Chapter 1: An Old Spy Arrived

  In the scorching heat of July, early in the morning, the cicadas on both sides of the road were chirping non-stop as if they were going to die. The cicadas were either cheering for the scorching sun or telling people that another sweltering day had begun.

  In the southeastern corner of the coastal city, on the right side of the gate of a quadrangle courtyard, a wooden sign with white background and black characters is hung. As long as it's someone who can read, they'll know at a glance that this is a subordinate organization of the Municipal Public Security Bureau - the Brunei Police Station.

  Twenty-five-year-old Ren Xiaotian, an ordinary policeman from the Wenlai police station. A set of white-on-top and blue-on-bottom 83-style police uniform, worn loosely on his body. Although it's not as exquisite as the later police uniforms, due to his good physique, he still looks very spirited. Plus the red collar badge sewn on his collar, which makes him look even more dashing.

  The young man looks handsome and refined, just like a student who has just graduated. He has a gentle smile on his face, which makes him look very likable. However, between his eyebrows, there is a hint of gloom that lingers and doesn't dissipate. It gives people the feeling that this young man, who should be full of sunshine, may actually be struggling with inner turmoil.

  The weather was too hot, the police in the station didn't want to go out and do things, they all stayed in the director's office blowing electric fans and chatting idly. Ren Xiao Tian also didn't want to mix with others, he sat alone in his own office.

  There was a newspaper, the Coastal Daily, on his desk, which he didn't know what day it was from. He lit a cigarette and sat there with his eyes closed, meditating. At first glance, it seemed like he was reading the paper, but in fact, his mind had already wandered off to some distant mountain paradise where he could roam freely.

  "Ding, ding, ding——" The crisp telephone ringtone interrupted the lively discussion in Director Zhang's office and also broke Ren Xiaotian's reverie.

  "Hello, I'm from the Brunei police station. Oh, what? What? There's a released prisoner who used to be a special agent and we're in charge of resettling him. Okay, fine, I'll arrange for someone to come over and take on the task." A middle-aged man with a slightly high-pitched voice continued talking on the phone as if no one was around.

  The middle-aged man was thin as a reed, with a slightly curved waist. He wore a white old-fashioned undershirt on top and a pair of oversized shorts that hung down to his knees, and he kept fanning himself non-stop with a palm-leaf fan in his hand.

  As soon as he hung up the phone, he muttered to himself: "Damn it, this world is getting more and more incomprehensible. A released convict who used to be a special agent still needs us to send someone to help him settle down in life. Tell me, are those officials upstairs so full that they're getting anxious, or what?"

  As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes scanned the room and didn't see the person he wanted to see. He immediately shouted like a rooster's "Cock-a-doodle-doo": "Where is Ren Xiao Tian? Where did he die? Hurry up and roll over here! How can you be so blind?"

  Upon hearing the shouting from the neighboring office, Ren Xiao Tian suddenly stood up, his hands tightly pressed on the desk, and his two thick eyebrows deeply furrowed. He knew that on such a hot day when going out to work, the bird who answered the phone would not need to think with their brain, and would directly assign the task to him.

  Ren Xiao Tian's brief pause was only for a moment. Afterwards, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly as he bit his lip and moved his feet, making a 'creaking' sound as he pushed open the door to the adjacent office.

  "What's with the slow motion?" The middle-aged man scolded, then instructed: "The Municipal Public Security Bureau's Patrol Brigade called and said that there is an old special agent who needs to be resettled here. You go to them now and help them get things done."

  "Ah—" Ren Xiao Tian didn't say much either, and directly pushed his bicycle out the door.

  "Director, on such a hot day, you can't always let Xiao Tian go out on official business." A middle-aged person's tone, somewhat speaking up for Ren Tianxiang.

  "Director, if he's not allowed to go, who else can? Who made him the infamous 'Mr. Calamity' of the entire city?! Let me tell you, I'm going to deal with Ren Xiaotian and see what kind of tricks he has up his sleeve to counter me. Haha——" The tall and thin section chief seemed extremely pleased with himself.

  Ren Xiaotian pedaled his bicycle slowly and steadily through the narrow alleyway. Although the road was a bit winding, he had avoided much of the scorching sun. Not far from where he started, someone in a grocery store by the roadside called out to him: "Director Ren, on such a hot day, why aren't you resting at home? What are you running around outside for? Come quick and take a break in my shop!"

  "Thanks, Brother Guo. I have something to attend to at the municipal office, I'll be right back." Ren Xiao Tian waved his hand in gratitude.

  Not far away, a woman over fifty was running along the side of the road. She was holding a fan to shield her head from the scorching sun. Ren Xiao Tian hastily hailed her and said: "Zhao Dama, where are you headed? I'll give you a ride."

  "Oh, it's Little Tian. Don't bother, I'll just go to the front store to buy some things, it's only a few steps away. On such a hot day, you should also pay attention to rest, child." The old man saw Ren Xiao Tian and stopped in his tracks with a smile.

  Third floor of the Municipal Police Bureau, Public Security Branch Chief's office.

  "Knock, knock, knock!" Ren Xiao Tian knocked on the office door.

  "Come in." A loud voice rang out. After Ren Xiao Tian pushed the door and walked in, a middle-aged man of about forty years old looked up from a document on his desk.

  A middle-aged man with a head of black hair, already mixed with a few strands of silver. A loud and clear voice, a majestic aura, a square face, thick eyebrows, big eyes, a straight nose and mouth, and those sharp, piercing eyes like steel drills, all indicate that this person is a seasoned professional policeman. He is the leader of the Public Security Branch, Song, who is highly valued by Ren Xiaotian.

  "Little Tian, you've arrived so quickly! What wind brought you here today? Come on, sit down and take a breather." Captain Song said with a smile all over his face.

  He knew that Ren Xiaotian was good at catching thieves, and he was afraid that if he dug a hole in the wall, he would dig Ren Xiaotian into the Public Security Brigade. For this reason, in order to avoid making others worry, when calling today, he only let someone from the office come over, take the task back, and did not specifically ask Ren Xiaotian to come.

  "Captain has an order, can I not run fast? Besides, on such a hot day, our captain cannot come out. Otherwise, he will be sunburned to death." Ren Xiao Tian was also straightforward and found a chair near the electric fan to sit down.

  "Listen up, kid. As soon as you're out of the police station, you start running your mouth again. Cut the crap, I've got a file here about an old agent who's just been released from prison. Take a good look at it and pay attention. If you do well, there's a reward in it for you. Otherwise, hmm, you'd better watch out for your own ass."

  Leaders are leaders, and when they change their tone, they change their tone. Just now we were still chatting, but in the blink of an eye, the topic changed. Reality is just like this, if a leader jokes with you, it means they think highly of you. Since the leader has already changed the subject, we must quickly perk up and focus on work. If we continue to chatter idly, the result will only be that the leader becomes unhappy.

  It's okay, Ren Xiao Tian understood the style of the branch team leader very well. As soon as the leader finished speaking, he stuck out his tongue and obediently sat down to read the materials. Seeing his obedient appearance, Song Branch Team Leader nodded in satisfaction and said secretly: This kid is indeed sensible. He knows how to behave himself and doesn't get arrogant just because of his connections.

  As usual, the released prisoner only needs to bring the release certificate to the police station for registration. Why is it so serious? Since the leader attaches great importance to this matter, Ren Xiaotian also dare not be careless.

  The materials that Song Zhi let Ren Xiao Tian look at were very thin, totaling only a few pages. It didn't take more than a few minutes for Ren Xiao Tian to read from start to finish. Ren Xiao Tian flipped through them repeatedly, unable to put them down.

  He then put the materials on the table, lit a cigarette for himself, and began to ponder with his chin in hand.

  "Tell me, what's your take on this?" Seeing Ren Xiao Tian finally lift his head, Song Zhi, who had been paying attention to his reaction, spoke with a smile.

  "Deputy captain, this matter is not that simple." Ren Xiao Tian said this as he didn't look like his usual self in the police station, a bit dull and wooden, but now he looked completely different.

  "Oh, what makes you think it's not simple?" Song Zhi threw a 'Dafengmen' cigarette over, and Ren Xiao Tian caught it with his backhand.

  "Hmm, this man named Xiang Ziliang is an old agent, formerly the Colonel and Director of Operations at the Military Bureau, his identity is not ordinary." Ren Xiao Tian pondered for a moment before expressing his thoughts.

  The founder of the Military Bureau, Dai Li, was also only a lieutenant general before the plane crash. For this reason, the personnel of the Military Bureau, starting from the director, could not break through the rank of lieutenant general. In that case, Xiang Ziliang's colonel rank can be considered very high. So, his position in the Military Bureau goes without saying.

  "Uh-huh, okay, that makes sense, go on." Captain Song asked with his mouth, but in his heart, he secretly sighed: "Such a good young man, why is it always someone who can't get along with him? Why did he end up with the nickname 'Mr. Calamity'?"

  Song Zhi knew that Ren Xiao Tian had been suppressed in the police station all along. Over time, this child became like the clay Buddha statue in the temple, silent and taciturn every day. Only when encountering or meeting kind people would he occasionally reveal a bit of his spirit. Faced with this situation, Old Song was also helpless, and could only secretly sigh.

  Ren Xiao Tian smiled, revealing a set of pearly white teeth, and spoke eloquently: "From the general situation, analyzing the person with such a high position in the Military Bureau, who is also the head of the action department responsible for capturing tasks, the crimes on his hands will not be few. He is not a war criminal, but he has not been sentenced to extreme punishment either, which is a rare occurrence. One possibility is that he has secrets that can save his life. Another possibility is related to his experience as the head of the anti-spy squad during the time when they were fighting against the little devils and traitors. Having killed so many little devils and traitors, he can be considered a national hero."

  "Uh-huh, that makes some sense. Continue." Captain Song's words were always few. He just raised questions and then listened attentively.