Chapter 1071 - 1004: AF Lacks Freshwater
"Got it. They must have collected it. Otherwise, they would have interrogated Zhang Xiaoming instead of killing him outright."
Liu Jinghui used straightforward reasoning to resolve a complex issue upfront.
Qi Changye nodded in agreement: "Makes sense. If they couldn’t find it, they might as well have set fire to the room to destroy it."
At this moment, Qi Changye could fully appreciate the value of deductive reasoning. Cases spanning 20 years are unbelievably hard to disprove with evidence alone, but a single effective inference can directly address the problem.
Liu Jinghui’s face showed no trace of pride; such reasoning came too easily to him. After commenting briefly on the case, Liu Jinghui adjusted his expression slightly, appearing more serious as he said, "The key question now is whether you’ve made any progress dismantling this espionage network, or if there are relevant discoveries."
Qi Changye hesitated for a moment before replying, "I’ve already assigned people to investigate, but so far, there haven’t been any findings. By logic... hmm, it seems the network hasn’t been dismantled. Otherwise, given the Zhang Family and the Jianmen Court case connections, there would have been some feedback."
"So the spy network is still operational?"
"Well, that... that might not necessarily be the case." Qi Changye paused before continuing, "We shouldn’t assume such networks are too mysterious. Spy networks unnoticed for 20 years are exceedingly rare, of course. What we hear about are the ones that get caught. Under normal circumstances, if an intelligence cell survives for 20 years, it’s most likely because it remains in its dormant phase, not yet activated."
"So you’re saying Zhang Xiaoming uncovered a dormant intelligence cell?"
"That possibility is pretty slim too. If they’re dormant... but who knows? Maybe there was some kind of coincidental trigger." Qi Changye shrugged. "Isn’t it commonly said these days that reality is stranger than fiction? Espionage certainly follows those rules. Plenty of high-profile operatives have been captured simply due to bad luck."