Chapter Twenty-Three: Reporting the Case

Leaving the Liu family residence, Ning Zhiheng parted ways with Liu Datong and the others. He hurried straight back to the Military Intelligence Division, knowing they had both a camera and a darkroom for developing photographs.

He took several shots of the sketch with the camera and developed the pictures himself. By the time everything was finished, it was already past two in the morning.

He didn't bother going home, but instead pushed together a few chairs in his office to make do for the night. His thoughts naturally drifted into his spiritual mind’s domain, his consciousness projecting beneath the Bodhi tree.

Looking up, he saw that the seventh green leaf was little changed from the afternoon. However, the chanting that echoed through the space was much clearer and more melodious than usual. This was because the Bodhi tree was continuously absorbing the energy from the relic at his chest.

Still, only a dozen or so hours had passed; the energy gained in that time was limited, and merely keeping the relic at his chest resulted in passive and inefficient absorption.

So he sat cross-legged and began his nightly ritual of reciting Buddhist scriptures. Instantly, his consciousness entered a state of clarity and emptiness.

The Bodhi tree began to sway gently, and the rate at which it absorbed energy quickened noticeably. That leaf grew and thrived at a speed several times faster than usual.

When morning came, his consciousness naturally withdrew from the spiritual domain. He felt refreshed and invigorated, filled with energy.

This was the life of someone with a cheat code—no matter how weary he had been the day before, a night spent recuperating in that spiritual space left him fully restored by morning.

After washing up, he organized his thoughts. He decided that Liu Datong and his friends would suffice for gathering information, but for the actual arrest, it would be more reliable to use his own team members.

He had no intention of playing the lone hero—after all, this case concerned Japanese spies, a matter of great importance, and ultimately it would have to be handled by the Military Intelligence Division.

By now, footsteps began to echo down the corridor—the start of the workday.

Soon he heard the office next door open. He quickly picked up his briefcase and left his office, just in time to see his senior brother, Wei Liangbi.

“Senior brother, I was just looking for you to report something,” said Ning Zhiheng.

“Ning Zhiheng? I didn’t expect to see you here. Weren’t you supposed to be on leave? Why haven’t you gone yet?” Wei Liangbi was surprised to see him. He hadn’t seen Ning Zhiheng the day before and had assumed he’d already gone home to visit his family.

“No rush on the leave. Let me brief you on this work matter first.”

“Work? What work? I told your team to take a break—there’s nothing assigned to you. But just so you know, new recruits are arriving soon, and your team’s leave will be over,” said Wei Liangbi with a smile.

He said this lightly, but as Ning Zhiheng was his junior, he could easily grant him leave when needed.

Ning Zhiheng followed Wei Liangbi into the office and closed the door behind them.

Wei Liangbi eyed Ning Zhiheng’s cautious demeanor and the briefcase in his hand with some curiosity. “So you really do have something to report?”

In a low voice, Ning Zhiheng began, “One of my informants provided a lead about a suspicious individual.”

“An informant? You’ve only just joined the Intelligence Division, and after one operation you’ve already developed informants?” Wei Liangbi was surprised. This junior of his adapted quickly—already developing sources. That was more typical of the intelligence branch’s methods; action teams were usually just tasked with making arrests.

“Oh, it’s nothing so formal. Just some friends I made at the officer academy. Since I joined the Division, I casually asked them to keep an eye out for anything unusual on the streets. I didn’t expect it would actually pay off,” Ning Zhiheng explained.

He needed to attribute the source of this lead to Liu Datong and the others, otherwise it would be impossible to explain how he’d come by the information. He wasn’t worried that Wei Liangbi would interrogate him further—so long as he coordinated with Liu Datong in advance, no one would suspect a thing.

“All right then, tell me about this suspicious person. But let me make it clear—if it’s just some petty thief, hand it over to the police. We shouldn’t waste our energy on trivial matters,” said Wei Liangbi, somewhat dismissively, as he opened a window to let in the fresh morning air.

Ning Zhiheng smiled. “I know the limits. I wouldn’t trouble you if it was a minor issue. I did a bit of work myself before coming to report.”

With that, he placed the briefcase on Wei Liangbi’s desk.

Wei Liangbi, puzzled, took it and drew out a thick stack of photographs. He picked one up and examined it closely. “Who is this, and what’s suspicious about him?”

“This man’s name is Wang Yunfeng. He’s rented a room on the second floor at 402 North Hua Street. The odd thing is, he doesn’t actually live there—he only visits occasionally and never interacts with the neighbors. None of them have ever seen him.”

“North Hua Street—that’s where we tried to arrest Fu Cheng, isn’t it? Tell me more,” Wei Liangbi said, suddenly realizing the seriousness of the matter.

“There’s more. Wang Yunfeng listed his occupation as a dentist with the landlord, but there’s only one dental clinic on North Hua Street, run by an old dentist, and he’s not the one.”

“Couldn’t he work at another clinic?” Wei Liangbi asked, but quickly realized the problem—he was, after all, a shrewd and capable agent.

“There’s definitely something off about this man,” Wei Liangbi said, drumming his fingers on the windowsill as he pondered.

“He always pays his rent on time, never delays. According to the landlord, he’s well-dressed and looks well-off, so his income must be good. Yet he doesn’t own a home, rents a place but doesn’t live there, and deliberately avoids his neighbors. It’s highly irregular,” Ning Zhiheng continued.

“Where did these photos come from?” Wei Liangbi asked, holding up one of the images.

“I drew this sketch based on the landlord’s description. According to the landlord, it’s a very good likeness,” Ning Zhiheng replied with a hint of pride.

He saw no need to hide his drawing ability; in fact, he considered it a point of pride. He hadn’t expected that a skill from his previous life would come in handy for investigations—finally, it had found its use.

“You can do this?” Wei Liangbi was astonished to learn that the impressive sketch was Ning Zhiheng’s handiwork.

At this time, such a skill was truly exceptional. Cameras were still rare among ordinary people, only used for major events like weddings or family portraits at photo studios.

During investigations, even with eyewitnesses, suspects were often unidentifiable because their descriptions differed so much from reality.

But this sketched photo was exquisitely drawn, remarkably lifelike—from composition to shading, every detail was almost indistinguishable from a real photograph.

With this image in hand, no one would miss the suspect if he ever appeared—its value was immense.

Seeing Wei Liangbi’s astonished expression, even Ning Zhiheng, with all his composure, felt a surge of quiet pride.

“We’ll need to place 402 North Hua Street under surveillance, and send people out to cast a wide net for this suspect. I’m certain Wang Yunfeng is an alias,” Wei Liangbi said after a moment’s thought.

“Yesterday, my friends made quite a commotion while investigating—they even entered the room. Since I wasn’t there, some details weren’t recorded and can’t be restored. The suspect will probably realize something’s amiss as soon as he enters, perhaps even from outside the door. We can’t overlook this. My recommendation: as soon as he’s found, arrest him immediately. Don’t hesitate or give the enemy any opportunity,” Ning Zhiheng added.

“Agreed. We can’t repeat the mistake we made with Fu Cheng—wasting a month and ending up with nothing. I suspect this man may be connected to Fu Cheng. Better to err on the side of caution,” Wei Liangbi replied, linking this case to the Fu Cheng affair—perhaps a new development would present itself.

Ning Zhiheng smiled inwardly. Not just possibly connected, but certainly—since the lead came directly from Fu Cheng’s memories.

“Should we report this to the higher-ups, or ask the Intelligence Section for help? They’re better connected and more skilled at tracking people down,” Ning Zhiheng asked, uncertain, seeking Wei Liangbi’s guidance.

“Let’s not. The Intelligence Section is always so arrogant, always acting superior and looking down on us in Action. This time, we’ll solve the case ourselves and show them up,” Wei Liangbi said with a dismissive wave, tossing the photo onto his desk.

If the case turned out well, it would be a major achievement—why hand it over for nothing?

From his perspective, the Action Section was always just an execution unit. Though the higher-ups constantly called them the sword and steel blade, their status was inherently lower than the other sections.

The most dangerous and exhausting tasks fell to the Action teams, as shown by their casualty rates. It was impossible not to feel some resentment.

So, whenever a chance arose, they had to prove their worth to the superiors—to change their current awkward position. This was such an opportunity.

Asking the Intelligence Section for help in finding the suspect was unnecessary. At worst, if they failed, there was no loss for Action. But if they found the suspect themselves, all the credit would be theirs—a chance to really stand out.

Moreover, the situation was not yet entirely clear. If it turned out to be unrelated to the Japanese spy case, and word had already spread, it would be embarrassing to wrap things up.

Ning Zhiheng gave it no further thought; it was not his place to worry. He’d already sought his superior’s instructions.

“Since you discovered this lead, you’ll be in charge of the case. Zhiheng, if you handle this well, it’ll be a major achievement. I’m giving you the opportunity—whether you seize it is up to you!” Wei Liangbi said, clapping him firmly on the shoulder with genuine encouragement.

Naturally, the chance would go to one of his own. If Ning Zhiheng performed well in this case, it would be crucial for a newcomer to the Military Intelligence Division. Starting out ahead, he’d soon leave his peers far behind. Coupled with his previous success in capturing Fu Cheng, in less than half a year, he’d be in line for a promotion, adding another star to his rank.