Rebirth 2010, the best

Chapter 333 Dagger Encounter
"..."

"..."

The atmosphere was extremely quiet.

According to Zheng Xiaofan, they only conducted a simple interrogation of Luo Xuewei.

No substantive work was carried out.

When dealing with such a large organization, the initial focus should not be on the leaders, but rather on the lower-ranking members.

There are many low-level henchmen, and they tend to be talkative and lack strong mental fortitude.

After obtaining the information, you can compare them with each other and finally present the facts to these "bosses," which sometimes yields better results.

In particular, Luo Xuewei took the initiative to suggest that she talk to Lu Yao.

Zheng Xiaofan and his team saw this proactive cooperation as a signal, which is why they had Lu Yao come over before the procedures even started, so they could have a proper chat with the female spy chief.

Just as Lu Yao was wondering whether he should speak first, Luo Xuewei suddenly said:
"I'd like to talk to him alone. You can record it, but... I'm not used to having conversations with so many people. Is that alright?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Everyone instinctively looked at Zheng Xiaofan.

Zheng Xiaofan frowned slightly.

“I know this doesn’t comply with your regulations, but… this is my only request. Otherwise, even if Lu Yao comes, it won’t make a difference; I still won’t speak up.”

"What can we get from you?"

Upon hearing her words, Zheng Xiaofan asked directly.

This also reveals the difference between how the National Security Bureau and other departments conduct case handling and interrogation.

What they want is something.

It was something from the criminal's mouth.

As for how to determine the facts of a crime, that is not within their jurisdiction.

Otherwise, as Chen Xiaoqun said, when interrogating a prisoner, would you dare to let an outsider have one-on-one contact with the prisoner?

crazy?

Who can take responsibility?

After hearing his words, Luo Xuewei thought for a moment and then said directly:

"If you know something, ask me and I'll tell you. If you don't know something, ask me and I won't know either."

"it is good."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Xiaofan immediately agreed.

Lu Yao's lips twitched.

No, bro.

Are you selling me out just like that?

But then, Zheng Xiaofan said to the prison guard standing next to Luo Xuewei:

"Take him into custody and search him."

The prison guard nodded silently and fastened Luo Xuewei's handcuffs and shackles to the stool and the iron ring that was cast into the ground, respectively.

He then thoroughly examined her from head to toe, including her hair and mouth, before leaving and closing the door.

At this moment, Zheng Xiaofan patted Lu Yao on the shoulder:

“We’re right at the door. It’s closed, but if there’s any problem, we can open it and come in within a second. You can have a good talk, don’t worry.”

"……it is good."

So everyone, including the prison guards, went out through the two doors.

The red light on the video recorder next to it proved that it was still working.

As soon as the others left, Luo Xuewei's gaze fell on Lu Yao.

She looked at Lu Yao, and Lu Yao looked at her too.

"Are you afraid?"

Suddenly, she asked.

Lu Yao tilted his head:

"What am I afraid of?"

"I'm afraid I'll unlock my handcuffs and pounce on you."

"laugh."

Lu Yao scoffed:
"First, you're not Houdini. Second, there's an iron fence between us. That gate is locked; no matter how powerful you are, you can't unlock the handcuffs, shackles, and lock in a second. Third, you came to me of your own accord. Although I don't know why you came to me, logically speaking, I could have chosen not to come. I don't believe they don't have ways to make you talk. I came for your own good. The sooner we communicate and the sooner we're honest, the less suffering we'll endure. So, I'm not afraid."

"..."

A hint of curiosity appeared in Luo Xuewei's eyes.

It felt like the first day I met Lu Yao.

After staring at him for a few seconds, he nodded.
"Indeed, you're not afraid. Otherwise, you wouldn't have taken on this job, right?"

"Are you seducing me?"

In response to her question, Lu Yao asked her the same question in return.

"...Surprisingly."

Luo Xuewei also did not admit it, but only said:
"My impression of you has always been that you are gentle, sunny, and have a very stable personality. Even when you get really angry, you're not the kind of person who poses a high threat... But I didn't expect you to be so calm. What's even more remarkable is that you didn't show the slightest weakness in front of us... Lu Yao, you should understand that this talent... is very rare. Perhaps, you are more suited to this line of work than I am."

Hearing this, Lu Yao smiled slightly and pointed to his head:

"My brain is more useful elsewhere than as a spy."

"……yes."

The female spy chief let out a long sigh:
"Indeed. But I still want to commend you, we were all fooled by you, you did a great job."

"Thank you."

"So, you admitted it?"

"Why not? Even if you're trying to mislead me, you still need to give me an answer to this kind of thing, right?"

Although a smile still lingered on his face, his gaze was as steady as a mountain.

There was no hint of a smile, nor any sense of pride or smugness.

An unusually stable and calm environment.

Nod calmly:

"I did it."

"...When was it discovered?"

"London."

"...?"

Luo Xuewei was taken aback and subconsciously began to recall.

Then, as if she understood something, she asked:

"You...you're not drunk?"

"No. But I did let it slip. At that time, you were my girlfriend's best friend, and I was almost completely unguarded around you. But the questions you asked afterward went beyond the scope of friendly conversation, so I became suspicious."

"...Then why are you so sure I have a problem?"

"Because of Elena, her feelings for me were so erratic. So, I got Fan and the others involved, and we staged a whole thing. I wanted to see if you guys were really spies, and the moment Elena arrived at my place alone, she installed a Trojan on my computer. So... my suspicions became reality."

"I see."

Luo Xuewei nodded after hearing Lu Yao's explanation.

A hint of helplessness and bitterness appeared in his eyes.

Sure enough.

The problem was with him.

otherwise……

She thought about it all day but couldn't figure out how she had been exposed.

Their infiltration plan this time was designed so that each person was responsible for a separate line. But their own line... was completely wiped out, which is utterly illogical.

How could such intelligence be obtained in such a short time?

Moreover, the activities of others only started this year.

Without a long period of infiltration, it would be impossible to gather such a vast amount of intelligence.

But they themselves were all wiped out.

It took me a long time...

The problem lies here...

Having figured this out, a hint of dejection crept into her demeanor.

And just then, she heard Lu Yao's words:

"does it worth?"

What I saw was a pair of questioning eyes.

Lu Yao said softly:

“Natalia told me that the Luo family originated from Chinese laborers. Your family has built its current status in London through generations of hard work. And this time you came back… with your family. You're planning to return to your roots, right?”

"..."

Luo Xuewei pursed her lips, then nodded:
"Yes." "So...was it worth it?"

"Is this my home, Lu Yao?"

In response to Lu Yao's question, Luo Xuewei asked a question in return.

"..."

"I am of Chinese descent, that's true. But is this my home?"

She asked again.

“I was born and raised in England. All my relatives and friends are in England, and I received a British education from a young age. I went to the same schools as all the British people. I have never experienced discrimination or encountered any trouble. I am just an ordinary little girl born in England... Tell me, am I British?”

"..."

Lu Yao remained silent.

I didn't know what to say for a moment.

Seeing this, Luo Xuewei shrugged calmly:

"So, you see. I am me, and my home is my home. Skin color and bloodline don't mean I have to identify as a Chinese, right? Or... let me give you another example. What if you were Japanese? Of course, I don't mean any disrespect to your parents. Suppose you were adopted by your parents, and you are actually Japanese. You were born here, grew up here, and after living here for 20 years, suddenly someone comes to you tomorrow and tells you that you are actually Japanese and that you should go back to Japan to develop your career. What would you do?"

"..."

Lu Yao did not answer.

I can't answer that either.

And... more or less, he finally understood Luo Xuewei.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they felt the same way.

I am not Japanese.

Even if she were truly Japanese... she wouldn't accept it.

This, perhaps, is her driving force.

Once Lu Yao understood this, he knew that from this moment on, the two were no longer friends.

Well, that's not entirely accurate either.

should say……

"So, we were never friends."

These are Luo Xuewei's words.

Lu Yao looked at her, only to see her shake her head:

"Actually, there was a moment, or rather a period of time, when we were friends. Natalia's boyfriend... to me, is also a friend who needs to be accepted. And what's more... when I first met you, I had a very good impression. Even when she told me you were doing research, my attention wasn't on you. Admittedly, I came here with a mission. But... it wasn't you at first, and I didn't expect it to be you either."

"...So, I brought this on myself?"

Yes. Haha~

She laughed sarcastically:

"It seems our friendship was really short-lived, wasn't it? From beginning to end, it was such a short time... just like a mayfly."

Hearing this, Lu Yao nodded:
"Indeed, life is short, like being born in the morning and dying at dusk."

Although he said that, he didn't seem to be sighing.

Just as Luo Xuewei said, the two may have been friends at first, but their friendship ended the moment she started to "win over" her.

And now...

"So, what exactly do you want from me?"

He did not look back on the past.

It's not necessary either.

What's the point of reminiscing about two people who aren't friends?
We can only drink when friends come over.

When a treacherous enemy comes, all that awaits it is a hunting rifle.

Now that everything has settled, it's time to reveal the "true face".

Upon hearing this, Ke Luo Xue Wei did not answer directly, but subconsciously looked towards the window behind Lu Yao.

Unfortunately, only the corridor light shone through the frosted windows.

So she asked:

"Lu Yao, can you tell me what time it is?"

"..."

Lu Yao glanced at the time on his watch and said:

1:18 PM.

"It's 1 o'clock already? Wow, time flies."

"Yes, the first day after Qingming Festival, everyone started working. Time always flies by."

"So... Natalia is gone?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yao immediately retorted:

Is there any point in asking this?

"Of course."

She nodded and continued:
Do you know my daily routine?

"……what do you want to say?"

For some inexplicable reason, a chill crept into Lu Yao's heart again.

For no reason at all.

Yet it is as real as it seems.

She then revealed a slight smile.

"Lu Yao, I love my country. Just like you, I am willing to dedicate myself to it."

"...So you're hiding a bomb in your stomach?"

"Ha, not really. I value my life, otherwise I wouldn't have agreed to help those people eavesdropping outside. After you leave, I'll cooperate fully with them. I don't deserve to die, do I? I've studied the laws here. Although I've committed espionage, I'll cooperate fully because... I don't know much, and we were caught before our operation even started. Although I'm not sure if there are consular visits, through cooperation, diplomatic pressure, and mitigating circumstances, my sentence should be less than 10 years. In other words, I don't deserve to die, do I?"

"..."

Lu Yao remained silent.

I don't know what she was trying to say.

Then, Luo Xuewei flexed her wrists, and amidst the rattling sound, she looked directly at the camera:
"The first piece of information I'd like to share with you is about our intelligence gathering process. Typically, we use a multi-layered encrypted network to send intelligence to our intelligence station in Hong Kong. Each person has a single account, and the data is collected in one direction only. To prevent any mishaps during espionage, the server checks our activity level daily."

Her eyes, which had been fixed on the camera, gradually fell on Lu Yao.

In that instant, Lu Yao inexplicably got goosebumps.

He seemed a little uneasy under her gaze.

Then she continued:
"The intelligence team in charge sends us three confirmation messages every day. If these three messages cannot be confirmed, the server will automatically handle the aftermath. First, all content must be sent back to headquarters within two hours. Second, the countermeasures set by each spy will be executed. I am responsible for two targets. One is Zhao Lijun. Your work is so meticulous that you should have already discovered my relationship with him. So, although I don't know if the intelligence he provided to me was manipulated by you, it has indeed been sent back to headquarters. And the second person is him."

The camera's gaze returned to Lu Yao.

Lu Yao's brows were already furrowed, and an ominous premonition was rising in his heart.

The moment her gaze fell upon him, Lu Yao asked directly:
"What's mine!?"

"yours?"

Luo Xuewei's expression was calm.

Even though she could see Lu Yao's panic, she didn't show any other expression and continued speaking in a accusatory tone:

"The timeframe for this countermeasure is 24 hours. This morning, I requested that Lu Yao meet with me in the morning. But you refused. When I proposed the meeting, I also said that if he came, we could talk. But he was late. So, after 10:30 a.m. today, the countermeasures should have been sent back to headquarters, and at the same time, the countermeasures will take effect at 12:30 p.m. today."

"What is it?!"

Lu Yao's voice trembled slightly.

Luo Xuewei looked at him again, her tone still calm:

"You already guessed it, didn't you?"

"Fuck you!"

Lu Yao stood up abruptly.

The stool made a "crackling" scraping sound. Then, because of the sudden and rapid movement of getting up, it slammed against the back wall with a "thud".

The next second, the door was pushed open.

A group of people, led by Angkor, rushed in quickly.

They weren't in the monitoring room, so they didn't know what kind of conversation was taking place; they only heard the commotion and instinctively gave a warning.

After Lu Yao was immediately protected, everyone's attention turned to Luo Xuewei.

Luo Xuewei calmly looked at the panicked Lu Yao and shook her head:

“Natalia and I are best friends, and I had no intention of hurting her.”

With Lu Yao's face deathly pale, she said, word by word:

"I'm so sorry, Lu Yao. You should have come sooner."

After she finished speaking, she fell completely silent.

I am sorry.

stranger.

If I can't have you, I'll destroy you.

This is the last thing I can do for my country right now.

(End of this chapter)