Chapter 55: Sharp Edge

Indeed, among the documents Zhao Xuan provided to Ding Moqun, there was explicit mention of Dao Ya's Chinese literature teacher, Li Jingfang.

The reason Dao Ya ended up tasting the spare ribs with rice cakes on Fuzhou Road was entirely orchestrated by Li Jingfang.

Otherwise, a wealthy young socialite like Dao Ya would never have ventured into a place like Fuzhou Road.

"Director, furthermore, based on these pieced-together documents, the day you left No. 76, it was Su Jian—meaning Young Tiger—who transmitted the intelligence. This is precisely why Li Mingzhu and Zhou Dahe were able to seize the timing so accurately."

"As for the reason they chose to carry out the assassination, it was because after Li Mingzhu reported to Chongqing that 'the Director intends to carry out a thorough internal investigation,' the Chongqing authorities concluded that Young Tiger might have been exposed, which is why they decided to make a move on your life."

...

As Zhao Xuan went through the documents one by one and explained them in detail, all the lingering doubts in Ding Moqun's mind were completely resolved.

Even questions regarding Zhou Dahe's true identity found their answers within these very documents that Li Mingzhu had failed to destroy in time.

"A-Xuan, well done. I didn't expect that in such a short period of time, you would be able to extract such valid intelligence from this massive pile of materials. Impressive!"

Having eliminated a major threat to his inner circle and unraveled all the intricate complexities behind the scenes, Ding Moqun checked the time and said with high spirits:

"Alright, it's getting late. A-Xuan, you and Xiao Dao head back first. I'm not entirely at ease leaving Xiao Ya at home all by herself."

"Su Bai, stay behind. Everyone else, dismiss and get some rest."

"Yes, Director!"

As the others turned to leave, Ding Moqun suddenly looked at Dao Yan and added:

"Xiao Dao, don't forget what I told you."

Dao Yan paused in her steps, a bitter sensation welling up in her heart, but she still turned back and cast a reproachful look at Ding Moqun:

"I know, Uncle. You're the one with endless nagging every single day."

"Hey, you ungrateful girl!"

...

Chongqing, Military Statistics General Headquarters, Bureau Chief's Office.

Shen Xing slammed his hat down onto Boss Dai's desk and roared, his eyes bloodshot and filled with rage as he pounded the surface:

"Boss, if you don't give me justice for this matter, I'll take out that son of a bitch Mao Shu right this second!"

Mao Shu, dressed in a black suit, stood right beside them with a solemn expression and said with a wry smile:

"Boss, in undercover operations, necessary sacrifices are simply unavoidable."

Shen Xing grabbed his hat and hurled it straight at Mao Shu. Mao Shu sidestepped with a swift twist of his hips to dodge it, and Shen Xing pointed right at his nose, cursing:

"You damned bastard, a network I spent so much painstaking effort to plant has just been completely ruined like this, and you tell me this is a necessary sacrifice? Why didn't your bloody self sacrifice Dianthus to cover Young Tiger?"

"Mao Shu, I am not finished with you!"

Mao Shu curled his lips in disdain. He had managed to plant his own asset right beside Ding Moqun, yet this fellow had still tried to muscle in—wasn't that a blatant attempt to steal the credit?

Was Mao Shu someone who could be pushed around so easily? Besides, this operation had the full approval of the Bureau Chief, so Mao Shu didn't feel a shred of fear inside.

"Director Shen, I sought prior approval from Boss Dai. Your precious Young Tiger might not be bad, but compared to Dianthus, he falls far short."

Upon hearing this, Shen Xing turned an incredulous gaze toward Boss Dai:

"Boss, is what he's saying true? Did you approve this?"

Boss Dai feigned anger, glared at Mao Shu, pointed toward the door, and roared:

"Motherfucker, Secretary Mao, get the hell out of here and stop stirring up trouble!"

"Ah, Boss, I'm leaving right now, right now."

"Get lost!"

Seeing that Shen Xing was about to chase after him to beat him up, Mao Shu executed a zigzag maneuvering step toward the door, slipped through smoothly with practiced ease, and pulled the door shut behind him in one fluid motion.

Standing outside in the hallway, listening to the muffled sounds of mutual cursing between Shen Xing and Boss Dai coming from within the office, Mao Shu hummed a little tune with a thoroughly satisfied expression and strutted away with a swaggering gait.

Inside the office, Boss Dai sat in his swivel chair. After locking eyes with Shen Xing for a brief moment, neither of them could hold back anymore, and they both burst out laughing.

"You scoundrel are truly wicked enough. Now that this affair has been brought to a close, make sure Master Niu is well taken care of."

"From now on, you are to receive all telegrams from Young Tiger exclusively. I do not wish for a fourth person to ever know that Young Tiger is still alive!"

Shen Xing froze for a moment, then asked Boss Dai with lingering disbelief:

"Boss, not even Chief Chen Department can know?"

Boss Dai gave a cold, faint smile:

"Su Bai's betrayal is a certainty carved in stone. As for Young Tiger's death, Chen Department cannot shirk responsibility either, since it was the intelligence leaked by Su Bai that ultimately led to Young Tiger's demise."

When it came to ruthlessness, Shen Xing felt that ten of him combined still wouldn't match Boss Dai.

As things stood, the only people who knew that Young Tiger was not only alive but had now successfully embedded himself even deeper within No. 76 were Boss Dai, himself, and Master Niu.

"It's just a pity about that piece of intelligence the groundhog managed to bring out at the very end. If we had that intelligence in hand, our operations to eliminate traitors would be infinitely simpler."

Shen Xing sighed with a helpless smile:

"There's no helping it. Unless that piece of intelligence remains unrecovered, Young Tiger's new identity would never stand on solid ground."

"Besides, with Li Mingzhu acting as his endorsement, even if Ding Moqun didn't want to believe Young Tiger was dead, he'd have no choice."

Boss Dai nodded slightly and issued his orders:

"Properly settle Li Mingzhu's family. I do not want to see her parents struggling against the hardships of life. Furthermore, that young girl brought back from Shanghai—what was her name... Zhou Xiaoman, right? Send her to live with the elderly couple and have her fostered under their care."

"Yes, Boss. That was precisely what I had in mind. I will handle the pension and all subsequent subsidies properly."

Looking at the trace of sorrow lingering in the depths of Shen Xing's eyes, Boss Dai smiled and said:

"Mao Shu was right about one thing: in undercover work, necessary sacrifices are simply inevitable."

"You needn't worry about the dossiers of Zhou Dahe and his daughter; I only fear Ding Moqun might stop investigating!"

With that assurance, Shen Xing finally felt completely at ease. "Director, then I shall take my leave."

Shanghai, 27 Avenue Joffre Apartment.

Ever since returning home, Aunt Liu's attitude toward Zhao Xuan had become noticeably warmer.

Meanwhile, Zhao Xuan had moved into Dao Yan's boudoir.

Only, his sleeping arrangements had been relegated from the proper bed to a pallet on the floor.

Lying speechlessly on his floor pallet, Zhao Xuan glanced up at Dao Yan, who was still busy applying cucumber slices to her face for a beauty treatment, wondering to himself whether the death of a colleague had truly failed to make even the slightest ripple in her heart.

However, judging from the inner thoughts he had intercepted from Dao Yan, Zhao Xuan knew full well that her emotional state was far from as calm and undisturbed as her outward appearance suggested.

Dao Yan was acting this way purely to throw him off guard and confuse him.

What she was really plotting in her mind was how to eliminate him; his mere performance and existence already posed a severe and mounting threat to her, hehe...

With a mental scoff, Zhao Xuan withdrew his gaze, closed his eyes, and began reviewing and analyzing every single event of the day.

First, Watanabe Akiko's vetting process regarding his loyalty had temporarily drawn to a close. Whether there would be any follow-up checks, Zhao Xuan could not yet be certain.

However, judging from Aunt Liu's (Watanabe Akiko's) attitude toward him tonight, there shouldn't be a second round of vetting in the near future.

Second, Su Bai was undoubtedly a mole planted by Chongqing within No. 76, and his primary objective had been to cover for Dao Yan.

Coupled with the earlier sighting of Su Bai making contact with Liu Qinghuan, and the fact that Liu Qinghuan had worn a dianthus flower, Su Bai's true mission was likely far more complex than it appeared on the surface.