About half an hour later, the sound of a car horn suddenly rang out from outside. Wang Lan hurried to the window and looked down. More than a dozen vehicles were jamming the entrance of the Penguin Corporation. The remaining personnel maintained a security cordon around the area as Wang Qianfeng and Xu Shiyun practically burst into the Penguin Corporation branch.
Under the guidance of the branch president, Wang Qianfeng and Xu Shiyun made their way to the Cloud Data Analysis Departnt.
"Director Wang," Wang Lan quickly stood up and saluted Wang Qianfeng.
"Wang Lan, you said you’ve found the spy group that includes Chang Yu? Who did you discover? Were they connected to Chang Yu? Are you certain?" Wang Qianfeng asked hurriedly.
The usually calm Wang Qianfeng lost his composure at that mont. This intelligence was too important. If confird, the achievent would be significant enough to shock even the Ministry of Defense.
In the struggle against the Demon Clan spies, the Tianjian Bureau had always been at a disadvantage. The disadvantage wasn’t due to a lack of strength, but because the enemy was hidden while they were exposed.
The Demon Clan mbers were not the mindless beings the common people imagined, nor were they as inept as depicted in television and movies. The Demon Clan was a species of higher intelligence, possessing its own civilization.
Although the Demon Clan’s combat thods seed primitive, this didn’t an their technology was equally primitive. On the contrary, the Demon Clan might possess technology on par with, or even surpassing, human civilization.
They learned human concepts quickly, such as the use of electrical power. In the Different Dinsional Space, under different physical laws, they successfully harnessed electricity. Human scientists, however, were still struggling to figure out how to do the sa in that space.
Previously, at Red Maple Forest Park, Wang Lan’s discovery of the Demon Clan’s secret base and conspiracy had involved a certain degree of luck. Although it provided an auspicious start and earned him relatively significant rit, it was not sothing that could be replicated.
But this ti, if they could confirm the identity of another Demon Clan spy when the trail had gone cold, it would be a hard-fought victory.
"Director Wang, I can’t guarantee it with absolute certainty. But it’s not just one. Besides Chang Yu, there are thirteen others—possibly a complete spy ring."
"What?" Wang Qianfeng’s eyes widened in disbelief, while Xu Shiyun, standing beside him, was already flushed with excitent.
If it were anyone else saying this, Xu Shiyun wouldn’t believe it. But coming from Wang Lan, he did. After all, Wang Lan was a walking enigma! Which newly awakened Star Martial Warrior was as lucky as Wang Lan, repeatedly encountering the Demon Clan causing trouble? This was no longer just luck; it was practically destiny.
"Quick, how did you find out?"
"Today, I was chatting with a friend online. I didn’t say much, but my friend was quite talkative. Suddenly, it dawned on : Chang Shuangyue could receive instructions by passively consuming data, without needing to actively generate it. I’ve heard Brother Xu ntion the scope of our surveillance before, but it seems we haven’t monitored which websites Chang Yu browsed, or what she read or watched. Our focus has been primarily on her social circle and contacts.
"So, I ca to Penguin Corporation and asked Head Lou to help analyze Chang Yu’s data usage over the last six months. That’s when I found a very strange contact in her account."
As he spoke, Wang Lan pulled up Qin Jiaqing’s chat window. "This person added Chang Yu as a friend on April 1st. Over the past six months, he sent her more than a dozen advertisent ssages, each over a thousand words long.
"Any normal person would have blacklisted such an annoying contact long ago. But Chang Yu didn’t. She didn’t respond, nor did she block him; she just pretended not to see the ssages.
"That aroused my suspicion. So, I covertly logged into that person’s Penguin account from here and discovered that over the past six months, he had sent the sa advertisent ssages to thirteen individuals. And strangely, none of those thirteen people had blocked him either.
"Afterwards, I asked Head Lou to investigate the data usage of those thirteen individuals. I found that, just like Chang Yu, they were almost exclusively interested in military and political affairs. Moreover, although they had been very active online before, at so point they all suddenly stopped engaging in online entertainnt, as if they had transcended worldly concerns."
"What’s there to be uncertain about... Haven’t you basically got irrefutable proof?" Xu Shiyun let out a long breath after hearing everything.
"Director Wang, with all this evidence, how could we be wrong?"
Wang Qianfeng frowned deeply. "These findings alone can’t be considered conclusive evidence. And even if we could confirm their identities, what are their objectives? Do they have any plans? Is there another spy ring operating in parallel with them? All of these questions need further confirmation."
"Director Wang, are you going to do this again? What’s in hand is what’s real. Don’t cast a long line hoping to catch a big fish. If the big fish isn’t caught and you lose the bait too, it’ll be a huge loss."
"Maximizing our gains has always been our pursuit. Unless absolutely necessary, we must operate based on the principle of maximizing benefits. You can make arrests now, but the most likely outco is that these thirteen Demon Clan spies will commit suicide. We’ll end up with nothing but a pile of corpses."
"But wouldn’t we have destroyed a Demon Clan spy ring?"
"Is our aim rely to destroy one Demon Clan spy ring? Once we’ve taken down this ring, can we rest easy? We must not only uproot the spies but also trace the leads, obtain their intelligence, and completely eradicate the Demon Clan spies in Suzhou City. There’s a lot we need to do. Print these materials and take them back."
Then, addressing Head Lou and the cooperating staff of the Penguin Corporation, he said, "Today’s events are a matter of national security. It is imperative that you keep what happened tonight strictly to yourselves. Revealing even a single word will result in severe punishnt by the state.
"I trust everyone will cooperate."
"Yes, yes, yes! We promise not to say a word, not even in our dreams."
"Right, there was a BUG in the system today, and we all worked overti to fix it. Nothing else happened."
"Good. Ayun, let’s go."
"Um, Director Wang... could I get involved? Look, I discovered the lead. Logically and emotionally, I should be involved, right?" Wang Lan asked with a broad smile, tugging at Wang Qianfeng’s arm.
"You?"
"Yes, ! !" Wang Lan nodded eagerly, like a chicken pecking at grain.
"Aren’t you supposed to go to school tomorrow?"
"I went through so much trouble to find such an important clue, and you’re just going to kick aside? That’s not very kind, is it? How many tis has this happened now?"
"If we successfully crack this case, the primary credit will be yours; no one can take that away. I must say, for soone so young, you’re quite the opportunist, aren’t you? Just how badly do you want to earn rits?"
"Brother Xu, listen to Director Wang. Is he being reasonable? I’m striving for the safety of humanity, the security of Suzhou City, and world peace! And Director Wang... he actually thinks of like that? It’s truly disheartening."
"Scram. Go ho and get so sleep."
"Oh!" Realizing there was no chance of getting involved in the case, Wang Lan could only resign himself to his fate, albeit grudgingly.
"By the way, Ayun, arrange for Wang Lan’s clearance to be upgraded. From today, Wang Lan will have B-level access within the Intelligence Departnt. He can view all the latest progress and materials on the case."
"Understood!"
Wang Lan had just reached the elevator when he suddenly stopped, a delighted smile spreading across his face.
It wasn’t because Wang Qianfeng had agreed to grant him the clearance, but because a "Task in Progress" notification had appeared in his system. This notification hadn’t been there before he ca to Penguin Corporation.
A task! Does this an I’ve successfully gotten involved? So, even if I do nothing, as long as this spy ring is arrested, I’ll have completed the task? Without even lifting a finger?
"It’s just a clearance upgrade. What’s there to be so happy about?" Xu Shiyun said, sowhat bewildered.
"You wouldn’t understand my joy. You work hard; I’m going back to sleep. Don’t bother if it’s not important... Hmm, even if it is important, you don’t have to bother ."
"Why such a sudden change in attitude?"
"In front of the bosses, of course, I have to appear proactive. But actually, my dream is to do less and earn more, to lie back and count money. I’ve already secured the main credit, so you guys can do the hard work."
"Kid, you’re really sothing!" Xu Shiyun was speechless and gave a sincere thumbs-up.
「」
By the ti Wang Lan got ho, it was past midnight. He turned on his computer and saw several ssages from Jiang Xinyu. He considered replying but then thought better of it. Jiang Xinyu must be asleep by now, right? Such a good guy; that’s how thoughtful and considerate I am.
Lying in bed, he should have been sleepy, but his mind was too excited, and he couldn’t fall asleep. Tossing and turning, Wang Lan pulled out his phone. Just as he lit up the screen, a notification popped up.
"Wang Lan, ID: Suzhou E******, B-level clearance successfully activated."
Previously, Wang Lan hadn’t known what level of clearance he possessed, but aside from browsing announcents and checking so internal updates, he couldn’t seem to do much else. He wondered what was different about B-level clearance.
He logged into the Tianjian Bureau hopage. A new row of buttons, labeled from E-level to B-level, suddenly appeared in the nu bar.
So, my previous clearance wasn’t even E-level? Without an official position, they treated like such an outsider? How realistic of them!
Clicking on the B-level clearance button, his phone screen went through a series of redirects before finally opening a new page. There were buttons for various departnts, but all of them were grayed out except for the one for the Intelligence Departnt.
Perhaps because I’m part of the Intelligence Departnt, I can only access its permissions. When will they give full network access?
Entering the Intelligence Departnt section, the topmost item was "Latest Compiled Information on the Chang Yu Case."
He clicked the link, which opened a file containing evidence collected by the Intelligence Departnt from Chang Yu’s ho, including photographs taken at the scene.
Chang Yu’s family lived in the countryside. Although their area was zoned as part of the city, it hadn’t undergone urban redevelopnt. Theirs was a common two-story Western-style house, typical of rural areas. Despite its remote location, transportation was convenient. An overpass was right outside, and it was at most a half-hour drive to the city center.
Only Chang Yu and her older brother lived in the house; their parents had died in an accident ten years ago. The bookshelves in Chang Yu’s room were filled with dical books. Although she hadn’t managed to get into a dical university and had only attended a vocational health school, she still harbored the dream of becoming a real doctor.
On Chang Yu’s desk lay the Antu Prose Collection, a computer, a desk lamp, and so cute decorations. Judging by the room’s decorations, the forr Chang Yu had possessed a naive and romantic girlish heart. It was a pity that such a young woman, in the bloom of her youth, had been killed by the Demon Clan.
The room was clean and tidy. Even after being searched by the Tianjian Bureau, it remained remarkably pristine.
After looking for a long ti, his eyelids grew heavy, and before he knew it, he fell asleep.
Wang Lan, who hadn’t dreamt in a long ti, had a dream. He dreamt he accidentally stepped into a Ti and Space Tunnel. In the blink of an eye, he returned to his past life—to a world almost identical to this one, but without the threat of the Demon Clan.
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