Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 177 Suspicion of an Internal Traitor

"That's right." Liu Mingxuan nodded, "But originally only Anjing and I knew about this. Now you know too."

We need your cooperation to assist in the investigation without exposing Wang Gang.

"What should I do?"

"Continue to do your job well, gain Song Yawen's trust, and at the same time secretly observe the movements of some people in the company."

Especially those who seem least likely to have a problem.

"Understood." Wu Zhiyuan thought for a moment, "Mr. Liu, there's one more thing. I saw Lin Keke again at the port today."

"I know she's in the south of the city, but you two shouldn't have any contact."

"We had no prior contact; we just met by chance."

Liu Mingxuan looked at Wu Zhiyuan and softened his tone: "Qianjin, I understand your feelings. But discipline is discipline."

Comrade Lin Keke is carrying out her mission, and you are carrying out yours. Until the mission is complete, you are strangers.

"I understand. Mr. Liu, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now."

"Wait a minute." Liu Mingxuan took a small device out of the drawer. "Take this. It's a miniature encrypted communicator."

In case of emergency, I will contact you through it. Please do not use it unnecessarily at other times.

Wu Zhiyuan took the device, which was only the size of a button and could be easily hidden in the collar or cuff.

"Also, we have recently obtained some new intelligence regarding Project Tide."

The CIA planned to stage an accident on the day of the military base's opening ceremony, framing the current government of Country A and creating a pretext for Sukhavati to come to power.

"What type of accident?"

"It's not certain yet, but it's very likely an explosion or an attack." Liu Mingxuan said seriously, "We must stop them in advance."

"Go forward. Your position is crucial. Song Yaozu is Suha's financial backer and a key CIA partner in South City. You need to find a way to obtain more information from the Song family."

"I will do my best."

Leaving Sihai Company weighed heavily on Wu Zhiyuan's mind.

Traitor Mystery, Project Tide, Lin Keke...

The various clues and emotions intertwined, making him feel that the burden on his shoulders was getting heavier and heavier.

But he didn't have time to think about it, because Song Ya-wen sent him a message telling him to return to the Song family villa immediately.

Song Family Villa.

Song Ya-wen rushed out: "Qianjin, come with me somewhere."

"Where to?"

"My dad asked me to attend a party, saying it was to introduce me to some important business partners. It was at the Emerald Palace Club in the south of the city."

Wu Zhiyuan started the car and drove out of the villa area.

He saw in the rearview mirror that Song Ya-wen's expression was serious.

"Sister Ya-wen, you don't seem too keen on going?" Wu Zhiyuan asked tentatively.

"I don't like those kinds of occasions," Song Ya-wen said with a wry smile. "A bunch of men smoking and drinking, talking about shady business."

But Dad insisted that I participate, saying that I would be taking over the family business in the future and I needed to adapt.

"President Song is doing this for your own good," Wu Zhiyuan said.

"Maybe." Song Ya-wen leaned back in her chair. "Qianjin, what kind of person do you think my father is?"

The question came as a surprise, and Wu Zhiyuan answered cautiously, "Mr. Song is a successful businessman and has a lot of influence in Nancheng."

"Just a businessman?" Song Ya-wen's voice was very soft, as if she were talking to herself.

Wu Zhiyuan did not respond.

The car drove into the bustling southern part of the city and stopped in front of a magnificent, golden building.

This is Emerald Palace, one of the most upscale private clubs in the southern part of the city, open only to members.

Two security guards in black suits stood at the entrance. After checking Song Yawen's membership card, they respectfully let her through.

The club's interior is extremely luxurious, with crystal chandeliers, marble floors, and genuine leather sofas, showcasing extravagance everywhere.

A waitress in a cheongsam led them to a private room on the third floor.

Pushing open the door, the room was filled with smoke.

Song Yaozu sat in the main seat, next to Suha and two foreigners, the same two people Wu Zhiyuan had seen in the garden yesterday.

"Ya-Wen is here, have a seat." Song Yaozu gestured for his daughter to sit next to him.

Wu Zhiyuan stood behind Song Yawen, his gaze quickly sweeping over everyone in the private room.

Suha was wearing a white suit today and had a friendly smile on his face.

The two foreigners, one with blond hair and blue eyes, was about forty years old and had a robust build.

The other person had brown hair, wore glasses, and looked refined.

"Ya-Wen, this is Mr. Smith, and this is Dr. James," Song Yaozu introduced. "They are investment advisors from the United States, and they are very interested in the development of our country, A."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Song." The blond Smith stood up, spoke in fluent English, and extended his hand.

Song Ya-wen shook hands with him: "Welcome to Country A."

Dr. James simply nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on Song Ya-wen for a moment before shifting away.

Wu Zhiyuan stood aside, seemingly focused on fulfilling his bodyguard duties, but in reality, he memorized the content of everyone's conversation.

They mainly discussed country A's economic prospects, investment opportunities, and some policy trends.

However, Wu Zhiyuan noted that Suha repeatedly steered the conversation toward issues of political stability and leadership change.

"Prime Minister Long Yun's policies are too conservative, restricting the entry of foreign investment," Suha said with feigned regret. "If there were a more open and visionary leader, Country A's development would be much faster."

"Mr. Suha is right," Smith agreed. "The United States has always been willing to help friendly countries achieve development and democratic transition."

Song Yaozu smiled without saying a word, but simply raised his glass: "Come on, let's drink to the future of Country A."

The atmosphere in the private room seemed harmonious, but Wu Zhiyuan could sense an undercurrent of tension.

When Song Yaozu was discussing serious matters, he asked Wu Zhiyuan to patrol outside the private room, which was actually a way of kicking him out.

This shows that Song Yaozu did not trust him very much.

This is also normal.

After all, Wu Zhiyuan was just a driver and bodyguard.

After seeing the guests off, Song Yaozu called Song Yawen aside.

"Ya-Wen, what do you think of Smith and James?"

"They seem very professional," Song Ya-wen replied cautiously.

"They are senior advisors to a large American investment firm, but they have a deeper background," Song Yaozu said in a low voice. "You don't need to know too much, just remember that they are important partners."

They might contact you later to discuss some collaborative projects, and you'll need to cooperate.

"Dad, do we really want to cooperate with them? I heard that Suha is getting close to the United States, and the government has a lot of opinions about some of the United States' actions."

"Politics is politics, and business is business."

Ya-Wen, remember, in this world, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies, only permanent interests.

Alright, it's getting late. Let Qianjin take you home.

On the way back, Song Ya-wen remained silent.

It wasn't until the car entered the villa area that she suddenly spoke: "Qianjin, do you think my father did the right thing?"

Wu Zhiyuan glanced at her in the rearview mirror: "Sister Yawen, I'm just a bodyguard, I don't know anything about these important matters."

"But you have your own judgment, don't you?"

As you saw today, my father is getting very close to Suha and those beautiful Chinese people.

Suha is an opposition figure in the government and has consistently sought to overthrow Prime Minister Long Yun.

Wu Zhiyuan cautiously replied, "President Song must have his reasons."

"Sometimes I really wish I wasn't a daughter of the Song family," Song Ya-wen sighed. "That way I wouldn't have to face those complicated choices."

Wu Zhiyuan's heart stirred.

From Song Ya-wen's tone, he could tell that she did not completely agree with Song Yao-zu's behavior, and even disliked it.

This is a potential breakthrough.

But he can't rush things; he has to take it slowly.

"Sister Ya-wen, everyone has their own path to walk. The important thing is to make choices that bring you peace of mind."

Song Ya-wen glanced at him, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "Qianjin, you're such a strange person. Sometimes I feel like you know so much."

Wu Zhiyuan's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm on the surface: "I'm just a veteran, I haven't read many books, what could I possibly know?"

Song Ya-wen did not speak again.

After sending Song Ya-wen back to her room, Wu Zhi-yuan lay down on the bed in the outer room, but he couldn't fall asleep.

Today's events kept replaying in my mind: the man secretly taking photos at the harbor, Wang Gang's mysterious movements, the gathering at the Jade Palace, Song Yawen's conflicted feelings...

All these clues seem to point in the same direction: Project Tide is accelerating, and Song Yaozu is deeply involved in it.

Wu Zhiyuan checked the time; it was one in the morning.

He quietly got up, took out a miniature encrypted communicator from his collar, and put it on his ear.

A few seconds later, a faint static sound came from the communicator, followed by Liu Mingxuan's voice:

"Forward, there's an emergency. Our informant at the port just reported that the person arrested for taking photos today was abducted during transport."

Wu Zhiyuan was startled: "Who kidnapped them?"

"A group of masked armed men acted swiftly and professionally, and the port security guards were no match for them," Liu Mingxuan said. "What's even stranger is that the port authority's security department's handling of the matter was ambiguous, and they didn't launch a major investigation."

"You mean, someone within the port authority might have been bribed?"

"We can't rule out that possibility," Liu Mingxuan said. "In addition, Wang Gang sent back a message saying that he found there were indeed suspicious people in the company."

"Who?"