"Undercurrent" is a suspenseful detective novel that blends elements of domestic and international espionage cases. It has 30 chapters and approximately 100,000 words.
Synopsis
Inspired by real espionage cases uncovered by China's national security agencies, the novel imagines a transnational spy network operating across diplomacy, national defense, scientific research, and other fields. Foreign intelligence agencies use "honey traps," "gambling debt coercion," and other methods to recruit Chinese personnel with access to classified information. National security agents join forces with police officers to crack the case and expose a mole in the upper ranks.
- Character relationships:
- Protagonists: Lin Hao, a 35-year-old national security agent skilled in surveillance and counterintelligence; Su Qing, a 28-year-old police officer and computer expert; and Xia Xiaoyu, a 25-year-old researcher who has been recruited by the enemy.
- Antagonists: "Cobra," a French intelligence chief with the codename Jean; Chen Feng, a defense minister's secretary and double agent; and Zhou Ming, a gambling-addicted traitor at a research institute.
- Key figures: Wang Hong, a Foreign Ministry official being threatened with the exposure of classified information; and Li Jianguo, deputy director of the national security bureau and a mole.
Theme: Inspired by real cases, the novel depicts a new kind of high-level espionage case.
