’For all I know, he’s just putting up a smokescreen to make me let my guard down!’

In fact, that was exactly what the other man was thinking. However, Yue Yihan had extensive experience dealing with traitors and wasn’t falling for his act at all.

His plan was dead in the water.

"Let me go! I’m telling you, even if you kidnap me, I won’t agree to your demands!" Seeing they were getting closer and closer to the police station, the man started to panic.

His howls made the people around them frown.

Yue Yihan ignored his shouting, simply picking up the pace, trying to get him to the police station as quickly as possible.

The man was just an ordinary person. How could he possibly be a match for Yue Yihan?

So, no matter how much the man struggled, he ended up being dragged into the police station by Yue Yihan.

As soon as they entered the station, Yue Yihan spoke to the officers on duty. "He’s a traitor. I need your help transferring him to the military unit in Chuncheng."

As he spoke, Yue Yihan gave the police officers a military salute.

The police didn’t doubt Yue Yihan’s identity. They all knew Xie Changning, so naturally, they also knew who Yue Yihan was. Upon hearing the news, they agreed without a second thought.

Meanwhile, Yue Yihan contacted his superior to report the situation.

"What evidence do you have to prove I’m a traitor!"

Seeing that he was in the police station with no chance of escape, the traitor’s mood instantly soured.

He denied his identity.

He figured Yue Yihan had no proof and had arrested him based on pure speculation. There was nothing he could do to him!

’As long as I hold firm, I can walk out of this police station.’

"Even if you’re a soldier, you can’t just slander a civilian! I’m telling you, I—MMMPH!" Before the traitor could continue his tirade, Yue Yihan grabbed a nearby handkerchief, wadded it up, and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Too much talking."

An officer cuffed the traitor’s wrists, then turned to Yue Yihan. "Don’t worry, Comrade. We’ll make sure he’s delivered safely to the military."

"Thank you."

The traitor’s case had wide-reaching implications, so the police didn’t dare to delay. They dispatched a squad car immediately to transport him to Chuncheng.

Of course, Yue Yihan went with them.

Before leaving, however, he had one of the officers go to the factory to inform Xie Changning that he had returned to Chuncheng early.

When Xie Changning found out, she asked a quick question.

After all, the person delivering the message was a police officer, so it was hard for her not to be concerned.

"Mr. Yue caught a traitor. He’s personally escorting him back, which is why he didn’t have time to come get you," the police officer explained to Xie Changning.

Xie Changning understood and nodded.

"Alright, thank you for the trouble, Comrade."

-

Meanwhile, Yue Yihan was on his way back to the base with the police. He sat rigidly beside the traitor, while another officer sat on the man’s other side, ensuring he had no opportunity to escape.

The traitor glanced at Yue Yihan, then at the police officer, a flicker of despair in his eyes.

’It seems my mission has failed this time.’

He couldn’t understand it. He had been so careful while tailing her, so how did he still get caught?

Upon arriving at the base, Yue Yihan grabbed the traitor by the collar and marched straight to the secret interrogation room.

It was no secret that he had brought someone to the secret interrogation room. Soon, He Liuzhang arrived with his own men. "I heard you brought someone back?"

He Liuzhang’s voice arrived before he did.

Yue Yihan, who was inside, finished securing the traitor to a chair before stepping out of the interrogation room.

"Brigade Commander."

"Report. What’s going on?"

He Liuzhang hadn’t expected Yue Yihan to go to Anong County for a vacation and come back with a traitor.

This was no small matter.

Xie Changning’s factory and lab were both in Anong County. For a traitor to be planted in Anong County was a clear sign that they were targeting Xie Changning.

He Liuzhang’s already sharp gaze grew even more piercing.

Xie Changning was a key protected individual in their military region. This was especially true after she won an international technology competition abroad, after which the entire leadership had shown their intention to cultivate her talent.

If all went according to plan, Xie Changning was destined for a high-level national research base in the future.

Being targeted by traitors was unacceptable.

He Liuzhang pushed open the door to the interrogation room. The moment he entered, he saw the gagged traitor glaring at them with fiery eyes. The man became even more agitated upon seeing He Liuzhang, struggling and letting out muffled sounds. "MMPH! MMPH! MMPH!"

It was as if he was trying to say that Yue Yihan had framed him.

"I was back for two days. Every day when I went to pick up Changning, I noticed someone was following her..." Yue Yihan recounted his findings to He Liuzhang.

Xie Changning herself was quite vigilant, but she was no match for the opponent’s cunning.

He followed from a distance, close enough to watch but far enough to remain undetected by her.

Just because Xie Changning couldn’t spot him didn’t mean Yue Yihan couldn’t. So, when he noticed the tail, he started paying close attention.

After dropping Xie Changning off at the factory, he would go out for a stroll, shake the tail, and then turn the tables and follow him instead.

The man lived in a very ordinary courtyard house.

Several people lived in that courtyard, and they all seemed like regular folks. Only he was different...

"He speaks a foreign language. Yesterday, when I was tailing him, he didn’t go straight back to his courtyard after I lost him. Instead, he went to make a phone call. The entire conversation was in Japanese."

Normally, people in our country don’t speak Japanese.

English speakers are comparatively more common.

And so, Yue Yihan marked him as a person of interest.

Not only that, but Yue Yihan also found something else in his home—

"We searched his house before we left. This is what we found. Take a look, Brigade Commander." Yue Yihan handed the items from his pocket to He Liuzhang for his inspection.

He Liuzhang saw that it was a file on Xie Changning’s recent activities, her collaborators, her future development plans, and so on.

That was bad enough, but the file also contained details about Xie Changning’s family background.

It included information not just on her two children, but also on the Han’s parents.

It was obvious at a glance that his motives were anything but pure.

"Leave this to us. We’ll pry his mouth open," He Liuzhang said grimly, putting the file away.

This was targeted at Xie Changning. They had to take it seriously.

"Understood."

Yue Yihan didn’t press the issue.

He Liuzhang hadn’t asked him to get involved, which meant he had other plans. Yue Yihan certainly wasn’t going to argue with the Brigade Commander at a time like this.

"Last time, I asked you to investigate Vice Factory Director Lin of the machine tool factory. What’s the status on that?"

While asking Yue Yihan the question, He Liuzhang watched the traitor in the interrogation room out of the corner of his eye.

Upon hearing the name "Vice Factory Director Lin of the machine tool factory," a subtle change flickered in the traitor’s eyes.