Chapter 1398 - The Inspection Team
Among those who died outside the manor, only three corpses carried any significance. Two were monks—one local, one from elsewhere—both invited by Zhang Guangtian. Both had been claimed by local monasteries after the proper formalities; no suspicious points emerged.
The remaining corpse was that of a xiucai named Cao Guangjiu. According to the county yamen runners, this man had been a "broken-boot party" member who made his living monopolizing lawsuits, lending money at usurious interest, and meddling in all manner of shady affairs—a notorious bachelor of the suburban areas.
Cross-referencing with the kill records from the night of the Zhongyuan Festival, it could be determined that this Cao Guangjiu was one of the ringleaders shot by the snipers that evening.
Using its connections within the yamen, the Office of Sticky Poles had conducted a thorough examination of Cao Guangjiu's corpse ahead of time and confiscated all personal effects that interested them. These effects were not many. Apart from silver, there was only a scent pouch commonly used in summer, a folding fan, and a personal leisure seal—all ordinary items that scholars of this era carried with them.
"...The most important item is that fan. The inscription on it reads 'Nongshi Sou...'"
Zhao Yingong's eyelid twitched. "Are you saying this fan was a gift from 'Stone Elder'?"
"Very likely."
Zhao Yingong pondered. The successful killings on the night of the Zhongyuan Festival had, in a sense, silenced a key witness for the enemy. However, with this fan and the knowledge of Cao Guangjiu's identity, they had taken another step closer to identifying the mastermind behind the scenes.
"Then there are the three people who died in Hao Yuan's base," Zhao Tong said.
Although these three had been stripped of all possessions when found, the former escort agency members in the Office of Sticky Poles could still determine from the calluses on their hands and feet, the scars on their bodies, and other telltale signs that all three were martial artists—and very likely employees of an escort agency.
"The cause of death in all cases was poisoning..."
"Poisoning?" Zhao Yingong was startled.
"Yes, it appears they were silenced." Zhao Tong said. "They probably weren't in league with Hao Yuan—they were likely men sent by that Stone Elder..."
Recalling how the Office of Sticky Poles had several times tried to tail Hao Yuan without success, always being intercepted by escort agency personnel, these three were very likely the very escorts who had originally intercepted the Office and secretly protected Hao Yuan's movements.
A ruthless hand indeed, Zhao Yingong thought to himself. With this move, Hao Yuan had severed all connections with "Stone Elder." Even if they could identify Stone Elder, they would be unable to obtain any information about Hao Yuan's whereabouts.
Since all three were "unclaimed," the Office of Sticky Poles used the Cihui Hall's pretext of "burying the unidentified dead" to acquire these three corpses and conduct a detailed examination.
A major clue was discovered from their clothing: the boots worn by all three had been made by a famous shoe shop in the capital.
"How did you identify them?"
"This type of boot is only made in that one shoe shop in the capital. It enjoys a great reputation among martial artists. Escorts from Beijing especially favor wearing them."
"So they were from a Beijing escort agency."
"Yes. We have already photographed all three. The Intelligence Bureau has approved our request to have the Beijing Station help us investigate the specific identities and social connections of these three individuals."
"Very good." Zhao Yingong nodded approvingly. "Put all your strength into flushing out Hao Yuan for me. And press harder on the fan lead as well."
Zhao Manxiong carefully, slowly pushed the dossier of documents away from before his eyes and rose from his desk, pacing about the office. He stood at the window, watching the sparrows in the courtyard. Although Lingao's ecological environment was being destroyed at an ever-accelerating pace, the natural environment was still far better than in the 21st century. Birds were plentiful.
These sparrows were unafraid of humans; they came every day to forage in the streets and courtyards of Bairren City. After three years of arduous struggle, the Elders' standard of living had improved dramatically—they no longer viewed every living thing that walked or flew as mobile meat. The sparrows' survival prospects had naturally improved enormously.
Watching them foraging at their leisure easily induced a feeling of empty weariness. He silently drew on his cigar, then turned, glanced at Wu Mu, and returned to his desk. He nodded toward the dossier and asked, "What do you make of this matter?"
"This matter is out of the ordinary. Therefore, I had to verify its reliability through multiple channels."
"Through whom did you verify this information? Is it reliable?"
"Completely reliable. I verified it through members of the Group of Ten stationed at the Hangzhou Station. Additionally, before this matter was formally raised, the Hangzhou Station's Security Department and members of the Group of Ten had also submitted related reports, though they were rather fragmented."
"Thank you very much."
He pulled the report in front of him—it bore the label "TOP SECRET, SINGLE COPY, ELDER-EYES ONLY"—and browsed through it once more. The report had been written by Zhao Yingong. It was rambling and disorganized, but the general meaning was clear enough: the Hangzhou Station had discovered a suspected transmigrator whose behavior and statements all seemed to indicate that he came from the same space-time as the Elders. Zhao Yingong requested that the Council of Elders conduct a special investigation and take decisive action to forestall future trouble.
This report had been delivered by special courier, opened by the General Affairs Office, and circulated among the Executive Committee before being sent directly to the Political Security Bureau.
Obviously, this report had not yet been brought before the Council of Elders' Standing Committee, but it would not be long. Once the report reached the Standing Committee, the entire affair would inevitably cause an uproar in the Council.
Naturally, Zhao Yingong's scheme was simply to use this to cover up the mess at the Hangzhou Station—muddy the waters and everything would be easier to handle.
However, in terms of seriousness, this matter truly qualified as the number-one national security incident at present.
Zhao Manxiong paced the office in silence for a long time, then stood before Wu Mu and asked, "In your view," he nodded toward the desk, "is this matter connected to 'Case A'?"
"It's hard to say, hard to say, Comrade Zhao Manxiong."
"Why?"
"We have now completely investigated the American shipwreck at Dongsha Island. However, according to the information provided by Lando, none of the people from that ship match Hao Yuan's description."
Of those on the ship, the German was dead and his body had been found. Lando was now an Elder. The only ones whose whereabouts remained unknown were Hale and two Southeast Asian sailors. For Hale and his companions, they had a composite sketch provided by Lando: a middle-aged, burly man—not a young man like Hao Yuan—and moreover, Hao Yuan did not have a Southeast Asian appearance.
This indicated that Hao Yuan was not from the American shipwreck—unless Lando was concealing the presence of other people on the ship.
"Do you think Lando might be deceiving us?"
"No, I don't think that's possible." Wu Mu shook his head. "Besides, I feel it would be inappropriate for us to suspect a fellow Elder..."
"Whether it is appropriate or not is better left for the House Party to debate. So you believe Lando was honest the entire time, from when he arrived in Lingao until he left for Manila. Is that correct, Comrade Wu Mu?" Zhao Manxiong shifted his burly frame and leaned against the desk, scrutinizing Wu Mu's face as though his eyes meant to embrace him.
"Yes, I believe so." Wu Mu shifted uncomfortably; his leather utility belt creaked.
"Very well. We believe all Elders are reliable. Then where did this Hao Yuan come from?"
"Perhaps there are other transmigrators in this world similar to us..."
"What you say is very interesting—that is indeed one reasonable explanation." Zhao Manxiong stroked his chin.
"We now have one person who has had contact with him. The Xihua mentioned in the report is already on her way to Lingao. I think we can confirm whether or not Hao Yuan is a transmigrator through interrogating her. Once she arrives, all will be revealed."
"No, I don't think it's that simple. Unless we can capture Hao Yuan himself, a person who only had limited contact with him will not be able to provide us with truly critical testimony. Don't forget—apart from being a transmigrator himself, Hao Yuan may also be someone connected to a transmigrator."
Indeed, this would allow them to connect Hao Yuan with Hale. But Wu Mu felt it was somewhat of a stretch. Why couldn't Hao Yuan simply be an independent transmigrator?
"Why couldn't he be an independent transmigrator?"
"Intuition," Zhao Manxiong said with a smile.
What kind of reason is that! Playing the mysterious sage. Wu Mu cursed inwardly. He knew his expression would betray him, so he didn't try to hide it: "Isn't that a bit far-fetched..."
"No, not at all. Because it is currently the most plausible explanation," Zhao Manxiong said. "Although we don't have first-hand information about Hao Yuan, from the intelligence we have gathered so far, his methods, his style of doing things, and so on all indicate that he is a man of ambition and ability. He hasn't been in Hangzhou very long, yet he has already established a considerable operation. This shows that he commands substantial resources."
"You are right, Comrade Zhao Manxiong."
"Very well, let us return to your hypothesis: a solo transmigrator." Zhao Manxiong stubbed out his cigar, which had burned nearly to his fingers, in the ashtray. "We already know that a solo transmigrator, as long as he has real skills and enough luck, can survive in this space-time—even thrive. Mr. Lando is a case in point. But to build up an operation from nothing, bare-handed—that is extremely, extremely difficult. Since Zhao Yingong has stated that Hao Yuan runs no businesses in Hangzhou and lives an almost ascetic life himself, yet has access to a great deal of resources, this indicates that considerable forces are supporting him from behind."
"Are you saying that Hao Yuan may be connected to Hale in Manila—that Hao Yuan is a pawn sent by Hale?"
Zhao Manxiong nodded. "Comrade Wu Mu, we must get into the habit of linking the various black threads that emerge and examining them together. Only then can we quickly unravel the enemy's schemes. If you just recall the cases we have handled recently, you will see that Hale's reach has already extended to China. You can think of it this way: Hao Yuan is another Zheng Zhilong."
"Using him to tie us down?"
"Precisely. Only if we are bogged down along the Chinese coast will we not disturb his business in the Philippines—assuming he is indeed there."
"Then it depends on what intelligence Mr. Lando can gather in Manila."
"Mr. Lando is under the purview of the Foreign Intelligence Bureau. His affairs are none of our concern for the moment," Zhao Manxiong said unhurriedly. "We will first focus our breakthrough on the Hangzhou Station."
He straightened up and resumed his slow pacing. "Do you know? The Executive Committee held a secret expanded meeting yesterday. I won't list the attendees for you one by one. However, I can tell you about one resolution reached at the meeting." He turned and fixed his gaze on Wu Mu, a faint smile appearing on his face:
"No, no, you needn't feel uneasy. What I'm telling you is something entirely within your purview—something you should know."
"Yes, Comrade Regional Deputy Commander."
"I'll keep it brief. At this meeting, the Executive Committee decided to dispatch inspection teams to all overseas stations and bases. I won't enumerate the long list of place names." He looked at his own toes. "Of course, the inspection team is not targeting any specific location or individual."
Wu Mu understood: "I understand, Comrade Zhao Manxiong."
"Yes, it's good that you understand. I think many of our comrades will understand." Zhao Manxiong said. "The Executive Committee's view is that this inspection will be primarily staffed by Cheka personnel, with a focus on auditing project expenditures—especially issues of budget overruns in infrastructure construction and project investments at the various stations. Of course, other departments will also send personnel to participate."
"Do you want me to join the inspection team?"
"No, you should not go this time. Your identity is too important; your presence would cause anxiety among the comrades. Arrange for another Elder comrade to go—someone not widely known. Preferably someone that few people know. Of course... you know how to make the selection."
"Yes, Comrade Regional Deputy Commander."
"Very good. Get to work then. Tonight, bring me this comrade's file." Zhao Manxiong pulled out a handkerchief from his trouser pocket and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "This damned weather!"
Zhao Manxiong personally opened the office door and saw Wu Mu out. Although he had not attended, he knew that at yesterday's secret expanded meeting of the Executive Committee, the debate had at times been quite fierce. On the question of the positioning of overseas stations and the scope of Elder authority, all sides had their own positions.
Whether it was Jeju Island or Hangzhou, each had its advocates within the Council of Elders. Issues involving these overseas postings and the Elders always provoked great controversy.
The consensus that all parties had finally, reluctantly reached was that the "runaway horse" tendency of the various overseas stations needed some degree of restraint. The purpose of dispatching inspection teams was simply to "give warning by beating the mountain to startle the tiger"—and also to get a factual look at the actual situation at the overseas stations. Merely reading reports for discussion was clearly insufficient.
Zhao Manxiong had no interest in this talk of overseas Elders "going rogue." In his view, it was not important. Under the current system, no Elder could truly "go rogue." This was nothing more than the struggle for limited resources among factions within the Council manifesting itself on the political level.
On this matter, more than one Elder had attempted to court him, hoping to obtain from him some "bombshell" damaging to the overseas Elders. He had rejected all such attempts. He did not intend to embroil himself or the Political Security General Administration in such affairs.