Capítulo 401: Chapter 401: Assistance from the Mainland
The quiet night was suddenly shattered by a series of police sirens and ambulance sounds. Many people who had just gone to bed were startled awake by the urgent noises. They immediately opened their windows to see police cars escorting several ambulances speeding in a particular direction.
It quickly dawned on many that something significant must have happened, and it likely involved high-profile figures; otherwise, police cars wouldn't be clearing the way.
While ordinary citizens were still puzzled, the entire political, business, and criminal circles of Hong Kong were shaken by the sudden news. The father and two sons of the Keswick family, who control the Yihe Group, had been targeted by snipers, and their current status was unknown!
The situation was chaotic!
The news spread quickly, and everyone realized that dark clouds had suddenly gathered over Hong Kong. A storm was brewing!
The Yihe Group, being one of the most powerful entities in Hong Kong after HSBC and the Governor's Office, had been targeted, and the repercussions were immense.
Many hoped that the Keswick family would escape death because being severely injured was a far cry from being dead.
At the same time, wealthy families and business tycoons increased their vigilance overnight to avoid compromising their safety amid the uncertain situation.
At 387 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, originally a nearly completed hotel, had been acquired and converted into the Xinhua News Agency's Hong Kong branch office in 1960.
The Xinhua News Agency's Hong Kong branch was sent by China to fulfill the news functions of the national news agency's branch in Hong Kong. It also had another crucial role, acting as China's highest representative office in Hong Kong, facilitating communication with the Hong Kong government.
The current Chief Editor is Wang Ping, who had just taken office in 1978, and the Deputy Editor, also appointed at the same time, is Li Hua.
Less than a minute after the Keswick family's incident, Wang Ping received information from intelligence personnel. He immediately called Li Hua and other senior officials and instructed the intelligence team to follow up and provide real-time updates.
In the meeting room of the Xinhua News Agency's Hong Kong branch, smoke swirled as Wang Ping and Li Hua puffed away, their brows furrowed.
They had to take this seriously!
The country was in a crucial period, and foreign forces had been relentlessly smearing China. With China's diplomatic influence already weak, the assassination of the Keswick family members could lead to a series of uncontrollable negative impacts if those with ulterior motives blamed them.
"We need to discuss a contingency plan immediately since the situation has already occurred. What should we do?" Wang Ping, the Chief Editor, said with a solemn expression.
Li Hua, sitting to Wang Ping's lower left, took a puff of his cigarette and exhaled a smoke ring, calmly saying, "We must clear our suspicions, even if they are minimal. We need to show that we are taking steps to avoid being implicated by those with malicious intent."
"Editor Li, I have some intelligence to report."
A resolute-looking middle-aged man sitting to Wang Ping's lower right suddenly spoke up. Wang Ping and Li Hua immediately turned to him.
His name was Lin Yong, the chief intelligence officer in Hong Kong, reporting to the Xinhua branch leadership and holding the third position within the branch.
"Last night, a corpse was discovered on the rooftop of a residential building near the Jiuding Newspaper Company. Upon investigation, it was determined that the deceased was an assassin."
"We traced the lead and found that there was a bounty on Xia Yu on the underground assassin's assassination list, with a reward of 5 million dollars for his death."
"Based on the assassin's situation, it is evident that the target was Xia Yu, but he was killed in retaliation, leading to the corpse being exposed on the rooftop!"
"Most importantly, around 4 a.m. today, it was discovered that the Keswick family members had also appeared on the reward list, with a bounty of 5 million dollars each!"
Lin Yong stopped speaking here, as he had already conveyed the critical information. The decision on how to proceed was up to Wang Ping and the others. Despite being the third-ranking official, his role in intelligence was quite independent, making him less suited for political decisions.
Upon receiving this information, Wang Ping and Li Hua were shocked by the large amount of the bounty and were also deeply troubled. It was evident that the suspicion was directed at Xia Yu.
Xia Yu must have known about the bounty on him and retaliated with his own bounty. Xia Yu had strong security measures, and the assassin was eliminated, but the Keswick family failed to protect themselves, allowing the assassin's success.
Given the intense business rivalry recently and the significant enmity between Xia Yu and the Keswick family, the suspicion on Xia Yu was substantial.
Judging rationally, Wang Ping and Li Hua believed that Xia Yu was likely behind the incident.
But that made the situation more challenging.
They originally planned to assist the Hong Kong government in investigating the matter and clearing their names. However, discovering the connection to Xia Yu put them in a difficult position.
Though Wang Ping and Li Hua had been in their positions for less than a year, they were well aware of Xia Yu's power and influence. They also knew Xia Yu's stance was favorable toward the mainland, and the higher-ups valued Xia Yu, urging them to maintain good relations.
If they were to expose a connection to Xia Yu while trying to clear their names, they would likely face severe repercussions from the higher-ups.
This matter, if handled poorly, would leave traces. If other major Chinese figures learned of it, the fallout would be severe.
Thus, Li Hua's proposal was to declare bankruptcy immediately!
"This is problematic!" Li Hua frowned, muttering to himself.
"It's not about whether it's problematic or not. The previous instructions from our superiors were to assist Xia Yu as much as possible, showing kindness and strengthening our relationship with him. Now that this incident has occurred, we might be in trouble, but it will be less significant than his troubles!"
"If the assassin acted alone, proving our innocence would be easier. However, if Xia Yu orchestrated it, we would face serious problems. The British MI6 is not to be trifled with."
"So, should we help him?"
Wang Ping exhaled a puff of smoke, which swirled in front of him, obscuring his face, and said solemnly.
"But Chief Editor, if we help him and it's discovered that our people are covering up traces, even if we have no suspicion, we might become suspected. Won't that be a problem?"
A senior official voiced this concern.
This made Li Hua and others frown even more deeply.
"Time is of the essence. We need to make a decision quickly. MI6 will definitely be investigating by now."
Lin Yong reminded them that if they were to help, they needed to act quickly to eliminate traces. Delays could lead to the discovery of evidence, making it impossible to assist.
"We don't have the authority to decide this. I suggest we report it immediately!"
At this point, Wang Ping realized it was beyond his capacity to handle, so he no longer hesitated and proposed his opinion.
"Agreed!"
"Agreed!"
Others immediately agreed to report the situation up the chain.
Seeing everyone in agreement, Wang Ping picked up the red phone on the table and dialed a secret number.
After three rings, the call was answered.
"This is the Xinhua News Agency Hong Kong branch. I'm Wang Ping! I have an urgent situation to report to the leadership!"
At that moment, in an office on the third floor of a building in the capital city of the mainland, the operator who received the call told Wang Ping to hold for a moment and hurried to find the leader.
In a short while, an elderly man with silver hair quickly came over, directly answered the call, and spoke in a firm voice: "I'm Zhao Zhiyuan!"
"Old Zhao, something has happened in Hong Kong…"
Upon hearing Wang Ping's detailed report, Zhao Zhiyuan raised his eyebrows, recalling all the intelligence about Xia Yu, who was a key focus in their files.
After a moment of contemplation, Zhao Zhiyuan ordered directly, "Don't worry too much. The most important thing now is to make our stance clear to overseas compatriots. Eliminate all traces and report any urgent matters directly to me."
After hanging up the phone, Zhao Zhiyuan pondered for a while, then shook his head and smiled, deciding not to escalate the issue. What seemed like a major event to Wang Ping was something he could handle himself. It wasn't significant enough to be reported upwards.
After all, the choice of future paths was now at a critical juncture, which was the most important matter at hand.
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