Shadow of Spies

Propelled headlong into the relentless currents of history, Ji Yu finds himself transplanted to the tumultuous prelude to WWII.

Once an ordinary civil servant in his modern existence, Ji Yu i...

Chapter Fifty-Three: The Investigation Begins

Upon returning from Hangzhou, Zhao Jiang and the others brought back a reply from Chen Guangran. In the letter, Chen Guangran expressed his heartfelt gratitude and extended a warm invitation to Ning Zhiheng to visit his home after returning to his hometown.

Judging from the beaming faces of Zhao Jiang and the others, it was clear that the money Chen Guangran had given them for their hard work was no small sum, and it certainly surprised and delighted the team members. It also made them even more attentive to Captain Ning.

The interrogation of Wang Maocai went smoothly. Before any harsh methods were used, he, whose mental state had already collapsed, confessed to all the evil deeds he had committed in the past. According to Wang Shucheng, his family was also very wealthy, so one can imagine how he had accumulated such wealth.

However, in the following days, the intelligence department had several arrest operations, and the action department had to cooperate, leaving Ning Zhiheng with no time for investigation. After all, his job was to arrest people; he couldn't make excuses to shirk his duties!

Seeing that several more days had slipped through his fingers, Ning Zhiheng felt he couldn't delay any longer. He simply went directly to Wei Liangbi again.

"Senior brother, I heard that the situation with the 11th Division has been almost resolved?"

Wei Liangbi nodded and said, "All the military commanders above the division level have been replaced; it's a big move."

“I plan to continue investigating the officers’ files of the 11th Division during this period. Can you help me with the application process?” Ning Zhiheng said impatiently.

"Also, I only plan to investigate this time myself. After all, there's no specific target, and it wouldn't be good to make a big fuss. During this period, I'll leave the team affairs of the Third Action Team to Shi Hong!"

Wei Liangbi glanced at Ning Zhiheng. He was also a shrewd agent, and his ability to read people was no less than Ning Zhiheng's. He could tell that Ning Zhiheng probably had some vague clues, but he just couldn't identify the target.

"Zhiheng, whatever your plans are, I will support you. Just don't take any risks, and remember to tell me if you really need manpower!" Wei Liangbi said sincerely.

He valued this junior brother highly. After spending some time together, he grew to appreciate Ning Zhiheng more and more. Ning Zhiheng was steady in his work, meticulous in his thinking, and especially lucky, as if an invisible hand was helping him.

I am proof of this. During this period, I have been riding this wave of good fortune and everything has gone smoothly for me, and all my wishes have come true!

Wei Liangbi was worried that Ning Zhiheng might encounter some unexpected dangers while conducting investigations alone, and he genuinely didn't want his junior brother to have any accidents.

Ning Zhiheng was deeply moved. He could sense his senior brother's sincere concern, but he still couldn't reveal any information, because it would be difficult to explain later.

"Don't worry, senior brother. I'm just doing preliminary investigation. I'll let you know when we really need manpower," Ning Zhiheng said.

The formalities were completed quickly. Investigating officers' files was not difficult for the Military Intelligence Service, as it already had that authority.

Ning Zhiheng drove to the 11th Division's garrison address. Upon entering the division headquarters building, he immediately sensed an unusual atmosphere. It was quiet and oppressive, with everyone wearing serious expressions and exchanging nods. There was almost no one moving around in the lobby and corridors; most people stayed quietly in their offices, as if afraid of getting into trouble.

Ning Zhiheng knew that the entire 11th Division had been in turmoil these past few days, and everyone was on edge. He didn't linger and went straight to the archives to submit the paperwork.

"Ning Zhiheng, Operations Captain of the Military Intelligence Division, here are the formalities!"

The head of the archives was a female military officer in her thirties. She had a very good temperament and charm, but after seeing the paperwork and learning that Ning Zhiheng was from the military intelligence department to access the officers' files, she seemed a little uneasy.

After all, these are turbulent times, and everyone is worried that this storm will affect them. How could the military intelligence department coming to investigate be anything good?

"Captain Ning, please wait a moment, I need to verify the documents!" the female officer said cautiously.

“Of course, everything will proceed according to procedure!” Ning Zhiheng could see that his identity made the female officer somewhat uneasy, and he could understand her feelings.

Just like in the previous life, even ordinary people who had not committed any crimes were still terrified when the police came to investigate, fearing that something might go wrong.

Soon, after the female officer called her superiors to verify the information, she led Ning Zhiheng into the archives room.

The 11th Division was directly under the Central Army and had a full complement of over 10,000 personnel. The files of these personnel filled two large halls, with partitions and bookshelves in between, all filled with archival materials. Outsiders would have no idea where to begin when searching.

"Please retrieve the files of all officers at the rank of colonel and above; I need to investigate them thoroughly!"