"I tracked the signal, but there's been no activity for a long time. I suspect it was abandoned there," Huo Rou said, having already done a quick check.
Minister Zeng was surprised, but regardless of how unbelievable it seemed, they still had to investigate. "Let's go. Xiao Rou, you..."
He hadn't forgotten Huo Rou's trending search for "fighting" in Yizhou; such a task would be suitable for her.
"Let's go," Huo Rou said calmly and stood up.
They arrived at the entrance of the old Qin family mansion again. The loquat tree that towered over the courtyard wall had begun to sprout tender buds. Looking at the branches, she was suddenly reminded of the loquat tree outside her childhood home, with a swing underneath it, and herself laughing heartily on the swing.
Minister Zeng didn't approach, merely surveying the surroundings. "It should be around here, right? Shall we search?"
Before they could split up, a car stopped at the entrance of the Qin family mansion. Sun Zhiyuan got out of the car in a hurry, his expression grim. He lowered his head to adjust his clothes, frowning as he instructed the driver.
Sensing he was being observed, he relaxed his brow and looked up. His eyes narrowed as he recognized the person before him. "Minister Zeng?"
Before officially taking office, he had to report to the intelligence department, so he naturally remembered Minister Zeng.
He walked over with a smile, appearing benevolent and gentle, completely devoid of the impatience and harshness he had shown when exiting the car.
As he approached, Sun Zhiyuan surveyed the people around Minister Zeng. His gaze paused when it swept over Huo Rou. His expression shifted slightly, appearing somewhat fierce, completely different from when he last saw Huo Rou at the hospital.
Huo Rou narrowed her eyes. Sun Zhiyuan's demeanor didn't suggest he recognized a comrade's daughter or a new colleague. Instead, he looked at her as if he held a grudge.
This was interesting.
"Mm," Minister Zeng nodded in acknowledgment.
Feeling neglected by Minister Zeng, Sun Zhiyuan's eyes darkened. The old man was always aloof; he was accustomed to that, but...
"Minister Zeng, what brings you here? Is there some official business?" Sun Zhiyuan asked respectfully, with a hint of inquiry.
Minister Zeng spoke enigmatically, "Looking for something."
Sun Zhiyuan was about to press further when Minister Zeng suddenly fixed his gaze on him. "Political Commissar Sun, your residence seems to be quite far from here..."
Sun Zhiyuan chuckled twice. "I just came to see Old Mr. Qin."
"You..."
"Go on ahead."
Minister Zeng interrupted Sun Zhiyuan's pleasantries, his expression impassive.
"Yes." Sun Zhiyuan kept looking back at their activities as he left, and he indeed saw Minister Zeng's dramatic change of expression.
The Minister Zeng, who had just been indifferent and reluctant to speak, turned to Huo Rou, his face creasing into a smile, looking incredibly affectionate, even a little cautious. "Xiao Rou, the higher-ups are already preparing a commendation. Are you planning to stay in the lab for research?"
Huo Rou didn't answer, lowering her head to look at the GPS on her phone again.
Minister Zeng's smile widened. "Staying in the lab all day is actually not as good as working here. Look..."
Sun Zhiyuan didn't hear the rest of his words. Huo Rou interrupted Minister Zeng. "It seems to be in the river."
Hearing this, Sun Zhiyuan stopped in his tracks and quietly observed their situation.
Unbeknownst to them, Huo Rou had already moved with her phone to the moat beside the old mansion. Hidden by trees, bushes, and overgrown grass, they had almost overlooked the moat.
"Come here!" Minister Zeng, unfazed by being interrupted, heeded Huo Rou's guess and called out to his men. "Fish it out!"
At his command, the intelligence personnel either went back to the car for tools or scouted ahead. Sun Zhiyuan, standing not far away, felt his legs go weak.
"Political Commissar Sun, are you alright??" the driver asked as he got out of the car. Huo Rou glanced back at him. Sun Zhiyuan smiled at her. When Huo Rou's attention returned to the river, he nervously stepped into the Qin family mansion.
Sun Zhiyuan's face darkened as if stained with ink. He glared at the driver, wishing he could devour him. "Why were you so loud? Did you want me to die?"
The driver shook his head like a rattle drum. He didn't quite understand how it had escalated to life and death. Minister Zeng and the others were merely retrieving something from the moat. It was normal for the intelligence department to do such things; they even dared to fish things out of septic tanks. Retrieving something from a moat was nothing, so why did Political Commissar Sun's face turn so grim?
However, it seemed Political Commissar Sun had lost something when he went out a while ago...
Sun Zhiyuan glanced back at the intelligence personnel busy outside the gate, took out his phone, and after a moment of thought, sent a message.
Entering the Qin family mansion, Sun Zhiyuan's smile returned. "Old Qin, I heard Ning Yi is back?"
Granny Liu chuckled and discreetly observed Sun Zhiyuan. She exchanged a look with Old Mr. Qin.
"Xiao Sun, come sit!" Old Mr. Qin beckoned. "Your news is quite timely, but I sent that boy to do something for me, so he's not home."
"A tiger father has no weak son. Ning Yi is also extremely outstanding! Just returned from Yizhou, and now he's..."
Old Mr. Qin sighed, looking helpless. "Alas, with Country M pressuring us so much, this old bone of mine is useless, so I can only let him work harder."
The online discourse was growing, with many versions of the Walkerbite incident emerging. Under the guidance of some influential parties, netizens generally supported the return of Walkerbite. A little-known expert declaring war on Country M was clearly unreasonable.
Sun Zhiyuan echoed his sentiment when he heard him discuss current affairs. "Yes, I've been so busy with this matter that I haven't had a moment to spare. I heard Ning Yi was back, so I wanted to quickly ask about the Walkerbite issue for the military's deployment."
"Old Qin, about this Walkerbite matter..." Sun Zhiyuan tentatively inquired.
Old Mr. Qin glanced at Granny Liu. After Granny Liu left the room, he spoke, "It's classified. I can't find out anything, but it's right for you to be prepared. Walkerbite seems to have said a lot..."
Sun Zhiyuan left in a bit of a hurry, his steps somewhat unsteady. Seeing that Minister Zeng and Huo Rou were no longer outside the gate, he felt a slight sense of relief.
After he left, Old Mr. Qin looked at Granny Liu by the door. "Have Minister Zeng and the others left?"
"No, I had the housekeeper take them to rest."
Old Mr. Qin had known about Minister Zeng and his group's arrival when they appeared outside the gate, but thinking that Sun Zhiyuan would be arriving soon, he didn't go out to meet them.
"They invited people in one moment, and someone was secretly fishing by the river the next. It seems we truly misjudged someone," Granny Liu sighed. Although she didn't want to admit it, the facts were already clear.
Old Mr. Qin's expression was also displeased.
"By the way, Old Qin, are you going to see them?" Granny Liu asked, remembering something and blinking her eyes.
Old Mr. Qin shook his head. He took a phone out of his drawer and handed it to the housekeeper. "Give this to Minister Zeng."
He wouldn't go to see them. At this time, pleasantries were too time-consuming. With that time, it was more important to find evidence and identify that person sooner. If they delayed any longer, China would truly be at a disadvantage in international public opinion.
"I'm going to check on An'an. They've slept for so long, they should be waking up." An'an was such a well-behaved child; he wanted to look at them a bit longer.
"Alright," Granny Liu sighed. She had wanted to tell him about meeting Xiao Rou, but since he wasn't interested, she couldn't blame him for not mentioning it.