Espionage codename: Shen Gongbao

Chapter 141 Tonight's the Catch

In the office, Li Shiqun was talking to Liu Zhongwen.

Wu Sibao pushed open the door and came in, his hat still on, his voice booming first:

"Brother, Jiang Jun stopped a guy named Xiong Fei at the gate duty room. He said he was released by Lao Hu's side and should be allowed to pass."

Li Shiqun put down his pen, his brow furrowing: "What did they say in the interrogation room?"

"It probably didn't even pass through the interrogation room." Wu Sibao curled his lip.

"When Lao Hu arrests someone, he usually puts them in the detention room and interrogates them by himself first. Only after that is he handed them over to the interrogation room."

"This person was arrested last night and released in less than 24 hours."

"Either Lao Hu abused his power for personal gain, or there's something fishy going on here."

"He treats the building's rules and regulations like a joke."

Li Shiqun remained silent, picked up the phone on the table, and dialed:

"Xuesen, it's me."

"Has Xiong Fei, a guy on Lao Hu's side, been interrogated yet?"

"Okay, I understand."

Li Shiqun hung up the phone and turned to Wu Sibao: "Let him go."

Wu Sibao stiffened his neck:

"Brother, as far as I know, this Xiong Fei is a black market dealer. He was arrested and released without any interrogation. There must be something going on here."

"I know," Li Shiqun said calmly.

"This man works for the Lihe Trading Company and has close ties with the Germans. Old Hu didn't find any evidence, so it's normal to release him after routine questioning. Let's just do it this way."

Wu Sibao was unwilling to give up and took half a step forward: "Brother, let me interrogate him. If I beat that kid up, I guarantee he'll spill some stuff."

"Besides, the Germans aren't Japanese, why should we be afraid of them?"

Li Shiqun looked up at him, his gaze darkening.

"Four Guarantees".

"There are some things I don't say, out of brotherhood."

"Old Hu is one of our own, after all, he's the head of the intelligence department. One of you is my eyes, and the other is my hands."

"I approve of internal oversight, but you have to prioritize and use appropriate methods."

He tapped his fingers twice on the table, his tone turning colder: "This kind of blatant attempt to undermine unity is foolish."

"I advise you not to do it, and I won't agree to you doing it."

"Even if you want to climb the ladder, you have to compete based on your own abilities, do you understand what I mean?"

Wu Sibao's lips moved, as if he wanted to speak but then swallowed his words back.

He's not stupid. He's been targeting Hu Junhe lately, and his older brother is annoyed with him.

"Alright, I'll go release them now." He said somewhat unhappily, then turned and left.

The footsteps faded into the distance.

Li Shiqun leaned back in his chair and turned to look at Liu Zhongwen: "What do you think?"

"This is a good thing," Liu Zhongwen said with a faint smile, pushing up his glasses.

"At least Sibao is now alert and will no longer let Director Hu lead him by the nose and use him as a tool."

He paused, then changed the subject: "But Director, you've crossed a line. Arresting and interrogating people are necessary procedures."

"Director Hu bypassed the interrogation room; this is an abuse of public resources for private gain."

Li Shiqun smiled and shook his head: "Let's not do it again."

"There's nothing we can do. Si Bao and his gang went too far. They even deliberately made things difficult for the intelligence department when it came to distributing a few bags of flour."

"Yongxinglong Company didn't let Lao Hu participate, and now Iwai Mansion has sent Yang Siyuan to monitor him."

He sighed, "He's not having an easy time either, so I understand his resentment. I can accept him taking a small cut from someone now."

"The director didn't investigate the Liujiagang incident last time, and now he's even given him a share of the profits. The director really has a deep affection for Lao Hu." Liu Zhongwen nodded.

He paused for a moment, his tone becoming serious:

"However, Lao Hu is a senior figure, has private dealings with the Japanese, and is on friendly terms with Wang Xuesen, so the director should still be wary of him."

Li Shiqun paced back and forth a couple of times, a shrewd and calculating composure appearing on his face:

"certainly."

"That's why I leaked the information about becoming the deputy director."

"With this carrot hanging over us, Wu Sibao and Yang Jie will fight Hu Junhe to the death, and I can just watch the show from the sidelines."

Liu Zhongwen hesitated for a moment: "It seems the director didn't consider Wang Xuesen?"

Li Shiqun turned his head away.

Liu Zhongwen met his gaze and said calmly:

"This guy is no ordinary person. He has connections with Captain Okamura and Section Chief Fujita. If he were to suddenly reveal his fangs, he might be even more terrifying than Hu Junhe."

"Look, you're here again."

Li Shiqun glanced at him, his tone tinged with disdain:

"Wang Xuesen's qualifications aren't enough to compete for the deputy director position, are they?"

"The personnel of No. 76 still had to go through the hands of Wang Jingwei and Zhou Fohai. With Chen Bijun as the hurdle, Wang Xuesen could forget about having any hope in this lifetime."

"Besides, he doesn't seem interested at all; all he cares about is money."

He raised his hand and held up one finger: "He's just a little clever, but he lacks the courage to do big things."

"Furthermore, if he were truly on good terms with Captain Okamura, would he need to pursue Fujita Hajime's daughter to deal with Bai Junqi?"

"Why all this roundabout stuff?"

Liu Zhongwen pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded:

"That's true. As long as Wang Xuesen's position remains unchanged, no matter how much power he has, it will be difficult for him to cause any trouble."

He verbally agreed.

But he never let his guard down.

If this person isn't kept a close watch, one day he'll bare his fangs and start eating people.

He didn't say anything more; some things are best left unsaid.

The director listened and naturally took note.

If they won't listen, no amount of talking will help.

Li Shiqun walked back to his desk and sat down again.

"Alright, you can go ahead and get busy."

"Yes."

Liu Zhongwen turned and went out the door.

……

The night is getting darker.