Chapter 19: Deceiving Superiors and Subordinates (Please Vote for Recommendation, Bookmark)_1

In a dilapidated stone cottage, Evans and Kong Xiang, among four others, were gathered around a fire, discussing the progress of the "Poison Apple Project."

It was a chilling epoch of disorder, and the sun had not risen for over half a month. On the other side of the planet, however, the sun had been scorching the earth for just as long.

Here it was cold as winter, while there it seemed everything was about to be baked dry.

Evans was pleased with the progress of the "Poison Apple Project," the Genetic Modification initiative had moved on to its second phase; numerous tycoons were ready to arrange genetic modification services for their offspring.

The only fly in the ointment was that Jiang Shuo seemed to have caught the attention of the police; Evans warned him to be more discreet.

The meeting concluded and just as Kong Xiang was about to leave, Evans stopped him. After Pan Han and Jiang Shuo had left the game, Evans asked, "Has there been anything unusual about Jiang Yu lately?"

"Unusual?" Kong Xiang didn't quite understand.

Evans frowned, "Didn't I instruct you to watch Jiang Yu's every move? Haven't you been surveilling him?"

Kong Xiang then realized that he had misunderstood the meaning of Evans' previous email.

However, Kong Xiang, who had worked in governmental agencies for years, wasn't inclined to admit his mistake, but instead replied with a smile, "He's about to attend a high-level meeting of the Redemptionists, does that count as unusual?"

Evans clearly did not expect such an answer and was utterly baffled.

Kong Xiang continued to explain, "When I received your email, there was an opportunity to infiltrate close to the 'Commander.'

"At the time, I thought if we placed Jiang Yu in this position, he might reveal his true colors sooner.

"Unexpectedly, he did quite well. Within a few days, he found a way to communicate with the 'Commander' and key members of the Redemptionists.

"In this period, he even won the appreciation of the 'Commander'."

Evans was even more confused, "His plan is to penetrate the inner circle of the Redemptionists?"

Kong Xiang asked, "What plan?"

"Never mind," said Evans. "You did the right thing. This way we can more quickly discern his plan and his motives."

He paused for a moment before asking, "He hasn't got hold of any of our Adventist's secret information, has he?"

Kong Xiang replied, "He has been very active previously, and you just authorized him last month to become a core member, but all he knows is the existence of the Master and nothing of the other plans."

Evans cursed his own oversight, wondering how he could have approved this youngster as a core member. Or was it that Kong Xiang had strongly recommended him at the time or something?

Ultimately, it was a trivial matter. Every month, Evans would grant core membership and privileges to a dozen or so people; it was impossible to remember each one clearly.

After thinking for a few seconds and still unable to recall the details, he temporarily put it out of his mind, "Regardless of whether he truly has Ye's trust, we must think of a way to keep his identity confidential."

The Adventists had always been trying to infiltrate the Redemptionists, but had never succeeded.

The ideological stance of the Adventists was much more radical than that of the Redemptionists, and it took little for their true nature to be exposed.

Evans had also tried sending peripheral members to infiltrate, but they did not have the necessary resolve; without exception, they all became enthralled by the beliefs of the Redemptionists and often ended up as genuine Redemptionist members while attempting to infiltrate.

"I've already considered this," Kong Xiang said. "Previously, he had no contact with the Redemptionists, and during the Adventist meetings, he always used his game persona, so the Redemptionists won't know his real identity."

"Kong, you always manage to alleviate my concerns in advance," Evans said with a smile.

He thought for a moment and then said, "After you go back, test Jiang Yu, have him investigate whether Shen Yufei has already betrayed us or not?"

Kong Xiang was startled, "She truly..."

Evans shook his head, "It's just a suspicion; I still have no concrete evidence."

"I understand," Kong Xiang continued to ask, "do I have the authority to know why you are so cautious about Jiang Yu?"

Evans said, "This is the Lord's instruction!"

Kong Xiang's heart trembled, he had not expected it to be the Lord's instruction!

The two of them exchanged a few more words, and Kong Xiang exited the game, suddenly feeling a cold sweat streaming down.

What on earth had Jiang Yu done to catch the Lord's attention?

Kong Xiang lit up a cigarette, steadied his mind, and then made a phone call to have someone monitor Jiang Yu.

No matter why Jiang Yu was under scrutiny, since Evans had asked him to monitor, he would have someone watch over him for now.

…

Jiang Yu received a new message from Kong Xiang, instructing him to investigate whether Shen Yufei had betrayed the Adventist faction.

He didn't need to investigate to remember that Shen Yufei had indeed defected.

Her being a Japanese scholar, who spent years in Beijing, spoke volumes.

What was in Beijing? Beijing didn't just have The Forbidden City and The Great Wall, it also had Ye Wenjie!

Ye Wenjie was not only the spiritual leader of ETO, but she was also the de facto leader of the Redemptionist faction.

Jiang Yu speculated that this was probably a task from Evans, since Shen Yufei was not under Kong Xiang's jurisdiction.

Of course, it could not be ruled out that Evans had asked Kong Xiang, the Chinese leader, to investigate the matter. Just so happened that Jiang Yu had infiltrated the Redemptionist faction, so the task of investigating fell to him.

Jiang Yu thought the first possibility was more likely since he had now gained Ye Wenjie's trust, and with Evans being monitored by Sophon, he couldn't retaliate openly for his "overstepping actions," so he wanted to give him a tough problem to deal with.

Fortuitously, Jiang Yu happened to know the answer to this tough problem!

Isn't that irritating?

Jiang Yu smiled with pleasure and began to consider when he should tell Kong Xiang the news.

But he immediately realized that he could not tell Kong Xiang anytime soon, because Wang Miao needed to go through Shen Yufei to start playing "Three-Body," to observe the universe flickering for him.

He would have to wait until after Wang Miao had seen the so-called cosmic flickering before revealing the issue with Shen Yufei.

Having made up his mind, Jiang Yu went about his work and studies as usual.

He faintly suspected that Kong Xiang would have someone watch him, but he had already made detailed plans on how to handle Evans and Kong Xiang and was now just waiting for Kong Xiang to make a move.

Wednesday came in a flash, and Ye Wenjie had not returned.

However, Yang Dong had been busily rushing around every day. Jiang Yu couldn't understand — didn't she have to work regular hours?

Watching Yang Dong become more agitated and more desperate with each passing day, Jiang Yu also started to pay close attention to her state.

Jiang Yu also spotted two of Da Shi's colleagues; they knew that the residents in the community were all familiar faces, so each time they entered the community, they would strike up an affectionate conversation with someone to blend in.

If not for Jiang Yu knowing the inside story, one would think they were just coming over to socialize.

On Wednesday afternoon, Jiang Yu diligently mopped the floor, chatting with residents as they went in and out.

From a distance, he saw Yang Dong return, utterly dispirited. This time she was truly distraught, her hair a messy tangle not combed, her clothes somewhat inappropriate, and she almost tripped over herself.

Jiang Yu quickly followed her; Yang Dong might very well commit suicide tonight!