Nominal: Hou Liangping blocking the door? He was slapped away!

Upon hearing the words "Xishan," Heng Shichang's face paled even further.

He looked up at Shen Zhong, and the steady composure that had been cultivated in the old cadre system was finally gone from his eyes.

"When you found out about Xishan, you should have known that this is not something you can confront head-on."

Shen Zhong looked at him.

"Are you still worrying about what's going on over there?"

Heng Shichang's lips twitched slightly.

"Shen Zhong, you're young, and many things aren't as straightforward as you think."

"I come from a military background. I can tell whether a road is winding or not by looking at the terrain."

Shen Zhong pushed the black wallet in front of him.

"You're at the bottom of the pit now. The person above just pulled the ladder away."

Heng Shichang swallowed hard, his fingers curling on the edge of the table.

West Mountain.

The backyard of the service center for retired cadres.

The red light on the landline went out, and the head secretary put the receiver back in its original position, his palm still resting on the phone for two seconds.

He was wearing a black Zhongshan suit, the collar buttoned up tightly, his hair neatly styled, and his face showed no trace of emotion.

Someone outside the door asked in a low voice.

"Should we call back?"

The head secretary glanced at him.

The man immediately shut up.

The door to the inner room was half-open.

Thick curtains blocked out the night, a small lamp was lit next to the wicker chair, and a cup of tea had gone cold on the table.

The old man lay on the rattan chair with his eyes closed, a thin blanket draped over his knees, and a string of Buddhist prayer beads in his hand.

Each bead was polished until it shone.

The chief secretary took two steps away and bent down.

"Old Qin, Heng Shichang has been killed on the northern front."

The prayer beads are still moving.

The chief secretary continued to lower his voice.

"The top-secret letter was suppressed by Shen Zhong under martial law, and the man was already handcuffed. The small leather suitcase was opened, and the black leather wallet, the chip, and the pass were all in their hands."

The old man did not open his eyes.

The chief secretary paused for a moment.

"He made a confidential call. As per your instructions, I only replied with eight words."

The prayer beads stopped.

The small lamp in the room illuminated the old man's profile, revealing deep wrinkles and lips pressed into a thin line.

After a long while, the old man finally spoke.

"Is Shen Zhong in charge of military affairs?"

"Yes. The northern route has already sealed the spectrum, recordings, and jump addresses."

"What about the Xu family?"

"The border control order has passed the highest level of verification. In Handong, Qi Tongwei has also received the synchronization coordinates."

The old man opened his eyes and his gaze fell on the teacup.

"Heng Shichang cannot be mentioned consecutively."

The chief secretary immediately lowered his head.

"clear."

"Repeal the transfer order."

The head secretary tensed up slightly at the shoulder.

"That transfer order has been invalid for many years, but the serial number can be found."

"Even if it's discovered, someone has to dare to investigate."

The old man moved his prayer beads in a low voice.

"There are still old informants in the military discipline inspection commission. They assembled a joint task force overnight, took the official seal, and went to the northern front. The pretext was to write a report about violations of combat readiness, illegal detention, and unauthorized interrogation."

The chief secretary looked up.

"Purpose?"

"Take the man away and seize the scroll."

The old man placed the prayer beads on the armrest.

"If you can't get the person, break the chain of statements. If you can't get the case file, mess up the original document catalog. You can't let the testimonies be coherent."

The chief secretary took half a step back.

"I'll take care of it right away."

The old man closed his eyes.

Tell them to arrive before dawn.

The head secretary turned and left, and the lights in the corridor turned on one by one.

Two confidential staff members were already waiting outside.

"The old secret agents of the Military Discipline Inspection Commission, including the Class B covert agents, are all put into use."

"clear."

"The list of the joint task force is being compiled now, and a spare official seal will be used for stamping. The materials will not be made public, and the special plane will use the Xishan service support route."

The clerk held the notebook, his pen moving at lightning speed.

"Who should be the team leader?"

The chief secretary stopped in his tracks.

"Choose someone with a fresh face, a rank high enough to control the northern duty room, and a clean resume. Quiet, steady-handed, and good at snatching original documents."

What if the northern route refuses to accept the goods?

The head secretary straightened his cuffs.

"Then slam the order to abolish the transfer on their table and stir things up first."

Half an hour later.

Xishan Back Field.

A small private jet turned on its navigation lights, and four black sedans stopped close to the runway edge.

Several men in dark jackets got off the bus carrying briefcases with large red seals affixed to the seals on the briefcases.

Without exchanging pleasantries, the leader took the confidential bag and headed up the gangway.

The hatch closed.

The special plane took off and headed north.

Handong Provincial Department.

The coordinate graph on the screen was synchronized to the ward terminal at 3:27 a.m.

Qi Tongwei leaned against the hospital bed, his left arm in a sling, and held a red pen in his right hand.

His face was pale, but his eyes remained calm and steady.

There were several documents on the bedside table.

Coordinates of Xishan.

Call transcription.

Spectrum screenshot.

There's also the military service receipt that Shenyang Zhongcheng just sealed up.

Lin Huahua stood to the side, her eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep.

"Director Qi, the northern route has been confirmed. The telephone answering point is located at the Xishan Retired Cadres Service Center, and the access level is marked with the QC sequence."

Qi Tongwei put the red pen cap back on.

笃.

The pen cap bumped against the bedside table with a very soft sound.

"What do you mean by 'heavy'?"

"That's what Major General Shen said: He answered the phone, and he also showed his hand."

Qi Tongwei stared at the coordinate graph.

"Is there any further activity from Xishan?"

Lin Huahua pushed another flight path map over.

"A special service plane just took off. Its destination was not publicly declared, but its heading is north. The northbound flight crew said it might have been hit by a collision or something."

Qi Tongwei smiled, but the smile was faint.

"That old geezer still wants to snatch the tickets."

Lin Huahua lowered her voice.

"Director Qi, should we remind Secretary Tian?"

"remind."

Qi Tongwei threw off the covers and got up, supporting himself on the edge of the bed with his right hand.

Lin Huahua quickly stepped forward.

"Director Qi, the doctor said you cannot get out of bed."

"Doctors manage the wounds, the task force manages the case files."

He put on his coat; his left arm in a sling slowed his movements a little, but his steps were still steady.

Outside the door, two provincial police officers immediately stood at attention.

Qi Tongwei looked towards the end of the corridor.

Where is Sha Ruijin?

"The temporary ward is being guarded by Secretary Tian's men."

"Walk."

Lin Huahua followed, carrying her tablet, her voice still a little hurried.

"Director Qi, are you seeing him now to question Sha's father-in-law?"

"Ask him, it's no use."

Qi Tongwei stopped at the door of the ward and looked inside through the glass.

Sha Ruijin sat on the edge of the bed, his tie long since removed, his shirt collar open, looking as if his physique had been stripped away.

But a sliver of hope remained in his eyes.

That was the last habit of those who stood in the limelight.

I always felt like someone would hand me an umbrella from behind.

Qi Tongwei raised his hand and pushed the door open.

The hinge clicked softly.

Sha Ruijin looked up, his voice terribly dry.

"Qi Tongwei, is there any news from the northern front?"

Qi Tongwei walked in and placed the tablet in front of him.

On the screen, a red dot is pinned to the Xishan Retired Cadres Service Center.

Sha Ruijin stared at the coordinates, his face twitching slightly.

"What is this?"

"Heng Shichang's distress call."

Qi Tongwei pulled up a chair and sat down opposite him.

The person who answered the phone only said eight words: "Cut off physical contact and remain silent."

Sha Ruijin slowly pressed his hand against the bed sheet.

Qi Tongwei pulled out the flight path chart.

"Another special plane took off from Xishan, carrying the repealed transfer order and the official seal, and headed north to seize the person and take custody of him."

Sha Ruijin's lips were dry.

"I don't know about this line..."

Whether you know it or not is no longer important.

Qi Tongwei looked up at him, his tone calm.

"Your father-in-law's umbrella didn't save Heng Shichang just now. It won't save you next either."

Sha Ruijin made a very soft sound in his throat, as if he wanted to explain, or as if he couldn't swallow it down.

Qi Tongwei pulled up a chair and looked at Sha Ruijin, who was still clinging to a sliver of hope. "Secretary Sha, your world has just collapsed."