Chapter Thirty-Five: Compromise for Preservation

“So what of it? The dead cannot come back to life! Are we supposed to clear Kong Liangce’s name and rehabilitate him? Where would that leave the reputation of our Military Intelligence Bureau?” Ning Zhiheng was somewhat puzzled.

Just a few hours earlier, Wei Liangbi had been so arrogant, boldly declaring that the Military Intelligence Bureau could never arrest the wrong man—his air overbearing, his confidence absolute. Now he fretted about possible reversals, his change in demeanor hard to fathom.

Wei Liangbi returned to his seat with a bitter smile. “The problem lies in Kong Liangce’s background. His father-in-law is Han Xingchang, a member of the Executive Committee of the Military Government. At the time, the leader was furious, and though Han Xingchang did all he could, in the end the matter was handled quietly. Kong Liangce was killed but given the title of martyr who died in the line of duty. Yet Han Xingchang is an elder in the army, with considerable seniority. Although he no longer wields military power, his influence remains, and this has always been a thorn in his side. Our bureau is already a sword hanging over the heads of these military bigwigs, and they’ve long resented our methods. It’s only the leader’s suppression that has kept them in check. But if this interrogation record gets out, it will cause an uproar. Han Xingchang will certainly seize the opportunity to retaliate, attacking us in the bureau, and we might get dragged into the mess ourselves.”

Both Ning Zhiheng and Shi Hong’s faces changed at this; the seriousness of the situation had exceeded their expectations.

Shi Hong, restless, suggested, “We don’t ask for merit, only to avoid blame. Why not suppress the matter? That way we won’t be implicated.”

But Ning Zhiheng disagreed. “Absolutely not. First, this interrogation record cannot be concealed. We mobilized personnel to arrest an active-duty officer, reported the matter, and formally notified the military. The interrogation itself is recorded by the Interrogation Section. We cannot wash our hands of it so easily. Most importantly, Huang Xiansheng divulged every ounce of intelligence concerning the Eleventh Division. This is a grave matter. We must report it truthfully so the high command can prepare a response. This concerns the fate of the party and the nation—there can be no concealment. We are soldiers of the party and the country. How can we let personal considerations eclipse national duty? That is our bottom line, a principle that cannot be questioned. With so great a matter, mere words are not enough; there must be witnesses and evidence for the high command to believe us. Huang Xiansheng is the witness, and the interrogation record is the evidence!”

Wei Liangbi nodded approvingly. His appreciation for Ning Zhiheng rose yet again.

After all, Kong Liangce’s case was a minor one. In fact, during the investigation it was discovered that, as Director of Logistics, Kong had embezzled enormous sums. Even if he had been executed, he would hardly have been wronged. Corruption was rampant within the Nationalist Party, especially in the lucrative post of Logistics Director; everyone turned a blind eye, and it was considered nothing out of the ordinary.

What truly mattered was the massive intelligence leak from the Eleventh Division—a national crisis. Personal issues should never be allowed to jeopardize such matters. These young officers were, by and large, men of passion, who had enrolled in the military to defend their country. On fundamental principles, there could be no wavering.

Shi Hong nodded in agreement, realizing he’d been too hasty and hadn’t considered the full weight of the matter.

Wei Liangbi pondered for a long moment, then suddenly laughed. “I was so fixated on the problem that I lost my composure. Why hold onto this hot potato? Just toss it away!”

Ning Zhiheng and Shi Hong both looked to him, eager to hear his solution. Wei Liangbi smiled and said, “The man who cracked this case was Qian Zhong, head of the Intelligence Group—a trusted confidant of the Chief, and a fellow townsman. He only took up the case at the Chief’s request, likely under pressure from above. In the end, they made a foolish move and pinned the blame on Kong Liangce as a scapegoat. Now that such a major blunder has come to light, there’s no reason we should take the fall for him. Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll speak to Deputy Director Huang and have him communicate with the Chief. If my guess is correct, Qian Zhong will immediately step in to take charge of the case.

“As for what happens after, that’s not our concern. Let’s see how he handles it.”

Ning Zhiheng and Shi Hong both agreed it was a sound plan. Qian Zhong, as the investigator, had the most to lose if the truth came out. Even as the Chief’s protégé and countryman, he would not escape unscathed.

Though the problem was being shifted onto others, after all their efforts in nabbing Huang Xiansheng—a major catch—Ning Zhiheng felt a twinge of dissatisfaction at having to hand over the case.

“Of course, we won’t walk away empty-handed. Deputy Director Huang will negotiate with the Chief to ensure we get our due credit—we’re not orphans, after all. The priority now is to hand off this hot potato!” Wei Liangbi clapped Ning Zhiheng on the shoulder in reassurance.

He worried that Ning, young and fiery, might be unwilling to part with the credit he’d earned. But this junior had performed brilliantly—fresh from school, in just over ten days he’d apprehended two Japanese spies, outshining the rest. In truth, the Military Intelligence Bureau had only caught a handful of Japanese spies in the past year! Talent was rare, but rarer still was the principled spirit he had just displayed—a young man willing to risk everything, yet refusing to compromise his principles. Wei Liangbi’s respect for Ning Zhiheng grew deeper, and he became even more attuned to his feelings.

“Don’t worry, Chief. I know how to weigh the stakes. The farther I stay from this matter, the better. But we can’t sell ourselves short either. Honestly, I owe a hefty reward to the brothers who provided me with leads, and that’s no small sum. Surely I’m not expected to pay it out of my own pocket?” Ning Zhiheng knew that stubbornly holding on would only bring trouble—cautious by nature, he would not wade into muddy waters lightly. Still, after such risk and hard work, leaving empty-handed was hard to swallow.

“Haha, money is a small matter. Don’t worry, this time Qian Zhong will have to pay dearly, or he won’t get past this hurdle.” Wei Liangbi chuckled.

“Speaking of gain, Chief, there’s one more thing that needs to be handled quickly,” Ning Zhiheng said, suddenly remembering.

“What is it?”

“Huang Xiansheng confessed that he has a large sum stored in a safety deposit box at Xinhua Bank. That should be considered proceeds from our operation—loot we’ve seized. We must retrieve it at once, or it’ll fall into someone else’s hands when the case is handed over.”

“Right, that’s important. First thing tomorrow—no, first thing today—we’ll fetch it. We can’t let Qian Zhong get his hands on it. We also lost two extra ampoules of morphine, after all; we can’t take a loss!” Wei Liangbi recalled that the files recorded Huang Xiansheng’s illicit funds.

It was already one in the morning. The three discussed the final details, then each returned home to rest.

Ning Zhiheng hurried home, washed up, and went to bed. As he undressed, he carefully examined the wound on his chest—only faint traces of blood remained, but the skin was intact, without a mark to be seen.

His consciousness entered the spiritual space within. He eagerly sought out the Bodhi tree. Earlier that day, when Huang Xiansheng stabbed him, the Bodhi tree had once again manifested its miraculous power. In the blink of an eye, it restored his body to its original state, allowing him to escape death and turn the tables.

He remembered distinctly how, at that critical moment, a thunderous roar resounded in the space and the Bodhi tree shook off a newly formed green leaf, healing his body. That single leaf had consumed the energy provided by the relic finger bone. It had just emerged, barely had time to settle, and was already used up.

Sure enough, only seven green leaves remained on the Bodhi tree; the eighth, which had just formed, was gone.

Ning Zhiheng felt a pang of regret. Every leaf was precious beyond words. He had only recently obtained the relic finger bone, from which two leaves had grown. Who would have thought that in just three days, one would be consumed? He could sense the relic hanging at his chest was growing ever more translucent, its energy steadily diminishing. The relic finger bone was the culmination of a Tang Dynasty monk’s lifetime of cultivation—a once-in-a-lifetime treasure, gained by rare fortune. Who knew if he would ever come by such a relic again?

From within the spiritual space, the chanting of sutras could be heard, the volume gradually returning to its usual level. The Bodhi tree no longer swayed with the cheerful spirit of the previous days. It seemed, in three days, the relic’s energy had been almost entirely absorbed. He would soon need to seek a new source of energy.

The spiritual space was the most conducive to recovery. Though only a few hours had passed, Ning Zhiheng felt his body restored to its peak.

His first order of business that day was to retrieve the items from Huang Xiansheng’s safety deposit box. That very morning, Wei Liangbi would be reporting the situation to Deputy Director Huang, the powerful Baoding faction figure within the bureau. Qian Zhong would likely take over the case soon. Ning Zhiheng needed to extract the illicit funds before then.

He first hurried to Huang Xiansheng’s residence, where two team members were still hidden inside, and four more in the adjacent apartment belonging to Huang Hui. Seeing their captain enter, the two inside quickly greeted him.

Ning Zhiheng instructed them to lift the legs of the bed in the bedroom, and sure enough, they found a finely crafted round key—a special key for a Xinhua Bank safety deposit box, its serial number engraved on it. This type of key required matching with the bank’s own; both had to be inserted simultaneously to open the box, making it highly secure. Xinhua Bank recognized only the key, not the person—anyone in possession of the key could retrieve the contents.

Ning Zhiheng told his men to continue their surveillance and then drove to Xinhua Bank.

Everything proceeded smoothly. Around ten in the morning, Ning Zhiheng returned to the Military Intelligence Bureau with a case in hand.

Carrying the case, he went straight to Wei Liangbi’s office. Upon entering, he found Wei waiting for him, beaming.

Seeing Wei’s smile, Ning Zhiheng felt a surge of relief—clearly, things had gone well.

“You’re just in time. We’re going to see Deputy Director Huang right away. He asked for you as soon as you got back. I’ve been waiting here for you especially!” Wei Liangbi sprang to his feet as soon as Ning Zhiheng entered, motioning for him to follow.

Ning Zhiheng was a bit surprised. He had been in the bureau for over ten days, but Deputy Director Huang had never summoned him. His own mentor, He Feng, was an old comrade-in-arms of Huang, and it was at Deputy Director Huang Xiansheng’s request that He Feng had arranged for Ning’s transfer to the bureau. Huang was undoubtedly the Baoding faction’s leading figure in the Military Intelligence Bureau, but with their difference in status, Ning Zhiheng had never dared to pay a visit uninvited. Now, to his surprise, Deputy Director Huang was summoning him personally.