Chapter 116: Exposed |
Blood drained from Angie's face. She instinctively tried to lean back, desperate to avoid the burning, downward gaze of the tall woman standing before her, but she only bumped into the cold backrest of her chair. The interrogation room chairs were bolted to the floor, absolutely motionless, offering her no chance of escape.
Her rule violations had been discovered.
She was finished.
If they didn't have substantial evidence, they would never have summoned her here, especially given her position as the Ambassador's secretary.
Was Shi Rang exposed on his end?
Had he been caught?
When Angie met with Shi Rang three nights ago, she immediately sensed something was off about him. He was covered in grime and reeked of blood, his face gaunt and haggard. She had no idea what exactly he had been up to.
She did not suspect him of accidentally killing someone out there; rather, she figured he had gotten himself tangled up in another messy situation.
If she had known better, she would not have catered to his fragile, glass-like ego and should have interrogated him right then and there.
Her methods for dodging external surveillance were not exactly brilliant. If anyone actually put effort into investigating, they could easily uproot all her little covert operations.
There was no point in struggling anymore.
"..."
"I did it. I used the Ambassador's account to extract classified information and provided the data to him," she admitted her crime with a tremble in her voice.
How many years would she be sentenced to? Twenty? Thirty? Or perhaps life imprisonment?
Not long ago, she had ambitiously declared that she would bring Ying Shang back. Now look at her—she was about to disappear from society right alongside her.
"I knew it," the woman sitting by the table sneered, staring down at her from a position of power with a terrifying smile. "All of that intelligence came from you. The intel on Blue Signal, along with the visual data from around Yunling City."
"I did not violate the Alliance's five core directives!" Angie could no longer care about this woman's rank or identity. She had already pleaded guilty; there was no need to repeatedly list her crimes just to mock her. "I only thought this intelligence would help. I am loyal to the Alliance!"
Deep down, her voice was still quivering. This tremor spread all the way from her throat to her very core.
Despite the volume of her protest, the heavy shadow cast by the muscular woman under the harsh light completely enveloped Angie. From Angie's perspective, all she could see was a pitch-black face and beast-like eyes flashing with a cold, predatory gleam.
Before this woman, she was nothing more than prey.
No matter how high she held her head, she still appeared pitifully weak.
Suddenly, the woman abruptly changed the subject.
"Did you know his father is the regional director of the Charity Foundation in the Second District?"
"The Charity Foundation... What?!" Shock momentarily banished the terror of her impending doom. "Impossible. His father is... That's impossible!"
"Nothing is impossible. Look right here, it is all recorded in crystal clear detail. Not just his father, but his mother too—they are both big shots." The woman took a file from her partner, who stood beside them like a towering mountain. She pulled out two pages and tossed them in front of Angie, even considerately straightening them out for her. "Read this line: 'His father, Shi Shixin, is the current regional operations director of the Charity Foundation, and his mother, Xia Nianji, is a famous designer.' And look at this: 'His maternal grandfather has an extensive political resume in the Second District. After marrying Xia, Shi Shixin secured a position at the Charity Foundation; there is an inside story pending investigation.'"
"This... This... But him, but Ying Shang... Why would he... Why would he have so much influence at his disposal, he clearly..."
Angie found herself completely unable to think. The successive shocks left her in sheer agony. She smacked her forehead hard with both hands, finally clutching her head and burying her face.
The woman gave her a moment to accept reality. Taking repeated deep breaths, Angie quickly sorted out the situation.
"So he went back to the Second District to inherit his family business," she asked weakly, "and here I am sitting in an interrogation room facing trial?"
"Oh?" The woman showed surprise for the first time. "How did you know his itinerary?"
"..."
"...I was the one who suggested he go to the Second District."
"It seems you two have quite close connections, then. You tell him to go, and he goes."
"It is strictly a collaboration."
"What are your impressions of the Second District?"
"What exactly do you want?"
Angie stood up from her chair, meeting the woman's gaze from below.
Their faces were so close that their foreheads could bump at any second.
Angie forced herself not to look away. "I have already confessed. How do you plan to deal with me? Just give it to me straight!"
The woman stepped away from the table, shaking the documents in her hand with a loud rustle. "Fine, just as you said, straight to the point. I will now give you two proposals. First: you plead guilty, and then we follow the standard procedure to see how many life sentences you will be hit with."
"You do not need to list execution by a gun as an extra option."
"Don't guess what I am about to say. Second: you will be stripped of your position as a Special Commissioner and banished to a specialized post where you will work under strict surveillance."
"I choose the second option."
No matter what, Angie did not want to rot in prison, especially not a prison in the Tenth District.
After a few seconds of silence, the woman suddenly burst into boisterous laughter. She slapped Angie hard on the back, striking her so forcefully that it nearly knocked the wind out of her.
Angie darted away from her, shrinking to the side and glancing around nervously, terrified that she had just fallen into some kind of verbal trap.
"Good girl! I have been waiting for those words for far too long! No one intends to convict you. We are already considering adding the New World Society to our list of friendly peer organizations. Your unauthorized contact with them was highly inappropriate, but considering you indirectly facilitated the operation in Pingyuan City and prompted the Society to proactively contact the Alliance afterward, these are all minor issues. They can be smoothed over—it is all just a bunch of messy bureaucratic maneuvering anyway. You understand that better than I do.
"Furthermore, right now I desperately need someone willing to go to the Second District to handle liaison duties—and I think you are exceptionally suited for the job!"
Angie was thoroughly bewildered.
She had never even heard of any New World Society, nor did she have a clue how this thing got tied up with her leaking secrets to Shi Rang. The development of this entire situation made her suspect she was dreaming.
But she knew it was best not to ask questions. Otherwise, she would probably be left with only option one.
She cautiously asked, "Then what am I supposed to do next...?"
"Welcome to the Spirit Vision Department, Angie. From now on, you are the Chief Intelligence Officer responsible for liaising with the New World Society. And I, Scarlett, am your direct superior officer! However, I will be heading out soon to do some... highly classified fieldwork, so unless you need a signature, do not bother me for anything. You are entirely in charge!"
With a head full of fogged water, Angie immediately stood at attention and offered a rather sloppy salute, terrified that hesitating for even half a beat would cost her this lifesaving straw.
"Alright, skip the red tape. I am giving you a secret mission. I will send you off for some basic training, and then dispatch you to take charge of maintaining contact with Shi Rang—or as he is known, Deer Hunter. You need to work hard at this, understand?"
'Deer Hunter... The New World Society... Could this be related to Ying Shang?'
The image of Ying Shang flashed across Angie's mind, but a heavy force suddenly slammed onto her shoulder. Not only did it interrupt her thoughts, but it also nearly knocked her to her knees.
Scarlett was patting her shoulder with the intense vigor of someone delegating a monumental task, her gaze so fervent it was as if she feared Angie might back out.
"I believe in you, Angie. You must seize this opportunity."
"..."
"Understood, Scarlett."
Destiny truly was a wondrous thing. Angie had just escaped a devastating prison sentence in a way she could not even begin to comprehend.
The only fly in the ointment was that Scarlett's grip was way too strong, leaving her shoulder aching terribly.
Yet, she was far more bewildered by another matter entirely: 'Shi Rang, what on earth did you do?'
'What kind of mess did you get yourself involved in?'
At that exact same moment, far away at the Capital International Airport in the Second District, Shi Rang, who was blending in with the crowd of passengers walking out of the arrivals gate, suddenly shivered.
Just outside the arrivals gate, there were no fewer than three people holding up signs that read "Shi Tiantian"... a name he had almost completely forgotten.
In addition, there were several others who were obviously part of the same crew, scrutinizing every single male passenger traveling alone. Each of them was holding a photograph.
Their gazes swept over Shi Rang several times, pausing for a brief moment before moving on.
'These are absolutely people sent by Shi Shixin...'
'Good thing I have lost so much weight these past few days that I am completely unrecognizable. Even Ying Shang might not recognize me, let alone a father in name only who gave outdated photographs and an expired name to a bunch of strangers to find me.'
Carrying his backpack, Shi Rang braved the observant stares and slipped into the subway station, only to immediately curse his own miscalculation.
Almost all the machines here required mobile phone verification, and the sole physical ticket dispenser would not accept a Tenth District credit card. He had forgotten to exchange his money for Second District currency in advance—he was completely stuck. If he went to the currency exchange window, it was hard to say whether he would be spotted. Shi Shixin held tremendous power and authority; overestimating his methods was simply impossible.
He found a desolate corner and shrank into it. Just as he was pondering what to do next, someone suddenly approached him.
The man was dressed in sportswear, his hoodie pulled down extremely low to obscure a dark complexion—it was Jing Zi.
"Why are you here?" Shi Rang asked in a low voice. "Didn't we agree to meet up after I found a place to settle down first?"
"The situation has changed. We cannot wait."
"Then what do we do next?"
"Keep this close to your body at all times, and then go directly to meet Shi Shixin. We will find a way to contact you." Jing Zi shoved a device that looked like a tracker into his palm, giving his hand a firm squeeze. "Stay safe, Shi Rang."
"I know," Shi Rang replied out of sheer habit.
He was in the Second District now, and simply returning to "visit relatives." It would undoubtedly be unpleasant, but there probably was not much risk involved.
"No, what I mean is, there is a prominent figure within the organization who is very interested in you... I do not know why, but stay safe. Be careful."
With that, Jing Zi pulled away and vanished into the bustling crowd.
Shi Rang mulled over the bizarre warning for a moment before stowing away the tracker.
'Alright then, I will just play it by ear...'
He turned around and walked back toward the arrivals gate.