Chapter 1163 - The Informant

After Li Mo returned, she signed out as required by regulations. Then the female escort wrote a companion report according to standard procedure and submitted it to the Guangzhou Station Security Department—a unit specializing in security and counter-infiltration work, under the dual leadership of the Intelligence Bureau and the Political Security Bureau.

Serial Number: 163207012438
Type: Routine Report
Security Classification: Confidential

I accompanied the surveillance target departing Purple Sincerity Hall at 0903... [content abbreviated]... At 1210 the surveillance target expressed a wish to visit Purple Bright Tower and take a bath. I accompanied the surveillance target entering Purple Bright Tower at 1306, where she proceeded directly to the counter to request a third-floor deluxe bathing suite.

Subsequently, a Purple Bright Tower attendant (badge number 013) processed the room arrangement, with the suite named "Flowing Fragrance."

After the room was arranged, I accompanied the surveillance target to enter the "Flowing Fragrance" suite at Purple Bright Tower. Because there were very few guests on the third floor during daytime, only one attendant (badge number 051) was on duty on the third floor. I then left the third floor and returned to the first-floor waiting room.

I remained there until 1600, when the surveillance target requested settlement and paid the bill using Trading Vouchers. We then left Purple Bright Tower at 1614 and returned to Purple Sincerity Hall at 1640. There were no abnormalities en route.

The naturalized staff at the Guangzhou Station Security Department filed this report in the daily-indexed surveillance records.

The touring group departed for Lingao aboard the Octopus the next day as planned.

Shortly after their return to Lingao, an informant report appeared on the desk of Zhou Botao, Director of the Investigation Division at Political Security Headquarters.

Such informant reports arrived daily by the dozens, all written by informants operating under the various surveillance networks controlled by Political Security Headquarters. They were divided into routine reports and special reports. Routine reports were written weekly, summarizing social opinions and conditions in the surrounding area, like correspondence; special reports concerned specific individuals or events.

Regardless of category, reports were first sent to the Analysis Division, where naturalized staff would read and analyze them, then decide their disposition based on content. Ninety-nine percent of informant materials were simply catalogued and archived; only a minority deemed "valuable" were forwarded to the Investigation Division.

Zhou Botao opened the report and read carefully.

The report was written by an informant from the Health Department serving on the touring group. Its content concerned Li Mo's abnormal behavior during their time in Guangzhou, including her expressions and actions. At the end of the report, the informant particularly emphasized that on the night before leaving Guangzhou, Li Mo had secretly cried in her bedding.

Zhou Botao thought: What kind of "situation" is this? Can't people have some private emotions? Wasn't this informant's vigilance a bit too high? What was the Analysis Division thinking, sending over such unfounded garbage? He was about to toss the document aside when something occurred to him—no wonder this report had landed on his desk! He recalled that this Li Mo was supposedly the mother in the legendary "Wailing of South Sea Farm," wasn't she? Setting aside whether that matter was true or false, one thing Zhou Botao was certain of: Li Mo's relationship with Wu Nanhai was unusual. Even though she didn't work at the Agricultural Department, she had bought her apartment in the Agricultural Department's employee residential district and was close friends with Wu Nanhai's wife Wu Chuqing, frequently visiting the Wu household.

Since this involved an Elder and family members, the naturalized staff naturally didn't dare make their own decision—it was most appropriate to kick the ball upstairs for guidance.

Zhou Botao considered whether to initiate investigation procedures. He felt that since this person was connected to Wu Nanhai, not investigating might be more appropriate, to avoid getting entangled in an Elder's personal privacy. Zhao Manxiong had repeatedly reminded everyone at Political Security Bureau meetings: political security work must not target Elder comrades.

He picked up his steel pen, about to write "no investigation" in the handling opinion column, when he hesitated again.

But what if there really was something hidden? Zhou Botao wavered. Li Mo was secretary of the Medical Affairs Section at Bairen General Hospital—equivalent to the chief of naturalized cadres for that section—and Bairen General Hospital was the designated hospital serving Elders.

With Li Mo, either nothing would happen, or something big would happen.

Thinking this, Zhou Botao abandoned the idea of "no investigation." He called in his secretary and instructed: "Please compile all file materials on Li Mo, Medical Affairs Section Secretary at Bairen General Hospital, Health Department, from the past year or two and bring them to me."

(End of Chapter)