Chapter 981
Two lines that actually intersect!
The section chief's current situation is very bad.
To put it simply, all his actions since before the Lunar New Year have been sending one signal:
I am about to officially make my voice heard, and you must all listen to it!
In other words, he was using his actions to make everyone understand his identity.
However, none of his attempts succeeded. His previous failures were not entirely unfortunate—in fact, they were not complete failures. Although he did not achieve his goal completely, he still gained the favor of a considerable number of party and state officials.
Among the officials of the Party-State, there were still some who hoped that the Party-State would get better. Because of the director's actions, they placed their hopes on the director.
Therefore, it is not a complete failure.
This time, however, he tied himself to the price limit—this was originally intended to force the chief attendant to fully support his do-or-die battle, but the chief attendant stabbed him in the back instead.
The higher you're lifted up, the harder you fall—when the price cap failed, he, who was tied to the price cap, was completely shattered.
So, does Zhang Anping not know the current situation of the section chief?
Of course I know!
But it was precisely because he knew this that he came, and he even had a perfect excuse:
We're both down on our luck right now.
The section chief's disappointment was the despair of falling from the clouds, while Zhang Anping's disappointment was the indignation of having to endure humiliation and give up his face only to be trampled on, and the anger at the fact that some people still disregard the overall situation and only care about their personal interests when the party and the country are in danger.
The section chief's despair perfectly complemented Zhang Anping's anger.
So he came to the section chief for "help"—but "unexpectedly," the section chief was disheartened at this time.
Naturally, the wine was then consumed.
Zhang Anping had previously told the section chief that when he was undercover in Shanghai, he never dared to drink too much. Every time he drank a little over half a jin (250ml), he would pretend to be drunk and lie down to avoid saying the wrong thing because the alcohol would numb his nerves.
But now, he drank "freely." He drank two cups when the section chief drank one, and three cups when the section chief drank two. After drinking three jin of strong liquor, the two who had been silently raising their glasses to toast each other started to talk more.
The section chief said, "Isn't he just a little rascal surnamed Kong?"
I know I can't kill him, but I can still deal with him—compared to the entire party and state, what is the Kong family?
Zhang Anping said, "Fight, fight, fight! Fight my ass!"
I racked my brains to make money, went to the United States and acted like a grandson to get military equipment, but in three years, not a single bullet was produced. If anyone had any regard for the Party and the country, the army in Northeast China would not have had to rely on sea and air transport for blood, nor would they have lost their composure when Jinzhou was besieged and their retreat was cut off.
The section chief said I was his own son. I've tied my political credibility to the price control policy, how could you stab me in the back at such a crucial moment? For a woman, you don't even care about your own son?
Zhang Anping said that the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics was a cesspool, and that he was out of his mind to insist on sticking to it. He said that his cousin had put his heart and soul into it, and he was reluctant to give up this or that. He was worried about this and that, and as a result, the cesspool became more and more rotten and smelly.
The two kept cursing and swearing. One talked about his cooled passion, and the other talked about the burden he carried. One said that he would learn to be more patient in the future, and the other said that he would never be afraid of this or that again. At worst, he would fill the mud pit of the Secret Service completely, and at worst, he would rebuild from the ashes!
The section chief would sometimes comment on the Bureau of Secrecy, but even though Zhang Anping's words were rambling and incoherent, he never crossed any lines.
In the end, it was unclear how much they drank or who passed out first. In any case, when the adjutant entered, he only saw the section chief lying on the sofa, mocking Zhang Anping for boasting about his drinking prowess but claiming his alcohol tolerance was so-so. Zhang Anping, meanwhile, was sprawled on the floor, muttering incessantly. The adjutant leaned closer to hear what he was saying:
"Mao Renfeng, you brain-dead idiot! You've forced me to fight you. Fine, I'll fight. At worst, I'll dismantle the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. This time, I'll make sure you're dead, I'll make sure you're dead..."
The adjutant shuddered, wondering to what extent Mao Renfeng had offended this man.
Even though he's so drunk, he's still full of resentment!
Helpless, the adjutant summoned guards and maids to clean up the mess. Zhang Anping was escorted by the guards to his waiting car, while the maids helped the director...
The adjutant personally directed the cleanup of the "battlefield," collecting the five empty Huisha Maotai liquor porcelain bottles, thinking to himself:
"Wow, you can really drink!"
……
The section chief was truly drunk, and Zhang Anping... well, he at least went home in a state of utter disarray.
Then, when his wife went to take care of him, he opened his eyes and found that he wasn't drunk at all.
Zeng Moyi wasn't surprised by this, but simply asked out of curiosity:
“Anping, how much alcohol can you drink? I heard from Deputy Commander Dang that the two of you drank at least five jin of strong liquor.”
Zhang Anping shook his head: "I don't know—"
His natural alcohol tolerance is certainly not enough to allow him to drink three catties of strong liquor without passing out, but with the help of external aids, who knows how much he can drink!
"Sister Chai must be looking for you, right? Did she leave any message?"
"She didn't specifically tell me to pass on anything, but Sister Chai asked me to ask you, are you sure you want to go to Beiping?"
"Yes, I'm definitely going. I can confirm from the roster in the Northeast that the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics and the Party's Intelligence Bureau have withdrawn more than a thousand people into Beiping. Add to that the agents from the Second Bureau and the Second Division of the North China Suppression Column, and the total number of agents in Beiping is probably close to ten thousand. Although there are probably no more than a thousand real professional agents among them, there are still too many. If I go there, I can take control of the whole situation."
Zeng Moyi was astonished. There were so many spies in Beiping now?
This density of spies is probably the highest in the world, right?
"Then be careful when you get there."
Zeng Moyi actually wanted to give Zhang Anping more advice, but given their special status, there were many things she couldn't say, so she could only gently hug him.
"Do not worry."
Zhang Anping smiled. What use are there if there are more spies in Beiping?
The tide is in my hands!
Zeng Moyi nuzzled Zhang Anping's back with her head, enjoying the rare moment, before suddenly saying:
"Anping, have you noticed that Zheng Yi has become a little strange?"
Zhang Anping was taken aback:
"Strange?"
"I can't really explain it—it's probably been a bit strange since I got to Shanghai. I used to think it was just my imagination because I was jealous, but I thought about it for a long time tonight and I'm sure it's not just my imagination."
If a normal couple were to talk like this, the husband would need to quickly prepare to prove himself and even unlock his special skills.
But this couple clearly couldn't do that. Faced with his wife's bluntness, Zhang Anping cautiously replied:
"I'll be careful—okay, let's not talk about this anymore, let me give you a hug!"
Tsk, Zhang finally unleashed his skill...
……
Zhang Anping and his wife recounted the pain of being separated for months, but at that moment, Zheng Yi was facing a very dangerous situation.
The story begins when she returned home.
She lived in apartment number nine of Fucheng New Village, a three-story brick-concrete Western-style building with four households on each floor. Zheng Yi lived in a single room on the west side of the second floor.
The moment Zheng Yi stepped into the small home he hadn't been to for months, his nerves tightened.
Although she was an office worker and Zhang Anping's secretary, before that, she was the head of the intelligence department of the Chongqing station, a proper professional agent. Although she had been working in an office job for several years, she had never forgotten the agent instincts ingrained in her bones.
The moment Zheng Yi entered the house, she could smell the familiar scent of her long-term home, even though the furnishings were exactly the same as before she left.
Someone has been living here during the months she was gone?!
After a brief moment of thought, Zheng Yi made a decision instantly. She turned on the light, changed her shoes, and while changing her clothes, she checked her pockets:
"Oh no, I left my wallet in Mr. Qin's car! What a forgetful person I am!"
She slapped her forehead, quickly changed her shoes, and pretended to be in a hurry to chase after the car. But just then, a voice rang out:
"Secretary Zheng, you don't need to act anymore."
The sound was coming from the bedroom, and it sounded strangely familiar.
Zheng Yi's gaze sharpened, then he sneered:
"Deputy Director Wang, this is... a bit too much!"
Wang Tianfeng!
It was Wang Tianfeng!
As she spoke, Wang Tianfeng slowly walked out of her boudoir—at this moment, Wang Tianfeng was still as expressionless as before, and he didn't even lock his gaze onto her firmly.
Zheng Yi's expression turned grim:
"Deputy Director Wang, this is outrageous!"
"sit!"
Wang Tianfeng sat down like the host and gestured for Zheng Yi to sit as well. Zheng Yi changed out of his shoes, stared at Wang Tianfeng with an unfriendly gaze, but did not sit down, and said:
"Is Deputy Director Wang trying to take me hostage?"
"no--"
Wang Tianfeng sighed:
"I used to think you were very likely an undercover agent. I investigated you for a long time, but then I realized something."
Zheng Yi then pulled out a stool from under the table and sat down, waiting for Wang Tianfeng to continue.
"His judgment is never wrong."
Faced with those seven somber words, Zheng Yi struggled to control her emotions. Her gaze fell upon the small steel flask on the table, and she used the act of picking it up to conceal her feelings. She unscrewed the cap and was about to drink, but after taking a whiff, her expression turned cold.
"You've drunk my wine?!"
The proactive question made the emotions that had risen in her heart disappear without a trace.
A rare moment of embarrassment flashed across Wang Tianfeng's old face. After "disappearing," he hid in Zheng Yi's small house. Facing the small wine pot on the dining table, he couldn't resist the temptation in his loneliness. He quickly refilled it with the same wine, even restoring the position and angle of the wine pot. However, he didn't expect that Zheng Yi would easily smell it!
He changed the subject: "Secretary Zheng, do you think there are any undercover agents among the high-ranking officials of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics?"
Zheng Yi sneered upon hearing this: "Deputy Director Wang probably overestimates me!"
Wang Tianfeng said to himself:
I've been thinking a lot lately—
“I am certain of one thing: there is a net in the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, a very, very big net, which covers everyone and makes it difficult for anyone to do anything.”
"Until today I heard something—"
Wang Tianfeng's eyes narrowed slightly, and he slowly said:
"Considering the overall situation, Anping chose to concede at the bureau meeting—"
"But Mao Renfeng ignored this and insisted that Anping take responsibility for Minglou's matter."
"This... is too abnormal!"
Zheng Yi laughed: "Are you trying to say that Mao Renfeng is a communist sympathizer again?"
Wang Tianfeng's most "glorious" achievement was denouncing Mao Renfeng outside the detention room for having ulterior motives and intending to collude with the Communists.
But Wang Tianfeng knew that it was a deliberate accusation. He had considered the possibility, but when he was doing things, he never thought of investigating it—because he thought it was impossible.
Skepticism is Wang Tianfeng's style, so he would consider all possibilities, but these "possibilities" seemed too absurd to him, so he thought they were impossible.
Mao Renfeng could be described as incompetent, greedy, or even a scoundrel, but previously, he felt that Mao Renfeng did not meet the criteria for colluding with the Communists.
After all, he's the director of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics!
However, looking back at Mao Renfeng's actions, during this period of calm, Wang Tianfeng's suspicions were amplified.
At the bureau meeting, he betrayed Zhang Anping; together with Minglou, he used extreme means to stage a retreat; now, with the smoke of war filling Beiping and Huaihai, this man has rejected Zhang Anping's good intentions and brazenly stirred up internal strife again!
All of the above corroborates his judgment.
If you eliminate all the impossibilities, the only impossibility that remains is the truth.
He's a communist, and everything can be explained clearly!
“Every instance of chaos within the bureau, when traced back to its source, is ultimately his!”
Wang Tianfeng said slowly:
"Given the vast network that covers the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, only someone of Mao Renfeng's caliber could have caused such a result."
"Either him, or Anping—what do you think?"
Zheng Yi felt a chill run down his spine, then a mocking expression appeared on his face:
"Wang Tianfeng—I think you've really gone mad!"
Faced with Zheng Yi's mockery, Wang Tianfeng did not refute, but instead continued to speak to himself:
"I have a clue."
"A clue that will force him to act—help me!"
"For the Party and the country, and... for Anping!"
After saying that, he stared at Zheng Yi, his eyes unwavering.
Wang Tianfeng wasn't lying. He did have power at his disposal, but this power was a double-edged sword—he controlled the other party through leverage, and could use that leverage to blackmail them for information within the Security Bureau, but he couldn't trust them.
If given the chance, the other party would absolutely not hesitate to eliminate him completely.
He needs someone he can absolutely trust to help him.
Zhang Anping is absolutely trustworthy—but he has disappointed Zhang Anping far too many times, and right now, he is too ashamed to see Zhang Anping.
He had suspected Zheng Yi before, but after his covert investigation of Zheng Yi ended, he found no clues.
During his stay at Zheng Yi's house, he confirmed one thing from all the details:
Zheng Yi truly devoted all his attention to Zhang Anping.
Today's conflict between Zhang Anping and Mao Renfeng at the bureau meeting made Wang Tianfeng certain that Zheng Yi at this moment wished he could tear Mao Renfeng to pieces!
Therefore, Zheng Yi fulfilled all his conditions!
Mao Renfeng has repeatedly caused trouble, making life difficult for Zhang Anping. Zheng Yi will definitely not let go of any opportunity to kill Mao Renfeng.
But what choice should Zheng Yi make now? (End of Chapter)