Chapter 244
Zheng Tongwei had been mingling in the capital for years. He was smooth and tactful, and when it came to connections, he had them by the bucketload.
On top of that, he was currently a double agent.
He could still make use of his immediate superior's network.
Tailing Jiang Shuyi without leaving a trace was a piece of cake for Zheng Tongwei.
These past few days, Zheng Tongwei had various people change into different disguises every day—sometimes as workers in overalls, sometimes as locals carrying grocery baskets—following Jiang Shuyi from a safe distance.
Every day, Jiang Shuyi left her dormitory at the military hospital to go to work. After her shift, she would either head straight back to the dorm or go to the nearby market to buy groceries. Her life seemed routine and ordinary, without any anomalies.
But Zheng Tongwei didn't let his guard down. He knew that the more normal things appeared, the more likely there was something fishy hidden behind the scenes.
It wasn't until a weekend a week later, just as the sky was getting light, that Zheng Tongwei's men saw Pei Zhengwei pull up to the entrance of the military hospital in an old jeep.
Not long after, Jiang Shuyi walked out of the dormitory building and got straight into Pei Zhengwei's car. The lookout immediately reported this to Zheng Tongwei.
Upon hearing the news, Zheng Tongwei went to tail them himself.
He also quickly made a phone call to Shen Nanchu, informing her of Pei Zhengwei and Jiang Shuyi's movements.
When Shen Nanchu received Zheng Tongwei's message, her eyes sharpened.
She had long expected that there was more than meets the eye between Pei Zhengwei and Jiang Shuyi.
Previously, when Jiang Shuyi tried to use her system to cheat in the college entrance examination, it was Shen Nanchu who cut off her shortcut, causing her to fail the exam and forcing her to remain at the military hospital as an intern doctor.
Jiang Shuyi definitely hated her for it. Now that she was mixed up with Pei Zhengwei, there was no telling what kind of evil deeds they were plotting.
Sitting at her desk, Shen Nanchu summoned her system in her mind.
"System, how many Disgust Points does it cost to redeem a one-day eavesdropping privilege on Jiang Shuyi?"
The system quickly responded,
"Dear Host, eavesdropping on real-time situations for one day requires 100 Disgust Points!"
"What? 100? Why don't you just go rob a bank?"
Shen Nanchu frowned. Although she had earned quite a few Disgust Points recently from the campus rumors, she couldn't afford to waste them like this.
"Redeeming a location tracker before was only 20 points. Why is eavesdropping so expensive?"
The system explained aggrievedly,
"Host, to eavesdrop on Jiang Shuyi, there is special energy interference around her. It requires extra energy consumption to shield against the interference."
Shen Nanchu thought for a moment. The missing artifacts from the Cultural Relics Bureau were of great importance, and Pei Zhengwei was suspected of being an enemy spy. This eavesdropping had to be done.
However, 100 Disgust Points a day was simply too expensive.
And there was no telling how many days she would need to listen in!
A shrewd glint flashed across Shen Nanchu's eyes.
"System, didn't you say before that you could consume Jiang Shuyi's system to upgrade yourself?"
"Yes, Host."
At the mention of this, the system's voice grew somewhat impatient and eager.
Two tigers cannot share one mountain.
If two systems existed in one world, it would be total chaos.
It would be best for Jiang Shuyi's system to serve as an energy source for it.
"Then isn't eavesdropping on Jiang Shuyi for your own good?"
Shen Nanchu accurately grasped the system's lifeline.
"That's true, but..." The system became somewhat conflicted.
"If I take down Jiang Shuyi, aren't you the biggest beneficiary?"
Shen Nanchu's voice carried a hint of temptation.
"Once you consume the system on Jiang Shuyi, you'll be the most awesome system in this world!"
The system felt that its Host made a lot of sense.
"Host, don't worry. I'll take care of this eavesdropping on Jiang Shuyi."
"Great, I appreciate a system like you that does things cleanly and efficiently."
Shen Nanchu's rare flattery made the system feel so comfortable that it was practically floating.
"There's no time like the present, let's start now! Sys."
"Alright, Host. Watch me."
As the voice faded, the sound of Pei Zhengwei and Jiang Shuyi's conversation immediately echoed in Shen Nanchu's mind.
"Shuyi, I've already contacted a buyer for those artifacts I had you take last time. The transaction will take place next week at the abandoned factory in the suburbs."
Pei Zhengwei's voice carried a hint of urgency,
"The buyer this time is from overseas and is very generous. As long as the transaction is successful, we'll get a huge sum of money."
Jiang Shuyi's voice was a bit hesitant,
"Zhengwei, isn't this too risky? Shen Nanchu seems to be looking into the artifact matter, and ever since Zhang Jianjun was caught last time, I've felt uneasy."
"What are you afraid of?"
Pei Zhengwei said nonchalantly,
"We have our people inside the Cultural Relics Bureau who can tip us off in advance. No matter how capable Shen Nanchu is, she won't trace it back to us."
"Besides, don't you have a way to make the artifacts vanish into thin air? As long as we're careful during the transaction, nothing will go wrong."
"But..." Jiang Shuyi wanted to say more, but was interrupted by Pei Zhengwei.
"No buts," Pei Zhengwei's tone grew impatient. "If you're scared, I'll just go do the deal myself!"
Jiang Shuyi fell silent for a few seconds before finally compromising.
"I understand, I'll cooperate with you. But you have to promise that after the transaction succeeds, the money will still be split the usual way."
"Don't worry, I keep my word."
Hearing this, Shen Nanchu turned off the eavesdropping.
She tapped her fingers lightly on the desk, her eyes cold.
Sure enough, Jiang Shuyi stole the artifacts, Pei Zhengwei was responsible for reselling them, and they even had an inside man at the Cultural Relics Bureau.
What concerned Shen Nanchu even more was that Pei Zhengwei mentioned an overseas buyer.
Was selling these precious artifacts to foreign forces a deliberate smokescreen? Or was it their intention all along?
Shen Nanchu's intuition told her it wasn't that simple.
Shen Nanchu immediately contacted Zheng Tongwei,
"Brother Zheng, continue keeping an eye on Pei Zhengwei. He's going to the abandoned factory in the suburbs to trade artifacts next week. Go scout the location first and figure out the factory's layout and surrounding environment."
"Also, look into anyone at the Cultural Relics Bureau who has ties to Pei Zhengwei, especially those who have been in contact with Jiang Shuyi recently."
"Alright, I'll get right on it!" Zheng Tongwei agreed readily.
After hanging up the phone, Shen Nanchu asked the system in her mind again,
"System, while you're tailing Jiang Shuyi, how about you keep an eye on Pei Zhengwei for me as well?"
System: "..."
"Host, these are two different things. They can't be lumped together."
"Fine!" Shen Nanchu accepted reality. "Then how many Disgust Points a day to monitor Pei Zhengwei?"
"30," the system replied swiftly.
"20," Shen Nanchu bargained.
"Deal." Right now, the system's heart and eyes were completely focused on Jiang Shuyi's system.
...
On the other side, Pei Zhengnian was also keeping tabs on Pei Zhengwei's movements.
He had long suspected that Pei Zhengwei was connected to foreign forces and had specifically tasked Sun Xuelin with leading a team to monitor him.
That afternoon, Sun Xuelin hurriedly found Pei Zhengnian, a strange expression on his face.
"Captain, we've discovered that another group of people is also monitoring Jiang Shuyi, and... you know this person."
Pei Zhengnian frowned, "Who?"
"It's Zheng Tongwei," Sun Xuelin replied. "Zheng Tongwei has been following Jiang Shuyi these past few days, and sometimes he even contacts Sister-in-law. It looks like he's acting under her orders."
Pei Zhengnian was stunned. He couldn't figure out for the life of him why Shen Nanchu would have Zheng Tongwei spy on Jiang Shuyi.
Jiang Shuyi was nothing more than an ordinary nurse, and she had no bad blood with Shen Nanchu. Was it really necessary for Shen Nanchu to go out of his way to have someone keep an eye on her?