cicada

Chapter 1289 Auction
Half a month later.

Ryosuke Hase and Saburo Iguchi appeared in a zoo in Melbourne. They bought two tickets and strolled around leisurely.

Looking at the endless stream of tourists and wild boars on both sides of the road, Saburo Iguchi asked Hase why the gunman set the auction location in such a crowded place. Isn't the other party afraid of being exposed?

Hase Ryosuke glanced at him and replied calmly: "Mr. Iguchi, do you know that the Italian Mafia likes to raise pigs? It's because pigs are omnivorous animals and it's very convenient to deal with corpses."

Saburo Iguchi's heart trembled. As the head of the bacterial unit, he thought he was used to seeing life and death, but when his life was really in danger, this devil still felt guilty.

The two stopped talking, walked around the garden a few times and came to an iron gate. Several burly men searched Hase and Iguchi and then made way for them.

"Arigado~"

Hase and Iguchi bowed slightly and stepped into the courtyard behind the iron gate. There were already several people in the courtyard, namely Mu Hyuk and his men.

Hearing someone coming, Mu Hyuk looked up and his eyes met Iguchi Saburo. Both of them were stunned for a moment and quickly looked away.

Currently, the only two countries that are interested in penicillin and have the strength to take action against Australian pharmaceutical companies are Japan and Germany, so it is normal for the two sides to meet here.

If only one party showed up, the strains and drug information wouldn't sell for a good price. However, what about the owner of the auction? Saburo Iguchi looked around the scene and didn't see anyone else.

Muhe was more interested in the low-key Hase Ryosuke, who was likely a senior official of the Japanese intelligence agency, an identity worthy of Abwehr's attention.

Hase noticed Mu Hyul's behavior, bowed slightly as a greeting, and then walked to an open space to wait for the auction to begin, with no intention of talking to the other party.

If Japan and Germany were allies before, then at this moment, the two countries are out-and-out rivals, and their target is penicillin.

In silence, the Japanese and German sides each occupied a place until a burst of laughter came from a distance, breaking the silence.

"Hahaha, Mr. Muhe, Mr. Hase, welcome to both of you for taking the time to come. I apologize for not welcoming you in person." Zuo Zhong said as he walked and bowed, followed by Gucci and a few little spies.

He showed up without disguise this time. After all, among the people who came, the Germans had little interaction with the Military Control Commission, Hase was one of them, and Iguchi was
"Left! Heavy!" Hase Ryosuke gritted his teeth and spat out two words, contributing his lifelong acting skills.

Saburo Iguchi's scalp suddenly went numb. He had heard the name Zuo Chong countless times. He was the deputy director of the Military Intelligence Bureau, an intelligence expert of the National Government, and extremely hostile to the Empire. It was rumored that the destruction of the Beiyin River base was the work of this man.

Now there are only two of them, but the Juntong side has more people and more power. If Zuo Zhong attacks him, he doesn't think Hase Ryosuke will be able to stop it.

As he was thinking, Iguchi slowly retreated behind Hase. He was betting that Zuo Zhong didn't know his identity. After all, the Kwantung Army's water supply unit was a secret agency and the outside world knew very little about it.

But Zuo Zhong's next words made Iguchi shudder, and also made Iguchi understand why the Japanese intelligence agencies regarded the Generalissimo as the biggest enemy.

"Mr. Iguchi, you should be in the Pingfang District of Harbin, not in Australia. Could it be that the Kwantung Army's water supply unit has established a branch in Australia?"

Zuo Zhong looked at Iguchi Saburo with a half-smile, his words full of teasing and murderous intent. Gu Qi and the little spy beside him also had grim grins on their faces, just waiting for Zuo Zhong's order to capture Iguchi Saburo on the spot.

"Baga, I'm not. Don't talk nonsense. I don't know anything about the water supply unit."

Saburo Iguchi denied the Third Company. No one knew better than him what the water supply unit had done. If he fell into the hands of the Military Control Commission, it would be a luxury for him to die quickly.

Hase Ryosuke laughed inwardly, stepped forward and stood between Zuo Zhong and Jingkou, "Zuo Jun, when two countries are at war, they don't kill envoys. Besides, we are your guests. It's not appropriate for you to do this."

Hearing this, Saburo Iguchi felt relieved. No wonder everyone said that Hase Ryosuke was the Mengchangjun of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was indeed a benevolent and righteous gentleman.

On the other hand, Mu He also recognized Zuo Zhong. When the Republic of China's military and technical delegation visited Germany, he was a member of the delegation. Afterwards, he made inquiries from many sources before finding out his true identity.

Perhaps the words "two countries should not kill envoys when at war" worked, Zuo Zhong chuckled and let go of Iguchi Saburo, and started talking about business with Muhe and Hase.

“Hase-kun, Mr. Muhyul, I know why you came to Australia, and to be honest, I don’t like your approach.

If you want penicillin, you can sit down and have a good talk, but you actually want to steal the information, which is extremely immoral!"

Zuo Chong wielded the moral stick and accused Japan and Germany of their despicable behavior of ignoring international patent laws. Hase Ryosuke and Mu He almost laughed out of anger.

They are all spies. Things like patent laws can only deceive ordinary people. The other party said so much just to raise the price. Mu He directly interrupted Zuo Zhong's impassioned speech.

"Okay, Mr. Zuo, our time is precious. Please stop beating around the bush and state your conditions."

Zuo Zhong was not angry at being interrupted. He clapped his hands and said with a smile, "Well, quick words, Mr. Mu He is indeed an intelligence talent valued by your country's head of state. Then I will speak directly." He paused for a moment and raised a finger: "The latest model of penicillin strains and large-scale production processes, including culture medium formulas, only one condition, the highest bidder wins."

Mu He's eyes lit up, but he still suppressed his ecstasy and asked a sharp question: why did Zuo Zhong do this?

Saburo Iguchi, who had just recovered from his fright, pricked up his ears. This was also something he couldn't understand. Zuo Chong had always hated Japan, so why did he go against his usual practice and trade with the empire this time?

The importance of penicillin to war is self-evident. He didn't believe that Zuo Chong didn't know it. There was no reason for the other party to sell such an important strategic material to the empire.

Zuo Zhong asked the little spy to bring a few stools, and he sat on one of them. He then motioned to Mu He and the others to feel free to sit, and then began to explain.

“You and I both know that even if this operation fails, you will still send people to steal the information. I am not interested in playing this childish game of back and forth with you.

Besides, penicillin is not a very advanced technology. Even without the information, your two countries will be able to produce it sooner or later. It’s just a matter of time.

In that case, why not keep it simple? You give me a price that satisfies me and I will hand over the technical information, so that we don’t have to resort to violence again.

There is an old saying in the Republic of China that harmony brings wealth. Today I am talking to you two as a businessman. If we meet again in the future, we will leave our lives to fate. "

Saburo Iguchi and Mu He nodded. Since the effects of penicillin were discovered, all countries have started corresponding research, and Japan and Germany are no exception. However, due to technical and financial limitations, progress has been slow.

So if you can use money to buy key technology and speed up drug development, it is indeed a good deal, provided that Zuo Zhong is telling the truth.

As a Japanese who had lived in the Republic of China for a long time, Saburo Iguchi first believed Zuo Zhong's explanation because this kind of thing had happened more than once.

In the eyes of officials of the Republic of China, only their own and their family’s interests are most important.

As for the interests of the country, that is just a slogan after making money, no one will take it seriously, and it seems that Zuo Zhong is no exception.

Compared to the optimistic Iguchi, Mu Hyul is more cautious. He said how to determine the authenticity of the information. If the information is false, wouldn’t they have paid a large sum of money in vain?

Zuo Zhong spread his hands and acted like a rogue: "It is up to you two to determine whether it is true or not. Please remember that I am the one who has the upper hand now. You have no choice but to agree. The battle half a month ago is proof of that."

"you!."

Mu He was furious, but he couldn't really turn hostile, so he could only ask again about the reserve price and method of the auction, and then he winked at Hase and Iguchi.

Only Germany and Japan participated in the auction. If they maintained a tacit understanding, the people of the Republic of China would not be able to drive up the price.

Zuo Zhong saw Mu He's little trick clearly, but he didn't intend to point it out. It's just a bid rigging, it's easy to solve, he added slowly.

"There is no reserve price for the auction. Please write your bids on a piece of paper and give it to me in five minutes. Just a reminder, you only have one chance to bid."

After he finished speaking, the little agent came forward and handed paper and pen to Mu Hyul and Hase Ryosuke. At the same time, an alarm clock was placed aside and the countdown had already begun.

Mu He's face darkened. If they had made an open bid, they could still cooperate with the Japanese to lower the price, but with this kind of secret bidding transaction, both parties would inevitably have to compete.

Iguchi moved aside vigilantly to prevent the Germans from hearing his conversation with Hase. With just one move, Zuo Zhong destroyed the tacit understanding between Japan and Germany.

"Hase-kun, how much do you think the information and samples are worth?" On the Japanese side, Saburo Iguchi whispered for Hase Ryosuke's opinion.

Hase touched his chin and thought about it, and without discussing it with Iguchi, he wrote down a string of numbers on a piece of paper, folded it up and handed it to the Military Intelligence Bureau agent. Iguchi had no time to stop him.

"Baga, what are you doing?" Jingkou was anxious and shouted harshly, regardless of the fact that the Germans and the Republic of China were still present.

Hase waved his hand, his expression nonchalant: "Don't worry, Iguchi-kun, let's talk about it when we get back."

Mu He didn't care about the internal strife among the Japanese. After careful consideration, he wrote down his bid. The first process of the auction ended here. Zuo Chong put away the two notes and stood up.

"Everyone, I will announce the auction results here in three days at the same time and deliver the strains and information on the spot."

After informing the next meeting time, he did not give the Japanese and German sides a chance to object and walked out. Mu He's face became even uglier.

It's something that can be confirmed right now, but the other party insisted on delaying for three days. It seems that the next transaction will not be so smooth.

(End of this chapter)