Ning Zhiheng has a strong personality and a decisive and ruthless style of handling affairs. He is willing to use tough means to achieve his goals.
Although his meeting with Yong Feng tonight yielded some results, including obtaining the blueprints for the aerial torpedo, it also left him quite disappointed. Yong Feng rejected his proposal twice with a firm attitude, thwarting his plan to keep the blueprints for himself. If it weren't for his limited influence in Hong Kong, where he currently has no other choice but to rely on this woman, Ning Zhiheng, with his ruthless nature, would never have been so polite.
Since he couldn't achieve his goal, Ning Zhiheng had other ideas: to use Yong Feng as a lead to trace the source, find the mole behind her, and get the original film.
Besides, I'm currently strapped for cash. In Shanghai, I went to great lengths to save $300,000. Isn't $1 million a lot of money? If I can save it, why not?
However, despite Ning Zhiheng's good plan, things did not go as smoothly as he had imagined. An hour later, he received a report that Yong Feng and her group had shaken off his pursuers and disappeared from his sight.
In the study of the villa, Ji Hongyi reported to Ning Zhiheng: "Chief, our men were stationed near the George Hotel and did not see Yong Feng leave. Later, when they saw the people they had arranged leave, they felt something was wrong. We sent people to check, and the room was empty, with no trace of anyone there."
"Hmph, she slipped away quickly!" Ning Zhiheng snorted coldly, which surprised him. "This woman is indeed quite capable to be able to operate so freely in South China. She not only has extremely high self-control, but also sufficient vigilance. It seems she was also wary of us."
Ji Hongyi explained in a low voice, "These brothers made a mistake, and Team Leader Zuo is reprimanding them. You see..."
"Forget it, they're local bullies, and we're not outsiders. It's normal that they've broken free. We'll figure out a way later," Ning Zhiheng said, waving his hand. Although the intelligence department was strictly disciplined, Ning Zhiheng still had a sense of justice and wouldn't be too demanding of his subordinates.
Ji Hongyi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and, at Ning Zhiheng's signal, withdrew, watching him close the door and leave.
Ning Zhiheng sat in his chair, pondered for a moment, and then picked up the microfilm roll on the table again. There were quite a few rolls of film, coiled on a round black spool.
Under the light, Ning Zhiheng examined the bearing disc repeatedly, trying to find something. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, and his fingers rubbed against the disc. He felt something unusual on the side of the disc, so he quickly picked it up to check. He saw a line of words engraved on the side. Because the disc was black and the font was also dark, and the font was very small, it was difficult to see clearly if you weren't paying attention. He carefully examined it and saw that it was engraved with the words "X-5", a combination of English letters and Arabic numerals.
Ning Zhiheng frowned, staring at the line of small characters, deep in thought. Judging from the font of the letters, the characters were random and rather rough, clearly hand-carved by someone, rather than machine-made by the manufacturer.
Judging from the combination of English letters and Arabic numerals, it is very likely that it was used as a marker by a later user. So, who was this user? Ning Zhiheng's mind was racing, constantly deducing various possibilities. He vaguely felt that if he could find the origin of this axle, he might really be able to find a breakthrough.
According to the investigation conducted by Shen Xiang, there are two sets of microfilm reading and copying equipment in Hong Kong, one in the archives of HSBC Bank and the other in the library of the University of Hong Kong. Of course, there may also be such equipment in special departments with higher security levels, but that would be beyond Ning Zhiheng's access.
So how did Yong Feng, or rather that mole, manage to copy the original microfilm? Did they have their own equipment for this? Or did they use one of the two sets of equipment that have already been identified?
Frankly speaking, at present, advanced equipment for this kind of miniaturization technology is not only rare but also extremely expensive. Ning Zhiheng does not believe that Yong Feng has such capabilities, so Ning Zhiheng thinks the latter is more likely.
If we can confirm this, can we follow this line to find the mysterious mole?
It seems I need to investigate the situation myself. Even if it's not to track down the mole, I need to make another copy of this blueprint as soon as possible. After returning to Shanghai, both the Military Intelligence Bureau and the underground party organization will have to submit a copy.
HSBC has high equipment utilization and strict internal systems, so its management must be very rigorous. It would be too difficult to gain access on one's own, so the University of Hong Kong's library became the first choice.
The next morning, Ning Zhiheng got up early, put on the short beard and wrinkles that Zuo Rou had made for him, changed into a light-colored suit, put on a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, took a book and tucked it under his arm, concealed the sharp edge in his eyes, and carefully examined himself in the mirror. He felt that his temperament had softened a lot and that he had a scholarly air about him.
At this moment, Ji Hongyi walked over, looked at Ning Zhiheng's disguise, and said in surprise, "Chief, what are you going to do..."
Ning Zhiheng looked in the mirror, nodded in satisfaction, and ordered, "I'll be acting alone today. You and Zuo Qiang will continue to monitor the Yue Mansion and the Japanese Consulate, especially the Yue Mansion. Be sure to collect images and photos of them."
Upon hearing this, Ji Hongyi was somewhat troubled. Given Ning Zhiheng's current status, it was far too risky for him to act alone. However, knowing Ning Zhiheng's temperament, he nodded and accepted the order, saying, "Yes, I will closely monitor the movements of all parties. However, this is Hong Kong after all, so you still need to be careful."
Ning Zhiheng smiled slightly and said nonchalantly, "Don't worry, I'm safer acting on my own without you guys."
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