Miss Assassin is heavily addicted

Chapter 96, Section 12: Spy Within a Spy

Three days later, time seemed to be passing by even faster.

But in the unseen corners of this world, undercurrents are already surging and churning.

On a moonlit night with few stars, in the Kebo Luo neighborhood.

"Awooo!"

A long howl came from stray dogs, calling to each other as they fought for territory in the garbage dump. The barking seemed particularly drawn out in the night, so loud that even the sound of a drunkard smashing a bottle to shoo them away could be heard.

"Shut up, you damn stray dog!"

Streetside.

The police car's headlights pierced the dim shadows until, after a moment, the tires gradually came to a stop.

The car door opened, and someone got out.

"Senior, I'll wait for you here after patrolling two laps."

"Ok."

Thanks to recent official orders, sheriffs are carrying out nighttime patrols in the area, and police cars can often be seen, protecting the peace for a moment.

The police officer who got out of the car was He Ye.

He closed the car door, waved to his junior Yuri, who then drove off on patrol.

The police car patrols within a radius of three kilometers. A leisurely drive around takes about ten minutes, and two laps take almost half an hour.

In other words, we won't see each other again for another half hour.

The reason for getting off the bus midway was because of a commission.

Three or four days ago, his teammates from the spy squad sent him another letter. The mission was delivered by a regular intelligence letter, which He Ye took out from a crack in the wall on his way home in Seagull Street.

The mission is to help Lawrence in the Cobo neighborhood tonight, and work with him.

To be honest, these people really don't consider themselves outsiders. Even though they're retired, they're still so attached to this, writing down the time and place clearly...

He Ye wanted to refuse.

But he happened to be patrolling around the slums these past few days, and the time we met was just right—at night—as convenient as if it were tailor-made for him.

There's no way I can say no.

"Sigh, this really is the last time..."

He Ye muttered to himself as he walked, tossing coins along the way. The meeting place was nearby.

As for Yuri, He Ye had him drive to patrol outside, while he himself patrolled the streets on foot, thus sending the hot-blooded newcomer away. This kind of splitting up was common during regular patrols.

all in all--

"Jingle, clang, clang."

After a short wait, the coin fell to the ground and rolled into the sewer, like a bad omen.

Lawrence has arrived.

He walked over with a steady gait, wearing a trench coat and carrying two medium-sized leather suitcases. He approached He Ye and said with practiced ease:

"The one on the left is yours."

"..." He Ye suddenly felt like he was in trouble.

The mission letter was incomplete, containing only the time, location, and requirements, but lacking a specific purpose.

He took the suitcase and opened it. Inside was a trench coat similar to Lawrence's, as well as tactical gear such as pistols, stun grenades, and smoke grenades. He could start an assault mission as soon as he gave the order.

Seeing this, He Ye reluctantly stood up:
"Let's get this straight... I have no intention of using force. I'm just here to meet you and the people from Country C."

Lawrence paused for a moment before saying, "The letter was written to you. Mark and the others didn't know you were involved in this operation."

He Ye hesitated, then stopped speaking: "..."

No wonder it was just an ordinary letter, no wonder the text was so brief. But what can be said now?

"Awesome." He Ye covered his face.

He was fooled.

“There’s nothing to praise about this.” Lawrence seemed to understand the meaning of the word.

He Ye closed his suitcase and walked into the shadows. When he came out a moment later, he had changed out of his police uniform and looked unfamiliar and sharp. His black trench coat made him look like he had gone back to the past.

"So, why did you specifically contact me like this?"

“I’m not sure if they really trust us, just in case, this operation might not be dangerous—at least with you here, two people are a safety net.”

"What was the purpose of the meeting?"

"They need weapons."

Lawrence had pulled his hat down low and was walking slowly, carrying his suitcase in his left hand.

"The customs of Country A are under martial law. Last month, there were also quite complicated checks to enter Greenley City. They can't bring in weapons with enough lethality. The previous spy outposts don't seem to have been established or have been wiped out. In short, this is a deal based on cooperation."

Lawrence unknowingly went on to explain a lot, but fortunately He Ye understood, and the two walked on the road.

There was hardly anyone around, for some reason.

Perhaps because of the excellent public security, homeless people or drunkards who used to wander around at night all stayed at home obediently.

He Ye walked silently for a while on the road:

"It doesn't sound that simple. Duncan told me before that there was a traitor among us. Although I don't know the specifics or what the traitor leaked, there must be a reason why he said that."

"So, you don't suspect it was me?"

After speaking, He Ye looked at Lawrence.

His expression remained unchanged; he simply picked up his suitcase and replied, "I do suspect it was you."

"..." He Ye fell silent for a moment.

His frankness left him somewhat bewildered.

"But others don't think that way; they're also secretly looking for suspects, which is a tricky problem."

“I only told you about this operation; even Mark doesn’t know the exact time and location,” Lawrence continued. “I don’t want you to be the one who, if things go smoothly, I’ll tell them not to suspect you.”

"..."

A deeper reason was uncovered.

"I see."

He Ye sighed softly, not really caring. He had never betrayed the organization, and this frankness showed that Lawrence didn't have any suspicions; he just wanted to prove his innocence.

He Ye wanted to say something else right now.

“This is the last time I’ll cooperate with your operation. Please tell Mark and Monica.” He Ye’s voice was calm. “I’m leaving at the end of this month, and I think I’ll leave without saying goodbye.”

Lawrence asked unexpectedly:
"the last time?"

“I’m already dead, and you’ve already taken care of my funeral, haven’t you? There’s no need to drag a dead man out to help anymore… I just want to retire.”

As He Ye and Lawrence walked and talked, they unknowingly walked deeper into the alley. The surrounding scenery was dilapidated, like broken walls and ruins, and even the dim streetlights flickered. The stench of decay permeated every corner.

Lawrence, seemingly lost in thought, simply replied:
"I will tell them."

"..." "Speaking of the intelligence I asked you to gather before?"

Lawrence then brought up another matter, which concerned Isabel.

Although He Ye didn't know exactly what he wanted the other party's information for, he could tell that it wasn't a good move.

This kind and understanding lady had helped him, but he had no intention of harming her.

“We haven’t gathered any information about this colonel. She’s very secretive; even when she leaves the police station is unpredictable,” He Ye said casually.

"Is there nothing else?" Lawrence asked.

The two remained silent for a while, their footsteps echoing across the muddy, puddled ground. They had entered the depths of the slum, which was no longer as clean as the outer areas. Everywhere were shacks, tents, and illegal structures. Occasionally, homeless people or locals would see them and avoid them like the plague.

"There is one."

He Ye thought for a moment and told him it was something unimportant:

"The colonel now has an executive bureau agent by his side—his rank is Black Flower, codename 'Gentleman.' You should remember him; he's the guy who always squints. We crossed paths a few years ago."

Lawrence recalled for a few seconds: "Winston?"

"Yes, he's now in charge of protecting Miss Isabel, and he must have sensed something. I won't pry into your internal operations, after all, I'm just an outsider."

He Ye didn't intend to ask any more questions, but instead shifted his gaze and asked about the journey.

"How much longer?" He only had half an hour.

Lawrence lowered his hat brim, noticing the gazes of those around him: a few thugs squatting in a corner chatting, a drunkard with an empty bottle in his mouth; the locals were already watching them quietly, as if in thought, rather than trying to avoid them.

“It should be soon,” Lawrence replied.

“Okay.” He Ye nodded.

A brief silence fell between the two, as they had nothing left to say. But as they walked, Lawrence thought of something—something from the past—and fragments of memories flashed through his eyes.

Lawrence isn't exactly a reasonable person, and he's often described as rigid, but considering Sophia's recent return to the psychiatric clinic, one can see that her situation is a bit strange.

She was indifferent, uncaring, as if nothing else mattered to her and she had no interest in anything. After finishing her mission and returning home, the only emotion she showed when she picked up the cat was in her eyes, and compared to the cold and unfamiliar feeling she had when they first met, she seemed much more... frail.

It was as thin as a pale blue candle flame about to go out.

"By the way..."

Lawrence spoke in the quiet atmosphere, carrying his suitcase and walking along, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.

"What?" He Ye asked from the side.

“Sophia’s back… She spent two weeks on the Owl mission.” Lawrence felt he was just telling him the news.

"Is that so..." He Ye didn't say anything more, just responded.

"Hmm," he said.

After a while.

"Ah."

Lawrence responded as well.

……

—Kobolo neighborhood. Mole Gang shacks—

Eight hundred meters away from this location, there were also two black cars parked, but unlike the police cars from the Public Security Bureau, members of the Intelligence Bureau got out of them.

The night is dark.

A total of eight police officers (in plainclothes) got off the vehicle, including four regular officers and four auxiliary officers.

Since most police officers are unwilling to go on duty at night, and this was just a message whose authenticity was unknown, four police officers and four auxiliary police officers set off to investigate.

The team leaders were Lorris and Rory Albert.

"I'm going home. I'm going home."

Among the auxiliary police officers who got out of the car, one of them made a joke while looking at the surrounding scenery.

They parked near the main road, where the street looked quite nice because of the recent patrols by members of the security department. If you weren't so familiar with the area, you might not have recognized it.

Lei Li was also among the staff on duty tonight.

Just don't know why.

His right eyelid kept twitching...

"Hiss, what a ghost..." Rayleigh muttered under his breath.

This is not a good sign.

Meanwhile, Loris and Rory were discussing how they had already investigated two false leads during the day, and this was the third—a story provided a few days ago by a homeless man who claimed that a gang fight had taken place deep in the Cobello neighborhood, where an old man had brutally murdered everyone involved, and they suspected he might be a spy from another country.

Although it sounds very mysterious, it is still a suspicious matter, so now we will lead the team to investigate.

Normally, four people would be more than enough for a mission, but considering that the security situation in the Cobo area is not like that outside, and it was nighttime, the intelligence department dispatched eight officers.

While asking where the Mole Gang's territory was, they scanned for suspicious people and split up in pairs.

"Hey buddy, I'd like to ask you, have you ever seen a hunchbacked old man?"

"Hello friend, you green-haired guy..."

The plainclothes auxiliary police officers work together with the regular officers. The auxiliary officers are responsible for dealing with the locals, and they do it very well.

The other party looked him up and down but couldn't figure out anything. Instead, when asked these questions, he kindly reminded him, "Don't pry into the blacksmith's business in the underground tomb!"

"Ok?"

At that moment, Riley's right eyelid twitched again, but eager to make a contribution, he still grabbed the other man: "Buddy, do you know the hunchbacked old man in the portrait?"

He held the paper up to the other person's eyes.

On a moonlit night with few stars, the bright moonlight is enough to make out a few things in an unlit alley.

"Damn it!" he broke free. "Aren't you from around here?"

Rayleigh knew he had found a clue, so he quickly pulled on even tighter.

Soon, about ten minutes later.

The officers, who had been split up in pairs, had regrouped and were exchanging information with each other.

In the end, two conclusions were drawn.

"There seems to be a very powerful gang here called the Underground Tomb Blacksmiths, or maybe a group of people? In any case, it's definitely a bit strange. When the locals mention the person in that portrait, they either don't recognize him at all, or if they do, they keep their distance."

"We also caught someone who was trying to escape; he appears to be a member of that gang."

An auxiliary police officer was pinning down a thug with a fierce face. He was subdued because of the number of officers. Then, when the plainclothes officers revealed their identities, the officer froze, his expression filled with terror.

"A cop? Damn it, why would a cop get involved in something like this?!"

The other person's frustrated voice undoubtedly proved that this was the clue. Loris took back her ID and gestured for him to lead the way. The arrogant thug had no choice but to scoff and do as she was told.

At this moment, Rayleigh's right eyelid twitched again, and he had a feeling that something ominous was about to happen.

Damn... This is unbelievable.

However, there are eight people here, enough to make anyone drink a pot of wine, so it should be fine.

(End of this chapter)