The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 124: Chapter 124: I’m Innocent Too

Zhou Yang had an anxious look on his face. ”Sister-in-law Xiao Yu, sorry to bother you. Is Comrade Han here?”

”She’s here!” Liang Xiaoyu opened the door and let Zhou Yang inside.

Han Xiaorui stood up just then and asked, ”Zhou Yang, did something happen to Ye Feng?”

”Nothing happened to Director Ye. It’s the surveillance device you delivered recently—something’s happened to it,” Zhou Yang replied. ”Can you and Sister-in-law Xiao Yu come with me to the unit?”

Han Xiaorui’s heart skipped a beat when she heard that. ”We can! Xiao Jing, Sister Cuicui, Sister Cai, please watch the house and the kids for me. Sister-in-law Xiao Yu and I have to go out.”

”Don’t worry, Xiao Rui, just go. We’ll wait for you to get back.” Wu Cuicui patted Han Xiaorui’s shoulder. ’She’s just going to help with an investigation; it shouldn’t be anything serious.’

They got into the jeep Zhou Yang was driving and quickly left.

Perhaps worried about leaking secrets, or maybe due to regulations, Zhou Yang didn’t say much on the way.

They drove all the way to the unit. Han Xiaorui and Liang Xiaoyu got out of the car and followed Zhou Yang into the room where the surveillance device was kept.

The room was brightly lit, and a number of people were standing behind a cordon.

When Leader Wang saw Han Xiaorui, he hurried over. ”Comrade Xiao Han, Comrade Liang, I’m very sorry to make you come all this way, but there are a few things I’d like to confirm with you.”

Han Xiaorui nodded, her expression serious. ”Leader Wang, whatever it is, please just say it.”

”Take a close look at this surveillance device. Has anything changed?” Leader Wang asked. ”Do you remember what it looked like when you first pulled it up?”

Han Xiaorui was puzzled by his question.

’Could the surveillance device have been swapped out?’

’Or was it damaged?’

”Let me see,” Han Xiaorui replied, walking toward the surveillance device.

She observed it carefully from front to back, side to side, and top to bottom.

Not only the size and color, but even the letters on it were the same as the one she had pulled up.

Han Xiaorui replied, ”From the outside, it looks identical. Can I test its weight?”

Leader Wang nodded. ”Go ahead.”

Han Xiaorui wrapped her arms around the surveillance device—which was about fifteen centimeters in diameter and a meter long—and froze for a moment. ”The weight is wrong! It’s at least five to seven pounds lighter than the one I brought up.”

Leader Wang narrowed his eyes and asked urgently, ”Are you sure?”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”If you haven’t taken anything out of it, there’s no way it would be this much lighter.”

”I’m very sensitive to weight. If you don’t believe me, you can bring something over. As long as it’s something I can hold or lift, I can guess its approximate weight.”

To be thorough, Leader Wang nodded. ”Alright, then. Let me test you.”

The test confirmed it: Han Xiaorui’s weight estimations were off by no more than half a pound.

Therefore, Han Xiaorui’s claim that the surveillance device was five to seven pounds lighter than when it was first brought in was likely a conservative estimate.

”Comrade Xiao Han, thank you.” Leader Wang was now certain that someone had swapped the surveillance device, and that it had happened right inside their unit.

’To only discover it after all this time... it’s probably already been sent away!’

’It’s absurd to even think about, but they actually succeeded.’

Han Xiaorui opened her mouth to ask something.

Liang Xiaoyu quickly tugged on Han Xiaorui’s sleeve. ”Xiao Rui, let’s go.”

Han Xiaorui paused, then immediately understood. She knew there were some things she shouldn’t get involved in.

”You don’t have to thank me. I’m just doing my part,” Han Xiaorui replied.

Leader Wang had someone escort Han Xiaorui and Liang Xiaoyu out. Everyone, including Zhou Yang and his colleagues, was now a subject of the investigation.

Ye Feng, on the other hand, was the first to be ruled out as a suspect due to his injury; he was confirmed to be in the clear.

As they got out of the car back at her home, Liang Xiaoyu whispered to Han Xiaorui, ”When it comes to government business, the less we get involved, the better.”

”Mhm! Sister-in-law Xiao Yu, I get it.” Han Xiaorui nodded. ’That surveillance device must hold a lot of secrets. Plus, the fact that the culprits could prepare such a convincing replica in advance means this whole affair must be incredibly convoluted.’

As soon as she got home, Wu Cuicui asked urgently, ”Xiao Rui, what happened?”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”They forgot to register our information the other day, so Zhou Yang had us make a special trip. Sister-in-law Xiao Yu and I have registered now.”

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. ”Oh, so it wasn’t anything serious. That’s good.”

By now it was almost nine o’clock. Wu Cuicui left with Yang Minmin, while Granny Cai and Liang Xiaoyu took Cai Wenjun home.

Han Xiaoqing was smart; she guessed that her sister wasn’t telling the truth.

’If her sister wasn’t talking, it must be because she couldn’t.’

Han Xiaorui lay in bed, worried.

’To be able to swap the surveillance device so stealthily, right under so many people’s noses... these are no ordinary people.’

’I’ve retrieved these devices so many times, so frequently. I’ve probably been targeted for a while now.’

After some thought, Han Xiaorui concluded that her and her family’s safety was paramount.

She decided that from now on, even if she discovered another surveillance device, she wouldn’t retrieve it herself.

However, while she couldn’t retrieve it, she could use her superpower to make other fishermen catch it.

’I don’t have some great ability, but I still want to do what I can.’

Meanwhile, after dinner, Chen Yupeng left the Fortune Seafood Restaurant and took a car to the hospital to visit Ye Feng.

”Ye Feng, Comrade Xiao Han is incredible! She took down another boat.” Chen Yupeng was full of admiration when he saw Ye Feng.

Ye Feng was happy for Han Xiaorui when he heard everything went smoothly. ”That’s her skill. You worked hard today. When I’m better, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

”No need. Comrade Xiao Han treated us to a meal at a big seafood restaurant. It was a high-class reception, all top-quality seafood,” Chen Yupeng replied. ”By the way, how are things progressing between you and Comrade Xiao Han?”

Ye Feng smiled. ”It’s progressing quickly. We’re dating now.”

”Whoa!” Chen Yupeng exclaimed. Hearing that, he felt goosebumps rise on his arms. ”That’s lightning fast!”

Ye Feng raised an eyebrow, looking quite pleased with himself. ”Of course. Xiao Rui is so wonderful. If I’d been any slower, someone else might have swept her off her feet.”

”Have some confidence, Captain,” Chen Yupeng said dismissively. ”You’re so handsome. If Comrade Xiao Han wasn’t interested in you, it’s not likely she’d be interested in anyone else.”

Ye Feng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Being praised and flattered by his own subordinate felt a little strange. ”In any case, it’s fate.”

Chen Yupeng suddenly remembered some news he’d heard from a friend. ”Captain, Yu Lina has been transferred to Shencheng. Are you... are you mentally prepared for that?”

Ye Feng froze, the smile vanishing from his face. ”There’s been nothing between us for a long time.”

Chen Yupeng shrugged. ”But Yu Lina might not think so. Now that you’re in a relationship, I hope you handle it well. Comrade Xiao Han doesn’t seem like the type to put up with drama. I doubt she’d tolerate it.”

Ye Feng gave a bitter smile. ”I’m the innocent party here!”

Chen Yupeng looked sympathetic. ”Captain, you’ve always been full of wisdom and tactics. I’m sure you can defuse this situation.”

Ye Feng glared at Chen Yupeng and snapped, ”You make it sound so serious. Do you really think I’m a pushover? If I don’t like her, I don’t like her. No one can force me!”

’In the past, I was angry with the old man and didn’t want to ask him for help.’

’But now that I’ve transferred to a civilian post, she’s still coming to harass me.’

If he couldn’t handle it, Ye Feng decided, he would ask the old man for help.