Chapter 30: Lavish Rewards

Was he truly willing to kill off Sun Ping’an, a man who had been loyal and diligent by his side for so many years, just to pave the way for Zhao Xuan’s promotion?

Ding Moqun was deeply troubled, especially since the entire affair appeared to be of his own orchestration. He had only informed Sun Ping’an of the plan to transport the "Canary" to Tilanqiao Prison at the very last moment. From every perspective, it looked as though he, Ding Moqun, was the one who had set out to eliminate Sun.

The justification had even been handed to him on a silver platter. If it wasn't Ding Moqun trying to get rid of Sun, then why was it that the moment his nephew-in-law joined the Intelligence Division, the division chief happened to be killed? Zhao Xuan hadn't even been in the department for two full days; was Ding Moqun really that impatient?

After dismissing Dao Yan and Ma Shangcheng, Ding Moqun wore a grim expression as he dialed the Special High Police headquarters.

"Hai! It is my dereliction of duty, Section Chief Matsumoto, but I have a different perspective on this matter."

"I am certain there was no possibility of a leak during this operation, yet the information was leaked nonetheless. Based on the traces left by the Military Statistics Bureau at the scene, they were lying in ambush beforehand."

"Therefore, the intelligence must have been compromised before today."

"No, no, Section Chief Matsumoto, I am not questioning the loyalty of the Imperial Army. However, if the intelligence truly leaked yesterday, then this is the only remaining possibility."

At the Japanese-occupied Shanghai Special High Police headquarters, Matsumoto Ichiro slammed the phone down in anger. Captain Tanaka Shin, standing nearby, looked equally grim.

"Section Chief, is Ding Moqun suggesting that the intelligence leaked from our side?"

Matsumoto Ichiro stroked his small mustache and sneered, "Suggesting? If he weren't certain, he wouldn't have made that call."

"Conduct an internal investigation. If the intelligence truly leaked from our side, I cannot afford to lose face like this!"

"Hai!"

On the third floor of the 76th Branch headquarters, in the conference room directly opposite Ding Moqun’s office, nearly everyone from the 76th had gathered. Scanning the room, Ding Moqun wore a dark, sinister expression as he ordered the printed documents to be distributed.

"I trust you are all aware of what happened today."

"Let us observe a moment of silence for Section Chief Sun..."

"...Gentlemen, the truth behind Section Chief Sun's death has been uncovered. Take a look for yourselves!"

The section chiefs sitting at the desks, their deputies, and the staff members perched on stools along the walls all held copies of the distributed document.

*(Hmph, it must have been the Japanese who leaked the intelligence. After all, within the 76th, only Sun Ping’an and I knew the Canary’s final destination. Now that Sun is dead, the leak must have come from the Special High Police.)*

*(Still, this is a golden opportunity. With the position of Intelligence Division Chief vacant, I can use this to facilitate the next stage of my plan.)*

Listening to Ding Moqun’s inner thoughts, Zhao Xuan frowned slightly. The document in his hand stated that Sun Ping’an’s death was entirely due to the theft of intelligence by two Military Statistics Bureau agents embedded within the 76th: "Phoenix Tail Orchid" and "Young Tiger."

Combining this with Ding Moqun’s thoughts, it was clear that the document was a complete fabrication, designed specifically for his next move.

What was Ding Moqun’s next move? Was he trying to make everyone in the 76th believe that two Military Statistics agents were lurking among them, hoping to incite mutual surveillance and accusations? Clearly, that wasn't his only goal, though it was likely part of it. But its effectiveness would be limited. After all, accusing a colleague was a serious crime; if proven false, the accuser would face a dire end. Ding Moqun was not foolish enough to rely solely on a system of denunciation—if he were that simple-minded, he would have died a hundred times over.

After finishing the document, Zhao Xuan turned his attention to Dao Yan, focusing his "dialysis mode" on her. He wondered how she would react to the realization that the codename "Phoenix Tail Orchid" had been compromised. She hadn't had a chance to contact her superiors since yesterday, so she likely wasn't aware of the exposure yet.

As Zhao Xuan observed her, he glanced at Ding Moqun. The old fox was indeed watching everyone’s facial expressions in the room. He was clearly desperate to flush out Phoenix Tail Orchid and himself, but such methods were rarely effective. A top-tier agent like Dao Yan wouldn't let her emotions show on her face unless she intended to. As for Zhao Xuan, he had known about this long in advance, so he showed no surprise, maintaining his usual stern, brooding demeanor.

This image was already deeply ingrained in everyone's minds, so Ding Moqun’s observations yielded nothing.

*(Dao Yan: My codename has been exposed... hiss! No wonder—no wonder Ding Moqun has been acting so strangely since yesterday. He’s been trying to smoke me out!)*

*(Phew—so I was nearly exposed last night? Everything leading up to today’s transport mission was just Ding Moqun setting a trap. If I hadn’t failed to find an opportunity to contact my superiors, I would have been on the suspect list regardless of how careful I was today.)*

*(And only Ma Shangcheng and I knew the details of the transport mission. That’s no different from being exposed.)*

*(Wait... damn it, did Zhao Xuan figure something out? Why else would he have been staring at me all last night?)*

Listening to Dao Yan’s internal monologue, Zhao Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. A top-tier agent is a top-tier agent; despite the turmoil inside, her face remained calm. Now that she was aware of the exposure, she would surely be able to handle the situation. He didn't need to worry about her for the moment, which made his own life easier.

*(Young Tiger? There’s another agent, Young Tiger, with the same security clearance as me lurking in the 76th? Was I nearly exposed because this "Young Tiger" leaked some intelligence that tipped off Ding Moqun?)*

*(No, no. The exposure of a codename implies a leak on our side. Was it Department Chief Chen... or Chongqing?)*

*(Young Tiger? Young Tiger! To think there is another one. Heh, I suppose I am not alone.)*

Zhao Xuan stared ahead with an indifferent expression, though inwardly he was speechless. Even at a time like this, Dao Yan could still find amusement. Still, her analytical skills were truly remarkable.

After listening to her thoughts, Zhao Xuan cast his "dialysis mode" across the room. Most of the people in the conference room were preoccupied with trivial matters.

*(Zhou Mei: The Director’s attempt to "throw a stone to test the path" isn't particularly clever, but combined with the promise of high rewards to attract talent, it might actually have an unexpected effect.)*

If not for hearing her inner thoughts, Zhao Xuan wouldn't have noticed that Zhou Mei was still alive. Wait—where was she? Zhao Xuan scanned the room from the corner of his eye, but couldn't find her. Zhou Mei was not in the conference room.