Chapter 8: The Big Catch (Part One)

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His maternal uncle had been closely watching over his nephew’s every move. After joining the bureau, the nephew had dutifully stood guard for three whole days, which greatly pleased his uncle—talent alone was not enough; what he feared most was talent coupled with arrogance and foolish pride, the kind that assumes ability grants one the right to act without restraint.

Did his uncle himself possess talent? Indeed. In the early days, when intelligence he submitted was discarded without a glance, he respectfully retrieved it from the trash, smoothed it out, and resubmitted it. Without status, one should not be arrogant; instead, they must endure hardship humbly.

After watching with cool detachment for three days, his nephew had not disappointed him.

Only then did his uncle decide to enroll the nephew in the latest special training class as an intern instructor—the nephew’s acquired skills were quite impressive and well-suited for teaching.

But what he never expected was that on the fourth day—just the fourth day—the nephew would surprise him.

Having learned from the guards’ informants that the guard division planned an operation that evening, the nephew did not clock out but waited in the office to see what mischief the guards intended. Unexpectedly, it wasn’t long before the guards brought in a suspect.

His uncle watched coldly to see how his nephew would handle the situation.

To his surprise, after the interrogation, the guard division notified the action squad, forwarding the interrogation records along with the captured spy, and reported the incident to the general affairs department.

Before the action squad prepared to move, his uncle summoned Captain Wang Tianfeng into his office for details. Once Wang reported the guard division’s account thoroughly, his uncle immediately asked:

“You say the guard division told you the real spy is likely to have stationed watchers around the residences of those three suspects?”

“Yes, sir. That’s what I think as well. The enemy is cunning—while hiring someone to take photos, they also periodically retrieve the film, clearly worried about establishing a pattern that could lead to their capture. Assigning watchers to these three expendables aligns with their caution.”

His uncle countered, “What do you plan to do?”

Wang Tianfeng revealed his plan: “Send people to quietly detain everyone at that hotel first, then interrogate and identify suspects one by one.”

His uncle thought for a moment and said, “Go to the guard division and find a Second Lieutenant named Zhang Shihao. Ask for his advice.”

Wang Tianfeng was puzzled but wisely did not question it and agreed.

…

Zhang Anping was leisurely sipping tea.

Hmm, the treatment has changed—when he first reported, he only drank plain water in his uncle’s office, and during the first three days on the job, he didn’t even have the privilege to drink plain water there. Now, the treatment had improved; he could openly drink tea in the office.

[My dear uncle, I suppose I’ve passed my probation? Are you satisfied with this report?] Zhang Anping mused silently.

Suddenly, someone burst into the guard division’s office:

“Who is Zhang Shihao?”

The newcomer wore the rank of Major; if it wasn’t Wang Tianfeng, then who?

“Reporting, sir, I am Zhang Shihao.”

Wang Tianfeng cast a long look at Zhang Anping: “Come with me.”

“Yes, sir!”

Everyone in the guard division’s office looked on enviously.

This was one of the bigwigs from the Intelligence Bureau!

Though on par in rank with their own section chief, this was like comparing the central army to a civilian militia!

Zhang Anping calmly followed Wang Tianfeng to the end of the corridor.

Wang Tianfeng directly asked, “Did you discover the spy?”

“Yes, sir.”

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Wang Tianfeng did not betray his superior but instead wore a knowing look: “You’re good at finding scapegoats—give me a capture plan. If the operation fails, I’ll hold you accountable. Of course, if it succeeds and we root out the real mastermind behind this, I’ll credit you with the first merit!”

Though Wang Tianfeng hadn’t betrayed their superior, Zhang Anping was sure it was his uncle who had sent him.

“Sir, I have an immature suggestion. I don’t know if it’s feasible.”

“Go ahead.”

Zhang Anping said:

“Tomorrow morning, we stake out and capture the second spy. At the same time, send someone disguised into the hotel to capture the last spy, giving them a chance to redeem themselves by cooperating with us. We pretend nothing happened and wait for their people to come and retrieve the film. As long as they come for the film, we can follow the trail and not lose this line abruptly.”

Wang Tianfeng pondered, “Can they get away with it?”

Zhang Anping volunteered, “They probably can. The one retrieving the film is certainly not the real spy and won’t notice any flaws. To be safe, I can personally train the three of them.”

“Alright, let’s do it your way!”

Wang Tianfeng decided to proceed with Zhang Anping’s plan.

The action squad took charge of the stakeout and the two captures, while Zhang Anping worked to “turn” the captured spies.

The captured spies trembled at Zhang Anping’s approach.

But Zhang Anping wore a gentle expression and said, “Don’t be afraid.”

“N-no, not afraid…” the spy stammered, while the surrounding action squad members were curious. This guy didn’t seem so timid—why was a mere guard scaring him so badly?

“According to our rules, a traitor like you usually has only one fate—” Zhang Anping gently made a gun shape with his hand and pointed it at the spy’s head:

“Bang!”

Though only a sound effect, the spy nearly fainted from fright, then wailed, begging for mercy.

“My heart is kind; I can’t bear to see anyone cry—so I’m giving you a chance to redeem yourself.”

“Sir, please, I will cooperate fully! I will cooperate!” The spy clung to this lifeline.

Only then did Zhang Anping lay out the cooperation terms. The spy agreed without hesitation. Zhang Anping then began simple training to teach the spy how to handle the person retrieving the film.

To be honest, these lowlifes were quite perceptive and quick learners at acting, soon meeting Zhang Anping’s standards.

Zhang Anping wasn’t worried about the spy running away—since he promised to spare him and knew the spy’s family background, as long as the spy wasn’t foolish, he wouldn’t risk his life—after all, he wasn’t the real spy.

When the shift-changed spy was caught by the action squad, he was released along with the first captured spy. Meanwhile, the one left behind was caught red-handed by Wang Tianfeng personally in his room.

Wang Tianfeng, a veteran of the Intelligence Bureau, skillfully used a carrot-and-stick approach—threats combined with real money—to secure the spy’s cooperation. Thus, all three expendables were handled. Now they just had to wait for the true mastermind to send someone to retrieve the film and follow the trail.

They waited for three whole days.

One afternoon, someone knocked on the door of the hotel rooms where the three spies lived.

It was a rowdy man, who, judging by his appearance, belonged to a gang.

Wang Tianfeng, hiding inside the room, looked at the two men with him; both shook their heads, indicating this was not one of the three who had previously collected film.

Wang Tianfeng signaled to open the door.

“Boss Qian asked me to bring something—where is it?”

“Here you go.”

As Zhang Anping expected, there was little conversation. After receiving the food container concealing the film, the man turned and left.

Once he was gone, a spy whispered, “Sir, is our mission complete?”

“Wait a bit longer.”

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Wang Tianfeng was not in a hurry; the net was not yet closed.

Meanwhile, at the Capital Telephone Bureau on Taiping Road, several agents from the telecommunications section finally intercepted the phone call they had been waiting for.

“Inform the action squad—the call originated from Room 308! The contact was made from a phone booth outside the Guangming Photo Studio on Taiping Road.”

This was the confirmation Wang Tianfeng had been waiting for.

He had stayed three days in the suspects’ rooms, narrowing suspicion to three hotel rooms but had not acted hastily, waiting for confirmation.

Sure enough, after the film was taken, someone in one of the three rooms made a call!

At the same time, the action squad and intelligence personnel had tailed the man carrying the film.

The man did not head straight to the suspected spy base at Guangming Photo Studio but instead delivered the items to Qingzhen Anle Garden near Chaotian Palace.

This was a restaurant frequented by high society, and the Intelligence Bureau dared not enter rashly. The tailing agents, as ordered, did not follow inside.

At this moment, Xu Baichuan and Zheng Yaoxian, dressed formally, stepped in. They boldly tailed the gang member, who lacked experience in counter-surveillance, into Anle Garden.

The man entered a room in the lodging area, but Zheng and Xu did not rush to act; instead, they waited patiently.

Ten minutes later, a middle-aged merchant emerged carrying a suitcase.

As the two prepared to follow, Zhang Anping appeared.

“Brother Zheng, Brother Xu! Long time no see!”

Both men were sharp and immediately sensed trouble, engaging Zhang Anping in a seemingly warm conversation. Xu Baichuan quietly asked:

“Anping, what’s going on? You were supposed to be with the action squad; why are you up here all of a sudden?”

Zhang Anping didn’t answer but instead asked, “Was it the plump man just now?”

Zheng Yaoxian nodded slightly.

“Keep an eye on the surrounding rooms,” Zhang Anping whispered as he quickly sketched the merchant’s likeness on paper. Within moments, he had captured the man’s features. Then, using a keyless method, he opened a guest room, entered, folded the portrait into a paper airplane, and tossed it down.

Two intelligence agents downstairs caught the paper airplane and quickly memorized the likeness.

Minutes later, the middle-aged merchant came out of Anle Garden, having descended the stairs due to elevator malfunction. The two agents immediately focused on him.

Inside Anle Garden, Zhang Anping continued “chatting” with Zheng and Xu. At that moment, someone else left a room opposite the handler’s room. Zhang Anping quickly glanced, made a rapid sketch of the new person’s face, and passed the portrait to the agents downstairs.

Zheng Yaoxian and Xu Baichuan now understood Zhang Anping’s intent.

Clearly, Zhang feared the pair operated in tandem; one leaving before the other followed to ensure the handler’s safety.

The behavior of the departing person confirmed Zhang’s concerns.

After the person left, Zhang Anping explained: “Someone in our bureau said Guangming Photo Studio is a base of the Party Affairs Investigation Office.”

Xu Baichuan’s expression changed drastically: “They’re investigating us?”

“Probably just a coincidence,” Zhang Anping speculated. “That place might not be this spy group’s base, just a convenient spot to take calls—or perhaps deliberately chosen! Given their caution, I worry the handler is being guarded, which is why I stopped you from following.”

Zheng Yaoxian looked thoughtfully at the room from which someone had just left: “It seems your concerns are valid.”

This room faced the handler’s room directly, and through the peephole, it was easy to tell if the handler was being tailed.

Zhang Anping calmly said, “Let’s go. This time we’ve set an inescapable trap. They won’t get away.”

Though he appeared composed, his heart was racing—after all, this was his first time breaking a spy ring.