Chapter 2602 - 2666: Spy
"Patriarch, this is an incredibly complex and vast formation. At least at first glance, that’s how it seems. This is my assessment: if such a formation were successfully constructed and activated, it could cover hundreds of miles, forming a supermassive array. I’ve never seen such a large formation before. It’s truly amazing. Unfortunately, I’m unable to determine from this diagram alone whether the formation has been successfully constructed... Hmm, I suspect it’s not completed. Otherwise, it would have already caused a sensation!" Upon receiving this reply, Li Yifei said, "Then you should come and take a look. Conduct an on-site investigation."
"No, no, let’s leave it at that, Patriarch. This kind of formation can’t be arranged by one person. It requires ten, even dozens of formation masters to set it up in the field, plus several hundred to thousands of people for the actual construction. So... even learning it would be useless!"
"Fine, suit yourself. How’s the setup at home coming along?"
"Very good, it’s already halfway through, and we’re building it according to all the requirements."
"Then that’s good. There will be a reward once it’s done," Li Yifei said.
"That sounds great! I don’t need any other reward; I just want jade, as much jade as possible. The more, the better."
"Consider it fulfilled!" Li Yifei replied cheerfully.
Ending the call, Li Yifei looked at the map, at what might be a supermassive formation, thought for a while, and still couldn’t resist his curiosity. He went to the grand priest’s room and directly asked, "Is this a formation?"
The grand priest was already very lethargic. Upon hearing a voice, he slowly lifted his head, his eyes blurry. After staring for a while, he said, "Yes, it’s a formation of the Five Poison Sect, constructed hundreds of years ago during a time of turmoil, built by our predecessors in the sect, consuming countless manpower and resources. And... those five divine beasts were meant to guard it. Once the formation was activated, the five divine beasts would be released. Unfortunately, we never found the method to activate it. Otherwise, we would have succeeded long ago. With the five divine beasts under our command, even innate experts like you could do nothing to us."
"Wishful thinking," Li Yifei scoffed, shaking his head, "Dream on. You still want to command divine beasts to do your bidding? Haha, a few pesky bugs dare to call themselves divine beasts? What a joke."
"You..." The grand priest initially wanted to say that Li Yifei was insulting them, but when he recalled the other’s cultivation, that terrifying aura, he deflated, sighing weakly, "You can say whatever you like; in the world of cultivators, the strong are revered. Since you’re strong, you can do anything you want!"
"Good you know the rules." Li Yifei smirked, sensing that the Dumb Guy had returned, bringing someone with him. Li Yifei motioned for the Dumb Guy to enter, but the grand priest pleaded, "Please don’t do this, don’t let my granddaughter see me... in this state." Saying this, the grand priest revealed a pitiful smile, yet there was still some humanity in his eyes, "I am already like this and do not wish my granddaughter to be tainted."
Li Yifei stared and said, "Okay, but don’t think that will spare you. Besides, I haven’t even investigated your granddaughter’s actions. If she committed any wrongdoing, she will face punishment just as well."
The grand priest took a deep breath, "I have no such expectations. Cultivators value their word. I thank you in advance."
Since the grand priest did not want to meet his granddaughter, Li Yifei did not insist. Leaving the room, he entered another room where he saw the Dumb Guy standing, arms folded, before a... girl who wasn’t particularly tall. She was indeed a girl, probably in her teens—a mere child—fearfully watching Li Yifei and the others.
Seeing it was a child, Li Yifei relaxed his guard. The young girl asked, "Who are you people, and why did you abduct me? Let me tell you, my grandpa is very powerful. If he finds out, he’ll be upset and punish you!"
Li Yifei nodded, prompting the girl to lower her voice slightly, "My grandpa has a bad temper; you’d better release me. I can go back by myself, and I won’t tell Grandpa, so he won’t get mad, and you won’t be in trouble."
Smart and somewhat kind-hearted, Li Yifei knew the girl wasn’t lying; she genuinely thought this way. He nodded subtly, "Actually, your grandpa asked us to take care of you, so there’s no need to be afraid."
"Impossible! My grandpa would never do that! Ever since my parents died, he’s been taking care of me; he’d never just leave me," the young girl immediately replied.
"But this time he hasn’t; your grandpa specifically asked us to look after you!" Li Yifei insisted, taking out a necklace and handing it to the girl, "Look, this is something your grandpa gave me, saying you’d believe it as soon as you saw it."
"This necklace!" The girl immediately believed it upon seeing it, rushing over to snatch the necklace, "I gave this to my grandpa! How do you have it? Could it be that Grandpa really asked you to care for me?"
"Why would I deceive a child, there’s no benefit!" Li Yifei said.
Holding the necklace, the girl went silent for a moment, then nodded, "That makes sense. Alright, I’ll trust you for now. When I see Grandpa later, I’ll confirm this. If you’re lying, I’ll have Grandpa punish you."
"Hehe, alright." Li Yifei chuckled, instructing the Dumb Guy to watch over the girl. In his heart, he sighed faintly, realizing that the old man wasn’t entirely without humanity. He had enough decency not to raise his granddaughter as a venomous cult member. This slightly altered Li Yifei’s perception of him, though only just a bit, given the man’s many transgressions.
"Boss, they won’t talk. We’ve been interrogating them all night, and even used various methods, but these people are tight-lipped, just refusing to speak."
"Is that so? I’ll take a look." Li Yifei squinted, leaving the room to visit Fu Yingwei’s cell. At this moment, Fu Yingwei was tied up, with some injuries from the methods employed last night. The Flying Hawk Squad’s interrogation techniques were numerous and intense, unbearable for most, let alone after a whole night of questioning. Yet, Fu Yingwei endured, which was somewhat surprising,
but only a little surprising. Li Yifei would never admire such a person. Upon hearing his approaching steps, Fu Yingwei raised his weary head. Seeing Li Yifei, his eyes briefly registered a hint of fear, quickly replaced by venom as he glared, hissing from his throat, "You dare come to see me, you criminal!"
"Am I the criminal here?" Li Yifei approached Fu Yingwei, who moved his mouth to spit at Li Yifei. Unfortunately, the spit was intercepted halfway by an invisible barrier, falling to the floor. With disdainful eyes, Li Yifei said in a low voice, "Letting you speak was supposed to give you a clean end. Truth is, whether you speak or not, we’ll uncover what we need to know. Now, thinking you can use this to threaten us is quite an illusion."
"You!" Fu Yingwei struggled fiercely, but his restrained body could not break free. He cursed furiously, "You’ll come to no good end! You’re persecuting me, framing me without evidence!"
"Framing you? On a grand scale, you’re guilty of treason and espionage. On a smaller scale, each of your transgressions warrants punishment!"
Gasping for breath, eyes red with rage, Fu Yingwei glared at Li Yifei. Yesterday, he’d thought it was over for him, but realizing the other wanted information on espionage gave him hope; he believed they couldn’t harm him if he didn’t speak. But he was wrong—telling would save some energy, not telling changed nothing.
Thus, Li Yifei personally conducted the interrogation. It didn’t take long for Fu Yingwei to confess, the information he revealed shocking the former Team Leader of the Flying Hawk Squad. Had he not ascertained that Fu Yingwei wasn’t lying, Li Yifei wouldn’t have believed it.
Fu Yingwei revealed several leads, including his contact, his superior, as well as an inferior. This inferior wasn’t someone gathering information on his behalf but... an accomplice. The superior was the purchaser of intelligence, consisting of Europeans, Americans, and organizations from various countries.
These individuals offered high prices, sparing no expense. This allowed Fu Yingwei to amass his first sum of money, and it was a significant amount. This is the common outcome in espionage cases; the money involved didn’t surprise Li Yifei, nor did the amount shock him.
What stunned and unsettled him was one of Fu Yingwei’s inferiors, or rather, an accomplice. Fu Yingwei mentioned several names that seemed inconsequential but, unfortunately, Li Yifei recognized them.
"Snow Falcon!" Li Yifei forcefully uttered these two words, his fellow Flying Hawk Squad members nearby visibly shocked. While many could use Hawk as their codename, to them, one specifically known as Snow Falcon... inevitably related to the Flying Hawk Squad, and Snow Falcon... was none other than the current Flying Hawk Squad’s team leader, Li Yifei’s successor after he retired—a figurehead in Huaxia’s First Squad, purportedly upholding the Flying Hawk Squad’s honor.
Li Yifei’s initial reaction was disbelief, but after relentless questioning, he provisionally confirmed it.
The person mentioned indeed referred to the Flying Hawk Squad’s team leader, codenamed Snow Falcon. This revelation instantly sent Li Yifei into a fury. In that moment, he wanted to kill, without hesitation. If one Flying Hawk Squad leader committed treachery, betrayal, it was cause enough for execution.
The Flying Hawk Squad’s leader is directly under the Central Government’s leadership. While authority may be limited, their position is unparalleled. Their knowledge spans advanced weaponry, technology from various units, with the Flying Hawk Squad always the earliest to access and understand these. If such an individual sold out the country, their honor, it would mean numerous top-secret documents from many countries would be exposed!