"Mom, are you saying that Mo Ruqing's mother, Xu Ruoling, also lived in the tenement back then?"
Wu Wanying nodded.
“Back then, I was so sad that I broke my spirit. Your father was at a critical juncture in overcoming a major technical challenge and couldn’t spare the time, so he asked Xu Ruoling to come to the island to keep me company. At that time, Xu Ruoling lived at home.”
Upon hearing Wu Wanying's words, Yu Yao had a fleeting thought of something she had previously overlooked.
She quickly opened the file bag and took out the record again.
The focus shifted to the case file: there was no one else in the courtyard at the time, and the family member, Comrade Wan Guihua, said that the child had been found and requested that the case be closed.
The problem lies in the word "family members".
"Mom, Lu Ze, look here!"
"The record says it refers to a family member named Wan Guihua. If it were the real Wan Guihua, she wouldn't say she's a family member. Unless the imposter was actually living in our house at the time, the police officer who made the record would have made that judgment. This person hiding behind the scenes is most likely the mastermind from back then."
"Excluding other impossible options, Xu Ruoling is indeed a prime suspect."
Whether Xu Ruoling did it or not can be determined by having Wu Huaiqing take Xu Ruoling's photo to people who saw the grandmother and the young woman back then.
Yu Yao held Wu Wanying's hand and asked, "Mom, do you have a photo of Xu Ruoling?"
Wu Wanying was stunned for a moment, then said, "Wait, let me look for it."
Soon, Wu Wanying found the family photo album and turned to a certain page.
"This is a group photo taken when the textile factory was expanded. The person to my mother's left is Xu Ruoling."
Yu Yao took out the photo, "I'll send the photo to my brother right away."
"Wait a minute," Lu Ze called out to Yu Yao.
Yu Yao looked up at him. "What's wrong? Why do you look so serious?"
Lu Ze said, "The person who took you away back then had extremely strong counter-surveillance capabilities, which is definitely not something an ordinary person could do. If Xu Ruoling really was the one who took you away back then, there's probably more to this than meets the eye. I need to report this matter to my superiors first!"
Yu Yao and Wu Wanying both understood the hidden meaning behind Lu Ze's words.
Military factories and island troops are the places that spies most want to infiltrate. If Xu Ruoling really took the child, she does have too many secrets.
"During the investigation into the fake parents spy case, investigators discovered that the mastermind behind the incident might be connected to the sabotage of military facilities on another island. The person in charge of the security of the island's military facilities at the time was Xu Ruoling's husband, Sun Qing, the island's chief of staff."
Whether there is a connection between these two points needs further confirmation.
Yu Yao and Wu Wanying were shocked.
If the destruction of military facilities is related to Xu Ruoling, then the implications are likely far-reaching.
Xu Ruoling has been hiding on the island for so many years, and even went to great lengths to marry the chief of staff. Heaven knows how many things she and the people behind her have secretly done to harm the country and sabotage the island's development. And how many spies have they planted on the island?
In a more serious scenario, if the chief of staff were to be turned by her, it could trigger a major upheaval on the island or even in Guangdong province.
These all require time to confirm; we must not alert them prematurely.
Compared to finding the mastermind behind the incident, catching the spies and protecting the island are more important.
Yu Yao and Wu Wanying agreed to Lu Ze's approach without any hesitation.
"We've been waiting so many years to catch the murderer, there's no rush. The safety of the island is more important. If the organization needs our cooperation, we will do our utmost."
Lu Ze nodded, "Okay, I'll go back to the island immediately to report to the commander. Keep this a secret for now, and don't let a third person know."
"clear."
Lu Ze rode his sidecar back to the island unit.
After listening to Lu Ze's report, Division Commander Zheng's expression turned serious. "Have the investigation department confirm it as soon as possible. Also, send Xu Ruoling's photo to Qin Province through the military's channels as soon as possible."
"Commander Lu, I'm assigning this task to you. I'll give you half a month to dig up information about Xu Ruoling and her gang. Can you complete the mission?"
Lu Ze saluted: "Mission accomplished!"
Commander Zheng looked at the young and capable subordinate in front of him and nodded in satisfaction.
After completing this mission and accumulating enough experience in a few years, Lu Ze's position should be promoted.
"You go ahead and get busy. I'll contact the Guangdong provincial authorities to cooperate with our investigation. We're determined to wipe out these wolves hiding behind the scenes. If they dare to extend their reach into the island's military base, I'll make sure they never return!"
After leaving the division commander's office, Lu Ze looked at the materials that the division commander had approved and sent in his hand, feeling somewhat heavy-hearted.
If Xu Ruoling is confirmed to have problems, then both Chief of Staff and Mo Ruqing will be investigated.
Especially Mo Ruqing, who is dating Lao Qi.
Lu Ze believed that Qi Feng would not betray him, but given Qi Feng's loose tongue, if he had leaked information to Mo Ruqing, whether intentionally or unintentionally, he would be implicated.
The military's channels were indeed very fast. Wu Huaiqing received the photos and, without a moment's delay, took them to Uncle Niu.
"Uncle Niu, do you think this woman is the one who used to be by my grandmother's side?"
Uncle Niu pushed up his reading glasses, leaned closer to take a closer look, and said, "It looks a bit like it, but it doesn't quite look like it."
Wu Huaiqing looked at the photo, picked up a bit of soil from the ground, and dotted a beauty mark on the corner of Xu Ruoling's mouth. "What if she had short hair? What do you think?"
With the addition of a beauty mark, Xu Ruoling's recognizability has increased significantly.
Uncle Niu took a look and nodded. "It should be right. The facial features are like plain water. I can't remember the exact appearance, but it feels very similar."
After all these years, it's normal for Uncle Niu's memory to be unclear.
Wu Huaiqing then asked other people to identify it.
After extensive investigation and identification, it was confirmed that the person who took the child back then was Xu Ruoling in disguise.
After confirming the information, Wu Huaiqing immediately went to the post office and called the island troops.
The call was directly transferred to the island's military hotline. After receiving the call, Lu Ze immediately ordered his men to keep a close eye on Xu Ruoling's family and secretly restrict their departure from the island.
Meanwhile, Lu Ze returned to his home.
After learning that Xu Ruoling was very likely the one who took the child back then, Yu Yao was afraid that Wu Wanying would overthink things if she stayed at home alone, so she brought her to the military compound.
When Yu Yao and Wu Wanying saw Lu Ze return, they hurriedly asked, "How did it go? Any news?"
Lu Ze nodded. "It's confirmed. The woman who was with the child's maternal grandmother back then was Xu Ruoling in disguise. She's the one who took the child."
"So, Xu Ruoling really did this?" Wu Wanying asked incredulously, her gentle eyes blazing with a mixture of bewilderment and anger at being deceived.
"She's been helping us find you all these years, putting in just as much effort and care as we have. Why? Why is she so heartless? Why did she take the child away?"
She really couldn't understand it. Before the child was taken away, the two families were neighbors. They weren't close, but they were definitely not enemies either.
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