Chen Han Wen had been watching Zeng Mo Yi, and when he discovered that she was becoming increasingly uneasy recently, he knew that she had determined the general location of the list containing the names of the 73 spies.
Actually, it wasn't hard to figure out.
Given Dai Li's cautious nature, he would only keep the list in his office. After all, he was the supreme authority in the Military Control Commission, and no one would easily rummage through his office.
Zeng Mo Yi had judged the general location of the list but was unsure of its exact location. This meant that there was a high chance she would be discovered while searching for it.
She was in a tough spot.
Chen Han Wen couldn't help but shake his head, thinking to himself that Zeng Mo Yi was pushing herself too hard.
Moreover, knowing Zeng Mo Yi's personality, even if Chen Han Wen handed her the list now and asked her to take it to her superiors, she wouldn't believe him.
Only by transmitting the intelligence through Zheng Yao Xian's hands could Chen Han Wen's efforts truly bear fruit.
…
Zeng Mo Yi was prepared to fight to the death. She was determined to obtain the intelligence, even if it meant sacrificing her own life.
These days, Zheng Yao Xian would often visit the Telecommunications Department to chat with Xu Bai Chuan. This was actually a cover for him to secretly observe Zeng Mo Yi. Sometimes, he would even approach Zeng Mo Yi under the guise of Chen Han Wen, feigning playful banter while actually assessing her demeanor.
Fortunately, Zeng Mo Yi wasn't very prominent within the Military Control Commission. If one paid close attention, they would notice that Zeng Mo Yi's current mental state was not good. Zheng Yao Xian knew the reason and felt a pang of sympathy.
He was now certain that Zeng Mo Yi would go to any lengths to get the intelligence.
How could he help Zeng Mo Yi avoid this crisis?
Should he go himself?
Zheng Yao Xian wanted to replace Zeng Mo Yi in obtaining the list of 73 individuals, but he had even more important tasks and missions within the Military Control Commission.
To protect Zeng Mo Yi, Zheng Yao Xian even considered telling her his identity. However, what good would it do if she knew his identity? For someone like Zeng Mo Yi, whose ideals and beliefs were paramount, she wouldn't change her decision for any one person. She might even put herself in a more difficult position to protect Zheng Yao Xian.
Should he remain silent?
Should he act as if he was unaware of the situation?
That wouldn't be appropriate either. Zheng Yao Xian couldn't bear to watch his comrade fall into danger and remain indifferent.
After careful consideration, Zheng Yao Xian realized that the only thing he could do was to deal with the aftermath. Perhaps after Zeng Mo Yi's mission failed, he would have to find a way to rescue her.
With this in mind, Zheng Yao Xian started to think about rescuing Zeng Mo Yi. He then linked Zeng Mo Yi with Chen Han Wen.
Given Chen Han Wen's chivalrous nature, wouldn't he stand by and watch the woman he was pursuing sacrifice herself?
…
Just as Chen Han Wen had imagined, even if Zeng Mo Yi obtained the list of 73 undercover spies from Dai Li's office, she would be exposed.
This woman's method of obtaining the intelligence was too clumsy. Moreover, she was merely a telecommunications expert, not proficient in lockpicking. Zeng Mo Yi spent the entire night searching Dai Li's office and finally discovered the coded cabinet containing the list of 73 spies behind Chiang Kai-shek's portrait in Dai Li's office.
It took her an entire night to locate the list inside the coded cabinet.
Everything had been going smoothly, and Zeng Mo Yi had carefully evaded the patrolling spies. However, she was exposed during her final escape!
Zeng Mo Yi had started her operation at night. To locate the list more quickly, she drew the curtains in Dai Li's room. Before leaving in the morning, she opened the curtains again to restore Dai Li's office to its original state. This back and forth attracted the attention of the patrolling spies.
They had noticed that the curtains in Dai Li's office were drawn when they checked earlier, but now they were open. This immediately alerted the spies that someone had infiltrated Dai Li's office during the night.
Without hesitation, they immediately sounded the alarm at the Military Control Commission headquarters and swiftly sealed off the building… However, Zeng Mo Yi had already left with the film roll by this time.
Zeng Mo Yi wanted to deliver the film roll to Yuan Nong as soon as possible, but she didn't have his contact information. She could only wait silently. However, she didn't expect that the Military Control Commission's spies had already identified her through the guards and launched a manhunt in Chongqing.
When Yuan Nong learned about the Military Control Commission's full-scale operation, he immediately went into hiding to avoid being implicated. As a result, he never received the signal Zeng Mo Yi had sent to contact him.
At this moment, Zeng Mo Yi was completely alone.
…
Upon learning that someone had infiltrated his office, Dai Li immediately rushed from his Daigong Manor in Shenshendong to the Military Control Commission headquarters. When he discovered that the list of 73 spies he had hidden away, along with the notebook containing countless secrets of high-ranking KMT officials, had been accessed, he immediately ordered that Zeng Mo Yi be captured at all costs.
The leak of the list of 73 spies was troublesome for Dai Li, but it wouldn't cripple him. The key issue was the notebook, which contained all the secrets of high-ranking KMT officials that he had gathered over the years.
If those secrets were leaked, Dai Li would face dire consequences.
How could those officials let him live after he knew so much about them?
When he learned that the prime suspect, Zeng Mo Yi, had already fled, he immediately summoned Xu Bai Chuan and berated him mercilessly. Xu Bai Chuan was also quite indignant. Zeng Mo Yi had always kept a low profile; who would have thought she was the one who had betrayed them?
After Dai Li finished his tirade, Mao Ren Feng stepped forward and said, "Director, the only experts we have in our bureau who are skilled in tracking are Ming Cheng and Lao Liu. Would you like to have Lao Liu take on this task?"
Actually, Chen Han Wen's abilities were superior to Zheng Yao Xian's, but Mao Ren Feng suggested sending Zheng Yao Xian to handle the matter. The reason was simple: Chen Han Wen was someone Dai Li couldn't control, and in Mao Ren Feng's opinion, Chen Han Wen was pursuing Zeng Mo Yi. Based on his personality, he would surely let Zeng Mo Yi go.
However, Dai Li clearly wanted Zeng Mo Yi dead.
Therefore, Zheng Yao Xian was the best choice.
There were other capable individuals within the Military Control Commission, such as Yu Le Xing and Shen Zui, who were also experts.
However, they were not on the same side as Dai Li, so Dai Li would rather not use them.
Without hesitation, Dai Li immediately called Zheng Yao Xian and ordered him to capture Zeng Mo Yi within twelve hours, or he would face the consequences.
After making his arrangements, he turned to Mao Ren Feng and said, "Have Ming Cheng come and see me. This kid… has gotten me into a terrible mess!"
Dai Li didn't care whether Chen Han Wen was in cahoots with Zeng Mo Yi or not. In fact, he hadn't even considered that possibility. He wanted to see Chen Han Wen because he wanted to gain further advantage from him.
Upon hearing Dai Li's words, Mao Ren Feng immediately saluted and said, "Yes, I'll go find Ming Cheng!"
Dai Li raised an eyebrow, "He's not in his office?"
"Uh… Ming Cheng usually doesn't come in so early."