NOVEL WEB Chapter 327: Not Joining, Just Lurking
Lu Guoping had just gone out, and he did not participate in the questions asked during that time.
Upon returning, he picked up the record, glanced through it, furrowed his brows, but said nothing.
The interrogation that followed hit an impasse.
Because the only serious issue with Lu Heng was his joining the Creator Organization—other matters could not be cited as faults.
All problems were attributed to the identity of being a member of the Creator Organization.
He Zhensheng wanted Lu Heng to admit to being a member of the Creator Organization, but Lu Heng steadfastly refused.
Even though the informer's material he had obtained was very detailed, detailing when Lu Heng met with contacts from the Creator Organization.
He Zhensheng changed the manner of questioning and said, "Comrade Lu, matters aren't so grave. Even if you joined the Creator Organization, as long as you mend your ways, the organization will accept you back."
This was already bordering on entrapment, although the phrasing was such that no fault could be found.
Lu Heng simply crossed his arms, leaned back on the sofa, and began to close his eyes to rest.
His manner was identical to that of Li Guining sitting beside him.
In fact, ever since Li Guining started sitting in on the interrogation, Lu Heng could tell.
Li Guining was giving himself reassurance, and from the beginning, he made it clear that as long as the situation was explained, any issue could be discussed for resolution.
After the Abyss Descent, in these chaotic times, many situations Superpower Users encountered could not follow the former laws and rules.
For instance, in the struggles on the Abyss Battlefield, if a Traitor was discovered, could one not act?
Yet, in reality, the law had no clauses regarding "Traitors."
Times had changed, and so had many things.
As long as it was not a matter of principle, there was room for maneuver.
In fact,
Before coming over, Li Guining had already contemplated the worst outcome.
That would be Lu Heng actually joining the Creator Organization and committing some acts against regulation.
If that were the case, matters would indeed become complicated, but not insurmountable.
As long as one's Combat Power was sufficient, there was always the qualification to negotiate.
However, up to this point, Lu Heng had not conceded to being a member of the Creator Organization.
This made it impossible to determine the nature of the situation.
The questioning continued for another half hour.
Knocking was heard at the door.
After receiving permission, Jian Qing pushed open the door and reported, "Xie Shi'en has arrived."
He Zhensheng immediately stood up and said, "Take him to the room next door, I'll go over for the interrogation."
He wanted to interrogate them separately to prevent collusion.
Lu Heng knew his purpose, tugged the corner of his mouth, but said nothing.
Li Guining on the other hand spoke up, in a mild tone, "Please have Comrade Xie come in. We are all comrades here; sitting down and talking things through should suffice."
Jian Qing stepped aside to let Xie Shi'en enter.
Upon entering, Xie Shi'en first glanced at Lu Heng.
Lu Heng, to avoid giving them leverage, did not even lift his head to look at him, simply shifting his position a bit and leaning back on the sofa to rest.
Xie Shi'en sat down in a chair beside him and straightened his posture.
He Zhensheng began to question, "Lu Heng just mentioned that his joining the Creator Organization had something to do with you. Please explain the situation in as much detail as possible."
Upon hearing this question, Lu Heng almost wanted to applaud for him.
Through the manner of the question, he conveyed a hypothetical piece of information to Xie Shi'en: Lu Heng had joined the Creator Organization.
And this matter was indeed a bit delicate.
If Xie Shi'en was not careful, he might continue speaking based on this question.
Then all subsequent conversations would proceed under the assumption that "Lu Heng had joined the Creator Organization."
Xie Shi'en, being sharp, had managed to stay undercover in the Creator Organization for half a year; he certainly was not one to lack wits.
Moreover, he was as cautious as Lu Heng concerning matters about the Creator Organization.
After reflecting for a moment and clarifying his thoughts, he answered, "I do not believe that Lu Heng has joined the Creator Organization."
Upon hearing this response, He Zhensheng's brows furrowed, and he pressed further, "According to the informer's material, there are records of multiple meetings between Lu Heng and a contact from the Creator Organization, with dates and locations provided. You had better answer truthfully."
Xie Shi'en spoke earnestly, "I am indeed answering truthfully."
He Zhensheng continued to press, "How do you explain the multiple meetings between Lu Heng and the Creator Organization's contact?"
Xie Shi'en scanned the room and asked, "How much do you know about my background? Has the state security department allowed you to investigate?"
Lu Guoping nodded and said, "I've already communicated with your superiors; you just need to answer truthfully. Everything you discuss today is of the highest secrecy. If any of this leaks out, everyone present will be subject to an internal investigation."
Taking a deep breath, Xie Shi'en said, "Since that is the case, I'll speak plainly. Regarding whether Lu Heng has joined the Creator Organization, I personally don't think he has, because..."
Everyone held their breath, eager to hear his explanation.
His answer would determine the nature of the entire matter.
Xie Shi'en spoke slowly, "Because it was I who invited him, my code number within the Creator Organization is 027, but that is a false identity. I was only using it to infiltrate the Creator Organization."
"That is to say, if I'm not a member of the Creator Organization, then the people I invite are naturally also not from the Creator Organization.
"Just like you guys, can someone who hasn't joined the organization be your referrer?"
At these words, He Zhensheng was instantly stunned.
Lu Guoping almost burst into laughter beside him.
Li Guining also found it very interesting and shifted in his seat.
The situation was just that delicate.
Lu Heng seemed to have joined the Creator Organization, but his recruitment was at the invitation of Xie Shi'en as agent 027.
But Xie Shi'en's identity as 027 was fake; can a person who doesn't belong to the Creator Organization invite another person to join it?
At any rate, such a circumstance would definitely not be acceptable in Da Xia's higher-level organizations.
Xie Shi'en continued, "Regarding my undercover identity as 027, that involves another matter. You can request the relevant information from the security department; I won't elaborate on that.
"But I must warn you of one thing, my foster mother once faced life-threatening danger because of my undercover status.
"Now she is under the protection of the security department's identity protection program. If the information I revealed today leads to her facing danger again, I will pursue it to the very end."
Now He Zhensheng finally understood; as it turns out, the security classification on the two individuals before him was higher than the other, and any question asked could touch upon secrets.
Originally, he thought that according to the content of the whistleblowing materials, even if other accusations couldn't be confirmed, at the very least, the identity as a member of the Creator Organization would be inescapable for Lu Heng.
But the outcome was beyond his expectations.
Now even the grounds for Lu Heng's identity as a member of the Creator Organization couldn't be established.
After most questions were asked,
Lu Heng opened his eyes and asked, "Are you done asking? If so, I'd like to say a few words."
Lu Guoping nodded and said, "Go ahead."
Lu Heng summarized, "Actually, the situation is quite simple. Xie Shi'en, posing as agent 027, infiltrated the Creator Organization and then invited me to join, assigning me the code 028.
"After Xie Shi'en's cover was blown, he was pursued by the Creator Organization for assassination.
"Subsequently, I continued to infiltrate the Creator Organization, protecting Xie Shi'en while continuing the investigation.
"Two months ago, the operation where Dragon Power destroyed the Superpower Potion manufacturing factory and laboratory was based on intel I secured from within the Creator Organization.
"Elymur Biopharmaceuticals is a pharmaceutical company controlled by the Creator Organization.
"Lastly, I suggest that you thoroughly investigate the source of these whistleblowing materials.
"The fact that the materials contain the time and place of my meeting with Creator Organization's contact means they must come from the Creator Organization itself.
"I am just an infiltrator within the Creator Organization, but the person who submitted these materials may not be."
With these words spoken, the nature of the matter changed again.
Initially, the investigation focused on Lu Heng's identity in the Creator Organization. Now, a one hundred and eighty-degree turn had been made, directing the question to the person who submitted the whistleblowing materials.
The materials were too detailed, and without a doubt, they must have been obtained from the Creator Organization.
Actually.
At this point in the conversation, Lu Heng had already figured out what was going on.
It was clear that after the raiding team from the Creator Organization returned from the Abyss Battlefield, they confirmed that he had "defected," and so they wanted to eliminate him.
But Lu Heng's combat power was too strong; even if they sent the strongest Superpower Soldiers from within the Creator Organization, it would be difficult to succeed.
Moreover, the Creator Organization did not want to openly become an enemy of Da Xia.
After all, the Creator Organization had always maintained a neutral facade.
In the past life, the Creator Organization had kept up a neutral front until the very end.
Of course, a neutral appearance did not conflict with malevolent deeds in secret.
Lu Heng had originally thought the Creator Organization was neutral, but after coming into contact with core members, he discovered that things were not as simple as they seemed on the surface.
One reason the Creator Organization had always maintained a neutral stance on the surface was to avoid offending the major powers, carrying out all their dirty dealings in the shadows.
Therefore, the Creator Organization also dared not openly cause trouble within Da Xia's territory.
The Creator Organization couldn't deploy a Power User team to kill Lu Heng, so they played this underhanded trick.
If this strategy succeeded, and Lu Heng became the target of Da Xia's suspicion, even possibly a wanted man,
then he would have no choice but to flee Da Xia, and in that case, the Creator Organization would achieve its goal.
Unfortunately for them, Xie Shi'en's emergence characterized the affair as undercover activity.
...
After the conversation ended, Lu Heng and Xie Shi'en went back together, riding in Jian Qing's car.
Having guessed many key pieces of information through the recent questioning, Lu Heng asked, "Captain Jian, He Zhensheng had an agenda for coming here, right?"
Jian Qing stayed silent for a moment before nodding and answering, "You're right in your intuition, but he isn't related to the Creator Organization. In fact, he came from the Northwest War Zone, and the Zhuo Family is from the Northwest War Zone."
Lu Heng understood immediately.
He Zhensheng came from the Northwest War Zone, and the whistleblowing materials also first appeared there.
The Zhuo Family had put much effort into grooming Zhuo Hongjun, who was on the verge of promotion to a senior officer rank, only to be slapped down into the mud by Lu Heng.
The Zhuo Family was certainly displeased.
The Zhuo Family wouldn't break the rules to do anything too extreme, but if someone handed them the knife, the Zhuo Family would certainly strike, using compliant means to deal with Lu Heng.
Too bad for them, the Zhuo Family's move did not succeed.