Chapter 181: Who is More Qualified?

"Standard procedure? Mr. Colonel, may I see your identification? Which department do you belong to, and what kind of procedure are you executing?" Belonging to the same overarching system, Lin Yun did not wish to make things overly difficult for this colonel.

However, the colonel simply lacked all tact!

He Tian refused to believe that the colonel had been unable to obtain his background information in all this time!

Although those records were merely placeholder profiles arranged by the Dragon Head that revealed no real identity, the access restrictions alone should have been enough to warn this colonel, shouldn't they?

Yet judging by the present situation, it was abundantly clear that the colonel had received no such warning... which meant he was utterly clueless.

"Ministry of State Security!" The MSS colonel flashed his identification.

"Very well, Mr. Colonel. Since you are from the Ministry of State Security and are questioning me in this manner, does that imply I have endangered national security? If so, please give me your reasons!" He Tian stared at the MSS colonel, saying in a deep voice.

"You managed to subdue two highly skilled hijackers, and you know how to fly an airplane," the MSS colonel said. "We have reason to determine based on these facts whether or not you pose a threat to the state!"

The colonel felt a bit unnerved under He Tian's piercing gaze.

"Hahaha!" He Tian burst out laughing, fixing his gaze on the MSS colonel as he said in a deep voice, "So, according to you, if I had remained indifferent when facing the hijackers and let them do as they pleased, I wouldn't have endangered national security? If I had stood by idly and watched the plane crash, would that also not count as endangering national security? Is that how national security is defined? As a member of the Ministry of State Security, is that your understanding? Colonel, I am now seriously, very seriously wondering how you ever earned those rank insignia! Are you unaware that China has other agencies besides the Ministry of State Security? Don't you know that outside of state institutions, there are many, many powerful figures existing beyond your imagination? Do you think you can keep everything under your control? Can you... possibly do that?"

"I am merely fulfilling my duty!" the MSS colonel said in a low voice. "As long as I can verify your innocence, the Ministry of State Security will naturally not make things difficult for you!"

"Innocence? Mr. Colonel, please watch your phrasing! What do you mean by 'innocence'? Are you implying that I am currently not innocent? Is that what you mean?" He Tian demanded angrily.

"Whether you are innocent or not is not for you to decide; the facts will speak for themselves!" The MSS colonel turned his gaze toward Kamikaze and said in a low voice, "I believe this Mr. He here is quite problematic, wouldn't you say?"

He Tian's eyes turned thoroughly cold!

He waved his hand to signal Kamikaze not to get agitated, and calmly seated himself!

"Mr. Colonel, very well, state your reasons for suspicion! If you cannot give me a reason, then I can guarantee you that everything that has happened here today will reach the hands of your immediate superior before you can even imagine! And if your superior cannot handle this matter, then very well, I guarantee that your superior's superior will personally step in to inquire about it. Ask away! Begin your questioning right now!" He Tian said in a profound voice.

The MSS colonel looked at He Tian, his expression similarly ice-cold!

Yes, he had seen He Tian's records!

He hadn't found anything out of the ordinary—it was completely clean, even showing that He Tian owned a large-scale investment company. But based on his experience and understanding, there had to be something fishy behind those records!

As for Kamikaze, well, the information he had tracked down pointed to He Feng. Although all the records had been well-concealed, they had been processed only recently, which deeply aroused his suspicions that this so-called He Feng was extremely problematic!

Most crucially, He Feng bore an uncanny resemblance to an international master thief named Kamikaze! They were undoubtedly the exact same person!

Therefore, he had to take this matter seriously!

Catching an international master thief would unquestionably count as a monumental achievement!

"Your name is He Feng?" the colonel asked.

"Correct!" Kamikaze replied.

"Previously..." The colonel began inquiring about the details of how He Tian had arranged Kamikaze's identity documents.

To these inquiries, Kamikaze responded with absolute fluency.

"Then, do you know Kamikaze?" The colonel abruptly changed the subject and fired off the question.

"Kamikaze? Who is that?" Kamikaze looked at the colonel in astonishment, feigning complete bafflement!

*Little trick, trying to use this tactic on me? You're still a bit too green!* Kamikaze muttered inwardly!

He Tian frowned slightly, quietly pulled out his phone, and sent a text message.

He Tian was in no mood to keep playing games with this colonel!

On the contrary, he had grown immensely interested in this colonel right now...

He Tian had experienced various turf wars and rivalries between different departments before... but this was the first time such a conflict had landed directly on his own doorstep.

Reluctant to expose his true identity, He Tian decided he had no choice but to dismiss this colonel first.

To think things had come to this!

He had done a good deed, saving an airplane and everyone on board, only to be subjected to this kind of interrogation!

Even if questioning was necessary, could they have at least chosen a different setting?

It seemed this colonel was altogether too full of himself because of his status as an MSS officer.

The colonel continued questioning Kamikaze... while Kamikaze effortlessly played along with him.

Soon enough, the text message He Tian had sent took effect!

The colonel's phone rang!

He Tian vaguely heard the sound of reprimands over the line, and watched the colonel's expression shift repeatedly.

A faint smile appeared on He Tian's lips...

Ah, the reputation of the Ministry of State Security left much to be desired within certain circles! That was probably because there were simply too many people like this colonel around, people who were forever obsessed with their own special privileges while completely ignoring everything else. Power, oh power...

No wonder Dragon Soul had such stringent requirements for its members... If Dragon Soul's operatives were to abuse their authority in this manner, the resulting negative impact would truly be catastrophic.

The colonel hung up the phone!

He stood up with extreme reluctance.

"My apologies, gentlemen! There has been a misunderstanding on my part!" the colonel said in a low voice.

"Colonel, is that supposed to be an apology?" He Tian stood up, the smile on his face vanishing instantly without a trace.

He Tian had no desire to make a fuss!

The situation itself was absurd enough already! He wanted no part in letting this farce continue any further, lest it ruin his mood even more.

However, catching the flash of lingering anger in Kamikaze's eyes and recalling how aggressively the colonel had interrogated Kamikaze like a criminal—coupled with the disgruntled expression the man still wore even while apologizing—

All these factors combined caused He Tian's temper to truly flare up!

When dealing with enemies, anyone who had ever truly crossed paths with He Tian knew just how explosive his temper could be.

Yet no one knew that He Tian's fiery temper, when directed at his own people, could burn even more fiercely than when facing an adversary.

"What?" Having just been chewed out over the phone, the colonel was already in a foul mood, and now, provoked by He Tian, his temper flared up instantly!

"What do you mean, 'what'? Colonel... allow me to ask you, whose orders did you receive instructing you to assist in the pursuit of two agents? Care to enlighten me?" He Tian asked in a deep voice.

"Who do you think you are, questioning me like this?" The colonel looked at He Tian coldly!

"I don't have the qualifications? Colonel, take a look at this... If I lack the qualifications, who on earth has them?" He Tian demanded in a grave tone.

Slightly doubtful and somewhat apprehensive, the colonel picked up the small booklet He Tian had tossed over.

He flipped it open and glanced at it—and his complexion changed dramatically in an instant!

"Answer my question! Who ordered you to come and intercept us here?" He Tian demanded.

"I..." The colonel's mouth opened. He was still reeling from the shock, never having imagined in a million years that He Tian belonged to *that* particular organization.

"You?" He Tian pressed in a low voice. "Whose orders did you receive?"

"No orders... I acted upon a request from the Japanese side!" the colonel said, regaining a fraction of his composure.

"A request from the Japanese side? And who did you seek authorization from?" He Tian's tone grew increasingly stern.

From the very first moment he laid eyes on him, this colonel had given He Tian the distinct impression of harboring some hidden grievance...

Now, by pressing the issue, He Tian sensed that there were far too many suspicious points surrounding this colonel.

"The situation was urgent, so I didn't ask anyone! Mutual assistance is a consistent tradition maintained between our country and others!" the colonel argued.

"To hell with that tradition!" He Tian slammed his hand on the table and continued, "Let me ask you, how can you presume to make decisions on matters involving bilateral cooperation like this? Why didn't you seek proper authorization? Furthermore, how did you receive the information from the Japanese side? Where were you when you received the intelligence? Why did you insist on broadcasting messages to the aircraft? And why did you harass the two of us without any justifiable cause?"

"I'm sorry... I refuse to answer these questions! This is an internal matter of the Ministry of State Security!" The colonel's expression shifted, and he spoke in a rigid tone.

"An internal matter? Hmph... Did you not see the identification credentials?" He Tian's demeanor turned even colder!

"You people... you have no right to overstep your bounds like this!" The colonel's face twisted further as he gritted his teeth.

"Overstep? Or do I lack the jurisdiction?" He Tian pressed forward relentlessly!

"I... refuse to answer!" The colonel was regretting his actions now! If he had known this would happen, he never would have meddled in this business!

"Answer my question immediately!" Lin Yun ordered angrily.

"I refuse to answer. If you want answers, go ask my superiors! Farewell!" the colonel said in a stiff voice.

"Wanshun!"

"Here!"

"No one is allowed to leave!"

"Understood!"

"All personnel, listen up! Level One alert! No one is permitted to leave without authorization! Anyone who dares to defy this order is to be executed on the spot!" Wanshun roared at the top of his lungs.

As a naval aviation squadron, they had over a hundred aircraft at their disposal!

The entire camp housed more than fifteen hundred personnel!

Now operating under a Level One alert status, they were effectively in a state of imminent combat readiness. Anyone daring to defy this status—as soldiers following strict military commands—would act accordingly without hesitation!

The colonel's face drained of color!

Meanwhile, Yang Hai涛 and Hu Hailiang on the sidelines had long since run out of patience!

They had come here specifically to express their gratitude to He Tian and his companion, only to have their meeting completely derailed and ruined by this MSS colonel!

What surprised the two men even more was that this fellow He Tian apparently held even greater authority than the MSS colonel!

This left the two of them feeling thoroughly bewildered!