Chapter 2352: Old Friend Li Huamei (Part 4)

The case itself wasn't difficult. Guo Yi understood that the reason it was deemed "tricky" and specifically assigned to him was, to put it bluntly, that it involved a Senator.

Li Mo was manageable, but Li Huamei had to be protected—unless she courted death herself. From all current indications, she wasn't that foolish.

Even Li Siya, had she not been involved in the Kaohsiung murder case years ago, wouldn't have needed to be treated as an "enemy" by the Senate. As for the kidnapping of Chairman Wen back then—honestly, Chairman Wen himself hardly gave it a second thought these days.

In fact, even if she defected now, the Senate would likely forgive her. After all, such a knowledgeable, intelligent, and capable woman was rare in this spacetime.

Guo Yi personally agreed with Zhou Botao's earlier assessment and some of his ideas: wait for an opportunity to sow discord between the two Lis, encourage the rift to widen, and ultimately achieve "reverse use."

However, the specifics of how to create that discord, and what kind of opening to look for, still required careful thought. Li Siya was a shrewd woman, and Li Huamei was no simple-minded brute either.

The headquarters of the Political Security Bureau remained in the old county town of Lingao. It was modest in scale, deliberately low-profile. Not only was the entrance plain, but there weren't even sentries standing guard outside. The wooden gate stayed closed year-round, opening only for vehicles. Personnel entered through a small side door.

Even the agency sign wasn't displayed on the gate—just a simple house number. The only PSB office that publicly displayed its sign was the County Branch in Bairen City, which served as essentially the only external interface.

Xu Yanliang's arrival had been announced to the PSB through the General Security Bureau liaison, so when he gave his name, the door opened immediately. After verifying his "work contact form," the guard gestured. "Please follow me."

It was Xu Yanliang's first visit to this agency, shrouded in mystery and endlessly cursed by Senators. Once inside, he couldn't help looking around. The courtyard was unremarkable: the main office building was merely a two-story red brick structure, with rows of bungalows on either side. The courtyard was brick-paved, with two flower beds planted with various blooms.

By all appearances, it resembled a provincial county government office from the 1970s.

All doors and windows were closed, and the courtyard was very quiet. But listening carefully, one could hear faint voices of conversation, muffled and distant.

"This way, please." Xu Yanliang wasn't taken into the building but was led around a corridor along the building's side. At the end was another door. After further procedures, he was handed off to a second guard.

"This PSB certainly loves its procedures," Xu Yanliang grumbled to himself, eyeing the guard in his black uniform with blue collar badge.

Guo Yi's office occupied Zhou Botao's former space. The office had originally been spartan, and Guo Yi had only replaced some furniture after moving in. Xu Yanliang had expected the dignified, imposing image of a spy chief from movies and television—perhaps statues, flags, or framed "mottos." But the office before him was no different from any other department's: snow-white limewashed walls, heavy and sturdy furniture, and a desk lamp with a green glass shade.

Guo Yi stood to greet him. "Comrade Xu Yanliang, hello! I'm Guo Yi."

Xu Yanliang reflexively extended his hand, and they shook. He suddenly felt a moment of disbelief—was this really the famous "Proprietor Guo" standing before him?

Among ordinary Senators, few enjoyed greater fame than Guo Yi—aside from the dozen or so top officials holding high positions. Though he had been away from Lingao for years, everyone in the Senate knew of him. Opening the trade window in Guangzhou had added a legendary dimension to his reputation. Little wonder Xu Yanliang felt somewhat starstruck.

The man before him appeared to be in his early thirties—though of course, Xu Yanliang knew his actual age approached forty. Dressed in a black uniform, he carried himself with an elegant, composed demeanor that suited both a business magnate and a powerful agency official.

"I'm Xu Yanliang," he said. "Secretary of the Board of the Nanyang Company."

"I know," Guo Yi smiled. "Please, sit down."

They took their seats. Guo Yi reached for a bell rope, and a female staff member entered.

"Please bring Senator Xu some tea."

"Ah, thank you. You're much younger than I imagined."

"I think we're all like that." Guo Yi said. "Actually, I'm thirty-eight this year."

"Truly remarkable." Xu Yanliang said. "Perhaps it's the Creator's reward for abandoning everything to come here."

Guo Yi smiled but didn't respond. Xu Yanliang suddenly remembered that Guo Yi hadn't come to this parallel universe voluntarily.

"My apologies."

"It's nothing," Guo Yi said. "Though this wasn't my original intention, I'm quite satisfied with my life here."

Before he could finish, the female staff member returned with tea. She set down the drink and left without a word.

"Well then, let's get to the point. We received an application regarding your company's intention to include Li Huamei on the 'training' list. We happen to have important materials on her, so we specifically invited you here."

"Yes, we're currently short of captains like her, but her file shows she's a 'key focus target.' So we submitted the application. I'd like to know—what exactly is wrong with her? Is it because of her pirate background? Her surveillance level is even higher than Liu Xiang's. That seems strange."

"I understand your concerns. However, according to our information, this captain has very close ties to the Li Siya group and is very likely a spy Li Siya planted in Lingao. Over recent years, the General Bureau of Political Security has intercepted quite a few letters from Li Siya to her, so we've been monitoring her. These are the relevant materials—please look them over. There are some 'highlights' worth noting." Guo Yi handed over a thick folder.

Xu Yanliang possessed the essential skill of rapid reading that any leadership position required. After quickly scanning the materials, he felt a pang of reluctance to let go.

"So she's a spy?"

"Essentially, yes."

"Then why not arrest her?" Suspicion crept into Xu Yanliang's voice. Could these materials have been fabricated by the PSB?

"One reason is Senator Qi. The other is that she hasn't actually done anything harmful to the Senate."

"What a pity!" Xu Yanliang wrung his hands. "She's so capable and sharp! We had such high hopes for her!"

"I understand your feelings." Guo Yi said. "Our suggestion is that you can continue to use her, but not in key positions. We also ask for your cooperation in monitoring her. We've planted agents around her, but that's far from sufficient."

"We can cooperate with monitoring. But you must inform us who your specific surveillance personnel are," Xu Yanliang said quickly.

"That's not a problem." Guo Yi said. "However, today's discussion isn't just about monitoring her—it's about how to help her escape her current situation. To become a naturalized cadre openly and honestly."

"You mean..." Xu Yanliang hesitated. "Turn her?"

"Yes. Specifically, what methods should we use to exert influence or even control over Li Huamei? If we can get her to consciously or unconsciously break free from Li Siya's influence—and eventually transmit information we've processed to the other side through her—that would be ideal. Not only could we gain insight into the Li Siya group's situation, but we could also let her contribute fully."

"I fully support turning her, but I don't have any specific methods to suggest off the top of my head. Perhaps we can only influence her gradually through work." Xu Yanliang said. "As her employer, we'll do our utmost to cooperate."

"Thank you very much."

"Regarding our cooperation, I also have an idea." Xu Yanliang had been planning this for some time and had discussed it with Zhou and Wang. He had originally intended to raise it with Zhao Manxiong, but with Guo Yi, the second deputy director, present, he might as well bring it up now.

"Please go ahead."

"Our Nanyang Company officially hung its signboard a few days ago. As you may know, our business scope is quite broad, and in the future, we're very likely to take on colonial management work. We'll essentially function like the East India Company—a small government, really."

Guo Yi nodded.

"...Since we'll be a small government, security work naturally must keep pace. Political security is currently a gap, and it's an indispensable department for the future. So I hope the PSB can establish a dedicated organization within our company—the name doesn't matter—to handle this business."

No matter how negative the views on the PSB were within the Senate, the importance of political security work was undeniable. No matter how carefully they guarded against it, the PSB would inevitably extend its reach into the Nanyang Company and establish a surveillance network.

If they took extreme measures to "clean house" and "nip problems in the bud," it would only raise suspicions about the Nanyang Company from outside: What exactly was such a massive, privileged company afraid of people knowing?

Initially, they had considered "establishing a separate portal" in the political security sector and excluding the PSB system entirely. But they soon realized that "establishing a separate portal" would make the Senate even more uneasy than "cleaning house."

The closed nature of the Political Security Bureau had already made it a target of criticism. The Nanyang Company, however, would become an entity possessing many colonies, fleets, and even a substantial "security" force in the future. What impression would a "fully equipped" "Australian East India Company" leave on the Senators?

After much deliberation, Xu Yanliang decided to proactively propose that the PSB establish an agency within the Nanyang Company—on the condition that it be transparent to the company.

(End of Chapter)