Chapter 221 National Security is People's Security

"Chen Bufan said he submitted a 'letter of apology' once, but the leader criticized him instead." Shen Zhenzhu folded the letters in her hand and hesitated before saying, "Is the leader afraid of taking responsibility?"

Gu Yanzheng said, "Chen Bufan belongs to the Provincial People's Drama Troupe. He was discovered to have smuggled milk powder. It is not surprising that the troupe leaders covered it up for fear of making a big fuss."

“That makes sense.” Chen Zhenzhu yawned, rubbed her eyes, and said, “It’s not the Cold War anymore; I never expected to come into contact with spies in everyday life. Have you ever encountered them before?”

Gu Yanzheng recalled, "Most of them were people who trafficked state secrets. This was the first time I had come into contact with foreigners."

Shen Zhenzhu analyzed, "After the collapse of the United Nations, economic and technological competition became the main theme between countries. Our reform and opening up has been deepening, and it is full of commercial secrets and secrets that have not been protected. We don't know how much they have gained or what their goals are."

At this point, Gu Yanzheng said, "The targets of state espionage are broad and complex, far more complex than Huang Dan described. National reform plans, the bottom line of national construction negotiations, military industry data, especially next-generation technologies in the process of military-to-civilian conversion, as well as the decision-making trends in finance, exchange rates, and major infrastructure projects, will all be their targets."

With a taut face, Chen Zhenzhu thought of Huang Dan's appearance and the tragic death of Chen Bufan, and gritted her teeth, saying, "In their eyes, the death of one Chen Bufan is no different from the death of a hundred Chen Bufans. They will stop at nothing to achieve their goals."

Gu Yanzheng picked up a teacup and handed it to Shen Zhenzhu: "Captain Shen, calm down."

Chen Zhenzhu took the teacup, took a sip, and said, "Brother Zheng, I think Huang Dan might not be a high-ranking spy. She can't participate in the country's high-level decision-making, so she can only disguise herself as a social scientist or professional and go deep into the grassroots like an ordinary spy. Her main way of obtaining intelligence is through interpersonal networks. Grassroots intelligence is soft intelligence, which can indirectly assess the stability and future trend of the domestic political situation. Combined with other intelligence, it is easy to obtain the basis for the strategy against China. In other countries, soft intelligence spies are often the hardest to find and the hardest to 'eliminate'."

Shen Zhenzhu stood up, propped herself up on her arms, and said, "I'll go inform Director Liu. This is of great importance. He needs to be present in person for the second interrogation of Huang Dan."

“No matter how difficult it is to kill, we will kill it all. If it’s deeply entrenched, we will uproot it.” Gu Yanzheng glanced at the time and pressed on Chen Zhenzhu’s shoulder: “Take a ten-minute nap. I’ll go and invite him over for you. I guess Director Tu will also be going to observe.”

Gu Yanzheng clearly understood that interrogating spies often required a long period of mental and physical exertion. They were more cunning than criminals, and had specialized training for interrogation; there had even been spies who wouldn't divulge information even after years of interrogation.

Chen Zhenzhu, with her arms folded as a pillow, tilted her head and said energetically, "Brother Zheng is so nice, but I'm not sleepy."

Gu Yanzheng rubbed the back of her head: "If you're not sleepy, take a break. Huang Dan is definitely not as simple as she seems."

Shen Zhenzhu also thought so.

......

Huang Dan was in a special interrogation room, which was protected from eavesdropping and had access restricted by identity, making it a highly confidential environment.

She was in good spirits and didn't panic despite being a prisoner. Perhaps she had been prepared all along.

After resting for a while, Chen Zhenzhu was in good spirits and walked in looking radiant.

During the interrogation, Director Liu sat to the side and hadn't even spoken yet, but his intimidating presence was already palpable.

Knowing that Shen Zhenzhu did not fully believe what she said during the first interrogation, Huang Dan maintained a good mood and even nodded slightly to Shen Zhenzhu in greeting.

After the normal procedures were completed, Chen Zhenzhu asked: "Given that the Van Gogh Foundation is a spy organization of your country, what is its purpose in infiltrating our country?"

Huang Dan said, "Van Gogh was nothing but a backward thing from the Cold War era. Generation after generation, in our generation, we are just running around for some trade secrets to make a living. Our people have long lost their purpose and are like clowns in the face of your country's increasingly powerful national defense and security capabilities."

Chen Zhenzhu asked succinctly, "So what secrets have you obtained? How were they communicated?"

Huang Dan said, "Most of them are trivial technical secrets in the medical field, and there are a few minor matters in the government. Anyway, I have already explained them all."

Shen Zhenzhu said, "Is something involving spies considered a minor matter?"

Huang Dan smiled and said, "Captain Chen, compared to the secrets obtained by our outstanding predecessors, what we have obtained is insignificant."

"You established trading companies to cover up your espionage activities and to create financial channels," Shen Zhenzhu said. "And how did you transmit confidential information?"

“In the early years, ships used special frequency signals to communicate,” Huang Dan replied. “Later, the staff became increasingly lazy, and our M government gradually forgot about us, even failing to pay our families on time. Sometimes we resorted to phone calls, sometimes letters, but we didn’t get any important secrets anyway.”

Chen Zhenzhu asked, "Do you have a codebook?"

Huang Dan said, "There are several books hidden under the floor of my residence."

Chen Zhenzhu said, "If you're going to persist like this, what's the point? Why don't you go back and find your family?"

Huang Dan said, “My family was controlled by Van Gogh. Before being recruited as spies, everyone swore that they would never reveal their espionage activities until their death, and would rather pay with their lives.”

Shen Zhenzhu said, "Why did you have to say it? Don't you think your words are incoherent?"

Huang Dan said, “I know you still doubt that I’m telling the truth. In fact, my family has long forgotten me. They only raised me for three years, and then sold me to Van Gogh to become a spy they trained. I stepped onto your soil at the age of ten, and more than thirty years have passed. They have long forgotten what I look like and only know how to enjoy life with the money I spent on my life and sold my soul. God knows how I felt when I went back once and they didn’t recognize me? I wanted to destroy them all.”

Shen Zhenzhu said, "Could you speak a short passage in your native language?"

Huang Dan cooperatively recounted a story from her memory, and then, at Shen Zhenzhu's request, repeated it in Latin. She then read it aloud in Chinese as well.

Shen Zhenzhu asked, "Who was the first person you met after entering the country?"

Huang Dan said, "They were nurses at the charity hospital. Later, I was adopted by Mongolian parents and took a train to the grasslands. Now that I think about it, they are my real parents. They raised me, educated me, and even prepared a dowry for me. But I still betrayed my 'parents' and 'motherland'."

Shen Zhenzhu said, "Tell me again about how you arranged the transaction between the smuggler and Chen Bufan."

Huang Dan showed no annoyance, knowing this was normal interrogation procedure. She would answer the same questions over and over again until a flaw was revealed.

“The environment was extremely dangerous back then. Even neighbors were wary of each other and reported suspicious individuals,” Huang Dan recalled. “Van Gogh needed a lot of intelligence to judge international measures and countermeasures, which required us to develop our network while remaining covert. The involvement of human smugglers was a method we came up with to see if anyone had a desire to hate the government and leave their home environment. Chen Bufan was an excellent target. He was naturally able to gain people's trust and had learned some English and other random things at the orphanage. He could also move around without attracting attention.”

Shen Zhenzhu said, "But you killed him."

Huang Dan said, "Because he is too dangerous."

Chen Zhenzhu asked, "Why do you make such an assessment?"

Huang Dan said, "He had no close relatives, was naturally kind, and had an unparalleled love for his country... We couldn't rein him in. At the time, we needed to raise funds to buy certain intelligence. We learned from Jiang Luchao that Chen Bufan wanted to leave the country, so we had our people impersonate smugglers to contact Jiang Luchao. Jiang Luchao fell for it; he was determined to get rid of his rival. In order to continue to obtain large sums of money, we sent Chen Bufan to an illegal ship in India to sell his 'parts' first. A healthy and handsome man can still receive favors from others until his death. We made a lot of money and then set our sights on Jiang Luchao. We initially wanted to make Jiang Luchao our intelligence agent, but he was foolish, arrogant, and naive; his only redeeming quality was his family background."

"So you've been exploiting and intimidating him all along?"

"Otherwise what?" Huang Dan's lips curled into a cold smile: "We are gradually being forgotten by the country, becoming rats that everyone hates. In order to make a living, we must get a sum of money to live out our old age in peace."

Shen Zhenzhu asked, "Do you remember your last impression of your country when you left? The smell, the environment, the people, anything."

Huang Dan scoffed, "Of course I remember. A small, humid island nation in Asia. The harbor reeked of fish. A few of us kids, each carrying a bag of bread, went into the cabin. All we did was eat bread and recite your school textbooks and slogans. We were adrift at sea for who knows how long; I was seasick and nearly died. The kids who actually couldn't take it anymore were thrown into the sea right in front of us. From that moment on, we weren't allowed to speak our mother tongue, only Chinese. From the moment we boarded the ship, we children had no homeland, no mother… Our parents, for a little flour, severed our roots with their own hands, forcing us to wander the world, drifting aimlessly… Pretending, deceiving…"

Shen Zhenzhu's eyes were full of vigilance as she analyzed Huang Dan's words word by word. Director Liu did not interfere with her, but instead entrusted the case entirely to Shen Zhenzhu.

Huang Dan's second interrogation took a considerable amount of time. Chen Zhenzhu did not delve too deeply into the details of the intelligence Huang Dan had obtained, waiting for the arriving security agencies to conduct further interrogations.

Finally, Huang Dan confessed: "The snakehead's current name is Sun Jianyuan, and he has moved to Dan City to become a strawberry greenhouse farmer."

She sketched Sun Jianyuan's physical features with a pen and wrote down his address: "The two of us are the survivors who have survived all these years, and also the last loyalists."

Shen Zhenzhu looked at her suspiciously: "Can someone who confesses so quickly still be called a loyalist?"

“Our country has forgotten us, our information channels are outdated, and our emergency plans are obsolete… They abandoned me first,” Huang Dan said. “I’ve had enough. I just want it all to end.”

......

Emerging from the special interrogation room, Shen Zhenzhu saw Director Tu, who had been observing, and several other comrades she did not recognize.

Director Tu briefly introduced himself to Shen Zhenzhu: "This is a colleague sent down from above for interrogation. You did a very good job on this case. Go back and rest for a day. Afterwards, someone will have a one-on-one meeting with you to discuss the details of the case and explain some things to you. Don't be nervous, it's normal procedure."

Shen Zhenzhu shook hands with those people; they all had ordinary faces that blended into the crowd, and if one had a bad memory, one would quickly forget them.

They didn't introduce themselves, and they all responded politely to Shen Zhenzhu's smile.

"My people will take Huang Dan back first. We have some other things to take care of on our way here." Among them, the middle-aged man wearing a black hat, who seemed to be Uncle Lu, said kindly, "Thank you for your hard work, Captain Chen. I ate your black duck when I was in Liancheng last time. It tasted extraordinary. I have work to do this time, but I will go again next time I have time."

Shen Zhenzhu had no recollection of this uncle ever being there, and while she was talking to him, the others were completely unnoticed, not even their breathing could be heard.

Considering they had other business "on the way" and were certainly more dangerous and important than Huang Dan and Van Gogh.

“Captain Shen, according to our understanding, the Van Gogh spy organization has been lurking in various countries for a long time. After several rounds of sweeping and cleansing, there are still some who have slipped through the net.” Another middle-aged woman, carrying a shopping basket, said with a smile, “You don’t need to worry about the rest. I will contact you if there are any problems. I trust Captain Shen’s professionalism and will keep this case strictly confidential.”

"Of course," Chen Zhenzhu nodded and said, "Please rest assured."

The older sister seemed to be an old acquaintance of Director Liu. She smiled and said, "I've long heard that Director Liu has a famous protégé. He's so young and meticulous. You must be overjoyed, right? After 1997, we old folks will retire and let the young people show their talents."

Director Liu frowned: "What do you mean?"

Shen Zhenzhu didn't understand the implied meaning.

That woman was no different from the other women taking a stroll in the neighborhood. She wore an old, ordinary cotton-padded coat and had an unremarkable appearance, but she said something that made Shen Zhenzhu's heart skip a beat: "The Ministry of State Security is also short of people."

Director Liu stared wide-eyed at Director Tu and asked, "It's one thing for that kid surnamed Gu to go to the SAS, but now you want to poach Xiao Shen from me too?"

Director Tu chuckled and said, "Calm down, Lao Liu. It's a good thing that young people can spread their wings and fly high."

Director Liu couldn't calm down: "She can spread her wings and fly high, and she can stand on the shoulders of giants, but don't break my left and right arms. The seedlings under my command haven't even grown up yet."

The older sister smiled sincerely: "It's still early. I was just saying. You take everything I say seriously."

The older man who had just spoken also laughed and said, "You've fallen back into your old habits again."

The conversation among the senior colleagues made Shen Zhenzhu's heart flutter. Director Liu pushed Shen Zhenzhu and said, "Go home and get some sleep. Be on time for work the day after tomorrow. If you're five minutes late, your bonus will be deducted."

Huh?

Shen Zhenzhu: "...Leaders, please continue your conversation. I'll be leaving now."

Director Liu urged, "Let's go, let's go quickly."

"Oh." Chen Zhenzhu pushed open the door.

The voice of her senior colleague rang in her mind: "In our Ministry of State Security, being late doesn't result in a deduction from your bonus, and solving a major case earns you even more rewards. You're directly under [the relevant authority], with opportunities for vertical promotion. Captain Chen, if you have any ideas, just give me a call, and I'll fly over to pick you up."

Shen Zhenzhu ran out, saying, "No, no, I'm doing fine in the criminal investigation team."

After seeing Shen Zhenzhu off, Director Liu pressed down on the door and said angrily, "Why don't you drive a tank?"

The older woman smiled and said, "Tank steering wheels are too heavy; driving them all the time can easily wear down calluses. It's not easy to develop calluses on your hands from farm work."

“Yes, I had calluses from using a pistol, I had to rub the skin off to get rid of them.” The older man said with empathy, and seeing that Huang Dan’s handcuffs and leg irons were still on, he said to the young man who was with him, “Take him back first, and don’t underestimate any problems.”

"yes."

......

Back in the office, Chen Zhenzhu greeted Gu Yanzheng: "Brother Zheng, how about we go to Sixth Sister's for dinner?"

"Finished with work? Xiaobai and the others just called. They've caught the guy and he should be back soon. All that time you spent teaching him was worth it."

Gu Yanzheng, who rarely gets a day off, couldn't wait to be with Shen Zhenzhu 24/7. After taking a nap in his office, he grabbed Shen Zhenzhu's cloth bag and rummaged through her belongings inside: "Let's go."

“Xiao Bai is just like me, she has a knack for solving cases.” Shen Zhenzhu and Gu Yanzheng walked downstairs side by side.

Gu Yanzheng didn't ask about the special interrogation room, but he could probably guess the general situation.

"Who can be more insightful than you?" Gu Yanzheng leaned against Chen Zhenzhu's shoulder, swaggering around arrogantly. "I took a liking to you at first sight. You were blocking Wu Fuwang across the street that day, trying to beat him up, weren't you?"

"What?" Chen Zhenzhu walked at the front door, recalling the events of that meeting, and couldn't help but be surprised: "You knew?"

Gu Yanzheng pointed to the icy section of the road: "Be careful... Of course I know, I've been standing on the wall watching for a long time. My fists were clenched tightly, you would have punched me if I hadn't said anything."

Shen Zhenzhu was displeased: "Then why did you say anything?"

Gu Yanzheng laughed and said, "The steamed buns on your old bicycle smelled so good that I was going to take them, but I coughed out of professional ethics."

"But I still beat him up later," Shen Zhenzhu said mysteriously.

Gu Yanzheng said knowingly, "No wonder I haven't seen him wandering around here since then. I thought he liked you."

"Don't talk nonsense. I always feel like he likes Lili." Chen Zhenzhu wrapped her scarf tighter, the cool scent in the air making her nose itchy. She subconsciously pinched her nose, which made her feel a little better.

"You caught a cold?" Gu Yanzheng asked upon seeing this.

"No, I just feel like sneezing," Shen Zhenzhu said.

Gu Yanzheng said, "You either have a cold or rhinitis. Shall I give you my coat?"

Shen Zhenzhu grinned and said, "Is it really necessary to be in a relationship?"

"How could it not be?" Gu Yanzheng made a move to unbutton his coat, but Chen Zhenzhu stopped him and whispered, "What if my precious darling gets cold?"

Shen Zhenzhu shuddered at his greasy manner: "Be normal when we go to the restaurant later."

Gu Yanzheng chuckled as he walked, "Isn't that how it is when you're dating? Hey, why aren't you wearing the bracelet I gave you?"

Shen Zhenzhu pretended to have just remembered: "I forgot about it in the office."

"What a coincidence, I just grabbed it for you." Gu Yanzheng rummaged through the cloth bag and handed her the red velvet cloth: "Wear it, the green bracelet goes perfectly with your red vest."

"..." Shen Zhenzhu thought to herself, "It's a gift from Brother Zheng after all. Green glass is green glass." She rolled up her sleeves and stretched out her wrist: "Here."

Gu Yanzheng solemnly untied the red velvet bag and stood by the roadside to put it on Chen Zhenzhu.

“I thought it would be very cold to the touch,” Chen Zhenzhu said, lowering her sleeves.

Gu Yanzheng said, "It's gentle and mild."

The two casually arrived at Sixth Sister's Restaurant, where Liu Leqin and several little girls were having dinner at the next table.

Upon seeing Chen Zhenzhu return, Liu Leqin said, "You got off work early today. Your mother said you've been busy with a case lately. Come on, let's eat together."

Shen Zhenzhu treated her with complete familiarity. As she took off her cotton-padded coat and was about to turn around, Gu Yanzheng grabbed it and hung it in the corner of the counter along with his own coat.

Knowing that Liu Leqin was busy with the welfare home, the girls in front of me must be children from the welfare home.

Shen Zhenzhu didn't ask any more questions, afraid that they would be sensitive. She scooped out two bowls of porridge and shared them with Gu Yanzheng.

"I saw the news, is it about Chen Bufan's case?" Liu Leqin had almost finished eating and was peeling prawns for the girls when she casually asked, "Back then, he was the prince charming of all the young women. Now, things have really changed."

As Shen Zhenzhu sipped her porridge, she said, "We've caught a few people, but it's not like we're completely done. I don't know why, but I feel uneasy."

Gu Yanzheng gave her a deep look and nodded: "I feel the same way."

Liu Leqin said, "It's hard for anyone to feel good seeing him like that."

Chen Zhenzhu didn't say much, picked up some food, and ate it while it was still hot.

As she stretched out her arm, Liu Leqin immediately spotted Chen Zhenzhu's jade bracelet. Grabbing Chen Zhenzhu's wrist, she said, "Zhenzhu! You...you accepted a bribe? If I had known you liked it, I would have given it to you as a gift. Even if it wasn't as good as this, it would have been better than—"

Gu Yanzheng quickly said, "Please stop, I brought it."

Liu Leqin breathed a sigh of relief: "I knew it. Oh, you're taking her?"

Gu Yanzheng smiled without saying a word, while Liu Leqin glanced at them and understood: "Congratulations, I also think it's quite suitable."

She gracefully rolled up her sleeves, revealing a violet bracelet, and said, "I bought it at Christie's before, it was a pretty good deal. I originally wanted to buy one of your quality, but the price was too high, and a proxy bidder took it from me. When I first glanced at it, I thought it was the same one."

Liu Leqin gestured a number, and Gu Yanzheng calmly said, "You have a sharp eye, that's it."

With a "thud," the porcelain spoon fell into the bowl, making a crisp sound.

Chen Zhenzhu rolled up her sleeves and handed it to Gu Yanzheng, stammering, "Jia jia jia shi de de de de? This... this?"

Gu Yanzheng picked up the porcelain spoon and put it back in her hand, then wiped Chen Zhenzhu's mouth: "Speak slowly, or you'll spill the porridge."

Shen Zhenzhu retorted angrily, "I swallowed it!"

Liu Leqin smiled and said, "It's not surprising that it was given by Ms. Jin. I can't be mistaken; this is a rare and precious item."

"No way." Chen Zhenzhu shook her head vigorously. "It's way too expensive, I can't accept it, I have to return it—"

Gu Yanzheng shrugged with amusement: "Believe it or not, if she knew you didn't want it, she'd beat me up in front of me."

Shen Zhenzhu complained a little to Gu Yanzheng, touching the jade bracelet and saying, "Why did you give it to me so casually without telling me it was so expensive? What if it were secretly stolen... I... I—"

"Stop stuttering," Gu Yanzheng said with a smile. "If the Criminal Investigation Team's Major Crimes Unit's stuff gets stolen, then none of us are qualified to work here. You can just wear it for fun."

Liu Leqin added fuel to the fire: "The Gu family is still the most confident. At least other families treat it as a family heirloom and give it to their chosen daughter-in-law."

Upon hearing the words "family heirloom," Shen Zhenzhu objected again: "I'd rather not have it. What if it gets smashed while catching bad guys? No, no, that won't do."

Gu Yanzheng was delighted to hear the words "daughter-in-law" and started reciting a tongue twister: "What's mine is yours, and what's yours is mine. Why are you so worried if what's mine breaks?"

-----------------------

Author's note: See you tomorrow, there are 100 red envelopes! [Let me see!]