Chapter 78: Turning the Tables

Chapter Seventy-Seven: Turning the Tables

No. 1 Chunhe Road.

After Mr. Li finished reading the blood-written letter that Bai Zeshou had entrusted Ahai to bring, he fell into deep contemplation. Ahai, standing nearby, remained silent, patiently waiting for Mr. Li’s instructions.

After a long pause, Mr. Li spoke to Ahai, “Pay close attention to Bai. How is his health now?”

“Nothing serious,” Ahai replied with a smile.

“That’s good. Later, go see him again and tell him to rest and recover without worry. Leave the rest to me,” Mr. Li muttered, fussing over the details.

“I understand, Mr. Li,” Ahai responded, then promptly took his leave.

Once Ahai departed, Mr. Li received news that An Guoming had appeared at the residence previously arranged for him. Upon hearing this, Mr. Li let out a cold laugh, then rose and headed to meet An Guoming.

“Comrade An, are you all right? Why did it take you so long to come?” Mr. Li asked deliberately upon meeting him.

“Sigh, the Special Agents Bureau launched a sudden crackdown yesterday, and I was arrested. Fortunately, my identity wasn’t exposed, and I was released only today,” An Guoming replied, adopting a helpless expression.

“That’s good. Settle in here for now. As for the intelligence you mentioned, I’ve already contacted our insider to investigate. We’ll have answers soon,” Mr. Li said, purposefully steering the conversation toward their inside contact to test An Guoming’s reaction.

“Is the insider’s information reliable? Given the sensitivity of this intelligence, it must be highly classified. Ordinary people couldn’t possibly uncover it,” An Guoming asked, barely concealing his delight.

“Rest assured, our insider is no ordinary person. His intelligence has never been wrong. Just wait patiently,” Mr. Li said, offering a few more instructions before leaving.

Reflecting on the plan Bai Zeshou had mentioned in his blood-written letter and considering An Guoming’s demeanor, Mr. Li could roughly deduce the enemy’s scheme: it was all aimed at the Red Party’s mole embedded within the Special Agents Bureau—“Fox.”

So, could he turn their plan against them?

Instead of returning to No. 1 Chunhe Road, Mr. Li contacted “Fox” once more, outlining his plan in broad strokes, leaving some details for “Fox” to handle.

“Fox’s” intelligence came swiftly, and before long, the two concocted a complete plan.

Three days later.

Yaren Hospital.

Bai Zeshou was now able to walk, though his body still felt weak. Overall, his condition was decent, but what troubled him was that he remained under confinement.

The two guards at the door were there both to protect him from further assassination attempts—since Shi Zhichao still hadn’t found the culprit behind his previous attack—and to keep him under surveillance.

At that moment, the door to his ward opened.

Standing by the window, Bai Zeshou turned instinctively and asked in surprise, “Captain Shi, what brings you here? Have you caught the one who tried to kill me?”

“You guessed right. That person’s been apprehended. You’re free now,” Shi Zhichao replied.

Bai Zeshou was momentarily stunned—he’d only meant it as a joke. He asked, “Who is it?”

“It’s Li Hongwei, Chief of the Telecommunications Division,” Shi Zhichao answered, not particularly talkative. He nodded to Bai Zeshou and left the ward.

Bai Zeshou wasted no time at the hospital. After changing clothes, he returned to the Special Agents Bureau. As he walked down the corridor, he overheard people discussing Li Hongwei’s situation.

“Who would have guessed Li Hongwei was Red Party?”

“The less someone looks like Red Party, the more likely they are. I heard Liu Peiru personally led the arrest.”

“Looks like Chief Liu is fine.”

...

Catching snippets of conversation, Bai Zeshou entered the Action Team Three office. As soon as he stepped in, Monkey, Da Li, and Tiger approached him.

“Chief, are you all right? We heard the guards took you away.”

“I’m fine, just some unexpected trouble. I’m free now,” Bai Zeshou replied with a smile, then gestured toward the ongoing chatter outside. “What’s all this about?”

Monkey laughed, “I know the details.”

“Go on, I haven’t heard what happened yet,” Bai Zeshou said, curiosity piqued.

“I don’t know everything, but yesterday, the guards found a bug in Chief Li’s office. One end was connected to the director’s door.”

“That can’t be right. The director’s office must have security measures against that,” Bai Zeshou replied, skeptical.

“That’s what makes Chief Li so cunning. He didn’t use any high-tech gadgets, just the most traditional method. He extended a pipe through the wall’s drainage system from the director’s office to his own, then used a recorder to capture the sound,” Monkey explained.

Bai Zeshou was silent for a long moment. Whether or not Li Hongwei was actually Red Party, what Monkey described was a massive undertaking.

And the director of the Special Agents Bureau was no ordinary person; his office would be heavily protected. Who could pull off such a feat without detection?

“Chief, they also found a lot of mysterious coded messages in Li Hongwei’s office. None have been deciphered yet,” Monkey continued, unaware that Bai Zeshou was lost in thought.

“Where is Li Hongwei now?” Bai Zeshou asked.

“I think he’s being held in our bureau’s prison. I’m not sure, but that’s what everyone’s saying.”

“All right, let’s stop spreading these rumors. Get back to work,” Bai Zeshou said, waving them off.

At that moment, Bai Zeshou truly wished he could meet Mr. Li. He was intensely curious about how Mr. Li had managed all this. There was no doubt in his mind that Li Hongwei wasn’t Red Party.

But to frame the chief of such a critical department? That wasn’t just difficult—it was fantastical. Yet, against all odds, it had been done.

How was it accomplished?

Bai Zeshou fell into deep thought.