Chapter 3, Deployment of Troops

Shu Yi said: "Remember what you said, go ahead, hand over your current work, and ask Director Yue to handle your transfer procedures"

Upon exiting the formal office, Yue Zhiwei inquired, "It seems you are quite familiar with Minister Yan." Shu Yi merely responded with a noncommittal "Mm," and Yue Zhiwei understood that Shu Yi was intentionally avoiding the topic. He did not press further, but instead said, "Director Shu, may I recommend someone to you?" Shu Yi smiled ambiguously and replied, "Do tell."

This gaze lasted for about a minute, and the man's eyes did not waver, not even blinking. Only then did Shu Yi smile and say, "You must be Ye Qinghan, right? Please, have a seat!" Ye Qinghan was taken aback; he had not introduced himself, so how did Shu Yi know? Shu Yi continued, "Director Yue mentioned you, didn't he?" Ye Qinghan nodded, "He did, but I have doubts about your abilities."

Yue Zhiwei no longer cares about the tone in which Shu Yi speaks, and he silently laughs to himself, wondering who is superior to whom, even if only in name.

Ye Qinghan did not speak, his face slightly pale

Secretary Yan said, "Understood, Chief. I will pay attention to it. Chief, do you think Director Shu can really get to the bottom of this case?" Yu Zhongguo sighed and replied, "Minister Yan said he is a capable person. If anyone can uncover the truth behind these two cases, it would be Shu Yi. Xiao Yan, be more courteous to him in the future." Secretary Yan respectfully responded, "Yes"

Shu Yi said, "You aren't bragging, are you?" Ye Qinghan replied, "Absolutely not. He is the apple of Director Yue's eye. Director Yue once said he wouldn't trade him for an entire team." Shu Yi chuckled mischievously, "Then it's settled, he's the one." Ye Qinghan cautioned, "Just don't say I told you."

Shu Yi let out a sound of "oh" and fixed his gaze on him, waiting for him to continue.

Looking at Ye Qinghan's back, a shadow had already been cast over Ye Qinghan's heart by the Peng Gang case. It seemed that this case was indeed not simple. Of course, it was not simple; otherwise, Yan Zheng would not have sought him out. Shu Yi smiled faintly and shook his head.

After Yan Zheng finished speaking, he said to Director Yue Zhiwei: "Director Yue, I will leave Shu Yi to you. He is one of your people from the Fifth Bureau, so you must support his work more in the future!" Director Yue had not had a chance to interject until now, and he finally said: "Rest assured, Minister, I will definitely provide strong support for Director Shu. However, Director Shu, you don't look down on anyone from the Fifth Bureau, do you?" Shu Yi replied: "Not at all, I definitely want people from the Fifth Bureau. How about this, you take me to have a look later."

Ye Qinghan stood there, unmoving, his eyes dimming: "I am not cowardly, nor am I weak." His voice was very soft, so soft that it seemed only he could hear it clearly

Yue Zhiwei said, "His name is Ye Qinghan, the team leader of Group B in the Seventh Bureau's field operations." Shu Yi asked, "The Seventh Bureau?" Yue Zhiwei nodded, "Yes, he is a witness in the Peng Gang case. However, it seems he has changed completely since the incident; he was originally a very optimistic and cheerful man, but now he is silent and withdrawn all day long." Shu Yi said, "How about this, Director Yue, let's first go check the office you arranged for me, and then have him come to my office. I would like to have a talk with him."

Shu Yi continued, "What are you afraid of? It is not that I, Shu Yi, lack investigative means, for that is your strong suit. What you fear is that the Peng Gang case is not the result of human effort, but rather the work of an unknown force, one that neither you, nor I, nor even the books of Peng Gang have the ability to contend with"

Ye Qinghan said, "The case of Director Peng has been investigated by the department for six years, yet there is not a single clue. Most of us in the Security Department are professionals; if we cannot solve this case, I do not believe anyone else has the capability to do so." Shu Yi replied calmly, "Ye Qinghan, your suspicion of me is not actually about my ability to solve cases, but rather a reflection of the fear within yourself."

Ye Qinghan, with a red face filled with anger, stood up from the sofa. Shu Yi picked up the tea and took a gentle sip: "You may go back now, thank you for bringing me the documents." After saying this, he stood up from the sofa, took the documents, and sat down at the desk to begin reading.

Two brand new off-road vehicles, the domestic "Cheetah," were parked in the yard. After getting into the car, Ye Qinghan said, "Shu Chu, there's a question I've been holding in all morning." Shu Yi smiled and handed a "Guo Yan" cigarette to Ye Qinghan, saying, "Are you wondering how I knew what you were thinking this morning?" Ye Qinghan smiled shyly.

Secretary Yan said, "Isn't the new director a bit too arrogant? I called to inform him that the two ministers invited him to lunch at noon, and he just grunted in response, saying he knew, without even a word of thanks." Yu Zhongguo chuckled, "People with real ability are often like this. However, Xiao Yan, you must not speak carelessly about this in the future. Minister Yan values him highly; although he is just a director, his authority is no less than that of a bureau chief"

Shu Yi glanced up at him and then continued to look at the materials in her hands

"Mysterious Domain, this name sounds quite nice, I like it. Little monk, it is time for you to leave the mountain as well," Shu Yi murmured to himself as he took a pencil from the pen holder and wrote down a name on the document bag: Shiqing!

The internal phone rang. "Director Shu, this is Secretary Yan from Minister Yu's office. Minister Yan and Minister Yu would like to invite you to lunch. Director Yue has sent someone to pick you up." Shu Yi replied, "Mm, understood." After hanging up the phone, Secretary Yan muttered softly, "A mere division director, yet so full of himself." Just then, Yu Zhong happened to come out of the room: "Secretary Yan, what are you muttering about?"

At eleven thirty in the morning, Ye Qinghan arrived again

Shu Yi smiled and nodded. Ye Qinghan said, "Why don't you ask Director Yue about this?" Shu Yi replied, "I'm afraid he might withhold information and be reluctant to give me the good stuff." Ye Qinghan remarked, "There’s a treasure in the Fifth Bureau, but I really don’t know if Director Yue would be willing to give it to you." Shu Yi straightened up and asked, "Who?" Ye Qinghan answered, "Sheng Rongguang. Don’t be fooled by his age; he’s only twenty-seven, but he’s quite versatile. He excels in hand-to-hand combat, firearms, and explosives. However, his greatest strength lies in his expertise with computers. He’s a top-notch hacker, and his skills in eavesdropping and surveillance are also first-rate. His nickname is quite distinctive: 'Little Eagle.'

Shu Yi nodded slightly and said, "It still has some use, fine, I can keep you here, but I have my own rules." Ye Qinghan asked, "What rules?" Shu Yi replied, "Once you join the Nine Departments, you will have only one leader, the sole leader, and that is me." Ye Qinghan responded, "I can do that." Shu Yi smiled mysteriously and said, "You must think carefully; I still have directors and ministers above me."

About half an hour later, Shu Yi heard someone knock on the door: "Please come in"

There is not much material regarding the case, mostly consisting of witness testimonies that are quite similar. Before the Peng Gang case, Shu Yi was unaware of the details. Although Yan Zheng valued him highly, this case had always been a top secret of the Ministry of Security, and naturally, Yan Zheng would not mention it in front of him. Even Qin Xue, who usually had a good relationship with him, was very reticent about it. It was only today that Yue Zhiwei finally informed him.

Yue Zhiwei led Shu Yi into the office, which was not large. It contained a set of office desks and chairs, a wall bookshelf at the back, a metal filing cabinet, and in front, there was a coffee table. Next to the coffee table were three sofas: one long and two short. Yue Zhiwei asked, "Is there anything else you think is lacking? I can have someone arrange it for you." Shu Yi replied, "Not for now." Yue Zhiwei then said, "Would you like to hold a small meeting? I can introduce you to the members of the bureau team so you can meet them." Shu Yi smiled and said, "No need, I don't think I will have much interaction with them."

Shu Yi said, "Actually, this is very simple. I will teach you slowly in the future." Ye Qinghan did not receive the answer he wanted and felt somewhat unwilling: "Shu Chu, just tell me!" Shu Yi replied, "Later, we have plenty of time to spend together anyway. Tianhan, you are familiar with the field personnel from Bureau 5, right?" Ye Qinghan smiled and said, "Familiar. Shu Chu, are you planning to select someone from the field personnel of Bureau 5?"

Ye Qinghan noticed that Shu Yi was ignoring him, so he lowered his head and turned to leave. As he reached the door, he heard Shu Yi say, "Tell me what special skills you have?" Ye Qinghan paused, and only after confirming that this question was directed at him did he hurriedly turn around and walk to Shu Yi's desk, saying, "Report to you, Director Shu, I am proficient in combat, concealed weapons, and firearms, and I excel in disguise and tracking."

Shu Yi quietly watched Ye Qinghan, whose gaze began to evade Shu Yi's eyes. Shu Yi said: "For six years, you have been escaping in fear; do you intend to continue fleeing together?" Ye Qinghan bit her lip: "You are a devil!" Shu Yi smiled: "Perhaps only a devil can resist another devil."

Ye Qinghan said: "Regardless of who else is above, in Ye Qinghan's eyes, there is only Jiuchu, only Shuchu"

The reason Shu Yi agreed to Yu Zhiwei was not solely for Qin Xue; he was deeply captivated by the case. When he heard Yu Zhiwei recount the details of the case, he had already drawn a conclusion, one that aligned with Ye Qinghan's: this case was likely not the result of human intervention

Ye Qinghan let out a long sigh: "Alright, I agree to join." Shu Yi, however, shook his head: "Although Director Yue recommended you to me and I agreed to meet with you, whether you are qualified to join is another matter." Ye Qinghan raised his head: "Why?" Shu Yi said: "To be honest, you left a very bad impression on me—timid, weak, lacking responsibility, and only capable of evasion. Therefore, I believe you are not suitable to join my team."

Yue Zhiwei nodded and said, "Alright then, I will take my leave for now. I will have someone deliver the case files for both cases to you shortly." Shu Yi replied, "Okay."

A man in his thirties walked in: "Shu, Director Yue asked me to bring the case files to you." The man was approximately 1.8 meters tall, with a robust build, and appeared quite handsome, yet he exuded a sense of coldness. He was also sizing up Shu Yi, his gaze carrying a hint of provocation.

Shu Yi smiled and said, "You arrived so quickly? Have all the formalities been completed?" Ye Qinghan replied, "Yes, Minister Yu instructed that special matters be handled with priority, so it didn't take much time." Shu Yi said, "You are here to take me out for a meal, right?" Ye Qinghan nodded, "Director Yue allocated two off-road vehicles to us, and I am here to be your driver, Shu." Shu Yi organized the documents in his hands and placed them into the filing cabinet, saying, "Alright, let's go."

Ye Qinghan inadvertently leaned back, and her hands came together.