Siheyuan came through and sent Jia Zhang to prison

Ma Xin's expression darkened, a hint of displeasure flashing in her eyes. Her task was at a crucial juncture—monitoring the financial chain of Jiang Hu's group. These past few days were the window of opportunity for them to transfer embezzled funds; every single transaction had to be closely monitored, and the slightest mishap could ruin everything. Asking her to divert her attention to dealing with Zhang Jie at this time would only create more trouble, potentially damaging both sides.

"Are you sure you want me to take action?" She looked up at her boss, her tone carrying a barely perceptible hint of anger, like a lit fuse. "Have you forgotten how important my mission is? Monitoring the flow of that batch of weapons, not a single detail can be wrong. If Jiang Hu and his men's shipment gets out, how many people will be killed? Now you want me to chase after a traitor? If it delays our important work, who can take the blame? Are you crazy?"

The boss knew her concerns and sighed, his voice softening: "I know it's difficult for you, your mission is precious, I know that better than anyone. But Zhang Jie's matter is urgent, it's a matter of life and death. He didn't leave empty-handed, he took an encrypted list with him, which contains the names, positions, and contact methods of all the informants we've planted in the coal mine system. If he sells it to our rivals, or reports it to the disciplinary committee, the losses will be much greater than a little, we might lose a dozen or so brothers."

The two discussed in hushed tones for a while. The sunlight from the window slowly moved across the table, but Ma Xin's brow remained furrowed, as if in a knot. Finally, the boss conceded first, his tone conciliatory: "How about this, you don't need to keep an eye on things the whole time; it's too time-consuming. You just need to find Zhang Jie's hideout, confirm where he's hiding, and then send a message to He Feng, asking him to take people out and deal with him. You're only responsible for locating him and ensuring the information is accurate, okay?"

Ma Xin remained silent for a moment, her fingertips tracing the edge of the table as she weighed the pros and cons. Her primary concern was her core mission; she couldn't afford to expose her identity and ruin everything because of this. "Fine, but it's settled then. I'll only be responsible for locating the suspects. He Feng will handle the arrests and interrogations. If anything goes wrong with my mission, no one can bear the responsibility, including you."

The boss nodded, took out a small notebook from his pocket, and then pulled out half a pencil from his apron pocket. He quickly wrote a few words, tore it off, folded it into a small square, and pushed it in front of Ma Xin: "Don't worry, I will never let you take any risks. These are a few places where Zhang Jie might be hiding. They are all places he mentioned to me before. Take a look at those abandoned mines in the suburbs."

Ma Xin unfolded the note and glanced at it. Three place names were written on it: "Abandoned Well No. 3," "Old Kiln Gully," and "West Slope Slag Heap," the handwriting messy but clear. She quickly memorized it, crumpled the note into a ball, stuffed it into her pocket, and stood up, saying, "I understand. I'll notify He Feng as soon as I have any news." Without lingering, she turned and pushed open the door. The wind chimes rang again, their sound as light as a breeze amidst the car horns and hawkers' cries on the street, going unnoticed by anyone.

Ma Xin knew perfectly well that the flow of the weapons she was monitoring was the most important thing; every link had to be tightly controlled, and there couldn't be the slightest mistake. As for Zhang Jie… since he dared to defect, his trump card had become a hot potato; keeping him would only bring trouble, so he had to be discarded. She walked along the shadows of the trees lining the street, her high heels clicking crisply on the dew-dampened cobblestones, her mind racing: the coal mining network Zhang Jie knew was important, but she couldn't let him ruin her long-planned scheme—in her mind, keeping a close eye on the arms network behind Jiang Hu was far more important than the life or death of a traitor; her mission was more valuable than any pawn. If necessary, sacrificing Zhang Jie was nothing; it was just a matter of cleaning house.

The night passed quietly amidst undercurrents. Just as dawn broke and the eastern horizon began to lighten, Jiang Hu headed towards the police station, his mind racing. Dressed in a neatly pressed Zhongshan suit and carrying a black briefcase, he stood under the sycamore tree outside the station's gate, watching the uniformed officers hurrying past, his feet seemingly rooted to the ground, hesitant to step inside. Who knew if there was a trap behind those doors? What if he went in and said half a sentence, only to have it overheard by someone unrelated, or leaked by a reporter? That would be a huge problem, given his current sensitive position; he couldn't afford the slightest mishap.

After hesitating for a while, he finally gritted his teeth and walked towards the guardhouse, his face plastered with a perfectly polite smile and his tone made exceptionally gentle: "Comrade, could you please inform Director He Feng that he needs to come out for a moment? Tell him that Jiang Hu is looking for him and has something very urgent that cannot be delayed."

The gatekeeper was a veteran in his forties. He looked him up and down, and seeing that he was well-dressed and spoke politely, and didn't seem like a troublemaker, he nodded without thinking much of it: "Okay, you wait here, I'll go inside and see if Director He is here."

At that moment, He Feng was in his office processing a pile of case files. The phone on his desk kept ringing. He had just hung up a call from a subordinate reporting on a case, and before his pen even touched the paper, the security guard poked his head in and said in a loud voice, "Director He, there's a guy named Jiang Hu outside looking for you. He says it's urgent and he has to see you in person."

He Feng frowned, put down his pen, and tapped his knuckles lightly on the case file. Jiang Hu was probably coming to see him now because of yesterday's smuggling case—the batch of goods found in the warehouse in the back mountain yesterday, although not directly related to him, such a big thing happened in his area, he couldn't completely stay out of it. He nodded: "I understand, I'll go out now."

Just as he reached the front door, he saw Jiang Hu pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back, his leather shoes scraping the ground with a slight sound, clearly indicating his unease. Upon seeing him come out, Jiang Hu immediately stopped, forcing a warm smile to greet him, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening.

He Feng spoke first, his tone indifferent and businesslike: "Director Jiang, yesterday's matter has been investigated thoroughly. We have witnesses and physical evidence to prove that you were not involved. You should be free now. Why did you come here specifically for this? I'm afraid it's not just for idle chatter. Just say what you need to say. I have a bunch of cases waiting to be dealt with."

Jiang Hu quickly waved his hand, his smile becoming even more polite, his voice tinged with flattery: "Director He, you're being too polite. I've come to sincerely thank you. You have no idea what happened yesterday; it gave me quite a fright. I really didn't know there were so many shady dealings hidden in that forest behind the mountain. Luckily, you're so perceptive and didn't wrong an honest man like me." As he spoke, he quickly glanced around, and seeing that no one was around, he lowered his voice and took two steps closer: "Actually, I wanted to ask you about something... about yesterday's batch of goods, did you trace its source?"