Chapter 1575 - Connection
Yang Cao set down the thin folder and lit her fortieth cigarette since starting work yesterday. Smoke curled upward. Since Zhou Shizhai had already taken a look, she didn't need to doubt the Jianghu experience of this former bodyguard. Yang Cao knew that Section 10 of the General Affairs Division of the National Police, where Zhou Shizhai worked, had collected a group of so-called "scum of the martial arts world"—mostly Jianghu travelers who couldn't get by in the Great Ming for various reasons. Lingao became their last refuge. Of course, the Senate didn't open its arms to welcome everyone. These people were secretly arrested and interrogated as soon as they arrived in Lingao because of their distinctive behavior and speech. Some were secretly executed; a very few were listed for "special use"; the rest formed the Detective Team of Section 10. They mingled in the streets and markets in plain clothes every day, and sometimes carried out special tasks.
With Zhou Shizhai's long-term experience leading the "Detective Team," he would definitely not misjudge. Last time in the Umbrella Case, it was also the Detective Team who first confirmed the infiltration of the South Wuliang Sect.
In just one or two months, two groups of martial arts figures had successively infiltrated Lingao. Yang Cao seemed to realize something. She dug out the case briefing of the Umbrella Case from the filing cabinet.
Yang Cao carefully studied the two sets of materials. Although it was impossible to judge whether there was a connection between them, it was obvious that the entry of a large number of martial arts figures into Lingao must have a "political" purpose rather than simple criminal offenses like "murder and robbery." When handling the Umbrella Case, Zhou Shizhai had remarked that organizers would lose money committing crimes on such a scale.
Since the first group was sent by the South Wuliang Sect, was this group also sent by the South Wuliang Sect? Yang Cao fell into deep thought.
From the case briefing, there was no indication that the South Wuliang Sect had made such an arrangement: all confessions indicated no plans to send subsequent personnel. On the point of whether they had confessed honestly, Yang Cao fully trusted her colleagues in the National Police Interrogation Division.
Since it had nothing to do with the South Wuliang Sect, what was the "Zhuo family's" intent in coming locally? Yang Cao vaguely sensed that there must be a major case behind this.
Simply arresting them all was obviously inconsistent with the Political Security Bureau's investigation philosophy. Director Zhao had said in the training class: The soil where sprouts of rebellion grow must already be full of traitorous roots. It is not enough to just eradicate the sprouts; the underground roots must be completely eradicated.
If relevant clues could be found this time, they could follow the vine to the melon and catch in one net all the hidden dangers they weren't yet clear about. Looking at the few thin materials in the dossier, Yang Cao decided to talk to the people from the "Detective Team" first... maybe there would be some new discoveries. So she wrote a business telephone contact form requesting a meeting with Zhou Shizhai of General Affairs Section 10 and sent it out.
The Political Security Bureau and the National Police were both partners and competitors. Although the National Police had tried several times to persuade the Senate to merge the Political Security Bureau into the National Police sequence—modeling it on the public security system of the old spacetime and making it a component of the National Police to avoid forming a clumsy spy agency too big to fail—Zhao Manxiong and Wu Mu had also successfully reminded the Senators: For a powerful agency with severely expanded functions and omnipresence, which Senator would be suitable to serve as the leader of the National Police?
So the matter was left unsettled. But as a response, the National Police, under the name of launching "counterpart cooperation" and using the designation General Affairs Section X, established their own security system. Although Section 10 was nominally established for public security purposes, in reality, Lingao's security forces could manage with or without them. Raising this group of people was more for the needs of the continental strategy in the future.
The office of General Affairs Section 10 was not in the National Police headquarters building but in a renovated courtyard of an old temple in the suburbs of East Gate Market. There were no signs or markings at the entrance. The streets here were deserted, with only sporadic houses on both sides. Not only were there large fields, but some places were also forest farms. It was a typical urban-rural fringe.
Since the Detective Team's target population was mainly indigenous people, they not only kept plain clothes but didn't even change their attire, still dressing in Great Ming style.
Zhou Shizhai was the same. It was just that his aura of capability couldn't be concealed, and he still considered himself a bodyguard. So he still wore the "characteristic" attire of a bodyguard.
For Yang Cao's visit, he had prepared the materials. After the two exchanged greetings, Zhou Shizhai took out a document from the prepared file box.
"There's more material?" Yang Cao was somewhat surprised.
"After receiving your meeting notice, I ordered my men to investigate Qiongan Inn again." Zhou Shizhai said. "We've roughly figured out their background."
"I'm all ears."
"The details are written in the document. Roughly speaking, they are indeed people from the martial arts world—not masters and mistresses from some wealthy family."
"Why do you say that?" Yang Cao asked. It wasn't that she didn't trust Zhou Shizhai, but the implications were significant. Once a judgment error was made, it meant a huge waste of allocated resources.
Whether it was the Political Security Bureau or the National Police, the manpower and material resources they controlled were limited.
"I worked as a guard bodyguard in wealthy families. My men also include many who frequently go in and out of wealthy families." Zhou Shizhai was a bit embarrassed here—implying his subordinates included quite a few thieves and pilferers. "Wealthy families have many rules and behaviors that cannot be learned in a short time..."
"I understand." Yang Cao nodded. "So what is their background?"
"In our opinion, they should be from various sects in the martial arts world. They are not ocean bandits taking a darker path, nor bandits occupying mountains as kings." Zhou Shizhai said. "For us escorts, they would all be considered prestigious, upright sects."
"Since they're prestigious and upright sects, why sneak into Lingao?"
Based on Yang Cao's knowledge from her days performing in the Jianghu, these orthodox sects were considered relatively rule-abiding powerhouses. Most of them could restrain their disciples. As long as one didn't cause trouble in their territory and observed etiquette, they were easy to get along with.
Because they had big businesses and large families, these sects were generally cautious in their conduct and didn't easily get involved in major conflicts—to avoid provoking trouble.
"That's hard to say." Zhou Shizhai said. "However, they must have been entrusted by someone to come here and plot something significant. This person has a major background."
"Are you saying they were instigated by high-ranking officials and nobles in the Great Ming court?"
"Exactly." Zhou Shizhai nodded. "These sects all have considerable face and status. Ordinary people can't order them around. It must be a big shot in the court."
"So they and the ones arrested in the Umbrella Case..."
"The South Wuliang Sect doesn't have such great face or financial resources. Besides, these folk religious sects have always been looked down upon by martial arts sects."
Yang Cao returned to the office with Zhou Shizhai's "gift." She carefully studied the material, which detailed the Detective Team's observations and speculations on every person in the "Zhuo family": roughly what sect each was from, what weapons they used, and what their combat power was.
The problem facing Yang Cao now returned to the origin. If arrests were made now, their purpose in coming to Lingao would soon become clear—they would say everything in the interrogation room. If she wanted to cast a long line to catch a big fish and dig out their "roots" locally, she had to continue monitoring silently. But if the situation wasn't controlled well and some unforeseen vicious incident occurred, she would immediately fall into eternal damnation!
Yang Cao lit her forty-fifth cigarette. Before it burned halfway, she stubbed it out. She rang the bell, and the trainee assistant pushed in through the door.
"Comrade Level I Commander!" He stood at attention seriously and nodded.
"Take this material and prepare a document—I don't need to teach you how to draft one—requesting the Surveillance Division to send a team to monitor everyone listed here. Report to me every four hours."
"Yes, Comrade Level I Commander..."
After this order went down, the surveillance systems of the Political Security Bureau and the National Police would begin establishing surveillance files for each monitored subject one by one. They would photograph every monitored subject, track their whereabouts around the clock, and if possible, wiretap all their conversations.
The Chiefs' most powerful "artifact"—wiretapping equipment—was not installed at Qiongan Inn. These devices were scarce and had lifespan issues. Unless it was decided in advance to wiretap a certain target, they wouldn't be installed everywhere.
Of course, as long as Yang Cao wrote an application, it wasn't impossible to temporarily install some in the inn rooms where the "Zhuo family" lived. But Yang Cao felt it was unnecessary.
Watching where they go will allow us to follow the vine to the melon, she thought. As long as they act, they will show their cloven hooves.
Now she only had to wait—waiting for the surveillance personnel to bring her the first batch of news. Logically, she could get off work first, take a shower in the public bathhouse, go back to the dormitory to sleep, and come back in the evening to hear the news. However, her spirit was already excited, and her stomach began to grumble. She opened the door and called out to the female orderly behind the duty desk in the corridor: "Coffee! And another turkey Roujiamo!"
While washing down the Roujiamo with coffee, she once again studied the dossier of the Umbrella Case just retrieved from the archives.
Suddenly, she realized something. Judging from the dossier, the South Wuliang Sect's infiltration into Lingao had been carefully prepared—they knew Lingao's policies very clearly. In the interrogation records, more than one person admitted that someone in Guangzhou had given them relevant pointers.
And this group of "Zhuo family" people, although appearing as foreign "immigrants," knew a great deal about Lingao based on the routine surveillance reports from the inn and the several investigations by the Detective Team—completely unlike people coming to Lingao for the first time.
So that's it! The suspicion that had been lingering in Yang Cao's heart suddenly had an answer. You are in the same gang!
(End of Chapter)