Not long after, Lin Mucheng came out of the tailor shop, looked around, and walked towards the inner street, seemingly wanting to do some shopping.
The middle-aged man who had been keeping watch glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, then calmly swallowed the last wonton, placed the two copper coins on the table, and got up to follow him.
Ning Zhiheng was with Liu Yong, Xiong Hongda, and Gong Ji'an. He slightly turned his head to signal Liu Yong to go ahead first, while the others stayed far behind, ready to switch places at any time.
Highly trained spies have excellent short-term memories and can quickly detect if someone they see repeatedly.
Lin Mucheng didn't wander around for long. When it was lunchtime, he went into a Western restaurant for a meal.
The middle-aged man glanced at his long gown and black cloth shoes. Such attire would be too conspicuous in a Western restaurant, so he didn't go in. Instead, he casually lingered nearby.
Tracking and surveillance is a job that requires skill and patience. Although Ning Zhiheng is a meticulous person, he has not received systematic training. As for his subordinates, apart from Xiong Hongda and Gong Ji'an who have some experience, the others still have loopholes in the details.
This level of skill is enough to deal with Lin Mucheng, but it's really too much of a stretch to deal with this middle-aged man. If he's not careful and gets discovered, all his efforts will be wasted.
Ning Zhiheng felt he needed to find a truly experienced veteran to help him. He didn't have such talent under his command, but his senior brother Wei Liangbi had been in the military intelligence department for so long and might have such talent under him. At this point, his own abilities were already somewhat insufficient.
He was only benefiting from playing on home turf. He had spotted the target in advance, laid bait, and set up nets to catch the fish, thus gaining the upper hand.
But in terms of actual espionage experience, he really didn't have much confidence. He made up his mind to return to the Military Intelligence Department today and seek outside help from Wei Liangbi.
After finishing his meal, Lin Mucheng went home to rest. The middle-aged man followed him at a leisurely pace. His tracking skills were much more sophisticated, and Lin Mucheng did not notice him at all. Meanwhile, Ning Zhiheng had arranged for his men to keep watch at a distance.
In the afternoon, Lin Mucheng went to the Army Officers' Club to play cards and chess as usual, but he didn't go out in the evening.
The stalker gave up following them at dinner time and hailed a rickshaw to leave. Of course, the rickshaw driver was one of Ning Zhiheng's men.
Soon it was evening when the driver returned.
"So, where is this person staying?" Ning Zhiheng asked.
"It's in a hotel in the east of the city, not far from here, sir. I can't read, so I don't know the exact name. Manager Liu and the others are keeping an eye on things there. They told me to come back and inform you!" The driver said somewhat awkwardly, rubbing his rough hands together.
Ning Zhiheng smiled and said, "Well done. Take me to that hotel later, this is a reward for you!"
After saying that, he placed a twenty-yuan bill on the table. The driver's eyes widened, and he respectfully took the bill with both hands, repeatedly saying, "Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"
Ning Zhiheng said to Chen Yanqing behind him, "You stay here tonight and keep watch. No matter what Lin Mucheng does, just record it!"
This stalker will be back tomorrow to monitor Lin Mucheng. As long as he stays here, there's no need to worry about him escaping!
Chen Yanqing nodded and saw Ning Zhiheng out.
Ning Zhiheng got into the rickshaw, and the driver used all his skills to pull the rickshaw quickly and steadily, arriving at the location where the stalker was staying.
He got off the rickshaw a long way off and followed the rickshaw driver's directions to the hotel entrance. It turned out that this three-story hotel was called Yunlai Hotel.
As he entered, a man who looked to be in his forties, the innkeeper, greeted him, saying, "Sir, are you looking for a room? Our inn is clean and hygienic, with hot water provided, and the prices are fair. We guarantee your satisfaction!"
Just then, Liu Yong, who appeared out of nowhere, said to the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, don't bother with him, this is my brother who's here to see me!"
After saying that, he gave Ning Zhiheng a wink. Ning Zhiheng didn't say anything and followed him upstairs to a room on the second floor.
Upon entering the room, Ning Zhiheng saw that Xiong Hongda and Gong Ji'an were already waiting for him. They quickly stood up when they saw Ning Zhiheng enter, and Liu Yong gently closed the door behind him.
Ning Zhiheng asked in a low voice, "Where is he now?"
Xiong Hongda also lowered his voice and said, "It's in the third room from the east, opposite our room. The person hasn't left since returning, so we opened this room and are keeping watch here!"
"Good job. Go to the counter later and find out the exact time this stalker checked in. Take turns monitoring him tonight; we can't let our guard down!" Ning Zhiheng wanted to know when this stalker arrived in Jinling; the timing was crucial.
If he only checked in yesterday or today, it means that he chose to follow Lin Mucheng as soon as he arrived in Jinling, and the identification of other members of the Shadow Group may not have been carried out yet.
Of course, it's also possible that Lin Mucheng was selected first, and then the other members were selected.
If he's been in Jinling for a while now, what has he been doing before today? He must have been in contact with other Shadow members.
After Xiong Hongda nodded in agreement, he went out to investigate. He was a police officer and often did this kind of thing.
He returned shortly after and reported to Ning Zhiheng: "I found out that the registered name is Cui Hai. He checked in twelve days ago and has been leaving early and returning late these past few days. He always comes and goes alone, and no one has come to look for him. He brought a suitcase with him when he arrived."
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