Spying

48 Exploitation

When Shen Tong entered the building at No. 1 Honggongci, she was still utterly confused. It wasn’t until she spotted A Mang through the one-way glass that everything clicked. She turned to Lu Peng and said, “Right, that’s the guy who made fake British passports last time. What, did the Communist Party need counterfeit documents and seek him out again?”

Lu Peng countered, “How can you be sure he inadvertently worked for the Communists rather than being an actual member of their organization?”

“We already confirmed during the last investigation—he originally ran a photo studio but switched to this line of work when business dried up. He’s just a craftsman from the underworld with no other affiliations. Besides, if he really were a Communist, wouldn’t his superiors have ordered him to flee after being flagged once?” Shen Tong spoke as if it were obvious, then frowned. “Why exactly did you arrest him?”

Lu Peng stared at A Mang, who was fidgeting nervously in the interrogation room behind the glass, and said, “He was also present at the Black Tortoise Lake shooting a few days ago.”

Shen Tong raised an eyebrow. “Could it be a coincidence?”

“Do you believe in coincidences?” Lu Peng shot back.

Shen Tong looked at him again and paused.

This wasn’t just an ordinary retort—it carried an implicit challenge to her professional judgment, as if he were really saying: How could you possibly think someone who’s appeared at two critical scenes is unrelated?

Shen Tong couldn’t tolerate that.

She had received a call from the Confidentiality Bureau asking for her assistance. Given the recent increase in collaboration between the Second Department and the Bureau, she had gone with the intention of fostering goodwill between the two agencies. Upon arrival, she encountered Lu Peng—the head of the Operations Division whom her uncle Li Helin had privately expressed interest in recruiting. Initially, Shen Tong hadn’t thought much of it. But later, Li Helin mentioned that Lu Peng didn’t seem particularly interested in the olive branch he’d extended, likely due to some stubborn loyalty to the defunct Military Intelligence Section.

This had stirred some resentment in Shen Tong. For one, she couldn’t understand why Lu Peng would be so ungrateful toward an organization that no longer existed. For another, she was irked—what was so special about him that her uncle, who rarely praised anyone, held him in such high regard?

Thus, even with minimal interaction, Shen Tong had already developed a certain resistance toward Lu Peng. Now, running into him unexpectedly and being subjected to his insinuations about her competence—how could she let that slide?

“Director Lu, starting with a conclusion and then searching for evidence is the easiest way to make mistakes,” she pointed out bluntly.

“So, can Miss Shen personally vouch that he has no ties to the Communist Party?” Lu Peng asked.

“Vouch?” Shen Tong frowned. The person who had called her had been vague, only mentioning assistance—never anything about “guaranteeing” someone. When she saw A Mang, she had assumed she was merely there to confirm his identity.

“We found anti-surveillance jamming equipment in his home. He claimed he bought it on the black market after learning a lesson from you,” Lu Peng recounted A Mang’s words. “Therefore, he insisted he wasn’t acting out of guilt and voluntarily brought up your name, saying you could testify that he isn’t a Communist.”

“He wants me to vouch for him? How could he—” —why not ask Lan Youyin instead?Shen Tong thought that Lan Youyin's seniority and position in the Ministry of Defense far surpassed her own, and her relationship with A Mang was much closer. But the words died on her lips as she suddenly realized that she alone had always known about A Mang's close ties to Lan Youyin. So she shifted her tone: "Well, he certainly has a temper. Probably because your people at the Confidentiality Bureau weren’t too friendly toward him. He considers himself someone who’s been on the Ministry of Defense’s whitelist."

"So, the Ministry of Defense vetted him and found no issues," Lu Peng said, ignoring the "unfriendly" remark and focusing only on what he wanted to know.

Shen Tong frowned. "Director Lu, nothing is ever one hundred percent certain. He was clean back then, but whether he is now—that’s the Confidentiality Bureau’s responsibility."

The implications in their exchange were sharp, each implying that if this A Mang wasn’t just a simple forger, then the other’s intelligence agency had failed in its duties.

"Where were you on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival?" Lu Peng asked abruptly.

"What do you mean? Are you suspecting me of being involved in the Black Tortoise Lake shooting?"

Lu Peng smiled—a perfunctory, polite curve of the lips that didn’t reach his eyes, which remained fixed on her with scrutiny. "Just a routine question. Unless it’s inconvenient for you to answer?"

This was utterly ridiculous. Shen Tong met his gaze coldly. "We hosted a family banquet for Mid-Autumn Festival. I was at home, naturally."

"Any witnesses?"

"Of course, my family can vouch for me."

"Immediate family. Anyone else?"

—Was he seriously suspecting her now?! Shen Tong stared at Lu Peng in disbelief, a surge of indignation rising in her chest. Never in her life had she been subjected to such questioning.

"Ah, a family banquet—no outsiders should be present," Lu Peng said, feigning understanding. "Don’t take it personally, Miss Shen. The shooter at Black Tortoise Lake was armed with military-grade weapons of unknown origin, and you’re from the Ministry of Defense. Our investigation has to be thorough..."

"So this isn’t about vouching for someone else—it’s an interrogation of me?" Shen Tong retorted sharply.

Now, as she glanced around, the room seemed designed for observation, but the door was shut tight, the walls windowless, and the tape recorder on the table whirred silently. Lu Peng’s roundabout questioning didn’t seem spur-of-the-moment—it was clearly a prearranged interrogation room. The moment Lu A'mang had mentioned her name, Lu Peng must have already lumped them together as suspects in his mind.

"Just a few casual questions. No need to be so defensive, Miss Shen," Lu Peng said pointedly.

Shen Tong’s delicate face tensed, her chin slightly raised as she suppressed her anger, though her voice rose. "You suspect I was at Black Tortoise Lake that afternoon, don’t you? I said I was at home—but not my parents’ home. My uncle’s place, in Banqiao New Village, right next to the Presidential Palace. Go ask him for confirmation!"

"Your uncle?"

"Acting Director Li of the Second Department, Ministry of Defense."

—She had finally lost her patience and invoked her uncle’s name.Lu Peng's eyes flickered with a trace of surprise, but it vanished quickly. His mind raced through his previous impressions of Shen Tong—young yet capable of independently handling field missions, someone who could even speak up at important meetings in the Second Department of the Ministry of National Defense. So, it turned out she had connections to Li Helin.

"Don’t tell me you’re also going to ask him whether he went to Black Tortoise Lake on Mid-Autumn Festival?" Shen Tong mocked.

Lu Peng fell silent for a moment before replying, "I see. Then it was my misunderstanding." He walked to the door, turned the handle, and gestured for her to leave. "Miss Shen, I apologize for wasting your time."

Shen Tong pointed at A Mang in the adjacent room and asked, "What about him?"

"With Miss Shen’s testimony, his suspicion is naturally lessened. Once we apprehend the real suspect, he’ll be released unharmed."

Shen Tong shot Lu Peng a final displeased glance before leaving the Confidentiality Bureau. Along the way, she couldn’t help but replay every word and implication of Lu Peng’s statements in her mind: A Mang not being released wasn’t surprising—Lu Peng was likely the type who’d rather kill the innocent than let the guilty escape. But if it came to that, would A Mang reveal Lan Youyin’s name? Unlike her, Lan Youyin didn’t have powerful backing. If Lu Peng arbitrarily accused her of Communist Party ties, how could she clear her name?

With these thoughts, Shen Tong decided she must warn her "Youyin-jie" as soon as she returned to the Ministry of National Defense.

Little did Shen Tong know, however, that A Mang’s deliberate call for her to vouch for him had stemmed from Lan Youyin’s instructions days earlier.

Before their operation, Lan Youyin had told A Mang that if anything went wrong, he should use Shen Tong’s name to buy time. Just as only Shen Tong knew of her connection to A Mang, only Lan Youyin knew the true nature of Shen Tong’s relationship with Li Helin. Whether it was the police or special agents, once they set their sights on A Mang, they’d inevitably investigate his supposed guarantor—thus muddying the waters.

As for Yin Wenrang, matters were simpler. The Xuzhou Pacification Headquarters had been pressing for his return, and he could conveniently leave Nanjing with the U.S.-funded medical supplies he was assigned to receive.

Before departing, however, Yin Wenrang nearly blurted out upon learning of her arrangement for A Mang: "Does that Miss Shen know you’re using her like this?"

Lan Youyin glanced at him and said, "Next time you’re in a similar situation, I’ll stand by and watch—I won’t exploit others to save you."

Yin Wenrang countered, "If you hadn’t insisted on using all of us to kill Lu Peng, A Mang wouldn’t have been unable to retreat on time while waiting endlessly for Ren Shaobai. Had our plan been more than just child’s play, we all should’ve evacuated before the Xuanwu Gate was sealed. You’re the one who put us in this situation."

"Not us," Lan Youyin said calmly. "Only A Mang—not you. You’re an officer at the Xuzhou Pacification Headquarters’ Medical Division, about to leave for Xuzhou. What happens in Nanjing has nothing to do with you."

Yin Wenrang looked at her, knowing her words weren’t born of petty defiance.

"At this point, among the three of us, you hold the most critical position—closest to our ultimate goal. If sacrificing both A Mang and myself is necessary to protect you, I wouldn’t hesitate."This was Lan Youyin's true feelings.

Yin Wenrang opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing more.

"By the way, did you bring what I asked for last time?" Lan Youyin inquired.

Yin Wenrang nodded and retrieved a paper bag from his luggage, handing it over. Lan Youyin took it, opened it, and saw two transparent morphine solutions inside.

When Shen Tong returned to the Ministry of National Defense, she initially intended to go directly to the First Department to find Lan Youyin. However, as soon as she entered the office building, she saw Li Helin and Ren Shaobai coming downstairs, heading to the Retreat Residence for a meeting. It turned out that Ren Shaobai, leveraging his recent contact with the Communist-controlled East China Field Army, had been brought by Li Helin to attend the most confidential military briefing to discuss the situation in Jinan.

At that moment, Shen Tong ran into them. Noticing her hurried expression, Li Helin stopped and asked, "I heard you were summoned by the Confidentiality Bureau this morning. What was it about?"

Shen Tong hesitated, glanced at Ren Shaobai, and seemed reluctant to speak.

"What? Is there something the Confidentiality Bureau can know that we can't?"

"No, it's Director Lu..." Shen Tong briefly explained how Lu Peng had arrested Lu A'mang and how A'mang had sought her out to act as a guarantor. She omitted her knowledge of Lan Youyin's relationship with A'mang and how Lu Peng had suspected her because of A'mang, forcing her to reveal that Li Helin was her uncle to pressure him.

After all, Ren Shaobai still didn't know about their relationship.

That was why she had seemed hesitant earlier. She didn’t understand why her uncle hadn’t realized this and made her speak in front of Ren Shaobai.

"That forger?" Li Helin chuckled. "He’s quite the character. You once investigated him, and now he’s using you to counter Lu Peng."

Shen Tong pouted. "I think Director Lu is just grasping at straws, arresting any random person he can find."

Li Helin then looked at Ren Shaobai and asked, "Do you think Lu Peng is the type to grasp at straws?"

Ren Shaobai smiled slightly. "I don’t think so."

"Neither do I." Li Helin turned back to Shen Tong. "I think you’re just upset about being dragged around, but the Confidentiality Bureau has always operated this way. If they need your cooperation, just cooperate. You think he’s just arresting random people, but who’s to say he isn’t using these small fry to lure out a bigger fish hiding deeper?"

Instead of getting her complaint heard, Shen Tong received a lecture. She stood at attention but grumbled inwardly: Why does everyone speak so highly of Lu Peng? She couldn’t see what was so impressive about him...

"Alright, get back to work." Li Helin walked past her and headed out of the building.

Ren Shaobai immediately followed. Though he had managed to respond with a smile earlier, his heart sank heavily: A'mang had been arrested. He wondered about Peng Yongcheng’s situation. Would A'mang implicate him? If he did, Lan Youyin would inevitably be dragged into this. The situation was worse than he had anticipated, but he couldn’t rashly go see Peng Yongcheng now...

"What were you doing on Mid-Autumn Festival?"

As they neared the Retreat Residence, Li Helin suddenly asked.

Ren Shaobai froze and stopped walking. "Professor, you’re not serious, are you?"Li Helin walked ahead of him, then turned around and looked at his bewildered expression before asking again with a blank face, "What were you doing that day?"

Ren Shaobai took a deep breath and replied, "I went to the Martyrs' Cemetery to pay respects at my father's grave, then returned to Xijia Datang to have a meal with Aunt Qiao, my mother's former maid. I also made a call to Hong Kong—the telephone office has records ready for inspection anytime. Oh, and the Martyrs' Cemetery doesn’t keep records, but there’s a gatekeeper guarding the graves. You can send someone to ask if you like."

Seeing his intense reaction, Li Helin finally waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, alright, consider it an unnecessary question. Really, your temper’s getting worse." With that, he resumed walking and stepped through the gates of the Retreat Residence.

Ren Shaobai trailed half a step behind, his hands hanging loosely at his sides clenching briefly into fists before relaxing again. He absolutely could not let Peng Yongcheng fall into the hands of the Confidentiality Bureau.

Meanwhile, Shen Tong stood before Lan Youyin, explaining A Mang’s current predicament.

"But—" she said, convinced she had found a solution, "as long as we find the real Communist Party shooter, A Mang will be fine. I don’t trust the Confidentiality Bureau. Why don’t we handle this ourselves? I know my uncle previously sent people to investigate radio transmitters around Xinjiekou—isn’t A Mang’s photo studio also in Xinjiekou? I bet that’s the direction Director Lu is investigating..."

As Lan Youyin listened, she studied Shen Tong’s confident face. She doubted Shen Tong could uncover anything before Lu Peng, but she herself possessed something that, if handed over to the Confidentiality Bureau, could help them find the "real Communist."

Earlier, although Peng Yongcheng had discovered A Mang taking photos of him outside the Industrial Bank in Xinjiekou, Lan Youyin had shrewdly kept the negatives of that set of photos and taken them to her own home.

Now, if she just produced those photos, wouldn’t A Mang be saved?