cicada

Chapter 1442 Tragic
In the evening, Lan Hongchang hosted a banquet for the members of the Military Intelligence Bureau, and the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely.

After the banquet, Zheng Tingbing, Song Minghao, and Wu Jingzhong, all reeking of alcohol, took a walk in the woods near the X Division headquarters and exchanged opinions.

"Director Song, Deputy Director Wu, how much of Shi Ming's case do you think is true, and how much is false?"

Zheng Tingbing glanced around and, seeing that the agents from the Los Angeles station and the guards from the X Division were far apart, turned around and asked a question.

Wu Jingzhong pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "Looking at the evidence, Shi Ming does have problems, but evidence can be forged."

These words were as good as saying nothing. Zheng Tingbing cursed the old fox in his heart, then turned his gaze to Song Minghao, wanting to hear the other party's opinion.

Instead of answering directly, Song Minghao asked Zheng Tingbing, "Deputy Director Zheng, do you know who Shi Ming is?"

Who is Shi Ming?

Zheng Tingbing was somewhat puzzled. Wasn't the other party Zuo Zhong's former subordinate? Did he have some other background?
As he was thinking, Song Minghao's voice rang out again, just as a cold wind blew by, rustling the leaves.

"Shi Ming has been in the industry for nearly nine years and has carried out a total of 27 top-secret missions. He is best at infiltration and disguise reconnaissance, and even the co-pilot has high praise for him."

"Leaving aside whether he is a dissident or not, even if he did steal the intelligence, it would be impossible for the X Division to discover it, let alone kill him."

Song Minghao spoke with great certainty, for as Shi Ming's old friend and former superior, he was well aware of Shi Ming's capabilities.

If the elite agents of the Military Intelligence Bureau can't even handle the X Division's guard force, then all their work over the years has been in vain.

On the other side, Wu Jingzhong, recalling Shi Ming's performance at headquarters, nodded in agreement.

Zheng Tingbing paused, his expression turning serious: "If that's the case, then Professor X's problem is probably quite serious."

He regretted not bringing guards, but he couldn't go back on his word now that he had already spoken, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue the investigation.

Song Minghao and Wu Jingzhong nodded silently. Such a meticulous plan could not be accomplished by a small number of low-ranking officers; it required the support of the higher-ups in the X Division.

Division Commander Lan Hongchang, Deputy Division Commander Lai Chuan, Chief of Staff Yang Xiangwen, and Quartermaster Director Fu Han are all suspects.

Could Lan Hongchang be the mastermind behind this? Zheng Tingbing recalled his old friend's smiling face, which grew increasingly blurry until it became completely distorted.

He found that he could no longer understand the fierce general who had once dared to charge into battle against the Japanese with his bare chest.

Shaking his head helplessly, Zheng Tingbing asked the two of them again what to do next and how they could prove Shi Ming's innocence.

The X Division was Commander Tang's unit, and Lan Hongchang was Commander Tang's favorite. Without solid evidence, this case would be difficult to overturn.

"Let's go check on Shi Ming's place tomorrow," said Song Minghao again.

Assuming Shi Ming wasn't a member of the underground Communist Party, there must have been a reason for his murder, the most likely being that he discovered someone's secret.

For example, corruption, treason, in short, the crimes are very serious. If Shi Ming doesn't die, then the one who dies is the murderer.

As a professional intelligence officer, Shi Ming should be aware of the risks involved, so what will he do?

Realizing this, Zheng Tingbing and Wu Jingzhong looked up sharply and said in unison, "Shi Ming secretly left behind evidence!"

"Yes, Shi Ming is a cautious person, and I believe he must have made two preparations."

Song Minghao tightened his collar, then lowered his voice and continued, "Check the quartermaster department again; they just painted the walls there."

Wu Jingzhong reacted quickly, frowning as he asked, "You think Shi Ming's death scene was also fake?"

"I don't know," Song Minghao said honestly. "But it's too much of a coincidence that the quartermaster department was renovated right after Shi Ming died."

Yes, what a coincidence! Coincidence is the hardest thing to believe in this world.

Zheng Tingbing seemed to understand something, and then assigned tasks: "Tomorrow I will personally go to Shi Ming's residence to investigate. Lao Song, you find an excuse to go to the quartermaster department, and Jing Zhong will have a good chat with the people from the political training department."

"Such a big thing happened, and the Political Training Department didn't do anything. These people are not trustworthy."

As night deepened, the three returned to their temporary lodgings after finishing their conversation, unaware that someone was waiting for news of them.

"What did those damn spies say?"

In the office of the deputy division commander of the X Division, Lai Chuan casually asked a question while holding a thread-bound book, his eyes never leaving the book.

"Reporting to the Master, the other party was too far away, and our people did not hear clearly."

The room fell silent. Fu Han nervously swallowed hard and subconsciously shrank his neck.

After a long while, Lai Chuan suddenly chuckled: "That's interesting. It seems that Commander Zheng doesn't trust our brothers."

"Very well, I offered my heart to the bright moon, but the bright moon shines on the gutter. Since that's the case, let's fight it out based on our own abilities."

He put down the book, got up and walked around a few times, going over all the details in his mind before looking at Fu Han.

"The quartermaster department is a loophole. Have all the people who painted the walls been sent away?"

"Also, have you searched Shi Ming's residence? You know the consequences if anything goes wrong."

Fu Han wiped the cold sweat from his brow and quickly assured them, "The people who painted the wall went to the front lines the next day and have all died heroically."

“I personally searched Shi Ming’s residence and found nothing inside. Shi probably didn’t expect us to kill him off so quickly that he didn’t have time to leave any evidence.”

Lai Chuan walked to Fu Han's side, slowly raised his hand, and Fu Han trembled in fright. But Lai Chuan simply patted his shoulder heavily. "Director Fu, there's no need to be so nervous. To tell you the truth, even if the Military Intelligence Bureau finds out something, it doesn't matter."

"We have far more people above us than you think. If those few spies know what's good for them, fine. But if they don't, well..."

Lai Chuan's eyes flashed with a fierce light, completely losing his previous refined demeanor; this was his true face.

Upon hearing this, Fu Han quickly nodded: "Yes, Commander, I will remember."

If he hadn't known that Lai Chuan had an even higher-ranking officer behind him, he wouldn't have betrayed Shi Ming. Although Shi Ming was a mid-level officer in the Military Intelligence Bureau, he was still inferior to those people.

As for Lai Chuan, after comforting Fu Han, he sat down again, lit a cigarette, and said quietly.

"That guy surnamed Shi is indeed quite capable. He figured out our strengths and weaknesses in less than two months. It's thanks to your timely reminder that the outcome was really hard to say."

"If he had gotten the message out, not only would I have lost my head, but my superiors would have lost theirs too. I really regret what I did back then."

Lai Chuan stopped mid-sentence as if he had thought of something, and waved his hand listlessly.

"Forget it, I can't explain it to you. You can go now and get ready to take action."

"Yes, Master."

Fu Han bowed and withdrew, but his heart was filled with anxiety. Was it really going to come to that? That would be tantamount to completely breaking ties with the Military Intelligence Bureau.

If a deputy director and two section chiefs die in Yancheng, it might attract the Smiling Tiger, and then no one will be able to escape.

Looking at the dark night sky, Fuhan couldn't help but worry about his future, but it was too late for regrets.

If he jumps ship now, neither the Military Intelligence Bureau nor Lai Chuan will let him go.

So rather than wait to die, he decided to take a gamble. His expression turned ferocious as he strode into the darkness.
-
The next morning, Zheng Tingbing, accompanied by personnel from the X Division, went to Shi Ming's residence, a courtyard located in the bustling downtown area of ​​Yancheng.

Since Shi Ming's family lived in the mountain city, there were very few items in the yard, making the search relatively easy.

Zheng Tingbing thought he could find clues here, but after looking around, he found nothing.

Moreover, based on his observation, the place had already been searched, and even if Shi Ming left any evidence, it had probably fallen into the hands of the other party.

Standing in front of the courtyard gate, Zheng Tingbing pondered for a long time before finally making a request to the accompanying agents and X Division personnel.

"Clean up the yard, and Director Song, Deputy Director Wu, and I will move in tonight."

The latter tried to stop him, but Zheng Tingbing's attitude was very firm, so the X Division personnel had no choice but to agree. At the same time, the news also reached Lai Chuan's ears.

"Hehe, since it's Deputy Director Zheng's order, you should obey it."

Lai Chuan's tone was gentle, but his grip on the book tightened subtly, and the veins on the back of his hand slowly appeared.

Just as he was making up his mind, Wu Jingzhong spoke with each of the staff members of the Political Training Department.

In the Political Training Department of the X Division, besides the director Shi Ming, there were two deputy directors and seven clerks, all of whom had backgrounds in the Military Intelligence Bureau.

Faced with inquiries from high-ranking officials at headquarters, these people dared not hide anything and all said that they were not familiar with Shi Ming and did not know what he had been doing recently.

Since taking office, Shi Ming has kept to himself, only interacting with officers and soldiers at the grassroots level, and has repeatedly refused invitations to banquets from his colleagues, behaving rather aloofly.

Wu Jingzhong shook his head inwardly. There was a big difference between working at headquarters and in local areas. Shi Ming had put himself in opposition to everyone.

The conversation yielded no results, and there was nothing unusual in Shi Ming's office; the safe contained only some ordinary intelligence.

According to one of the deputy directors, they came to the Political Training Department to retire, and the local district stations were responsible for counter-espionage and anti-corruption work, which was not the Political Training Department's business.

With a dark expression, Wu Jingzhong dismissed the man and went to the quartermaster department to meet Song Minghao. As soon as he arrived at the door, he saw Song Minghao saying goodbye to Fu Han.

"Alright, thank you for your hospitality, Director Fu. I'll be going now."

"Okay, goodbye."

As Song Minghao stepped out of the room, the lighter in his hand suddenly fell to the ground. He bent down to pick it up, gave Wu Jingzhong a wink, and the two quickly left.

"How is it? Any problems with the Quartermaster Department?" Wu Jingzhong asked as he walked.

Upon hearing this, Song Minghao's smiling face turned gloomy, and he quietly recounted his discovery.

“Vohan seemed very nervous, especially when he saw me standing at the door, which was likely the site of the first shooting.”

"Because the walls around the door frame were not only repainted, but the old paint was even scraped off. The treatment was very thorough, which is very unusual."

"I have to try a different approach. Look, what did I find in the cracks between the floor tiles outside the door?"

As he finished speaking, he slowly loosened his clenched fist, revealing a bloodstained fingernail in his palm.

Wu Jingzhong's pupils contracted sharply, and he quickly asked, "Fingernails?"

"That's right, this is a clue that Shi Ming risked his life to leave for us."

Song Minghao seemed to see Shi Ming stretching his hand towards the crack in the brickwork with all his might. In the last moment of his life, the other person was not thinking about how to survive, but about completing the mission.

Even if he had only a breath left, he could not die in vain. In the most tragic way, he lifted the thick veil that shrouded Master X.