Chapter 4: Passed?

No. 76 Jessfield Road, underground interrogation room.

Standing at the entrance of the interrogation room, observing for a while, was Dao Yan. She was slender, about 1.62 meters tall, with a beautiful face and curls styled in the most popular fashion of the Republic of China era. With her arms crossed, she said expressionlessly:

"Both of their testimonies match up. This is interesting."

After uttering this cryptic remark, Dao Yan opened a door next to the interrogation room and led her team inside.

The room was equipped with wiretapping devices. The clerk sitting at the desk saw Dao Yan enter, immediately took off his headphones, and stood up:

"Section Chief, both testimonies have been organized. Please review them."

Dao Yan nodded slightly. As she walked toward the table, her peripheral vision caught a middle-aged woman sitting at the edge of the room. The woman had some wounds on her body and a stiff expression, but upon seeing Dao Yan, she still struggled to force a smile.

She was the one who betrayed "Tiger Cub." Or rather, she did not betray Tiger Cub, but "Magpie."

Her real name was Zhou Mei, codenamed "Painter," and she was the leader of the "Warbler" undercover cell.

As for Tiger Cub, because Zhao Xuan had disappointed the Military Statistics Bureau headquarters time and again, the Bureau Chief had already planned to sideline him. Therefore, Tiger Cub, who was Zhao Xuan’s superior and possessed outstanding capabilities, was transferred by Director Dai to the Warbler undercover cell, which was in greater need of personnel.

From then on, the codename Tiger Cub was retired, and Li Mingzhu joined the Warbler cell under her new codename, Magpie.

This was part of Director Dai's preparations for rebuilding the Shanghai Station. However, what Director Dai did not expect was that Zhou Mei would be captured due to carelessness and subsequently defect.

Furthermore, because Li Mingzhu (Tiger Cub) had just been transferred to the Warbler cell and had frequent contact with Zhou Mei at work, Zhou Mei accidentally learned that Li Mingzhu was about to have her final meeting with a subordinate at the pantry of the Seymour Road flower shop.

Because they did not know the secret code, and because Ding Moqun wanted to lure out everyone connected to Li Mingzhu, they did not arrest her immediately.

Initially, it wouldn't have mattered if Zhou Mei knew, but she was captured and, unable to withstand the torture, she defected and exposed Li Mingzhu’s line.

The Warbler undercover cell, however, was her trump card, intended to be used to secure greater benefits. Therefore, for the time being, the Warbler cell remained unexposed.

After finishing the interrogation report, Dao Yan sat sideways on the table and looked at Zhou Mei with a condescending gaze:

"During the meeting time you provided, no such contact person appeared. Or perhaps the meeting place was not the pantry at all, and Magpie had already completed her contact with the subordinate at the scheduled time."

"So, I'm sorry, but the first piece of intelligence you provided is completely worthless."

Zhou Mei wanted to smile, but the mere movement pulled at the wound on the corner of her mouth, causing her to gasp in pain.

After a few seconds, Zhou Mei said:

"The information I provided is correct. Isn't Magpie's identity already confirmed? She escaped right under your noses."

"Coincidentally, the timing she chose was just after these two entered the flower shop, and she even used them as hostages to delay your pursuit."

"So, this doesn't seem to have anything to do with me. I said before that I wasn't familiar with Magpie's original meeting methods. You could have arrested Magpie directly; it was your own greed for credit that ruined it."

Dao Yan looked at Zhou Mei with an indifferent expression. She stared until Zhou Mei felt a chill in her heart, at which point Dao Yan smiled and said:

"So you mean these two assisted Magpie in her escape?"

Zhou Mei frowned and thought for a long while before finally nodding:

"It must be that. Otherwise, there is no explanation for why Magpie would choose to run exactly when they entered."

"Besides, these two entered the pantry, which matches the meeting location I provided."

Dao Yan thought for a moment with a gloomy face, then looked at Zhou Mei seriously and asked again:

"You previously said that Magpie's subordinate is a senior agent lurking within No. 76, and in a high position at that. But those two do not match your description at all. So, how can you expect me to believe you?"

Zhou Mei was stunned.

In truth, this piece of information was a guess, one she wasn't even certain about herself. The reason for this speculation was entirely due to Magpie, or Li Mingzhu.

Zhou Mei did not know exactly what Li Mingzhu had done before, but she was aware of the general situation. The line Li Mingzhu had previously worked for had a very high security clearance; it was rumored that her line had also planted a senior agent inside No. 76.

It was hard for Zhou Mei not to speculate that this senior agent was Li Mingzhu's subordinate and that they must hold significant power within No. 76. Otherwise, the security clearance could not possibly have exceeded that of the Warbler cell.

But now, Zhou Mei dared not be sure.

Observing Zhou Mei's micro-expressions, Dao Yan’s eyes sharpened. She walked forward in her high-heeled boots, stopping right in front of Zhou Mei. Zhou Mei felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

"I... I am not sure either. That was my guess. However, I am certain that the person who met with Magpie is absolutely someone from No. 76!"

Dao Yan looked down at Zhou Mei, who was sitting in the chair, with a condescending and cold gaze for a while. Then, Dao Yan gave a sharp, confident smile and turned to walk out of the monitoring room:

"In that case, you might as well go and see them. Or perhaps you should consider whether you want to provide me with a different piece of intelligence."

Zhou Mei exhaled a long breath. She refused to believe that so many coincidences could center on those two without there being a problem.

Her trump card was meant to be traded for greater benefits, and Zhou Mei did not want to hand it over to Dao Yan so easily.

Hearing the footsteps behind her, Dao Yan smiled with a frost-covered face. This woman really dared to follow!

Inside Interrogation Room No. 1, it was empty, save for a torture chair in the center, where Dao Yan's younger sister, Dao Ya, was sitting.

As Dao Yan led the group in, Dao Ya raised her delicate eyebrows, about to speak, but stopped when she saw Dao Yan give her a look.

Watching the people file in behind Dao Yan, Dao Ya pouted and let out a huff of annoyance.

The situation inside the interrogation room left Zhou Mei stunned.

If not for the fact that she had seen the "Interrogation Room No. 1" sign when she walked in, she would have mistaken this for a pantry. Furthermore, the young girl sitting in the torture chair must have been the one brought back from the flower shop. Yet, in the current situation, the girl had suffered no physical harm, was not restrained, and her expression appeared quite arrogant.

Zhou Mei was completely bewildered:

"Section Chief Dao, are you sure this is an interrogation room?"

Dao Yan curled her lips and nodded.

Zhou Mei was left speechless. Wasn't No. 76 a den of demons? Weren't those who entered the interrogation room supposed to come out broken? What was going on here?

Of course, Zhou Mei was not stupid. If something was unusual, it must mean the girl's identity was not simple. If even No. 76 didn't dare to use torture, how could she?

Helpless, Zhou Mei had no choice but to ask a few simple questions.