The female officer, familiar with the process, retrieved the files Ning Zhiheng needed and placed a thick stack on the table.
Fortunately, Ning Zhiheng had a clear objective and a portrait in hand, so the review process was quick. He opened the file and immediately checked if the photograph resembled the person. However, he worried that the photograph might be distorted due to its age. He then carefully checked each clue and condition he had analyzed.
Unfortunately, after spending the entire morning going through all the files of officers of the rank of colonel, not a single one matched the image in my mind.
Ning Zhiheng, fearing that the female officer might have missed something in the file she had retrieved, asked again, "May I ask your surname?"
“My surname is Luo, Luo Shuyu!” the female officer answered cautiously.
Seeing that Luo Shuyu was visibly nervous, Ning Zhiheng softened his tone and said, "Captain Luo, your rank is higher than mine. I'm just conducting a routine investigation. You don't need to be so nervous."
Luo Shuyu gave an awkward smile and said, "In your military intelligence department, you've always been one rank higher than your superiors. How could I not be nervous?"
"Captain Luo, I'll be frank. I don't have what I'm looking for in these documents. Is there anything missing?" Ning Zhiheng asked.
"I guarantee this is the complete file of all officers at the colonel level and above!" Luo Shuyu quickly said.
"Alright, let me ask you another question. Do you remember if there have been any transfers of the files of officers at the rank of colonel in the past few years? If so, you should have a record of it, right?"
Ning Zhiheng felt that he couldn't just focus on the 11th Division. Perhaps this mole had changed jobs in the past few years, but if he changed jobs, his file would have to be moved as well. As the head of the archives, Luo Shuyu might have some recollection of him.
Luo Shuyu thought for a moment and said, "The transfer of personnel files is definitely recorded. I have records of file transfers from the past three years. There should be records of transfers for officers of the rank of colonel or higher. I'll go get them right now!"
As long as there are records, things will be easier. Ning Zhiheng's biggest fear is that there will be no clues here, and he will have to search alone, unit by unit, which is too time-consuming and laborious.
He still felt that this mole must have a strong connection with the 11th Division, or at least must have served in the 11th Division before.
Ideally, you should search for information in a targeted and purposeful manner to narrow down your search. This is the easiest and most effective method.
Luo Shuyu took out the file transfer records from the past three years, and Ning Zhiheng carefully compared them line by line.
Unfortunately, this is just a transfer record; the detailed files have already been transferred away, so we can't see the photos, otherwise the target would be clearer.
He picked up his pen and wrote down the names of the fourteen colonel-level officers, including the units to which they were transferred.
Now the target has been narrowed down to these fourteen people, and what he needs to do next is to verify them one by one with these military units.
The matter was settled. He packed his belongings, smiled at Luo Shuyu, and said, "Captain Luo, thank you for your cooperation. Although it may be impolite, I must emphasize that the information investigated this time is all classified military information. I think you understand what I mean!"
Luo Shuyu nodded hurriedly and said, "Captain Ning, don't worry. I work in records management, so I naturally understand the confidentiality regulations. Nothing you and I discussed today will be heard by a second person."
Ning Zhiheng smiled, nodded his thanks, and took his leave.
Looking at the transfer records of the fourteen colonels in his hand, Ning Zhiheng carefully sorted through them and found that eight of them were not transferred to Nanjing, but to troops stationed elsewhere. The remaining six were all transferred to Nanjing. He should naturally prioritize checking the whereabouts of these six officers.
Over the next two days, he rushed to the military base where the six colonels were stationed. Finally, he found the files he was looking for in the archives of the Fourth Division.
He picked up the file in front of him and compared it with the photo in the file. He had already confirmed that this was the target he had been searching for these past few days.
Lin Mucheng, 30 years old, holds the rank of major. Two years ago, he was transferred from his position as a staff officer at the 11th Division headquarters to the 4th Division as its confidential secretary. He is a graduate of the 7th class of the Whampoa Military Academy, the same class as Wei Liangbi; the two might even know each other.
One thing that caught Ning Zhiheng's attention was that the person's file showed his father's name as Lin Zhen.
If Ning Zhiheng remembered correctly, there was a powerful figure in the military from the Baoding clique named Lin Zhen. Looking at his father's position, it was indeed Lin Zhen, the deputy commander of the Third Army.
Ning Zhiheng hesitated. This man had an outstanding performance, consistently ranking first in evaluations over the years, and possessed a clean background, especially with a powerful connections. He wasn't someone easily dealt with; extremely solid evidence was required, and even with such evidence, it wasn't certain that he could be brought down.
Ning Zhiheng once considered that if this person continued to lie low and he couldn't find any weaknesses, he would simply find an opportunity to capture him in secret and then torture him severely.
After all, he was certain this person was the Mole, so he wasn't afraid of wrongly accusing him. If the man continued to resist, he would eventually have to kill him and peer into his dying memories. He believed he would gain something from this experience and use it to find traces of other members of the Shadow Group.
But now, seeing this information, he can only abandon those thoughts. If he acts rashly without considering the consequences...
Lin Mucheng has an extremely powerful background. If he makes even the slightest mistake and is countered, he will be doomed. Doing this is far too risky!
To be honest, there are plenty of enemies in this world. If Ning Zhiheng had to risk his life and fortune to gamble, he would rather not try to capture Lin Mucheng.
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