When he heard the female director's assistant's words, Fang Ze was momentarily surprised.
Screen all council members? That authority is too immense and too sensitive.
The council members of Xida Province are practically all bigwigs from various departments or important cities, holding secrets and power.
Previously, I investigated them under the guise of visiting, but now my identity is exposed, and contacting them individually would be openly offending people, putting myself in a precarious position.
Now that four out of five internal traitors have been caught, only one remains. If I go through this process, I'll be offending half of the council members. I'm not just handling this one case, I'll have to deal with these council members frequently in the future.
Moreover, the female director just reminded me to find an excuse to cover up the secret of interrogating the demigod believers. Yet now I encounter a situation that requires my personal involvement.
This matter... something feels off....
Thinking this, Fang Ze glanced at the female director's assistant.
The assistant clearly didn't realize these layers; she smiled and led Fang Ze to the female director's office door, knocked, and indicated for Fang Ze to enter.
Fang Ze walked into the female director's office and saw her looking at several documents on her desk. With sharp eyes, he immediately recognized them as the files on Councilor Huang, Councilor Xu, and other internal traitors.
Seeing Fang Ze enter, the female director looked up at him and pointed to the sofa, "Sit."
Fang Ze saluted her and then sat on the sofa.
The assistant closed the office door from the outside, plunging the office into silence, broken only by the "rustling" of the female director leafing through the documents.
After a moment, the female director continued reviewing the papers as she slowly spoke to Fang Ze, "Xiao Qing should have told you about the screening task, right?"
Upon hearing the female director's words, Fang Ze was momentarily astonished but quickly realized: if she didn't know her assistant's behavior, Lan Bing would be grossly incompetent as a director.
Thinking this, he nodded.
Lan Bing "hmm"-ed and then looked up from the file, coldly saying, "This is not a good task."
She paused and added, "But it can't be avoided."
Seeing Fang Ze nod, she asked, "So, do you have any thoughts?"
Although Lan Bing's face showed no expression and her tone was devoid of warmth, Fang Ze still felt her concern.
At least at this moment, Fang Ze felt his superior was trustworthy.
He pondered for a moment, an idea forming. He asked, "Can my presence be minimized? Perhaps conduct questioning through the Security Bureau's investigative team before and after meetings, inviting council members for inquiries?"
"Preferably, someone with higher authority than me should be present, for example... Deputy Director Qingping."
Qingping was Xun Yi's aunt; she had troubled Fang Ze several times at the Emerald City Security Bureau. So now, given a scapegoat, Fang Ze naturally thought of putting the blame on her first.
Hearing his suggestion, Lan Bing glanced deeply at him, first nodding and then shaking her head, "The idea is good. But Qingping is not enough."
"She is not a council member, not even a substitute member. Whereas you are a substitute council member and the Si Family head. Even if she appears with you, the council members will only notice you."
Lan Bing said, "I will go."
Fang Ze was startled and quickly said, "Director! That's...."
Before he could finish, Lan Bing interrupted him and said, "Only I can thoroughly diminish your presence. So it's decided. Bring the people you want to include and ask plenty of questions, throw some smokescreens."
Without waiting for Fang Ze's response, she set aside the files and calmly said, "This issue falls partly on me. Had I not underestimated the processing speed, you wouldn't be in such a troublesome situation."
"Normally, actions against council members should not be so hasty. Even with leads, evidence must be gathered first. But upon notifying the Chairperson, they prioritized this matter, compelling its swift advancement."
"Fortunately, after holding those council members, the Special Service Department used special artifacts for verification, confirming they were indeed controlled by demigods, otherwise the situation would have been exceedingly complicated."
Hearing Lan Bing's words, Fang Ze asked, "The Special Service Department has methods to detect demigod believers? Then why am I needed for the screening?"
Lan Bing calmly replied, "It has strong side effects on the body, irreversible in a short time. It's expensive, and can't be used casually, especially without evidence, and certainly not on council members."
"Moreover, the Special Service Department is more sensitive than us. Often they avoid contact with other departments unless suspect is high or evidence is solid, preventing adverse impacts."
Fang Ze understood. Espionage and counter-espionage, not popular departments.
After explaining this, Lan Bing fell silent, then changed the topic, "By the way, Jiang Cheng came to the provincial government a few days ago. Did you know?"
Fang Ze's heart stirred but he pretended ignorance, "No, why did he come to the provincial government?"
Lan Bing slightly shook her head, then said, "Not sure. Anyway, stay safe."
Hearing Lan Bing's words, Fang Ze nodded outwardly while silently thinking, "He should be careful."
At this moment, Lan Bing casually remarked, "You should be aware that over the decades some forces or Awakened Clans target noble bloodlines, secretly hunting noble members."
Seeing Fang Ze nod, she continued, "This caused noble families to increase member protection and also use special artifacts for tracking."
"Though each family's tracking method varies, they all leave corresponding traces on recently contacted individuals."
Hearing the director's words, Fang Ze was shaken.
He recalled Jiang Cheng's father's indirect invitation to dinner.
Though outwardly seeking information and somewhat humiliatingly failed, he felt odd.
Now, Fang Ze realized the oddity!
'How could I overlook this possibility!'
'Seems my plan for Jiang Cheng needs advancement.'
Despite thinking of many things in that moment, Fang Ze outwardly feigned ignorance with a puzzled smile.