booktalesy Chapter 167 A New Mission
Chapter 167 A New Mission
Hu Ruoxi held Yang Baocai's gradually cooling body and wept silently.
Wu Zhiyuan reminded her, "Ruoxi, I know you still love him and are heartbroken, but don't forget that Yang Baocai is the mastermind behind your father's murder."
Hu Ruoxi remained silent, her eyes glazed over.
Wu Zhiyuan pulled Hu Ruoxi to the sofa.
The investigators took photos and examined the scene before carrying Yang Baocai's body out.
They wisely closed the office door, giving Wu Zhiyuan and Hu Ruoxi some space to be alone.
Wu Zhiyuan took out a tissue, not to hand it to Hu Ruoxi, but to wipe away her tears directly.
Hu Ruoxi swayed and fell into his arms, sobbing softly.
Wu Zhiyuan gently patted her back, comforting her, "Ruoxi, everything will pass."
Hu Ruoxi choked back tears, "Why? Why is the man I once loved most the murderer of my father?"
"Ruoxi, people's hearts are hidden behind their skin. Some people wear masks and act for so long that they even deceive themselves."
Yang Baochai may have had a moment of genuine affection for you, but that sincerity couldn't withstand his mission, nor could it withstand his greed and ruthlessness.
When he chose that path, he had already weighed your relationship and your moral principles on the scales.
Unfortunately, in his heart, some things are far more important than you and your father.
This is a very blunt statement, even somewhat cruel, but it is the truth.
"Zhiyuan, do you think I'm stupid? I was fooled by him for so long, and I even let a wolf into the house, causing Dad's death..."
Wu Zhiyuan gently wiped away Hu Ruoxi's tears with a tissue: "Your father, if he is watching from heaven, will not blame you."
He could only feel heartache, heartache for his daughter who had suffered so much injustice.
After sobbing for a while, Hu Ruoxi suddenly asked, "Zhiyuan, when you approached me, was it also with a mission, like him? Were you also acting?"
Wu Zhiyuan's heart trembled. After a few seconds of silence, he slowly said, "Ruoxi, I approached you in the first place to find out the truth."
You are the vice president of Dadi Company and are suspected of leaking secrets, but after getting to know you for a while, I found that this is not the case. You are a good girl.
My identity and job determined my starting point.
But right now, I'm here holding you, comforting you, seeing you so sad—this really has nothing to do with work.
"Sigh, I was so stupid! I became the target of two men..."
Upon hearing these words, Wu Zhiyuan felt as if he had been pricked by a needle.
He paused for a moment, then said, "Ruoxi, people are different. The mission is just a starting point. But the human heart cannot be completely faked."
He paused, then ultimately chose a more subtle way of expressing himself: "Seeing you sad makes me sad too. I mean it from the bottom of my heart."
"Zhiyuan," Hu Ruoxi shifted slightly, seemingly wanting to leave his embrace, but felt utterly weak. "Don't say anything more. I understand what you mean. I'm tired, so very tired, physically and mentally exhausted..."
Operation Crucible is not over yet; Gao Bowen is still active on another front.
The task force discovered through surveillance that Gao Bowen behaved abnormally after Su Manli's death, frequently changing his communication tools and showing signs of wanting to flee.
"We absolutely cannot let him escape!" Chu Jianguo issued the order, "Arrest Gao Bowen immediately, and make sure he is caught red-handed!"
According to intelligence, Gao Bowen booked a flight to a certain overseas location the following morning.
At six o'clock in the morning, the international departure area of the airport waiting hall was bustling with passengers.
Gao Bowen, dressed in a gray casual outfit, wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, and dragging a lightweight carry-on suitcase, discreetly blended into the crowd, completed the check-in procedures, passed through security, and headed towards the boarding gate.
Just before he was about to queue to board the plane, Wu Zhiyuan, Li Xiaoyu, and several plainclothes detectives quickly surrounded him from different directions.
"Gao Bowen!" Wu Zhiyuan flashed his badge, his voice stern. "We're from the national security agency. Please come with me!"
Gao Bowen took off his sunglasses, forcing himself to remain calm: "National Security Agency? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
I am just an ordinary businessman who deals in tea. My name is Jack Wang, and I hold a US passport, which is protected by law.
What right do you have to restrict my freedom?
"Gao Bowen, or Jack Wang, now that we've found you, we have sufficient evidence. Please cooperate with the investigation!" Wu Zhiyuan's tone left no room for argument.
Kao Po-wen shrugged, feigning nonchalance: "Okay, I can cooperate with the investigation to prove my innocence."
But I must remind you that without any evidence, this would be a serious diplomatic incident, and my lawyer will contact the embassy.
Subsequently, investigators conducted a thorough search of Gao Bowen and his personal belongings.
My carry-on luggage contained only a few changes of clothes, toiletries, and a mobile phone.
In his backpack, besides his passport, wallet, and other items, there was only a seemingly ordinary notebook.
"I told you, I'm just a businessman," Gao Bowen said, shrugging. "This notebook is for recording information about my tea purchases. That's not illegal, is it?"
Wu Zhiyuan carefully examined the notebook, which contained lists written in clear handwriting:
「茶叶，117斤3两6钱，价格3135元4角6分。」
「茶叶，118斤8两5钱，价格3356元7角4分。」
……
Initial surveillance revealed no evidence of Gao Bowen buying or selling tea. Clearly, the prices of these teas might be conveying some secret information.
It looks exactly like a tea merchant's purchase ledger.
A hint of smugness flickered across Gao Bowen's face.
Wu Zhiyuan took the notebook and carefully flipped through it page by page.
"Jin, Liang, Qian", "Yuan, Jiao, Fen"...
Why would modern tea transactions use "money," an ancient unit of weight?
Moreover, the price of bulk purchases is usually in whole numbers, at most accurate to "yuan", not accurate to "jiao" and "fen".
There must be a demon in the abnormal situation!
Gao Bowen is so cunning that he would never carry anything useless; this notebook must have some hidden meaning.
Wu Zhiyuan's brain worked at lightning speed, rearranging and combining these numbers.
Suddenly, a thought struck him: the units of weight, such as "jin, liang, qian," and the units of currency, such as "yuan, jiao, fen," are just like the units of geography, such as "degree, minute, second."
茶叶，117斤3两6钱，价格3135元6角6分。是不是可以对应地理坐标：东经117°3′6″,北纬31°35′46″？
茶叶，118斤8两5钱，价格3356元7角4分。是不是可以对应东经118°8′5″,北纬33°56′74″？
This coordinate location is very close to the area of an important military base.
These seemingly ordinary tea accounts are actually carefully disguised records of the latitude and longitude coordinates of important military targets in our country.
Gao Bowen is using tea purchase records as a cover to pass on these secret intelligence.
"Gao Bowen!" Wu Zhiyuan held up his notebook and said sternly, "Explain yourself, are you selling the coordinates of our country's military bases?"
Gao Bowen was flustered, not expecting to be seen through so quickly, but he still tried to remain calm: "I don't know what you're talking about. This is just a normal purchase record. Your imagination is too vivid!"
"Imagine?" Wu Zhiyuan deciphered the coordinates corresponding to several records and sneered, "They're all such coincidences, pointing to our country's key military locations?"
Your tea business is a matter of national security!
Just then, Wu Zhiyuan's encrypted phone rang, and the forensic doctor reported: "Wu Ke, the preliminary autopsy results of Su Manli confirm that her cause of death is poisoning by a highly toxic alkaloid."
The poisoning point was located under the armpit, and tiny pinholes were found on the skin surface, with symptoms disguised as acute myocardial infarction.
This closely matches the characteristics of a certain type of assassination tool used by spies that we possess.
After interrogation, Gao Bowen had no choice but to lower his head.
Operation Furnace was a major victory, successfully dismantling a spy network that attempted to steal my country's strategic rare earth resources and military intelligence, and effectively safeguarding national security.
Director Han's office.
There were only three people: Han Weidong, deputy director of the department; Chu Jianguo, director of the first investigation division; and Wu Zhiyuan.
"Operation Crucible, you did a fantastic job!" Director Han said bluntly. "Not only did you successfully capture the two big fish, Gao Bowen and Yang Baocai, but you also uncovered the moles, such as Zhao Dongcheng and Wang Chao."
More importantly, it completely thwarted the attempt by foreign forces to steal our strategic resources and protected core technologies and national security.
The ministry leadership highly praised this operation.
Zhiyuan, as the deputy leader of the task force, you made outstanding contributions by making timely decisions on the front lines!
Wu Zhiyuan said modestly, "Director Han, you flatter me. This is the result of the joint efforts of the entire team, and also the result of the effective command of Director Han and Section Chief Chu. I just did my job."
Chu Jianguo chimed in: "Zhiyuan, past achievements belong to the past; new challenges are always ahead."
I called you here today because I have a new and important task for you.
Director Han looked at Wu Zhiyuan and said solemnly, "Based on work needs, the ministry has decided to transfer you abroad to carry out a special mission."