Xiao Buli was always a man of action. When Qin Shimoon finished planning, he imdiately went downstairs to the ticket vendor and purchased two train tickets to Beijing. After an afternoon of jostling travel, they arrived in the capital by evening.
Xiao Buli and Qin Shimoon checked into a hotel room and ordered so food to eat in the room for dinner. Qin Shimoon couldn't help but regret ntioning her fondness for celery that day, as celery seed to make frequent appearances on their nu ever since. To avoid raising his suspicions, she had to eat a few bites each ti, and with each swallow, Qin Shimoon shuddered with discomfort.
As Qin Shimoon nibbled on her food with the refined manner of a well-bred lady, Xiao Buli chuckled and said, "Change your clothes, big brother will take you out for a stroll."
Whether it was because the conundrum that had been preoccupying Xiao Buli's mind these past days finally had a solution, or because the typically cold Qin Shimoon was being unusually amiable today, Xiao Buli's mood had lifted, feeling surprisingly elated.
Hearing Xiao Buli's words, Qin Shimoon glared at him. Nevertheless, she obediently changed into the set of sportswear Xiao Buli had bought her a few days ago. It was a bit too large, but it was wearable.
The two of them left the hotel room one after the other, strolling down the road at a leisurely pace. Qin Shimoon controlled her walking speed, trailing behind Xiao Buli while silently trying to figure out where he was taking her. Naturally, coming to Beijing ant a visit to the National Archives Bureau, but she had no mory of the place. Moreover, if that was the case, why bring her along at all? He knew she had no special skills; wouldn't her presence just be a burden? Unless the plan was to act tomorrow? But then where were they going now?
Lost in her thoughts, Qin Shimoon almost didn't realize that Xiao Buli had stopped walking ahead of her and had to quickly stop herself from bumping into him. She looked up to see Xiao Buli looking back at her with a half-smile.
"What are you looking at?" Qin Shimoon felt a bit awkward due to their close proximity.
"I think you look more human wearing this."
"You!" Qin Shimoon was about to lose her temper. What did he an by 'more human'? Did that an she wasn't human before?
Before she could erupt, Xiao Buli laughed heartily and started walking again, leaving Qin Shimoon to follow him with a huff. Eventually, they arrived at a secluded alley where a European-style bar stood at the entrance, its neon lights glimring. Despite the early hour and it not being the weekend, only a couple of tables were occupied. Xiao Buli held the door open for Qin Shimoon and they went in together, ordering two beers.
Qin Shimoon couldn't figure out Xiao Buli's intentions and didn't want to ask outright, so they simply sat in silence drinking their beer. Qin Shimoon casually flipped through a magazine on the table, while Xiao Buli watched passersby through the window.
"I'm going to the washroom," Xiao Buli said. Qin Shimoon didn't look up, clearly engrossed in the magazine's content.
Not long after Xiao Buli entered the washroom, its door opened quietly, followed by the bar's entrance, which made the bells ring softly. However, the bartender looked up to find no new custors entering.
After what felt like an age, with an exceptionally thick magazine browsed from cover to cover and her glass now empty, Qin Shimoon suddenly realized sothing—where had Xiao Buli gone? It seed he ntioned going to the restroom and hadn't co back since. Checking her watch, it was almost ten o'clock, aning he'd been gone for nearly an hour. As she peered at the dimly lit path outside, realization dawned on her.
"Waiter," she called, beckoning the bartender over. "What is that place outside?" Qin Shimoon asked curiously, pointing towards a large gate opposite the bar.
"Oh, that seems to be the State Security Bureau, or maybe the National Archives Bureau—I'm not sure. There's no sign on the gate, but there are soldiers standing guard around the clock," replied the bartender, a newcor, who hadn't paid much attention to the high-walled compound across the street, though he rembered his colleagues jokingly saying sothing about a governnt agency.
"National Archives Bureau," assured a patron at a nearby table, having earlier noticed Qin Shimoon, an attractive woman sitting alone but unable to find an opportunity to approach her. Now seizing the chance, he confidently spoke up.
At his response, Qin Shimoon gave him a friendly and thankful smile, which made the man feel pleasantly ticklish inside. So it seed that Xiao Buli had indeed brought her here for the archives, but the fact that he hadn't inford her, venturing into the National Archives Bureau alone, made her wonder if he thought it was as casual as borrowing books from a library. She pondered whether he had succeeded by now.
"Miss, may I offer you a drink?" the man who had spoken up earlier said, setting two glasses of red wine down across from Qin Shimoon. His smile was full of flattery, causing Qin Shimoon to feel a wave of disgust. She was well-trained in many areas, including how to read facial expressions to discern underlying ssages. She could guess what was on the man's mind without asking, and the likely answer did not please her. However, the most critical aspect of being a special agent was to act discreetly, which still applied to the current scenario. Thus, she rely smiled politely and said, "No need, my friend will be back soon."
The man glanced at the glass opposite Qin Shimoon and chuckled. He placed his glass of red wine on the table. "Your friend has been in the bathroom for quite a while now. Didn't faint in there, I hope? Couldn't handle half a beer?" It was clear he had also noticed when Xiao Buli left the table.
Qin Shimoon thought to himself how nice it would be if he passed out in there.
Just as he was about to answer, he suddenly glanced behind the man and revealed a smile that was not quite a smile.
The man was mystified until a voice suddenly ca from behind him, "Haven't you ever heard of a thing called 'constipation'?"
The man jumped in fright, snapping back to his senses, but by that ti, Xiao Buli had already moved behind him. It was just that he was no longer as he used to be, his steps so soft they were almost inaudible, so the man didn't realize soone was standing behind him. Hearing what the man said, Xiao Buli, feeling playful, leaned down and suddenly whispered in his ear.
The man was startled by the sudden voice, nearly tumbling off his stool, "Oh, oh, sorry, sorry," he apologized repeatedly and took his glass back to his own seat, thinking to himself that he had just seen a ghost—how could soone appear and disappear without a sound? But he didn't dare to approach anymore.
Hearing Xiao Buli's words, Qin Shimoon almost couldn't help but laugh out loud. Whether serving as a Lieutenant Colonel in the military or working undercover in high society, she had never heard such crude talk. She hadn't expected Xiao Buli to have a humorous side too.
Suppressing a smile, Qin Shimoon purposely put on a stern face again, "I didn't know you had this problem."
Xiao Buli watched the man leave before returning to his own seat, placing a stack of A4 paper on the table.
"Why did you take it out?" Qin Shimoon exclaid in shock upon seeing it. Taking the files out would surely alert the governnt. As long as Ancestral Dragon was vigilant, it wouldn't take long for him to find out, and then where would the secrecy be in that secret base?
"Relax, it's just a copy," said Xiao Buli casually, taking a sip from his glass on the table and looking sowhat pleased with himself.
He indeed had good reason to be proud. The National Archives Bureau was akin to a deeply guarded royal palace of ancient tis, and yet he could co and go as he pleased—it was an incredibly satisfying feeling of accomplishnt.
Upon hearing this, Qin Shimoon, with slight hesitation, picked up the docunts from the table and indeed, they were copies; many places with red seals were blacked out. As Qin Shimoon flipped through the pages, she complained, "Why did it take so long?"
"Big sister, what do you think this is, going into a library to check out books? I had to search, okay? Anyway, if everything looks right, let's go. We can take our ti to read them in the hotel," Xiao Buli suggested. Naturally, Qin Shimoon had no objections, so they settled the bill, left the bar, flagged down a taxi, and returned to the hotel.
It turned out that Xiao Buli had indeed gone to the archives to steal information. He entered the restroom because it was the only place he was sure had no caras. In today's society, with surveillance caras everywhere, one careless move could leave images in the security footage of soone vanishing into thin air. Xiao Buli was indeed afraid of being captured on video and becoming an object of online spectacle.
With his "Fleeting Light and Shadow" and highly skilled "Qinggong," high walls and guards posed no obstacle. But upon entering the archives room, Xiao Buli was stupefied—the sheer quantity of files was overwhelming. Going through them, it seed he could search until dawn and not finish. Fortunately, the docunts were organized systematically, with an index in front of each shelf. It was only then that Mr. Zhan began his ticulous search. Eventually, he found the file he was looking for. It was thick, and the lighting within the archives was dim, prompting Mr. Zhan to find a room where he could photocopy the docunts and take his ti to study them later. It was also a way to learn what exactly had happened back then.
Clutching the copies of the files, Qin Shimoon's mind was in turmoil. She was finally about to get closer to the truth.
Qin Shimoon was equally curious about what had happened initially. The longer she worked under General Huo, the more mysterious and inscrutable he seed. Long ago, she had started to secretly investigate General Huo's background. However, due to her status, her investigation was completely clandestine and she couldn't be too bold, which ant she hadn't gleaned much. But now she finally had the chance to see the truth.
With hearts full of excitent, the two returned to the hotel.
They secured the room door and laid the docunts on the table. Xiao Buli began to examine them page by page. Qin Shimoon was equally curious, but given the situation, she had no choice but to wait for Xiao Buli to finish each page before she could look at it.
The files totaled no more than a dozen pages, passing back and forth between their hands. In no ti at all, they had finished reading, and the more they read, the more shocked they beca. The contents of the files exceeded all their expectations and differed completely from their initial assumptions. The origins of this ga turned out to be even more complicated than Xiao Buli had initially imagined. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit to vote and support . Mobile users, please go to m.qidian to read.)
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