cicada

Chapter 1432 You come and I go
In the early morning, as a thin mist enveloped Oslo, a group of German armored soldiers sang "The Song of the Germans" in unison in front of a café, while Norwegians passing by dared not speak out against them.

Zuo Zhong and Gu Qi, who were also in the coffee shop, remained calm, smiling as they watched the scene unfold, and even raising their glasses to toast their "ally".

After putting down her coffee cup, Gu Qi asked in a low voice, "The package hasn't arrived yet. Will there be any problems?"

Zuo Zhong smiled faintly and shook his head slightly: "The local garrison has not made any moves, which means that the [package] is safe for the time being. Don't worry, our ability to attract attention here is the biggest help to the [package]."

On the side of the road, two German agents sat in a car, looking somewhat tired. One of them complained quietly to his partner.

“These Japanese guys are very well-behaved. Two days ago they sang Japanese songs all night, and yesterday they rested in the hotel all day. I don’t think there’s any need to monitor them anymore.”

Upon hearing this, his companion shrugged and raised his pocket binoculars to observe the situation inside the store. Although he didn't think the Japanese were the problem, an order was an order.

Suddenly, an alarm sounded at the end of the street. Everyone looked in the direction from which the sound came and saw a German army van speeding towards them.

The van screeched to a halt in front of the two agents' car. One of them jumped out, bracing himself against the door, and urgently relayed orders to the two agents.

"The heavy water plant has been attacked. The Gestapo headquarters has ordered a search of all unfamiliar faces and that any suspicious persons be reported to Berlin immediately."

The two agents exchanged glances. The next second, the driver slammed on the gas and sped toward the hotel. As for the two Japanese men in the coffee shop, their recent whereabouts were clear, so they were obviously not suspicious.

Zuo Zhong and Gu Qi saw everything that happened outside, but they remained calm and showed no sign of panic.

The German agent sped through the streets, the screeching of tires echoing all the way, until the car came to a stop in front of the hotel with a final slam on the brakes.

Meanwhile, more German intelligence agents arrived, pushing open the hotel doors and going straight to the guest rooms.

In an instant, the sounds of banging on doors and shouting filled the hotel room as the Germans began checking passports and questioning guests room by room according to the register.

The heavy solid wood door was pounded with a loud thud, and a sleepy-eyed agent opened the door and was immediately asked to show his identification.

"What's wrong, gentlemen? Has something happened?" the junior agent asked in broken German as he turned to get his passport.

The Gestapo officer in the black trench coat didn't answer. He glanced at the photo in the passport with his deep blue eyes, then at the junior agent in front of him, and casually handed the documents back.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Please stay in the room and do not move around. We will verify your identities with the Japanese Embassy."

After saying that, he walked to another room. The records showed that two Japanese people were staying in the room, but they had not shown up since yesterday, and their whereabouts were somewhat suspicious.

The Gestapo officer tilted his head toward the door, and the soldiers accompanying him immediately stood guard on both sides of the door frame with their guns drawn. Only then did the man raise his hand and knock on the door.

"Boom boom boom!"

"Boom boom boom!"

There was no movement inside. The Gestapo officer who was knocking on the door had sharp eyes and ordered the door to be broken down.

The soldier kicked the door, but it suddenly opened from the inside. The soldier stumbled and almost fell inside. Wu Chunyang, who opened the door, had messy hair and a puzzled expression.

"Your passport, sir."

When questioned, Wu Chunyang obediently handed over his identification documents.

The Gestapo officer took the passport and found everything was normal, but he did not leave immediately. Instead, he pushed past Wu Chunyang and went into the room to look around.

The room reeked of alcohol. On one of the two wooden beds, bedding was piled haphazardly, while a person lay on the other.

Looking at the bald man fast asleep, the Gestapo officer covered his nose with disgust, turned around and walked to the window to carefully observe the windowsill and the snow outside, but still found no suspicious signs.

Undeterred, the German bent down and examined the soles of the leather shoes by the bed. The soles were dry, proving that the other person had not left the house.

The Gestapo officer straightened up and extended his hand to Wu Chunyang, who was not yet fully conscious: "The other gentleman's identification."

Wu Chunyang quickly did as instructed. The passports used by the operatives came from the Hase Agency and were even more authentic than the real ones, so the Germans naturally couldn't find any problems.

Leaving behind a warning not to leave for the time being, the Gestapo officer walked out of the room. Just before leaving, he suddenly turned back and called out Wu Chunyang's name in Japanese, as it appeared on his passport.

"Mr. Kuroda."

"Hay."

Wu Chunyang bowed subconsciously in response, without the slightest hesitation or doubt, a result that greatly pleased the Gestapo.

As the German footsteps faded into the distance, Gui Youguang opened his eyes and exchanged a glance with Wu Chunyang. That was truly a close call.

An hour ago.

"MD!"

Gui Youguang kicked the NKL-26 snowmobile that was parked on the ice hard, cursing under his breath.

Just as they were about to reach Oslo, the "reliable" Russian machine that Jack had described broke down, and he wished he could shoot the American.

Wu Chunyang made a quick decision: sink the broken snowmobile into the water to avoid revealing their location, and have Gui Youguang and the other agents squeeze onto the other snowmobiles. The agents smashed a hole in the ice, pushed the broken snowmobile in, and the group continued on their way.

The biting wind blew in his face, and Gui Youguang, who was lying on the side of the motorcycle, turned pale with cold. But as he watched the hands of his watch ticking away, he would tap the cockpit from time to time to signal for him to speed up.

The snowmobiles sped along the glacier and finally arrived at the departure point on time. After dealing with the weapons and vehicles, the Kuomintang agents and Jack parted ways.

Watching Jack hurriedly run away, Gui Youguang asked Wu Chunyang, "Are we really not going to deal with this guy? What if he informs the British?"

"Inform?" Wu Chunyang sneered. "For Americans, being a spy is just a job. They won't risk their lives for two strangers."

Gui Youguang thought about it and agreed. He immediately led everyone to the hotel. The details of cleaning up the traces afterward are self-evident; that's a basic skill for special agents.

As the German search was nearing its end, news broke that guards had discovered two white corpses near the factory.

Judging from the clothing and belongings of the deceased, the victim was most likely British and must have fallen off a cliff during the retreat.

For this reason, the Gestapo relaxed its scrutiny of people of color, but still called their countries of origin to verify their identities.

Three days after the heavy water plant explosion, Oslo had largely returned to order. Three German infantry regiments ventured deep into the forest to hunt down the perpetrators, while also dealing with increasingly rampant Allied agents and the Norwegian resistance.

Upon learning of this, a certain bearded man, who was directing operations in the Wolf's Den, sat silently in his room for a long time.

He realized that the new weapon might be more important and more dangerous than he had imagined.

He originally believed that he could win the war simply by building more tanks and airplanes, without having to spend resources researching a weapon that only existed in his imagination.

But the reality was that the British went to great lengths to interrupt Germany's research on it.

Did the man with the mustache regret it? Of course not. He quickly put the matter out of his mind. A mature politician shouldn't waste time on things that have already happened.

Moreover, the war on the Eastern Front was at a critical juncture, and Germany no longer had the resources to develop new weapons.

When the Americans received the news from the Nationalist government, their reaction was exactly the opposite. Roosevelt, whose health was deteriorating, told his staff, "God is on our side."

Before his aides could answer, Roosevelt added cautiously, "Go and invite that gentleman in the mountain town, and ask him to make sure he attends the Allied conference in Cairo."

"If the other party hesitates, you can tell him that the United States agrees to his reasonable demands on Africa and other occupied territories."

"At the same time, we are willing to help the Nationalist government become an important member that dominates the international situation in the postwar era, and China and the United States can continue to cooperate in intelligence sharing."

Roosevelt had his reasons for saying that; someone had always had reservations about attending the Cairo Conference, or at least some concerns.

He worried that his own diplomatic skills were insufficient, leading to the National Government being looked down upon by certain countries, specifically referring to Britain.

Zuo Chong once heard a rumor from a staff member in the attendant's office: someone used six words to describe the British: "The British are extremely cunning."

It must be said that this term is very apt. The British government does indeed look down on the National Assembly. Mr. Q is a well-known racist, not much better than a certain bearded man.

But with Washington’s explicit support, the man’s concerns vanished, and he not only readily accepted the invitation but also ordered Zuo Zhong to lead a delegation to Egypt to welcome him.

Having experienced the assassination attempt at the Nanjing National Government Auditorium and the bombing of the Huangshan Official Residence by Japanese planes, this person now feels extremely insecure.

The journey from the mountain town to Cairo was fine, as he was escorted by US military aircraft along the way. But once he arrived in Cairo, he needed to find a sufficiently loyal person to be in charge of security.

In this situation, Zuo Zhong, who was both a fellow villager and had previously protected the emperor, naturally became the most suitable candidate.

Zuo Zhong, who was in Norway, received orders to lead his old crew back to Nice, France, then sailed from Nice to the Allied-occupied North African territories, and finally arrived in Cairo to prepare for the "welcome".

End of July 1943.

Outside Cairo Pain Airport, crowds thronged. Zuo Zhong stood by the runway and quietly confirmed the details of the escort operation with Gu Qi.

"Old Gu, you get on the lead vehicle according to our agreed plan. You'll be responsible for scouting the way, checking for obstacles, and monitoring for any abnormalities on the road."

"I will personally escort the leader to his hotel. I will check those three core vehicles that are the same color and have the same brand again, making sure there are no identifiable features. The Chairman will then randomly ride in one of them."

"The rear guard vehicle was commanded by Youguang to prevent being followed, pursued, and to cover the retreat."

Gu Qi nodded slightly, but he didn't think the convoy would encounter assassins.

Cairo is now full of military camps, with more Allied soldiers than local civilians. Only a madman would act here.

Zuo Zhong saw through his thoughts and reminded him in a deep voice, "Old Gu, don't be careless. Tell the brothers to check their weapons and be ready to engage in combat at any time."

Realizing he had made the grave mistake of underestimating his opponent, Gu Qi broke out in a cold sweat, quickly saluted, and ran away into the distance.

Just then, several black dots appeared on the horizon. Someone's private jet had arrived. Zuo Zhong's right eyelid suddenly twitched twice, causing him to unconsciously furrow his brow.

In a house a few kilometers from the airport, a group of men wearing headscarves sat around a table with a Cairo map and several submachine guns on it.