Chapter 146: Bringing into the Fold

Over the past few years, Huang Xianzheng had devoted himself to expanding his own influence and continually strengthening the Baoding clique. However, in principle, any recruit had to be a graduate of the Whampoa Military Academy; otherwise, the Director would never have allowed him to do so.

It was under this background that Ning Zhiheng had joined the Military Statistics Bureau. Huang Xianzheng had quite a few talented subordinates with backgrounds similar to Ning Zhiheng's. He had been planning to use the extra personnel establishment resulting from Ning Zhiheng's promotion to accommodate a portion of his own men. To his pleasant surprise, Ning Zhiheng had taken the initiative to approach him and ask for personnel. Huang Xianzheng was overjoyed, nodding inwardly as he thought that Ning Zhiheng possessed great insight and truly knew how to handle human relationships.

Ning Zhiheng had his own calculations as well. He knew that his direct subordinate foundation was rather thin, and when the redundant personnel establishment opened up, various factions would certainly try every possible means to insert their own people and plant their pawns. Given his current status, it would be extremely difficult for him to prevent such intrusions.

At that point, it would not be easy for even him to casually remove those individuals, or he would incur the enmity of the people standing behind them.

Of course, Ning Zhiheng possessed his own confidence and was not afraid of offending others, but this was far from the best approach.

The optimal method was to rely on Huang Xianzheng, the towering tree behind him, and leverage his power to keep other factions at bay.

At the very least, Huang Xianzheng's subordinates originated from the same source as himself—they were members of the same clique. This could also guarantee that they would harbor no chaotic ulterior motives, making them relatively smoother and more reliable to employ.

One must understand that once a person was branded and became part of an organizational faction, it became extremely difficult for them to act against the interests of the organization. If one were to do so, their own people would no longer accept them, and their enemies would find it impossible to trust them. No one would ever place their faith in a double-dealing turncoat.

"Then I shall defer entirely to the Director's arrangements!" Ning Zhiheng agreed.

Emerging from Huang Xianzheng's office, Ning Zhiheng hurried all the way to the police detention center. He had been running off his feet for the past two days and had no idea how Sun Jiachen's interrogation of Dai Daguang was progressing.

The deadline for concluding the case was drawing closer. As one of the principal culprits of the case, Dai Daguang could not be kept locked up in the detention center indefinitely; it did not conform to protocol.

Ning Zhiheng decided that before transferring Dai Daguang back to the interrogation section of the Military Statistics Bureau, Sun Jiachen had better wrap up the interrogation work.

Upon arriving at the detention center, two operational agents were smoking and chatting idly by the entrance. Seeing Ning Zhiheng approach, they quickly stepped forward.

"Where is Deputy Squad Leader Sun?" Ning Zhiheng asked.

"He just got back and is inside interrogating Dai Daguang right now. This fellow is stubborn; he is just like a tube of toothpaste—he won't say a word unless you hit him, and he only spits out a little bit with each beating! Squad Leader Sun is furious and intends to give him a thorough thrashing this time!" one of the agents replied.

A frown crossed Ning Zhiheng's face upon hearing this. He strode quickly toward the interrogation room, and from afar, he could already hear Dai Daguang's shrill, agonizing screams.

At that moment, old Liao, having heard his subordinates' report and knowing that the senior officer had arrived, dared not show the slightest bit of negligence and came running over in a flurry.

"Officer Ning, you've arrived!" old Liao said obsequiously.

"Never mind me, I'll call you if I need anything!" Ning Zhiheng waved his hand to dismiss old Liao.

"Go call Sun Jiachen to the office! I have something to ask him," Ning Zhiheng instructed one of the nearby agents.

He had no desire to witness the scene of Dai Daguang being tortured. Since these matters had been entrusted to Sun Jiachen, he would not interfere halfway. If he had to personally involve himself in every little detail, what did he need subordinates for?

Sun Jiachen hurried over shortly and found Ning Zhiheng sitting in a chair with his eyes closed, resting his mind.

"How much has Dai Daguang confessed?" Ning Zhiheng asked in a low, deep voice.

"You really hit the nail on the head, Officer. This fellow is indeed uncooperative. The valuables in his possession amount to no small sum; he's an absolute fat sheep, yet he stubbornly bites his tongue and refuses to let go. Every time the torture session ends, he spits out just a tiny bit. This time, I'm going to strip a layer of skin off him—I refuse to believe this bastard loves money more than his life!" Sun Jiachen said through gritted teeth. He was a seasoned veteran of the underworld, and Dai Daguang's thoughts could not be concealed from him.

"This Dai Daguang is still harboring unrealistic hopes, always thinking he still has a chance to get out, and wanting to hold onto that little bit of wealth to scrape by!" Ning Zhiheng opened his eyes, a trace of chilliness flashing through his gaze. "What has he confessed to so far?"

"He confessed that there is cash and gold in the safe at his home, along with the deeds and paperwork for the trading firm, and two safety deposit boxes at the bank," Sun Jiachen replied. "However, I suspect he is still withholding things. Underworld figures like them who walk the dark paths inevitably have old enemies. To guard against unexpected disasters, a cunning rabbit always has three burrows; he's bound to have made other preparations!"

"Then step up the pace. By the way, let me brief you on the progress of the case. Last night, following the lead on Tian Liqun, we finally managed to capture his superior, seizing a radio transmitter and an encrypted codebook. Both the Director and the section chief are very satisfied. The case has now entered the concluding phase. As a subordinate developed by Su Yu, Dai Daguang must also be brought to justice as soon as possible!" Ning Zhiheng said, roughly outlining the situation to Sun Jiachen.

"Therefore, before handing him over to the interrogation section for detention, we must clean up all loose ends; otherwise, if we don't make a move, we'll just be handing the benefits to someone else!"

Hearing Ning Zhiheng's account, Sun Jiachen was overjoyed. With this operation succeeding, the squad leader would undoubtedly take the primary credit. Backed by powerful connections and having established a major merit, the squad leader would soon receive another promotion.

If the squad leader benefited, wouldn't he rise right along with him? This was an unmitigated stroke of good fortune.

"Understood! Rest assured, Squad Leader, I will definitely accelerate the interrogation progress!" Sun Jiachen repeatedly assured him.

"Wait!" Ning Zhiheng stood up and paced back and forth a few times. After careful deliberation, he continued, "Let's not rush the interrogation for now. The Director has already issued orders to arrest Su Yu, so there is no longer any fear of exposing Dai Daguang's case. I will immediately dispatch men to you. In your capacity as an investigator for the Military Statistics Bureau, go and seal up Dai Daguang's residence and trading firm, and retrieve his bank safety deposit boxes. Move quickly and gather all the cash and gold bars; I'm going to need them in the next couple of days!"

"So urgent? Then I'll make my move right now!" Hearing Ning Zhiheng's words, Sun Jiachen nodded in swift agreement.

Ning Zhiheng picked up the telephone and notified Wang Shucheng, who was holding down the fort at the Military Statistics Bureau.

"Shucheng, immediately lead all the team members, fully armed, and rush to the police detention center to stand by!"

Putting down the receiver, Ning Zhiheng asked again, "By the way, how have the Zuo brother and sister been doing these past two days?"

Hearing Ning Zhiheng inquire about the Zuo siblings, Sun Jiachen asked with a hint of curiosity, "Judging by your intentions, Squad Leader, are you planning to take them in for your own use?"

"I do have that intention, Lao Sun. The number of people I have under my command who can actually get things done is far too few. I see these three siblings as capable individuals. If we can recruit them to act as helpers, that wouldn't be bad at all!" Ning Zhiheng said with a slight nod.

"They've been quite well-behaved these past two days, and old Liao hasn't given them a hard time either. In my view, among those three, that Zuo Rou is the weak spot. As long as we keep her under control, her two brothers can both be held in the palm of our hand!" Sun Jiachen was quite adept at reading people and immediately pinpointed the crucial key.

"I have my own arrangements for these three. There will be matters in the future that I'll need to hand over to them, so you should keep this in mind—it will save a lot of trouble," Ning Zhiheng said.

He stepped out of the office, summoned old Liao, and led him to the cells where the Zuo siblings were being kept.

The three siblings were locked in three adjacent independent cells. The cells were swept clean and enjoyed plenty of sunlight. Judging by the clothes on their backs and their mental state, it was clear that old Liao had not mistreated them and had taken reasonably good care of them.

At that moment, seeing Ning Zhiheng appear, the three Zuo siblings hurriedly stood up and approached the iron bars.

Over the past few days, the three of them had already discussed everything. All their arduous struggle and striving through the years had been simply to carve out a path to survive in this chaotic world.

Yet now, they had been dragged into a major Japanese spy case and labeled as national traitors—something completely unacceptable to them.

In the end, they had even been discarded like used table rags by the very boss they trusted the most. One could well imagine the feelings churning in their hearts.

Just as they were plunged into utter despair with nowhere to turn, this Officer Ning before them was actually willing to give them a way out. None of them were fools; they naturally understood that this meant they were expected to serve him. Besides, wouldn't such an arrangement turn out quite well?

To speak the truth, the three siblings possessed no other skills to make a living; they only had the solid martial arts training they had practiced since childhood. This Officer Ning appeared to have both power and influence. Following such a figure in this troubled era meant they wouldn't have to drift aimlessly across the jianghu like before—it could certainly count as a viable path forward!

What was there to hesitate about? On one side was the hell of death, and on the other was rebirth. The Zuo siblings naturally knew what kind of fate awaited them if they let this opportunity slip through their fingers!

Yet for the past few days, this Officer Ning seemed to have completely forgotten about the three of them, leaving them tossed aside in this cold, gloomy dungeon without a single inquiry. This made their hearts flutter with anxiety and panic once more. Could it be that Officer Ning had changed his mind? If that were the case, the destiny of the three siblings would become murky and unpredictable. Should the final news turn out to be bad, they would be utterly damned beyond redemption!

Ning Zhiheng waved his hand to signal old Liao to withdraw. Then, casting a cold gaze at the Zuo siblings, he asked in a calm, flat tone, "Have you considered my offer?"

"We are willing to atone for our crimes through meritorious service! As long as you are willing to take us in, the three of us are willing to saddle your horses, hold your stirrups, and serve Officer Ning from now on!" Zuo Gang, the eldest, hurriedly spoke up. This was their absolute last chance; if they failed to seize it, they would only be left with death as their destination.

Hearing Zuo Gang's words, Ning Zhiheng glanced at Zuo Rou and Zuo Chang. The two of them were also staring at him with tense expressions. With life and death hanging entirely on a single thought from Ning Zhiheng, no one could possibly maintain peace of mind!

"Good!" Ning Zhiheng's icy expression suddenly broke into a smile. "Those who understand the times are wise men. Let's speak plainly without mincing words: if your answer today fails to satisfy me, I will execute you on the spot and leave no future troubles behind!"

As soon as these words fell, a violent tremor struck the hearts of the Zuo siblings, and they felt a surge of secret trepidation. The Officer Ning before them was decisive in killing and judging—evidently a formidable figure who could tolerate no sand in his eyes. Who could tell whether following him from now on would bring good fortune or misfortune, joy or sorrow?