Chapter 207 - 191: Catching Spies

Chapter 207: Chapter 191: Catching Spies

With the fate of Zhao Wendong’s parents-in-law on the line, everyone took the matter very seriously. They rose early the next day to descend the mountain. This time, all they had were fish. Even so, for six men and three dogs, carrying over six hundred pounds of fish down the mountain was still quite easy. Just as the group reached the foot of the mountain, they saw a jeep already waiting. Chen Baoguo was pacing anxiously beside it.

"Ah, Comrade Wendong, you’re finally back! Quick, come with me."

Chen Baoguo rushed over and grabbed Zhao Wendong, trying to pull him away. Seeing how frantic he was, Zhao Wendong could only point helplessly at Xiaojin’s cage.

"I know you’re anxious, but take it easy. At the very least, you have to let me bring Xiaojin, right?"

"Oh, right, right! We have to bring him. Everything depends on him this time!"

Chen Baoguo slapped his forehead. He had been in such a panic that he’d forgotten the main "person" they needed wasn’t Zhao Wendong, but his eagle. Zhao Wendong turned and straightened Lin Zhiyin’s slightly crooked hat. Even wearing the most rustic of dog-fur hats, her face was still so perfect it seemed to glow.

"You guys take everything and head home first. Wait for word from me. I’ll do everything I can to bring our parents back."

"Okay. You be careful."

Lin Zhiyin was a little worried. She wanted to keep Zhao Wendong away from danger, but this involved her parents and a request from the organization. Even if she objected, she knew she couldn’t stop him. She could clearly tell that ever since receiving the gift of calligraphy, this Zhao Wendong had changed a lot from the man he was before.

Zhao Wendong said nothing, just nodding to his older brother and the others. He pulled a dozen or so fish from a burlap sack—not caring about their size or species—and tossed them straight into the jeep.

"The New Year is almost here. Squad Leader Chen, please don’t mind the humble gift. This is for you and Farm Director Liu. Let’s go."

Zhao Wendong slung his Type 56 rifle over his back, picked up the wooden cage holding Xiaojin, then paused. After a moment’s thought, he waved to Dahuang and the others, ushering the three dogs into the jeep as well. Chen Baoguo stared at the fish, momentarily stunned, before scrambling into the vehicle himself. The jeep sputtered to life after a few attempts and sped off in the opposite direction.

Zhao Wenwu and the others naturally gave Zhao Wendong their full support. They pulled up their sled, also taking the dogs’ small, empty sled in tow, and the five men headed for home with the fish. Even though they felt a little unfulfilled from only catching fish, they remembered what Zhao Wendong had said: compared to others, their haul was second to none. So, everyone was in a relatively good mood—aside, of course, from their worry about Zhao Wendong going off to hunt spies.

Inside the jeep, Chen Baoguo was suddenly in no hurry to brief Zhao Wendong. Staring at the dozen-odd fish tossed in the back, he looked at Zhao Wendong in utter shock.

"Were those burlap sacks from just now all full of fish?"

"Yeah. We caught them in the mountains over the last couple of days."

"Incredible!"

Chen Baoguo gave Zhao Wendong a thumbs-up, truly at a loss for words. He’d never really admired anyone before in his life; Zhao Wendong was the first.

"Comrade Wendong, let me brief you on the situation."

"A few days ago, the entire county and district began an internal investigation to root out spies and espionage activities. As a result, we discovered a Japanese agent right within our own superior department. During the arrest, we didn’t expect the spy to have backup. Now, the two of them have fled deep into Dahei Mountain. They have extensive experience in forest combat and are using the terrain to play cat-and-mouse with us. In the process, we’ve already lost one police comrade."

"Right now, the spies are hidden in the mountains, and we can’t find any trace of them. If we split up to search, we’re just making ourselves easy targets for an ambush. It was Farm Director Liu and Secretary Jiang who suggested asking for your help. Regarding your parents-in-law, the department heads have been against it. But this time, our person-in-charge, Director Tang, has given his word: if you agree to help, he’ll approve their transfer."

Zhao Wendong nodded; he now understood the gist of the situation. The phrase "man can conquer nature" flashed through his mind. In a situation like this, even without the issue involving Lin Huaimin and Wang Lulu, if they had sought him out, he would have accepted the duty without a moment’s hesitation.

The jeep tore down the road, arriving at the foot of Dahei Mountain in just over an hour. A dense crowd was already waiting. There were PLA soldiers in uniform, standing ramrod straight; police officers in navy blue uniforms; and a loosely formed group of militiamen in clothes covered with patch after patch. The leaders stood at the forefront of the crowd, whispering among themselves as they anxiously awaited Zhao Wendong’s arrival.

In the center of the leadership group stood Wei Dongliang and a rather senior official. Surrounding them were Jiang Weimin, Farm Director Liu, and a host of other cadres. Every face was grim. The senior leader was Director Tang of the Revolutionary Committee, and at that moment, he was voicing his doubts to Wei Dongliang one more time.

"Comrade Dongliang, is this Zhao Wendong really reliable?"

Director Tang was skeptical. ’Is Zhao Wendong really worth having all of us wait for him like this?’

’He’d been hearing the name Zhao Wendong nonstop these past few days. Wei Dongliang had put in a word for him, and Liu Haisheng was mentioning him in his daily reports. Even with the backing of the old dignitary who had gifted him calligraphy, Director Tang had still been reluctant to let Lin Huaimin and Wang Lulu go to Dragon King Pond. The New Year was just around the corner, and all he wanted was to get through this disastrous year in one piece. But who could have predicted that a clerk from his own committee would turn out to be a spy, leading to the death of a police comrade? If this wasn’t handled quickly, there would be no celebrating the New Year for anyone.’

"Rest assured, Director Tang. Comrade Zhao Wendong is extremely trustworthy. Besides, Comrade Liu Haisheng has personally vouched for and strongly recommended him. Comrade Weimin and I have met him as well, so we have some sense of his character and his skills. I believe he is the one we’ve been waiting for to break this stalemate. If even he can’t find those two spies, I’m certain no one else can."