Undercover?

Inside the GL8, Zhou Rui frequently looked back, peering through the rear window at the place they had left.

"Are we just going to leave Ms. Chen there like this?" Zhou Rui asked with some concern.

Gao Shu, who was driving, said, "It's alright, Ms. Chen is just cooperating with the police investigation."

Zhou Rui frowned and asked, "Investigate what? Ms. Chen has been with us all this time..." Then he realized that Gao Shu was referring to "Chen Tianhua" joining the investigation team, or even what she did before joining "Shenxing Technology".

After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Rui asked again, "Will the matter she's involved in... be very troublesome?"

"Judging from the police's attitude, it's clear that this is a serious matter, but she herself should be fine," Ye Chong said. He didn't know Mi Qiao's true identity, only that this woman with a somewhat rustic name was knowledgeable about computers, especially computer network security, and seemed to be "handpicked" by "Mr. Liang."

Before today, his general guess about Mi Qiao was that he was a relative of "Mr. Liang" or a relative of another high-ranking official who held power in the secret department. His joining the investigation team represented the will of the higher-ups.

However, after this incident, his judgment changed. Even if Mi Qiao was a confidant of "Mr. Liang" or other high-ranking officials, she probably didn't come from a wealthy family and likely had a rather complicated past. Even the name "Chen Tianhua" might not be her real name.

Gao Shu also said, "It's alright, 'Mr. Liang' already knows about this. Ms. Chen should be back tomorrow after cooperating with the police investigation, and we can continue our previous mission."

Indeed, Mi Qiao was not an indispensable member in their mission to collect samples and information at Purple Huan Mountain. Zhou Rui and Ye Chong were mainly responsible for the specific technical operations and judgments, so her absence did not have a significant impact on the mission.

Moreover, upon hearing that "Mr. Liang" already knew about this matter, Zhou Rui and Ye Chong were completely relieved. In their view, "Mr. Liang" would definitely be able to handle this problem well.

However, Zhou Rui suddenly remembered something and asked curiously, "Wait, Lao Gao, how did you know 'Mr. Liang' knew? Did you notify 'Mr. Liang'? But you've been with us the whole time, we didn't see you make a phone call?"

Gao Shu said, "I already reported it to 'Mr. Liang' while we were in the mountains, but you didn't notice."

"In the mountains..." Zhou Rui understood. Gao Shu had realized something after the two policemen in the mountains questioned them. No wonder Gao Shu was so calm when they were stopped by the police car, telling them to just cooperate with the police.

He considered asking Gao Shu if he knew what Mi Qiao had done, but he immediately remembered the stack of confidentiality agreements he had signed after joining the secret research department, and dismissed the idea—even if Gao Shu knew, he certainly couldn't tell them.

But he couldn't help but wonder about the case Mi Qiao was involved in and her past experiences. As they spent more time together, he unknowingly developed some subtle feelings for Mi Qiao.

In the branch office, Xu Zhao, who had just finished a call with Yang City and briefed them on the situation, looked at the two young men in the office and couldn't help but smile wryly, "Xiao Zhao, Xiao Zhao, you and Purple Huan Mountain are really too destined, aren't you? Hmm, maybe it's not quite destiny. Is Purple Huan Mountain your lucky place? Uh, that's not quite right either... Anyway, you've really been acting strangely these past few days. You took a vacation, went hiking in Purple Huan Mountain, and found three corpses that had been hidden in the mountains for almost a year without anyone noticing. You took another vacation, went hiking in Purple Huan Mountain again, and discovered a key figure involved in a major case... Xiao Zhao, next time you go to Purple Huan Mountain on vacation, just take me with you..."

The two young men in the office were naturally Zhao Feng and Wang De'an.

Zhao Feng smiled wryly and said helplessly, "If my classmate hadn't been with me today, I wouldn't have recognized that person either. It's just too much of a coincidence."

Wang De'an nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, what a coincidence!"

The two of them naturally knew that Xu Zhao wasn't really complaining about their tendency to cause trouble; he was just joking.

"The brothers in Yang City are very happy and grateful to us. They're already on their way to Citong. The bureau leaders asked you and me to represent the bureau in liaising with them and to cooperate fully. Xiao Wang, our leaders have also spoken with your leaders. You recognized the person, and you've participated in the investigation with the brothers in Yang City before, so you're quite familiar with this case. Therefore, you'll stay and help us liaise with the brothers from Yang City," Xu Zhao added.

Both Zhao Feng and Wang De'an were naturally very happy to accept this request.

The task force members from Yang City wouldn't arrive until at least evening, but Zhao Feng and his team decided to conduct a brief interrogation of Mi Qiao first.

"Chen Tianhua? Is that your real name?"

Inside the interrogation room, Zhao Feng and Wang De'an sat across from Mi Qiao, flipping through the documents sent from Yang City while asking questions.

In their view, starting with the "false identity" of "Chen Tianhua" would be a better way to make a breakthrough. Moreover, this identity could actually be found in the police's household registration system, and the photo was indeed hers. The black market that might be involved could be uncovered, and it would likely be a major case.

Unexpectedly, Mi Qiao, who had remained calm and cooperative since being taken into the police car, suddenly said, "You brought me here mainly to find Guo Tianxiang, right? Let's skip the formalities and just tell you what I know. I met Guo Tianxiang a year ago, but initially, I actually found some dirt on him and wanted to blackmail him..."

Zhao Feng and Wang De'an exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised. They hadn't expected Mi Qiao to be so proactive. They had initially thought that Mi Qiao's false identity and her appearance in Citong City were related to the missing Guo Tianxiang.

"You said you initially wanted to blackmail him, so why did you change your mind and end up cooperating with him?" Zhao Feng asked.

"Because he's so handsome, I fell for him." Mi Qiao lied very smoothly. She had actually asked about this in a conversation with "Mr. Liang" long before she joined "Shenxing Technology"—what if her identity was exposed and she was arrested by the authorities?

Mr. Liang's reply was simple: aside from information related to "Blood-feeding Creature" and the secret departments of "Shenxing Technology," everything else could be stated truthfully; the rest could be left to the company.

So when Gao Shu secretly contacted "Mr. Liang" and told them to "cooperate with the police," she knew what to do.

"He's too handsome..." The materials sent from Yang City also included Guo Tianxiang's photo, and Zhao Feng and Wang De'an couldn't question her assessment—he was indeed quite handsome...

"You said you're his network technology consultant, but what exactly are the things you help him with?" Wang De'an asked.

"It's just checking some information, hacking into other people's computers and stuff like that. It's a bit complicated to explain in detail. Do any of you have any technical skills? What you really want to know is where Guo Tianxiang is now, right? I can tell you that before he disappeared, Guo Tianxiang went to Willow City to meet an online friend," Mi Qiao said.

"Meeting someone online? What kind of online friend?"

"I don't know either. I followed him to a pedestrian street in Willow City, but that 'online friend' stood him up. He then told me to go back to Yang City first. After that, I never saw him again, and I couldn't contact him," Mi Qiao said.

"So, his disappearance is related to that 'online friend'? Why did he bring you along when he went to meet him?" Zhao Feng asked.

"I don't know either. They might have talked about some network-related technical issues and asked me to be their advisor. Anyway, I didn't meet him, and he didn't tell me what they were going to talk about." Mi Qiao naturally wouldn't mention that she posted a "fishing post" on Zhihu or that she and that "Pipi Kaka Qiuqiu" were setting traps for each other.

"So how did you leave Yang City and become 'Chen Tianhua'?" Zhao Feng changed the subject and asked again.

However, Mi Qiao, who usually speaks freely about topics related to Guo Tianxiang, remained completely silent, showing no intention of discussing the matter at all.

"Ms. Chen ...or perhaps I could call you... Ms. Mi? You should know how serious Guo Tianxiang's case is, how grave his crimes are. Since you are involved, you should actively cooperate with our investigation and strive to gain merit..."

Just as Zhao Feng was preparing to begin his interrogation, trying to reason with Mi Qiao and persuade her with both emotion and law, Xu Zhao, who had been supposed to come along for the interrogation but had been called away by his superiors, suddenly opened the door and called the two of them out.

Xu Zhao said to the two men seriously, "The leadership has given several instructions: first, 'Chen Tianhua's' identity is not in question; second, 'Chen Tianhua' is not involved in the case, not a suspect, but is assisting the investigation as a witness."

Zhao Feng and Wang De'an exchanged a glance, both understanding the meaning behind the words. This wasn't some private message from a leader; the fact that Xu Zhao conveyed such a formal and affirmative statement could only prove one thing— Chen Tianhua's identity was indeed genuine. This was an official conclusion, and the bureau's leaders had certainly received confirmation from higher-ups.

Could it be that Mi Qiao is actually an undercover agent?

Her previous approach to Guo Tianxiang wasn't because she genuinely "liked" him, but rather as part of an undercover investigation.

However, Guo Tianxiang's sudden and unexpected disappearance caused Mi Qiao's mission to fail.

And now, are they on another undercover mission?

If that's the case, wouldn't revealing Mi Qiao's identity expose her?

After following Lao Xia back to her rented apartment, Xiang Kun used Lao Xia's laptop to find music, intending to get into the mood and then "Emotional Assimilation" Lao Xia.

Speaking of which, after Xiang Lao Xia, the agreement Xiang Kun was that Lao Xia would help him investigate the cause of the mutation, and in return, Xiang Kun would help Lao Xia find a way to perceive normal emotions.

Leaving aside the future plans to establish secret Research Base and laboratories, Lao Xia has already helped him a great deal so far. Whether it's "Fantasy Manifestation" or "Dream Within a Dream," as well as the psychological guidance and deep hypnosis within "Dream Within a Dream," they have all been of great help to him.

He really should reciprocate.

However, after sitting in front of the computer and listening to various kinds of music for more than 20 minutes—songs that he used to easily connect with and get emotional about—he just couldn't get into the mood today, for some reason.

Xiang Kun opened Bilibili again and clicked on "Sugar Bean Princess's" video page. "Nana's songs are very good. Several of her songs have made me unconsciously 'Emotional Assimilation.' Before, at Purple Huan Mountain, I also used her song <Last Ride Of The Day> to guide my emotions..."

Xia Libing, who was sitting next to him watching the screen, nodded and then stared intently at the clip playing, listening to Tang Baona's singing.

However, after listening to more than a dozen of Tang Baona's songs, Xiang Kun still couldn't get into any of the emotions.