pieces particularly precious? If they can't be found, will your friend be angry?" Guo Ruxue asked.

"What kind of world is this? Gold in chaotic times, antiques in prosperous ones! Jade and antiques aren't worth much; only gold, US dollars, and British pounds are hard currency," Dai Daguang explained. "It must have special significance; he said it was a family heirloom!"

"I think if it's not that precious, you should just buy a few pieces of good jade and give them to him so you don't damage the friendship!" Guo Ruxue suggested.

Upon hearing Guo Ruxue's words, Dai Daguang felt a spark of inspiration. He had never heard that Director Su liked jade and antiques. It seemed he should inquire carefully. If Director Su really liked collecting such things, and since these items weren't worth much, buying a pile of them to send over would be much more cost-effective than sending cash. Plus, it would cater to his preferences—wouldn't that make everyone happy?

"Haha, what you said has reminded me! It's worth a try. Tomorrow, we’ll go to the jade shop to take a look, and I'll buy you two pairs of fine bracelets while we're at it," Dai Daguang said with a laugh. "I'll buy a few good pieces of jade and send them to Director Su to see if he likes them!"

Just as he was speaking, a knock sounded at the door. Dai Daguang asked impatiently, "What is it?"

He had bodyguards stationed outside. Having started in the underworld, he had made many enemies over the years, so he always kept bodyguards with him wherever he went.

The bodyguard outside said, "The owner of the dance hall has sent over a bottle of fine red wine for you!"

"Oh! Haha! This Old Zhao, how did he become so sensible today? Come in!" Upon hearing this, Dai Daguang felt a sense of pride and comfort, and he quickly told them to enter.

At that moment, the two bodyguards at the door were looking helplessly at several pistols pressed against their heads, and they let out an involuntary sound of compliance.

The door opened, and two waiters dressed in staff uniforms pushed a small cart in. They approached Dai Daguang. The lead waiter turned, uncovered the red cloth on the cart, carefully took out a bottle of red wine, and walked toward Dai Daguang.

Dai Daguang actually did not like Western wine at all; he couldn't tell the difference between good and bad, merely using it to put on a show. He was completely off-guard as he watched the waiter approach.

Suddenly, the waiter swung the wine bottle rapidly, slamming it hard against Dai Daguang's head, while simultaneously delivering a powerful side-kick to his ribs.

Dai Daguang was completely unprepared. The two sudden, heavy blows left him incapacitated and slumped on the floor. The other waiter lunged forward during the surprise attack, twisted Dai Daguang's arms behind his back, and with a *click*, cuffed him.

Guo Ruxue, standing to the side, was stunned by this sudden turn of events and unable to react. It was only when Dai Daguang was subdued that she let out a scream, but the waiter struck her on the back of the neck with his palm, knocking her unconscious instantly.

"Who on earth are you? If you have something to say, let's say it properly. I, Dai Daguang, have plenty of money; let's sit down and talk this through!" Dai Daguang, slumped on the floor, finally caught his breath after a moment. He was a man who had weathered many storms and did not panic. Looking at the two men in front of him, he spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Boss Dai, it was truly not easy to find you!"

Ning Zhiheng stepped into the private room and walked up to Dai Daguang.