Chapter 56: The Congratulatory Gift [Bonus Chapter for 1,000 Followers!]

To protect the Epiphyllum, he had to make Ding Moqun believe—just as Li Mingzhu had once made him believe about herself—that the Epiphyllum was either dead or had already been evacuated.

And to achieve this, what kind of action would Su Bai take?

There was no need to rush into this. Tomorrow, upon arriving at No. 76, he would officially be the deputy chief of the Intelligence Section. Opportunities to interact with Su Bai would be plentiful, and it was entirely possible to find things out.

That left only one final matter: the intelligence delivered by Su Jian to Li Mingzhu’s safehouse last night had been acquired by Dao Yan.

And yet, that very same intelligence had ended up in Su Jian’s hands.

Connecting this to the task Master Niu had previously communicated to him, it must have been that Chongqing had run out of time waiting for him to transmit the intelligence himself and had directly utilized the version Dao Yan managed to send out.

Their purpose in doing so was to make everyone believe that this piece of intelligence had actually been stolen by the Young Tiger, which was how it had circuitously ended up in Su Jian’s possession.

Judging from the spot where Su Jian met his end last night, it was quite possible that Su Jian himself had no idea what intelligence he was actually carrying. As for his death, it was most likely orchestrated single-handedly by Li Mingzhu.

Perhaps until the very moment of his death, Su Jian never realized that he had been transformed from a Groundhog into a Young Tiger.

That foolish girl, Li Mingzhu, had actually turned against her own comrade for the sake of Zhao Xuan.

Otherwise, given how long Su Jian had been inside the house, he could not possibly have died out in the courtyard. Like Li Mingzhu, when they burst in, Su Jian should have been inside the main room as well.

After all, two people facing the siege of No. 76 together would always have a better chance of survival than one.

Therefore, Li Mingzhu had known all of this from the very beginning. She preferred to die herself so that Zhao Xuan could continue his undercover mission seamlessly.

Having figured all of this out, lying on his makeshift pallet, Zhao Xuan turned onto his side with his back facing Dao Yan, as a silent line of tears slipped down his cheek.

The game played by Chongqing could truly be described as a dead-agent plan.

……

In the Japanese Concession, the Yamaguni Dojo.

Watanabe Akiko had shed her maid's attire and was now clad in a kimono, kneeling gracefully in the brightly lit martial arts hall.

Yamano Kazuo knelt respectfully opposite her, keeping his head bowed as he said in a deep voice:

"President, should the next round of screening still proceed?"

Watanabe Akiko kept her eyes closed, the corners of her lips curving upward in an exquisite arc as she spoke in a chillingly calm tone:

"The better Xiao Xuan performs, the more crucial he becomes to us. And the more crucial he is, the less we can afford even the slightest margin of error."

"The Military Statistics Bureau tested him and found no issues, but that does not mean the Red Party is completely clean as well."

"Since Xiao Xuan is being promoted to deputy chief of the Intelligence Section tomorrow, as his elder, how could I not prepare a congratulatory gift for him?"

Yamano Kazuo took a deep breath and nodded hurriedly.

"Hai! President, this subordinate will undoubtedly secure a monumental achievement for Zhao-san tomorrow."

Watanabe Akiko said nothing more. She quietly stood up and walked toward the changing room.

The next day, inside the apartment at 27 Cécile Street, Dao Ya was yawning as she entered the living room, only to freeze with her eyes wide open in sheer disbelief as she watched Dao Yan and Zhao Xuan step out of the same bedroom together.

"Elder sister, brother-in-law, did you two sleep together?"

Dao Yan wanted to avoid unnecessary complications, so she offered a strained smile and nodded at Dao Ya.

Zhao Xuan also managed a rare smile, stepping forward to look at the breakfast Mother Li had already prepared as he said:

"Ya, come and have breakfast quickly. Once you're done, I'll take you to school."

Dao Ya giggled, ran over to sit at the dining table, and looked at Zhao Xuan with her eyes curved into crescent moons:

"Brother-in-law, you don't need to take me. Just have the driver take me. I like my sister's car—you should drive to work with my sister instead."

Zhao Xuan nodded without saying anything further, pulling out the chair next to Dao Ya and sitting down to eat his breakfast.

Aunt Liu also emerged from the kitchen at that moment:

"Young Master, don't you worry, I'll arrange for the driver to take the young lady to school."

"This is breakfast prepared for the master. Remember to bring it along when you two leave for work."

*(Young Master, I have prepared a congratulatory gift for you. I hope you will be satisfied.)*

A congratulatory gift?

A jolt of alarm went through Zhao Xuan. Could it be yet another round of screening?

Having gone through yesterday's ordeal, Zhao Xuan harbored a lingering dread of Watanabe Akiko's methods.

Because Watanabe Akiko had subjected him to a screening, Zhao Xuan hadn't dared to show even the slightest hint of anomalous behavior.

Given the situation last night, all he could do was watch helplessly.

The newly established Shanghai Station had been destroyed once again. Although Section Chief Chen had managed to escape, the Military Statistics Bureau would certainly be unable to rebuild its intelligence network in Shanghai anytime soon.

What Zhao Xuan found hardest to accept, however, was the death of Li Mingzhu.

Even now, Zhao Xuan didn't dare to find out where Li Mingzhu's remains had been sent—whether they had simply been tossed out into the wilderness or laid to rest in a proper grave.

Therefore, anticipating another potential screening by Watanabe Akiko, a surging wave of hatred boiled up within Zhao Xuan's heart, driving him to muster every ounce of his concentration.

This time, the exact same tragedy must not be allowed to happen again!

……

The Intelligence Section office area at No. 76.

Ding Moqun arrived in person, accompanied by all the key figures of No. 76, including Dao Yan and Ma Shangcheng.

"Fellow colleagues, I have said it before: whoever can unmask the Young Tiger or the Epiphyllum shall be the new chief of the Intelligence Section."

"I am a man of my word. Yesterday, the Young Tiger was successfully captured, and Mr. Su Bai, who provided the intelligence, is the greatest contributor to this operation."

"Meanwhile, Intelligence Section operative Zhao Xuan performed with exceptional distinction during yesterday's raid, personally leading the team that eliminated the Young Tiger and apprehended the Young Tiger's superior, the Tigress."

"Therefore, I hereby solemnly announce that the chief of the Intelligence Section at No. 76 will be Su Bai, and the position of deputy chief shall be held by Zhao Xuan."

"Do any of you have any objections?"

Applause rang out, signifying that no one dared harbor any alternative thoughts; even if they did, what right did they have to voice them?

Su Bai was a chief designated and parachuted in directly by the Special Service Section.

They couldn't afford to offend Ding Moqun, let alone veto an arrangement made by the Special Service Section.

As for Zhao Xuan, he happened to be Ding Moqun's nephew-in-law.

Had Su Bai not arrived, many of them would have suspected that Ding Moqun might have seized this very opportunity to promote Zhao Xuan straight to section chief.

After all, in the eyes of many, Sun Ping'an's death had merely been a stepping stone paved by Ding Moqun for Zhao Xuan, except that Ding Moqun hadn't anticipated the Special Service Section dropping a chief in from above.

Every department had crucial duties to attend to, and neither Dao Yan nor Ma Shangcheng lingered. Once Ding Moqun finished announcing the appointments, they departed first.

New officials stepping into office always instituted three sweeping changes, and Su Bai's first fire burned right down upon Su Jian. Even though Su Jian was already dead, that didn't stop Su Bai from dragging him out for a symbolic flogging.

"Everyone, our Intelligence Section is the most vital department at No. 76. Any intelligence that leaves our doors is classified."

"I do not wish to see another mole or parasite like Su Jian appear within our section ever again."

"Starting today, you will all monitor one another, and reporting wrongdoing will be rewarded."

"However, let me make one thing clear: if anyone makes baseless accusations purely out of personal grudges or jealousy and fails to produce evidence, do not say I didn't warn you beforehand."

"Very well, everyone back to your posts. It is working hours now."

With that, Su Bai turned and walked toward the section chief's office.