Genius Agent

Chapter 76 Keep an eye on funding

"Not yet, but you've done so much searching before, there aren't many places he can hide. Let's search together from now on."

Su Yuncheng shook his head. He didn't want to offend Qu Ning; there was no need. Qu Ning had just explained their investigation in detail, and they had indeed worked very hard.

Thanks to their preliminary investigation, Su Yuncheng saved a lot of time.

Where do you think he's hiding?

Qu Ning's expression softened considerably. If the person in front of him were to completely negate their previous work, he would really get angry.

The intelligence department has over a hundred people who have worked so hard for so long. Even if they haven't achieved anything, they have still put in a lot of effort. We can't let them be disgraced because of an outsider.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling that the money Morita and the others handed over was given to Furong."

Secretary Qi's eyes widened immediately. He had the same feeling as Qu Ning: why was Su Yuncheng fixated on the Japanese's meager budget?

"They even took the Chinese currency from Morita and the others, which proves they urgently need money. They're undercover in Nanjing, so they must have a source of funding. The fact that they took Morita's money suggests that Furong might need more money and is using theirs as an emergency measure?"

Su Yuncheng spoke slowly, and Qu Ning's eyebrows twitched. She couldn't help but retort, "Where couldn't the Japanese scrape together two hundred yuan?"

There are definitely Japanese agents lurking in Nanjing, and quite a few of them. Even if their group doesn't have enough money, they can get it from other groups.

Moreover, Shanghai is not far from Nanjing, and it only takes a day to deliver the money by train, so there is no need to use the funds of a few undercover agents to make up for it.

"Japanese intelligence agencies have a tight structure. People from different groups will never have any contact unless authorized by higher-ups. It's just money, which wouldn't alert other undercover teams."

"Unless there are special circumstances, they will not take the initiative to ask for the funds that have been sent out back. Morita and others will need funds to return to Shanghai to go undercover. The legal tender can be used in Shanghai, so there is no need to go through the trouble of asking them to take it back in Nanjing and then giving it back to them in Shanghai."

Su Yuncheng shook his head slightly. In terms of understanding Japanese spies, he was even better than the Special Service Department.

He had received professional training from Japanese intelligence agents, who are meticulous and do not waste time on pointless tasks.

Qu Ning looked at Su Yuncheng without saying anything. They had thought about these things, but they didn't have any solutions.

"What are your thoughts?" Secretary Qi asked proactively.

"Let's put ourselves in their shoes. Suppose Furong stayed in Nanjing, their group's expenses would be at least several hundred yuan. Adding these two hundred yuan, the total is estimated to be no more than one thousand yuan, most likely between five hundred and one thousand. What would require this money?"

Su Yuncheng looked at Qu Ning, whose eyebrows twitched. Money again?

Qu Ning couldn't help but retort, "What we should be doing is finding out where he is, not figuring out where the money was spent."

"If we could guess where he spent the money, wouldn't we be able to find him?"

Su Yuncheng laughed, and Qu Ning was stunned, but could not refute him.

If we do find out where the money was spent, we might be able to find the person responsible, but this is just speculation. There is currently no evidence to suggest that Furong used the money.

It's even possible that the money was used for something else.

Secretary Qi, however, seemed thoughtful and spoke up, "It's definitely not about getting someone out of trouble. Section Chief Qu and the others investigated the people who got into trouble back then. Could it be that they bribed someone important to put Furong in an important position?"

Secretary Qi is very meticulous; a bribe is indeed possible, and if it really was a thousand yuan, it wouldn't be a small amount.

That's equivalent to a thousand dollars.

Even if they couldn't get that many dollars on the black market, their purchasing power was still very strong.

"It's not a bribe."

Su Yuncheng shook his head directly. Secretary Qi was stunned, and Qu Ning was equally puzzled. He and Secretary Qi thought the most likely reason for this money was bribery.

The CCP is rife with corruption; there are plenty of people willing to accept money from anyone who offers it.

Spending money to buy a good spot is something many people, not just the Japanese, do.

"Why?" This time it was Qu Ning who asked.

"This amount of money isn't enough to bribe high-ranking officials. For bribing ordinary officials, there's no need to remove others unless he can be placed next to the Chairman."

Su Yuncheng shook his head. Secretary Qi was startled and immediately looked at Qu Ning: "Have you investigated the people around the Chairman?"

If Furong could be placed next to the Chairman, she would definitely be the most valued undercover agent by the Japanese, making it absolutely necessary to evacuate the other undercover agents.

"I checked, it's not there."

Qu Ning immediately replied that they had conducted a very thorough investigation, verifying all the newcomers who had entered Nanjing in the past year.

The key point is that there was no suitable person at that time, a year ago.

Secretary Qi breathed a slight sigh of relief and looked at Su Yuncheng again.

"Where does the Chairman usually live?"

Su Yuncheng asked directly, and Qu Ning was slightly taken aback. How dare he ask such a question? Wasn't he afraid of being suspected of having ulterior motives?

However, the Chairman's residence is not considered a secret; many people know about it, but they just can't get in. The Chairman usually stays in just a few places.

"In addition to their residences within Nanjing city, they also had a military camp outside the city."

Secretary Qi replied softly that the headquarters was quite far from Nanjing, but the Chairman liked to go there to escape the summer heat, as it was considered part of Nanjing.

Qu Ning was taken aback. He had thought about the people around the Chairman, but he hadn't considered their accommodations and the camp.

It's not entirely his fault. He can investigate newly recruited personnel publicly, but the headquarters is the chairman's private place. Not to mention him, even the section chief needs authorization to investigate.

"Besides the Chairman's headquarters, what about the other important figures? Have you investigated the new people who have joined their households in the past year?"

Su Yuncheng looked at Qu Ning, who shook her head. How could there still be loopholes?

He didn't actually investigate these people, but upon closer reflection, there was indeed a possibility that Furong was hiding among them.

This is a dereliction of duty on his part.

"There aren't many places where that much money can be used. It's not for bribery, opening a shop, or buying a house, but it can be used in hospitals and more expensive schools."

Su Yuncheng spoke quickly, while Qu Ning and Secretary Qi nodded silently. In cases of serious illness, hospitals can indeed be helpful, which is another area that Qu Ning overlooked.

"In addition, there are weddings and funerals, mainly weddings, as well as some almsgiving, donations, and so on, including to temples."

Su Yuncheng was referring to places where the money could be used, and Qu Ning thought for a moment but did not refute him.

It's highly unlikely that Furong would be hospitalized on his own, otherwise there would be no need to evacuate others. But now he's using money to save people in the hospital?

The possibility of saving a very important person is slim, but not impossible.

Needless to say, weddings cost a lot of money for ordinary people to get married, and for those of higher status, the dowry alone is not enough.

"The next step of the investigation will be two-step. The first step is to find out where the money is. We will investigate all the places where I mentioned that a lot of money could be used."

"Second, conduct a thorough investigation of all those around the Chairman's camp outside the city and other important figures."

Su Yuncheng spoke slowly, and Qu Ning immediately looked at Secretary Qi: "Investigating the headquarters requires authorization, otherwise we cannot do this."

Su Yuncheng only proposed solutions, ignoring everything else; they would overcome any difficulties themselves.