Life Is Like a Play

Like Lee Jong-heon, other intelligence teams also returned empty-handed. He personally witnessed Li Yunqu, Chen Sai, and Kamiyo Changming returning to Intelligence Department One with livid faces.

It was already time to leave work, but no one from any of the intelligence teams mentioned leaving. They all returned to their respective large offices to review all the case files they had on hand, hoping to find Qing faction officials who could be arrested and brought to justice.

For a moment Intelligence Department One building was brightly lit, as if it had returned to the busiest time of this federal intelligence agency.

Long ago, before the PCA intelligence agency was controlled by conglomerates, it was home to a group of intelligence personnel determined to investigate the conglomerates to the end.

At that time, their main focus of investigation was on federal officials accepting bribes from corporations and federal officials acting as protectors of corporations.

However, times have changed. Now, the entire First Intelligence Department One of the conglomerate, and the PCA (CIA) has become its henchman.

Of course, these are not the real intelligence agencies of each conglomerate; they are puppets standing in the spotlight. For example, the Kei family has the Secret Intelligence Department under the Shadow, the Lee family has the "Red Sparrow" under the Privy Council, the Kamishiro family has "Yagi", the Kashima family has "Lone Island", and the Chen family has "The Blade Wielder".

These truly massive intelligence agencies are still operating behind the scenes, while the intelligence community has been thrown into chaos by Group 7.

Of course, this is also due to the advantage of the Federal Civil War. The real elite of the intelligence community are now gathered in the northern City No. 19, which corresponds to the location of Taicheng in the Outer World, only more than 300 kilometers away from the battlefield.

Before Group Seven started causing trouble, the intelligence network in City No. 10 was almost forgotten...

Now, this place is actually more lively than City No. 19.

Each intelligence group has some secret files, such as evidence of crimes committed by officials from other financial factions. They keep these files hidden until things come to a head, and then use them to deliver a fatal blow when relations are strained.

Lee Jong-heon, holding the secret files in his possession, kept sending people out to arrest suspects, but the feedback he received was always the same: the people had already been taken away by the Seventh Group.

He tore the secret files to shreds one by one with a blank expression, thinking to himself that the Seventh Group was too ruthless, even arresting their own people. How would this group ever gain a foothold within the Qing family again?

Are you crazy?!

Unlike other intelligence teams that returned empty-handed time and time again, Qing Hua always brought back suspects with him. The suspects all wore black hoods, so no one could see their faces or identify them.

Before the other intelligence groups could react, those people were imprisoned in the secret underground prison of Group Seven.

The other intelligence teams were in a frantic rush, but they also began to doubt themselves.

How could that inspector from Group Seven have caught so many suspects without even leaving his office?

They've arrested way too many people!

From this point on, the internal competition within the Intelligence Department One began.

The inspectors from each group sat in their offices with grim faces, and none of the detectives dared to mention leaving get off work.

Not only were the agents unable to leave, but even the canteen at Intelligence Department One was working overtime.

Unbeknownst to them, after Qing Hua and his group escorted the suspect into the secret prison, Qing Hua said to one of the agents beside him, "Alright, take the hood off Yang Xuyang's head."

After regaining his sight, Yang Xuyang, who had been playing the role of a suspect, breathed a sigh of relief, "I was suffocating! Could you change into a more breathable hood?"

"Changing your wig suddenly might arouse suspicion from others, so just bear with it. The boss said there will be results in the next couple of days," Qing Hua said.

The truth is, even with Qing Chen's brain, he can't arrest people indefinitely. If he can't find the evidence, he can't find the evidence. He can't just forcibly arrest officials from other conglomerates, can he?

Financial groups follow the rules. You can arrest ordinary people without evidence, but you must provide evidence when arresting members of financial groups, otherwise it becomes a diplomatic incident.

If you arrest someone but there's no evidence to convict them, you'll face repercussions.

But Qing Chen needed to make the other intelligence groups anxious, so he simply had the agents of Group Seven play the role of suspects, since the other intelligence groups had no way of knowing who was under the black hood.

What Qing Chen wanted was to make the other intelligence groups believe that Group Seven was still making arrests.

In any case, there are tens of thousands of officials of all ranks in City No. 10, and other intelligence groups were unable to confirm exactly how many people had been arrested.

And most importantly, it's because Group Seven had such an outstanding track record that no one doubts Qing Hua's acting skills now.

However, no matter how well Qing Hua acts.

To date, no one has come to Group 7 to register as a member.

Qing Hua glanced at the time; a full 24 hours had passed since the whiteboard was removed.

He glanced at the agents remaining in the secret prison. "So, are there any signs that the other intelligence teams have given up? Has anyone come to inquire about the members?"

The agent shook his head, looking worried, and said, "No, not even a single person has come to ask. Sir, do you think the boss's plan might fail? Each intelligence group should still have some trump cards up their sleeve. They won't give up so easily. If we break ties this time, it might cause chaos within the Qing family itself. Maybe some important figures will be ousted by other intelligence groups."

Qing Hua gave the agent a cold look. "This is not something you can discuss. We do what the boss tells us to do."

However, even though he said that, as he watched the time tick by, he couldn't help but feel anxious.

At 11 p. m., the cafeteria notified everyone that a late-night snack was ready.

The seventh group, who were used to working overtime, all went to eat happily, while the other intelligence groups went to the cafeteria with long faces.

Actually, the inspectors didn't intend to let the agents have a late-night snack. After all, they were in a desperate situation and had only caught a few mediocre people after a long day of work. What was the point of having a late-night snack?

However, when they heard that the Seventh Group had gone to the canteen, they quickly sent their own detectives to eat as well, hoping to find out something from the Seventh Group detectives.

Chen Zhen, the trainee inspector from the Chen family, went to the cafeteria on the first floor and headed straight for Qing Zhun. Surprisingly, he and his men sat down directly opposite Qing Zhun.

Qing Zhun took a bite of his steamed bun and chuckled, "Why do you all look so gloomy? Is something not going well?"

Chen Zhen was taken aback. "Our troubles are all because you arrested everyone ahead of time?"

However, he couldn't say that, so he could only chuckle and say, "I'm just a little tired from working overtime and not being able to go home. By the way, did you arrest quite a few people today?"

Qing Zhun said with a smile, "Is this something you non-members should be asking about?"

As he spoke, Qing Zhun looked at the detective next to Chen Zhen and asked, "Didn't the Sixth Team pay you overtime? You even look miserable while eating."

The detective paused for a moment, then asked, "You get overtime pay?"

Qing Zhun replied with a smile, "Of course we do! Don't you guys? Our Group Seven's overtime pay is loaded down truckloads... Oh, wait, I can't tell you that."

After saying that, Qing Zhun swaggered away with the temperature-controlled lunchbox in his hand; the lunchbox contained the food he had prepared for Qing Chen.

He had originally invited the new boss to have dinner together, but Qing Chen declined.

The new boss told Qing Zhun that at this time, the Seventh Group Inspectorate should maintain the most mysterious demeanor, not to put on a show, but to give the other intelligence groups the greatest sense of pressure.

Qing Zhun remarked that the new boss of Group 7 had used every trick in the book, from psychological warfare to intelligence warfare, in order to suppress the other intelligence groups.

Moreover, this new boss is so diligent that he actually lives in the Intelligence Department One building and refuses to leave; I don't know what he's after.

Qing Zhun brought a lunchbox to Qing Chen's office, only to find the new boss sitting in a chair with his eyes closed, resting, and breathing at a strange frequency.

Qing Chen opened his eyes. "How is it? Has everyone gone to eat?"

Qing Zhun nodded. "They all seem quite anxious. There was no one in the cafeteria at first, but as soon as our Group 7 went up, all the other intelligence groups followed, wanting to find out information."

Qing Chen nodded and opened the lunchbox. "It's fine if you're in a hurry."

"Aren't you worried they'll turn around and implicate some of the big shots in the Qing family? I know they have secret files on them," Qing Zhun said with interest after thinking for a moment. "Boss, the other intelligence groups won't compromise so easily. Although they're just small fry, they're still considered 'living devils' in the eyes of ordinary people. They'll definitely try to dig out the big shots in the Qing family faction and lock them up in secret prisons as bargaining chips."

Qing Chen glanced at Qing Zhun: "Hmm."

Qing Zhun somewhat surprised. Such an important matter, you just said "hmm" and that was it? Well then, could you tell us what to do next?

However, Qing Chen didn't seem to have any intention of sharing the plan with him, Qing Zhun could only feel bored and went back to his temporary dormitory at the Intelligence Department One unit to sleep.

Qing Zhun led the agents from Team Seven back home.

The cafeteria, however, remained chaotic.

Chen Sai sat at the long table looking at the food in front of him. When he looked up, he suddenly saw that Li Yunqu from Group Two also had a livid face.

He sat down opposite Li Yunqu, "Why do you look so pale? Aren't the Li family and the Qing family usually on good terms?"

Li Yunqu said coldly, "Several officials from the Li family went missing today. I think the Qing family is trying to take advantage of the fact that Commander Changqing is too busy to deal with the rear during the war in the north to consolidate their Intelligence Department One. I went to grab a few officials from the Qing family faction today, hoping to use them as bargaining chips, but I failed completely. The Seventh Group beat me to it. I just don't understand, what's the background of this new inspector of the Seventh Group? If he's so capable, why doesn't he go to the Secret Intelligence Department? What's he doing in the Intelligence Department One?"

Chen Sai said, "This new inspector might actually be a spy, but he's clean and has no history of wrongdoing. You won't find an opportunity to get rid of him. The Qing family has probably been hiding this newcomer for a long time, and his release now is bound to be part of a big plan."

"Hmm," Li Yunqu expressionlessly, picking through his lunchbox as if plotting how to retaliate. "I don't have any bargaining chips right now. I plan to go out tomorrow. The existing files aren't going to yield anything. I need to conduct a targeted investigation into those important officials of the Qing family."

Chen Sai ate with his head down, his expression constantly shifting. When he finally looked up again, he asked, "Does Wei Shuqi know?"

Li Yunqu aback. "Senate member Wei Shuqi?"

Chen Sai nodded. "I've found some clues related to him."

Li Yunqu shook his head. "This is an important figure in the Qing faction within the Democratic Party. Having some clues is not enough. Moreover, such people are already very cautious and will not easily let us get any leverage over them."

Chen Sai thought for a moment and said, "I have solid evidence. Six years ago, he lent his car to someone, and three days later, the car was involved in an accident that killed a middle-aged man. The driver at the time was his 'friend,' who is now in Prison No. 10. This 'friend' recently let slip that he and Wei Shuqi were not acquainted at all."

Li Yunqu pondered, "You mean, it was actually Wei Shuqi who killed someone in the accident, but the Qing family found someone to take the blame for him?"

"That's right," Chen Sai smiled. "That guy is pretty stubborn, but the problem is, if he hasn't received proper anti-torture training, how could he possibly withstand our methods?"

Li Yunqu sneered, "If that's the case, why doesn't your Chen family interrogate him?"

"We have orders from our superiors not to break ties with the Qing family," Chen Sai smiled. "After all, the Chen family's main strongholds are in the south, and the north is not important to us, so we don't plan to get involved. But City No. 10 is a different story for your Li family, isn't it? I'm only telling you this clue as a friend; I would never tell just anyone."

Li Yunqu immediately stood up and told the detectives from Team Two to leave, "Thanks for this."

As Chen Sai had predicted, the second team immediately set off for Prison No. 10. Only after arriving at Prison No. 10 did they submit the retrial application to their superiors.

In this way, once the paperwork is completed, they can leave with the scapegoat without alerting the perpetrator.

No one can snatch it from them.

Chen Sai sat in his office, beaming with joy as he read the messages sent back by the agents.

However, after a day, there was no further news from Group Two after they brought the person back.

During lunchtime, Chen Sai sat down opposite Li Yunqu in the cafeteria and inquired, "So, has the scapegoat spoken up yet?"

Li Yunqu looked up at Chen Sai: "What do you mean by taking the blame? What are you talking about? I don't understand."

Chen Sai: "..."

The inspector from Group Six's expression grew cold. He finally realized that Li Yunqu in front of him had probably already made a deal with Group Seven, handing over the scapegoat directly to Group Seven!

In fact, not only was Chen Sai surprised, but even the detectives of Team Seven found it unbelievable.

Just last night, Li Yunqu personally and secretly handed over the scapegoat to Qing Hua and Qing Zhun.

Both of them were shocked at the time.

Because before this, no one knew that their new boss was actually in an alliance with Li Yunqu.

Li Yunqu still gnashes his teeth at Group Seven every day!

At this moment, Chen Sai said coldly, "Inspector Li, if you do this, our Sixth Group and the Second Group will no longer be friends."

Li Yunqu, "Have we ever been friends? By the way, your Chen family has over a dozen officials who have gone missing, right? Your superiors must be pressuring you a lot, yet you still have the appetite to eat?"

Chen Sai had previously said that his superiors had ordered them not to participate, but in fact, Li Yunqu perfectly well that Chen Sai's anxiety was no less than that of Kamishiro and Kashima.

Li Yunqu the lunchbox away again, humming a song softly, seemingly in a very good mood!

In the evening, Chen Zhen, the trainee inspector of Intelligence Group Six, arrived at the door on the third floor. He looked at Qing Hua in front of him and said expressionlessly, "The membership fees have all been transferred. Now I want to see the new inspector of your Group Seven."

Qing Hua smiled and led him inside, "Our inspector is focused on reviewing case files and doesn't receive guests. Just tell me what you need."

Chen Zhen almost couldn't catch his breath. He had paid the membership fee, but he couldn't even see the inspector from Group Seven.

As the two were walking inside, Chen Zhen noticed that Li Qingfeng, the trainee inspector of Group Two, was sitting in the inspector's office of Group Seven.

Chen Zhen paused for a moment, then asked Qing Hua, "Isn't that Li Qingfeng? What gives him the right to talk directly with your inspectors?"

Qing Hua thought for a moment, "You're a VIP, and he's a VVIP. I know you might find it a little hard to accept, but our boss said it's okay, consumer awareness can be cultivated gradually."

Chen Zhen almost vomited blood on the spot. How could there be membership levels?!

Screw this "gradually cultivate consumer awareness" nonsense!

Wrong.

It's clear that Li's intelligence team two had already reached some kind of agreement with team seven.

"Wait, I forgot my phone. I need to go back," Chen Zhen said. "Can we talk later?"

"Of course," Qing Hua laughed. "The doors of Group Seven are always open to members!"

But Chen Zhen turned around and went upstairs. He returned to his office and told Inspector Chen Sai everything he had seen and heard in Group Seven.

Chen Sai, his face ashen, slammed his fist on the table and stood up. He had finally realized what was happening. "So, Li Yunqu was a shill?!"

It feels like you're playing a game and competing with other players, only to find out later that they're actually planted by the game company.

What's the point of arguing then?

Chen Sai's attempt to trick Group Seven not only failed, but he also ended up handing over crucial clues to the "plant."

Presumably, the officials of the Li faction have all gone back by now. This is the legendary story of the gentry's money being returned in full, while the common people's money being split 30/70.

"Boss, what do we do now?" Chen Zhen asked.

Chen Sai sighed, "What else can we do? We have to accept defeat. City No. 10 isn't our home turf. We didn't have many officials planted to begin with, and now the Seventh Group has arrested so many. Go to the Seventh Group and continue the transaction. Tell them that we don't have any people from Shindai or Kashima, but we can use the intelligence agents from the Qing Clan that we've captured over the years to make a deal."

"Okay," Chen Zhen nodded and went downstairs.

Chen Sai sat alone in his office, lost in thought. What he couldn't understand was that even if this was an act, it should have been done by the trainee inspectors of the second group.

What gives that inspector from Group Seven the ability to order Li Yunqu?

In the office on the third floor of Group Seven, Qing Chen saw Li Qingfeng off and sat in his office watching Chen Zhen return. He knew that the breakthrough in this matter had finally been found.

Qing Chen also let out a heavy sigh.

Qing Zhun Qing Hua, who were just pushing the door open, saw this scene.

Qing Zhun a smile, "Boss, I thought you were a master strategist who could win battles from afar. Turns out you're not so calm after all."

Qing Chen glanced at Qing Zhun: "Let's talk about work first. Has there been any breakthrough on Kashima Island?"

Qing Hua nodded excitedly. "Kashima just contacted us. They are willing to exchange Kamishiro Jingbian for the two Kashima members we have. The transaction is scheduled for three days from now, in City No. 10."

"Good thing," Qing Chen nodded. "I'll report this to Mr. Shadow. The formal hostage handover can be handled by more professional people."

The combat strength of the Intelligence Department One was ultimately too weak; thugs were just thugs, not a regular army.

Therefore, major tasks must be carried out personally by the Secret Intelligence Department under the Shadow, which requires the cooperation of dozens of secret agents and hundreds of Kite Falcon.

The identity of Kamishiro Jingbian is too sensitive; we must be wary of Kamishiro intercepting people.

At this moment, Qing Hua asked, somewhat puzzled, "Boss, I was just asking casually. You can answer whether you want to or not."

In just over ten days, Qing Hua addressed Qing Chen with increasing reverence and humility, completely forgetting Qing Chen's age.

It should be noted that Qing Hua is almost 20 years older than Qing Chen.

Qing Chen looked at Qing Hua: "Ask away."

"Why should we replace Kamishiro Jingbian?" Qing Hua asked.

"Because we want to use Kamishiro Jingbian to exchange for Qing Mu returning home," Qing Chen said calmly. "Kamishiro Jingbian is Shendai's intelligence chief in the south. If Shendai doesn't exchange him, then we will repeat everything that Qing Mu experienced on Kamishiro Jingbian. Our Qing clan also has the technology of neuronal connection and possession. I don't believe that Kamishiro Jingbian's will is stronger than Qing Mu's."

Qing Hua was stunned.

The next moment, he actually bowed ninety degrees to Qing Chen.

"What are you doing?" Qing Chen frowned.

When Qing Hua looked up again, his expression was unusually solemn. "So you were preparing for this matter. Please forgive my rashness when you first took office. I will not ask for the reasons behind anything you are going to do in the future. As long as you give the order, I will go through fire and water without hesitation."

"Why are you suddenly bringing this up?" Qing Chen, still frowning.

Qing Hua took a deep breath and said, "The name Qing Mu is extremely familiar to the intelligence personnel of the Qing Clan. In the first lesson we learned during our training, 'Loyalty,' Qing Mu was the textbook. We know what he did and what he protected for us. Every intelligence personnel of the Qing Clan wants to bring him home. If you can really bring him home, I'm afraid all the intelligence personnel of the Qing Clan will admire you from the bottom of their hearts... even though you are still very young."

Qing Chen was taken aback.

He had not received intelligence training from the Qing family and had no sense of belonging to the Qing family.

So he only knew what Qing Mu had gone through and felt a bit angry, but he still didn't understand Qing Mu's importance in the hearts of the Qing Clan's intelligence personnel.

The Qing family's shadow sent him to make this deal and carry it out.

In fact, he wanted to personally hand over the hearts and minds of the Qing clan's intelligence agents to him.

Having figured this out, Qing Chen calmly looked at Qing Hua and said, "The Divine Era hasn't made any move yet. The calmer things are at this time, the more careful we need to be. Besides, Kashima's handover to the Kamishiro Jingbian may not be sincere; it could very well be a trap."

A 6,000-word chapter, 9,000 words updated today. I'll pay some interest before the October update rush.