Chapter 545
is hard to see through.
Soon, only Wang Dahu and three unfamiliar faces remained in the huge funeral home. Of course, everyone else from Jiang Nian's group was still there, except for Wang Yanbing.
"Comrade Jiang Nian, I'm so sorry, I didn't expect this kind of accident to happen. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to make this extra trip."
Wang Dahu walked up to Jiang Nian and the others, his face full of apology, and explained in a hoarse voice.
Upon closer inspection, Jiang Nian noticed that Wang Dahu's eyes were red and swollen, clearly indicating that he had been crying for a long time. Even now, his voice still carried a hint of a sob, as if he were about to burst into tears again at any moment.
The man did not cry easily because he did not reach the sad spot.
Wang Dahu's strong reaction to Wu Ming's death suggests he might actually be the one who betrayed Wu Ming.
A huge question arose in Jiang Nian's mind.
At this moment, does Wang Dahu realize that he has become a suspect in the eyes of his superiors?
Or perhaps his disguise was too deep, making it difficult for people to see through him?
"It's alright. It's also a regret of our operation that we couldn't save Comrade Wu Ming."
Jiang Nian spoke calmly, yet his words were righteous and stern.
"Your mission was a success." Wang Dahu said solemnly, pointing to the three people beside him and introducing them to Jiang Nian: "This is Chen Hao, the captain of the anti-drug squad, Wei Zixuan, the deputy captain, and Zhou Jie, a team member. Captain Chen Hao will hand over the follow-up matters to you. Our criminal investigation squad's mission is now complete."
Jiang Nian had previously wondered why, instead of the narcotics squad handling the case of drug lord Wang Ba, it was the criminal investigation team who ultimately met with them. Now, seeing the narcotics squad members, he nodded to himself: the narcotics squad likely possessed the most complete information about drug lord Wang Ba.
Chen Hao's expression was very serious. Even when facing Jiang Nian and the others, he remained expressionless, giving them only a slight nod before making no further comment.
"Your Red Cell team brought Wu Ming back from Wang Ba's lair, so where is the information he obtained?"
Captain Chen Hao didn't speak, but Vice Captain Wei Zixuan asked the question directly.
The tone was as if he were interrogating a criminal.
Upon hearing his tone, He Chenguang and the others' expressions immediately turned ugly.
However, they all knew that this was not a suitable occasion to argue with Wei Zixuan, so they all turned their heads away or looked up at the sky, refusing to look at him or answer his questions.
“Deputy Captain Wei, when we rescued Wu Ming, the situation was urgent, and we didn’t have time to talk to him. We sent him directly to the hospital afterward. In the operating room, Comrade Wu Ming was on his deathbed and did not have time to explain where the documents were. I cannot answer your question.”
Finally, Jiang Nian reluctantly spoke up.
He also disapproved of Wei Zixuan's attitude, but Wu Ming's body was still there, and he didn't want to disturb the peace of the deceased.
"How could you not know? You brought him back, and only you know what happened in the forest back then. Now that Wu Ming is dead, you are the only ones who know the whereabouts of the documents!"
Wei Zixuan stepped forward, staring intently at Jiang Nian, his tone extremely harsh.
"Oh, so according to you, Captain Wang was the one who met us back then, and he was the one who went into the operating room first. Shouldn't he also know where the data is?"
Jiang Nian sneered.
He thought Wei Zixuan was completely brainless and wondered how he became the deputy captain of the anti-drug squad.
"Comrade Jiang Nian, I'm so sorry, Zixuan was just too anxious. Now that Comrade Wu Ming has sacrificed his life, if we can't get the information he painstakingly brought back, we can't issue an arrest warrant for Wang Ba, nor can we get orders to encircle and annihilate that forest..."
Seeing that the atmosphere among the group had become extremely tense, and the tension was so high that a fight was about to break out at any moment, Chen Hao spoke up. His words were well-chosen, explaining Wei Zixuan's extremely poor attitude with a simple "anxiety."
He Chenguang and the others responded with cold smiles.
They completely ignored Chen Hao's explanation.
Finally, with Wang Dahu's mediation, the group left with their respective people.
However, when Wang Dahu left, he slipped something into Jiang Nian's hand.
After getting on the bus, Jiang Nian opened his hand, revealing a tiny piece of paper in his palm.
"Wu Ming has documents hidden in his stomach."
The note contained only a few words, just this brief sentence.
“At the funeral home, we quietly spread the news. But since we were all there when Comrade Wu Ming sacrificed his life, no one suspected anything. Now that Comrade Wu Ming’s body is there, we respect the dead, and even though the news has spread, no one has come forward to request an autopsy.”
Sitting next to Jiang Nian, Li Erniu naturally saw the contents of the note and quickly offered an explanation.
Jiang Nian nodded, indicating that he understood. He didn't speak, recalling Wang Dahu's reaction after the person from the crematorium spoke to him earlier.
He was anxious, sad, angry, and finally made the helpless decision to temporarily store Wu Ming's body in the funeral home.
It was as if he knew someone was going to harm Wu Ming's body.
But how could Wang Dahu know?
Even though everyone wants to get their hands on this information, respect for the dead is paramount. Without conclusive evidence that the information was hidden in Wu Ming's abdomen, no one will actually do anything to the body.
"Brother Jiang, do you think Wang Dahu sent this message to us so we could cut open Wu Ming's stomach to get the information, or does he have some other purpose? Besides, he said the case has been fully transferred to the anti-drug squad. The anti-drug squad members were here just now, why didn't he just tell them the message directly?"
Gong Jian spoke up; he had considered things carefully, and his question hit the nail on the head.
Did Wang Dahu want them to take action against Wu Ming's body, or did he not want them to?
However, this also shows one thing: none of them knew that Jiang Nian had already obtained the information.
Instead of engaging the enemy in direct combat with real guns and ammunition, Li Erniu felt his brain was overwhelmed by all the complicated schemes and intricacies.
“Wang Yanbing has already gone to investigate, and we should have results soon. Wang Dahu passed the message to us but didn’t tell Chen Hao and the others, and we don’t know why. When we get to the anti-drug squad, we’ll pretend we don’t know anything and just ask them what they need us to do. If there really is an undercover agent, then we need to keep a close eye on the funeral home as well; someone will definitely try to harm Wu Ming’s body.”
The unexpected incident at the crematorium was not a coincidence to Jiang Nian. Going through such a long and complicated process meant someone was trying to quietly obtain Wu Ming's information.
Whether they are human or ghost, they will eventually show themselves; they can't hide for long.
Soon, Jiang Nian and his group arrived at the anti-drug squad.
Wei Zixuan's face was still unpleasant. When he saw Jiang Nian and the others, he snorted coldly and turned to leave.
This attitude made Jiang Nian frown.
After giving Gong Jian a wink, Jiang Nian and He Chenguang entered the anti-drug squad's office.
Li Erniu got off the bus halfway there. He had to stay at the funeral home and make sure nothing went wrong.
"Comrade Jiang Nian, where are the rest of your team?"
Seeing that Jiang Nian and the other person were now only two, Chen Hao looked puzzled and asked directly.
"They went back to their dorm to rest first. Is there anything Captain Chen can help us with?" Jiang Nian replied with a smile, his words so subtle that Chen Hao couldn't find any flaws.
After all, Jiang Nian and his team are military personnel, and their mission was solely to rescue people. They haven't left yet because of follow-up matters. Investigating and solving cases isn't their primary responsibility.
Chen Hao also had no right to order Jiang Nian and the others to do anything else.
"Here's the thing, we received information that the information Comrade Wu Ming obtained is very important to Wang Ba's drug lord organization, and it seems to be related to a transaction. Now that we can't find the information, we can't grasp the specific details of the other party's transaction."
Chen Hao frowned, looking troubled, as if he was really having a headache over this matter.
"Captain Chen, haven't you received any other information? We really can't be of much help with the data. But when the time comes to take action, we'll be there without hesitation!"
Jiang Nian looked serious, but never revealed a single piece of information.
Neither the Criminal Investigation Division nor the Narcotics Enforcement Division were familiar to Jiang Nian and his team. Jiang Nian didn't know who the undercover agent was, so the only thing he could do was treat them all equally and not reveal any information.
Hearing Jiang Nian say that, Chen Hao could not hide his disappointment.
"We have no further news. We were counting on the information that Comrade Wu Ming had. It was precisely because we knew that rescuing Comrade Wu Ming would be too difficult that we asked the military to send you on this mission, in order to obtain the information safely. Who would have thought that such an accident would happen?"
Chen Hao shook his head, shifting the blame for the mission's failure onto Jiang Nian and his team.
Jiang Nian did not explain anything.
They completed their mission and obtained the information. However, because there was a mole within Chen Hao's own team, the information couldn't be handed over yet.
However, judging from Chen Hao's expression, he didn't seem to know that the information was hidden in Wu Ming's stomach.
Jiang Nian and He Chenguang did not stay long at the anti-drug squad and left first.
On the surface, it appeared that two people left, but in reality, only Jiang Nian left. He Chenguang found a suitable place to hide and monitor the situation inside the anti-drug squad.
Jiang Nian went to Wang Dahu's house and knocked on the door.
Soon, the door opened from the inside, and there stood Wang Dahu.
After looking around, Wang Dahu invited Jiang Nian into his home.
He lived alone, and his one-bedroom apartment looked particularly messy. When Jiang Nian arrived, he was eating instant noodles, and now he seemed a little embarrassed to invite Jiang Nian in.
After tidying up the sofa and throwing the messy clothes into the room, Wang Dahu invited Jiang Nian to sit down.
"Comrade Jiang Nian, have some water, have some water!"
He handed over an unopened bottle of mineral water and spoke somewhat awkwardly.
"Captain Wang, I didn't come to see you just for a drink of water, so let's not beat around the bush. What was the meaning behind that note you handed me earlier?"
Jiang Nian spread his hands, placed the note Wang Dahu had given him on the coffee table, and asked with a serious expression.
"This, this—" Faced with Jiang Nian's questioning, Wang Dahu's expression became dazed, and he appeared unusually anxious.
He stammered and hesitated, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.
Finally, Wang Dahu stood up and paced anxiously back and forth in the room.
Jiang Nian didn't rush to urge him; he could tell that Wang Dahu was in a state of anxiety and worry.
I have no idea what he's worried about.
After a while, seemingly having finally composed himself, Wang Dahu sat down opposite Jiang Nian.
"I suspect there's an undercover agent in the anti-drug squad!"
His very first words were filled with such a bombshell announcement.
Wang Dahu scratched his hair, looking even more uneasy.
“Comrade Jiang Nian, you're with the military, I trust you. I dare not tell anyone about this. It's all my fault that Wu Ming's undercover identity was exposed this time. During the firefight that day, if it weren't for protecting me, Wu Ming would never have been exposed. But when I went there that day, I had no idea that Wu Ming and his group were there. By the time I realized something was wrong, Wu Ming's identity had already been exposed…”
Wang Dahu's voice was full of regret.
“Wu Ming is only sixteen years old. I insisted that we must rescue him no matter what. But at that moment, I discovered that the anti-drug squad was unusually uncooperative with my operation. Even when we went to the edge of the forest to meet you, I went alone. This is not just an order from above, but also because the anti-drug squad is unwilling to expend manpower and resources to rescue him!”
At this point, Wang Dahu's tone even carried a hint of gritted teeth and anger.
From the time Wu Ming was received until his death, the time was not long, but no one from the anti-drug squad showed up.
After the news of Wu Ming's death was confirmed, the anti-drug squad sent people over, only concerned with where the information Wu Ming had obtained was.
Wang Dahu originally didn't know where the information was, but he accidentally learned at the funeral home that the information was inside Wu Ming's stomach.
He couldn't bear to see Wu Ming die without peace, but this document was brought back by Wu Ming at the cost of his life, and he couldn't let it remain hidden from the world.
Wang Dahu didn't trust the anti-drug squad, which is why he passed the message on to Jiang Nian and the others.
What convinced Wang Dahu even more of this was the accident at the crematorium.
It's impossible for something to happen so coincidentally; this must be a man-made event.
"I trust your military's capabilities. As long as we confirm that the information is in Wu Ming's stomach, we will definitely be able to get it as soon as possible."
Jiang Nian didn't speak. He just fiddled with the note, seemingly deep in thought.
"You said there's an undercover agent in the anti-drug squad. Who do you think it is?"
Finally, Jiang Nian spoke up and asked the crucial question directly.
"I don't know who it is, but there's definitely an undercover agent. There should be quite a few people at the funeral home who have received this information. Comrade Jiang Nian, you've been to the anti-drug squad, haven't you? Did anyone there tell you this?"
Wang Dahu shook his head. He didn't know who the undercover agent was, so he dared not trust anyone.
Many people knew the news, but it didn't spread far; at least Jiang Nian and his team didn't get any word of it from the anti-drug squad.
"I understand. We'll send people to keep an eye on the funeral home. If they're determined, someone will eventually slip up."
Standing up, Jiang Nian decided not to stay at Wang Dahu's house any longer, and left after saying this. (End of Chapter)