Chapter 1, Broken String

Yu glanced around at those present and said: "The purpose of gathering everyone here today is not to assign blame, but to resolve the issue. Yue Zhiwei, the missing person is from your Fifth Bureau; what are your thoughts on this?" Yue Zhiwei extinguished his cigarette and replied: "Minister Yu, since the Fifth Bureau took over the Jinfo case, we have made significant progress in our investigation. It has now been established that the Xiao Hang Group is merely a smuggling ring for cultural relics on the surface, while secretly engaging in activities that compromise state secrets."

Qin Xue said, "Alright, Xiao Chen, stop talking. I believe the department will definitely not give up on the investigation. Xiao Chen, you have been with the department for a long time; you must know what can and cannot be said, and you must exercise discretion. It is essential to strictly adhere to the confidentiality regulations." Xiao Chen replied, "I understand, Director."

Yue Zhiwei got into the car and was about to start the engine when he received a call from the office of Yu Zhongguo. Secretary Yan said on the phone: "Director Yue? Minister Yu requests you to come to his office."

Yue Zhiwei arrived at Yu Zhongguo's office, where Yu Zhongguo gestured for him to sit on the sofa. Yan Zhengyang poured him a glass of water and then closed the door as he left. Yu Zhongguo walked over from behind the desk and also sat down on the sofa, taking out a soft pack of "Panda" cigarettes wrapped in light blue packaging, tossing one to Yue Zhiwei: "Zhiwei, I called you back because there is something I need you to handle." Yue Zhiwei took the cigarette, smelled it with reluctance to light it.

Yu Zhong nodded, and Chen Bin said: "Leaders, during our structural analysis of the broken string, we found that the molecular structure of this broken string is 99.99% similar to that of the residue found in Director Peng's fingernail from back then. This means that the residue from Director Peng's fingernail belongs to this broken string!"

No. 89, Kan'er Hutong, this should be it. Yue Zhiwei saw that the gate of the courtyard was open, so he walked in. A girl about fourteen or fifteen years old was brushing her teeth by the water pipe in the yard. Yue Zhiwei asked, "Little girl, is there someone named Shu Yi here?" The girl pointed towards the room to the south.

Yue Zhiwei gently knocked on the door, and after a while, the door finally opened: "Who is it? It's so early in the morning, can't you let people sleep?" A man in his thirties, with sleepy eyes, looked at Yue Zhiwei. The man's hair was somewhat long and appeared greasy, as if it hadn't been washed in a long time, and he had stubble on his face. Yue Zhiwei smiled and asked, "May I ask if Shu Yi lives here?" The man sized up Yue Zhiwei and opened the door, casually saying, "Come in," before turning and walking into the room.

Yu Zhongguo cleared his throat and said, "Comrades, since no one is speaking, let me say a few words. So far, we have had five scouts go missing, and we have not found any clues at all. This is our dereliction of duty!" Yu Zhongguo's fist struck the table, and everyone's gaze turned towards him

Yue Zhiwei followed him into the room, which was so messy that there was hardly any space for him to step. The man tidied up the pile of clothes and books on the sofa, saying, "It's too messy here, I apologize for the inconvenience. Please, have a seat." He held a pair of smelly socks in his hand, feeling that there was no suitable place to put them, so he simply stuffed them into his pants pocket. Yue Zhiwei looked around the room and saw no sign of anyone else. He then glanced at the person in front of him and thought, my goodness, could he be Shu Yi?

Yu Zhong pointed to the note in Yue Zhiwei's hand and said: "Alright, is it this https://m.hetushu.com.com? Confirm it. You will contact him tomorrow. Minister Yan mentioned that this person may not agree, but Minister Yan instructed that regardless of the method you use, you must ensure he comes out to lead this work, as only he is capable of handling it." Yue Zhiwei stood up: "I guarantee to complete the task"

Early the next morning, Yue Zhiwei drove to Kan'er Alley

Yu Zhongguo said, "Director Yue, please share your plans." Yue Zhiwei replied, "Minister Yu, I have an idea, but I'm not sure if I should mention it." Yu Zhongguo urged, "What time is it? Just go ahead and say it." After taking a sip of tea, Yue Zhiwei continued, "Does everyone still remember the Peng Gang case from six years ago?"

Yue Zhiwei said, "Minister Yu, what about the personnel for 'Guǐyù'..." Minister Yu Zhonghua waved his hand, saying, "You don't need to worry about the personnel issue." He walked to the desk, picked up a piece of paper, and handed it to Yue Zhiwei, saying, "This person is the one personally appointed by Minister Yan as the head of 'Guǐyù'. As for his subordinates, he can choose them himself. You just need to assist him in solidifying the organizational relationships." Yue Zhiwei smiled wryly and said, "It seems that this department is merely a nominal entity in the Fifth Bureau, isn't it?"

After speaking, he took out an object from the file bag on the table: "This is it. According to the appraisal center's evaluation, they believe this is something similar to a string, likely a broken string taken from some kind of instrument."

Finally, he stood up: "Alright, this case will continue to be followed up by the fifth bureau. As for the matters concerning Duan Xuan and Peng Gang's case, this is the end of it; no further discussion is allowed. Meeting adjourned!"

Yue Zhiwei stated: "At that time, our excellent scout, Comrade Peng Gang, the deputy director of the Seventh Bureau, was mysteriously killed while carrying out a mission. The comrades who were with him at the time witnessed him as if someone had strangled his neck, flailing his arms, struggling, and then rolling to the ground, where he lost his breath, despite his comrades' attempts to pull him back and stop it, all to no avail"

Chen Bin pushed up the glasses on his nose and glanced at Qin Xue, who bit her lip as if she had made a significant decision: "Minister Yu, we also discovered something while conducting the appraisal for the broken string; let Chen Bin explain the specifics to everyone."

Shu Yi said lightly, "Are you very disappointed?" Yue Zhiwei nodded. Shu Yi continued, "Who sent you here? Ji Tianheng or Yan Zheng?" Yue Zhiwei knew that Ji Tianheng was the Minister of the Police Department, and Yan Zheng was the name of their Minister of Security. The fact that this person could discern his background at a glance startled him.

Yu Zhongguo said, "A broken string?" Yue Zhiwei nodded, and Qin Xue also said, "Yes, we have examined it carefully, and it is indeed a string, but we do not know which instrument it belongs to." Yu Zhongguo took it and looked at it: "Has any material analysis been done?" Qin Xue replied with a wry smile, "Yes, the analysis shows it resembles tendons from a human or an animal." Yue Zhiwei added, "Therefore, we believe this may be related to a certain religious organization."

Back at the appraisal center, Chen Bin said, "Director Qin, do you think this case will end up like Director Peng's, unresolved?" Qin Xue replied sadly, "I don't know, Xiao Chen. This case is too bizarre; it has exceeded our understanding, so the department leaders will naturally be very cautious." Chen Bin sighed, "But Director Qin, Peng is your fiancé. Don't you hope that the truth behind his death can be revealed?"

Yu Zhongguo said: "After the meeting adjourned, I reported the situation to Minister Yan at https://m.hetushu.com. Minister Yan instructed that the Peng Gang case and the case of the missing investigator should be investigated together, but the investigation must be conducted in secrecy. The investigation work will still be the responsibility of your Bureau 5, but Minister Yan suggested that a special department be established under your Bureau 5. This department will have only one code name, called 'Guǐyù', specifically responsible for the secret investigation of unusual cases. The Peng Gang case and the case of the missing investigator will be handed over to this department for handling."

Yu Zhongguo inquired: "Why was such an important clue not reported?" Yue Zhiwei replied: "This Ilian is a guide we hired locally, so we really hadn't taken this matter to heart before." Fan Jianghe asked: "Where is this Ilian now?" Yue Zhiwei responded: "She has also gone missing, along with the last missing scout."

Yu China has not spoken again; once this case is linked to the Peng Gang case, it exudes an extraordinary strangeness

Fan Jianghe kept his gaze fixed on the teacup in his hand. Upon hearing Yue Zhiwei's words, he raised his head and said, "Director Yue, did the five missing scouts have any unusual encounters before their disappearance?" Fan Jianghe, the head of the bureau, was an expert in decryption, and he instinctively felt that this matter was not ordinary. Yue Zhiwei replied, "Yes, according to their mission logs, all five had contact with a woman named Yilian a few days before they went missing."

Yue Zhiwei glanced at Yu Zhongguo and said: "I have already reported this to Minister Yu. We are preparing to cast a long line to catch big fish, aiming to uncover the foreign organizations involved in secret transactions with the Xiao Hang Group. However, at this moment, one of our scouts encountered an incident. From what we understand, this matter should not be related to the Xiao Hang Group. However, what is peculiar is that the last missing scout had sent me something through our channels the day before he went missing at mhetushu.com.

It is already past eleven o'clock at night, and the lights are still on in the conference room of the National Security Headquarters of Huaxia. An emergency meeting is currently taking place here, but the atmosphere in the venue is very somber, with no one speaking. The conference room is filled with smoke, and everyone’s face bears a heavy expression.

He really guessed it right. The man sat down on a small stool opposite him, his feet crossed and stretched out in front: "I am Shu Yi, what do you want?" Yue Zhiwei was taken aback; he did not expect that the person Minister Yan had his eye on was someone like this.

As soon as Yue Zhiwei finished speaking, everyone present was momentarily taken aback, and all eyes were fixed on his face

Chen Bin's face showed some disappointment as he glanced at Qin Xue, who shook her head helplessly

Yu Zhongguo smiled and said, "What? Do you still have ideas?" Yue Zhiwei replied, "How could that be? Minister, rest assured, Zhiwei will definitely provide them with full support." Yu Zhongguo said, "The 'Mysterious Domain' department cannot be known to outsiders; even within our organization, only a few leaders are aware of it. Therefore, they must have an external identity to facilitate their case handling." Yue Zhiwei said, "How about this? Our Fifth Bureau originally had eight divisions, so their external identity could be the Ninth Division of the Fifth Bureau."

Yue Zhiwei glanced at Qin Xue and said, "I remember the autopsy report provided by the identification center stated that Comrade Peng Gang died of asphyxiation, with obvious strangulation marks on his neck, and remnants of tendons found in his fingers. Minister Yan was very dissatisfied with this identification result at the time. In front of everyone, an excellent investigator was lost just like that, strangled to death, and yet no one saw the murderer. In the end, Minister Yan instructed that this case must be thoroughly investigated, but even now, we have not uncovered a single clue."