Chapter 34: Zhang Anping: I Really Don’t Want to Set Up the Party Affairs Office (Part Two)

Dai—the cousin of Zhang Anping, the future King of Spies, the man Director Xu most dreaded seeing, and the one known as "Spring Breeze"—had arrived.

The agents guarding the perimeter of the small courtyard dared to block Zhang Anping, but when Director Dai stepped out of his car and marched toward them, they lost their nerve. The only thing they could do was rush ahead of him to report to their own boss, who was currently the one having to take the heat.

No sooner had they finished their report than Director Dai stepped into the courtyard. Seeing his rival approaching from a distance, Director Xu had no choice but to stand up, his tone laced with thorns: "Your Secret Service is truly idle, isn't it? Our Party Affairs Service has a death on our hands, and your people have the leisure to meddle. Now, even a high-ranking director like you has come in person!"

"Director Xu, if I recall correctly, the man who died was handed over to my department by yours—how did he end up dead on your Party Affairs Service’s turf?" Director Dai, never one to let his old rival off easy, retorted, "Or perhaps your Party Affairs Service is afraid we might uncover something, so you decided to silence him?"

*Silence your grandfather!*

Director Xu was furious, but considering the recently eased relations between the two departments, he did not want to provoke the Secret Service further. He swallowed his rage and said, "Director Dai, we are both serving the Party and the State; why must you be so aggressive?"

"Aggressive?" Director Dai smiled, deciding not to needle his rival any further. After all, they were on his opponent's home turf, surrounded by his men; he had to leave him some face.

He scanned his surroundings, and upon seeing his nephew winking at him, he gestured for Zhang Anping to come over.

Zhang Anping and Zheng Yaoxian trotted over. As Zhang Anping leaned in to report in a low voice, Director Dai’s expression darkened: "You’ve been drinking?"

Zhang Anping chuckled awkwardly, "Socializing. Didn't have much."

Director Dai did not press the matter further, clearly letting him off the hook. Beside him, Zheng Yaoxian quietly curled his lip—*the classic double standard.*

Zhang Anping quickly reported: "Fan Zhengren was likely killed between 12:00 and 3:00 last night. He was hiding under the bed, and the killer went straight for him without disturbing anything on the bed. It’s certain to be an inside job. Also, judging by the wounds, the killer is likely left-handed."

Director Dai’s gaze pierced Zhang Anping: "You suspect someone is stealing from the inside?"

"Eighty percent likely," Zhang Anping nodded, adding, "However, I saw several scratch marks under the bed. Looking at Fan Zhengren’s fingernails, they were likely left by him. But there is one thing I don’t understand: if the killer’s dagger pierced Fan Zhengren, he shouldn't have had the strength to leave such deep scratches."

Zhang Anping wouldn't admit that the scratches were there because he had nearly suffocated Fan Zhengren with a pillow himself—he’d leave that mystery for the coroner to agonize over. His job was to create problems and discover them.

Director Dai nodded to show he understood, but he didn't immediately go to "mock" Director Xu. Instead, he waited patiently for the Secret Service’s coroner to arrive. In such matters, one had to listen to the experts.

Zhang Anping hesitated, intentionally appearing as if he had something more to say. This predictably made Director Dai suspicious. He glared at his nephew: "What is it you can't tell me?"

Zhang Anping then nudged his chin toward the seventeen Party Affairs agents standing in punishment: "The fourth one from the left—they’ve swapped him out."

Director Dai was a sharp man; he immediately understood the subtext. The Party Affairs Service had captured the "killer" and was playing dumb to avoid embarrassment!

Director Dai smiled and walked straight toward Director Xu. "Old Xu, are you trying to pull a fast one on me?"

Director Xu felt as if a thousand horses were galloping through his heart. *He didn't miss it!*

He didn't play coy, stating straightforwardly, "We have locked onto a suspect, but whether it is truly him depends on the interrogation results."

"Hmph, I think you're just looking for the Secret Service to be your scapegoat!"

Although Director Xu had that intention, admitting it was naturally out of the question. He said slowly, "Brother Spring Breeze, you and I are essentially one family; why talk of scapegoats?"

*One family, my foot!* If they were truly one family, who would swallow whom? Besides, if they really were one, the man at the very top wouldn't tolerate it.

Director Dai smiled without a word. *I have the upper hand now. Keep talking, let’s see what kind of flowers you can bloom with those lies.*

Director Xu knew he couldn't get away without giving something up. "Brother Spring Breeze, let’s hand the case over to me."

Director Dai had taken the case at the photo studio because his men had disrupted a Party Affairs operation—the Secret Service was technically in the wrong, which was why he had demanded the case be handed over in the first place. Director Xu had been pretentious about it at the time.

Director Dai, unwilling to lose face, put on a facade of confidence, but both understood the reality. Now that Fan Zhengren was dead and the leads from the photo studio were gone, whoever took the case would be stuck with the burden. Director Xu’s offer was, in fact, sincere.

In truth, both departments had plenty of unresolved cases. But those were cases only they knew about, which allowed them to sweep things under the rug—since the people in the know were their own, they could manipulate the files however they liked. But a case known to both sides was a "landmine"; whoever took it would provide the other with a pretext for attack.

Director Dai continued to smile without speaking. *That’s all the sincerity you have? You’re treating me like a beggar!*

Director Xu took a deep breath. *Damn it, why is the Secret Service so annoying? It’s all that jinx’s fault!* He glared fiercely at Zhang Anping.

Zhang Anping looked innocent. *I didn't mean to trap you, but you guys... kept throwing yourselves into the pit!*

Director Xu pulled his gaze away from Zhang Anping and looked at Director Dai sincerely: "Brother Spring Breeze, I have a lead I can gift to you. Let’s call it even from here on out. How about that?"

Director Dai became interested: "What kind of lead?"

Director Xu said unhurriedly, "An inside source I planted with Old Yan (Yen) received news: Old Yan and the Communists are both doing business with the Americans. However, Old Yan’s offer isn't as high as the Communists', so the deal might fall into the Communists' hands!"

When these words reached Zhang Anping’s ears, a jolt went through him. *A bullet production line!* The underground Party currently had business dealings with the Jin-Sui Army and was dealing with Americans—it could only be the bullet production line.

*The Party Affairs Service actually got wind of this!*

Zhang Anping became vigilant, cursing silently: *It must be that Old Yan, seeing no hope of buying the goods, leaked the news to the Party Affairs Service to act as the fisherman reaping the benefit! Damn it, these warlords really aren't good people!*

Director Dai was genuinely interested now, pressing: "What exactly are they buying?"

Director Xu squeezed five words out of his teeth: "A bullet production line!"

Director Dai was shocked: "Is this true?"

"What do you think? I was originally planning to pull some elite troops to intercept it." This was nonsense; the Party Affairs Service only had this much information. They didn't even know the buyer's identity, so how could they intercept it? Director Xu had been in a dilemma ever since he got the intel. Investigating it was like being a headless fly—he didn't know where to start. But he couldn't just ignore it; it was, after all, a bullet production line!

Unexpectedly, the Secret Service showed up, so he decided to go with the flow and hand the intel to them. Based on years of experience, he knew that with only one lead, it wouldn't be easy to uncover—there was a ninety percent chance the Secret Service would return empty-handed. Of course, if they managed to hit that ten percent chance, the Party Affairs Service would demand a cut.

"Fine!" Director Dai agreed immediately: "What are the specific details?"

Once he had Director Dai’s agreement, Director Xu was overjoyed. When pressed for details, he simply spread his hands: "That’s all. Nothing more."

Director Dai was furious: "Are you playing with me? With just this one lead, how am I supposed to investigate?"

Director Xu adjusted his glasses and said slowly, "The Secret Service is capable of anything; what could you possibly fail to find? Besides, if I knew everything, would I tell you?"

"Hand over the inside source you have with Old Yan."

"The Party Affairs Service spent a great deal of effort planting that mole. If I hand it over to your department..." Director Xu looked at Director Dai, drawling, "...it's not impossible."

*What’s the price?*

"What do you want?"

Director Xu made his offer: "Thirty people. Put them into your training class. How about that?"

"Ten at most!"

"Twenty!"

"Fifteen!"

"Deal!" Director Xu smiled.

Director Dai snorted and signaled for Zhang Anping and Zheng Yaoxian to leave. Although he kept a cold face, he calmed down once he turned away—it wasn't certain who was losing and who was gaining in this trade.

Zhang Anping and Zheng Yaoxian followed behind Director Dai. Both men appeared calm, but their hearts were churning. *This is dire. How did such an important matter go wrong on Old Yan’s side?*

Once they left the courtyard, Director Dai motioned for them to get into the car. As they drove off, he asked, "You heard everything?"

"Yes."

"What are your thoughts? Zheng Yaoxian, you go first," Director Dai asked.

Zheng Yaoxian paused: "With only one lead, it won't be easy to dig out. Director, I suggest we put more effort into Old Yan’s side. Once we confirm the identity of the American businessman, we can follow the vine to the melon."

"Anping, what do you think?"

Zhang Anping said: "Brother Zheng’s idea is good, but I think how we investigate depends primarily on your attitude, Director."

"My attitude?"

Zhang Anping, acting like a sycophantic advisor, said: "It depends on whether you want to just catch the Communists, just seize the goods, or catch both the people and the cargo!"

"And if I only want to catch the Communists?"

"Catching the Communists or seizing the goods can be done simultaneously. We can probe for intelligence from the Shanxi side while mobilizing the gangs in the Shanghai district. Even if there’s no news from Shanxi, I believe if large items are being moved, the local snakes in Shanghai will find us a lead."

Director Dai asked with a probing tone: "Why Shanghai?"

"A bullet production line is different from other goods. Only a few parties can afford to take it. The safest way is to sell it to the Nationalist Government, but the government won't pay a high price, which is why they are looking toward warlords or the Communists."

"Regardless of who they sell to, they will undoubtedly find an agent in Shanghai."

"Furthermore, the sellers certainly won't worry about delivery; they only care about getting the goods into the country. In that scenario, shipping to Shanghai is the most convenient for them."

Director Dai nodded, agreeing with Zhang Anping’s analysis. He asked again: "What if I want to catch both the people and the cargo?"

Zhang Anping said: "If you want to catch both, it’s more complicated. I suggest we cast a long line to catch a big fish."

"Cast a long line?"

"Shipping from Shanghai to the Communist-controlled areas, water and land routes are the only options. A bullet production line isn't small, and such a high-value item will make the Communists extremely cautious; they will surely mobilize all the resources they can along the way." Zhang Anping smiled: "If we follow the trail then, we might be able to capture a whole batch of Communists!"

Director Dai looked at his nephew with great satisfaction. *He truly is his nephew—just as ambitious as he is!*

He was right. After learning this from Director Xu, he had every intention of making a major haul of Communists. This wasn't like a few gold bars or a batch of guns that were easy to hide; moving large items wasn't simple. If they could follow the trail, they would surely dismantle multiple Communist supply lines.

Zheng Yaoxian felt a chill. Although he had long known Zhang Anping was hostile toward the Party, he never imagined he would be this ruthless!

After speaking, Zhang Anping waited for his uncle to recruit him into the special task force. According to the Secret Service’s usual style, they would soon form a unit for this.

To his surprise, his uncle said: "Fine, I know. Let this matter end here. Don't speak of it to anyone—let’s head back to Guanwang Temple."

*He didn't pull me into the special task force?*

*Fine, this is my uncle’s way of keeping his subordinates in check!*

Zhang Anping kept his composure on the surface, but thought to himself: *Party Affairs Service, don't blame me for wanting to trap you again; it’s just that you force me to!*

(Days without a backlog are so hard...)