cicada

Chapter 1417 Betrayal
"Reporting to the Director and Deputy Director, the Shanghai-Nanjing, Shanghai-Hangzhou, and Shanghai-Wuhan railways have all been blocked, but the target has not yet been found."

Inside the headquarters of No. 76, a junior agent ran up to Li Shiqun and reported on the progress of the search. Ding Mocun, Wu Sibao, Tong Suo, and other high-ranking members of No. 76 standing next to him had serious expressions.

Upon receiving Li Shiqun's order, all trains passing through Shanghai were suspended, and passengers who had not yet boarded were detained.

As for the trains that have already departed, they will stop at the nearest station, where local Japanese and puppet police will take over the inspection work.

The agents' investigation focused on people who wear wigs and are bald, which is the only characteristic that No. 76 currently has about Gui Youguang. Identification documents can be forged, but hair cannot grow back in a short period of time.

Li Shiqun frowned upon hearing this and looked to the other side: "What about the waterways? Both ocean-going vessels and ships on the Yangtze River need to be inspected. This enemy is very cunning."

Wu Sibao stepped forward and replied, "No one has been found. In the past two days, only one ocean liner has left Shanghai. The Japanese secret police on board have checked the passengers and crew, and Gui Youguang is not among them."

"There are quite a few passenger ships, cargo ships, and fishing boats on the Yangtze River, but the checks on the river have always been very strict. The inspection team, the Japanese Navy, and our people have not seen any suspicious persons similar to the target."

Upon hearing that the railway and waterway routes had yielded no results, Li Shiqun's brows furrowed even more. He turned his head again, and Tongsuo quickly stood at attention to answer.

"We found nothing at the airport or on the highways leading out of the city. The target is a professional intelligence agent, and the most elite one at that. If he wants to escape, it will be very difficult for us to stop him."

"waste!"

Li Shiqun was furious. After cursing, he took a deep breath and asked Ding Mocun, the official director, what should be done next.

Ding Mocun was well aware of his old rival's plans. He chuckled and said some nonsense like, "This matter seems difficult, but it's actually not simple at all," without taking a stance.

Gui Youguang is indeed very important, but one's opinion determines one's judgment. Ding Mocun is already preparing to enter politics, so there's no need for him to get tainted by another person's filth before he leaves.

Li Shiqun was so angry at this old fox that he gritted his teeth. He then glared at Wu Sibao and asked, "Captain Wu, have you gotten any results from Chen Gongshu's confession?"

Faced with the threat of death, Chen Gongshu ultimately betrayed the organization, selling out all of the military intelligence's arrangements in Shanghai, but concealing the reason for his meeting with Gui Youguang.

Chen Gongshu did this perhaps to leave himself a way out, or perhaps he still held onto a sliver of hope that if Li Shiqun died, he might be able to escape alive.

As a veteran spy, one must never reveal all one's cards, and in the current situation, the Military Intelligence Bureau's plan against Li Shiqun is his trump card.

Hearing that Li Shiqun was still thinking of confessing, Wu Sibao smiled bitterly: "Director Li, you know that the Kuomintang agents are more cunning than monkeys. Chen Gongshu has been missing for so long, they can't possibly wait for us to come and arrest him."

"Not only that, before the Kuomintang agents retreated, they also laid a large number of bombs and booby traps in the stronghold. The new recruits who were being captured were inexperienced and accidentally stepped into the traps, killing many of them on the spot."

If it weren't for the inappropriate setting, Wu Sibao would have really wanted to burst into tears. Of the seven arrest sites, three had exploded, and dozens of members of the guard brigade had been killed or injured. He was practically left with no one to command.

This news greatly angered Li Shiqun. If Gui Youguang hadn't been caught, and the Kuomintang's agents in Shanghai hadn't been caught either, then wouldn't Chen Gongshu's arrest have been in vain?

Seeing the fierce glint in his superior's eyes, Wu Sibao trembled in fright and quickly explained, "However, the dead mailbox provided by Chen Gongshu has been found. It is the secret mailbox that he used to contact the Kuomintang's backup intelligence network in Shanghai."

"What discovery? Tell me quickly!" Li Shiqun's eyes lit up and he immediately pressed for an answer.

"According to nearby residents, a Japanese man lingered near the dead mailbox for several minutes, and we are currently tracking down his whereabouts."

The conversation between Wu Sibao and Li Shiqun surprised everyone present, but for different reasons. Ding Mocun and other traitors were shocked by the depth of the Kuomintang's infiltration, while Tong Suo was shocked that his comrades might be exposed.

Ding Mocun remained silent for a while before tentatively asking, "Deputy Director Li, how about we leave this matter here, or hand the case over to the Military Police and the Special Higher Police for handling?"

Japanese citizens in China enjoyed extrajudicial rights, and the new government had no right to deal with them. Even though No. 76 was an intelligence agency, it was inconvenient for them to take action against Japanese citizens.

Li Shiqun's eyes reddened when he heard this. Unlike Ding Mocun, who was preparing to flee, if this case wasn't handled well, it would definitely affect his appointment as the director of No. 76.

"Director Ding!" Li Shiqun's eyes, bloodshot from lack of sleep, glared fiercely. "Have you forgotten Mr. Ji's ideals? If we don't eliminate these traitors within the Party in this mountain city, you and I will die without a burial place!!"

Ding Mocun didn't want to argue with this madman, so he simply walked out. Following his movement, many of the leaders of the 76th Special Agent Unit also left.

Before Gui Youguang was even captured, No. 76 had already split into two factions. Ding and Li completely broke off relations at this moment, and the people below also began to take sides.

Just as he was about to step out the door, Ding Mocun turned back and advised, "Brother, we all came from the underground party and later followed Mr. Ji to Nanjing. Who knows if there will be a third change in the future?"

"Everyone says that Lü Bu is a traitor who has served three masters, but they forget that Liu Bei is a descendant of the Prince of Zhongshan, the Yuan brothers were from four generations of high officials, and even Cao Cao's ancestors were the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty. For ordinary people like us, the only way to get ahead is to side with the powerful."

At this point, Ding Mocun's tone became sarcastic: "But in this world, who is powerful and who is weak is never static. So, one should not say everything, nor do things to the extreme. I'll stop here and take my leave." Perhaps because the Japanese were having a bad time in Southeast Asia, Ding Mocun said a few more inappropriate, even taboo, words.

He wasn't afraid that Ji and the Japanese would find out. At this point, which of the high-ranking officials in the Nanjing government wasn't secretly colluding with Shancheng?

Even Ji himself probably harbors the thought that he doesn't love the world of prostitution, but seems to have been misled by his past life, hoping to turn back.

Watching Ding Mocun leave without looking back, Li Shiqun was furious and loudly ordered an immediate search for the Japanese who appeared in the dead mailbox. Wu Sibao and the others reluctantly replied, "Yes."

There are hundreds of thousands of Japanese people in Shanghai. Finding a specific person among them is as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack, but an order is an order and must be carried out.

The agents of No. 76 conducted a thorough search of the dead mailbox, and all the civilians who had seen or come into contact with the suspect were questioned.

Witnesses recalled that the suspect was wearing a kimono and wooden clogs. Because of the distinctive color of the kimono, many people had a deep impression of him, and a key clue quickly emerged.

A street vendor said he had seen the suspect at a Japanese restaurant. The suspect was standing by the roadside soliciting customers and should be the restaurant owner.

With accurate identification information, No. 76 easily located the Japanese restaurant. Upon hearing the news, Li Shiqun personally led a team to the scene to prepare for the arrest.

Dog p's words should not be said to the extreme, and things should not be done to the extreme. He did not want to be a slave to three masters like Ding Mocun. He wanted to climb to the top step by step.

Having made up his mind, Li Shiqun summoned all the elite members of the 76th Division. To prevent anyone from tipping off the agents, he ordered all personnel to monitor each other and not to act alone.

Under the dim streetlights, the agents, armed with submachine guns and pistols, quickly approached the target location. Passersby were in big trouble; they were all gagged and thrown onto trucks.
-
Late at night, at a Japanese hotel.

Gui Youguang sat on the edge of the bed, fiddling with an alarm clock in his hand. He quickly removed the hammer from the top of the alarm clock, then lay down on the bed and fell asleep fully clothed.

The room was completely dark, with only the eerie green light from the luminous watch shining on Gui Youguang's face, making him appear somewhat sinister.

Suddenly, he sat up abruptly, listened to the sounds outside, and after confirming several times that there was nothing unusual, lay back down. The night in Shanghai had grown even deeper.

Separated from the secret room by only one wall, squads of agents from the 76th Division crept along both sides of the street, quietly prying open the doors of the surrounding houses and shops and secretly taking control of the residents.

Inside a Shikumen house, the male homeowner was sleeping when someone covered his mouth and nose, and the female homeowner next to him was also covered. The two immediately made muffled noises.

Shh! Shut up if you don't want to die!

Li Shiqun put his finger to his lips, warning the other party not to make a sound. The couple had no choice but to stop struggling because of the gun barrel pointing at their foreheads. Seeing this, Li Shiqun pointed out the window and asked Wu Sibao in a low voice.

"Can you confirm that the Japanese man is the shop owner?"

"can!"

Wu Sibao answered decisively and gave his reason: "I showed the witness the photos of the household registration files in the police station, so there is absolutely no mistake."

"Then let's get started." Li Shiqun glanced at his watch; he didn't want to waste any more time.

"Okay, Director."

Upon receiving the order, Wu Sibao's expression turned ferocious. He took out a building blueprint and began to explain the action plan to several secret service leaders.

This is a floor plan of the hotel obtained from the construction company. Although the interior may not be 100% accurate, the overall structure remains unchanged and can be used as a reference for action.

Ten minutes later, the special agents surrounded the restaurant from four sides. The team in charge of the main attack was an elite force, all of whom had military backgrounds.

The agents of Operation 76 unlocked the hotel door in just over ten seconds, but instead of entering immediately, they carefully checked the area around the door frame with probes, fearing they might encounter another booby trap.

A few minutes later, just when Li Shiqun was in a desperate situation, the agents in charge of the main attack finally eliminated the risks and entered the room one by one.

In the pitch-black hotel corridor, the agents split into two teams and crept forward along the walls, their soft-soled leather shoes making no sound as they stepped on the floor.

After walking a dozen steps, the leader of the secret agents accidentally kicked over a wine bottle. The sound of the bottle hitting the ground broke the silence of the restaurant, and Gui Youguang in the dark room suddenly opened his eyes.

　① "Bu Suanzi: Not Loving the World of Courtesans" was written by Yan Rui, a famous courtesan in the Southern Song Dynasty, when she was implicated in the case of official Tang Zhongyou and was falsely accused by Zhu Xi and imprisoned. She attributed her fall into the world of courtesans to the karma of her past life, implying a denial of her choices in this life.

　　(End of this chapter)