Chapter 80: The Joint Investigation Team

Julia was thrilled to receive the invitation letter from the Ministry of State Security.

The letter stated that the Ministry placed great importance on the upcoming visit of the European exchange delegation and felt deep sympathy for the victims. For this reason, they had specially chosen the Joint Investigation Team—who were the first to uncover evidence of the mermaid experiments—to handle the coordination of this matter.

The letter also included a profile of the Falcon Investigation Team, describing them as some of the most outstanding senior investigators in the Public Security Ministry, full of promise and accomplishment. They had masterminded the operation to liberate the Dahuangshan base and assisted the Ministry of State Security in investigating rebel elements. In their most recent assignment, they had been undercover within the enemy-held Jinji Ridge base, providing a series of vital leads—including information about the mermaid experiments, which Julia’s team was particularly concerned about during their visit to China.

Upon reading the profiles of these Chinese colleagues, Julia and her team found themselves quite intrigued. If everything went as smoothly as the liaison staff promised, this operation was bound to be a success.

After arranging accommodations for Julia’s group, the staff from the Ministry’s External Affairs Division quickly asked their counterparts at the Mission Center to contact the Falcon Investigation Team, setting up a meeting as soon as possible.

Because the European delegation and the Falcon Investigation Team were stationed inside and outside the Jinji Ridge base respectively, their initial meeting was arranged as a video call. Julia would handle the contact for the European side, while Captain Zhang Xingmin represented the Falcon Team.

Once the call connected, Zhang Xingmin noted that the counterpart was a young woman, delicate and gentle. He couldn’t help but feel a little displeased—not out of any prejudice, but simply because such dangerous work seemed ill-suited for a woman.

Julia noticed the cold expression on Zhang Xingmin’s face, but she still greeted him warmly. “Hello! I’m Julia. It’s a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to working with you!” Though she was a little uncomfortable with his chilly demeanor, she was new here and needed their help, so she remained polite.

“Hello! I’m the captain of the Falcon Investigation Team, assigned to work with you. My name is...”

Zhang Xingmin was not one to neglect foreign guests, even if he was dubious about this seemingly burdensome beauty.

“Zhang Damin, right? I heard about you from your colleagues earlier. You really are just as they described—very... cool!” Julia, unconcerned about minor details, tossed out the most fitting compliment she could think of.

“Zhang Damin? Very... coo... cool...” Zhang Xingmin muttered to himself for a moment before realizing that this woman’s Chinese wasn’t particularly good—he’d need to guess her meaning.

Julia heard him repeating (kū, kú, kǔ, kù) for a while and realized she’d mispronounced the word. Embarrassed, she quickly corrected herself: “Yes, yes, very cool! Really cool.”

Seeing the girl’s repeated praise, Zhang Xingmin could hardly keep up his stern facade. He shook his head and managed a wry smile.

Unable to read his reaction, Julia tentatively asked, “Is there something troubling you?”

“No, not at all. I just didn’t expect the European team’s leader to be a young woman. This kind of dangerous work really isn’t suitable for girls,” he replied frankly, since she had asked directly.

Realizing that his concern was for her safety, Julia’s impression of him improved considerably. So that was what his troubled expression meant.

Eager to dispel any doubts about their collaboration, Julia quickly explained that she was merely a family member of one of the victims, and that their side had professional investigators handling the matter—she was only there to assist. She also made a point of emphasizing her own competence, mentioning that she had spent the past year working on the front lines with the International Red Cross, treating the wounded, and would certainly not be a burden.

With the ice broken, the two of them soon became much more comfortable, and the initial awkwardness faded.

Just as their conversation was warming up, Brother Long burst in on Zhang Xingmin.

He had come to call Zhang for dinner, but upon entering saw he was on a video call—with a long-legged, blonde, blue-eyed foreign beauty on the other end.

“Damn! With a gorgeous, long-legged, blonde bombshell like that to keep you company, no wonder you don’t care about eating!” Brother Long exclaimed in an exaggerated tone, not caring if the woman overheard.

“Don’t talk nonsense! She’s the staff member from the foreign reconnaissance team I mentioned today,” Zhang Xingmin hastily corrected him, worried about his friend’s lack of a filter.

“Foreign reconnaissance team? Oh—that must be the Joint Investigation Team they mentioned earlier! That makes us colleagues, right?” Realizing his earlier words were inappropriate, Brother Long quickly put on a more professional tone and greeted the woman: “Hello, I’m Yang Dalong, Senior Investigator with the Ministry of State Security. Pleased to meet you.”

Julia was not offended. Instead, she greeted Brother Long politely: “It’s nice to meet you! I look forward to your guidance. You and Damin are both very cool!”

Brother Long burst out laughing and said to Zhang Xingmin, “See? She’s got great taste!”

Zhang Xingmin ignored him. After confirming some details about forming the joint investigation team with Julia, he ended the call.

With that, the joint investigation team was agreed upon. Some specifics, like who would lead the team, would be discussed at their meeting later today. A new problem arose, however: how would they actually meet up?

The logical choice was somewhere inside the Jinji Ridge base, but the foreign team couldn’t enter for the time being, which left everyone at an impasse. After some discussion, they decided to seek a breakthrough by approaching Lord Jinming.

Acting swiftly, the three men headed straight for Jinming’s private residence.

When they arrived, Jinming was reclining in a chair with his eyes closed, apparently resting. In truth, he was deep in thought. Lately, he’d been plagued by worries; trouble had been constant ever since he took in Wu Jianxue’s group. Was his City of the Future doomed to meet the same fate as Dahuangshan?

Jinming, naturally, heard the three members of the Falcon Investigation Team arrive.

“You do realize you’re not allowed in here—especially strangers,” Jinming said, not even opening his eyes, his tone distinctly unfriendly.

But the Falcon Team wasn’t intimidated by his authority—they were here to negotiate, after all. In a composed voice, they said, “You must be the lord of this city. We have business to discuss with you. Apologies for coming without an appointment, but I trust we’re not disturbing you.”

“Business?” Jinming repeated, skeptical. These young people had guts, daring to negotiate with him. He decided to see what they had to say.