Chapter 676: Chapter 644 Another Guess_1
Nanny: "Yes, sir."
Bai Qishan: "Anything else?"
The nanny paused at this moment, seemingly choosing her words carefully.
Nanny: "The hyena has a top-secret telegram; the content is the same as a year ago, instructing us to continue searching the mountain ranges around the G203-G204 section of the Qilian Mountains, looking for the treasure transferred from Sapporo, and also to find the remains of the six people who went missing back then."
There was another pause in the recording, but the rustling sound continued, as if someone was getting dressed.
"Reply in my name that the search is ongoing and request financial and personnel support."
The recording ended.
Xu Dayuan hurriedly asked Mr. Qu to encrypt the recording and send it to Mr. Hu, after all, they needed a Sapporo language expert to translate the content.
According to what Cao Wenyu had said, the recording was enough to prove that Bai Qishan was not only connected to the Minjin side but also had close ties with Sapporo. After fiddling around, they sent it off, and Xu Dayuan hurried to phone and report the situation to Mr. Hu in the room next door.
When he returned, he glanced at Zhou Ning.
The recording did not mention Qindao or Zhou Ning, but with a bit of analysis, it was clear what it meant. District Thirteen probably referred to Suijing District Thirteen, which was Qindao. The prey was to be assassinated before May 9th, and Zhou Ning was attacked on May 6th.
The assassin had also received money from another employer, one of the top three in the Qindao economy, which further indicated that the assassination target was Zhou Ning.
As for the employer, there was no need to say, it was Fang Jinquan, the chairman of the Huajin Group.
However, after this case, there wasn’t much focus on Huajin Group’s news; whether Fang Jinquan encountered trouble or whether someone took over the management of Jinhua Group remained unclear. After all, they weren’t part of the Economic Investigation Bureau, so they didn’t watch the local economic news unless necessary.
"Mr. Hu said he’s going to find someone to translate it. The prey they mentioned seems to be Zhou Xiaozhou. But Bai Qishan is in Ganzhou, how can he reach so far?"
Pausing, Xu Dayuan continued:
"Bai Qishan mentioned the hyena. According to the nanny’s reference, this person is Bai Qishan’s superior, and he might have secured his position due to something related to Zhou Ning’s parents’ deaths. After all, Zhou Xiangrong back then should’ve been closest to the truth of that ritual and must have controlled something.
Just he didn’t report in time, or perhaps Zhou Xiangrong’s superior had a special identity. Zhou Xiangrong discovered the issue, so he was silenced, and Zhou Ning has been watched ever since, probably for the same reason. They fear Zhou Ning might remember something, but what exactly is this treasure?"
Liu Yufei shook her head in disagreement:
"Based on Director Xu’s analysis, in the cave where the ritual took place, Bai Qishan and his people should be in control, right? After all, he’s a double agent. If Zhou Xiangrong really found out about this, wouldn’t they have moved those materials?
Is it possible that they stored it well, waiting for us to open it, then decrypt the documents, and eventually lead us to suspect issues in the Ganzhou public security system, and thereby track down Bai Qishan? I think it’s quite improbable, not to mention the inconsistencies here."
Zhou Ning had been silent all along, and Xu Dayuan kicked Liu Yufei gently, prompting both to turn toward Zhou Ning. Xu Dayuan coughed, and Zhou Ning snapped out of his thoughts, looking at the two with a slight smile:
"Do I need to leave? After all, the issue under investigation is closely related to my father."
Liu Yufei gave Zhou Ning a scornful look.
"Cut the crap and tell us what you think. You think you can shirk your responsibilities after causing such a fuss? No way you’ll be a hands-off manager. The support plan secretly formulated by Mr. Hu and Director Xu was because of you. Isn’t it to clarify the events of the past? Finding these connections with Qindao’s security makes the investigation even more necessary.
What bothers me the most is that I couldn’t stop Wang Guanli’s suicide. According to our investigations, Wang Guanli was sentenced to death by immediate execution in Qindao Intermediate Court on November 20, 1994.
But the three of them attacked the Zhou Family on January 1, 1995. Wang Guanli even knew your father. It wasn’t just following orders; it was like a vengeful assassination. They were tried and executed in Qindao. Who got them out? Why did they appear in Ganzhou?"
Zhou Ning fell silent for a long while, seeing everyone looking at him, he didn’t hide anything and spoke his thoughts frankly.
"Based on what I’ve heard from the interrogation, this ’hyena’ was in Bai Qishan’s current position back then and rose to a higher rank for performing meritorious service. This ’hyena’ might have been in Qindao before, even in the judicial system, with the means to release someone like Wang Guanli.
After all, twenty years ago, there were few valuable Minjin undercover agents at a time when one generation was passing and the next hadn’t risen. They hoped to have desperados working for them because these people’s identities were provided by Minjin, so they naturally wouldn’t betray.
Now twenty years have passed, and with Hua Country’s technological development, especially the continuous expansion of Aerospace City, from obscurity to control of some of the most advanced technologies, Minjin and Mi Country cannot tolerate this. So they train, unearth, and nurture new sleeper agents intensely.
Their focus shifted to Aerospace City. Bai Qishan’s overt connections with Sapporo, I believe, didn’t evade Minjin’s people and were probably even requested by Minjin—to find the hidden sarin and cooperate with their established Aum Shinrikyo, to carry out a large-scale terrorist event."
Liu Yufei looked doubtful.
"So you mean to say, Bai Qishan isn’t a double agent but a spokesperson for Minjin, working with Sapporo? Then Cao Wenyu must be lying?"
Xu Dayuan shook his head.
"Not necessarily, the issue of the accent isn’t a problem," he said. "I need to know the content of the conversation. Let’s wait for the results from Mr. Hu’s side. Cao Wenyu’s certainty, she was very clear about the value of this recording, which also served as a revelation of Bai Qishan’s identity.
But you mentioned finding the sarin that was hidden back then, what do you mean by that?
Do you think that these two parties are now cooperating because they can’t find the cave from back then, and even Yagelangha held the event nearby on purpose just to look for this location?"
Zhou Ning pursed his lips, not knowing quite how to articulate his suspicions to Xu Dayuan. Under Xu Dayuan’s expectant gaze, he quickly continued.
"For instance, if the sarin was left by the Sapporo People and they failed to clean it up after their defeat, the person responsible for these supplies might have lost contact or might have been captured by Minjin. If the Minjin got their hands on these things, what would be their first order of business?"
Liu Yufei narrowed her eyes slightly, thinking.
"To transfer them, to move all the supplies to a safer place," she said. "After all, the Minjin operatives became like sewer rats after the founding of the nation, they couldn’t possibly have acquired these things only to give them back to Sapporo. That would be utterly insane."
Zhou Ning snapped his fingers, looking at the two of them.
"Precisely, ’transfer.’ Therefore, if we reverse the reasoning based on our analysis, Yagelangha has close ties with Sapporo’s Aum Shinrikyo, and one could even say they share the same root, only repackaged in a way that would be acceptable to the locals, along with propaganda tactics.
My father might have discovered these facts while investigating the disappearances of children. However, considering the intact condition of the cave, it seems his superiors didn’t investigate the matter. That cave, and the objects within it, were forgotten by everyone.
So, I think that is what he referred to as the ’treasure.’ Those in the know might have already been dealt with by my father and others. My father didn’t report the next part of the plan; he just hid these supplies.
Even if someone found the cave, the eight cocoons outside and the coffins inside were too eye-catching. Anyone coming from either side would focus on that, and even if they explored southward through the cave, they would just find that exit filled with bones.
At most, the valuables would have been taken, but those who came later would definitely not realize that there was a secret corner inside for storing sarin and ammunition. And these are precisely the things that both parties have been looking for, perhaps even the reason for their cooperation.
The recording mentioned Bai Qishan giving the order to assassinate me instead of capturing me for interrogation. I think his motive is quite simple, because he suspects that I am Zhou Xiangrong’s son, and he fears that my father might have left some secret I could discover. What secret would make him not even want to ask?"
Xu Dayuan opened the folder and found the drawing of the cave, examining the main chamber, ammunition hiding place, and the southern exit’s layout.
Indeed, it would be difficult to travel from the main chamber and southern exit to the ammunition hiding place, and the walking distance is quite far.
Xu Dayuan ran his hands through his hair and looked at Zhou Ning.
"Have the surfaces of those cases and the files been tested for residues?" he asked.
Zhou Ning nodded.
"We did retrieve residues, and fingerprints as well," he said. "However, my father didn’t keep the records, so even if we find fingerprints, we cannot compare them."
Xu Dayuan shook his head.
"DNA testing, do it in large volume, compared with you."
Zhou Ning looked at Xu Dayuan, and Liu Yufei poked Zhou Ning.
"Quit dawdling," she said. "Mrs. Cui has your DNA on file. Just have them send the DNA information obtained from the samples directly to Mrs. Cui. That will do, we trust her more."
Zhou Ning was about to take out his phone to arrange it, but Xu Dayuan stopped him. He was looking at the content on his phone.
"No need to make a call," Xu Dayuan said. "Let’s just go directly to the small meeting room on the second floor out back. Fang Mu and the others have arrived, and I haven’t yet asked about the investigation results of those few. It’s a good time to summarize everything and quickly get some boxed meals. I’m starving."
Liu Yufei couldn’t help but laugh.
"And here I thought you just needed to recharge," she said. "I’ve been hungry and summoning you two for a while, but you both pretended not to hear."
"Really?"
The three laughed, called Mr. Qu and Tao Zhenshan out, and headed to the back.
From the expression on Tao Zhenshan’s face, it was clear that the interrogation of the nanny hadn’t gone well. This was completely expected, after all, there were no hard evidences brought forth.
"C’mon, drop the bitter gourd face; it’s all expected, isn’t it?" Xu Dayuan said. "But let me give you some good news. We’ve got a recording over here with a conversation between the nanny and Bai Qishan, and its content is quite definitive.
So cheer up. Let’s go have a meal first. Let them stew here alone, just let their imaginations run wild. I’ve been talking for so long, don’t you have anything you want to say to me?"
