Because It's Brother Dai, I Cannot Do That

"Let me test your capabilities," Dai Peilin said, his tone serious. "Speak your mind freely." "Yes, Brother Dai," Fang Jibai replied. Instead of answering immediately, he pondered for ten-odd seconds. "Although I haven't had much contact with Secretary Dongfang, my intuition tells me that the likelihood of the enemy assassinating him for his own sake is exceedingly low. Simply put, there would be no value or necessity," Fang Jibai said. "Therefore, the most probable explanation is that the enemy came for the vital item Secretary Dongfang was carrying—that codebook." Dai Peilin first nodded, then looked at Fang Jibai. "Does Dongfang Xu know you think so little of him?" "I would only ever say such things in front of Brother Dai." Fang Jibai offered an embarrassed smile and said to Dai Peilin, "Were it anyone else, I wouldn't utter a word." "So right to my face, you're saying my man is useless, is that it?" Dai Peilin snorted. "Not useless—he just didn't warrant the trouble of an assassination," Fang Jibai explained hurriedly. "The fact that Secretary Dongfang was able to tail me and subsequently seize the codebook is proof enough of his ability." "Are you praising Dongfang Xu, or praising yourself, Fang Qiming?" Dai Peilin pointed at Fang Jibai, laughing despite his annoyance. Fang Jibai grew even more flustered. "Brother Dai, that wasn't what I meant." "Enough." Dai Peilin waved his hand. "You really can't take a joke." "Who would dare take Brother Dai's words as a joke..." Fang Jibai murmured under his breath. "Hmm?" Dai Peilin glared at him. Fang Jibai immediately sat bolt upright, not daring to utter another word. ... "Continue." "Yes." Fang Jibai gathered his thoughts and sorted out his reasoning before continuing. "Although I didn't have any further exchange with Secretary Dongfang, the timeline—from parting ways after the codebook was seized to bumping into him on the ferry—aligns closely. "I returned home, fetched my luggage, went straight to Taiding Bridge Pier, and immediately boarded a small boat to Danyang to catch the ferry," he said to Dai Peilin. "Therefore, I deduce Secretary Dongfang must have set off for the pier immediately as well, on roughly the same schedule as mine." Dai Peilin nodded slightly, gesturing for Fang Jibai to go on. "In terms of time, Secretary Dongfang was swift enough and cautious enough. Yet the enemy still caught wind of the situation and laid an ambush at Xiaguan Pier," Fang Jibai said. "The most likely explanation is that word was leaked." "So, where do you think the information was most likely leaked from?" Dai Peilin asked slowly. "It should be within the Secret Service—either Danyang... but the key focus..." Fang Jibai hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up. "...the key focus is Lücheng." "Give me your reasons for arriving at that conclusion," Dai Peilin said. He could naturally tell that naming Lücheng was rather difficult for Fang Jibai, as it was his hometown after all. Nevertheless, Dai Peilin was thoroughly gratified that Fang Jibai had ultimately brought himself to say "Lücheng." "Secretary Dongfang departed from Lücheng immediately. Only people on the Lücheng side would know exactly when he left. Furthermore, the personnel who knew he was carrying the Japanese radio codebook were limited to that small group," Fang Jibai said. "Therefore, Lücheng is the most suspicious." "What if Lücheng reported normally to Danyang, and the leak came from Danyang?" Dai Peilin asked. Fang Jibai showed a thoughtful look, appearing slightly troubled. Then he said, "Brother Dai, I don't know the methods of communication or the organizational structure between superiors and subordinates in the Secret Service. I can only analyze this using my working environment at the police station as a reference." He said to Dai Peilin, "What Brother Dai just mentioned is unfamiliar to me—it's outside my scope." "Outside your scope?" Dai Peilin was momentarily taken aback, then burst into hearty laughter. "Indeed, Brother Dai was making things difficult for you." Overall, he was quite satisfied with Fang Jibai's answer. Though there were some detailed aspects Fang Jibai couldn't take into account, for a police officer without professional intelligence training, this was already exceptional. One could even say that not even some graduates from Hangzhou's Xiongzhen Tower could match Fang Jibai's performance. Brother Huaicheng's fourth brother was truly a fine talent. ... "If you were to investigate Lücheng, whom would you suspect the most?" Dai Peilin asked, his fingers gently tapping the desk. "I don't know," Fang Jibai said, startled. "Brother Dai, in the Lücheng Secret Service, other than Zhao Ding, I'm not familiar with anyone else. In fact, if Secretary Dongfang hadn't led men to surround me that day, I wouldn't even have known that some of the men Zhao Ding brought along were villagers from my own Lücheng." "Zhao Ding, hmm." Dai Peilin nodded slightly, recalling who that was. He looked at Fang Jibai. "Who else do you know?" "Xiaoliu," Fang Jibai said. "I only know of him." "No one else?" "No one else." Fang Jibai nodded, then quickly explained, "Brother Dai, I know Zhao Ding and know of Xiaoliu, but that doesn't mean I suspect either of them." "Xiaoliu egged on Dongfang Xu to silence you." Dai Peilin gave Fang Jibai a deep, searching look. "I thought you would single out Xiaoliu for investigation." Fang Jibai took on an embarrassed look. "Hmm?" Dai Peilin glared at him. "Out with it." "If this were before anyone else, I would wish nothing more than to immediately brand that Xiaoliu a traitor and shoot him dead," Fang Jibai said. "Hmm?" A questioning hum came from Dai Peilin's nose. "Because it is Brother Dai." Fang Jibai looked at Dai Peilin with utter seriousness. "I cannot do that." Because it was Brother Dai, he could not do that! Dai Peilin stared at Fang Jibai with deep, piercing eyes. With his experience and insight, he could naturally tell that the young man before him had spoken from the bottom of his heart—with absolute sincerity, natural ease, and sheer instinct. What simple, unvarnished words. Precisely because they were so simple and sincere, even Dai Peilin—who had seen all the ugliness of human nature and was accustomed to sizing people up and labeling them with the most cynical assumptions—felt a flicker of genuine emotion in that split second. In truth, posing that question earlier and asking Fang Jibai to name his suspects in Lücheng had been another test in itself. Having already learned of Xiaoliu's actions from Dongfang Xu, he had wanted to test Fang Jibai—to see how he would answer and whether he would put Xiaoliu on his suspect list. In fact, even if Fang Jibai had pointed to Xiaoliu as suspicious, there would have been nothing wrong with it, because objectively speaking, anyone who knew Dongfang Xu had secured the codebook was a suspect. Xiaoliu stepping out of line at the time had already been abnormal. If Fang Jibai had done so, whether out of genuine suspicion or to seize an opportunity for revenge, Dai Peilin would not have been angry. Human beings inherently harbored selfish desires and mortal passions; as long as someone was favored and close to him, Dai Peilin had always been willing to overlook minor flaws and selfish motives. Yet now, Fang Jibai's answer had struck the softest spot in Dai Peilin's heart—a heart that had always viewed people with the deepest malice. Even though it was only for an instant, gone in the blink of an eye.