Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“My dad also has something to do with this?” Huo Shaoheng was really surprised for a moment. “Why would he be interested in the situation?” Huo Shaoheng also felt it was strange that Gu Yanran took the initiative to come clean with this, because she hadn’t said anything before. Huo Shaoheng knew that she wanted to get close to Gu Nianzhi, which was why she didn’t take the initiative to expose the situation before. He never imagined that it would come out of her mouth this time.
General Ji’s reply answered two of his questions simultaneously. “It’s like this. Our consulate in Germany told us the news of Nianzhi going missing in Germany. Section Chief Bia specifically told his daughter Bia Yueran to notify me. At the time, I was also shocked, so I put your father in charge of it so that he could use the best methods to rescue Gu Nianzhi. As a result, when your dad went to see Gu Xiangwen, he found out that Gu Yanran was there, and he told her about Gu Nianzhi going missing. After all, at that time, we thought they were biological sisters…”
General Ji gasped. However, afterward, he came back to his senses. He also noticed that something was off. Why didn’t Gu Yanran talk about it earlier but chose to reveal the truth about Gu Nianzhi being the Gu household’s adopted daughter under the extremely stressful situation when Gu Nianzhi was missing?
“So that’s why.” Huo Shaoheng didn’t say anything else. Since it was his father, Huo Guanchen, who got the news, it seemed like he had to make a trip home.
“How is it? Since you got back, have you discovered who the spy was?” At that time, General Ji began to care about the issue and said, “You should examine this whole thing, since someone was actually able to infiltrate an agency like the Special Operation Forces.”
“That is nothing out of the ordinary. Our job is to infiltrate, to be infiltrated, and to be permeated. It would actually be strange if there was no spy,” Huo Shaoheng objected. “I can guarantee that our important departments will be able to eliminate spies, but as for the other departments, I can’t guarantee it.”
“What do you mean by that? I thought you found the person. She was in the Special Operation Forces. That doctor, Doctor Ye or something, right?” General Ji was very interested in that situation. General Ji was also extremely furious about the time when Huo Shaoheng was in danger in New York. He almost lost his most capable general under an uncertain circumstance.
“Correct. The name was Ye Zitan. She was executed this morning,” Huo Shaoheng calmly said. “But she wasn’t the real mastermind. There is someone else pulling the strings, but the enemy has their guard up. We can’t find clues to prevent more information being leaked. That’s why I ordered her to be executed.”
General Ji had an ambiguous smile on his face when he said, “You did the right thing by executing her. But isn’t the marksmanship of the Special Operation Forces’ firing squad horrible? I heard that the firing squad shot three rounds of bullets just to shoot her dead.”
“Yes, I already told them to practice due to the firing squad’s marksmanship.” Huo Shaoheng’s complexion didn’t change, nor did his heart become jumpy. Either way, General Ji didn’t have all the evidence. Even if he guessed the reason, it would only be a guess, always.
“As long as you know. This situation with Dr. Ye didn’t have a good effect on us. Because of her, we lost two of our field agents for nothing. Also concerning Nianzhi, do you know why they wanted to kidnap her?” General Ji raised his eyebrows. “To top it off, it was Germany’s Federal Intelligence Agency, too. I just feel like something was off.” They all knew that Germany’s Federal Intelligence Agency’s predecessor was the infamous Gestapo during World War II.
“From what Nianzhi said, someone revealed that we are in a relationship, so…” Huo Shaoheng didn’t bat an eyelid when he said that the reason Gu Nianzhi was kidnapped was because of him. Even though he knew that was not the case, they clearly valued Gu Nianzhi much more than they cared about him. However, he didn’t want General Ji to know about it at that moment. He didn’t want the military to show interest in Gu Nianzhi again even more so.
“Ah?! Absolutely outrageous! It seemed like Nianzhi encountered trouble not of her own making.” General Ji believed that reason. After all, Huo Shaoheng also carried out operations in Europe for a couple of years and had encounters with Germany’s Federal Intelligence Agency. For them to take an interest in Huo Shaoheng was reasonable.
“That reason may be a big possibility, but to get to the bottom of it, I think I may need to take a trip to Germany.” Huo Shaoheng didn’t explain further, but he took the initiative to offer himself for an assignment in order to go to Germany. Gu Nianzhi was angry, and Huo Shaoheng didn’t want to clash with her again. Plus, he really did own her a rescue. Even though she was able to save herself with He Zhichu’s help, Huo Shaoheng was still brooding over it. He needed to get revenge for Gu Nianzhi and give Germany’s Federal Intelligence Agency a piece of his mind.
“You will go there personally?” General Ji wasn’t very willing. “Shaoheng, right now you are not suited to personally go on an assignment again.”
“General Ji, I even worked as a bodyguard that picked people up. What kind of work can’t I do?” Huo Shaoheng poked fun at himself and said, “Don’t worry, this time I will plan things out beforehand. I will be back soon. I won’t waste time.”
“Fine, I believe in your ability and judgment since you are already the head of the Special Operation Forces.” General Ji felt a bit guilty toward Huo Shaoheng. That was why he didn’t oppose him much and only exhorted again and again, “You must be careful. Be safe. Don’t take risks.”
“Yes, sir!” Huo Shaoheng saluted once again. It indicated that the conversation was over.
He had successfully dealt with the problem.
…
After leaving General Ji’s home, Huo Shaoheng immediately took Yin Shixiong back to the Special Operation Forces headquarters. They went straight down to the control room that was in the basement’s sixth level. Zhao Liangze had already been there the whole day. Besides waiting on Huo Shaoheng’s orders, he was also was sorting out the confidential documents Gu Nianzhi had obtained.
When he saw him walk in with calm composure, Zhao Liangze quickly walked over to Huo Shaoheng and asked with concern, “Huo Shao, did General Ji give you a hard time?”
Huo Shaoheng shook his head. “The thing with General Ji is fine. I already explained it to him. Now, I want you to do another thing.”
“Yes, sir!”
Huo Shaoheng walked toward the central control room’s supercomputer. He stretched out his hand and typed in a couple of commands. “Find out everything you can about Als, the German Federal Intelligence Agency’s section one bureau chief. Send me information on where he has been these past ten days. I will give you one hour. I want to get the information before I board the plane.”
“Plane? Where are you going?” Zhao Liangze looked at Yin Shixiong.
Yin Shixiong spread out his hands to show that he didn’t know, either.
Only then did Huo Shaoheng say, “Big Xiong, go get ready. You are going to Germany with me.”
Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong immediately understood Huo Shaoheng’s intentions. The two of them stopped talking and then said, “Yes, sir!” in unison.
…
After an hour, Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong had already disguised themselves. They boarded Hansha airline’s plane to Berlin, Germany. Their new identity in Germany was that of backpackers, poor travelers. They wore the most common kind of outdoor jackets, big, black-framed glasses, and Louis Vuitton flat shoes. They were carrying rucksacks, and their hair was a bit greasy. Those neat and clean Germans noticed it, and they kept their distance. The effect the two of them wanted was indignant glares without catching too much attention.
Ten hours later, the plane arrived in Berlin. Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong had successfully entered the country. Their visas and passports were all real because they had their country to back them up. There was no need to think of a way to get into the country illegally.
The two of them rented a car from the Berlin airport and drove straight to Berlin’s city center. They rented a hotel room on a block that was right across from the entrance of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Agency.
In the morning, they could see Germany’s Federal Intelligence Agency’s employees going to work. In the afternoon, they could see them coming out for lunch. In the evening, they could see them getting off of work and going home.
Both of them had already made preparations, so naturally they didn’t pay much attention to other people. From the beginning, their target was only one person, and that was Als. Als’ appearance stood out among the crowd. He had a kind of beauty that was so feminine that it was abnormal. He was the focus of attention when he was in a crowd.
Huo Shaoheng read the information Zhao Liangze had given him on where Als had been those past ten days. He noticed that he would often go to a small restaurant for lunch that was two blocks from where they were. There weren’t many people on that block. It was pretty quiet, and there weren’t many people in the little restaurant.
Hua Shaoheng observed it for a whole day. Then he said to Yin Shixiong, “Book the return flight back to the imperial capital. We will make our move tomorrow. After that, we will board the plane right away.”
The return ticket they booked was for a plane that belonged to Hua Xia’s Airline. That way, they could ensure that they wouldn’t be delayed in the middle of their travels like luggage.
…
Berlin’s sky was a bit cloudy on the afternoon of the second day. The sun only appeared for a short while in the morning. It actually started to drizzle in the afternoon. Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong wore raincoats that could change colors. They laid on a three-story-high building’s roof that was across from the small restaurant. They set up a sniper gun, put the silencer on, and aimed it at the seat where Als often sat in that little restaurant.
Huo Shaoheng anaylized the data Zhao Liangze had given him. Als was a person that suffered from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. That was why, every day, he would take the same route, go to the same restaurant, and sit in the seat that he was used to. He wouldn’t even change his body position and direction. It was a strange habit for an intelligence agent to have. However, Als wasn’t a field agent. He handled clerical work and assassinations. That was why his obsessive-compulsive disorder was not considered a weakness but actually a strength.
It started to rain harder. Their line of vision became limited, but looking through the scope of the sniper gun, everything was clear and orderly in the crosshair’s reticle. It was as clear as a database. Every seat could be marked.
At 12:30, Als appeared in their field of vision right on time. He was wearing a gray raincoat. His hands were inside the pockets as he casually walked into the restaurant and ordered what he was used to eating, grilled fish and sausage along with a small piece of bread and a bowl of soup. He put it all on a tray and walked back to the seat he always sat in.
The moment he picked up his knife to cut the fish, he suddenly felt like something was strange. A red dot that suddenly came out of nowhere slipped in front of his eyes. He looked up, but he didn’t see where that red dot had gone. If someone was sitting across from him, that person would have seen that the little red dot was in the middle of his forehead.
Then, there was a little pew sound. Als’ entire body became stiff as he stared at what was in front of him. A distinct bullet hole was in his forehead. It was very circular. For a person with OCD, it was very fitting.
It took Als five minutes to fall down on the dining table. By then, Huo Shaoheng and Yin Shixiong had already gotten in their rented car and had driven to the airport. Yin Shixiong asked with curiosity, “Huo Shao, why did we use our country’s sniper gun for this? The Germans will find out about it.”
“I want them to know that it was us,” Huo Shaoheng said calmly as he hit the gas. They arrived at the airport in ten minutes. After five more minutes, they were being helped by airport personnel, and they successfully boarded the plane.
When the German Federal Intelligence Agency finally got news of Als’ assassination, the Hua Xia Empire’s flight had already left Germany and was cruising past Kazakhstan’s skyline.
