Film and Television: My Cheat Code is AI

Late at night, a van was parked not far from the villa. Ji Jie and Lao Zheng sat inside, staring through the windshield at the brightly lit building. The villa's windows were drawn, with only a few rays of light seeping through the cracks, obscuring the view inside. Lao Zheng screwed the cap back on his water bottle, placed it on the dial, and shifted his position. Ji Jie held the binoculars, motionless.

Inside the villa, Wu Jun'er sat in the middle of the sofa, legs crossed. Yang Zhen sat in the chair opposite him, while Liu Yi leaned against the wall. None of them spoke; the atmosphere was heavy. Yang Zhen glanced at his watch, stood up, and intended to get a glass of water. He had only taken two steps when Wu Jun'er suddenly spoke.

"I'm going to get rid of Huang Si'er," Wu Jun'er's voice wasn't loud, but every word carried a ruthless edge. "Won't people say we're not loyal?"

Yang Zhen stopped, glanced at him, and didn't reply. He turned around and continued walking towards the water dispenser, knowing full well that his words had been transmitted through the bug on his body. Inside the bread truck outside, Old Zheng and Ji Jie both heard the conversation. Ji Jie made a note in her notebook, while Old Zheng's expression remained unchanged; he simply rolled down the window a crack to let in some fresh air.

During the day, after Ji Jie and Lao Zheng finished their shift and returned to the bureau, Ji Jie, Ding Jian, Chang Baole, and Tian Rui were sitting in the office. Lao Zheng threw a stack of documents on the table and got straight to the point: "According to intelligence, the core members of Wu Jun'er and Huang Si'er's gangs will clash at the machine repair shop tomorrow."

Tian Rui sat opposite them, frowning, and asked, "We can't just stand by and watch them fight, can we?"

Old Zheng said, "Of course not. Yang Zhen has already set a trap. He said that Huang Si'er's boss is very likely to show up ahead of time."

Ding Jian asked, "How confident is Yang Zhen?"

Old Zheng glanced at him: "No problem. The bureau has already started investigating who is in danger of Yang Zhen, and we should have news soon."

Ji Jie closed the case file in front of her and said, "Okay, then I'll go deal with another case first. We should be able to close the net by now."

Old Zheng nodded: "Then let's close the net, lest things get complicated."

Qin Liguo, carrying the information given to him by Zhang Yang, went to the Municipal Bureau to meet Director Ma.

Director Ma's office is on the sixth floor, with south-facing windows that let in sunlight, making his desk shine.

When Qin Liguo pushed open the door, Director Ma was looking down at documents. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and smiled.

"Captain Qin, it's been a long time since you've come to visit me."

Qin Liguo closed the door, walked to the sofa, sat down, and sighed, "Sigh, I have a lot of things to deal with too."

Director Ma put down his pen and leaned back in his chair: "I heard that person has been found out?"

Qin Liguo nodded: "My informant found out that the person is Gu Yang, the Gu Yang who was purged from your bureau."

Director Ma's expression changed slightly. He thought for a moment, then frowned: "Gu Yang? Oh no, Gu Yang and Yang Zhen are old acquaintances. What if they run into each other?" After saying that, he immediately picked up the landline on the table and dialed the number of Zheng Yimin, the head of the Major Crimes Unit Six.

Old Zheng was driving when he received the call. He held the phone between his ear and shoulder, listened for a few moments, and then his face darkened. "Okay, I'll notify Yang Zhen right away."

Qin Liguo, standing nearby, said, "Give my phone number to Lao Zheng and let my informant contact him directly."

Director Ma said something into the phone and then hung up. He glanced at Qin Liguo: "I'll give Lao Zheng the code word beforehand."

Qin Liguo pulled a file folder from his briefcase and placed it on Director Ma's desk. "This is all the information on Liu Yida, the finance manager of Haida Trading Company and Zhao Fei's strategist. It's now yours to handle the investigation by your bureau's Economic Investigation Department."

Director Ma took the file folder, glanced at it, and nodded: "Okay."

Qin Liguo stood up, walked to the window, looked at the police cars parked in the courtyard below, and remained silent for a few seconds. Then he turned to Director Ma: "Now that we've finished discussing business, let's talk about personal matters."

Director Ma looked at him but didn't say anything.

Qin Liguo said, "It's about that person under my command..." Before he could finish, Director Ma asked, "Who is it?"

"He's Old Zhang's son..." Director Ma's expression changed.

Before he could finish speaking, Director Ma slammed his fist on the table and stood up, his voice so loud it could be heard down the corridor: "Qin Liguo, you old bastard! You dare use Old Zhang's son as an undercover agent?!"

Qin Liguo quickly stepped forward, placing his hands on Director Ma's shoulders and pressing him into a chair. "Oh, my dear brother, calm down and sit down." He helped Director Ma back into his seat, then sat down himself, lowering his voice, "This kid suggested the undercover operation himself; there's not much risk in this case."

Director Ma stared at him coldly, his gaze like a knife. "No risk? Haida has six gangs under his command, involved in drugs, guns, organized crime—they're involved in everything. You call that no risk? Qin Liguo, have you forgotten how Old Zhang sacrificed himself?"

Qin Liguo's face also darkened. He lowered his head, looking at his hands resting on his knees, remained silent for a few seconds, then raised his head, his voice not loud, but firm. "I haven't forgotten, and I dare not forget. He was a hero, a martyr, and his son is no coward either."

Director Ma stared at him for a few seconds, then sighed and leaned back in his chair. "After this case is over, give him to me, and I'll make the arrangements."

Qin Liguo asked, "So, what are your plans?"

"He's been assigned to be the deputy section chief of the Legal Affairs Section in our bureau."

Qin Liguo shook his head: "No, he'll ask to go to the front line. My suggestion is to go to the Sixth Major Crimes Unit of the branch bureau."

Director Ma thought about it carefully, tapped his fingers on the table a few times, and finally nodded. "Alright, let Old Zheng mentor him."

Qin Liguo stood up, forcing a smile. "Alright, my dear brother, don't be angry anymore. I heard you have some good tea here, why don't you let me try some?"

Director Ma glared at him irritably: "Get lost, what's the point of drinking tea?"

……

Yang Zhen was driving alone, followed by Lao Zheng, Ji Jie, and Ding Jian's van. The two vehicles kept a distance, driving slowly and steadily on the highway. Lao Zheng sat in the passenger seat, holding a walkie-talkie and keeping his eyes on the taillights of the car in front.

"Yang Zhen, this man has dealt with both of us before," Old Zheng said into the walkie-talkie. "He'll recognize you once we meet."

Yang Zhen's voice came through the walkie-talkie, slightly hoarse: "I really didn't expect this person to be Gu Yang. I remember he did quite well at the police academy."

Old Zheng said, "The bureau has already begun a secret arrest operation against him."

Yang Zhen asked, "Did they catch them?"

Old Zheng shook his head: "No. There's no sign of him at his home or his company. It's said that the last place he was seen was Haida Trading Company. We sent people to inquire, and Gu Yang is now the security manager of Haida Trading Company, but nobody knows where he is."

There was a few seconds of silence on the walkie-talkie. Then Yang Zhen's voice came through again: "Old Zheng, Wu Jun'er and the others have added two more guns. One Type 54 and one submachine gun with a silencer."

Old Zheng frowned slightly. "This is quite a commotion. This guy has powerful connections, but his backer is already being watched by the Discipline Inspection Commission, and they'll be working with us to take action."

Yang Zhen said, "This gun was provided by Haida Company. So we must make sure the brothers are careful."

Old Zheng looked at the taillights of the car ahead and lowered his voice: "The one who really needs to be careful is you."

Yang Zhen chuckled, the laughter coming through the walkie-talkie with static. "I'm fine. The King of Hell dislikes me; he's been at his doorstep several times but hasn't taken me."

Old Zheng was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Yang Zhen, you are in a very dangerous situation. My advice is that you withdraw now."

There was another silence on the walkie-talkie. Then Yang Zhen's voice rang out, even lower than before: "If I withdraw, they'll notice. Let's wait and see." He paused, "That's all for now, I'm leaving."

Old Zheng said, "Okay, don't forget to send the signal."

The car in front slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road. The window rolled down, and a black walkie-talkie flew out and landed in the roadside grass. Then the car accelerated and disappeared into the night. Old Zheng picked up the walkie-talkie and said into it, "Hey, you by the roadside, retrieve it."

The people stationed by the roadside picked up the walkie-talkie from the bushes, put it in a plastic bag, and stuffed it into their pockets. Old Zheng put down the walkie-talkie, turned to look at Ji Jie, and his expression was very serious.

"From now on, the protection of Yang Zhen must be enhanced, and he must be protected 24 hours a day."

Ji Jie nodded: "Okay, I understand."

When Yang Zhen returned to the villa, it was already dark. The villa was built at the foot of a mountain, surrounded by a thicket of mixed trees, the wind whistling through the treetops. He parked the car in the yard, turned off the engine, and got out. After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped. It was too quiet. There were no dogs barking in the yard, no television sounding inside, and even the wind had stopped.

He stood in the middle of the courtyard, thought for a moment, and then walked forward. Steps, porch, doorknob. He reached out and pushed the door; it wasn't locked. He went inside. The lights weren't on; only the moonlight from outside shone in, casting a grayish-white glow on the floor.

Three people suddenly appeared behind him. Their movements were quick and light, as if rehearsed. One person grabbed his neck from behind, while the other two held his arms on either side. Before he could struggle, a rough hand covered his mouth, and the smell of duct tape filled his nostrils. The tape instantly sealed his mouth shut.

A cold gun barrel was pressed against his temple.

Footsteps came from upstairs, unhurried, leather shoes making a dull thud on the wooden floor. A man descended the stairs, wearing a dark jacket, his hair neatly combed, a smile on his face. The moonlight illuminated his face, making it very clear.

Guyang.

Gu Yang walked up to Yang Zhen, stopped, and looked at him. Then he raised his hand, signaling the three men to be quiet. He reached out and ripped open Yang Zhen's shirt; a button popped off, bounced off, and rolled twice on the ground. Inside the shirt, close to the chest, was a black bugging device, its indicator light still flashing faintly.

Gu Yang picked up the bugging device with two fingers, looked at it in front of his eyes, then threw it on the ground and stomped on it. The sound of the plastic casing shattering was particularly jarring in the quiet room.

Wu Jun'er stood up from the sofa, walked over to Yang Zhen, his face twitching. He stared at Yang Zhen for several seconds, then spoke, his voice low, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth. "If Gu Yang hadn't told me, I would have almost fallen for your trick."

Gu Yang reached out and ripped the tape off Yang Zhen's mouth. A few stubble hairs were torn off with the tape, and blood seeped from the corner of Yang Zhen's mouth. He took a breath and looked up at Gu Yang.

Gu Yang smiled, a faint smile carrying an inexplicable air of smugness. "Hello, Yang Zhen."

Inside the bread truck outside, Lao Zheng, Ji Jie, and Ding Jian simultaneously discovered that the bugging device had lost its signal. Only a piercing static sound remained in their headphones, followed by complete silence.

Old Zheng took off his headphones and frowned. "What's going on?"

Ji Jie was operating the equipment, her fingers flying across the keyboard, but there was no signal on the screen. She looked up, her expression changing. "The signal's gone."

Ding Jian pulled out his pistol from his waist and cocked it. "Something's happened? Should we rush in?"

Old Zheng pressed his hand down and shook his head. "No, we don't have enough people, and we don't know what's going on inside."

Ding Jian grew anxious, his voice rising slightly: "What can we do? We can't just sit here and wait, can we?"

Ji Jie thought for a moment and said, "How about we send someone from the property management to scout it out?"

Old Zheng still shook his head. "No. If Yang Zhen reveals his identity, the people inside will definitely become alert. No matter who goes in, it will alarm them."

Ji Jie's hands paused on the keyboard, and she remained silent for two seconds. "I believe Yang Zhen's identity has been exposed."

Old Zheng picked up the walkie-talkie and switched to the public channel. "Attention all groups, assemble near the villa. Do not get close, maintain distance."

Inside the villa, Yang Zhen was bound hand and foot and thrown onto a chair. The ropes were tightly bound, leaving red marks on his wrists. Wu Jun'er stood in front of him, his face full of anger, his chest heaving. He bent down, brought his face close to Yang Zhen's, and his voice was so loud it sounded like a roar.

"If it weren't for Gu Yang, I would have almost been fooled by you!"

Blood was still trickling from Yang Zhen's mouth. He looked at Wu Jun'er with a calm gaze. Gu Yang held a Type 64 pistol in his hand, the muzzle already fitted with a silencer. He walked to the chair opposite Yang Zhen, sat down, crossed his legs, and rested the gun on his knees.

"Yang Zhen, you didn't expect this, did you?"

Yang Zhen looked at him, his voice hoarse: "Why you?"

Gu Yang smiled. His smile held a hint of smugness, but also a complex emotion that was hard to define. He twirled the gun on his knee and spoke slowly.

"Yang Zhen, I'm not like you. I'm a coward, I can't be a hero. If I had two choices, one is to be a hero who suffers, and the other is to live a comfortable life, I would choose the latter." He paused, looking into Yang Zhen's eyes, "That's also why I left the police force back then."

Yang Zhen didn't speak, he just looked at him.

Wu Jun'er snorted beside him, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag. "You really underestimate me. If I want to get rid of Huang Si'er, Gu Yang will naturally come. Do you know why? People strive for higher positions, water flows downhill. Gu Yang is now with Haida, he's the head of Haida's security department, his position is even above mine. Gu Yang wouldn't even look at a nobody like Huang Si'er."

Gu Yang tightened the silencer on the muzzle, stood up, and walked towards Yang Zhen. "Come on, move aside."

Suddenly someone knocked on the door. Three knocks, neither too loud nor too soft.

Wu Jun'er frowned, glanced at the doorway, then at Gu Yang. Gu Yang stopped and slung his gun behind his back. Wu Jun'er gave his subordinate a look, and the subordinate walked to the door, peeked through the peephole, then turned back and said, "It's Brother Zhang."

Wu Jun'er's expression relaxed a little, and he nodded. His subordinate opened the door, and Zhang Yang walked in.

Zhang Yang was wearing a dark jacket and carrying nothing. He entered the room and glanced around—Yang Zhen was tied to a chair, blood at the corner of his mouth, Gu Yang stood beside him, and Wu Jun'er sat on the sofa. His expression remained unchanged, except for a slight frown.

"You..." he began, a hint of surprise in his voice, but he quickly stopped himself.

Wu Jun'er stood up, pointed at Yang Zhen, and said, "Brother Zhang, this guy is a cop."

Zhang Yang glanced at Yang Zhen, then at Gu Yang, and nodded. "No wonder there were so many people outside." He walked to the sofa, but didn't sit down; he just stood there. He looked at Gu Yang and said, "Keep this person here for now; you guys leave."

Then he turned to Liu Yi, who was leaning against the wall, and said, "Brother, your family is taking care of you. Five minutes after we leave, take care of him. Leaving him here will attract the cops' attention."

Gu Yang handed over the Type 64 pistol with a silencer. Liu Yi took the gun from Gu Yang, weighed it in his hand, nodded, and said nothing.

Zhang Yang then turned to Wu Jun'er and Gu Yang, his tone unhurried. "Wu Jun, Brother Fei wants you to stay put for a while, and don't make any moves against Huang Si'er." He glanced at Gu Yang, "Someone from the company came by; they were asking about you."

Gu Yang's expression changed slightly. "How did President Zhao arrange things for me?"

Zhang Yang took out a passport from his inner pocket and handed it over. "Brother Fei said you should hide with Wu Jun'er for now. Next week you'll sail from Tianjin to an overseas country. Here's your passport."

Gu Yang took the passport, glanced at it, closed it, and put it in his pocket. He nodded and turned to pack his things. Wu Jun'er also stood up and gestured to his men to prepare to leave.

Before leaving, Gu Yang turned back to Liu Yi and said, "Start watching your watch after we leave. Five minutes."

Liu Yi nodded.

Zhang Yang walked in front, pushed open the door, and the night wind blew in, carrying the chill of late autumn. Wu Jun'er, along with Gu Yang and two of his men, followed behind him, and the group got into the car. Wu Jun'er leaned out of the car window and said to Zhang Yang, "Thank you, Brother Zhang."

Zhang Yang didn't say anything, just nodded and turned to walk towards his car.

He got into the driver's seat, closed the door, and didn't start the car immediately. He watched Wu Jun'er's taillights disappear at the end of the road, waited a while, and made sure no one was around before taking a cell phone out of his pocket. This cell phone wasn't the one he usually used; it was an old-fashioned candybar phone with only one number on the screen.

He dialed the number.

Old Zheng's phone rang. He glanced at the screen; it was an unfamiliar number. He answered it without saying a word.

A voice came from the other end, low and steady: "3359."

Old Zheng paused for a moment, then remembered the secret code Director Ma had mentioned, and said into the microphone, "5581."

There was no small talk on the other end; the person on the other end said directly, "Yang Zhen's identity has been exposed. There is someone inside the villa with a Type 64 pistol; Yang Zhen will be executed in three minutes." Then the call ended.

Old Zheng put down his phone and looked at Ji Jie and Ding Jian. His expression was serious, but his voice was steady.

"Prepare for action. There's only one person inside, with a Type 64 rifle."

Ding Jian cocked his gun, and Ji Jie checked the walkie-talkie at her waist. Neither of them asked who had made the call. It's the rule not to ask what you shouldn't ask.

Old Zheng opened the car door, and a night breeze rushed in. He straightened his clothes and glanced at the villa with its lights on. "Let's go."