Chapter Thirty-Four: Class A Incident

Guan Wenyan sighed inwardly, realizing he had been careless. He took a deep breath, his gaze icy as he looked at Li Changqing. “When did you discover me?”

At this point, there was little meaning in denying anything further.

Hu Xiong gave Li Changqing a look, signaling that he would handle the questioning. He sat across from Guan Wenyan, crossed his legs, and smiled. “Alright, kid, speak up. What’s your purpose?”

“Kill me or torture me, do as you please.” Guan Wenyan replied expressionlessly, “Now that I’ve fallen into your hands, I have nothing more to say.”

Hu Xiong's face showed surprise. “Strange, does the Shadow Cult have people this fearless now?”

Shadow Cult?

Guan Wenyan was stunned. What was going on?

Unable to help himself, he looked at Hu Xiong and asked, “Where is this place?”

“You think you can keep up the act after falling into the hands of the Thirty-Six Bureau? I’m giving you a chance to talk now, but if I call Old Bai over, his methods are harsh, and few can remain stubborn before him. You’d better confess.”

Thirty-Six Bureau?

What nonsense was this?

Weren’t they attacked by Hu Qideng’s people?

No, they were trying to trick him!

They must have already known his identity and wanted to use the Thirty-Six Bureau name to get him to talk.

As an experienced undercover agent, this routine—posing as allies for interrogation—was all too familiar.

“Thirty-Six Bureau? And who are you in the Thirty-Six Bureau? Bai Chuan?”

Among those in the Thirty-Six Bureau, the only one Guan Wenyan knew was Bai Chuan, whose reputation, in some circles, surpassed even the director’s.

“You know Old Bai?” Hu Xiong observed Guan Wenyan’s expression and realized he wasn’t pretending. “Who exactly are you?”

Could he be a cult member who knew Bai Chuan before he joined the Bureau?

“I’ll go fetch Old Bai.” Hu Xiong said, then stepped out the iron door, walked down the corridor, and took the elevator.

Inside the felt hat, Tang Xiaoyu’s voice sounded, “Li Changqing, will they kill Guan Wenyan?”

“The Thirty-Six Bureau isn’t an organization that kills indiscriminately.” Li Changqing shook his head. “If Guan Wenyan is killed, it’s only because he’s committed unspeakable crimes.”

Bound and listening, Guan Wenyan heard Lin Fan’s words and asked, “If this is the Thirty-Six Bureau, then who are you?”

Li Changqing met his gaze, a faint smile on his lips, and uttered the classic line from ‘Infernal Affairs’: “Sorry, I’m undercover.”

Guan Wenyan was dumbfounded. “Me too…”

Soon, Bai Chuan arrived, yawning, with heavy dark circles under his eyes, an undernourished look, and messy hair.

Guan Wenyan now believed it. Bai Chuan’s reputation was immense; he had long heard of him but never met him. His appearance matched exactly what he’d heard.

“We’re on the same side. I’m an undercover agent from the Thirteenth Bureau sent to infiltrate the Shadow Cult!”

“My name is Guan Wenyan, organizational code 1362. Our Thirteenth Bureau’s contact is…”

Soon, Hu Xiong hurried off to consult the director of the Thirty-Six Bureau, and after some phone communication—

“Haha! So Brother Guan is one of us. You should’ve said so earlier.” Hu Xiong, chewing on a cigarette, unfastened the iron chains from Guan Wenyan.

Rubbing his wrists, bruised from the chains, Guan Wenyan said, “You didn’t give me a chance to explain.”

He felt secretly relieved—a flood had washed into the Dragon King’s temple; allies had collided with allies.

Yet…

Li Changqing sensed Guan Wenyan’s resentful gaze, feeling a bit awkward himself. This guy had played the subordinate in the agency for days, cleaning floors and cooking meals. Anyone would feel aggrieved.

An undercover agent stumbling onto another undercover agent—if he hadn’t broken down, his psychological endurance was indeed impressive.

“Please don’t let the Thirteenth Bureau know about this,” Guan Wenyan said, valuing his dignity. He could accept infiltrating the wrong target, but being an undercover agent for the Thirty-Six Bureau’s own undercover agent—what a farce. How could he face anyone back home?

“Ahem,” Hu Xiong replied righteously, “I already reported honestly to our Bureau’s director. When he communicated with your director, he likely didn’t say much.”

The situation was quickly clarified.

There was little else for Guan Wenyan to say; ultimately, it was the Thirteenth Bureau that had acted out of line.

The Thirteenth Bureau had uncovered a lead from Protector Liu, learning that the Shadow Cult planned to secretly elect a new leader in Nanlin City—territory of the Thirty-Six Bureau.

Logically, they should have informed the Thirty-Six Bureau first and acted together, avoiding such misunderstandings.

But the Thirteenth Bureau had coveted the credit. If they had notified the Thirty-Six Bureau in advance, most of the merit would go to the latter.

They wanted to reap the rewards alone.

Hearing all this, Li Changqing gained valuable insight—the organizations had their own internal rivalries.

Hu Xiong politely escorted Guan Wenyan to a room in the Thirty-Six Bureau to rest; he would return to the Thirteenth Bureau the next day.

Of course, when Guan Wenyan said goodbye to Li Changqing, his gaze was full of resentment.

After settling him in,

Hu Xiong and Bai Chuan took Li Changqing to a small office.

The office was simple: a yellowed leather sofa, an old bookcase, a yellowwood desk, and a pile of documents atop the desk.

“This is where Old Bai and I work,” Hu Xiong explained, sitting on the sofa and carefully examining two lists. “The authenticity of these lists needs to be investigated discreetly. You mustn’t alert anyone. If the Shadow Cult contacts you, act as usual.”

Li Changqing scowled. “Mr. Hu, what about my payment? And weren’t you supposed to protect me secretly?”

“Well…” Hu Xiong was about to explain when Bai Chuan, beside him, spoke calmly and bluntly, “Recently, there’s been an A-level incident in Nanlin City. The two of us are focused on investigating it and haven’t had time to protect you.”

Hu Xiong glared at Bai Chuan, then smiled, “Don’t listen to Bai Chuan’s nonsense. I’m investigating the incident while watching over you—it’s just that every time you contact me, I happen to be busy with the case.”

“As for your payment, our Thirty-Six Bureau’s budget is pretty tight right now. Once next month’s funds are allocated, I’ll apply for it.”

Who knows if the stingy director will approve…

But as long as the lists are proven genuine, the director will surely agree.

Hu Xiong said, “Once the lists are confirmed, we’ll move in and apprehend the suspects. Afterwards, your work will be done. Oh, and be careful these days—don’t go out at night. This A-level incident is very dangerous.”

Li Changqing’s curiosity was piqued. “What kind of A-level incident?”

Seeing Li Changqing’s attention successfully diverted, Hu Xiong smiled and took several crime scene photos from the drawer, placing them on the table.

Li Changqing glanced at them, his face turning pale, his stomach churning, nearly vomiting on the spot.