Chapter Fifty-Three: The Investigation Begins

Ning Zhiheng first went to see Wei Liangbi. The recently apprehended Wang Maocai needed a place for detention, as he was not a true criminal and couldn’t simply be sent to the Interrogation Department. Besides, that would make extortion rather inconvenient!

Wei Liangbi, upon hearing that Ning Zhiheng wanted a place to hold someone, more or less understood the situation and smiled. “As it happens, there’s a place that’s just right. We recently confiscated a property, originally intended as a dormitory for a few team members. You can have it—lock your man up there. No one will notice a thing!”

With that, he took a set of keys from his drawer and handed them to Ning Zhiheng, who surmised that these, too, were the spoils of some prior act of extortion.

Over the course of a year, the Military Intelligence Division apprehended countless people, most of whom were wealthy. The action teams were always the ones to seize them, and it was all too easy to skim a little off the top.

The house in question was a standalone villa, originally built by its owner for a mistress, thus secluded and quiet. After confiscation, it remained empty because it was far from the Military Intelligence Division, making it inconvenient as a dormitory. Now, it would serve perfectly as a safe house for Ning Zhiheng.

Ning Zhiheng accepted the keys without ceremony and left the office. Just then, he ran into Wang Shucheng, who was returning with the six team members assigned to surveillance.

“Captain, Huang Hui has been released, and everyone has returned,” Wang Shucheng reported.

Ning Zhiheng nodded, looking over the group. Wang Shucheng had contributed to this latest case but was not privy to the matter of Kong Liangce, so he had not received any hush money. Ning Zhiheng felt he owed him some compensation, and the team had spent many days staking out Huang Xiansheng's house, a tiresome task. Now, with the fat sheep Wang Maocai delivered to their door, he decided to let them handle the interrogation as a reward.

He said to Wang Shucheng, “Shucheng, I have a good job for you. Today we brought in a suspect. Take your men and lock him up in this house. Conduct a thorough interrogation—get to the bottom of all his illegal activities over the years, especially where he’s hidden his illicit gains. If you succeed, there’ll be a generous reward!”

He handed over the keys. At first, Wang Shucheng didn’t fully grasp the situation, but having just graduated from the military academy, he was merely unaccustomed to the shadows of the Military Intelligence Division, not naïve. Seeing the grinning faces of his teammates behind him, he understood at once. He accepted the keys with a nod, delighted to take the assignment.

With matters temporarily settled and the side affairs arranged, Ning Zhiheng prepared to begin his investigation. Though he held clues and a portrait, he did not intend to launch a sweeping search of all registered households in Nanjing as he’d done before.

The reason: such methods were grossly inefficient, consuming vast manpower and resources for too broad a scope. The previous operation had been a perfect example—after expending much time and energy and identifying dozens of suspects, it was ultimately a clue from a rickshaw puller that led them to Huang Xiansheng.

Moreover, last time they hadn't known Huang Xiansheng was a soldier, leaving them no option but a clumsy, wide-reaching search. This time, the target was much clearer, and if the person hadn’t purchased property in Nanjing, there would be no record in the local registry at all. It would likely be a wasted effort.

Therefore, he decided to search only within the military ranks—and to do so discreetly, so as not to alert the target.

However, any investigation of the Eleventh Division’s field-grade officers would have to wait until the high-level reshuffling was complete. Ning Zhiheng decided he could finally rest for a couple of days.

But, as it turned out, events came rushing in all at once—though, fortunately, they were all good news.

The next morning, Deputy Director Huang summoned him to the office, announcing his promotion and offering warm encouragement, personally replacing the insignia on his shoulders.

Ordinarily, the promotion of a junior officer would not warrant the personal attention of the Deputy Director, but Huang Xiansheng held Ning Zhiheng in high regard, treating him as a favored protégé, and thus made the gesture himself. This surprised Secretary Yu, who had served the Deputy Director for years, and he began to view Ning Zhiheng in a new light—clearly, this was a person of substance, worth befriending.

With his promotion to lieutenant, Wei Liangbi immediately decided to hold a celebratory banquet for his junior. He gathered all the junior officers from the three action teams for a grand feast, formally introducing Ning Zhiheng to everyone.

Barely out of the academy, Ning Zhiheng had already executed two brilliant operations in succession—his reputation had spread among the officers of the other teams, and with the added prestige of their immediate superior Wei Liangbi, everyone attended the banquet in high spirits, laughter and cheer abounding.

The First Action Team’s captain, Lei Yichun, and the Second Team’s captain, Lü Yang, were both captains themselves, promoted from the ranks. They understood well that, as a graduate of the Whampoa Military Academy, Ning Zhiheng had a bright future ahead—he might well surpass them in a few short years and become their superior. Worldly and astute, they all made a point to befriend him, speaking warmly and calling him brother throughout the evening.

Soon after, Deputy Director Huang’s long-serving subordinate, Cui Guohao, was promoted to lieutenant colonel and formally appointed as head of the Equipment Section.

Lieutenant Colonel Cui Guohao also hosted a lavish banquet, inviting his close associates—most of whom belonged to Deputy Director Huang’s own faction. Wei Liangbi and Ning Zhiheng were naturally at the center of attention.

It was then that Ning Zhiheng realized just how powerful the Baoding clique was within the Military Intelligence Division; apart from the Intelligence Section itself, they had placed their own men in nearly every department, many even holding real authority.

After the banquet, Cui Guohao presented both Wei Liangbi and Ning Zhiheng with briefcases, each containing ten gold bars—a most generous token of thanks. With the Equipment Section’s abundant resources, Cui Guohao was sparing no expense in his gratitude.

Zhao Jiang and the others returned from Hangzhou with a letter from Chen Guangran, who expressed his heartfelt thanks and warmly invited Ning Zhiheng to visit his home upon returning to his hometown. Judging by the broad smiles on Zhao Jiang and his men, Chen Guangran’s reward had been substantial, much to their delight, and their respect for Captain Ning only deepened.

The interrogation of Wang Maocai proceeded smoothly. Even before the harsher methods were employed, the man, already mentally broken, confessed all his past misdeeds. According to Wang Shucheng, his fortune was considerable indeed—no doubt amassed through dubious means.

But over the next few days, the Intelligence Section launched a series of arrests, requiring the Action Section’s support. Ning Zhiheng found himself with no time for his own investigation. After all, his primary duty was apprehending suspects—he couldn’t shirk that responsibility.

As the days slipped through his fingers, Ning Zhiheng realized he could delay no longer. He went straight to Wei Liangbi.

“Senior brother, I hear the Eleventh Division’s reorganization is nearly complete?”

Wei Liangbi nodded. “All the commanding officers at the division and brigade level have been replaced. It was a major shake-up.”

“In that case, I want to resume my investigation into the Eleventh Division’s officer records. Please help me arrange the necessary paperwork,” Ning Zhiheng said eagerly. “Also, I plan to conduct the search myself this time. Since I have no specific target, there’s no need to mobilize everyone. Let Shi Hong handle the Third Action Team’s affairs for now.”

Wei Liangbi glanced at Ning Zhiheng. As a shrewd operative himself, he could sense that Ning Zhiheng was holding onto a lead—he just hadn’t pinpointed the target yet.

“Zhiheng, whatever your plan, you have my support—just don’t take any unnecessary risks. If you need more men, let me know,” Wei Liangbi said sincerely.

He valued his junior greatly. In the time they’d worked together, his admiration for Ning Zhiheng had only grown—steady, meticulous, and, above all, incredibly lucky, as though guided by an unseen hand. Wei Liangbi himself had enjoyed smooth sailing recently, thanks in large part to riding this current of good fortune.

He worried that Ning Zhiheng, investigating alone, might encounter unexpected dangers. He truly didn’t want anything to happen to his junior.

Ning Zhiheng was touched. He could hear the genuine concern in his senior’s voice, but still could not divulge his secret, as it would be difficult to explain later.

“Don’t worry, senior brother. I’m just conducting a preliminary investigation. If I really need help, I’ll let you know,” Ning Zhiheng replied.

The paperwork was quickly completed. For the Military Intelligence Division, investigating officer records was routine—they already had such authority.

Ning Zhiheng drove to the Eleventh Division’s garrison headquarters. Upon entering the main building, he immediately sensed a tense, oppressive atmosphere. Everyone wore grave expressions, exchanging only brief nods; the halls and corridors were almost empty, most officers staying quietly in their offices, as though fearful of inviting disaster.

He knew that, in recent days, the Eleventh Division had been swept by turmoil, and everyone was anxious about their fate. He didn’t linger, but went straight to the records room and presented his paperwork.

“Ning Zhiheng, Action Team Leader from Military Intelligence. Here are my papers.”

The records officer, a woman in her thirties with an air of elegance, seemed unsettled upon reading his credentials—knowing that a visit from the Military Intelligence Division, especially at such a sensitive time, rarely boded well.

“Captain Ning, please wait a moment—I need to verify your documents,” she said cautiously.

“Of course. Please follow procedure,” Ning Zhiheng replied, understanding the anxiety his presence caused. It was much like in his previous life—ordinary citizens, even without guilt, would still feel nervous if the police came to investigate, fearing trouble.

Soon, after verifying his credentials with her superiors, the officer led Ning Zhiheng into the archives.

The Eleventh Division, directly under Central Command, was fully staffed with over ten thousand personnel. Their records filled two large halls, each lined with partitions and shelves packed with files. To an outsider, it would be impossible to know where to begin.

“Please bring out the records of all field-grade officers. That’s where I’ll focus my investigation.”