cicada

Chapter 1422 Transcendence
After finishing the dumplings in his bowl, Zuo Zhong put the money on the table and walked to the end of the alley. Ban Jun waited patiently for a while before walking in the same direction.

When Ban Jun arrived at an abandoned courtyard, he met Zuo Zhong, who had been waiting for a long time. The two stood in front of the ruins and talked quietly.

"Long time no see." Zuo Zhong said, offering a cigarette and looking around through the collapsed courtyard wall.

Ban Jun struck a match to light the cigarettes in his and Zuo Zhong's mouths, his tone full of emotion: "Yes, it's been a long time. The last time we met was in Shanghai. Is there something you want to talk to me about this time?"

“Good.” Zuo Zhong nodded and said without further ado, “Have your people at No. 76 evacuate as soon as possible. As for the reason, I cannot disclose it. I will notify you of the specific time later.”

After pondering for a while, Ban Jun took a few deep drags on his cigarette and asked, "Is this related to You Guang's arrest?"

Zuo Zhong did not admit it, nor was he surprised. It was normal for Ban Jun to know that Gui Youguang had been arrested. The underground party had a very high degree of infiltration into the puppet government and was very well-informed.

According to the Military Intelligence Bureau's investigation, the underground Communist Party had at least three communication lines in Nanjing, sending countless intelligence and supplies to the Fourth Army and the Southern Jiangsu base area.

After finishing their cigarettes, the two left the courtyard separately. Their differing beliefs prevented them from speaking freely as they had when they were students.

At the same time, Gui Youguang, who was in Detention Center No. 76, met with Li Shiqun again. Just like last time, he requested to have a private talk on the lawn in front of the building.

During the conversation, Li Shiqun kept pressing for details about who else the Military Intelligence Bureau had within the Japanese army besides Okamura.

Gui Youguang remained tight-lipped, constantly changing the subject, saying that they would discuss the matter after Gangcun was arrested. Li Shiqun was furious but helpless.

But he didn't notice that Gui Youguang's fingers were tapping on his thigh repeatedly.

In the attic of the villa across the street, a person quietly left the window and entered the study, where he wrote a string of Chinese characters and numbers on a piece of paper.

[Security, Block A, Cell 06]

Subsequently, the slip of paper with numbers written on it was passed around several times and appeared on the table of the [Listening Team] located underground. The most crucial piece of the [Earth Treasury Project] was now complete.

Twenty meters below the ground, two junior agents from the Kuomintang military intelligence, wearing headlamps and helmets, were digging forward with pickaxes in their hands.

A tunnel nearly two meters high has begun to take shape, and is about fifty meters long.

Because of the abundance of groundwater in Shanghai, a layer of water quickly accumulated in the tunnel. The water flowed along the drainage ditch to two small-powered water pumps, and was eventually pumped into the sewers on the surface.

After digging for a while, one of the agents suddenly collapsed. Another agent realized something was wrong, dropped his hoe, and dragged his companion to the tunnel entrance.

Upon seeing this, the agents outside the entrance rushed forward to help, asking, "What's wrong?"

"We're running out of oxygen. We need to find a solution, otherwise the excavation progress will definitely be affected. If we delay the vice-captain's plans, we'll all have to atone with our lives."

After giving a brief reply, the junior agent picked up his water glass and drank it all in one gulp. He then wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, plopped down on the stool, and gasped for breath.

The head of the listening team frowned. The basement ventilation duct was only so big, and it would be difficult to increase the oxygen content in the tunnel in a short time. He racked his brains for a long time and finally came up with a solution.

"Have the brothers upstairs send down a few tanks of oxygen. The excavators should turn them on every now and then, but be careful not to release too much oxygen, as it could easily cause an explosion if it comes into contact with a spark."

"Also, Commander Gui informed us of his cell location. During the operation, you must go to rescue him immediately, even if the [Earth Treasury Plan] fails."

The person in charge handed the note to everyone to read, and the junior agents nodded in agreement. A new group of excavators began their work, and the tunnel quickly extended towards No. 76.

To prevent collapse, wooden stakes as thick as an arm were erected on both sides of the tunnel, and the excavated soil was put into sacks, delivered to the surface, and scattered in the garden.

Just across the street at No. 76, Li Shiqun looked at the photo of Gangcun and Ni Daliang shaking hands, a hint of smugness on his face.

But he didn't know that a time bomb was about to explode, and the fuse was Wu Sibao and his agents. This time, no one could save him, including Ji.
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“Ni Sang, Arigato Imas.”

Gangcun knelt before the low table, placed his hands on his knees, and bowed deeply to express his gratitude to Ni Daliang in a very formal manner.

The reason was simple: Ni Daliang had just given him his first share of the profits, and the arrogant military police captain finally lowered his proud head.

Just as Ni Daliang was about to raise his hand to help him recover, a Japanese military policeman walked in from outside and whispered a few words in Okamura's ear. Okamura's expression changed drastically, and he slammed his hand on the table in front of him.

"Baka! Arrest them all! Find out who ordered them to follow me!" Okamura roared.

Ni Daliang asked knowingly, "What happened, Lord Okamura?"

Okamura took a few deep breaths and explained with a grim face, "The military police received a tip-off call saying that there were suspicious people around my residence."

"Nani?"

Ni Daliang was greatly alarmed. Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he stopped the military police who were about to leave: "Please wait." Gangcun looked at him in confusion, not understanding what he meant. Ni Daliang gestured for the other party to calm down and then explained his reason.

"Mr. Okamura, I think it would be best to investigate who is following you first. If the suspect is your political enemy, arresting them would only alert them. Our cooperation has just begun, and we need to proceed discreetly."

In order to receive a share of the profits, Okamura readily accepted the suggestion and immediately ordered his men to investigate the backgrounds of suspicious individuals, determined to uncover the mastermind behind them.

Ni Daliang raised his teacup, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. Once the military police found out that the person following Gangcun was a spy from the 76th Special Agent Unit, Li Shiqun would be in big trouble.

As expected, Wu Sibao and his men were no match for the Japanese military police, who quickly identified them that same day.

Enraged, Gangcun wanted to send men to capture Ding Mocun and Li Shiqun and bring them back to Jinling immediately, but he calmed down at the last moment.

It's impossible for No. 76 to send someone to monitor him without a reason. Okamura felt that figuring this out was more important than retaliating against Ding and Li. As a result, a lot of intelligence about No. 76 was gathered at the military police headquarters.

Soon, a piece of intelligence caught Gangcun's attention—Gui Youguang, the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau's operations, had been arrested in Shanghai.

This news both excited and angered Gangcun. He was excited because Gui Youguang had been arrested; he was an important cadre of the Military Intelligence Bureau and had high intelligence value.

What's infuriating is that No. 76 failed to report such an important case to the advisory department and the military police, which is highly unusual.

Unable to contain his excitement any longer, he picked up the phone and connected to Ding Mocun's number. Once the line was connected, Gangcun immediately demanded that No. 76 hand over the prisoners.

After a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, Ding Mocun sighed: "Alas, Mr. Gangcun, it's not that I don't want to hand over the person, but the 76th Division is no longer obeying my orders. You should contact Deputy Director Li about this matter."

Gangcun slammed the microphone back onto the stand, cursed a few times, and then reconnected to Li Shiqun's office.

The phone rang for a long time but no one answered. Just as he was about to hang up, someone said "Hello?"

"Moshi moshi, is this Li-san? I am Gangcun. My men will be here soon. Please hand over Gui Youguang to them."

"Dangdang!"

A crisp ringtone sounded as the phone was hung up. Okamura looked at the receiver in disbelief, wondering if he was still half asleep. He paused for a moment, then let out a roar and swept everything off the table.

Meanwhile, in Shanghai, Li Shiqun put the microphone to his ear and leaned over to report the case to Shibayama Kenjiro on the phone.

"Yes, Mr. Chai Shan, the Military Intelligence Bureau agent Gui Youguang is indeed in our hands."

“I have ample evidence that a vast spy network exists within the Empire, and I believe it is best to hand the prisoner over to 76.”

"Hai, I will find out the spy's identity as soon as possible. Please rest assured, I will always be loyal to His Majesty the Emperor and the Great Japanese Empire."

With the permission of the Supreme Advisor, Li Shiqun, feeling very confident, had the operator connect him to the Nanjing Military Police. Before Gangcun could speak, he took the initiative to convey Chai Shan's orders.

Gangcun's face turned red with anger, and his hatred for Li Shiqun reached its peak. The items he had just put away on the table were swept onto the floor again.

"Huchi~huchi~"

Heavy breathing echoed in the room. Okamura's eyes were bloodshot. Li Shiqun clearly did not trust him, and even Shibayama Kenshiro had become suspicious of him. He was in danger!
After reviewing the events in his mind, Okamura summoned Xu Jili to the military police headquarters.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Li Shiqun had investigated Xu Jili, and he believed that given the opportunity, the other party would definitely want to teach Li Shiqun a lesson.

Just as Li Shiqun was gloating and Gangcun was furious with his incompetence, the tunnel excavated by the Listening Team arrived directly beneath Kitchen No. 76. After confirming the location, the excavators began digging a vertical shaft upwards.

The eavesdropping team was also busy. The agents carried brick-sized oil paper packages to the end of the tunnel, and everyone was careful to avoid dropping the packages.

Under the dim light of the incandescent bulb, the oil paper package was printed with three English letters: RDX, next to which was a conspicuous warning sign.

Inside the kitchen above the spy's head, several cooks were busy at work, completely unaware of the danger approaching.

The first chapter of the Sutra of the Fundamental Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, "The Supernatural Powers of the Trayastrimsa Heaven," states this.

"In my future lives, if there are sentient beings who have committed evil deeds, I will expediently liberate them and lead them away from the evil realms. If I fail to liberate them, I vow not to become a Buddha."

Whether Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva would forgive the traitor was unclear to Zuo Zhong. His mission was to send the traitor to the Western Paradise, which could be considered a form of salvation.

The total weight of RDX is 500 kilograms. When detonated, it can create a crater with a diameter of more than 30 meters. Combined with the explosives that have been stored in the Listening Team for several years, it is enough to send the hellish No. 76 directly to hell.

①From now until the future, I will use all skillful means to save all sentient beings who commit evil deeds and liberate them from the evil realms. If even one sentient being fails to be liberated, I vow never to become a Buddha.