Chapter 126: The Newly Arrived Secretary He

Chapter 126: The Newly Arrived Secretary He

Bai Zeshao paid no heed to Gu Hai’s dying threat. Even if he had not eliminated Gu Hai, the forces behind him would still have come after him.

Nor did Bai Zeshao entirely believe Gu Hai’s confession. Judging by his own instincts, parts of it were probably true and parts fabricated. At the very least, the matter concerning Qi Zhengyi was likely genuine.

After dealing with Gu Hai’s body, Bai Zeshao returned to the city and continued taking part in the search.

Several days passed without the slightest trace of Tian Yaopeng. That alone was understandable, given that he was a highly skilled intelligence operative. But there was still no news of Li Huihui either, and the searchers gradually became more lax.

After such a massive search had continued for so many days, the Wen family finally gave up. The police and plainclothes agents on the streets were withdrawn, and everything returned to normal.

The Wen residence.

Qi Zhengyi picked up the telephone and skillfully dialed a number. As soon as the call connected, he said, “I did everything I could, but we still haven’t found her. We can only suspend the search for now.”

“Mm. I understand,” the mysterious man replied淡ly, as though he was not particularly concerned about Li Huihui’s whereabouts. Compared with his tense attitude before, he now sounded far more casual.

The discovery stirred a thought in Qi Zhengyi’s mind. Could it be that the other man knew where Li Huihui was and therefore had no reason to be anxious?

But his curiosity lasted only a moment. He stopped dwelling on it and hung up.

He had barely set down the receiver when someone knocked on the door.

“Steward Qi, someone from the Gu family is waiting outside. He says he has come looking for their young master,” a servant said with a smile.

“Looking for Gu Hai? Gu Hai left the Wen residence several days ago. Why are his people only looking for him now?” Qi Zhengyi froze for a moment, then instructed the servant, “Bring the man from the Gu family in. I’ll question him myself.”

It was not long before the Gu family’s representative appeared before Qi Zhengyi. After quickly learning the general outline of the matter, Qi Zhengyi dismissed him and sank into thought.

With his deep experience and calculating mind, Qi Zhengyi could clearly determine that everything—from the problems that had arisen in the Gu family’s business, to Gu Hai’s departure from the Wen residence, and now his disappearance—had been orchestrated by someone behind the scenes.

But Gu Hai knew certain things, and Qi Zhengyi had to uncover his whereabouts.

He therefore soon sent people out to investigate.

Meanwhile, Bai Zeshao once again had Ah Hai secretly deliver information to Sister Wang: intelligence that a transport convoy carrying supplies belonging to the Nationalist Party had been robbed by bandits.

The New Year was approaching, and the weather was gradually turning colder. Many Red Party soldiers still had no padded clothing. Bai Zeshao felt helpless as well, for supplying them would require a considerable sum of money.

Now that he had obtained this information, if the Red Party could act in advance, the supplies could fall into their hands without costing them a single cent.

At Qian Yihai’s villa, Sister Wang was preparing a meal when she suddenly heard a knock at the door. Yet when she opened it, no one was there. Just as she was about to turn back inside, a small stone tied to a strip of paper landed at her feet.

Instead of immediately examining the note, Sister Wang first looked around carefully. She saw only a fleeting figure and found nothing else.

Back in her room, she recognized the familiar handwriting and immediately understood that the person who had delivered the information was the same mysterious individual who had warned her last time that the student movement was in danger.

The events of that time had already proved the accuracy of this person’s intelligence. Thus, after reading the note, Sister Wang hurried out at once.

Before long, she stopped outside a private residence.

She knocked lightly, gave the agreed signal, and entered. Facing a middle-aged woman inside, she said, “Secretary He, please take a look at this.”

As she spoke, she handed over the note.

“If this is true, then our Red Party organization in Shan Ning will have rendered outstanding service. By the way, is the source of this information reliable?” Secretary He asked, visibly excited.

According to the note, quite apart from anything else, the shipment contained three thousand bolts of cotton cloth. If made into padded clothing, that would amount to a very substantial supply.

“I don’t know where the information came from, and I can’t even determine whether it’s genuine. That’s why I came to you as soon as I received it,” Sister Wang replied, equally pleased.

The woman before her was Secretary He, who had been dispatched by the higher authorities to take over Mr. Li’s work and oversee the underground operations in Shan Ning. She had arrived in the city only a week earlier.

For the sake of secrecy, word of Secretary He’s arrival had not yet spread, let alone the fact that almost no one had seen her in person.

Although Secretary He had been in Shan Ning only a short time, her efficiency was remarkable. She had arranged every aspect of the work in an orderly fashion, and the underground organization, which enemy agents had torn apart, had once again resumed normal operations.

It was still rudimentary, of course, but at least regular work and communication were no longer a problem. The rest would have to be rebuilt with time.

For that reason, Sister Wang greatly admired Secretary He’s decisive and vigorous manner.

“Sister Wang, since you weren’t confident enough to determine whether this intelligence was accurate, yet you still brought it to me, there must be something else you haven’t told me,” Secretary He said with a smile.

“You guessed correctly, Secretary He. Some time ago, our Red Party organization in Shan Ning organized a student movement. It was perhaps the largest and most impressive one we had ever held. But on the eve of the event, I received a note just like this one. It said that the Special Intelligence Bureau would resort to a violent crackdown,” Sister Wang explained.

“The information on that note was accurate, I presume?” Secretary He could not help interrupting.

“That’s right. The enemy had indeed deployed heavy weapons and even stationed troops in ambush around the streets.” Sister Wang nodded.

“What do you make of this new piece of intelligence?” Secretary He asked, turning her gaze toward Sister Wang.

“We could send someone to investigate. Time is pressing, after all. If the information is true, word will probably spread very soon. By then, it will be difficult for us to take action,” Sister Wang suggested.

“I’ll consider your proposal. But what guesses do you have about the person who sent this information?” Secretary He asked. Since she was new to the organization, she was still gradually familiarizing herself with many things.

“None. This person is extremely mysterious. He knows that I belong to the Red Party, yet I have no idea who he is. Could he be an operative whom Mr. Hu once controlled independently, without our knowledge?” Sister Wang asked tentatively.

“Let’s set that aside for now. But you must keep a close watch on your surroundings. We have to do everything possible to identify this person. You know how important he is to us,” Secretary He said solemnly.

“Understood. I’ll be careful. If there’s nothing else, I should leave first, or Qian Yihai may become suspicious,” Sister Wang said, rising to take her leave.

“Take care of yourself. Be careful,” Secretary He called after her as she walked away.

“I’m leaving.”