“Why aren’t you speaking?” General Ji slammed his hands on the table. “Don’t tell me that Hong Kangquan is actually telling the truth in this report!”
Huo Shaoheng remained silent.
“Shaoheng, are you experiencing any hardships?” General Ji frowned as he looked at Huo Shaoheng. “At that time, our nation’s intelligence agency only consisted of the Secret Service. It dealt with double agents at home and handled counterintelligence abroad. They dealt with both aspects.
“Yet the Secret Service, by its very nature, was limiting. The fact that it is a national agency on the surface is enough to restrict its counterintelligence operations abroad, and in many cases, it had limited ability to respond in a timely manner. Because of that, it could not adequately safeguard national interests.
“That’s precisely why I proposed to President Long that another clandestine intelligence agency be established, but this time under the jurisdiction of the military, and focusing exclusively on overseas counterintelligence. It would have much higher authority than the Secret Service in terms of foreign counterintelligence operations. In exchange, we would not allow the Special Operations Forces to intervene in any domestic intelligence affairs at home. ”
In other words, the Huaxia Empire actually had two counterintelligence agencies.
They had to cooperate, and each served as a form of checks and balances for the other. At the same time, they had to ensure that the people had access to multiple sources of information, and minimize the potential damage of only receiving information from biased sources.
Furthermore, since counterintelligence was of such monumental importance, having both of the organizations was the most effective way to organize it.
Huo Shaoheng nodded, saying, “If we want to meddle in domestic affairs, we must request permission and authorization from the military and the Senate.”
Like the special cases that had occurred during the two elections.
A cynical look flashed across Huo Shaoheng’s eyes.
Huo Shaoheng’s expression didn’t escape General Ji’s notice, and he said a little awkwardly, “I just wanted to make sure that you knew. So, after hearing all of that, is there really nothing else you want me to know? After all, we are on the same side here.”
Huo Shaoheng thought about it for a moment, and then said carefully, “General Ji, I have written everything I can in the report without concealing anything.”
General Ji glanced at him and instantly understood the hidden meaning in his words. In other words, anything else that remained to be said was unable to be included in the report.
So there really was something he didn’t know?
General Ji felt his heart grow heavy. “Shaoheng, you have to think about this clearly. If you have really concealed or excluded important details, then you are putting me in a difficult position as well,” he said to Huo Shaoheng in a grave tone.
Although General Ji had vowed to put his reputation and status on the line to protect Huo Shaoheng when he had spoken to Speaker Long, that did not mean that he was going to ignore what was happening if there was, in fact, something suspect lurking beneath the surface.
The trust and protection he had placed on Huo Shaoheng was not an act of compassion towards his beloved subordinate, but it was because he believed in his character. General Ji had faith in the idea that Huo Shaoheng was not someone who would ever betray his country and its military.
If Huo Shaoheng really was guilty of treason, General Ji would not continue to shelter and protect him, and would certainly turn him in regardless of how much it would pain him to do so.
If even Zhuge Liang, the famed military strategist and inventor, could bear the pain of parting with his beloved horse, then General Ji surely could take the pain of parting with Huo Shaoheng.
For men like them, the most important thing at hand was the interests of their country and its military. General Ji knew his priorities.
Huo Shaoheng also understood that Hong Kangquan wouldn’t cause such a mess without good reason, and had likely been pressed by the Americans.
He didn’t know whether or not the information obtained by the Secret Service’s field staff meant that James’ cover was blown, or if it was merely one of the CIA’s tactics.
They would often mix in some facts with their lies and then blow them up together to give the appearance of a grand scheme.
Those who fell into their traps weren’t necessarily spies or traitors. Sometimes they were just dimwitted individuals.
Yet, the fact was, when stupid people unintentionally did terrible things, the damage they caused wasn’t any less than those who did so with malicious intent.
Huo Shaoheng suddenly thought of someone.
“General Ji, are you sure you want me to write everything in the report?” he asked calmly. “Aren’t you afraid of potentially jeopardizing diplomatic relations between countries?”
“Is it that serious?” General Ji asked.
“I’ll say this, and please listen carefully. If you think that it is ok to write it in the report, I will add the extra details,” Huo Shaoheng said calmly. “I killed a person during my time in the United States. That person was Sean, the CIA’s former station chief in the Asia region.”
General Ji gasped, then quickly collected himself again. He smacked the table in astonishment. “Sean? As in the legendary Sean that the CIA had praised relentlessly as a counterintelligence genius? He really died by your hands?!” he asked.
After further examination, the timeline of that agent’s death happened to coincide with the period where they had lost contact with Huo Shaoheng while he was in the United States.
Huo Shaoheng nodded slightly, with the slightest hint of a smile in his eyes. “If you are not afraid of the potential trouble that could be caused by publicizing this, then I will include it in the after-action report.”
From how he had laid out his plans and how he approached the whole process to how he finally carried it all out, he was willing to describe every detail word for word in the report.
But the real question was, at the national level, could they really accept that reality?
Once it was written in the after-action report, it meant that more than one General would read what had happened along with many other people in the future.
The more people that knew, the more likely it was to reach the ears of the enemy.
Huo Shaoheng knew that very well, which was why he never thought twice about concealing Gu Nianzhi’s real identity as The Pink Piggy either.
He had hidden the information in order to wait for the storm to pass. That way, he could reveal it to his higher-ups at the right time.
However, his one-way contact with James would never be revealed.
Sure enough, General Ji thought for a long time before putting his hands up in defeat. “I see. Shaoheng, I have faith in you. Concerning the death of Sean; it explains the ambiguities surrounding the matter that you neglected to include in the action report, and also indirectly shows how it is highly likely that the information Hong Kangquan provided is actually the enemy’s attempt stir up conflict among us. ”
“General Ji, you are as wise as always,” Huo Shaoheng said, nodding. “But how do you plan on explaining this to Speaker Long? I will leave it up to you to decide whether or not you want to tell him the truth about Sean’s death. If the news does get leaked to the United States in the future, I am willing to sacrifice myself for my country. I will pay any cost necessary.”
“What nonsense are you speaking?” General Ji asked. “You two fought fair and square, yet Sean couldn’t beat you. He deserved it. So many of our counterintelligence personnel have wound up dead by the hands of the Americans. Haven’t we been fair enough to them? In the past, we have swallowed our pride and suffered humiliating defeat because our skills were no match for theirs. Yet now the tide has turned, and it is they who will endure the pain and humiliation that we have felt in the past. ”
General Ji felt himself realizing Huo Shaoheng’s importance more and more. “You can rest assured and just relax over these next couple of days. When the election is over, I will talk to Speaker Long,” he said.
Huo Shaoheng shook his head. “I still have a lot of unfinished business. General Ji, can you provide me a computer that can be connected to Wi-Fi?”
Hong Kangquan had only erased the AI program that had been hidden in the monitoring software, and Huo Shaoheng had not yet completely restored the data concealed by it.
He planned on seizing the chance to use this interrogation and forced isolation to focus on finding the hidden data.
…
At that point, Hong Kangquan’s carefully planned scheme had practically been flushed down the toilet.
Not only had he failed to obtain control of the central control room, but he had also failed to find the opportunity to erase the AI commands hidden within the software.
Huo Shaoheng had probably already identified the issue with the monitoring software. But fortunately for Hong Kangquan, the United States had responded promptly and initiated a cyberwar that had significantly reduced the possibility of Huo Shaoheng successfully restoring the data.
Now Huo Shaoheng had been taken away by General Ji. Not that Hong Kangquan knew the specifics of what they were doing.
However, as long as Huo Shaoheng wasn’t anywhere near the central control room, he should be safe for the moment.
Hong Kangquan touched the microchip tracker on the back of his neck, his face appearing withdrawn and sullen.
He had never thought about betraying his country. All he had truly wanted was to be restored to his former days of glory.
…
Gu Nianzhi hadn’t contacted Huo Shaoheng for the past two days. But after listening to what Yin Shixiong had said, she thought that Huo Shaoheng might have been on yet another mission, and was slightly comforted by the idea.
Since it was getting boring staying at home and doing nothing all day, she decided to return to the Senate and continue interning at the office to gain some work experience.
Seeing that Huo Shaoheng hadn’t let word slip about that night’s events surrounding Gu Nianzhi and that the Americans still couldn’t wrap their heads around what had happened, He Zhichu didn’t object to Gu Nianzhi returning to work.
Since she had been resting at home for two days, the wound on her face should have healed. Because of that, she did not need to wear a mask to work.
Special Assistant Yang was still on his forced sick leave. The new Special Assistant who was acting in Special Assistant Yang’s absence was Zhuang. They all called him Special Assistant Zhuang.
He was two years older than Special Assistant Yang, had long been married, and his child was already in elementary school.
Special Assistant Zhuang was modest and laid-back and got along with everyone in the Senate.
He and Special Assistant Yang had actually come to the Senate’s secretariat in the same year, but Special Assistant Yang was much more competent than him, and therefore rose through the ranks much faster.
Yet within the secretariat, after Special Assistant Yang, he was a close second in terms of capabilities.
When Gu Nianzhi arrived at work, Special Assistant Zhuang had rushed out to welcome her back and asked with concern, “Little Gu, have the wounds on your face gotten better?”
He glanced at Gu Nianzhi and saw how her delicate, porcelain cheeks were flushed with color, and there was virtually no sign of the swollenness and inflammation from the day she had been beaten.
It seemed as though her wounds had healed.
Gu Nianzhi nodded and said with a smile, “I’m alright now. Thank you, Special Assistant Zhuang, for your concern.”
“That’s nice to hear.” Special Assistant Zhuang breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, “If a girl like you had been disfigured because of that incident, none of us would have let that Cao person get away with it!”
“You saying that really makes me feel better, Special Assistant Zhuang. I’m just an intern, so I can’t really do anything about people bullying me.” Gu Nianzhi winked at Special Assistant Zhuang as she spoke.
After exchanging a few more lines of playful banter, Gu Nianzhi was led to a small, semi-detached office.
The entire exterior wall of the office was made of glass, and you could see the small cubicles in the hall.
Gu Nianzhi felt dizzy with joy. Does this mean that she had her own private office?!!
“Speaker Long entrusted you with me and said that you are a legal expert. I thought about how our secretariat does have some legal matters that need to be handled by someone. But these legal documents are all highly confidential and cannot be placed in the hall. Although you are an intern and interns usually don’t have their own private offices, since your job is special, I asked Speaker Long to arrange this small office for you as an exception. Those legal documents will be placed here for you to take care of,” Special Assist Zhuang explained with a smile.
Gu Nianzhi thanked Special Assistant Zhuang profusely. She was surprised by how modest he was. Although he had obviously done her a great favor, he had thought it necessary to defend his actions so he wouldn’t be accused of favoritism.
Furthermore, legal affairs were indeed Gu Nianzhi’s area of expertise, and also an area that interested her deeply.
She had no intention of staying a secretary for life.
At the door of Speaker Long’s office, she caught sight of a few tall men wearing dark blue suits. They were surrounding a slightly shorter and stockier man. The beautiful woman standing beside the man was Tan Guiren.
Special Assistant Zhuang stepped forward and spoke to the shorter man, saying, “Director Hong, how may I assist you?”
The man looked back at Special Assistant Zhuang and said impatiently, “Miss Tan and I were both invited here by Speaker Long, and it’s almost the appointed time, but it seems like Speaker Long is still in a meeting.”
He glanced at his watch and appeared agitated.
His time was just as precious.
Gu Nianzhi’s eyes gleamed with recognition. Director Hong?
The names of all the Directors in the cabinet flashed before her eyes, and she remembered that the only Director with the last name of Hong was Hong Kangquan of the Secret Service.
He was the one who Tan Guiren said had advised her to send Huo Shaoheng to the United States on a rescue mission.
Yet, why was Hong Kangquan there at the Senate with Tan Guiren? And he said that they were invited by Speaker Long?
