Chapter 127: Surveillance and Contact

After leaving Deputy Director Huang Xianzheng’s office, both Wei Liangbi and Ning Zhiheng were in high spirits, relieved and delighted.

Ning Zhiheng had secured Huang Xianzheng’s support. Huang was even willing to approach the Director and request a position for him. Given Ning Zhiheng’s outstanding performance in this case, there should be little difficulty.

Wei Liangbi was equally pleased for his junior fellow apprentice. With his career progressing so smoothly, Ning Zhiheng would soon catch up with him. If everything went well, Ning Zhiheng would soon be in command of an action team of his own, just like Wei Liangbi. That meant an elite force of one hundred and twenty men. With the two brothers working together, they would both become figures of consequence within the entire Military Intelligence Investigation Office.

Back in the office, Ning Zhiheng gave Wang Shucheng a few instructions before hurrying to the surveillance post near Su Yu’s residence.

Shi Hong was in charge of the surveillance operation at the time. Ning Zhiheng told him the general outline of what had been reported that day, but omitted specific details, such as the plan to plant false intelligence. This was required by the confidentiality regulations. Even Shi Hong could only know about the work for which he himself was responsible; he was not permitted to inquire into the operations of other departments providing support.

When Shi Hong heard that the case had alarmed the senior leadership of the Military Intelligence Office and that Deputy Section Chief Xiang Yan would be directing it, he said, “Captain, with Deputy Section Chief Xiang personally in command, our burden will be much lighter. It’s just that we’ll have to surrender some of the credit.”

Shi Hong had only recently been promoted to captain and was full of ambition, eager to make a name for himself.

“There’s no helping it,” Ning Zhiheng replied. “If we handled it ourselves, the difficulty would be enormous, and we could easily end up taking the blame. Fortunately, our action team’s claim to the primary credit cannot be taken away, so we’re not really losing out.”

The Military Intelligence Investigation Office moved swiftly. Two hours later, Xiang Yan arrived with several capable subordinates.

Since it had already been decided that Tian Liqun’s side would be kept under surveillance, the focus of the operation had now shifted entirely to Su Yu.

When Xiang Yan arrived, Ning Zhiheng and Shi Hong hurried outside to receive him. Xiang Yan smiled at them and said, “This case is of extraordinary importance. We must give it our all. I’ve brought several capable men with me. They’re all experienced and highly skilled.”

As he spoke, he pointed to the officers behind him. Ning Zhiheng looked over and recognized two of them. He had met them through Wei Liangbi at several celebratory banquets held after recent successes. Naturally, all four officers were Xiang Yan’s trusted subordinates. Since Xiang Yan was overseeing the operation this time, he had brought his best men along to secure their share of the benefits.

It was only human nature, and there was nothing objectionable about it. Which leader did not have his own trusted followers? Xiang Yan had risen to his current position with the support of those close to him, and he naturally had to secure benefits for his subordinates. Otherwise, how could he command their loyalty?

“That’s wonderful,” Ning Zhiheng said courteously. “With Section Chief Xiang here to take charge, we can finally set our minds at ease. We were terrified that something might go wrong in our hands—every step felt like walking on thin ice.”

Ning Zhiheng and Shi Hong exchanged greetings with the four officers. They were Major Guo Xueyi, Captains Kang Shundong and Hua Hui, and Lieutenant Chu Guang.

All four men knew that they were here to benefit from the Third Action Unit’s efforts. Ning Zhiheng’s background and connections were especially formidable, so they were eager to cultivate a good relationship with him. The atmosphere among them was therefore quite cordial.

“Section Chief, let me first report on the arrangements I’ve made,” Ning Zhiheng said to Xiang Yan.

“Very well. Everyone, listen carefully and learn from him. Even the Director greatly admires Zhiheng’s ability in the field.”

Ning Zhiheng then explained his arrangements and plans in detail. Everyone nodded repeatedly as they listened. It could be said that Ning Zhiheng had already woven an extensive net around Su Yu, and the work had been carried out exceptionally well.

Xiang Yan nodded in satisfaction and said, “Keep everything exactly as you’ve arranged it. No changes are necessary. I only have two suggestions.

“First, communication between the two surveillance posts is not convenient enough. Notify the Telecommunications Section immediately and have them send personnel to install dedicated lines and telephones at all the surveillance posts. Also, run dedicated lines to the two posts watching Tian Liqun. That way, information from every post will flow smoothly, and there will be no further delays or failures to respond in time.

“Second, Su Yu is a senior official of the Foreign Ministry. That ministry cares more about appearances than any other department, and it has more official cars at its disposal as a result. Given Su Yu’s rank, he should have a dedicated vehicle. We won’t be able to keep up with him in rickshaws. Hua Hui and Chu Guang, return to headquarters immediately and bring over the two sedans seized by our action section last time. Tell them I have requisitioned the cars. Also get several license plates so that we can change them as needed during surveillance.”

“Section Chief, you’ve thought of everything,” Ning Zhiheng said at once. “I overlooked both of those points.”

Xiang Yan laughed, even more satisfied with Ning Zhiheng. He knew perfectly well that Ning Zhiheng had not actually overlooked anything. Until now, Ning Zhiheng had been operating on his own. As the captain of an action team, he did not have the authority to mobilize the Telecommunications Section for support, nor could he requisition two sedans for a tailing operation.

Now that Deputy Section Chief Xiang Yan had spoken, those matters naturally presented no difficulty. This was precisely why Ning Zhiheng had reported the case and requested assistance. With his own authority and resources, many obstacles would arise as the investigation progressed. For the senior leadership of the office, however, none of those obstacles posed a problem.

Time passed quickly. Two days went by.

Today was the day Dai Daguang was supposed to contact Su Yu. Early that morning, Ning Zhiheng brought Sun Jiacheng and several other men to the police detention center and had Dai Daguang brought out.

After two days in custody, Dai Daguang looked exhausted and haggard. Seeing him in that state, Ning Zhiheng could not help shaking his head.

He immediately ordered Old Liao to take Dai Daguang to bathe and wash himself. Once he had been cleaned up and properly groomed, he looked considerably more spirited.

“Don’t wear such a miserable expression. Look exactly as you normally do. Relax your face and act naturally. Dai Daguang, if you keep Su Yu calm, you’ll be considered to have earned merit by atoning for your crimes. When the time comes, I’ll naturally give you a way out. But if you ruin this operation, you know what will happen to you.”

Ning Zhiheng warned him repeatedly.

Dai Daguang hurriedly nodded again and again.

Ning Zhiheng inspected him carefully once more. By then, an action team member had retrieved a change of clothes from Dai Daguang’s room at the hotel. After Dai Daguang changed, Ning Zhiheng finally nodded in satisfaction.

With a wave of his hand, he signaled for the men to put Dai Daguang into the car. They drove to the vicinity of Dai Daguang’s home and stopped outside a nearby house.

Kang Shundong and Hua Hui came out of the house. Ning Zhiheng asked, “How are the arrangements?”

Kang Shundong nodded. “The Telecommunications Section has disconnected the telephone line at Dai Daguang’s home and installed a dedicated line. His household line has been rerouted here, so any call made to Dai Daguang’s number will come through to this house. We’ll restore the original connection after he finishes speaking with Su Yu. His family will assume there was simply a problem with the telephone line. They won’t become suspicious.”

Ning Zhiheng gestured behind him, and several members of the action team escorted Dai Daguang into the house.

There was a reason for arranging things this way. Dai Daguang needed to reassure Su Yu, yet they could not send him home, because the action team would have to keep him under close surveillance.

But if Dai Daguang suddenly returned home without his usual bodyguards and brought several strangers with him, his family and subordinates would quickly notice that something was wrong.

That was why Xiang Yan had adopted this arrangement.

Su Yu, meanwhile, had not yet been alerted. He would never imagine that, in the brief span of only a few days, he had already come under the scrutiny of the Military Intelligence Investigation Office.

He would therefore be unlikely to remain on guard. Most likely, he would contact Dai Daguang directly by telephone.

Xiang Yan had thus mobilized the resources of the Telecommunications Section and tampered with the telephone line. A dedicated line and telephone had been installed in a house near Dai Daguang’s residence, where he and Dai Daguang would wait quietly for the call.

If Su Yu came to Dai Daguang’s home in person, Dai Daguang would simply have to stall him for the time being. Everyone agreed, however, that this possibility was extremely small. The reason Dai Daguang had been washed and dressed properly was merely to prepare for that contingency.

This demonstrated that Ning Zhiheng’s decision had been correct. Once the case was handed over and Xiang Yan took charge, far more resources could be mobilized and many more methods could be employed.

Several calls came in during the morning, and Dai Daguang managed to fob them all off. One of them was from his trading company.

The company’s daily business did not require his personal attention. He was nothing more than a hands-off proprietor, and in truth, what did he really know about running a business? The managers handled everything.

Still, some important matters had to be reported to Dai Daguang. He gave a few brief instructions, then, at Ning Zhiheng’s signal, hurriedly ended the call.

At ten o’clock, the telephone rang again.

This time, it was indeed Su Yu.

“Old Dai, have you recovered the item?”

Su Yu’s voice came through the receiver.

“Oh, it’s Section Chief Su! Please don’t be anxious. Here’s what happened: we’ve already found the thief who stole the jade artifact—”

“So you still haven’t recovered it, is that it?”

Before Dai Daguang could finish, Su Yu interrupted him.

“Uh, yes. But, Section Chief Su, please hear me out. The deadline really was rather tight. My men have been working as quickly as possible. Just give me a little more time,” Dai Daguang said cautiously.

“Old Dai, you slapped your chest and assured me that this was a minor matter. What happened? It’s already been six days, and now you’re telling me the item still hasn’t been recovered!”

Su Yu clearly could not accept his answer. His tone grew colder and colder.

“If you can’t do it, then forget it. I’ll have someone else look for it.”

“Section Chief Su, please don’t be anxious. My men have already discovered that the thief is a street hoodlum named Cui Er. We’ll be able to find him very soon. Give me a little more time—five days!”

Dai Daguang saw Ning Zhiheng hold up four fingers in front of him and quickly changed his words.

“No? Then four days. Four days—would that be acceptable?”

“All right, four days it is. Old Dai, have your men hurry. Every day feels like a year here. I’m in a terrible rush, understand?”

Su Yu hesitated briefly before finally agreeing.

“Understood, understood. Section Chief Su, rest assured! The moment we recover the item, I’ll notify you. It will be no later than four days from now. You have my word!”

Dai Daguang continued to offer assurances.

The conversation ended soon afterward. The two sides had reached an agreement, and Dai Daguang finally hung up the telephone and let out a long breath.

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