Chapter 581 - Chapter 581: 369, new subordinates, new neighbors

Chapter 581: 369, new subordinates, new neighbors

Everyone feels a sense of relaxation when they step into their own space.

Because nobody is watching you, nobody is scrutinizing your actions and posture.

But Qing Chen didn’t relax.

He stood by the door and closed his eyes, quietly listening to every sound from the outside world.

No sound of doors opening, no sound of doors closing.

Nothing at all.

This was the anomaly.

The room was 89 square meters, which, for the crowded Cyberpunk City, could already be considered a ‘luxury apartment’ in District Five, where most families of three still live in 15-square-meter ‘pigeonholes’.

Qing Chen didn’t check out his new home immediately. Instead, he opened the door again and stepped outside.

No one was there in the quiet and dimly lit corridor. He took off his shoes and, using the technique Mother Ye had taught him, approached the safety passage swiftly and silently.

In the passageway, the woman from the elevator earlier was whispering, “He hasn’t noticed anything unusual about me…”

A laugh came from the phone, “Your acting skills are the best in your group, it’s normal he didn’t notice. Remember to create more interactions with him. I want to see when he will see through you. This is such an interesting game.”

“Yes, sir…”

But at that moment, the woman stiffened.

Because someone had put the barrel of a gun against her heart from behind.

Without a sound, Qing Chen took the phone from the woman’s hand and then said into it, “Mr. Shadow, this doesn’t seem very friendly.”

With his hearing, he naturally recognized the voice on the phone—it belonged to Mr. Shadow of Qing’s Family.

And this woman who appeared to have met him by chance was also arranged by the other party.

The sounds that Qing Chen had listened to in his room were the opening and closing of this ‘female star’s’ door. Since she lived here, it wouldn’t make sense for there not to be the sound of a door.

It must be said that the arrangement was actually very clever.

Because the woman had entered the elevator ahead of Qing Chen, and it was him who stopped the elevator doors from closing at the last moment.

Then the woman pressed the button for the 112th floor ahead of him and turned around to accuse him of following her.

It was a tactic of striking first to gain the upper hand. Ordinary people would only fall into the mindset of ‘explaining the misunderstanding’ at this point, not thinking to suspect the other person’s identity.

But Qing Chen was very cautious, so cautious that he habitually doubted everything.

Such a coincidence, and such early attention to his arrival, could only come from Shadow.

At this time, Shadow laughed over the phone, “I thought she could fool you. Your caution is unexpected. I’m very curious, why did you suspect her? She really is a third-tier actress and even made it to the second-tier in her early years.”

Qing Chen was momentarily stunned. He looked at the woman, thinking that Mr. Shadow of Qing’s Family had perhaps too many informants. Even a third-tier actress was working for the Spy Bureau.

He responded calmly, “I just don’t believe in accidents.”

Shadow went silent for a second and then said, “Not believing in accidents is a good habit. Her name is Yan Chunmi, you can call her Chun Mi. However, since you’ve seen through her, you can go to the Spy Bureau ahead of time. After 2 A.M., she is responsible for taking you to report to the Spy Bureau. From now on, she will be on your team, with Spy Bureau team two serving you specifically as a spy. Also, all orders from Freemasonry for you can be relayed through Yan Chunmi. She is the only one who knows your identity as a spy and can be completely trusted… Of course, whether you want to trust her is your own business.”

The Spy Bureau’s operational structure follows a pyramid model with a ‘hub-and-spokes’ system, each spy is independent and only reports to Shadow.

Beneath each spy, there are their own action teams, 12 individuals in a team, and under these 12 individuals there are several branch organizations. Freemasonry, for example, is a branch under Yan Chunmi’s control.

It could be said that Qing Chen is now at the very top of the pyramid of Spy Bureau team two, and beneath him lies a vast pyramid foundation.

This is the power that Qing’s shadow wanted to hand over to him, although it was just the tip of the iceberg.

At this moment, Yan Chunmi took off her scarf and sunglasses, wanting to turn around and greet her new boss.

However, just as she was about to do so, she found that the gun barrel was still pressed against her back without any sign of relaxation.

Yan Chunmi: “…”

She thought to herself that her new boss seemed a bit difficult to get along with.

Even after Mr. Shadow had explained her identity, the other party still hadn’t let down his guard.

Curious, Qing Chen asked on the phone, “What if I hadn’t seen through her?”

“It would require more people and some bloody lessons to show you just how complicated and dangerous City Number Ten is,” Qing’s shadow replied calmly.

At a certain moment, Qing Chen suddenly felt that this Shadow… seemed to be like Uncle Li and Li Xiurui, also investing time and energy to teach him something.

Only the means by which the other party was teaching him were more bizarre and cruel.

After a moment of thought, Qing Chen asked, “What do I need to do after I enter the Spy Bureau?”

Mr. Shadow replied, “Don’t rush, I will send you the assignments. Before that, remember to go to the Federal Central Intelligence Bureau and work properly.”

With that, Qing’s shadow hung up the phone.

Qing Chen looked at Yan Chunmi, “Turn around.”

Yan Chunmi said with a look of resignation, “Boss, it was Mr. Shadow who asked me to deceive you, it has nothing to do with me. But if you want to hit me to let off steam, that’s okay, just make sure not to hit my face. I have an audition with a production team tomorrow.”

She placed herself in a disadvantaged position right from the start, playing the role of a damsel in distress.

Qing Chen looked at her appearance, very beautiful and delicate, no wonder she was an actress: “Stop acting, let’s go back to the room and talk.”

Yan Chunmi walked towards room 1129, and as she walked, she spoke, “Boss, I am your subordinate, after all. Can you give a little trust to your subordinate and put the gun down first?”

Yan Chunmi had already become helpless. She had met cautious people before but never someone as cautious as this.

Upon entering the room, Qing Chen asked, “What is your rank?”

Yan Chunmi replied, “D-Class. The members under your command should all be this rank. Only the spy’s own rank is a bit higher.”

Qing Chen thought to himself that he had only just reached D-Class. He then asked, “How do you maintain contact with the Freemasonry?”

Yan Chunmi explained, “Encrypted satellite phone.”

Qing Chen nodded and continued to ask, “Besides you, how many people from group two are in City 10?”

Yan Chunmi answered, “Boss, I really don’t know about that. The members under a spy’s command aren’t allowed to contact each other or inquire about each other’s cover identities. They could be chefs, taxi drivers, or members of Parliament… But they should all be in City 10, after all, group two belongs to the permanent sequence of the Spy Bureau in City 10.”

Qing Chen asked, “Who was the previous group leader?”

Yan Chunmi replied, “Qing Zhuo, an extremely capable intelligence officer. However, he’s probably dead by now.”

“Dead is dead, alive is alive. Why ‘probably dead’? Can’t you confirm it?” Qing Chen wondered.

Yan Chunmi said, “He mysteriously disappeared while investigating the ‘kidnapping case of Qing’s Family’s Seventh Research Institute staff’ earlier this year. Generally, such disappearances are classified as deaths. He probably found some real clues and was killed by the forces involved in the kidnapping case, his body destroyed without a trace. Along with him, there were three other group members who disappeared.”

Qing Chen’s mind turned cold. Being a spy was so dangerous: “Is the mortality rate of spies high?”

“Of course, it’s high,” Yan Chunmi said cheerfully. “Boss, the things we do are the most dangerous in the Federation. People on the battlefield can still see the light of the main electromagnetic cannons, but sometimes we don’t even see who’s shooting, and a person is gone.”

“Alright,” Qing Chen nodded and ceased speaking.

He closed his eyes and sat quietly, thinking about something. The room became completely silent.

An hour passed with Qing Chen sitting on the sofa opposite Yan Chunmi without saying a word.

Yan Chunmi glanced at the time. There were four hours left until 2 a.m. Surely her new boss wasn’t planning to just sit in silence until then?

That would be unbearably dull!

She scrutinized her new boss, sensing a particularly deep steadiness about him, a sense of maturity beyond his years.

Like someone who had endured much loneliness and had begun to enjoy it.

Just when she almost thought Qing Chen had fallen asleep, he suddenly opened his eyes and asked, “Are there any Qing’s Family members in the Federal Central Intelligence Bureau, Intelligence Department One?”

“Yes,” Yan Chunmi laughed. “I know of over ninety. But don’t trust them just because they are from Qing’s Family… No, I’m worrying over nothing. You wouldn’t trust them anyway.”

Even if she, as a member of Qing’s shadow, personally declared someone to be a compatriot, they still wouldn’t be trusted, let alone those people from Intelligence Department One?

Yan Chunmi suddenly felt that this was actually for the best—it meant not having to be dragged down to death by a foolish superior.

Qing Chen pondered that his real power now came from his identity as a spy in the Spy Bureau. He could mobilize these twelve group members under him, as well as the organizations in their hands.

And his identity as an Inspector for the Federal Central Intelligence Bureau was just a facade to facilitate his actions.

Qing Chen stood up. “Where should I report later?”

Yan Chunmi responded, “Caramel Bar on Ningbi North Street.”

Qing Chen asked, “The Caramel Bar with a holographic neon beer sign at the entrance?”

Yan Chunmi was taken aback. “Boss knows about that place? Could it be that the Spy Bureau’s site in District Five has been compromised?”

“Just been there occasionally,” Qing Chen nodded. “Then I’ll see you later at the Caramel Bar.”

Saying so, he exited the room, leaving Yan Chunmi alone.

Yan Chunmi made another call to Shadow. “Sir, this new group leader you chose is excessively cautious. Even for reporting in, we’re to act separately and meet at the Caramel Bar.”

Shadow’s voice was full of smiles, “Isn’t that good? Perhaps his good habits will help your group two survive until retirement.”

Yan Chunmi thought for a moment. “Indeed, that’s a good thing.”

…

…

Qing Chen walked through the long corridor, but before he could press the elevator button, the doors opened on their own.

A woman stood inside, wearing a red turtleneck sweater, snow boots, and wrapped tightly in a scarf, sunglasses, and a knitted hat.

The sight was uncannily familiar.

The clothes on the woman were even identical to those worn by Yan Chunmi.

Qing Chen frowned, drew his handgun, and pointed it at the woman’s forehead, asking, “Who are you?”

The woman froze for a moment and then burst into tears. “Have you mistaken me for someone else?”

As she spoke, the woman took off her sunglasses and scarf, revealing her face, and Qing Chen was stunned. He had seen her face more than once on the holographic neon, on monorail train carriages.

She was a genuine top star of the Federation.

Qing Chen suddenly realized the primary goal for Yan Chunmi, under Shadow’s orders, was to approach him, the new spy.

The woman dressed exactly like the star seemed to be the first trap set for him by Mr. Shadow since he arrived in City 10, a first meeting gift: to make him subconsciously form certain misunderstandings.

Then to mistake this real star who was secretly living in this building for an intelligence officer.

Qing Chen could even imagine Qing’s shadow hiding in a corner, grinning: How interesting.

He sighed inwardly. No wonder Li Changqing, Li Xiurui, and the others all said Shadow liked to play around. They weren’t wrong at all.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on N𝘰vgo.co

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