Espionage: I became sworn brothers with Zheng Yaoxian at the beginning, and became the Seventh Broth

Chapter 676 Fish Bait, Poison Bait

Xu Baichuan eventually went home with Ye Shaohong.

Accompanying him was a middle-aged man in his forties.

Ye Shaohong had never seen this middle-aged man at the Jinling headquarters, but that did not diminish his respect for him.

If Ye Shaohong's guess was correct, this middle-aged man should be Xu Baichuan's trusted confidant, somewhat similar to Zhao Jianzhi and Song Xiaoan under Zheng Yaoxian.

Xu Baichuan is just too secretive. Even though Ye Shaohong is a close friend of his, he still doesn't know about this information.

This time, if it weren't for Chief Dai Yunong personally issuing the order for Xu Baichuan to come to Jiangcheng to take charge of the Great Western King's treasure, Xu Baichuan probably wouldn't have revealed them. It just goes to show how cunning these old foxes in the Special Service are.

This made Ye Shaohong deeply wary of him.

The banquet started at night and lasted until 10 p.m.

When the torrential rain outside subsided and the thunder and lightning ceased, Xu Baichuan expressed his intention to take his leave.

Ye Shaohong wanted him to stay at his home for the night, but Xu Baichuan refused.

After leaving Ye Shaohong's villa, Xu Baichuan and the middle-aged man strolled along, observing their surroundings as they went.

After confirming that no one was following him from behind or to the left or right, Xu Baichuan coughed softly.

"Have the personnel been assigned?"

Why did Xu Baichuan ask this question? The answer is simple.

When he was at the Jiangcheng Station of the Special Service Department, he overheard Li Yunlong's report as he was leaving.

Xu Baichuan is very smart.

He didn't turn back immediately to ask Ye Shaohong directly, because he knew very well that even if he asked, Ye Shaohong might not tell him.

There's a high probability they'll use the internal rules and regulations of the Secret Service to shut him up.

Therefore, Xu Baichuan devised another method.

During the brief moment when Yu Manli returned to the General Affairs Department to pack her belongings, he told his trusted subordinate what he had just learned.

He ordered his personal men to contact those remaining outside and to investigate any signs of the Party Affairs Investigation Department's activities this afternoon.

"Director, don't you trust me to handle things?" "The manpower has already been arranged."

"By the time we get back to our hideout, they should have found out by now!"

The middle-aged man in his forties, who had come to the banquet with Xu Baichuan that evening, opened his mouth to respond.

Just then, he saw two rickshaws coming together on the street in the distance. They were pulling each other along and chatting about everyday things. They must have been working hard all day and were getting ready to go home.

The middle-aged man in his forties waved, and two rickshaws rushed over.

The two got into the car together and quickly disappeared into the darkness of the night.

When they reappeared, the two had already returned to the inn where they had stayed. The moment they opened the door, the people who had been waiting inside immediately stood up.

"Fourth Brother!" "Hmm."

"Tell me what you found out in your investigation."

Xu Baichuan waved his hand, interrupting the man's greeting, and then walked to the tea table and sat down.

"it is good."

"Here's what happened: this afternoon, when our brothers at Jiangcheng Station were attacked at the city gate, the Party Affairs Investigation Department discovered the mysterious old farmer's whereabouts."

"They sent a lot of people to Tongguzhai in the old street to make arrests."

"Unfortunately, they were too slow. The old farmer was also very alert. Before the Party Affairs Investigation Department personnel arrived, he had already taken advantage of the heavy rain to shake off their surveillance and disappeared without a trace."

The man began to report, simply and directly recounting the events of the day.

"Hmph!" "What can those bastards in the Party Affairs Investigation Department do besides infighting!"

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t catch anyone.”

Xu Baichuan curled his lip, gave a disdainful snort, and then asked again.

"Leave them alone."

"Tell me about that mysterious old farmer. What was he doing at the antique shop in the old street?"

"It can't be selling things, can it?"

Upon hearing Xu Baichuan's question, the person who had spoken up also smiled.

"Hey!"

"The director is wise. Those bastards from the Party Affairs Investigation Department, when interrogating the antique shop owner, the shop owner had to tell them that the old farmer went to see him today to sell something." "At that time, in order to gain the trust of the people from the Party Affairs Investigation Department, the shop owner even took out two silver coins from his counter!"

"But the situation we investigated was different."

"After the people from the Party Affairs Investigation Department left, we sneaked into the home of the antique shop owner and interrogated him."

"After much effort, the antique shop owner finally confessed."

"He said he was not only the owner of an antique shop, but also ran a black market business in his spare time, and employed a group of tomb raiders."

"The old farmer went to see him today because he wanted to sell him some information and a treasure map!"

At this point, the man's tone gradually changed, becoming serious, yet revealing a hint of fervor and greed.

"Treasure Map?"

"I knew it. Yesterday's commotion was huge. The Party Affairs Investigation Department and the Gelaohui both sent a lot of people to find the old farmer's whereabouts."

"But that old farmer is still unwilling to leave Jiangcheng, he must have a purpose."

"So that's what it was for."

Xu Baichuan took out a cigarette from his pocket; he had picked it up casually in Ye Shaohong's office earlier that day.

After taking one out and lighting it, Xu Baichuan fell silent as smoke billowed out.

He was thinking.

Based on the current situation and the information available, we can determine the authenticity and reliability of this news.

This period of contemplation lasted for a full ten minutes.

Throughout the entire time, Xu Baichuan never stopped smoking; he would light another cigarette after extinguishing it. In just a few minutes, the room was filled with a thick layer of smoke. Xu Baichuan's men seemed to be used to this by now.

They all knew that Xu Baichuan had this habit.

So no one made a sound to disturb him.

Only when the third cigarette had burned out and the flames were gradually burning down to Xu Baichuan's fingers did he finally throw the cigarette butt away.

"You've already found out the time and place of their transaction from the antique shop owner, haven't you, by telling me all this?"

Whether it's a trap or the truth, we can't afford to miss it.

"Get the brothers ready, we're going to join the fun!"

What was Xu Baichuan thinking just now?

Aside from the veracity of the information, he was also wondering who else knew about this. This was the reason Xu Baichuan couldn't make a decision in such a short time.

Through careful consideration and judgment, Xu Baichuan had essentially confirmed the ultimate scope of this news's spread.

Only after assessing the strength of his subordinates did he make the final decision.