Chapter 183: Chapter 0183 Conspiracy_1
 

“`

Ye Xiong didn’t know how to properly describe this person, as Minister Jiang, overall, was capable, with decent wisdom and strength, but his scheming nature ran deep, and he hardly spoke, leaving others in the dark about his thoughts.

“Leaving aside his personal character, just speaking of his ability to lead troops, he isn’t a qualified person. He’s too arrogant, unable to humble himself, and nobody respects him. You, however, are different. In every aspect, you are the most suitable candidate for commander-in-chief,”

“I am a subordinate of Long Tianya; aren’t you worried?” Ye Xiong asked.

“I trust my own judgment. You are your own person, not someone’s subordinate,” Long Zaitian said, his gaze sharp as he looked at him.

The two men locked eyes for a moment before Ye Xiong finally said, “Unfortunately, I am now a free man. Let’s move on to the second matter, so I can get back to spend time with my wife sooner.”

“The second matter, I want you to investigate a case,”

“Haven’t you got it wrong? I’m a free man now,” Ye Xiong reiterated.

“What I want you to look into is the whereabouts of four missing Intelligence Officers from the Demon Slash operation,” Long Zaitian said earnestly, looking at him. “Don’t you want to know why the Demon Slash operation failed and your whole Reaper Squad was wiped out?”

Ye Xiong was shaken to his core.

This matter was his Achilles heel, a thorn in his heart he could never remove.

Unfortunately, despite spending a lot of time, he hadn’t been able to find even the slightest clue.

He had once asked Long Tianya for the information on those four agents who provided the false intelligence and subsequently disappeared, but Long Tianya said the intelligence department was not under the Dragon Group’s control and he couldn’t access the files.

Because of this, Ye Xiong had a big fight with Long Tianya and they parted on bad terms.

Long Zaitian went over to a safe, took out a file, on which “Top Secret” was written over the words “Level: Three.”

“Look at this information first, and after you’ve read it, keep it to yourself,” he said.

Ye Xiong took the document, and it contained detailed information about four people.

“Is this the information on those four agents from back then?” Ye Xiong was shocked.

“Yes, this is the information on the four Intelligence Officers who provided the false information. Take a good look, but you must not disclose this. It’s classified,” Long Zaitian said gravely.

“Where did this information come from?” Ye Xiong couldn’t help but ask.

Back then, even Long Tianya had been unable to get his hands on these files.

“Don’t worry about that, just read it,”

As Ye Xiong flipped through the file, when he turned to the last page and saw the name there, his whole body shook violently.

Ruan Jingyang?

How could this be possible?

He thought it was just a coincidence of names, but after seeing the address and the name of the spouse, he was completely shocked.

This was clearly Du Yuehua’s husband, Ruan Jingyang.

Wasn’t he supposed to have died in a car accident?

How could he possibly be an agent of the intelligence department?

“After the Demon Slash operation, Ruan Jingyang disappeared. To account for his disappearance, the intelligence department staged an accident, making it seem like he died in a crash. This is a common method of concealing the identities of Intelligence Officers while ensuring the safety of their families,” Long Zaitian explained.

“So you’re saying Ruan Jingyang didn’t die after all?”

“That’s exactly what you need to investigate. During my investigation of you, I discovered you have a good relationship with Ruan Jingyang’s wife, Du Yuehua. This could be a breakthrough,”

Long Zaitian snatched the files back from him after he had finished reading and took a lighter off the desk, burning the documents.

Ye Xiong was completely stunned.

“`

He had always thought that Ruan Jingyang was killed to silence her by He Haodong because he offended him, and because He Haodong wanted her hotel. Now, it seemed that this was not the case at all.

As an Intelligence Officer of the Central Intelligence Agency, not to mention a small Jiangnan hoodlum like He Haodong, even ten He Haodongs wouldn’t dare to touch Ruan Jingyang.

If He Haodong is associated with the Beast Organization, could Ruan Jingyang’s disappearance also be related to the Beast Organization?

Ye Xiong felt as though he had entered into a shocking conspiracy.

Long Zaitian seemed to have anticipated his reaction and said, “Last year, when four special agents disappeared, the Intelligence department conducted a thorough investigation, but they encountered significant resistance. It seems that at every step they were within the grasp of the other party, and many were sacrificed because of it. Consequently, the Chief of the Intelligence department, Murong Nian, speculated that there could be a mole within the organization, and that this person’s identity was no ordinary one, but a big tiger. In the end, the Intelligence department did not continue the investigation and temporarily sealed away the data.”

“Now that this case has fallen into your hands, I really hope you can clear it up and give an explanation to your fallen subordinates.”

Ye Xiong remained silent, without a word for a long time.

Long Zaitian took out a small golden, tooth-shaped medallion from his clothing and handed it over, saying, “This token is called the Dragon Fang Token, which I had made after I joined the Dragon Group. I’ve already told my subordinates that from now on, upon seeing this token, as if I were personally present, all Dragon Group members must absolutely follow the commands given. Those who disobey may be executed first and reported afterward.”

“Why do you trust me so much?” Ye Xiong couldn’t help but ask.

“My investigation, and my intuition.”

Ye Xiong had met Long Tianya and Phoenix. From their words, they were highly dissatisfied with the new Dragon Group Leader, Long Zaitian. From Long Tianya’s tone, Ye Xiong even suspected that Long Zaitian might have been the mastermind behind the downfall of the Reaper Squad, all for the sake of seizing power and replacing Long Tianya’s position.

Now with a deeper engagement, Long Zaitian seemed to be more than just domineering and powerful and did not seem as bad as the outside rumors suggested.

“This is a major case involving many organizations, powers, and individuals. I hope you always keep a clear mind and do not allow anyone to influence your thoughts. Whether the investigation leads to me, Long Tianya, or Murong Nian, I want you to keep digging and never back down.”

His tone—was he doubting Long Tianya and Murong Nian?

“I’ve said what I needed to say; you can go back now,” Long Zaitian waved his hand.

Leaving the office, Ye Xiong’s mind was filled with information about four more special agents, and he now carried a token that could command the entire Dragon Group, filling him with deep contemplation.

After all, who was the real mastermind behind the death of the Reaper Squad?

When he left, there was only one driver left.

The car returned to the road and suddenly veered off towards a forest nearby.

“This isn’t the way back,” Ye Xiong became extremely wary.

“Someone wants to meet you?”

“Who?”

“You’ll know when you get there.”

“Who is it exactly? If you don’t tell me, I’m getting out of the car,” Ye Xiong said sternly.

“You’ve met once before at the provincial capital of Guangnan,” the driver replied.

Long Tianya?

Why does he want to meet me now?

Ye Xiong frowned.

He had not sought me out earlier or later but came looking for me right after I met with Long Zaitian; what did this mean?

He recalled what Long Zaitian said.

In the process of investigation, trust no one, not even Long Tianya.

“You came?”

Long Tianya turned around, his eyes gently fixing on him.