Go to Qionghai City
"Nightingale" lightly tapped the touchpad to gather these scattered records and form a clear timeline.
He did not jump to conclusions immediately, but instead conducted multi-faceted verification again to rule out the possibility of coincidence.
After confirming that everything was correct, he opened a one-time encrypted communication channel.
Edited a line of information and sent it out.
"In the two weeks before the target published his paper, he frequently returned to Yunxi Village (presumably his hometown) at an abnormal rate."
The next second after the message is successfully sent, the communication channel and the sending record will completely self-destruct, leaving no trace.
"Nightingale" closed the computer, stood up, and stretched his stiff neck.
…
At the same time, in Shangjing, in a heavily guarded office.
Bobcat placed a printed briefing on the table.
"We've intercepted several vague clues, and some 'rat' outside China have begun digging deeper into Li Qiang's past activities."
There was no fluctuation in Bobcat's voice, as if he was stating something very ordinary.
"The focus is on the first half of the month before he publishes his paper."
Zhou Zhenguo picked up the teacup on the table, opened the lid, and hot steam with a faint tea fragrance wafted out.
He took a sip, his eyes calm.
“As expected.”
He put down the cup, and the bottom of the cup made a sound when it hit the table.
"The influence of the YX factor is enough to attract those hungry wolves."
The bobcat stood quietly, waiting for instructions.
"Li Qiang's physical isolation is very good, and the information level is also very clean."
Zhou Zhenguo's fingers tapped lightly on the table, making a regular tapping sound.
"But the past always leaves a shadow."
"They want to follow the clues and find where the melon is."
He looked at the Bobcat with sharp eyes.
"Notify the Jibei Provincial Department and Qionghai City units to increase the level of inbound and online monitoring."
"yes."
Bobcat nodded, turned and left the office.
The encrypted message sent back by "Nightingale" was decoded. After reading the message, Bruce sat up suddenly, and the ash from his cigar fell.
"Yunxi Village..." he repeated in a low voice, with a gleam in his eyes.
Aluka, who was standing next to him, stroked his chin and said, "Li Qiang's paper is vague, but it can't be completely covered up. These unusual itineraries are the clearest clue."
Julie, who had been silent the entire time, raised her eyes and said calmly, "He's not going home. He's going back to get the source of 'YX Factor,' or rather, a sample."
Bruce scoffed, "Obviously."
"The question now is what's in that place."
Aluka pushed his glasses up, his eyes behind the lenses deep.
"A place where the 'YX Factor' is born is definitely not ordinary."
"Our attempts to contact Li Qiang directly have failed. Their defenses are impenetrable."
“Now, we have a new direction.”
Julie continued.
"Then let Nightingale go deeper into the destination. I believe such a magical thing will not remain unknown. There must be someone who knows something about it."
The man codenamed "Nightingale" is named Zhao Wenxuan. He has an ordinary face and is not easy to notice.
Zhao Wenxuan is an international student who was carefully screened and recruited by them. He is quite talented in network technology and is considered an ideal chess piece to carry out infiltration missions.
When the instruction came through the encrypted channel, Zhao Wenxuan was having dinner with his parents in a nice restaurant.
The phone screen lit up and then quickly went dark, and he put the phone in his pocket as if nothing had happened.
There was constant conversation at the dinner table. Zhao Wenxuan's parents were very happy that their son had returned home so rarely.
The next day, Zhao Wenxuan boarded a flight to Qionghai City under the pretext of "traveling with friends".
After arriving in Qionghai City, Zhao Wenxuan did not rush to Yunxi Village. He first rented a short-term apartment near the university town and then wandered around like an ordinary tourist.
One evening, Zhao Wenxuan walked into a small alley where there was a restaurant that looked quite old.
The restaurant was small, but business was good. He could smell the aroma of food from outside. He ordered two home-cooked dishes and found a corner to sit down.
There was a middle-aged couple at the next table, and the man seemed dissatisfied with the plate of stir-fried vegetables on the table.
"Boss," the man said loudly, with a slightly complaining tone, "What's wrong with your vegetables today? They don't taste right. They're nothing like the ones I had last time. There's no fragrance at all."
The boss, who was busy at the stove, heard this and without even turning his head, just replied loudly: "Oh, that supplier is not delivering anymore, and the goods are too expensive. I changed to another one, they all have vegetables, so they are about the same!"
The diner seemed to want to say something, but was pulled back by his wife next to him. He muttered a few words and stopped talking.
These ordinary conversations flashed through Zhao Wenxuan's mind like a flash of lightning.
Too expensive? Fresh fragrance?
He suddenly raised his head and glanced at the plate of ordinary stir-fried vegetables, his heart beating uncontrollably.
Li Qiang's paper deliberately obscures the source, but it's impossible to fabricate it out of thin air. If it were vegetables containing "YX factor," surely ordinary people would notice a noticeable difference. Could this be a clue?
Zhao Wenxuan quickly suppressed his excitement and pretended to prick up his ears casually, trying to hear more information, but the people at the next table had already changed the subject.
He quickly finished his meal and, as he was paying the bill, he casually asked the boss, "Boss, I just heard that guy say the vegetables we had were delicious. Who supplied them? I want to try some, too."
The boss, busy collecting money and giving change, casually replied, "Hey, it's just something I grew in the countryside. The quantity is small and it's expensive. If they say they won't give it away, then they won't give it away. Who knows? Here, here's your change."
Zhao Wenxuan was thoughtful when he heard this.
He took the change, said thank you, turned and walked out of the restaurant.
The night was deep, and the lights in the alley were dim. He stood at the entrance, took a deep breath, and his eyes sparkled with excitement.
Finally, there was news. Although the information was vague, it also pointed out the direction. He needed to find the "countryman" who had supplied this small restaurant.
The next day, around lunchtime, Zhao Wenxuan came to the restaurant again.
The restaurant was quieter than last night, with only two or three tables of diners scattered around. The owner was leaning against the counter, holding a small notebook, seemingly counting his bills, his brow slightly furrowed.
Zhao Wenxuan sat down in the same place as yesterday and ordered a bowl of noodles.
He ate slowly, his eyes casually scanning the surroundings, but in fact he was observing the boss's movements, looking for the right opportunity to talk to him.
When the boss put down his pen and stood up to go to the kitchen, Zhao Wenxuan stood up and followed him with a friendly smile on his face.
"Boss, are you busy?"
The boss looked up at him, recognized him as last night's customer, nodded, and said calmly: "Well, it's almost time for dinner, we need to get ready."
"Boss," Zhao Wenxuan leaned in closer, lowering his voice as if chatting, "I heard you talking to that guy yesterday about that green vegetable, saying it tasted really good. I'm always curious about food, so could you tell me who supplies it?"
The boss paused and glanced at him, as if he thought he was being nosy. "I told you, they're not delivering anymore," he said, looking a little impatient, and turned to leave.
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