Chapter 6: Wolf's Lair Wisdom Duel

  As soon as this statement came out, it really shocked a person in the hall. Wu Xinting's head was hit hard, his thigh muscles twitched, and his legs softened, almost kneeling down. He never thought that the kind predecessor in front of him would be a spy from the mainland on the other side. The panic in his heart made him at a loss for what to do for a moment.

  "It's rare for Miss Hu to have investigated my background so thoroughly, however, the information she gathered is not entirely accurate. She said I've never lost a hand, which isn't true at this point." Yang Wenhua acknowledged his identity with ease and straightforwardness, knowing it had already been exposed.

  Hu Lirong didn't expect that Yang Wenfeng, who had been evasive just a moment ago, would admit it without any excuses. She had long admired this legendary agent and his words piqued her curiosity. Suppressing the turmoil in her heart, she said: "Oh? Really? There's plenty of time now, go ahead and tell me."

  "Three years ago..." Yang Wenfeng's eyes sparkled with a brilliant light.

  "I went to Africa to hunt down the leader of an ivory smuggling group, but was hunted by 30 bounty hunters hired by the group's leader and barely escaped with my life after several close calls on the vast African plains; two years ago, I infiltrated a Taliban-controlled area in Afghanistan's Golden Crescent to gather intelligence on a heroin production facility, but my cover was blown and I was surrounded by over 200 Taliban fighters and local militiamen, yet managed to escape unscathed; last year, while executing 'Operation Hawk Down' in the UK, I was discovered by CIA agents who had received orders to assassinate me, and with all of Europe's CIA agents on my tail, I evaded capture and completed my mission..."

  Yang Wenfeng's narrative made Hu Lirong's heart surge with emotion, and although she had heard about these events before, hearing them from his mouth made these once-notorious events even more shocking. Despite being on opposing sides, she had always regarded him as a transcendent goal for herself.

  "In the past, no matter what kind of danger I faced, I never became someone else's captive. Now that I'm in this predicament as a special agent, isn't this considered a failure?"

  Yang Wenfeng hung his head low, with a look of despair on his face.

  Hú Lì Róng's calm face couldn't hide the secret joy and pride, if she caught the ace agent from the other side, not only would she be rewarded and promoted, but also make a name for herself in the intelligence world, thinking of this, she felt a little dizzy.

  "Miss Hu, I have a question and would like you to clarify it for me." Yang Wenfeng's calm expression had a hint of persistence.

  "You can ask me anything, I'll tell you everything." Hu Lirong admired his determination and composure in this situation, and she also seemed very sincere.

  "How did you know my identity? As far as I know, in your files, my identity should still be a mystery, but just now you revealed my identity with one sentence, why is that?"

  "Not bad, the true identity of the ace agent from the new generation across the shore has always been what our various intelligence units are eager to know. There have been some rumors and fragmented information about you among the units, but very few people really know your identity. However, no matter how cunning a fox is, it will eventually show its tail one day. You've been too active in recent years, and you've been too eye-catching. As you mentioned earlier, your mission in the UK last year made CIA lose face, but as the world's number one intelligence agency, CIA didn't come out empty-handed from that operation..."

  Yang Wenfeng vaguely felt that things were getting more and more complicated.

  "It's indeed the case. I would have found it strange if they had gained nothing." What Yang Wenfeng said was actually true, that mission made him shudder every time he thought about it, and it was a miracle that he managed to escape from the CIA's trap. He even found it unbelievable that the CIA had gained nothing from that operation. "Is there any connection between the action a year ago and Miss Hu's investigation of my identity today?"

  "Of course! The CIA obtained an important piece of evidence in that operation - a fragmentary fingerprint of yours."

  "So Miss Hu has collected my fingerprints? This...this is impossible!" Yang Wenfeng was somewhat astonished.

  "No wonder, didn't you just press the elevator button earlier?"

  "Wait a minute!" Yang Wenfeng interrupted, "I still have some doubts about the fingerprints. I did leave my fingerprints on the elevator buttons, but I wiped them clean in time."

  "It was just a careless little move when you pressed the elevator button that caught my attention. You used your index finger to press the button, but then used the edge of your middle finger to wipe away the fingerprint of your index finger. If you were really an engineer at the base, there would be no need for such a move." Hu Lirong smiled triumphantly, "What you never expected was that the elevator button is actually a fingerprint collector. As long as you press it, it will automatically record it, and being cautious won't do any good."

  "So that's how it is." Yang Wenfeng was quite surprised, "Yes, as long as you compare my fingerprints with the real Lu Yinglin's fingerprints, you'll know I'm fake."

  "We don't have any information about you in our files, so I sent your fingerprints and photos to Major McLane, the CIA station chief in Taipei. Major McLane is a diligent intelligence officer, unlike some people...". Hu Lirong deliberately glanced at the American intelligence officer in the distance. "Major McLane immediately transmitted the intelligence back to CIA headquarters. The CIA is indeed the world's number one spy agency. With the assistance of computers, their experts analyzed the results in just ten minutes and unanimously confirmed that the fingerprints I collected matched the incomplete ones they had obtained a year ago. With further evidence from the high-definition digital photos I provided, your identity as the mainland's second-ranked agent was naturally exposed."

  "I didn't expect your cooperation with the CIA to be so close, it seems that I fell into your hands this time not by chance, but by necessity."

  "This result is unexpected for both us and the CIA, who would have thought that catching a fish casually would not only be a big fish but also an ultra-heavyweight one." Hu Lirong didn't hide the pride on her face, "The CIA side was surprised to the extreme, Major McLane is rushing over by helicopter, it's said that the Secretary-General of the National Security Council is bringing the President's decree and hurrying over to try to take you away for interrogation. However, our Intelligence Bureau won't let them succeed, I just received an order from the Director to transfer you immediately. Since we got this fruit, even if we can't have it, at least we should taste it first."

  Looking at Hu Lirong's determined expression, Yang Wenfeng secretly smiled to himself. It was still unknown who would emerge victorious in the end, but at least he had no intention of surrendering without a fight.

  The stalemate was broken by a sudden intrusion from outside the door: "Where is he? Where is the Red Bandit's spy?"

  Hu Lirong's face suddenly changed: "How did he come?" As she spoke, a man rushed in hastily, pushing through the crowd. He had his left hand on his waist and his right hand grasping a pistol. Wiping away the fine sweat beads from his forehead, panting, he said: "Ah ha! So the Red Bandit's spy is actually you!"

  "So late at night, Director Zheng doesn't go to bed and rest, what is he doing coming to the control center?" Hu Lirong's face didn't look very good.

  "What's going on? Do I still need to get permission from Officer Hu to come here?" Zheng Changrong asked with a look of discontent.

  "How dare I! You're the head of security at the base, and I'm just a deputy at most."

  "What are you afraid of!" Zheng Changrong pointed at Yang Wenfeng, "You discovered the spy's identity but kept it from me and reported it alone. I'm very clear about your intentions, are you afraid that I'll steal your credit?"

  Hú Lì Róng's face turned red: "I didn't mean it like that..."

  Zheng Changrong was too lazy to bother with him, he lightly tapped Yang Wenfeng's gun muzzle, "Hand over your weapons!"

  Yang Wenfeng put down his suitcase, pulled out the pistol hidden under his ribs, and slowly placed the gun on the ground with his thumb and index finger grasping the grip.

  "Don't play tricks, if you have something then bring it out quickly!"

  Yang Wenfeng removed his watch from his wrist, but instead of putting it down, he pressed a button on the crown with his right thumb. Zheng Changrong's face changed: "Either put down what you're holding in your hand, or I'll order you to be shot on the spot!"

  "I'm afraid I can't listen to you on this one, sir..." Yang Wenfeng responded fearlessly, "The thing in my hand is my safety guarantee!"

  Zheng Changrong's face turned gloomy: "I'll just take out something decent, that's all..." Yang Wenfeng interrupted him and said: "Let the officer guess a riddle, guess what I brought in these two suitcases?" Zheng Changrong's heart sank, and he was speechless for a moment. "The two suitcases I brought are full of canned beer, but it's not beer inside the cans, it's high-explosive explosives! One case can completely destroy this place, and if both cases explode, the entire base will be annihilated! The watch in my hand is the detonator, and as long as I press the button lightly, everyone will be finished!"

  As soon as the bomb was heard, the hall was in chaos, especially the female technical personnel who were sitting upright and scared to make high-pitched screams and rushed out of the door. Zheng Changrong saw that the scene was so chaotic, he also panicked, and quickly asked Hu Lirong for help: "Officer Hu... now... what should we do?"

  Hu Lirong was very calm and immediately ordered: "Block the main gate, no one is allowed to leave without permission!"

  "Take care of Mr. Jamieson!" Zheng Changrong added.

  Two groups of soldiers sprang into action. One group ran to the iron gate and blocked the surging crowd, while the other group took Jamison and two Japanese men aside, holding guns at the ready. Due to the large number of people fleeing, the group of soldiers by the iron gate could not withstand the constant influx of people, so they used their rifle butts, fists, and feet to beat back the crowd in front of them. The chaos was quickly suppressed by force, and a group of weak technical personnel were herded into one corner of the hall by the soldiers. Among them, the women huddled together, crying and embracing each other, looking like a flock of sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

  The chaotic scene in the hall couldn't cover up Hu Lirong's loud voice: "Silence! Silence! Please everyone remain calm! This is just a spy's trick, don't be deceived!" Then staring at Yang Wenfeng said, "You may have fooled them, but you can't fool me. Not one of the things you said is true..."

  "Listen to me!" Yang Wenfeng said loudly, "We are all of the same culture and kindred spirits, I do not want to harm you, for everyone's safety, I will make a deal with your Officer Zheng, as long as Officer Zheng lets me go, I won't detonate the bomb, this is a win-win solution, you must believe in Officer Zheng, for everyone's and the base's safety, Officer Zheng will carefully consider my proposal!"

  Those engineers listened, one by one looking at Zheng Changrong with tense expressions, these expectant eyes seemed like an invisible pressure surging towards Zheng Changrong, thinking that the spy still had a "detonator" in his hands that could trigger fatal consequences made him even more panicked.

  "Do not fire without my command!"

  Cheng Chang Rong expressed his attitude in a wavering manner.

  "Officer, the spy is too cunning and shouldn't be trusted at all." Hu Lirong reminded immediately.

  "Miss Hu is right." Yang Wenfeng expressed his agreement, "We are all professionals, let alone that we are opposing parties, even if we were allies, there would be no mutual trust to speak of, only realistic interests can be shared. Director Zheng is a competent director and will not use the base's security to verify your speculation."

  Zheng Changrong's forehead was unknowingly covered in sweat, as the security chief of the base, he couldn't afford to compromise on the absolute safety of the base. Although capturing Yang Wenfeng could lead to his promotion and praise, if a major security incident were to occur due to human error, it would be a matter of losing one's head. Weighing the pros and cons, he had no other choice but to make necessary compromises.

  Hú Lìróng saw this and strongly advised: "Director Zheng, don't be deceived by the spy's sweet talk."

  "Miss Hu is indeed quick-witted. However, please don't forget Director Zheng's responsibilities and the issue of base security should not be mixed with too much personal grudges, which will not help solve the current crisis at all." Yang Wenhong made a Tai Chi push-hand gesture and shifted the topic to Zheng Changrong. "Please note your identity, Miss Hu, I have my own judgment on what's important and what's not, no need to treat me like a kindergarten kid."

  Yang Wenfeng's words indeed touched Zheng Changrong's sore spot.

  Watching the idiot in front of her being manipulated, Hu Lirong felt both anxious and angry. Could she just watch as such a rare opportunity slipped away from her? Letting Yang Wenfeng go would be like setting a tiger free, and she was absolutely unwilling to accept this outcome!

  But Zheng Changrong seemed unwilling to give her a chance to challenge his authority. He shouted loudly: "Who is in charge of security checks? Come out and show yourself!"

  The officer in charge of security checks heard this and took two steps forward with trembling legs: "Commander, Sergeant... Zhao... Zhao Zhipeng reporting for duty."

  "Zhao Class Monitor, dereliction of duty and lax security checks allowed spies to enter the first-level alert zone, what crime is this?" Zheng Changrong's sinister expression concealed a murderous intent.

  "Sir!" Zhao Zhipeng collapsed to the ground, "My daughter is only five months old, I haven't even seen her yet, I don't want my daughter to lose her father as soon as she's born, sir, please spare me, I don't want to die..."

  "Hu Zhangguan, it's up to you to deal with your subordinate." Zheng Changrong's face was cold and indifferent.

  Huli Rong looked at her poor subordinate and secretly sighed for him in her heart.

  "A dutiful soldier should have a sense of responsibility, unfortunately you don't. According to the military law of the base, you should be executed on the spot, but considering you have a daughter who has never seen your face, I will spare your life. However, as punishment, it is unavoidable..."

  She raised her gun and fired two shots at Zhao Zhipeng's right knee, the soul-stirring gunfire echoed in the hall, and the lingering sound took a long time to dissipate...

  "Ah......" The female technicians closed their eyes, covered their ears and let out a shrill cry. Wu Xinting, who had just come to his senses, looked at them and sat down on the ground with a thud, swallowing back all the words he wanted to say.

  "Your leg may be crippled, but with a prosthetic, you can still walk." Hu Lirong's face was expressionless. "Since you can't be a qualified soldier, then be a qualified father."

  "Sir, I... will be a good... father's..."

  This is Zhao Zhipeng's last sentence before he fainted.

  Hú Lì Róng's eyes shone brightly as she rebuked the soldiers: "From now on, if anyone abandons their post or tests the law with their life, they will be killed without pardon!"

  Zheng Changrong waved his hand: "Put away all the guns and let him go!"

  Yang Wenfeng saw his plan succeed, he didn't dare to stay for another moment. He picked up the gun and slowly backed out with his right hand raised high. The hall was silent, time seemed to be frozen at this moment. Just as he retreated to the iron gate, Hu Lirong suddenly said: "The future is perilous, Mr. Yang should be more careful!"

  Yang Wen's keen sense detected that this was not her kindness, and he smiled wryly: "For Miss Hu, although she lost the opportunity in front of her, there will be another good chance; for me, it can only be said that I have just escaped from the tiger's den and entered the wolf's mouth. At present, Miss Hu still occupies the dominant position."

  Hu Lirong, who was unwilling to give up and was preparing to make a desperate move, was moved by these words. Although Yang Wenfeng could escape from the base, it would be difficult for him to get out of danger. She thought that waiting for an opportunity to strike might not be a bad strategy. Although she didn't believe what Yang Wenfeng said and had seen with her own eyes that he wasn't carrying any explosives, she couldn't rule out the possibility that there was a traitor in the base who was colluding with him. However, all of this was hindered by the lack of conclusive evidence to prove it. If Zheng Changrong were to get a hold of her again, she didn't know what despicable means he would use to coerce her. Thinking back to what had happened earlier in the small room still made her heart skip a beat. From both a public and private perspective, she was at a disadvantage. Moreover, if Yang Wenfeng hadn't exposed himself by lending a hand, she wouldn't be in this dangerous situation now. At this moment, letting him go might make up for the lingering gratitude she felt towards him. With this thought, her heart calmed down a lot.

  Yang Wenfeng stepped back to the elevator, and after entering it, he let out a long sigh. His close-fitting undershirt was already soaked with sweat. Looking at what was supposed to be an "explosive device" in his hand, he couldn't help but smile. This was just an ordinary CITIZEN BL9000-83E watch, which had no other "super powerful" functions except for timing. He put the watch back on his wrist and considered his next move.