I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 188: Chapter 115: Clues Converging

Meanwhile, in a windowless basement, several water-curtain stone slabs, as smooth as mirrors, were embedded in the walls. On the slabs, countless fine, silver runes outlined a complex monitoring Array.

This was a secret monitoring point for the Internal Affairs Inspection Division. Wang Ming, the deputy head, stood before the largest monitoring water-curtain, carefully observing the changes on the Array. The Array was recording a three-dimensional energy distribution map covering a two-kilometer radius centered on the tenement building where Hu the Fourth lived.

"Deputy Director Zhou!"

Wang Ming turned his head and reported in a low voice to Deputy Director Zhou, who was standing in the shadows behind him. "The monitored area covers all possible rapid-response routes and hiding spots. From the start of the operation until the target was taken away, there have been no reactions from any Cultivators that would suggest a pickup or an early warning."

Deputy Director Zhou remained silent, his gaze locked on the unnervingly calm monitoring map displayed on the water-curtain.

"Too clean."

Deputy Director Zhou spoke, his voice exceptionally clear in the basement. "Hu the Fourth is an important link in this network. Even if he’s just an external asset, he shouldn’t be a pawn they’d abandon so easily. And he was exposed far too simply."

Wang Ming nodded. "Logically, that’s true. But it’s also possible they were sloppy this time. After all, any plan can run into problems—the more elaborate they are, the more can go wrong."

Deputy Director Zhou nodded but didn’t continue the conversation.

...

「Inside Secure House No. 2, in the basement of the City Defense Bureau.」

Hu the Fourth was strapped to a specially made interrogation chair. The chair itself was covered in runes designed to suppress Spiritual Qi and heighten sensory sensitivity. Several bright lamps were aimed at his face from harsh angles, leaving his rough, dark, weather-beaten face completely exposed.

"I... I really don’t know..."

"I’m just a scrap collector. They give me five hundred a month, just enough to get by..."

His testimony was fragmented and repetitive.

Time ticked by as dawn approached. If Hu the Fourth was really supposed to leave on the morning bus, his accomplices or superiors would likely get suspicious and cut off all contact when he failed to show up.

In the temporary command post, Yang Wenqing was lost in thought. Just as he was about to consult with Vice Director Gao, a communication from Deputy Director Zhou came through.

"Transfer him to Internal Affairs Inspection," Deputy Director Zhou said, getting straight to the point. "I guarantee we’ll have the intel before dawn!"

"Alright." Yang Wenqing didn’t hesitate. He didn’t ask for details—a show of respect for Deputy Director Zhou’s professionalism and authority, as well as a tacit agreement to avoid potential liability.

Shortly after the communication ended, two Internal Affairs Inspection officers silently entered Secure House No. 2 and led away Hu the Fourth, who was still repeating, "I don’t know." The transfer paperwork arrived half an hour later.

After signing his name, Yang Wenqing returned to his office. He closed the door to rest and reflect on the night’s operation, then checked in on Li Yue’s investigation. She was leading a team to map out the suspect’s social network.

Unfortunately, there was no progress on that front either.

The wait felt exceptionally long. All Yang Wenqing could do was trust Deputy Director Zhou’s promise and maintain his composure.

Just as the pale light of dawn began to spread across the eastern sky, moments before the first morning rays could pierce the clouds, the Communication Array on Yang Wenqing’s desk lit up. It was an encrypted channel from Internal Affairs Inspection.

Deputy Director Zhou’s voice came through. "Wenqing, we broke him. There’s a small group of rogue Cultivators behind Hu the Fourth. He meets with the others outside the city at regular intervals."

Yang Wenqing was instantly alert. "Where?" he asked.

"Fifty li south of the city, in a stretch of mountain forest north of Mountain Wind Village."

Deputy Director Zhou provided the details. "There’s an abandoned Mountain God Temple there. Sometimes he goes just for a dead drop; other times, he meets a contact. His last trip was ten days ago. He’d planned to take a detour there again this morning after leaving the county town, either for a final hand-off or to cover his tracks."

"How reliable is the intel?" Yang Wenqing pressed.

"It’s solid!" Deputy Director Zhou’s tone was firm.

After a pause, he continued, "Actually, Internal Affairs Inspection previously received a tip from another source that also pointed to that area, though a bit further east. Combining the two pieces of intelligence, I suspect... that desolate mountain forest might be hiding a relatively permanent base of operations for them."

Yang Wenqing was slightly surprised. Just then, there was a soft knock on his office door.

"Come in."

A hint of annoyance tinged Yang Wenqing’s voice. He then said, "One moment," into the Communication Array and temporarily muted it.

Lin Wan, who was on the night shift, entered. She said softly, "Yang Group Leader, we just received an urgent, classified report from Old Wu’s side."

"Go on."

"They’ve been continuously tracking the residual abnormal Spiritual Qi and ritualistic traces in and around the collapse site at Lingshan Town. Preliminary calculations point to an origin in a forested mountain area southeast of the county town, approximately forty to sixty li away." Lin Wan finished her report, her words clear and concise, and placed the document on his desk.

Yang Wenqing instinctively opened the file and began to read. He then looked up at the map on the wall, a sudden realization dawning on him. The case Wu Yan’s team was handling... it also led to the exact same mountain forest.

’Such a coincidence?’

He fell deep into thought. Seeing this, Lin Wan tactfully excused herself from the office.

After a long moment, Yang Wenqing reconnected the Communication Array with Deputy Director Zhou. "Director Zhou," he said, "I just received a report on the Lingshan Town case. They traced the residual aura from the ritual, and their investigation is also pointing to the mountain forest south of the city."