cicada

Chapter 1450 Jinling Incident
"Tear~"

That morning, Zuo Chong walked into the office, took out the documents from his briefcase, and casually tore off the old calendar from the desk.

[January 1, 1944] The year of Guiwei is auspicious for trading, encoffining, burial, and tomb repair.

Yu Guang glanced at the calendar, then Zuo Zhong picked up the document and began to read it. It was the case report of Shi Ming's case.

At this point, more than ten days had passed since Lan Hongchang and others were murdered. Those who deserved to die were dead, and those who needed to be arrested had been arrested. Now, only some paperwork remained.

Zuo Zhong picked up the pen and signed his name on the list of confiscated assets of the suspect without the slightest hesitation.

Since the suspect's family enjoyed the benefits of corruption, they must bear the consequences.

In just two years, this group amassed a total of over 1.5 million US dollars, more than 50,000 acres of land, and numerous shops and houses. They were utterly depraved.

However, with this money, the Military Intelligence Bureau's operating budget for the new year was much more relaxed, and Zuo Zhong's lips curled up slightly when he saw the above data.

As for whether the raiders tampered with the items, the answer is almost certainly yes, but too much clarity leaves no room for fish.

Zuo Zhong thought about the deposit slip that Wu Chunyang had delivered to his door last night, coughed lightly twice, his expression returned to seriousness, and he picked up his pen to continue signing.

Fu Han, execute him.

The battalion commander and deputy battalion commander of the X Division's guard battalion were executed.

After executing dozens of people, Zuo lit a cigarette, and two figures suddenly popped into his mind: Zheng Tingbing and Wu Jingzhong.

First, there's Old Zheng. This guy spent a lot of money to have two corpses transported from Henan Province and buried in the best cemetery in the mountain city. This morning, he even found a few monks and Taoist priests to chant scriptures and perform rituals.

According to the case file, Zheng Tingbing was able to escape safely thanks to the child in the corpse, thus settling a karmic debt.

Zuo Zhong always felt that Deputy Director Zheng was a little different from before, especially since his eyes had lost their light and he looked dazed and confused.

Wu Jingzhong is equally troublesome. It's definitely not appropriate for him to hold a key position at headquarters now, given that he came from the territory of dissidents. He needs to be reassigned.

After thinking for a long time, Zuo Zhong decided to transfer him to the training class as an instructor for a period of time, and make further arrangements after the storm had passed.

Zuo Zhong quickly drafted a personnel transfer document and had He Yijun submit it to the personnel department for Lao Dai's review.

After doing all that, he poured himself a cup of hot tea, sipped it contentedly, and began to ponder the other person.

Although Li Qiwu's name wasn't on the corrupt officials' ledgers, those in the know understood that his background was definitely not clean.

There's only one reason: the other party is usually lazy, but this time they took the initiative to request an investigation into Shi Ming's case, which is abnormal.

Old Dai was obviously aware of this situation, so yesterday he promoted Secretary Li Wei to Deputy Director Secretary, taking away half of Li Qiwu's authority.

Zuo Zhong sneered inwardly. Li Qiwu had really grown bold, daring to even touch corruption within the military. This had crossed someone's red line.

Once intelligence agencies collude with forces within the military, those in power may have to sleep with one eye open.

Of course, if Lao Dai's "Longmen Oath" were exposed, the outcome would certainly not be good.

It's just a pity for Shi Ming; the star representing the other side has already been hung on the wall of nameless martyrs of the Military Intelligence Bureau.

Just as Zuo Chong was thinking, there was a knock on the door. Wu Chunyang strode in and handed him a coded telegram with a serious expression.

"Lieutenant, breaking news: a key underground intelligence agent has been arrested in Nanjing."

"Squeak~"

The chair beneath Zuo Chong scraped against the ground with a screeching sound. He stood up, picked up the coded telegram, and quickly glanced at it, his face filled with shock and disbelief.

The protagonist of the telegram was someone he and Wu Chunyang were both familiar with; the other party was their old classmate, Ban Jun.

After a moment of stunned silence, Zuo Chong sat back down and looked up to ask, "How did Ban Jun get arrested? Is there a detailed report?"

Ban Jun was a veteran intelligence officer, extremely cautious in his actions, proficient in various intelligence skills, and had extensive experience in operations behind enemy lines. He shouldn't have been captured so easily.

Upon hearing this question, Wu Chunyang gently shook his head: "It's not clear yet. I've already instructed Jinling to expedite the investigation."

"At present, all we know is that the arrests were made by the Japanese garrison in Nanjing, and the commander is Shibayama Kenshiro. The Nanjing Military Police did not participate, which is why we did not receive the news in time."

Jinling Military Police Captain Gangcun has close ties with the [Qingshui Trading Company], and is almost an unofficial member of the Military Intelligence Bureau. If they knew about the arrest of Ban Jun, they would certainly not hide it.

Zuo Zhong put down the telegram and tapped his fingers on the table. Would Ban Jun's arrest trigger a larger-scale crackdown?

No! He immediately made his judgment: Ban Jun's unwavering faith was beyond question, and he could not possibly be a traitor.

Should they rescue the other party? Zuo Chong waved his hand, signaling Wu Chunyang to leave first, and then sat down in his chair, lost in thought.

But life is unpredictable; the things you think are most unlikely can happen.
-
three days ago.

Jinling Wenchang Lane was once used by the Special Service to investigate Japanese spies by checking electricity consumption. Now, however, it has become a comfort station for the Japanese.

In a candle shop not far from the comfort station, Ban Jun glanced at the Japanese soldiers coming and going outside and clenched his fists tightly.

In that unassuming two-story building, hundreds of compatriots were suffering unimaginable torment, with corpses being carried out of the building and thrown outside the city every day. Every time Ban Jun witnessed this scene, he wished he could rush in and die with the Japanese soldiers, but as an undercover intelligence agent, he could only endure it.

After a while, he slowly let go of her hand, glancing at the wall clock. Why hadn't the new telegraph operator sent by his superiors arrived yet?

Not long ago, Ban Jun's radio operator returned to the Northwest due to illness. In order to better complete the mission, his hometown specially sent an experienced radio operator to Ningxia.

According to orders, the other party must come to make contact within a specified time, otherwise it will be considered as exposure. Today is the last day for the rendezvous.

As time ticked by, Ban Jun's heart sank, and he prepared to evacuate.

Just as the sun was about to set, a man dressed as a Taoist priest walked into the shop and raised his hand in a midday salute.

“Benefactor, this humble Taoist bows in reverence.”

Ban Jun's eyes lit up, and he cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Greetings, Daoist Master. May I ask what brings you to my humble shop?"

The Taoist priest looked around the shop as if examining something, and muttered a reply.

"Three days ago, someone asked me to bring a passage of scripture to a patron named Hong. I don't know if he is here."

Ban Jun breathed a sigh of relief. The code was correct. He hadn't expected the new radio operator to be disguised as a Taoist priest. So he made a hand gesture according to the rendezvous code.

"My surname is Hong. Thank you, Daoist Master. Please come inside and have a cup of hot tea."

As he spoke, he gestured for the other person to go to the back room, as the area outside the shop was full of Japanese people and this was not the place to talk.

As the two walked, Ban Jun inadvertently glanced at the cloud-patterned socks on the other man's feet. His expression froze for a moment, but he quickly returned to normal.

Upon arriving at the back room, Ban Jun went to pour water, while the Taoist priest sat down by himself, his eyes darting around.

“Master Hong, your place is so close to the comfort station, won’t something happen?”

The Taoist priest casually asked a question, his eyes darting around frivolously, behaving in a way that belied his status as an underground worker.

"Don't worry, the more dangerous the place, the safer it is."

Ban Jun appeared behind the Taoist priest without anyone noticing. After he finished speaking, he suddenly put a rope around the man's neck, braced his right foot against the back of the chair, and pulled it tightly with his hands.

The Taoist priest was completely unprepared for his sudden attack and was quickly strangled until his eyes rolled back, and he struggled desperately while gripping the rope with both hands.

But it was too late. Faced with a sneak attack from a professional agent, struggling would only hasten death. The Taoist's vision slowly went black, and his body gradually went limp.

Once he was certain that the other person was incapacitated, Ban Jun loosened the ropes, tied his hands and feet, and quickly walked to the window to secretly observe the outside.

Upon inspection, he immediately noticed the problem: the once bustling street had become deserted.

Ban Jun's face darkened. The contact was indeed problematic. If the other party hadn't given a clue in the cloud-patterned socks, he would have been in deep trouble this time.

In Taoist etiquette, the position of the ribbons on cloud-shaped socks is very important, with different positions representing different meanings.

The ribbon at the front signifies the passing of a teacher or elder, while the ribbon at the back signifies that the teacher or elder is currently traveling around.

The ties of the liaison are placed on the inside of the legs, which is a mark of a female Taoist priest. It is impossible for someone sent by a superior to make such a basic mistake.

In this situation, either the contact person has betrayed the regime, or the other party is a Japanese puppet regime agent in disguise.

Regardless of the reason, the place is definitely surrounded, and the enemy might rush into the store at any moment.

Ban Jun remained calm, reached out and grabbed the contact's neck, twisting it gently. A crisp cracking sound rang out, and then he took out a brazier and began to burn the intelligence.

As the last document turned to ashes, faint footsteps could be heard outside, indicating that the enemy had also noticed something was wrong.

Ban Jun poured the tea into the brazier and stirred it with his hand before calmly sitting down in a chair.

This contact point has only been in use for a short time, and there hasn't been time to dig a secret passage yet. There's only a back door, so it's definitely impossible to leave.

Ban Jun was well aware of this, but not being able to escape didn't mean he had lost. He slowly took a sip of tea.

Suddenly, a large group of Japanese soldiers poured into the shop. The leader greeted Ban Jun with a smile, without even glancing at the corpses at his feet.

"Ban Sang, hello. My name is Chai Shan. I think you should have heard of me."

Ban Jun was startled. His true identity, including his name, was a top secret. How did the Japanese know? Could there be a traitor among the high-ranking members of the Jinling organization?
While pondering a solution, he nodded outwardly and said, "Hello, Mr. Shibayama Kenshiro."

Upon hearing this, Shibayama Kenshiro burst into laughter. The man before him was an important intelligence agent for the underground Communist Party in Nanjing, and an extremely formidable opponent.

Over the past year, the advisory department and the military police have attempted to arrest the other party several times, but all attempts have failed.

If it weren't for some help, this guy might have gotten away again.

Kenjiro Shibayama glanced at his subordinates beside him and, with the triumphant tone of a victor, ordered, "Take Bansan back."

"Hay."

Upon hearing the commotion, the Japanese agents dragged Ban Jun out of the shop. A large crowd of people craned their necks to watch, and one of them, with a solemn expression, watched as Ban Jun was led onto the prison van.