Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 180 Double Agent

At 7 p.m. the next day, Wu Zhiyuan and Song Yawen arrived at the port on time.

The South City Port was brightly lit at night, with cargo ships sounding their horns one after another, and cranes still working busily.

"This batch of red wine is for an important client. If we cannot deliver it on time, it will affect the company's reputation."

Song Ya-wen said worriedly, "Chen Wen-qiang is clearly making things difficult for me on purpose, but I don't know why he would do that."

"Perhaps he was trying to solicit bribes," Wu Zhiyuan said.

"If that's the case, it'll be simpler." Song Ya-wen shook her head. "I had my assistant sound him out, and he made it clear that it wasn't about money. He said it was the higher-ups' order."

"The higher-ups? The higher-ups at the port authority?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm going to see him in person today and get to the bottom of it."

The car stopped in front of the port authority's office building.

This is a six-story building, with only a few windows lit up at night.

The two entered the building and went to the deputy director's office on the third floor.

The door was open, and Chen Wenqiang was sitting behind his desk looking at documents.

He was in his forties, slightly overweight, and wore gold-rimmed glasses, making him look like an office worker.

"Miss Song, it's so late, yet you've come all this way in person." Chen Wenqiang stood up, smiling warmly. "Please have a seat."

"Director Chen, you should know why I'm here," Song Ya-wen said, getting straight to the point. "Our company's goods have all the necessary paperwork, so why are they being detained?"

Chen Wenqiang smiled and said, "Miss Song, it's not that I want to detain you, it's just the rule."

The port has recently strengthened security measures, and all imported goods are now subject to stricter inspections.

"But how long will the inspection take? My customer needs the goods urgently."

"It may take three to five days."

"Three to five days? That's simply not enough time!" Song Ya-wen exclaimed anxiously. "Director Chen, could you make an exception? I can pay for the extra expedited examination fee."

Chen Wenqiang smiled and said, "Miss Song, this is not about money."

Okay, come back tomorrow morning, and I'll show you the cargo inspection process. Then you'll understand.

This is clearly a delaying tactic.

Wu Zhiyuan stood behind Song Yawen, carefully observing Chen Wenqiang.

The man's eyes darted around, revealing his inner unease.

What is he hiding?

"Director Chen, I heard that you know Sister Ya-wen's father, General Manager Song?" Wu Zhiyuan suddenly asked.

Chen Wenqiang looked at Wu Zhiyuan, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes: "Who are you?"

"I am Miss Song's driver. Yesterday at the Song family villa, I think I saw you with Mr. Song."

Chen Wenqiang's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure: "Oh, yes, I have some business dealings with President Song. President Song also frequently inquires about port matters."

"Could Director Chen please make an exception for my father's sake?" Song Ya-wen seized the opportunity.

Chen Wenqiang hesitated.

He looked at Song Yawen, then at Wu Zhiyuan, and finally sighed: "Alright, since Miss Song has come in person, I'll make an exception this time."

"Come with me, I'll take you to the warehouse for an on-site inspection. If everything is fine, you can leave tonight."

"Really? Thank you so much!" Song Ya-wen was overjoyed.

Chen Wenqiang picked up his coat and flashlight: "Let's go, the warehouse is in Zone C, it's a bit far."

The three left the office building and walked to the warehouse in Zone C.

At night, the port yard is dimly lit, and the containers are stacked together like giant building blocks, forming an intricate maze.

Wu Zhiyuan cautiously observed his surroundings.

It's past 8 p.m. now, most of the workers have already gone home, and there are very few people in the yard.

Wu Zhiyuan was startled. He had a date at Warehouse No. 7 at the dock at 10 p.m. tonight.

They are now heading to Area C, not far from Warehouse 7.

Was it a coincidence, or was it intentionally arranged?

"Director Chen, what activities usually take place at the port in the evenings?" Wu Zhiyuan asked tentatively.

"Event? There's nothing special, just routine loading and unloading operations."

However, due to the recent influx and outflow of some special goods, security has been strengthened.

"Special goods? Like what?"

Chen Wenqiang glanced at Wu Zhiyuan and smiled: "Mr. Wu, are you very interested in port business?"

"Just out of curiosity. I used to work at a port in China."

"Oh? Then we're in the same industry. But Country A is different from China; things are more complicated here."

As they were talking, they arrived at a warehouse in Zone C.

Chen Wenqiang opened the warehouse door, which was filled with all kinds of goods.

He led the two men to a pile of wooden crates: "This is your red wine, a total of one hundred crates."

"Can we get checked now?" Song Ya-wen asked.

"Okay, I've arranged it." Chen Wenqiang clapped his hands, and two workers emerged from the shadows. "Open the boxes and inspect them."

The workers began unpacking, and Song Yawen carefully checked the labels and packaging of each bottle of wine.

Taking this opportunity, Wu Zhiyuan quietly observed the other goods in the warehouse.

Deep inside the warehouse, he saw several unusual wooden crates labeled "Precision Instruments," but their size and shape made them more like weapon crates.

"Mr. Wu, are you interested in those goods?" Chen Wenqiang suddenly appeared behind him.

Wu Zhiyuan turned around and said calmly, "Just looking. Are these precision instruments for export?"

"It's imported, used for port equipment maintenance. The inspection over there is almost finished, let's go over there."

Wu Zhiyuan followed Chen Wenqiang back to the pile of red wine.

Song Ya-wen had finished her inspection and said with satisfaction, "No problem, the labels and packaging meet the standards."

"That's good." Chen Wenqiang said to the workers, "Seal the boxes and prepare for release."

"Thank you, Director Chen." Song Ya-wen breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're welcome. I'm just following the rules." Chen Wenqiang glanced at his watch. "It's 8:30 now. The formalities will be completed around 9:00. Your truck can come and pick up the goods at 9:30."

"Okay, I'll arrange it right away."

After leaving the warehouse, the three walked back.

Just as I stepped out of Zone C, I suddenly heard a muffled sound in the distance, like an explosion.

Immediately afterwards, the alarm blared.

"What happened?" Song Ya-wen asked in a panic.

Chen Wenqiang's expression changed drastically: "This is bad, it looks like it's heading towards Warehouse No. 7!"

Warehouse No. 7!

This is the place we agreed to meet tonight!

Wu Zhiyuan was startled.

Did Zhou Rui and his team act ahead of schedule? Or did something unexpected happen?

"Director Chen, shall we go over and take a look?" Wu Zhiyuan suggested.

"No, that's too dangerous!" Chen Wenqiang objected. "Ms. Song, I'll take you back to the office building; it's safe there."

But Song Ya-wen said, "No, I want to go and see too. If someone is injured, they might need help."

"Sister Ya-wen, you stay here, I'll go check on her," Wu Zhiyuan said. "Director Chen, please take care of Miss Song."

Before Chen Wenqiang could answer, Wu Zhiyuan had already run towards Warehouse No. 7.

Along the way, he saw port security guards also running in that direction, but there weren't many of them.

Warehouse No. 7 is located in the most remote corner of the port, surrounded by piles of abandoned containers.

When Wu Zhiyuan arrived, the warehouse door was wide open, and the inside was a mess.

Several people were lying on the ground, some groaning, others motionless.

Wu Zhiyuan quickly scanned the scene.

There were spent shell casings on the ground and bullet holes in the walls, indicating that a gunfight had taken place.

He checked the people lying on the ground; they were all unfamiliar faces, not An Jing or Zhou Rui's people.

One of them was still breathing. Wu Zhiyuan helped him up: "What happened? Who fired the shot?"

The man struggled to open his eyes, saw Wu Zhiyuan, and suddenly his face contorted with terror: "You...you are...!"

Before he could finish speaking, his head lolled to the side, and he died.

Wu Zhiyuan put down the body, his mind filled with doubts.

Does this person know him? Or has he mistaken him for someone else?

He continued searching the warehouse and found a black backpack in a corner.

Upon opening it, one finds explosives, detonators, and a timer.

The timer shows the time as 10:00 AM tomorrow.

Operation Tsunami!

Are these explosives intended for tomorrow's launch ceremony?

He immediately contacted Liu Mingxuan using an encrypted communicator: "Mr. Liu, explosives have been found in warehouse number 7, scheduled for 10:00 AM tomorrow."

There were bodies at the scene, and a gunfight had taken place, but we didn't see any of our people.

"Advance. Zhou Rui and the others haven't arrived yet." Liu Mingxuan's voice was serious. "Our men are still setting up around the perimeter. What you're seeing might be infighting within the enemy ranks."

"Internal strife?"

"Possibly. According to our latest intelligence, there's more than one faction involved in Project Tide, and there may be conflicts between them," Liu Mingxuan said. "Leave the scene immediately and don't get involved."

"But the explosives..."

"I'll send someone to handle this. Your current task is to protect Song Ya-wen and ensure your own safety."

"clear."

Wu Zhiyuan was about to leave when he suddenly heard footsteps outside.

He quickly hid behind a pile of wooden crates.

Several men rushed into the warehouse, led by a foreigner—it was Smith, whom he had met at the Emerald Palace!

Smith's face turned ashen when he saw the state of the warehouse: "Damn it! Someone beat us to it!"

He examined the body on the ground, then noticed the black backpack and immediately ordered his men, "Take the explosives away! Quickly!"

The men quickly cleaned up the scene, loading the explosives and the body onto a truck.

Smith remained in the warehouse, speaking on the walkie-talkie: "Boss, something's happened in warehouse number 7. The explosives are still there, but the guards are all dead..."

No, it wasn't the police. It looks like a double-cross... I understand, I'll handle it right away.

After ending the call, Smith looked around the warehouse and suddenly walked towards the direction where Wu Zhiyuan was hiding.

Wu Zhiyuan held his breath and quietly reached for the gun at his waist.

Just then, Song Ya-wen's voice came from outside: "Qianjin! Where are you?"

Smith immediately became alert and turned to look outside the warehouse.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Wu Zhiyuan slipped out from behind the wooden crate and quickly left through the back door of the warehouse.

He circled around and returned to the spot where Song Yawen and Chen Wenqiang were.

"Qianjin! Are you alright?" Song Yawen rushed over when she saw Wu Zhiyuan. "What happened just now? I heard gunshots."

"It's nothing, probably just a gang fight," Wu Zhiyuan said casually. "Let's get out of here quickly, port security will be here soon."

Chen Wenqiang quickly said, "Yes, yes, let's go quickly. Miss Song, come pick up your goods tomorrow, the port will be under lockdown tonight."

The three hurriedly left Area C.

On the way, Wu Zhiyuan saw in his rearview mirror that several black cars drove into the No. 7 warehouse area, and there was a familiar figure in one of the cars.

It's Suha!

Is he here too?

Things are getting more and more complicated.

After sending Song Ya-wen back to the villa, Wu Zhi-yuan immediately contacted Liu Ming-xuan to report that he had seen Smith and Suha.

"The fact that Suha himself came to the scene shows that the matter of Warehouse No. 7 is very important," Liu Mingxuan analyzed. "Go forward, the explosives you see are very likely part of the tsunami operation."

But why in Warehouse 7? And why did the infighting occur?

"Could it be that Li Ruoxue's intelligence is wrong?" Wu Zhiyuan said. "Or, has the enemy changed their plans?"

"Anything is possible," Liu Mingxuan said. "But in any case, security for tomorrow's launch ceremony must be strengthened. I will notify the security department of Country A to raise the alert level."

"Mr. Liu, there's one more thing. I saw Chen Wenqiang and Song Yaozu in contact at the warehouse, and tonight he deliberately delayed Song Yawen's time and took us to the warehouse in Zone C."

I suspect he's trying to lure me near Warehouse No. 7.

"You mean, Chen Wenqiang knew about tonight's trap?"

"Very likely. And I saw weapons in the warehouse in Sector C, which are probably being prepared for tomorrow's operation."

Liu Mingxuan was silent for a moment: "Qianjin, you are in a dangerous situation. The enemy has already set their sights on you."

"Don't attend the launch ceremony tomorrow. Stay at the Song family home and protect Song Ya-wen."

"But……"

"This is an order," Liu Mingxuan said seriously. "Your identity may have been exposed, and it's too dangerous for you to appear at the launch ceremony."

Furthermore, Song Ya-wen also needs protection. If Song Yao-zu is involved in the conspiracy, she could become a target.

Wu Zhiyuan knew Liu Mingxuan was right, but he was still unwilling to accept it.

"Okay, I'll obey orders."

"Furthermore, regarding Li Ruoxue..." Liu Mingxuan paused, "we have made a new discovery. She may not be an ordinary spy, but a double agent."

"A double agent? Working for whom?"

"It's not certain yet, but it's very likely related to the country of the Goose."

Before marrying Song Yaozu, she lived in Da'e for three years; her resume during that period is blank.

Wu Zhiyuan gasped.

If Li Ruoxue is a spy for the US, then her purpose in revealing information to Song Yawen was not to sabotage the conspiracy, but to make the National Security Bureau and the American agents fight to the death, so that the US could reap the benefits.

What a perfect example of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!

"Go forward, be careful of Li Ruoxue. She might be more dangerous than Song Yaozu."

"I see."

After ending the call, Wu Zhiyuan lay in bed, feeling unprecedented pressure.

Operation Tide, Operation Tsunami, CIA, Goose Spy, Traitor, Trap...

All the clues intertwine into a huge net, and he is right in the center of it.