Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 145 Initial Victory

Last time at the Western restaurant, Ye Xiaoman saw Wu Zhiyuan and Lin Keke together and vaguely sensed that this outstanding man was never short of excellent girls around him.

Now, seeing him so intimately with another strange girl confirms her suspicions and makes her realize that they are from two different worlds, and everything before was just wishful thinking on her part.

Ye Xiaoman shook her head and smiled bitterly; it was nothing more than a one-sided love affair that would never come to fruition.

Wu Zhiyuan was well aware of Ye Xiaoman's thoughts.

During his university years, Ye Xiaoman was his dream girl, but unfortunately, he was very insecure at the time and didn't have the courage to express his feelings to her.

When they met again a few years after graduation, he was pleasantly surprised to find that Ye Xiaoman was still single.

Moreover, Ye Xiaoman had a very good impression of him.

However, Lin Keke entered his world.

That night, when Lin Keke gave her her precious virginity and a large, bright red rose appeared on the sofa cushion, he constantly reminded himself that he had to keep a certain distance from Ye Xiaoman, otherwise it would be unfair to Lin Keke.

After several days of surveillance, Chang Long's daily routine remained very regular.

Wu Zhiyuan judged that either he was completely innocent, or this was a carefully crafted disguise.

The turning point came on a very ordinary night.

The residential building where Chang Long lived was quiet.

Based on past observations, chores like dealing with garbage were always done by Changlong's wife in the evening.

However, it was Chang Long himself who came out tonight.

He was carrying a black garbage bag and walked with a seemingly leisurely pace, but as he went downstairs, his eyes quickly and alertly scanned the shadows and intersections below, as if he was afraid of being followed.

Wu Zhiyuan's spirits lifted.

During these past few days of surveillance, Chang Long has never taken out the trash. Why is he taking out the trash himself tonight?

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation.

Moreover, was it necessary for him to look so wary while taking out the trash?

Downstairs, at the centralized garbage collection point, there are several green garbage bins, and scattered around them are some miscellaneous items discarded by neighbors.

Most people would just toss the trash bag aside when they throw away their garbage, but Chang Long did not. He stuffed the black trash bag into an inconspicuous gap between the two trash cans.

Then, he subconsciously patted the dust off his hands, turned around and went upstairs. The whole process was smooth and natural. If it weren't for a professional watching him, no one would notice anything unusual.

"He's passing something!" Wu Zhiyuan quickly judged, and whispered to Li Xiaoyu, "This is a dead mailbox; they're using a garbage dump as a handover point!"

Dead mail boxes are concealed, unmanned points of contact used in espionage activities to transmit intelligence. They are used to secretly transmit information through specific locations or objects, such as tree holes in parks, supermarket lockers, and toilet tanks.

Soviet agents once used a tree hole in Washington Park as a dead mailbox, but it was exposed when squirrels disturbed it.

British spies once placed fake stones in Moscow, concealing electronic devices inside to transmit signals.

Under the cover of night, Wu Zhiyuan and Li Xiaoyu approached the garbage dump silently.

Wu Zhiyuan put on the thin gloves he always carried with him and carefully took out the black garbage bag.

Then, they moved to a secluded corner nearby.

Upon opening the bag, one finds some kitchen waste, but at the bottom, there is a hard object tightly wrapped in multiple layers of plastic bags and waste newspapers.

Wu Zhiyuan peeled back the layers of packaging, revealing a tiny black waterproof capsule inside.

Li Xiaoyu quickly took out a portable testing device and conducted a preliminary examination of the capsule.

Wu Zhiyuan carefully twisted open the capsule, and inside lay a miniature TF memory card.

Wu Zhiyuan immediately reported that the instructions he received were: return the evidence to its original location and restore the original state; implement close monitoring of the garbage dump; lay a trap and wait for the perpetrators to be caught red-handed.

Wu Zhiyuan and Li Xiaoyu strictly followed the instructions, resealing the memory card back into the capsule and garbage bag, carefully restoring it to its original state, and putting it back in its place.

They then retreated to a more distant observation point, where they, along with other reconnaissance officers providing support, laid a tight net.

Sure enough, an hour later, a man wearing a baseball cap and a mask appeared furtively.

He quickly scanned his surroundings, then walked straight to the gap in the trash can and skillfully took the trash bag.

However, before they could take more than a few steps, they were subdued by Wu Zhiyuan and Li Xiaoyu.

Chang Long was subsequently arrested.

The espionage case has been successfully solved.

At the graduation ceremony, Deputy Director Han Weidong delivered a speech: "Comrades, you have successfully completed your initial training, experienced a double baptism of thought and skills, and especially undergone the initial test of practical combat."

But this is just the beginning, a small test. National security work is a never-ending journey, and the enemy is becoming more cunning, making the struggle more covert and complex.

I hope you will always remember your oath of loyalty, mission, and responsibility, like screws that never rust, firmly fixed in your respective positions, using your wisdom and lives to safeguard the steel Great Wall of national security…

He specifically praised Wu Zhiyuan and Li Xiaoyu for their keen insight, rigorous judgment, calm composure, and groundbreaking contributions during the practical assessment of the Changlong case.

Following this, an awards ceremony was held to recognize outstanding students.

Han Weidong personally presented the award to Wu Zhiyuan and shook hands with him warmly.

The day after the graduation ceremony, Wu Zhiyuan, with a brand-new identity and mission, headed to the next battlefield—the 835 Research Institute.

Institute 835 is located in the suburbs, surrounded by high walls and barbed wire, covering an area of ​​more than 200 acres.

At the main gate, there were security guards, not armed police, standing guard.

After all, this is a dual-use research institute, which is different from a real military stronghold.

After reporting for duty, Wu Zhiyuan went directly to the office of Director Luo Weiren.

According to Chu Jianguo, Luo Weiren was the only person in the entire Institute 835 who knew his true identity.

Luo Weiren is in his fifties and is an expert leader.

Upon seeing Wu Zhiyuan, Luo Weiren stood up and greeted him with a smile: "Comrade Wu Zhiyuan, welcome, welcome, please have a seat."

After Wu Zhiyuan sat down, Luo Weiren closed the office door.

"Comrade Zhiyuan, the organization has already introduced your situation. Welcome to join Institute 835."

The research tasks undertaken by Institute 835 are very important. To outsiders, it may just be an ordinary dual-use military and civilian research unit, but to insiders, it is a top-notch laser weapon research and development base.

The institute has more than 200 full-time employees, more than half of whom have master's degrees or above.

Because our research field is sensitive, it has always been a target of foreign intelligence agencies.

In recent years, at least three suspected leaks have occurred in the institute. Some were unintentional leaks, while others may have been cases of information theft.

Just last month, key performance parameters of one of our core components appeared on a foreign military analysis website. Although the description was vague, experts could tell at a glance that it pointed to our project.

This information was known only to a few people within the institute who were involved in testing the component.

We conducted an internal investigation, but failed to identify the target due to a lack of strong supporting evidence.

This is the most dangerous part, indicating that if the leak is true, then this "spy" was buried very deep and very carefully.