Chapter 2: The Secret Prison

Beijing, the capital, March 3, 2007, 8:00 PM. Several sleek, shiny black sedans drove into Zhongnanhai. The lights were blazing in the West Conference Hall of the Purple Light Pavilion. Inside the conference room sat four high-ranking officers in military uniforms, their stars gleaming. These officers were all at the rank of general, their expressions serious, and there was no idle chatter among them. The room was quiet, the atmosphere heavy.

At precisely 9:00 PM, footsteps echoed outside the West Conference Hall. The door opened, and two men in suits entered. The middle-aged man who entered first exuded an air of calm authority. Being present in the West Conference Hall indicated a high rank, and the four generals stood up in unison, saluting the man in the suit with a standard military salute.

"Please be seated, generals," the middle-aged man said with a smile, gesturing for them to sit.

"Are all present?" the middle-aged man asked, scanning the generals.

"All are present," one of the generals stood up to reply.

"Very well, let's begin the meeting. Before we start, allow me to introduce someone," the middle-aged man pointed to the other man in the suit who had entered with him. "This is Wang Xiuliang, the Minister of State Security. I believe you all know him."

The middle-aged man then introduced Wang Xiuliang to each of the generals, all of whom were senior members of the Central Military Commission. After the introductions, the middle-aged man surveyed the room with a serious expression and said, "Tonight, we have urgently convened here to discuss the 3.1 hostage incident in Afghanistan. The content of this meeting is highly classified and must not be leaked. I'm sure you all understand the importance of this meeting."

The 3.1 hostage incident had shocked the world, and the country's top leaders had immediately intervened. Tonight, a high-level leader was personally chairing this small, emergency meeting, indicating that the government had already formulated emergency measures. When the generals received the call for the meeting, they could already guess its purpose and understood its importance and confidentiality. As the leader spoke, the generals and the Minister of State Security exchanged glances, nodding in silent understanding.

The meeting continued until late into the night, lasting five hours in a quiet and serious atmosphere. A highly classified plan was unveiled under the direct supervision of the State Council leadership.

The night deepened, and a faint mist began to rise on the streets. Several black sedans silently drove out of Zhongnanhai, dispersing in different directions and soon disappearing into the vast night.

One of the black sedans sped through the misty night along Chang'an Avenue, heading west into Xicheng District, where most of the capital's government institutions were located, including the Ministry of State Security. The Ministry of State Security, the only intelligence agency publicly acknowledged by the Chinese government, was one of the most mysterious and powerful institutions in the eyes of foreign governments, with the broadest government involvement in China's intelligence and security system.

The black sedan, familiar with the route, drove directly through the gates of the Ministry of State Security, which were guarded by armed police.

The Intelligence Division 9 of the Ministry of State Security was located on the 9th floor. The small conference room of Division 9 was lit up, and inside sat Wang Xiuliang, who had just come from the secret meeting at the Purple Light Pavilion. Across from him sat Zhang Zhengzhong, the head of Intelligence Division 9, in a suit, sitting upright.

"You understand my meaning, right?" Wang Xiuliang lit a cigarette and offered one to Zhang Zhengzhong.

Zhang Zhengzhong took the cigarette and nodded, "Understood. I'll make sure to complete the task you've assigned."

"Good. This plan has the military's support, so feel free to proceed. You need to immediately start looking for people to carry out the operation," Wang Xiuliang said after a brief pause. "If you have someone suitable in mind, tell me now. Time is tight, and we can't afford any delays."

"A suitable person?" Zhang Zhengzhong thought for a moment. "I do have someone in mind. He should be able to handle this, but..." Zhang Zhengzhong hesitated.

"But what?" Wang Xiuliang frowned. "Don't beat around the bush. Who is it?"

Seeing the stern look on the minister's face, Zhang Zhengzhong mustered his courage and said, "Li... Li Huan, former agent of Division 9, code name 009."

"009? You mean that kid? Why would you think of using him?" A faint smile flickered in Wang Xiuliang's eyes at the mention of the code name.

"Well..." Zhang Zhengzhong scratched his head, looking embarrassed. "You know him too, and you're aware of his capabilities. To be honest, if we want to complete this highly classified task, I can't think of anyone else more suitable than him."

"Haha, Old Zhang, it's not that there aren't other suitable candidates. You're just trying to get him off the hook, aren't you?" Wang Xiuliang said with a half-smile. "You're quite good at seizing opportunities."

Seeing the minister's smile, Zhang Zhengzhong paused, realizing he wasn't angry. He grinned sheepishly and said, "You've misunderstood. I wouldn't dare try to get him off the hook in front of you. It's just that he's executed overseas missions flawlessly in the past. His experience is the richest among all the agents in the Ministry of State Security. When you mentioned the task, he was the first person I thought of. You asked urgently, so I just blurted it out."

Seeing Zhang Zhengzhong's honest demeanor, Wang Xiuliang shook his head and laughed, "Haha, well said, just blurted it out? That kid was spoiled by you before, which is why he caused such a huge mess and is still counting the days in prison. If you want to get him off the hook, just say so. Don't play mind games with me."

Caught with his private intentions exposed, Zhang Zhengzhong nodded and said, "Yes, yes, you're right. I do want to get him off the hook. He's a talent, after all. It would be a waste to execute him. Don't you feel sorry for him?"

"Sorry for him? He brought it upon himself!" Wang Xiuliang's face suddenly turned cold, his smile disappearing. "Humph, executing him would be letting him off easy. He caused such a big mess, I wish I could tear him apart."

Seeing the minister's sudden change in demeanor, Zhang Zhengzhong quickly said, "Please... please don't be angry, Minister. He was indeed out of line, and he deserves to die for his crimes. But... the situation is special now. Can't we spare his life and let him contribute to our cause again? As you said, time is tight, and it's really hard to find someone suitable in such a short time..."

"Minister... is there any room for negotiation?" Zhang Zhengzhong added cautiously.

"No room for negotiation!" Wang Xiuliang said sternly.

"Really... no room for negotiation?" Zhang Zhengzhong asked with a pained expression.

"Humph! Don't mention that kid to me again. I said there's no room for negotiation, and that's final!" Wang Xiuliang remained firm.

The minister's thoughts were hard to fathom. Hadn't he liked the kid before? Why wouldn't he save him at a critical moment? Zhang Zhengzhong shook his head and sighed, "Sigh... he... he's scheduled for execution today. Since there's no room for negotiation, I'll have to find someone else. After today, even if we wanted to use him, we wouldn't be able to. Sigh..."

"What did you say? Today? Isn't it tomorrow?" Wang Xiuliang was taken aback and glanced at his watch. It was indeed today. The kid was scheduled for execution on March 4th, and it was now 4:00 AM. The execution was set for this morning...

In the northern suburbs of Beijing, 50 kilometers from the city center, at the foot of the Yan Mountains, there was a military restricted zone. Inside the zone was a heavily guarded armed police unit, with countless visible and hidden sentries. No outside vehicles were allowed within a radius of dozens of kilometers. No one knew what was inside this military restricted zone, but to the locals, it was a highly mysterious place, and they dared not cross the line.

As the morning sun rose, dispelling the lingering mist, a jeep with a T-plate license sped along the highway, entering the military restricted zone along the road at the foot of the Yan Mountains. With a special pass, the jeep was not significantly hindered. After driving for about 20 minutes inside the restricted zone, one could vaguely see a cluster of gray buildings hidden among the trees. Near the buildings, only pedestrians were allowed. The jeep stopped at a parking lot beside a roadblock as instructed by a sentry. A middle-aged man in a suit stepped out of the car鈥擹hang Zhengzhong, the head of Intelligence Division 9. He seemed anxious, his face showing concern as he hurried toward the gray building.

After passing through multiple armed checkpoints, the gray building, though only a kilometer from the parking area, had five checkpoints, each guarded by several fully armed police officers. The security was tight, and despite his urgency, Zhang Zhengzhong patiently presented his credentials and submitted to searches at each checkpoint. All metal items, including his phone, pen, keys, and gun, were left at the first checkpoint. His belt was replaced with a cloth one, and even his leather shoes were swapped for cloth shoes. The so-called Secret Prison 103, where not even a fly could sneak in, lived up to its reputation.

The seemingly ordinary gray building was far from ordinary. Inside, the walls were shiny black steel plates, truly a fortress.

Accompanied by two armed guards, Zhang Zhengzhong entered an elevator that descended rather than ascended.

Zhang Zhengzhong had been here several times before and was familiar with the underground facilities. The underground area was divided into three levels, each housing extremely dangerous criminals. The first level housed deranged criminals, a special group who had all signed body research agreements before entering 103. These deranged individuals were destined for execution, their bodies to be used for research into the connection between their deranged behavior and brain function.

The second level housed captured foreign spies, who could only hope to leave in their next life.

The third level was the highest security level, housing extremely dangerous individuals. It primarily held special forces soldiers and agents convicted of murder. These elite individuals were under heavy guard due to their special status and the high risk of them attempting an escape. As a result, this level had the tightest security.

The elevator stopped at the third level. Upon exiting, Zhang Zhengzhong faced a heavy iron door. The accompanying guards pressed their faces to an electronic scanner, and after a green light flashed, the door automatically slid open, revealing a dimly lit steel corridor that gave off a chilling atmosphere. At the end of the corridor was another iron door, this time requiring a palm print scan. Once the scan was successful, the door quietly slid open.

Inside was a vast space, a brightly lit hall with rows of ceiling lights, resembling daylight. On one side of the hall was another iron door, the final checkpoint to enter the cell block. Several armed guards stood on either side. As Zhang Zhengzhong and the two guards approached, a guard standing by the door sternly demanded, "Password!"

"Turn the cave!" one of the guards responded, then added, "Response!"

"Two caves!" With the correct password, the guard pressed a button beside the door, and it slid open.

The special secret prison had unique cells. The cells along the corridor had three steel walls and a front made of special tempered glass, transparent and bright, allowing clear visibility of the inmates inside, though they could not see out. This special glass was as hard as steel and could withstand even rocket fire.

After passing several cell numbers and turning a corner, Zhang Zhengzhong saw a solitary cell at the end of the corridor. Outside the cell were two chairs occupied by armed guards, monitoring it 24/7. This indicated the extreme danger of the inmate inside.

As Zhang Zhengzhong approached the cell, his body trembled slightly. It had been two years since the occupant had been confined in this less than 10 square meter cell. Had he been reduced to a mere shadow of his former self? Zhang Zhengzhong sighed inwardly.

"Sir, do you need to open the communication window?" one of the accompanying guards whispered.

"Not yet. Let me take a good look at him from outside first," Zhang Zhengzhong said, not in a hurry to let the inmate know of his arrival. He stepped closer, wanting to see the situation inside clearly.