Du Yuelin began explaining at her leisure. Han Qu, she said, had originally been an undercover officer planted inside the Heaven-Measuring Ruler by the Han Province police. Liang Yueze had been the one who saved his life. Han Qu had betrayed the police long ago, but neither Liang Yueze nor Jin Xiaoquan trusted him. Jin Xiaoquan had even intended to execute him. Du Yuelin had demanded that Jin Xiaoquan hand him over and then faked his death, deceiving both Jin Xiaoquan and the Hua Country police. It had been the only time she’d visited Hua Country in recent years.
Bu Yangyun still didn’t understand. “What use is a police traitor?”
Du Yuelin regarded him with contempt. “Uncle Bu, you really are getting old. Someone as important as Officer Han is bound to possess valuable intelligence even if he’s a traitor. The Hua Country police want to bring him home alive, so he gives us a bargaining chip. Don’t worry. When the time comes, Liang Yueze will be the only one who dies. In the worst case, we’ll have to hand Officer Han over and start again.”
Bu Yangyun’s puzzled gaze drifted toward Han Qu, who smiled and gave him a little nod.
Afterward, Bu Yangyun remained under the close watch of the masked men. On one occasion, when he went to the restroom, Han Qu followed. Bu Yangyun asked warily, “What do you want?”
“I want to make a deal with you,” Han Qu said lightly.
Bu Yangyun glanced around, extremely nervous.
“Relax. There’s no one else here,” Han Qu said. “Du Yuelin trusts me well enough.”
“What sort of deal?”
“You should know that Du Yuelin hasn’t given the slightest thought to your safety. Whether you live or die is down to luck.”
Bu Yangyun paled and argued instinctively, “It’s not quite that hopeless.”
Han Qu smiled. “You can’t even handle Du Yuelin. How do you expect to survive when Liang Yueze turns his gun on you? Should I remind you that because of you and other greedy people like you, Liang Yueze lost the younger brother and sister he loved most?”
Bu Yangyun swallowed. “Then what can you do about it?”
Han Qu’s eyes curved. “I can make sure you aren’t killed. But there’s one condition.”
Bu Yangyun tried to remain calm. “How? And why should I believe you?”
Han Qu leaned close to his ear. “Because I’m actually one of Liang Yueze’s men.”
Bu Yangyun’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“There. Now you’ve got the biggest secret I have. You can report me to Du Yuelin whenever you like and have me executed,” Han Qu said. “My life is in your hands.”
Bu Yangyun’s lips trembled as his mind raced. “Then… Du Yuelin doesn’t have a fallback plan at all?”
“Are you willing to work with me now?” Han Qu asked.
Bu Yangyun still hesitated. “Will Liang Yueze listen to you?”
“I’m still useful to him. Why wouldn’t he do me a favor?” Han Qu glanced toward the end of the corridor. “Mr. Bu, you don’t have much time to decide.”
Since arriving in Country M, every step had been a matter of life or death. Bu Yangyun gritted his teeth. “What’s your condition?”
Han Qu took out a thin hard drive. “When the Hua Country police arrive, give them this. Preferably, give it to a man named Chen Zheng.”
Bu Yangyun drew a sharp breath. His hand shook as he took the drive. “Who exactly are you?”
“Shh.” Han Qu pressed a finger to his lips. “That has nothing to do with keeping you alive. You don’t need to know.”
The drive was exceedingly light, but Bu Yangyun understood the weight of what he held. Trembling, he put it away. When Han Qu turned to leave, he suddenly asked, “Why do you trust me?”
Han Qu didn’t turn around. Shadow covered most of his body. He drew the cloth over his face again, becoming Du Yuelin’s faithful masked subordinate once more. “Because, like you, I’ve reached a point where I have no other choice.”
Bu Yangyun took two steps after him. “I’ll… I’ll find a way to give it to Chen Zheng. But aren’t you afraid I’ll look at what’s on it?”
Han Qu chuckled. “Only if you have the ability.”
Blood surged through Chen Zheng’s body, raising goosebumps along his arms. From Bu Yangyun’s account, he could almost picture Han Qu speaking those words. He tipped his head back and drew a deep breath. Han Qu must truly have had no other choice to entrust something so important to someone who couldn’t be trusted.
“Did you…” Chen Zheng asked, “did you look at the data on the drive?”
Bu Yangyun shook his head with a rueful smile. “He certainly knew what he was doing. I tried, but I couldn’t decrypt it.”
Once he’d calmed down, Bu Yangyun had stopped being curious about the drive’s contents. He couldn’t carry it around with him. He needed somewhere secure to hide it, somewhere it wouldn’t be found and wouldn’t be destroyed when the fighting started.
Word came that Liang Yueze was approaching. Du Yuelin left the palace with some of her masked men. Han Qu, who remained behind, looked at Bu Yangyun. Bu Yangyun immediately understood. Under Han Qu’s protection, he quietly left the throne and hid in the palace’s maze of passageways. The battle outside intensified. He crawled into one room and laboriously concealed the drive above the suspended ceiling.
At the terrifying sound of rockets, he instinctively covered his head and curled up, uncertain whether his hiding place was safe. But he had no chance to find a better one. Du Yuelin knew he’d gone missing, and her masked men were searching the palace for him.
He crawled back toward the main hall through the ducts and witnessed something frightening. Liang Yueze was standing in the palace with only two attendants, surrounded by countless guns. Du Yuelin was laughing wildly. No one noticed Bu Yangyun pick up a submachine gun from a dead man. No one saw him step over corpses and circle behind a statue to aim at Du Yuelin.
A shot rang out. Blood burst from Du Yuelin’s chest. The sound seemed to be the signal for battle, and the palace was instantly engulfed in gunfire and explosions. Perhaps because they’d lost their leader, Du Yuelin’s supposedly elite masked men fell in heaps. Bu Yangyun suddenly came fully to his senses and fired madly at Du Yuelin. The woman he’d watched grow up sank slowly into a pool of blood, her eyes full of rage and unwillingness.
When the gunfire subsided, Liang Yueze aimed his weapon at Bu Yangyun. Bullets had already struck both Bu Yangyun’s legs, leaving him unable to move. All Liang Yueze needed to do was pull the trigger and another bullet would pierce Bu Yangyun’s forehead. His mind went blank. It seemed as though he couldn’t even move his eyes. Then Han Qu stepped forward and calmly informed Liang Yueze that the police had arrived.
Liang Yueze lowered his gun, and the four men hurried away. Bu Yangyun sat among the blood, terrified and dazed. It wasn’t until he woke up in hospital that he remembered the hard drive that had saved his life.
“How did it go?” Chen Zheng asked when he returned from the hospital to the temporary base and found Ming Han.
Ming Han was watching over the technicians trying to decrypt the drive. He shut the door and shook his head. “It looks difficult.”
Li Dongchi stood nearby. He gave Chen Zheng an innocent look, then said to Ming Han, “Officer Ming, could you explain things to Officer Chen? I really didn’t conceal the drive on purpose. You’ve seen how complicated the encryption is. I’ve been spending all my time trying to crack it.”
Chen Zheng nodded. “It’s fine. We understand. We’ll find a solution.”
Li Dongchi shoved his hands into his combat-trouser pockets and wandered into another room as though he had nothing to do. Chen Zheng glanced after him and motioned for Ming Han to come downstairs with him.
There was a rare silence on the streets of Jielan, with no gunfire to be heard. Chen Zheng recounted Bu Yangyun’s story in detail. “Old Tang was right. Han Qu is carrying out a plan only he understands. When Lin Dong returned and told us Han Qu was dead, that was part of the plan too.”
“Deceive everyone, win Du Yuelin’s trust, then betray Du Yuelin at the last moment and disappear with Liang Yueze,” Ming Han said.
“What’s on that drive may determine whether we can remain in Country M and continue the mission,” Chen Zheng replied. “If we can’t decrypt it quickly, the order to recall us will arrive.”
Ming Han frowned. “Doesn’t look promising. Xiao Wei isn’t an expert in decryption. He knows a little, but we can’t find anyone more qualified right now. And there’s no way we can count on Li Dongchi’s people.”
“He handed it over so readily precisely because he was certain we wouldn’t be able to decrypt it,” Chen Zheng said.
“If we sent it back to Hua Country, perhaps we could find someone capable of unlocking it.”
Chen Zheng’s expression changed.
Ming Han looked sideways at him. “Bro? What’s wrong?”
“I’ve thought of someone,” Chen Zheng said. “If he can’t crack it, no one can.”
Liu Zhiqin was one of Hua Country’s leading cybersecurity specialists. Back when Chen Zheng was captain of the Luocheng Municipal Police Bureau’s criminal investigation detachment, Liu Zhiqin had been transferred there from the Ministry of Public Security’s Special Operations Team, where he belonged to the cyberwarfare group. The previous year he’d been transferred back to the ministry with Hua Chong, who’d been acting captain of the detachment.
Ming Han was cautious. “You’re planning to have someone transferred directly from the Special Operations Team? The procedures might take more time than we can afford.”
Chen Zheng shook his head. “We’d have to request a transfer no matter who we asked for. If I brought in an expert who couldn’t solve the problem, I’d have to turn to the Special Operations Team anyway. Might as well get it right the first time. Besides, I’m on friendly terms with Liu Zhiqin and Shen Xun, the head of the Special Operations Team.”
Ming Han studied him without speaking. Chen Zheng was starting to wonder what was wrong when Ming Han lowered his head and smiled.
“Hm?” Chen Zheng prompted.
Ming Han leaned close and whispered in his ear, “Bro, why are you on friendly terms with absolutely everyone? You’re such a playboy.”
Chen Zheng drove an elbow toward him. Ming Han clutched his stomach and wailed, “And you’re abusive! Even more of a playboy!”
The hard drive became the focus of both countries’ police. After Chen Zheng reported the matter to Lu Hejing, the director let out a long breath and immediately called Yu Xingzhong back home. Only then did Chen Zheng learn that the higher authorities had just issued their instructions: the special operations personnel would remain in Country M temporarily to help local police finish clearing the area, but the Mobile Unit was to return immediately.
There were formal procedures for requesting a specialist from the Special Operations Team, but Chen Zheng wanted to save time. He called Shen Xun directly. The two had known each other for years, and Shen Xun had once led a team to Luocheng to help Chen Zheng’s criminal investigation detachment.
After hearing about the situation in Country M, Shen Xun hesitated. Chen Zheng was puzzled. “Captain Shen?”
Shen Xun explained that the Special Operations Team had recently carried out an overseas mission. Liu Zhiqin and Hua Chong had been central to it. Although the mission had succeeded, Hua Chong had been seriously wounded and was recuperating. Liu Zhiqin couldn’t leave his side.
Chen Zheng felt his heart tighten. Many Special Operations Team missions were classified. As a local police officer, he couldn’t casually ask about them. Hearing the news, he was worried about Hua Chong and no longer knew how to make his request.
“Hua Chong is recovering. Otherwise, if you needed help, he’d be the first to come running. When I transferred him to my unit, you were the person he worried about most,” Shen Xun said. “Here’s what I’ll do. I’ll speak to ‘the hacker’ and see whether he’s willing to take this assignment.”
After the call, Chen Zheng remained dazed. Since leaving Luocheng, he’d tried not to inquire into his former teammates’ lives. He’d withdrawn into himself. Over the past month, he’d thrown himself into work again, unaware that the most dependable captain of his major crimes squad had nearly failed to return from abroad.
When the Heaven-Measuring Ruler is dealt with, when all this is over… He clenched his fists and thought in silence.
Half an hour later, Tang Xiaoli received a call and stood up in surprise. “What? He’s coming right away?”
Yu Xingzhong was just as baffled. “I haven’t even finished the paperwork, but the Special Operations Team says Liu Zhiqin’s already prepared and can leave whenever we need him.”
Chen Zheng breathed out. Ming Han nudged his shoulder and said with deliberate jealousy, “Bro, at a single command from you, a million ‘hackers’…”
Chen Zheng seized his chin, distorting his words into a string of “bo-bo-bo” noises.
“Read fewer brain-dead web novels,” Chen Zheng said.
Elio’s Notes: Ming Han’s unfinished line about commanding “a million hackers” parodies exaggerated online-fiction hero tropes, where a single command summons an absurd number of loyal specialists.
Li Dongchi welcomed the news that the Hua Country police were bringing in additional technical personnel. After all, decrypting the drive would benefit Country M’s police too. Lu Hejing and Long Fusheng held several meetings. Country M’s police gradually increased the manpower searching for Liang Yueze’s network and investigating Jin Wu. At the beginning of the international operation, Country M’s police had been reluctant to confront Jin Wu directly. Now even someone as cautious as Long Fusheng hoped to seize the momentum and at least discover Jin Wu’s true identity.
But neither effort made much progress. Du Yuelin had died suddenly, without revealing a single useful detail about Jin Wu to the police.
A Country M police helicopter collected Liu Zhiqin at the civilian airport. It circled above Jielan and descended slowly, the downdraft spreading like the petals of a blooming lotus. The door opened. A man in tactical clothing jumped down, a black backpack slung over his right shoulder. The Country M sunshine was fierce. Only when Liu Zhiqin reached Chen Zheng did he take off his sunglasses.
“Captain Chen. It’s been a long time.”
“A long time.” Chen Zheng immediately led him toward the vehicle. “How’s Hua?”
Liu Zhiqin set his backpack aside and smiled. “He wanted to come too. Shen Xun wouldn’t allow it. Said he couldn’t lift or carry a thing in his current state and would only cause you trouble.”
Seeing Liu Zhiqin so relaxed, Chen Zheng felt his anxiety ease. Only now was he sure Hua Chong was truly going to be all right. “You’re the one who wouldn’t let him come, weren’t you?”
“He heard it involved Han Qu and told me I absolutely had to help.”
The drive from the helipad to the temporary base took only five minutes. Chen Zheng briefly explained their dilemma. When Liu Zhiqin saw a photograph of the hard drive, he fell silent for a moment, thoughtful, then said confidently, “I think I can decrypt it.”
Those were exactly the words Chen Zheng had wanted to hear. “I’m counting on you, Brother Xiao Liu.”
Liu Zhiqin smiled. “Haven’t heard that name in a long time.”
“They don’t call you that in the Special Operations Team?”
A warmth unusual for his expression filled Liu Zhiqin’s eyes. “Wasn’t that the nickname Hua Chong gave me after I came to Luocheng? It’s a Luocheng-only name.”
Everyone at the temporary base was waiting for the leading specialist Chen Zheng had promised. The moment Liu Zhiqin arrived, the Country M technicians and Xiao Wei, who’d attempted to crack the drive earlier, gathered around. Chen Zheng handed the drive to Liu Zhiqin. Without a word, Liu Zhiqin took a laptop from his backpack, turned it on, connected the drive, and brought up a screen rapidly filling with code.
Worried that a crowd would disturb Liu Zhiqin, Tang Xiaoli ushered most of the spectators out. No one in the room spoke. Only the intermittent tapping of keys could be heard.
A cybersecurity expert’s computer seemed to contain another world. The lines of code racing past were a battlefield of their own, separate from reality. Nobody tried to interrupt Liu Zhiqin while he worked. But he spoke without stopping his typing. “Captain Chen, when I first came to Luocheng, Han Qu asked me about encryption.”
Chen Zheng was surprised. “So this program…”
Liu Zhiqin nodded. “He said you’d told him I was a ‘hacker’ who could break into absolutely anything, that there wasn’t a program I couldn’t penetrate. You’d even told him that writers of hacker fiction based their characters on me.”
Chen Zheng choked. Reflexively he glanced at Ming Han, who silently mouthed, So you read hacker novels too?
Chen Zheng had nothing to say.
“That’s why Han Qu came to ask which encryption program would be safest,” Liu Zhiqin said. “I thought that meant he had some technical foundation. But really he was a complete beginner, just like Hua Chong. I hadn’t even begun explaining the complicated parts before his eyes took on that clear, vacant look of someone who understands absolutely nothing.”
Elio’s Notes: The Chinese phrase 清澈且愚蠢 (“clear and foolish”) is an internet-joke description of an innocent, unmistakably clueless expression. Liu Zhiqin uses it affectionately and mercilessly here.
Chen Zheng knew Liu Zhiqin had a sharp tongue, yet even he was startled to hear him describe Han Qu that way.
“So I gave him a program I’d written, and told him to use it as it was.” Liu Zhiqin entered the final line of code. “This is the hard drive he brought me back then. I asked what he wanted to encrypt. He said he didn’t know. It might come in handy someday.”
Since Liu Zhiqin had written the encryption program himself, naturally he was the one best equipped to decrypt it. Chen Zheng felt steadier, but he also couldn’t stop thinking about Han Qu’s visit. Had Han Qu already imagined what he’d use the program for? Probably not. As he’d said, he’d simply been preparing for any eventuality.
“You can watch it now. It’s a video.” Liu Zhiqin stood, his task complete.
When Han Qu appeared on the screen, everyone tensed. Lu Hejing couldn’t help stepping forward. He moved past Chen Zheng and Ming Han to stand closest to the laptop.
Han Qu said, “I’m Han Qu. Three years ago, Director Lu assigned me to infiltrate the Heaven-Measuring Ruler. If this video has been opened, that almost certainly means I’ve completed my mission. I’ll give you my conclusion first. The person controlling the Heaven-Measuring Ruler, known as Jin Wu, is actually Liang Yueze.”
Han Qu had faced danger and near-death situations many times. But when Qiusai fell, he’d genuinely felt his life coming to an end.
Death was like a small space, thick, damp, and suffocating, constantly closing in on his body. He couldn’t open his eyes. It seemed as though his brain was being stirred and pulled apart. The pain was dull yet everywhere. He didn’t know what was happening. His mind was a fog, but he hadn’t completely lost consciousness. He knew he couldn’t breathe properly. He felt layer upon layer of weight pressing down on his chest, his soul forcibly torn from his ravaged body, unable to return to it but refusing to vanish.
He woke half a month later, though he didn’t know the exact time. His thoughts were still stuck in the moments before Qiusai had launched its attack. A stranger came to see him: a woman with mature beauty whose every movement carried an alluring confidence. She was Xu Hetang.
“You’re awake.” Xu Hetang offered him some medicine.
He accepted it cautiously, trying to guess who she was.
Noticing his wariness, Xu Hetang took the pills back, put them in her own mouth, swallowed them with water, and smiled. “Just ordinary vitamins. You were unconscious for so long and needed quite a lot of medication. Extra vitamins can help ease the burden on your body as it metabolizes everything.”
“Did you save me?” he asked hoarsely.
“I’m only the person who handles things,” Xu Hetang said. “But I was the one looking after you and running around for you. So you can think of it as me saving you, if you like.”
Han Qu had only just awakened and didn’t understand his situation. He said nothing more, instead carefully studying the surroundings. It appeared to be a self-built rural house, perhaps in a remote area. There were no sounds from outside except an occasional rooster crowing. Under the circumstances in which he’d nearly died, who could possibly have saved him?
Xu Hetang didn’t explain much. She gave him new medication, told him to rest, and left. Later a doctor came to examine him and help with his rehabilitation.
A week later, Han Qu understood that he was in a small town in northwestern Han Province. Most young people had moved away, leaving mainly the elderly. Medical facilities should have been primitive in a place like this, yet the house was full of expensive equipment and medication. It appeared to be a hidden medical station.
He recovered gradually and managed to piece together what had happened in Luocheng. Hua Chong and the others had prevented the terrorist attack planned by Qiusai. The criminals responsible had been arrested. The Han Province Mobile Unit had remained completely out of sight during the operation. No one mentioned the missing captain of the special police detachment, Han Qu.
That meant he was still carrying out the mission Lu Hejing had given him.
Xu Hetang returned and looked at him with satisfaction. “You’re recovering nicely. Now I can report that I’ve done my job. I know you’ve got plenty of questions. Don’t worry. I’ll answer them. But first, answer a few for me.”
Han Qu replied calmly, “Go ahead.”
“Are you an undercover police officer?”
He raised his eyebrows, then gave a scoffing laugh. “Sure. I’m undercover. Send me back now and the Luocheng police bureau will be very grateful you saved me. You can call…” He felt around in his pockets. “Sorry. My phone’s gone.”
“Who do you want me to call?”
He gave the name without hesitation. “Chen Zheng. Captain of Luocheng’s criminal investigation detachment. He’s a good friend of mine. He’ll be very grateful you saved me.”
Xu Hetang studied Han Qu for a long time before smiling. “I’m not brave enough to approach the police of my own accord.”
“Aren’t I a police officer? I’m sitting right in front of you.”
Xu Hetang put a slim woman’s cigarette between her lips. Han Qu obligingly lit it for her. She narrowed her eyes in the white smoke. “If you go back now, that would be walking straight to your death.”
“Hm?”
“You know perfectly well whether you’re an undercover officer or a traitor.”
Han Qu gave an indifferent laugh. “My ‘boss’ got arrested. He used me to deliver intelligence, then kicked me out when it was time to divide the spoils. I’ve done a pretty pathetic job of being a traitor.”
Xu Hetang flicked ash from her cigarette. “Qiusai was nothing. It’s gone, so it’s gone. You’ve survived something terrible. Why not come work for me instead?”
Han Qu raised his chin slightly. “You still haven’t said who you work for.”
“Haven’t you guessed?” Xu Hetang said. “The Heaven-Measuring Ruler.”
An appropriately surprised expression appeared in Han Qu’s eyes. “The Heaven-Measuring Ruler?”
Xu Hetang leaned closer. A mint-scented breath brushed Han Qu’s face. “Who else but the Heaven-Measuring Ruler could have saved you from Qiusai? Your teammates? They’d be delighted to see you dead.”
Han Qu shrugged and smiled with a trace of roguish charm. “Well, I’ve done an awful lot of bad things, haven’t I?”