Courtyard House: I, the eldest son of the Jia family, have returned from the battlefield.

He didn't stop, but went straight to his office.

After putting down his briefcase, Jia Dongming did not sit down.

Remembering that the investigation into Zhang Huizi's matter was still ongoing, he turned around and pushed the door open again.

The door to the next office was ajar. He raised his hand and knocked, then said to a middle-aged man inside who was writing at his desk, "Guozhu, go and invite Comrades Jianguo and Aijun over. We'll meet in my office in half an hour."

Lin Guozhu immediately stood up and respectfully replied, "Yes, Section Chief, I will go and inform Captain Guo and Captain Li right away."

About fifteen minutes later, Guo Jianguo's footsteps were heard outside the door.

He knocked on the door and entered, asking respectfully, "Section Chief, you wanted to see me?"

Jia Dongming looked up, his loyal gaze sweeping over the other man's head, before he smiled and said, "Old Guo, have a seat."

As soon as Guo Jianguo settled into the chair in front of his desk, a clear message silently unfolded in Jia Dongming's mind: "Guo Jianguo, male, 39 years old, favorability index 51, loyalty score 13."

Guo Jianguo leaned forward slightly and asked in a questioning tone, "Section Chief, is there something important that you called Lao Li and me here so early in the morning?"

The polite smile on Jia Dongming's face gradually faded, and his expression turned serious: "Jianguo, the reason I called you and Aijun here today is to talk about that case at the factory that involved enemy agents."

Guo Jianguo looked puzzled: "That case...wasn't it already transferred to the Dongcheng branch for handling?"

Jia Dongming slowly explained, "I had just been transferred to the factory and had confirmed Chen Jianfei's identity. At that time, I didn't know much about the personnel in the security department. In order to avoid alerting him, I had to rely on the power of the public security."

Just then, Li Aijun pushed open the door and walked in. He nodded to the two of them, his tone carrying his usual politeness: "Section Chief, I'm not late, am I? I didn't keep you and Lao Guo waiting, did I?"

Jia Dongming stood up, walked to the row of dark wooden cabinets behind his desk, opened the cabinet door and took out a tin tea canister. A smile returned to his face: "Jianguo, Aijun, my old comrade-in-arms sent me some good tea the other day. I'd like to invite you to have a taste today."

As he spoke, he casually turned his gaze to Li Aijun—almost simultaneously, several lines of text clearly surfaced in the depths of his mind: "Li Aijun, male, forty-two years old, favorability index of sixty-seven, loyalty score of thirty-two."

Jia Dongming calmly picked up the tea leaves, put them into the cup, poured in hot water, and pushed the two cups of tea in front of the two people respectively.

The white porcelain cup made a slight tapping sound as it touched the tabletop.

He sat back down in his chair and calmly got to the point: "Jianguo, Aijun, the reason I called you here today is still about that enemy spy case at the factory."

Li Aijun picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then, as if suddenly remembering something, looked up and asked, "Section Chief, I heard that the Dongcheng Branch transferred the case to the Municipal Bureau yesterday?"

Jia Dongming was slightly surprised, but then he remembered that the security department usually had close ties with the public security system, and he understood.

He nodded, his expression solemn: "Aijun is right."

Based on clues provided by arrested enemy agents, the Dongcheng Branch discovered a wider network of enemy agents behind the scenes, and therefore transferred the case to the Municipal Public Security Bureau for unified investigation.

"However, since this case is directly related to our steel rolling mill, while the police were conducting their investigation, I didn't stop either."

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping across the two men's faces. "In fact, I have already obtained a crucial clue, and this clue is firmly tied to the inside of our factory."

Earlier, Li Aijun had already heard that Jia Dongming, upon taking office, had astutely sensed that a group of enemy agents were lurking in the factory.

Subsequently, Jia Dongming, together with police officers from the Dongcheng branch, acted decisively and captured the entire group, successfully thwarting their plot against the special workshop.

When Li Aijun heard the news, he felt somewhat conflicted. But when he realized that Chen Jianfei was indeed an enemy agent, he understood that Jia Dongming had no choice but to bypass the security department and contact the police directly.

As the captain of the Third Brigade of the Security Department, Li Aijun still harbored a deep regret for not being able to participate in such a major case.

Upon hearing Jia Dongming mention a new clue, one closely linked to the steel rolling mill, his eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked, "Section Chief, what exactly is this clue?"

Jia Dongming did not answer immediately, but pointed to the open office door and said, "Aijun, please close the door first, and we can talk in detail later."

Li Aijun immediately put down his teacup, quickly walked to the door and closed it, then swiftly returned to his desk, unable to contain himself any longer, and asked again, "Now you can tell me, Section Chief?"

Jia Dongming remained unhurried as he watched Li Aijun's eager expression.

He took out a pack of Peony brand cigarettes from his pocket, handed one to Li Aijun and one to Guo Jianguo, and lit one for himself.

A thin wisp of smoke dissipated in the air before he slowly spoke: "Jianguo, Aijun, you both know something about this enemy spy case that happened in the factory."

"Based on the information I currently have, the group of Japanese enemy agents led by Zhou Xudong is just a small group hidden in our factory."

Above Zhou Xudong, there was an even larger and more tightly organized enemy intelligence organization.

"As you all know, I've only been here for less than a week, and I'm not very familiar with the security personnel yet."

That's why, when I first discovered Chen Jianfei's problems, I had no choice but to seek assistance from the police.

"But I haven't been idle these past few days."

Through some visits and investigations, I have figured out who Zhou Xudong's superior is, and even have a general understanding of their next move.

"The key point is that the leader of this enemy intelligence organization is connected with one of the leaders of our steel rolling mill."

At this point, Jia Dongming placed his cigarette on the edge of the ashtray, his gaze sharpening: "So my idea is that the police will be responsible for clearing out the enemy agents on the periphery, while the part directly related to our factory will be investigated by the security department."

"Therefore, team members participating in this investigation must meet two conditions: first, they must have no involvement with the steel rolling mill, and second, they must be absolutely loyal to the security department."

He looked at the two men and asked, "How many completely trustworthy members can your First and Second Battalions spare?"

The news that the captured enemy agent group leader at the steel rolling mill was still holding the title of deputy factory director made the two men's hearts sink—if even the deputy factory director was just a group leader, how high must the position of the mastermind be?

As Jia Dongming finished speaking, Guo Jianguo and Li Aijun exchanged a glance, and Zhou Xudong's name pierced their thoughts like an ice needle.

Guo Jianguo's Adam's apple bobbed, and he tentatively lowered his voice, "Section Chief...the person we're investigating this time, could it be Factory Director Yang?"

Jia Dongming did not deny it.

His expression was solemn, and he tapped his fingertips lightly on the table: "Current intelligence points to Director Yang's lover, Zhang Huizi—she is Zhou Xudong's direct superior."

What we need to figure out now is whether Yang Weimin knew about it, or... whether he was already involved.

The image of that gentle face appeared in Li Aijun's mind.

Deputy Section Chief Zhang of the Logistics Department at the People's Hospital always spoke softly; how could he be a superior to an enemy agent? He couldn't help but lean forward: "Section Chief, is this information reliable?"

Jia Dongming was naturally shocked.

If he hadn't witnessed Zhang Huizi exchanging secret letters with a shadowy figure at the end of the alley that night, he himself wouldn't have believed it.

He nodded emphatically: "Absolutely true."

The only remaining question is whether Yang Weimin is clean or not.

This is our only task right now.

Guo Jianguo immediately replied, "The First Brigade can spare five reliable and skilled reconnaissance personnel."

Li Aijun also came to his senses: "The Third Brigade can send four people."

Jia Dongming pondered for a moment, then glanced at the two of them: "Zhang Huizi has extremely strong counter-surveillance capabilities, and the public security department will be keeping a close eye on her."

And we—must keep a close eye on Yang Weimin.

I need to know who he meets every day, where he goes, and I can't miss even a single glance from him.

After assigning the tasks, Jia Dongming hopped on his bicycle and headed straight for the Dongcheng branch of the Public Security Bureau.

Li Xidong was on the phone in his office when he saw him standing at the door. He quickly gestured for him to sit down and replied into the receiver, "Don't worry, the tailor shop is under surveillance. We'll let you know if there's any movement."

After hanging up the phone, Li Xidong rubbed his temples, but smiled and said, "Section Chief Jia, the clue you gave me last time was a great help."

Following the leads, the municipal bureau uncovered several covert agents not only in our branch but also around headquarters.

Jia Dongming showed no surprise, only nodded calmly.

He harbored even more unspoken information, but couldn't find a suitable pretext to reveal it all.

Li Xidong noticed his reaction and raised an eyebrow: "You don't seem surprised at all?"

"Since they can set up surveillance points at the Winter City branch, the other branches will naturally not let them get away with it either."

Jia Dongming spoke calmly, then quickly changed the subject, "Director Li, I'm here today for Zhang Huizi—her identity has been confirmed."

I have now made arrangements with the steel rolling mill..."

"etc!"

Li Xidong abruptly sat up straight in his chair, his voice rising abruptly, "What did you say? Zhang Huizi's identity—has been confirmed?!"

Li Xidong's expression suddenly froze, and the air in the office seemed to become heavier instantly.

Meeting his surprised gaze, Jia Dongming said slowly and clearly, "Director Li, after 48 hours of secret surveillance, the cover identity of the target 'Huizi' has been confirmed."

"who is she?"

Li Xidong's voice was very low, and his fingers unconsciously gripped the edge of the table.

Jia Dongming took out a kraft paper envelope from his pocket, pulled out two black and white photos, and gently pushed them across the table.

The first photo shows a female cadre wearing a Lenin suit and with short hair, talking to someone under the sign of the logistics department of the People's Hospital; the second photo shows the same woman holding the arm of a middle-aged man, the two standing in front of the gate of the steel mill's residential compound, looking intimate.

According to public records, her name is Zhang Huizi, and she is the deputy head of the logistics department of the People's Hospital.

Jia Dongming's fingertip landed on the second photo, "But her legal spouse is Comrade Yang Weimin, the director of our steel rolling mill."

Li Xidong abruptly stood up, the wooden chair legs scraping against the cement floor with a sharp, grating sound. "Director Yang's wife?"

He practically spat out the words through gritted teeth, "Section Chief Jia, you should know better than me what kind of responsibility this conclusion entails."

"Each piece of evidence has undergone triple cross-verification."

Jia Dongming spread out several more pages of materials—photocopies of household registration files, copies of hospital duty logs, and even two department store invoice stubs; all the timelines perfectly matched the surveillance report. "The only thing that's uncertain right now is whether Comrade Yang Weimin himself was aware of it, or…"

He paused for two seconds, then asked, "Will you participate?"

This statement plunged the room into an even deeper silence.

The second hand of the wall clock ticked away, and Li Xidong's gaze shifted back and forth between the photos and documents, beads of sweat gradually forming on his forehead.

He finally reached out and grabbed the telephone crank, turning it three times before picking up the receiver: "Connect to headquarters, I need Deputy General Manager Ma's dedicated line."

A static hum came from the receiver, then was cut off by a steady male voice: "This is Ma Weidong."

"Old boss, this is Xidong."

Li Xidong straightened his back unconsciously. "Regarding our investigation of enemy intelligence organizations, we... have come across a specific level of related parties."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. "The words 'special level' coming out of your mouth, you're probably not an ordinary cadre, are you?"

Li Xidong glanced at Jia Dongming.

The latter nodded, turned the photograph at the entrance of the family compound to the front, and pushed it towards the telephone. "The spouse of Comrade Yang Weimin, the steel mill director, has been verified to be 'Huizi,' an alias of a key figure in the enemy's intelligence organization."

The receiver crackled with the sharp sound of paper being crumpled. "A chain of evidence?"

"whole."