Two days was enough for Nie Tianming to identify the real spies. This was the advantage of playing on home ground. The Military Intelligence Bureau could arrest any targets they deemed suspicious at will. And once they found even a trace of evidence, their opponents would be helpless.

"Well done!"

Today's harvest was enormous, and every task progressed extremely smoothly, which made Ning Zhiheng very happy.

He took the codebook, examined it carefully, and nodded with satisfaction, saying, "Tianming, with just this one codebook, your job as the head of the operations section is secure. From now on, your work will depend on your own efforts!"

Upon hearing this, Nie Tianming immediately kowtowed and stood at attention, replying, "This humble servant understands. I am able to achieve what I have today thanks to your guidance, Director. I will certainly do my utmost to repay your kindness in recognizing my talent."

"Alright, alright!" Ning Zhiheng waved his hand, gesturing for Nie Tianming to sit down, and couldn't help but laugh. "There's no need for us to be so formal."

After calming Nie Tianming down, Ning Zhiheng picked up the interrogation records again and carefully reviewed them. After a short while, his eyes suddenly lit up: "General Deng Chengyi's adjutant?"

Nie Tianming quickly nodded and replied, "Yes, Yoshimoto Shōhei confessed that his intelligence agent was Xue Jianmu, the adjutant of General Deng Chengyi, codenamed Ginkgo. This person's identity is special, and I dare not arrest him without authorization, so I came here specifically to ask you for instructions."

Upon hearing this, Ning Zhiheng frowned. To be honest, the informants carefully selected by the Japanese were either of special status or had powerful backgrounds; none of them were easy to deal with.

Deng Chengyi is a big shot in the military, a general with real power, and a dignified lieutenant general in the army. If it were just that, I would have solid evidence and witnesses to prove it, so I wouldn't be afraid of him. But what's more important is that Deng Chengyi also belongs to the Baoding clique, which is a bit troublesome. I really can't make the decision to touch his trusted adjutant.

Ning Zhiheng did not immediately answer Nie Tianming's question. Instead, he carefully read through the interrogation record in his hand. Finally, he could no longer sit still. He straightened up abruptly, almost standing up, and asked in a trembling voice, "The bombing of the Huangshan official residence, was it actually him who leaked the secret?"

Ning Zhiheng could no longer remain calm. The bombing of the Huangshan official residence was the main trigger for this crackdown. It was because of this case that the two bureau chiefs were severely reprimanded and could not withstand the enormous pressure from above, which is why they decided to transfer themselves back from Shanghai to crack down on the increasingly rampant Japanese spies.

This case is a major case that directly threatens the personal safety of the Supreme Leader. It has always been a major case that the top leadership of the Military Intelligence Bureau has strictly ordered to be investigated. However, after Ning Zhiheng returned, he was busy dealing with the cases at hand and had not had time to investigate this case. Unexpectedly, it was solved here today.

If Ning Zhiheng had hesitated before because of factional ties, he now knew that no matter what Xue Jianmu's background was, he could not let him go. After all, this case was too big, and even Ning Zhiheng dared not commit any illegal acts.

Ning Zhiheng glanced at the time; it was already 10 p.m. He hesitated for a moment, then said to Nie Tianming, "This matter is too big for me to handle. You come with me and we'll explain the situation to the bureau chief together."

Nie Tianming had already realized the seriousness of the matter during the interrogation, so he dared not act on his own and immediately consulted Ning Zhiheng. Upon hearing Ning Zhiheng's instructions, he quickly nodded in agreement.

Ning Zhiheng picked up the phone again and called Huang Xianzheng. After giving Huang Xianzheng a brief report, the group prepared to go to Huang Xianzheng's official residence to report on their work.

Ning Zhiheng went downstairs and ordered Zhao Jiang, "Arrange for an action team to accompany us, carrying rifles, submachine guns, and lighting equipment. Pay special attention to safety when traveling at night."

Before today, Ning Zhiheng always traveled in just two cars with six or seven bodyguards, but when he learned that the Japanese were going to take action against him, he still dared not be careless in the slightest.

Although Ning Zhiheng was confident in his skills, he was aware that even with the best skills, he couldn't withstand the attack of firearms.

It seems we must deal with the Japanese spies' armed forces as soon as possible; otherwise, we can't afford to keep fighting them in this passive defense.

Zhao Jiang and Nie Tianming were both startled. They knew Ning Zhiheng's boldness and always tried to save on his guards, sometimes only sending two or three team members. Today, the sudden order for a large escort must mean that something unusual had happened.

Zhao Jiang didn't dare to delay and immediately mobilized one of his action teams, carrying weapons and equipment, and the group left the Second Action Division.

As soon as they stepped out the gate, looking at the dark night around them, Ning Zhiheng said to Nie Tianming beside him, "Starting tomorrow, the personnel of the Third Division should organize themselves to conduct a thorough investigation of all the residents near the gate, especially those at high vantage points where they can observe our operations. We must prevent anyone from taking advantage of any loopholes and hiding right under our noses."

"Yes, I'll take care of it right away." Nie Tianming nodded quickly and gave the order.

Then he cautiously asked, "Chief, are the Japanese planning something big?"

"I've heard that the Japanese are planning to target me," Ning Zhiheng said calmly.

His words immediately startled Nie Tianming and Zhao Jiang. Zhao Jiang, the captain of the guards responsible for protecting Ning Zhiheng, hurriedly asked, "Chief, what should we do?"

Ning Zhiheng waved his hand and smiled, saying, "Don't worry, I have my own way of dealing with them."

At this point, he changed the subject and said again, "By the way, you two have been promoted to majors this time, especially Tianming, who has been promoted to head of the Third Section. You should celebrate properly. So, what are your plans?"

Upon hearing Ning Zhiheng suddenly bring up this matter, Nie Tianming and Zhao Jiang were both taken aback. Nie Tianming quickly said, "Old Zhao and I were thinking of inviting our colleagues in the department to a celebration, but we've been too busy with work and haven't had time to arrange it. Also, my official promotion appointment hasn't come through yet, so it's been delayed until now. But there's no rush. We'll arrange it once we finish the cases we have on hand. We would be honored to have you attend, Director Ning."

Zhao Jiang also said with a smile, "Yes, these past few days, Tianming and I have both had cases on our hands, we've been so busy. To be honest, since the Director took charge of the crackdown, the work of the Second Division has changed completely. Before, we were idle all day long, but now we can't even have a moment's rest. One case after another. The brothers all say that the Second Division used to be too lax, and the Director should have taken charge of the work a long time ago. This is the style of our Party and the country's soldiers."