Chapter 533 - The Unknown Number

"A pack of bastards!" Dugu Qiuhun ground the words out through clenched teeth. "I did all this for the collective—and these traitors hide behind the banner of 'democracy' to stab me in the back! They'll ruin everything sooner or later!"

Ji Xin waited for Dugu’s breathing to slow before he pressed him again on the events of that night.

"There's nothing new to tell. I've told Ran Yao a dozen times," Dugu snapped. "I was just mobilizing the squad to quell a riot—protecting the Executive Committee! Director Ma has poured out his blood and sweat for us, and these people sit around criticizing? Making trouble over a few women? Is their crotch more important than the Grand Strategy? Is there no justice?"

Ji Xin groaned inwardly. This guy. Invoking Ma Qianzhu as a saint at every turn was political suicide right now. It was practically handing ammunition to the anti-Ma faction.

"Stick to the facts," Ji Xin interrupted, his voice sharp. "Leave other people out of it."

It was useless. Dugu couldn't go three sentences without praising Ma Qianzhu. Ji Xin instinctively glanced around the room. Are there bugs? He dismissed the thought. Ran Yao wouldn't dare. Bugging fellow transmigrators was a third rail that would electrocute anyone who touched it. Besides, this was the Army Club—Ma Qianzhu’s turf.

"Tell me exactly what happened," Ji Xin ordered. "Forget the previous statements. Walk me through it again."

"Fine."

Dugu Qiuhun recounted the night’s timeline. It matched the files perfectly until he mentioned the trigger.

"So you only knew about the march after receiving a phone call?"

"Of course. I was sleeping at the outer perimeter station. I stay there every night for emergencies. Little did I expect I’d be rushing back to protect a bunch of ingrates..."

"Who called you?"

"Lots of people." Dugu waved a hand. "It was chaos. Calls coming in on my cell, on the office line..." He rattled off a list of names—friends, colleagues in the Army.

"Who told you they were 'besieging the Executive Committee'?"

"They all said—"

"No," Ji Xin corrected him. "One person you mentioned said 'protest march.' There's a difference." He leaned forward. "Think. Who used the word 'siege'? Who made it sound like a coup?"

"What's the difference?"

"A big difference."

Prompted effectively, Dugu struggled to separate the blurred memories. Finally, he frowned. "There was one call... I didn't recognize the voice."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Definitely not someone I knew."

"Whose number was it?"

"I don't know. Unfamiliar."

"Do you still have the call log?"

"It's on my phone." Dugu pointed to the table. "Though the service is cut. Can't even call out. Boring as hell."

Ji Xin felt a wave of relief. The phone hadn't been wiped or confiscated. Investigating at the source was still possible.

He picked up the device and scrolled through the received calls from that night, copying down every number. One stood out—an internal number, but not one stored in Dugu’s contacts.

It was highly suspicious. Even if Dugu couldn't confirm that this specific caller had used the word "siege," it was the only anomaly in a sea of known friends.

"Get your chronology straight," Ji Xin warned as he stood up. "At the hearing, talk only about your actions. And for god's sake," he lowered his voice to a whisper, "stop mentioning the Director!"

Dugu blinked, then the realization dawned on him. He slapped his forehead. "Right. Stupid of me."

Ji Xin left the Army Club and headed straight for the Telecom Department.

In Li Yunxing's office, Ji Xin presented his commission papers.

"No problem," Li Yunxing agreed readily later. "Damn shame about Dugu. I heard he was planning to seize the Telecom Building and cut communications? Talk about lawless."

Ji Xin froze. That detail was only in Li Yayang's deposition—a classified document.

"Li Yayang told you?" Ji Xin asked, feigning casual curiosity.

"Li Yayang? Who's that?" Li Yunxing looked genuinely puzzled. "No, it's all over the Fortress."

"All over the Fortress?"

"Yeah. Rumor mill is wild." Li Yunxing leaned in. "So, is there any inside scoop?"

"Nothing yet," Ji Xin evaded. He pushed the list of numbers across the desk. "Can you identify these owners?"

"Can't you check the internal directory? They're all listed."

"I need an official trace. For evidence."

"Fine." Li Yunxing handed the list to a clerk. "Check these."

"I also need the full server logs for Dugu’s phone during that time window," Ji Xin added. "Incoming and outgoing, duration, exact times. I need to cross-check against his device."

"That requires a warrant."

"Way ahead of you." Ji Xin produced a pre-stamped Arbitration Tribunal warrant, filled it out on the spot, and signed it.

"Wow. You guys are efficient." Li Yunxing examined the paper like it was a rare artifact. "Okay. Shao Zong! Pull the logs."

Fifteen minutes later, Shao Zong returned with a stack of printouts.

"Everything here?"

"Printed straight from the server," Shao Zong confirmed.

Ji Xin commandeered a desk and began the tedious work of cross-referencing. The phone's local log matched the server records perfectly. The clerk returned with the ownership list: almost every number belonged to Dugu's known associates.

Except one.

Local PHS Number: [Redacted] Owner: [Public Phone - Recreation Hall]

Ji Xin stared at the entry. He took the paper to Li Yunxing.

"There are public PHS phones?"

"Yeah, chained inside boxes," Li Yunxing explained. "Since the old crank phones can't call mobiles, we put a few public mobiles around for convenience. There's only four of them."

"Where?"

"Executive Committee compound, Canteen, Recreation Hall, and the Farm Café."

"The Executive Committee?" Ji Xin's heart skipped a beat.

"That one's in the classified comms room," Li shook his head. "Highly restricted. Nobody uses that for pranks."

"So this number..."

"That's the Recreation Hall unit," Li confirmed. "I know it by heart."

"Thanks."

Ji Xin hurried out.

The Recreation Hall was the transmigrators' living room—a hybrid internet café, library, and game center. It was filled with computers, game consoles, and off-duty personnel killing time.

In the corner, chained to the wall inside a plastic protective sleeve, sat the public phone.

(End of Chapter)