Chapter 96: Quarreling with the National Security

What to do, what to do? It was her first solo mission, and she had already messed up. How would her colleagues view her? Lin Shiqi was so anxious that she stomped her feet. It was all the fault of that stinking hooligan. Because of him, she had wasted time, and she would not have lost track of the target otherwise.

Lin Shiqi was an operative of the National Security Bureau. She had only been working for a short time and had always been following a few senior team members. However, today's mission was not complicated, and it was even simple. She needed to confirm if there was anything wrong with a person who had entered the country from Canada as a compatriot from Taiwan. It was just a routine check. For the National Security Bureau, anyone with foreign nationality, even Chinese foreigners, had to be screened, and a compatriot from Taiwan was even more noticeable.

What was supposed to be a routine surveillance mission had unexpectedly resulted in losing the target. This was truly embarrassing. Lin Shiqi looked around, trying to find the target in the crowd, but she still couldn't find him. However, Lin Shiqi noticed someone who made her furious. It was because of him that she had failed on her first solo mission. Although it might not be a big deal, the person was returning to find his relatives and could be ruled out as a suspect. But she was just unwilling to let it go. Now that the culprit had appeared, she had found her target for venting her anger.

"Hey, why are you following me?" Lin Shiqi pushed her way in front of Zhu Daodong and said coldly.

"First, I'm not called 'Hey.' Second, I'm not following you. The road is wide, and we can each go our own way." Zhu Daodong snorted. He had been following her slowly because she had been looking around, but he didn't expect to be discovered.

"You...!"

"You... What? I don't owe you any money." Zhu Daodong, seeing her at a loss, couldn't help but mock her.

"You come with me!" Lin Shiqi was furious. She wasn't someone to be trifled with. She was about to take out her work ID and handcuffs to take Zhu Daodong back for a thorough interrogation to vent her anger.

"Shiqi, what are you doing?" A stern voice suddenly came from the side, stopping Lin Shiqi, who had already reached into her pocket.

"Brother... Zhou." Lin Shiqi, seeing her team leader Zhou Jian suddenly appear, was even more annoyed. She glared at Zhu Daodong, her meaning clear: be careful.

"What happened?" Zhou Jian was Lin Shiqi's team leader and partner. After Lin Shiqi joined the team, he had always been her mentor. Today's surveillance mission was simple, and he had planned to observe her performance from a distance. He didn't expect her to not only lose the target but also get into a conflict with a stranger.

"Sorry..."

"Forget it, forget it, I'm not petty." Zhu Daodong misunderstood, thinking Lin Shiqi was apologizing to him, and laughed.

"Who are you talking to? Brother Zhou, I think this person is very suspicious." Lin Shiqi glared at Zhu Daodong, gritting her teeth.

"This isn't the place to talk. Comrade, can we have a word in private?" Zhou Jian looked at Zhu Daodong with some suspicion. He was a handsome young man with a faint smile and clear eyes. Was he really suspicious?

"Of course, but I want to know who you are first." Zhu Daodong said calmly. This "Brother Zhou" had sharp eyes. Looking into his eyes felt like he could see into his soul. He was grateful, thinking he had encountered a colleague of Hou Yong.

"You're quite cautious. I can show you my work ID, but not now." Zhou Jian smiled lightly and took a few steps closer, blocking all of Zhu Daodong's escape routes.

Zhu Daodong, with nothing to hide, followed them away from Nanjing West Road to a more secluded place. Zhou Jian then took out his work ID and handed it to Zhu Daodong.

"National Security Bureau, Eighth Bureau?" Zhu Daodong was startled. He had thought they were police, but he didn't expect such a mysterious organization.

During the Yan'an period, China's intelligence agency was called the "Central Committee Social Department." At that time, the Social Department was responsible for providing intelligence and information to the central leadership and regularly wrote research and analysis articles based on the international situation. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the "Central Committee Social Department" was renamed the "Central Committee Investigation Department" (shortened to CCI). The CCI was responsible for dispatching agents to foreign embassies and consulates to gather intelligence.

The Eighth Bureau of the CCI was responsible for intelligence analysis and research and was known externally as the "China Institute of Contemporary International Relations." It is the predecessor of the current Eighth Bureau of the Ministry of State Security (MSS). Later, due to the CCI's involvement in factional struggles during a "special period," which disrupted the organization and seriously affected its work, the CCI was temporarily dissolved and taken over by the General Staff Department's Second Bureau. In the middle of the "special period," the CCI gradually restored its original structure. In the late 1970s, the chief designer resumed his position and began reforming the CCP's intelligence agencies. Agents sent overseas were no longer dispatched by the CCI but were sent to work abroad under the cover of journalists, businessmen, scholars, etc.

In the early 1980s, the Ministry of Public Security requested the reorganization of the CCI, planning to merge the entire CCI and the Ministry of Public Security's counter-espionage department into the "Ministry of State Security." The Central Political Bureau approved this idea, and the "Ministry of State Security" was officially established.

The Ministry of State Security is a functional department of the State Council responsible for maintaining national sovereignty and interests. It has the authority to conduct investigations, detentions, pre-trials, and arrests as stipulated by the Constitution and laws. It has 16 bureaus under its office. The current Eighth Bureau of the Ministry of State Security, internally known as the Counter-Espionage Investigation Bureau, is mainly responsible for surveillance, investigation, and arrest of foreign spies. Lin Shiqi and Zhou Jian belong to the Comprehensive First Division of the Eighth Bureau, responsible for surveillance.

"Alright, you've seen my work ID. Now can you show yours?" Zhou Jian took back his work ID and said.

"Here's my work ID. I think we have no connection." Zhu Daodong handed his work ID to Zhou Jian.

"Zhu Daodong, Deputy Township Chief? You're quite young. Lin Shiqi, why did you say he was suspicious?" Zhou Jian handed Zhu Daodong's work ID to Lin Shiqi. He hadn't seen the whole incident, only the end, so it was better for Lin Shiqi to ask.

"At the time, I was following Li Bing, who entered the country from Canada as a compatriot from Taiwan. On the street, he deliberately stepped on my foot, causing me to lose the target." Lin Shiqi looked at Zhu Daodong's work ID and knew that this incident had nothing to do with him, but she still blamed him.

"Officer Zhou, I wonder if your National Security has a tradition of blaming others when you fail to complete a task?" Zhu Daodong took back his work ID and mocked Zhou Jian.

"You..." Lin Shiqi was skilled in martial arts and had excellent marksmanship. She was usually sharp-tongued, but today, she had been repeatedly defeated by this Deputy Township Chief, Zhu Daodong. To win, she would have to use her hands or feet.

"Sorry, Comrade Zhu Daodong, our methods were indeed inappropriate. I apologize to you." Zhou Jian said helplessly, giving Lin Shiqi a stern look.

"Comrade Zhou Jian, your methods are fine. There's no need to apologize to me." Zhu Daodong smiled faintly.

"Lin Shiqi, you should apologize to Comrade Zhu Daodong!" Zhou Jian said sternly.

"Hmph, sorry." Lin Shiqi said softly.

Although Lin Shiqi's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, Zhu Daodong heard it clearly. Seeing the anger in her eyes, he didn't want to offend the National Security too deeply. Now that they were being reasonable and apologizing, it was best to be content. Overdoing it would be unwise.

"Alright, the misunderstanding is cleared. Township Chief Zhu, you can go. We still have work to do. Goodbye." Zhou Jian hadn't expected the usually proud Lin Shiqi to be silenced by a grassroots Deputy Township Chief. This was good; it would help temper her.

"Thank you, goodbye." Zhu Daodong smiled at Lin Shiqi.

"Hmph." Lin Shiqi snorted, looking at Zhu Daodong's smug expression. She wished she could stomp on him again, this time with full force.

"Oh, by the way, you said you were following someone who returned from Canada as a compatriot from Taiwan, Li Bing, right? I seem to have some information that might be useful to you." As Zhu Daodong was about to leave, he suddenly remembered the conversation between the "big brother" and his sister. He had also returned from Canada and was a compatriot from Taiwan. They had just left not long ago.