673: Entering the CIA

"Sorry to disturb Mr. James's work like this, I'll head back first!" Nep smiled meaningfully and left after speaking.

After seeing Nep off, James couldn't sleep anymore. Nep was starting to suspect him, why would he suspect him?

James couldn't figure out where he had gone wrong.

He couldn't have imagined that all of this was caused by a single phone call from Su Yue. After learning that the Central Intelligence Agency and Nep were connected, Su Yue understood that to get his people into the final position, he had to cut off Nep's left and right arms.

No one expected Su Yue's real target to be Nep, nor did they know that the ultimate goal of this game was the Statue of Liberty in the square.

Initially, Su Yue designed Gao Xiang to lead the charge to disrupt their minds and lead them towards the strike organization. For a long time, Su Yue had been switching seamlessly between three identities: as Liu Yu, the leader of the China Embassy, as a rock singer mixed in with the strike organization, and by using the previously exposed identity of the Chinese student Xiao Qian to direct their attention towards the strike organization.

And Su Yue, as a core member of the strike organization, was deeply trusted by the Tattoo Man. No one knew that the leader who had stepped down before was Nep's younger brother, and as for where Nep's younger brother went, only Su Yue knew.

The Central Intelligence Agency originally planned to turn the tables and frame Deng Liduō, but unexpectedly, Su Yue easily resolved it with one move! The explosion at the North Chao Embassy successfully caused Gao Xiang and Lyon to become estranged from the Central Intelligence Agency, and James's previous scapegoat plan also fell through.

In this short period, Su Yue successfully diverted all of his opponents' attention, and no one was staring at him anymore. Everyone was thinking about how to protect themselves. While Su Yue breathed a sigh of relief, he also knew that his real goal was still far from being achieved.

Gao Xiang and Lyon left the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Special Task Force established against Su Yue now existed in name only. James held tightly onto the envoy from North Korea to the United States, trying to prevent the previous plan from being made public.

Nep was now worried about the people around him, and their focus had already shifted.

Only Su Yue managed to escape from this complicated situation.

However, unexpectedly, all of this was meticulously planned by Su Yue. Even Gao Xiang, who had been relentlessly pursuing him before, hadn't noticed Su Yue's true intentions.

The next morning, when Wang Linlin went downstairs to look for breakfast, she was surprised to find that Li Xuan seemed to still be at home, lying lazily on the sofa, and couldn't help but laugh.

"What do you want to eat? I'll go buy it for you," Wang Linlin asked softly, but found that the person on the sofa didn't respond.

When she got closer, she saw that a thin blanket was covering the sofa cushion, cleverly creating the illusion that Li Xuan was still there. Just as Wang Linlin felt disappointed, Li Xuan's voice suddenly came from the doorway.

"Woke up so early? I bought breakfast, let's eat together." Li Xuan held the breakfast in his hand, his eyes sparkling with a smile.

Wang Linlin turned back in surprise, and the moment she saw Li Xuan, a bright smile bloomed on her face. "You didn't leave! That's great."

"Of course, you took me in for a night, how could I not show my appreciation?" Li Xuan saw Wang Linlin happy and became happy himself.

"I bought some food, come wash your hands and eat." Li Xuan placed the steamed buns and congee he was holding on the table.

During the meal, Wang Linlin couldn't help but ask, "What are your plans next?"

Li Xuan took a bite of the steamed bun and said slowly, "Right now, no one is paying attention to me yet, so I'm relatively free. I think, why don't I help you fix up the storefront?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Linlin's eyes widened, filled with surprise and joy. "Really? Then you can't go back on your word!"

"Don't worry, I will definitely help you restore the storefront to look brand new." Li Xuan promised with a smile.

"So, how do we start?" Although Wang Linlin was excited, she was also a little confused for a moment.

"That storefront is rented, we'll compensate the owner first, and then find a new place to start over." Li Xuan already had a plan in mind. "I think the area near the White House is pretty good. There's a lot of foot traffic, which will be beneficial for your psychology counseling room."

"Okay, then let's go take a look after we eat." Wang Linlin changed into a white dress, looking as fresh and ethereal as a first love.

However, when they arrived near the White House, they found that the area was cordoned off with police tape. Wang Linlin saw the body that hadn't been moved yet at a glance, and her heart skipped a beat.

"Something's happening, let's go quickly." Wang Linlin was worried that Li Xuan would be discovered and hurriedly tried to pull him away.

"Don't rush, they don't know me." Li Xuan smiled cunningly and pulled Wang Linlin closer to the police tape.

They noticed a notice posted on the bulletin board, seeking help from detectives and promising a generous reward and a Central Intelligence Agency job opportunity. A glimmer of light flashed in Li Xuan's eyes.

"Sweetie, how about we try starting a detective agency?" Li Xuan looked at Wang Linlin, his eyes full of anticipation.

"Are you interested?" Wang Linlin noticed Li Xuan's excitement.

"Very interested, what do you think? You also have studied criminal psychology, how about we work together?" Li Xuan asked eagerly.

"Hmm... okay, no problem of course." Wang Linlin deliberately played coy, then readily agreed.

Soon, they intervened in the case as detectives. Facing the Officer Si's doubts, Wang Linlin didn't care at all and requested to go to the crime scene after filling out the form.

"This is Officer Ethan, our Central Intelligence Agency agent. She's a master, but even she couldn't solve this case." The Officer Si expressed doubt about their abilities.

Wang Linlin and Li Xuan, using the aliases Zheng Qi and Cui Minhe, met with Ethan. Ethan didn't recognize them and shook hands with them warmly.

"Feel free to ask any questions you have," Ethan said.

"I'd like to ask, did you come by car?" Li Xuan asked a seemingly irrelevant question.

"Yes, we all came by car," Ethan said, a little surprised.

Li Xuan whispered a few words to Wang Linlin, and Wang Linlin turned around and went into the house.

"Are there any other clues?" Li Xuan continued to ask.

"No, no valuable clues have been found so far," Ethan looked a little discouraged.

"Then did anyone come here on foot?" Li Xuan looked around at the Central Intelligence Agency Officers Si.

"No, and I think the questions you're asking now are meaningless," an Officer Si said impatiently.

Li Xuan ignored him and continued walking towards the location where the body appeared. He carefully observed the scene. Wang Linlin suddenly appeared beside him and whispered a few words.

"Solving a case can't be done by whispering!" someone muttered discontentedly.

Li Xuan smiled slightly and glanced at the Officer Si who had spoken mockingly, but said nothing. He just spread his hands, closed his eyes, and focused, as if sensing some invisible clues.

"Officer Ethan, I think we can let the next detective come in." That Officer Si looked at Li Xuan and felt that he was just an ignorant layman, wasting everyone's time here.

Li Xuan turned to Ethan and politely suggested, "Could we please take a look at the body?"

"I'm sorry, your time is up." Ethan also began to feel that these two were being deliberately mysterious.

"That's too bad. However, could I ask, was the deceased wearing a women's watch on their hand?" Li Xuan's words stunned Ethan because he was right.

"Indeed, there was a women's watch," Ethan admitted.

"But the deceased should be male, right?" Li Xuan lowered his head and fiddled with the buttons of his trench coat, asking seemingly casually.

"How did you know?" Ethan's attitude immediately became respectful.

"It's actually very simple. It rained heavily all night last night, and this is a government-planned green belt. The land was just turned over a few days ago. But when we arrived, there were many tire tracks on the ground, as well as longer, thinner marks than tires." Li Xuan explained patiently.

Upon hearing this, Ethan immediately became interested. "What does that mean? What does it have to do with us coming here by car?"

Li Xuan smiled helplessly, sighing inwardly at the intelligence of the Central Intelligence Agency Special Task Force. "If you used your brains a little, you should be able to figure out that this was the crime scene last night, and it was clearly uninhabited, full of dust everywhere. So there's only one possibility: this is either the murder scene or someone dumped the body here."

"But what does that prove?" The Officer Si who had previously mocked Li Xuan also raised a question.

"Of course it's related. Normal tire tracks are about 23.5 centimeters long, but one track was less than 10 centimeters. Fortunately, the weather is good today, otherwise your tire tracks would definitely have covered those two small marks." Li Xuan explained patiently.

After hearing Li Xuan's explanation, that Officer Si lowered his head in shame and said nothing more.

"You mean, this isn't the primary crime scene?" Ethan asked, staring closely at Li Xuan. She and her colleagues had searched carefully all day but hadn't noticed this detail.

"Exactly! And the killer is a woman!" Li Xuan said with certainty.

"What's the evidence?" Ethan pressed eagerly.

"There are two leg marks on the road; you can go measure them. But the strange thing is, no footprints were found. This indicates that a thin girl was dragging the body forward. If it were someone slightly fatter, the marks would definitely have left deeper or shallower traces, but there are almost none here." Li Xuan's analysis made everyone suddenly understand.

"But this still can't be completely certain?" Ethan said, frowning.

"Zheng Qi, you explain." Li Xuan gestured to Wang Linlin.

Wang Linlin pointed to a faint scratch on the path and said, "Calculated according to the ratio of human height, if someone was dragging a person, the scratch should have been caused by something sharp. Excluding the feet, it's likely something in the hand. According to calculations, it should be a female no taller than 1.65 meters."

After Li Xuan explained to the others, everyone looked at him and Wang Linlin with admiring eyes.

"You can check the surveillance footage on the road to the southeast!" Li Xuan pointed out the clear direction for investigation.

"May I ask why it's the southeast corner?" Ethan asked, bending over.

"Because only the southeast corner is an asphalt road, which won't leave footprints! If the case is solved, please notify me of the result." Li Xuan took Wang Linlin's hand and left the scene. The Officers Si present all bowed to them to express their gratitude.

"How did you know?" After hearing Li Xuan's explanation, Wang Linlin almost applauded him, but she managed to restrain herself in time.

"Was it that amazing back then?" Li Xuan asked, smiling at Wang Linlin.

"Of course! You don't know, that Officer Si who always looked down on us, his face turned green then! Now we can definitely get into the Central Intelligence Agency, maybe even get in the newspaper!" Wang Linlin excitedly imagined Li Xuan becoming an idol to more people.

"No, Ethan won't give me the credit for this case." Li Xuan, however, seemed exceptionally calm.

"Why? You were the one who solved the case!" Wang Linlin looked at Li Xuan in disbelief.

"If this matter is exposed, and the Central Intelligence Agency can't even solve a case like this, who would still believe them? They will definitely be questioned and criticized by the public." Li Xuan had anticipated this long ago.

"Then why did you still go help?" Wang Linlin suddenly became unhappy. She didn't want Li Xuan's credit to be taken by others.

"They can't solve this case! Their thinking is too limited!" Li Xuan knew the Central Intelligence Agency's problem well. Although they weren't stupid, they weren't flexible enough.

"Then didn't we just waste our time?" Wang Linlin's face was filled with disappointment.

"How could it be a waste of time? We can definitely get into the Central Intelligence Agency!" Li Xuan confidently comforted Wang Linlin.

"Ah? Why is that?" Wang Linlin looked at him confusedly.

"Oh, you, you clearly know it in your heart, but you still want me to explain, right?" Li Xuan saw through Wang Linlin's little thoughts. She had actually guessed the result long ago, but she didn't say it, afraid that Li Xuan would be sad.

"Oh dear, I really didn't know!" Wang Linlin was exposed by Li Xuan and argued somewhat sheepishly.

"After we leave, this matter will spread quickly. But as long as we stay in the Central Intelligence Agency, they will feel at ease because we are always under their control." Li Xuan explained further. There was actually another reason he didn't tell Wang Linlin: the most dangerous place is often the safest place. If they wanted to deal with him, they might target Wang Linlin again. And with Wang Linlin inside the Central Intelligence Agency, she could both get information in advance and take precautions in time. Wang Linlin hadn't thought of this point. She had always thought this was what Li Xuan wanted to do, so she would support him unconditionally.

"Mr. Cui Minhe, Miss Zheng Qi, thanks to your assistance, the previous case was successfully resolved. We now sincerely invite you to join the Central Intelligence Agency!" In the early morning, Wang Linlin saw this invitation letter in her email and was extremely excited.

"Li Xuan, look! We received an invitation!" Wang Linlin couldn't wait to share this good news with Li Xuan.

"It seems the killer has been caught," Li Xuan said lightly while kneading the dough.

"We're about to become official members of the Central Intelligence Agency!" Wang Linlin couldn't stop smiling.

"As long as you're happy." Li Xuan continued to work on the dough in his hands. Joining the Central Intelligence Agency was already a step in his plan.

Last night, Li Xuan had a phone call with Deng Liduō.

"My approval rating is leading now, do I not need to contact others anymore?" Deng Liduō looked around cautiously and asked in a low voice.

"As far as I know, ** is more inclined towards Nep. Votes don't determine whether you can sit in that position." Li Xuan obtained a lot of information through conversations with Nep, but he didn't reveal too much to Deng Liduō.

He was going to support Deng Liduō to take the position.