Ning Zhiheng naturally wanted to secure more benefits for his people. After completing the raid, he still had to return to Shanghai, but in the headquarters of the Second Operations Division, he only had three of his trusted men left.
With Sun Jiacheng tied to Tan Jinhui's side and unable to spare any attention, the only one who can currently wield real power is Nie Tianming, the head of the action section. It's best to elevate and solidify his position as soon as possible so that when he returns in the future, we won't have to go through the trouble of intimidating people again. No matter how fearsome Ning Yanwang is, he can't just come back and kill a bunch of people every time, right?
Early the next morning, Ning Zhiheng received a report from Leng Qing.
"Chief, Miss Gu said that starting today, we will be tracking down Japanese spies in various temples. We are about to head out now."
Leng Qing had to report every move Tanikawa Chiemi made to Ning Zhiheng and was responsible for monitoring her every action.
Logically speaking, Tanikawa Chiemi had already betrayed her companions, had incriminating evidence in Ning Zhiheng's hands, and was being offered a huge sum of money as bait. She really had no way out. However, Ning Zhiheng was still worried and wanted to make sure that everything was foolproof.
Ning Zhiheng carefully instructed, "Keep a close eye on her. If you see any signs of her trying to escape, shoot her dead without asking me for permission!"
Ning Zhiheng was afraid that Tanikawa Chiemi might change her mind. With her, it would be easier to wipe out the Chongqing intelligence network, but even without her, Ning Zhiheng was still confident that he could do it. The only difference was that it would take more time and effort.
On that very day, Nie Tianming was ordered to begin investigating the residents and buildings around the two locations and to clear out all suspicious sites.
Around noon, Huang Xianzheng personally arrived at the Second Operations Division. Ning Zhiheng welcomed him into the office and closed the door.
The two sat facing each other, and Ning Zhiheng quickly inquired about the outcome: "Director, how did the talks go? What is General Deng's opinion?"
Huang Xianzheng shook his head, his face showing displeasure, and said, "That old fox is no pushover either. As soon as he found out Xue Jianmu's identity, he dealt with him without saying a word, and even ransacked his house."
They were ruthless indeed. These seasoned politicians, who had been through many ups and downs in the political arena, were not to be underestimated. Upon hearing that their trusted confidants had run into trouble, they didn't even bother to investigate before taking their lives. Their methods were truly vicious!
Ning Zhiheng sneered slightly, showing no surprise whatsoever. He snorted, "Hmph! Xue Jianmu is his trusted confidant. Why is he in such a hurry to act? I wonder what shameful things Xue Jianmu has done for him? He even ransacked Xue Jianmu's house. Is he afraid Xue Jianmu will leave behind any incriminating evidence? In this way, there will be no way to prove anything. Isn't he afraid we'll turn against him?"
"No, that's not it. Xue Jianmu did admit that he was a Japanese spy, and he even said that he owed us a favor. I think he was just afraid that if Xue Jianmu fell into our hands, he would reveal something else, so he killed him to silence him. Now we can only claim that Xue Jianmu committed suicide out of fear of punishment, and that all the money obtained from the confiscation of Xue Jianmu's property was handed over to us."
After saying that, Huang Xianzheng placed a bulging briefcase on the table and pushed it to Ning Zhiheng: "I have checked it. There are indeed a lot of pounds, about ten thousand pounds. The rest are US dollars and fiat currency. Take it to Tianming as a subsidy for them."
Ning Zhiheng's expression softened slightly. The other party hadn't confiscated Xue Jianmu's property for money, so giving it away was a gesture, much better than not giving a penny at all.
Ning Zhiheng nodded in agreement, "Then let's do it this way. I'll go to headquarters to report this matter right away. The sooner this case is resolved, the more at ease everyone will feel."
With the matter resolved in this way, all parties were satisfied. Ning Zhiheng hadn't initially expected any further gains. After all, the KMT government was rife with factions and internal strife, with deeply entrenched relationships. As long as high-ranking officials were involved, it was impossible to be completely fair and honest.
After Huang Xianzheng left, Ning Zhiheng called Nie Tianming to his office to inquire about the progress of the investigation.
Nie Tianming reported, "Chief, I've checked all the surrounding residents and high points, but I haven't found any suspicious individuals."
Ning Zhiheng calmed down a bit after hearing this. He didn't want to be watched as soon as he went out. He always had to be wary of being plotted against.
"Alright then, your work is temporarily over. Now go out for a walk and spread the word about the celebration banquet."
At this point, Ning Zhiheng handed the briefcase to Nie Tianming, relayed Huang Xianzheng's previous instructions to Nie Tianming, and said again: "Xue Jianmu committed suicide out of fear of punishment. Although this ending is not perfect, at least there is a result. This major case has been solved. You need to submit your case closure report and commendation report as soon as possible. The officers under your command who are qualified should also be promoted. This is a rare opportunity, so you must seize it. Use this money to reward the brothers and also to make the celebration banquet a success."
Hearing Ning Zhiheng's words, Nie Tianming was naturally overjoyed. His three action team leaders, like him, had been stuck at the rank of captain for many years. This time, they were being given special recognition for their achievements, which might allow them to step into the ranks of field-grade officers.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh to himself that having a powerful backer really made a difference. Ever since the director returned to take charge of the work, he and the people around him had all been promoted and their careers had gone incredibly smoothly.
Nie Tianming quickly nodded and accepted the order: "Yes, I'll do it right away!"
“There’s one more thing.” Ning Zhiheng suddenly remembered something and rubbed his forehead. “Hou Shifei, the action team leader under you, should also be commended this time. Merit must be rewarded. He played a significant role in your promotion to section chief of the third section. So, appease him properly; he will be a useful person in the future.”
Upon hearing this, Nie Tianming knew that the section chief had approved of Hou Shifei's defection and included him in his inner circle. He hurriedly nodded in agreement and turned to leave.
After arranging these trivial matters, Ning Zhiheng made some preparations before calling the Director's office to confirm the Director's itinerary with Secretary Liu. He then took a sufficient number of guards and drove to the Military Intelligence Bureau headquarters to report on this major case to the Director.
The bureau chief had just returned from the headquarters, looking travel-worn. Seeing Ning Zhiheng enter, he smiled and said, "I heard from Secretary Liu that you have a major case to report."
Ning Zhiheng nodded and said, "Yes, the main purpose is to report to you on the progress of the clearing operation over the past few days."
The Director had just returned from the front lines in Changsha and reported to the Chairman before returning to headquarters. Hearing Ning Zhiheng's account, he knew there must be something important to report and nodded, saying, "Good. I've been busy these past two days and just got back from Changsha. It seems you've made some significant gains while I was away! Tell me about it!"
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