TGA Chapter 109

National security personnel promptly apprehended Lilith and her accomplices.

Shortly after, Lin and his team realized that the recovered black box was a counterfeit. Upon learning that trained national security officers had arrived near the villa district, they hastened to the scene.

Upon identifying the black box in the hands of the national security officers, Lin immediately demanded, “That is our lost property; you cannot take it away without permission!”

Shi Zhuoqu added, “Thank you for helping us retrieve our stolen property, but the item in your possession is a Montdeson’s artifact.”

The officer holding the black box responded calmly, “Apologies, but there might be some misunderstanding. We are not here to handle a theft case but to apprehend foreign spies endangering national security.”

“The contents of the box need to be investigated; it’s unclear what they are at this moment.”

If this incident were treated as a simple theft, Montdeson Group could manage it by recovering the item before Lilith’s group reached the consulate. However, with the matter classified as espionage, authoritative national agencies had to intervene, beyond the capabilities of civilians or regular police.

Realizing the situation, Lin understood they had been set up. The swift arrival of national security personnel indicated a prior report, likely anticipating Lilith’s actions.

“You colluded to set this trap!” Lin accused, glancing between Chu Qianli, the national security officers, and others. He continued angrily, “I will involve the consulate; I suspect you of abusing power to unlawfully seize our property!”

Chu Qianli, appearing innocent, retorted, “What trap? You can’t make baseless accusations.”

“You’re in league with them! You have a special background!” Lin insisted.

Chu Qianli feigned surprise, “You’re overestimating me. I’d love to join national security, but they don’t want me.”

Tan Muxing added, “National security requires passing exams.”

The officer encouraged, “Study hard, and we might have the chance to work together.”

Chu Qianli concluded, “We’re just patriotic citizens acting responsibly; safeguarding national security is everyone’s duty!”

Lin was left speechless.

The group exchanged remarks, all denying Lin’s allegations.

The officer explained they acted on a citizen’s report, following proper procedures. Chu Qianli and her companions claimed they were acting as good Samaritans, feeling incapable of handling espionage matters themselves. They firmly denied any collusion to seize Montdeson’s property.

Adding to the confusion, Lilith’s group argued that Lin’s stolen item was the fake box, asserting that the real box had no connection to Montdeson. They claimed Chinese national security had apprehended the wrong individuals and demanded contact with the A-nation consulate, insisting the real box be returned to A-nation.

The three parties reached an impasse, their statements resembling a “Rashomon” scenario.

The officer concluded, “Given the complexities, we’ll follow protocol and temporarily hold the box for further investigation.”

Lin and his team were infuriated, demanding a reasonable explanation for Chu Qianli’s involvement; otherwise, they wouldn’t relent.

If she were indeed part of the national team, such entrapment tactics could escalate to issues concerning national image and credibility.

Chu Qianli waved dismissively, “You’re overthinking. I don’t represent the state.”

Tan Muxing earnestly added, “We truly are just ordinary people.” She merely had a habit of flaunting expired work permits.

H-country, being remote and sparsely populated, lacked a consulate in G City. However, Montdeson Group’s significant influence enabled Lin to contact multiple national consulates, collectively questioning the Chinese authorities’ seizure of the black box and demanding its return to Montdeson.

Lilith’s group, serving A-nation, seized the opportunity to protest, asserting the box should be returned to A-nation.

The situation escalated into an international dispute, beyond Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing’s purview.

After reporting, the two found themselves with leisure time, even being allowed to rest by national security personnel, much to Lin and his team’s chagrin.

Mei Ruoqing had already joined them, calmly noting, “They seem furious, ready to resort to violence.”

Chu Qianli glanced at the enraged Lin from afar, remarking, “They lack the capability. If I were in H-country, there might be danger, but here, we’re in G City, China!”

Chu Qianli was astute, aware that venturing into H-country would inevitably lead to such confrontations. Without backing, entering foreign territory unprepared could result in dire consequences.

Tan Muxing observed, “I noticed Qianmen’s people have also emerged.”

“Since the facade has been shattered tonight, it’s now a matter of negotiating interests,” Chu Qianli explained. “Previously, no one wanted to instigate trouble, but now that others have made the first move, there’s no need to pretend anymore.”

The turmoil in G City’s villa district reached distant ears.

Ebner had just reported to Q about Lin taking the key, only to learn that the crystal ball was lost that very night.

Over the communication, a male voice, weathered like an ancient bell, sighed, “Lin’s obstinate nature is incorrigible. Perhaps entrusting him with the family was premature.”

The next day, after a good night’s sleep following their report, Chu Qianli and the others were visited by someone who came to verify their identities.

Pan Yicheng arrived in G City, travel-worn and weary. During the summer vacation, he had unexpectedly received a notice stating that a student he had once mentored was now involved in a national security incident. Furthermore, multiple foreign consulates were questioning her identity, and he, as the former project lead, was asked to come and provide an official statement.

In short, the national security department needed to respond to the consulates’ concerns. Since Lin and his group were accusing Chu Qianli of being part of a national team, the investigation naturally led back to Pan Yicheng, who had originally recruited her.

When Chu Qianli saw Pan Yicheng, her eyes lit up. She hadn’t expected to see an old acquaintance in G City and greeted him joyfully, “Professor Pan!”

Tan Muxing greeted Pan Yicheng politely. Mei Ruoqing also recognized Professor Pan from a previous encounter, having participated in the same project interviews.

Pan Yicheng was still confused about being called in. He had only learned the details on the way and asked in puzzlement, “What happened with you two? Why are people asking me for your records?”

Although Professor Pan technically had ties to the national team, his contact with the national security department was minimal. He couldn’t understand how two student volunteers had suddenly become formal personnel, to the extent that the national security bureau had to track down their files.

Lin had accused Chu Qianli and the others of having special backing, but national security insisted she wasn’t on their official roster—hence the investigation tracing back to Pan Yicheng.

Pan Yicheng initially feared the two had caused trouble, but the national security officers greeted him warmly.

“Old Pan, the kids you mentored are really impressive! Looks like they might have just made a major contribution!”

Pan Yicheng: “?” Who did I mentor? They didn’t even attend university properly, let alone get trained by me.

Upon hearing the full story, Chu Qianli quickly tried to brush it off. “Ah, we said yesterday it was all just spontaneous citizen action, but they didn’t believe us, so now Professor Pan made a trip for nothing.”

“But I heard you even flashed an official ID? Where’d you get that from?” Pan Yicheng asked blankly. “I couldn’t figure it out the whole way here—what kind of official ID is there for fortune-telling?”

Everyone had indeed worked on the project, but even Pan Yicheng never had a feng shui license.

“Oh, just that assistant badge we had…” Chu Qianli guiltily touched her face and muttered, “The one that still works for meals in the building sometimes.”

After the project ended, Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing no longer ate at the office building, but they had kept their badge.

Pan Yicheng: “You tricked them with a meal card?!”

Chu Qianli quickly argued, “Tricked is a strong word, a strong word—I never said what I was. I just showed them the volunteer meal card, and they made wild assumptions on their own!”

Tan Muxing admitted, “It was mostly a matter of context.”

Pan Yicheng rubbed his temples in frustration. “Alright, alright, I get it. Now let me figure out how to explain that you two used a project meal card to fool foreign nationals…”

“It wasn’t fooling—”

“Fine, fine, it wasn’t fooling. They’re just genuinely dumb!”

Being an experienced smooth talker himself, Pan Yicheng quickly organized his thoughts and prepared to handle the upcoming report.

Lin and his team were determined to pin Chu Qianli as part of the national team, which would frame China as the initial provocateur who used covert operations, resulting in the loss of the crystal ball.

Even if she wasn’t officially on the team, pretending to be a member and fooling others under that pretense should still warrant disciplinary action.

At the briefing, Pan Yicheng spoke with sincere conviction:
“Well, the two students did indeed participate in our project, but only as volunteers. They were not officially employed. I actually think that makes their reporting behavior more understandable—it came from a pure and patriotic heart. They’ve always cared about national security; this was genuinely a spontaneous act of good citizenship. We can’t suppress their patriotic enthusiasm…”

Shi Zhuoqu challenged, “But she did claim she used to work at a relevant agency.”

Pan Yicheng feigned surprise, “Oh? Did she mention which agency or her specific position? You’re welcome to provide that information now, and we’ll continue the investigation afterward.”

Shi Zhuoqu was speechless. Thinking back, all Chu Qianli had done was flash a badge—she never actually said anything that could incur legal responsibility. Her behavior was masterfully implicit, leaving not a single incriminating word behind.

Lin sneered, “So what you’re saying is, she just gets to walk away?”

He had picked up on the evasive tactics from the Chinese side—it was clear they had no intention of holding Chu Qianli accountable for anything.

They didn’t even care that she used a fake ID to deceive people—if anything, they looked ready to hang up a banner praising her. Now that the crystal ball was in China’s hands, any discussion of its return would happen later.

Pan Yicheng hurried to placate, “Of course she can’t just walk away…”

“Then how do you plan to deal with her?”

“Deal with her? Deal with what exactly? She’s not a formal member of our team—there’s nothing to discipline. I think we should just settle the reward payment for the report as soon as possible. We promised a reward at the start—we can’t let our passionate citizens feel unappreciated!”

“…”

I am just a novice translator and Chinese is not my native language. I try my best to translate the chapters as accurate as possible.
If there are any mistakes then kindly comment and remind me. Your support means a lot.