Chapter Twenty-One: The Man of a Thousand Faces

When Haifeng returned to the hotel, night had already fallen. Yet the great metropolis was ablaze with lights and bustling with voices, showing no hint of slumber; people from all walks of life streamed through the streets, each seeking their own slice of freedom. But Haifeng had no time to admire the cityscape.

At the Qingdong City Police Bureau, Haifeng had observed the full interrogation of Lu Xiaoyu. On the surface, twelve hours had yielded no breakthroughs at the precinct, but for Haifeng, the greatest breakthrough had already been achieved.

His adversaries were expanding their battles; Zhang Mufeng, under the alias Zhang Dongfeng, had infiltrated successfully; Li Weiwei’s Trojan had silently locked onto the enemy’s location; Sun Zhengtao’s ledger and documents were in their hands; the enemy had relaxed their vigilance over Zhou Donghai and begun infighting.

Everything was unfolding according to Haifeng’s script. Now, all that remained was to unearth the so-called expert group and technical team, to cast a net for a flawless capture. Yet this final hurdle remained unbroken, adding a touch of frustration to Haifeng’s mind.

He returned to the hotel and had just opened the door when Liu Zhiyang greeted him with a beaming smile. “Why so late? If you’d come any later, we’d have gone to sleep. Did interrogating Lu Xiaoyu really take so long? The Qingdong folks are truly diligent—acting out the entire show, huh?”

“Working overtime at this hour—don’t they know to ensure the police get rest? Bullying the junior staff without pay, is that it? Making the kid exhausted for fun? Come on, come on, let me introduce someone to you—you’ll be stunned. Haifeng, I must admit I admire you this time: you managed to find such a talent, your luck is extraordinary.”

Haifeng listened to Liu Zhiyang’s rambling, his mind muddled, unable to guess what tricks were afoot. He was on assignment—who could possibly be seeking him out? Could Chou Zhiyong have arrived? But that wouldn’t explain Liu Zhiyang’s glee.

Haifeng followed Liu Zhiyang into the room and sat in a chair. Liu Zhiyang clapped his hands, and a person emerged from the bathroom: long-haired, sweet-faced, youthful and radiant. Haifeng glanced at her and said to Liu Zhiyang, “Stop fooling around, isn’t this Weiwei? What are you two playing at?”

“No, look again—who is this?” Liu Zhiyang shook his head, grinning at Haifeng.

Haifeng, prompted, scrutinized the woman by the bathroom door. Though her face was identical to Li Weiwei’s, her physique seemed sturdier, giving Haifeng pause. He asked hesitantly, “Is she a relative of Li Weiwei?”

Liu Zhiyang burst out laughing. “Even ‘Ghostbane’ can misjudge! Look again, who is this?”

He clapped again, and another person emerged from the bathroom: long hair, sweet face, youthful and radiant.

Haifeng stared and said, “This must be Li Weiwei. What are you two up to?”

Liu Zhiyang laughed even harder, and a pleasant laugh came from the bathroom as Li Weiwei bounced out, saying to Haifeng, “Group Leader Hai, if he’s Li Weiwei, then who am I?”

Haifeng, confronted with three identical Li Weiweis, was thoroughly confused. He looked at Liu Zhiyang and at the three “Li Weiwei”s before him, unable to fathom what was happening.

Then Wen Yuxin stepped out from the bathroom and said, “Even Group Leader Hai can’t tell—now you can rest easy, right?”

The room erupted with laughter. Li Weiwei threw her arm around Wen Yuxin and said, “Rest assured, I’ve always trusted Yuxin’s skill. Your art is so ingenious, teaching at school is a waste of your talent.”

Laughter filled the room again. Haifeng was still bewildered. He hurriedly asked Liu Zhiyang, “What’s going on here? What sort of drama are you playing? Hurry up and explain!”

Liu Zhiyang replied with a smile, “Let me solve your puzzle. The first ‘Li Weiwei’ you saw is actually Zhao Zhijie; the second is Li Mengyang. All are masterpieces of our Dr. Wen.”

He placed a hand on Haifeng’s shoulder and continued, “There are Sun Zhengtao’s men tailing us downstairs, but with Dr. Wen’s skills, we can slip past their eyes anytime. They won’t even know what happened.”

“I truly concede this time—Dr. Wen is not only a linguistics expert, but also a master of disguise. Haifeng, you’ve struck gold. This team isn’t just a special group—it’s a special forces unit!”

“Forget catching a few criminals; I’d say we could win a military simulation with this lineup! Remember the last line of the Ballad of Mulan? ‘The male rabbit’s feet are nimble, the female rabbit’s eyes are bright; two rabbits run side by side, who can tell which is male or female?’ Today I’ve seen it myself—ancient wisdom never lies. Now I believe Mulan truly went to war in her father’s stead.”

“If even you, Ghostbane with your sharp eyes, are fooled, this is genius! There aren’t many people I truly admire, but Dr. Wen is one—I bow in awe. It’s magical!”

Haifeng was indeed surprised. He looked again at the three “Li Weiwei”s. After years as a policeman, he trusted his ability to recognize faces, able to pick out the person he wanted from a crowd. Yet, before him, the three were utterly indistinguishable; he couldn’t tell which was Zhao Zhijie or Li Mengyang.

Haifeng laughed, feeling as though he’d found a treasure—perhaps even a trove. Liu Zhiyang’s words rang true: this team had Zhang Mufeng, the intelligence ace; Li Mengyang, the psychology expert; Li Weiwei, the top hacker; Zhao Zhijie, the tracking specialist; Liu Zhiyang, the legal scholar; Wen Yuxin, the linguistics expert—and now, peerless skills in disguise. The enemy could neither flee nor fight, outwit nor follow; tracking this team was a fool’s errand, escaping from them nigh impossible, and hiding from their scrutiny futile. Such a formidable group was indeed as capable as a special forces team. Haifeng was overjoyed to have such teammates.

He smiled at Wen Yuxin and said, “Dr. Wen, your skill is astonishing! A genius with both language and disguise—your talent could unify the world’s seals and reign supreme!”

Wen Yuxin replied with a smile, “It’s just makeup, really, not as impressive as you all say. Women love to dress up, and in school I met a girl obsessed with cosmetics—I picked up a few tricks from her. I’m no prime minister!”

Li Weiwei hugged Wen Yuxin and said, “Yuxin, if this is just a few tricks, it’s incredible. You must teach me someday!”

They all laughed again. Haifeng continued, “Enough of the fun—everyone’s seen Dr. Wen’s skills. Now their surveillance will be blind. Let’s end the jokes and get down to business.”

The group immediately adopted a serious demeanor.

Haifeng asked, “Did anything noteworthy happen while I was gone?”

Li Weiwei answered, “In the past days, I’ve breached all their servers and mapped out their locations. Zhijie has secured the evidence, and Captain Liu has reviewed it. With these proofs and the ledgers Zhang Mufeng brought, convicting them is no problem. But there’s still no news about the expert and technical groups.”

Haifeng considered this and said, “Those people hide deeply, but it’s fine. No need to rush—once we lock onto them, they’re finished. Let’s give them a bit more time; those groups will surface soon enough.”

Li Weiwei nodded, “Yes, their ringleaders are all identified and can’t escape. You can rest easy about that. Also, tonight Sun Zhengtao had a video call. I recorded the audio—you can listen later. Our analysis suggests Sun Zhengtao may not be the top leader; it seems someone else is directing him. They mentioned the technical group, so I expect Sun Zhengtao will contact them soon.”

“Oh? Do you know who it was?” Haifeng asked.

“Not yet. They used the computer for the call. To find out, I’d need to hack Sun Zhengtao’s computer, but surveillance downstairs makes it difficult. With Yuxin’s ingenious disguise, we can hack it tomorrow—once they connect again, we’ll know who’s involved,” Li Weiwei replied.

Haifeng pondered, “Tomorrow, I’ll go to the Qingdong City Bureau and have them prep an arrest team in case these people try to flee. Zhijie, help Weiwei hack Sun Zhengtao’s computer. Zhiyang, monitor them here for any moves. Li Mengyang and Wen Yuxin, stay and help Zhang Mufeng continue his role as Zhang Dongfeng.”

Everyone nodded and accepted their tasks. After further discussion, they dispersed to their rooms.

When all had left, Haifeng said to Liu Zhiyang, “With Zhao Zhijie protecting Li Weiwei, she’ll be safe. Security here depends on you. We’re under surveillance—if they resort to violence, anything could happen.”

Liu Zhiyang smiled, “Don’t worry. Those guys aren’t even worth my trouble. They think I’m a mere scholar, but I’m head of the judo club. If I leave them alone, they should count themselves lucky. If they try anything, I’ll make sure their own mothers won’t recognize them.”

Then he changed the topic, “Should you report to our senior about the situation here? We’ve got enough evidence on this criminal group—if we don’t wait for the expert and technical groups, we could move now. Is it necessary to wait? And as for the arrests, Qingdong can assist, but returning suspects to Ming City will need manpower. Times have changed—we can’t just tie them up and drag them back. We should have our senior prepare the staff ahead.”

Haifeng nodded, picked up the phone, and began to report to Chou Zhiyong.

Li Weiwei returned to her room, still amazed by Wen Yuxin’s technique. She couldn’t help but ask, “Yuxin, is your skill really just a couple of tricks? Your makeup artistry is so advanced—is it easy to learn? When can you teach me? You must promise!”

Wen Yuxin smiled, “You don’t need to learn—your beauty is dazzling even without makeup.”

Li Weiwei pouted, “Don’t tease me. I really want to learn. I tried before, but my skill was so poor I gave up. Now, with you here, I can’t miss the chance. I can’t master as many languages and dialects as you, but if I can learn your makeup technique—even half as well—I’ll be satisfied!”

Wen Yuxin smiled at Li Weiwei, “You’re not just learning this to dress up—is there another reason? You’re a hacker, and now want this skill—are you planning something mischievous?”

Li Weiwei quickly shook her head, “No, I’m a good girl, I won’t do anything bad. I just want more freedom.”

“More freedom?” Wen Yuxin asked, puzzled.

Li Weiwei explained, “You don’t know—my family has planned my whole life. Everything must follow their script. My life isn’t free at all; I can’t live as I wish or pursue the freedom I crave. That’s why I love being a hacker—I want to taste that sense of unrestrained freedom.”

She paused, then continued, “For some, freedom is fundamental, but for me it’s hard to obtain. I have to follow my family’s plan for my life—even joining this special team was only possible by hiding it from them. I want freedom, I love freedom, I want to do things I like. That’s why I really want you to teach me makeup. If I can disguise myself as someone else, I can enjoy a bit more freedom!”

Li Weiwei lay down, stretched her arms, and took a deep breath. “The air of freedom is wonderful. Yuxin, you must teach me—you can’t break your promise!”

Wen Yuxin looked at Li Weiwei, childlike in her longing. She found it hard to understand how someone not imprisoned could yearn for freedom so deeply. Yet she knew everyone had their own struggles, things others couldn’t grasp. She patted Li Weiwei’s head and smiled, “Alright, I’ll teach you.”