Chapter 56: Psychological Warfare

After all, Ji Tianxing was a general when all was said and done, a general who had genuinely fought his way through oceans of blood and mountains of blades.
Such petty tricks were completely ineffective against him.
And the reason Nangong Zhiwen resorted to this approach was precisely to make Ji Tianxing firmly believe in his identity as a secret agent.
Sure enough, upon hearing Nangong Zhiwen's specialized code of conversation, Ji Tianxing completely bought into his identity. If it were under normal circumstances, he would have handled the person before him with confident and effortless ease.
But right now, with a guilty conscience gnawing at him, Ji Tianxing felt his throat tighten slightly after confirming the absolute authenticity of the visitor's identity.
"Ahem..." Ji Tianxing cleared his throat rather awkwardly.
Nangong Zhiwen immediately pressed on, "General Ji, I heard that Major Ji Yun has recently shown quite a bit of interest in electronic technology?"
Hearing this, Ji Tianxing's heart leaped into his throat once again.
Even Ji Yun, hiding behind the folding screen, was instantly broken out in a cold sweat.
Could it be that Xie Baorong, having been cursed and driven away by him last time, grew so resentful that he decided to report it to the police?
Yet...
Given Xie Baorong's social standing, the highest-level investigative agency he could possibly reach would be the local public security bureau.
Yet the man before him, claiming to be an agent surnamed Wang, was from the Ministry of State Security.
It was practically impossible for a working-class wage earner at the very bottom of society like Xie Baorong to ever come into contact with the Ministry of State Security.
Besides, the State Security bureau generally did not handle such low-level matters; after all, their purview was strictly major incidents that posed a threat to national security.
Affairs that did not involve threats to the state were invariably handled by the regular police.
Yet the person before him genuinely came from State Security. Could it be that his entire plan had already been exposed to them?
That was impossible. Although his plan involved the assassination of Ji Ling, apart from himself and his father, not a third soul knew the full picture—not even his mother Li Guizhen or his two older sisters.
Ji Yun wasn't stupid. When he sought out Xie Baorong, it was merely to have him purchase specific drones for the purpose of embedding a Trojan horse program. He certainly wouldn't have told Xie Baorong what the program was meant to do, let alone who it was intended to kill.
Even if Xie Baorong had somehow taken the matter to State Security, given the limited extent of his knowledge, it was impossible for them to dispatch a special agent to investigate.
And to investigate right inside the home of a general, no less.
Breaking into a general's home in the dead of night to investigate a matter—regardless of what was being investigated, what questions were asked, or whether anything was actually uncovered—was an impact far beyond what a mere low-ranking State Security agent could ever take responsibility for.
Stunned for a moment by the question, Ji Tianxing quickly devised a countermeasure and replied, "The boy has always liked dabbling in such things, but I've never really interfered in his personal affairs. He's a sensible lad and has always managed to handle things properly."
Nangong Zhiwen immediately chuckled. "General Ji, it's like this. My presence here representing State Security today isn't to conduct an investigation, but rather to issue a warning."
"Recently, an international transnational criminal syndicate has emerged, specifically targeting the children of high-ranking military officials from various countries, such as Major Ji Yun."
"Children of senior officers like Major Ji Yun naturally come into contact with certain special classified information. Being young, they also tend to be heavily involved with the digital world, making their electronic devices prime targets for intrusion."
"Please don't misunderstand. I know that a late-night visit might cast an unfavorable shadow on you, your family, or even your official position and work. But this is an urgent directive from above, and we subordinates have no choice in the matter. I trust you understand."
"Over the past few days, I've already visited the homes of more than a dozen generals."
"My primary mission is simply to leave behind this item."
With that, Nangong Zhiwen immediately pulled a box out from the briefcase he was carrying and drew from it a device that looked very much like a network router.
Several prominent characters were printed on the housing of the device.
"Network Early Warning Monitor..." Ji Tianxing read the words aloud, a trace of skepticism crossing his face. He picked up the router-like device, weighed it in his hand, and scoffed, "Hmph, can this little gadget really... serve any monitoring or early-warning purpose?"
Nangong Zhiwen immediately smiled. "You mustn't underestimate this device. It was developed through the day-and-night efforts of our comrades in cyber-surveillance. Currently, its accuracy rate in providing early warnings against malicious external web information and potential cyber security hazards is as high as ninety-seven percent!"
"As long as this device is plugged into your home network, it can instantly trigger an early warning the moment any risky behavior occurs."
"However..." Nangong Zhiwen deliberately paused to build suspense, dropping his voice to a whisper, "Comrades in cyber-surveillance aren't scientists, after all. I'll tell you this in strict confidence..."
Nangong Zhiwen leaned in close to Ji Tianxing's ear—a seemingly casual gesture that, in psychological terms, served to narrow the interpersonal distance and dissolve the other party's doubts. Combined with his cautious tone, the effect was doubly potent.
"This thing actually... only serves as an early warning. As for monitoring... bah! That's just a decoration, completely useless! Hahahaha!"
Sure enough, Ji Tianxing, whose mind had been racing with anxiety, was quickly reeled into Nangong Zhiwen's rhythm and joined in with a hearty laugh.
Then, turning solemn, Nangong Zhiwen said, "So, if this device ever issues a warning, I must implore you to contact me immediately."
With that, Nangong Zhiwen presented a business card bearing his contact information with both hands and continued, "This device can only sound an alarm; it cannot analyze precisely what kind of danger or cyber threat has occurred. Therefore, the moment an alarm goes off, immediately cut off your household network connection and wait for specialists to arrive on site!"
"After all, state secrets are a matter of paramount importance. We cannot let malicious actors steal them so easily!"
Breathing a long sigh of relief, Ji Tianxing nodded repeatedly and said, "Alright, please rest assured, Comrade. As a general of the Dragon Kingdom, I certainly possess that much political awareness. I will definitely cooperate!"
"Splendid!" Nangong Zhiwen immediately said, "Then I won't watch you connect this device to your home network. I trust that the General will certainly cooperate; standing here watching you hook it up would make it seem as though I don't trust you!"
"Hey! You mustn't put it that way! After all, this is your duty!" Ji Tianxing immediately summoned the housekeeper and had the router-like device connected to the household network gateway.
"Look! See? I'm cooperating fully! Hahahaha!" Ji Tianxing laughed out loud, his voice booming.