cicada

Chapter 1451 Book Apartment
The day after Ban Jun was arrested, a top-secret intelligence report was sent to the base area in northern Jiangsu, and the Social Affairs Department in the northwest also received the report.

In important underground party meetings, in addition to the two parties making the meeting, secret observation posts would also be set up.

The purpose of this is to ensure that superiors can respond as quickly as possible should a problem arise at the connection.

To maintain secrecy, the observation post does not have any horizontal communication with the local intelligence system, and even the contact person is unaware of the other party's existence.

Upon seeing Ban Jun being arrested, the observation post in the crowd immediately issued a warning to their superiors.

In accordance with custom and discipline, the undercover personnel associated with Ban Jun began to secretly evacuate Nanjing, and the underground party's intelligence network in the enemy-occupied area suffered a heavy blow.

However, Xing Hanliang's uncle, Du Ziteng, who was infiltrating the Ministry of the Interior of the puppet government, refused the order and gave a very good reason.

First, his position is crucial and he cannot be easily evacuated.

Second, he didn't believe his old comrade-in-arms would betray him. Even if Ban Jun really did become a traitor, his presence could still serve as a safety valve.

As long as he is not arrested, then Ban Jun is trustworthy; otherwise, the higher-ups can organize an operation to eliminate the traitor as soon as possible.

Considering Du Ziteng's importance and his responsibility to Ban Jun, the higher-ups approved Du Ziteng's plan, but also required him to be prepared to evacuate at any time.

Days passed by, and Du Ziteng continued his work as usual, while also trying to find out where Ban Jun was being held, but unfortunately he found nothing.

Meanwhile, the Kuomintang intelligence agents in Nanjing who received Wu Chunyang's orders also found nothing.

Kenjiro Shibayama was extremely cautious this time. Not only were the puppet government officials unaware of where Ban Jun was being held, but even the military police captain, Yamamoto, did not know.

half a month later.

In a secret prison in Nanjing, Ban Jun's head was bowed, his hands were tied behind his back to the rack, and his body was covered with wounds and bloodstains.

Several Japanese agents looked at him with eyes full of helplessness, and even a hint of admiration.

For more than ten days, they tried every means possible but failed to get the prisoner to talk. The other party was indeed a worthy opponent.

While we may admire them, the interrogation cannot stop.

Kenjiro Shibayama is now calling three times a day to inquire about the progress of the interrogation. If he fails to extract any valuable information from Ban Jun, the interrogators will definitely be sent to the jungles of Southeast Asia to fight the Americans.

Ring ring~~ Just what I feared happened, the telephone on the wall rang again.

The agents exchanged glances, and one of them reluctantly picked up the receiver and put it to his ear. Sure enough, it was Shibayama Kenshiro on the other end of the line again.

"idiot!"

"Useless! Why hasn't the prisoner confessed yet!"

"Three days. I'm only giving you three days, or you can prepare to go to Borneo to feed the mosquitoes."

Faced with the threat, the Japanese agents became ruthless. After hanging up the phone, they had no more scruples and intensified their interrogation.

Ban Jun was tortured and covered in wounds. Perhaps unable to endure the torture, or perhaps driven by an instinctive survival instinct, he mumbled "I confess" in a daze.

Upon hearing this, the agent almost burst into tears. He immediately ordered the doctor to treat Ban Jun while reporting to Chai Shan.

"Your Excellency, the prisoner has confessed."

"Nani?"

Kenjiro Shibayama in the office stood up abruptly, looking extremely agitated, but soon his expression turned suspicious. Ban Jun had actually confessed?
In the past, the underground party members they captured, apart from a few cowards, were all tough nuts to crack.

Although Ban Jun endured half a month of torture, he shouldn't have surrendered so quickly. Could there be something wrong with this?

Shibayama Kenshiro had some doubts. After thinking for a moment, he ordered his men, "Yes, send him to me immediately. Be careful on the way."

Regardless of whether Ban Jun's surrender was genuine or not, it was a good thing as long as he was willing to speak; he wanted to talk to him.

Upon receiving Chai Shan's order, the Japanese agents immediately took action, escorting Ban Jun out of the house and into a corridor.

The dark corridor was deserted. The shackles scraped against the floor, making a rattling sound, and a few painful groans seemed to be mixed in with the dull echo.

Ban Jun struggled to lift his head and found that there were prison cells on both sides of the corridor, filled with countless prisoners.

As he passed one of the cells, he saw a woman in the dim light, hugging her knees and leaning against the wall, sobbing softly.

Perhaps sensing Ban Jun's gaze, the woman looked up and glanced at him, and one could vaguely make out that she was a young woman with fair skin.

As Ban Jun was trying to figure out the woman's identity, a hood was suddenly put over his head, and everything went black.

This is a common tactic used in clandestine transfers to prevent detainees from discerning direction, location, and transfer route.

During the scuffle, Ban Jun got into a car. The driver was very professional. After starting the car, he not only deliberately drove on bumpy roads, but also made U-turns and stopped abruptly several times.

In addition, the agents put headphones on Ban Jun, playing various noises to mask the sounds of the external environment.

Before long, Ban Jun lost his sense of direction and time, and fell into a deep sleep.

When he regained consciousness, the hood had been removed, and Shibayama Kenshiro was sitting opposite him with a smile, with a sumptuous meal laid out in front of him.

"Ban-san, Do-zo~"

Chai Shan pointed to the food and said "please," then ignored Ban Jun and picked up his chopsticks to eat.

Ban Jun, oblivious to politeness, devoured the food in a flash, then downed his drink in one gulp, his movements quite boisterous. "Hahaha." Shibayama Kenshiro, unperturbed, clapped his hands and laughed, as several geishas entered.

The waiter turned on the gramophone, and a strange Japanese tune began to play. A geisha in a kimono began to dance a shamanistic dance beside the two of them, waving a fan.

Shibayama Kenshiro gently patted his knee in time with the dance, completely absorbed in the performance and not mentioning the interrogation at all.

After a few songs, Chai Shan had someone take Ban Jun to his lodgings. The room was luxuriously decorated and fully equipped with hot water, various electrical appliances, and a set of clean clothes on the bed.

Ban Jun didn't care what the other party was up to. After taking a shower, he changed into new clothes, lay down on the bed, and soon started snoring.

In the basement downstairs from the room, Chai Shan put down his listening headphones and nodded in satisfaction.

The Japanese agent standing nearby, puzzled, asked, "Your Excellency, forgive my ignorance, but why are you doing this?"

Chai Shan maintained his smile, standing with his hands behind his back: "A true man can often endure hardship, but is easily addicted to wine, women, wealth, and power."

“To deal with a resolute person who is separated from his destiny, torture alone is useless. You must arouse the greed in his heart and then corrupt him little by little.”

This old spy was very familiar with human weaknesses and knew that if he interrogated Ban Jun directly, it would definitely arouse Ban Jun's suspicion.

What they need to do is peel away the layers of the target's psychological defenses, like peeling an onion.

Over the next few days, the Japanese were very generous, offering various delicacies and fine wines in turn, which Ban Jun accepted without hesitation.

That day, after another hearty meal and drinks, Shibayama Kenshiro wiped his mouth, clapped his hands, and told the geishas to leave.

Ban Jun sat up straight, knowing that his opponent was about to make a move. Sure enough, as soon as the geisha left, Shibayama spoke.

“Ban Sang, now that things have come to this, your subordinates should have all left, so whether you confess or not will not affect anyone at all.”

"Now you should think more about yourself. If you're willing to surrender to the Locust Army, I can ask Mr. Ji for a ministerial position for you. What do you say?"

Chai Shan spoke slowly and his words were very deceptive, seemingly all for Ban Jun's benefit.

After a long silence, Ban Jun filled his glass with wine, placed it in front of him, clinked it against Chai Shanyao's glass, and forced a smile.

“I am willing to abandon darkness and embrace the light, rather than be overly respectful.”

Shibayama Kenshiro was overjoyed. Fearing that Ban Jun would change his mind, he immediately ordered someone to bring out his confession, have him sign it, and take a photo.

An hour later, watching the drunken Ban Jun walk out of the room, Chai Shan beckoned to his subordinate agents and whispered instructions to them.

"Tomorrow, take him to a bookstore and a nightclub and see how he reacts."

The agent immediately understood and bowed, asking, "Are you afraid the target is faking surrender?"

Shibayama Kenshiro, who was sitting cross-legged, nodded slightly, confirming his subordinate's guess.

"Indeed, the underground party has strict discipline, especially regarding relationships between men and women, even during covert operations."

"If he keeps his distance from women, then you need to be careful, stay hidden, and don't let him find you."

The agent replied with a "Hai!" and was overjoyed. Using government funds to go to the brothel was a great job.

The next day at daybreak, the Japanese agents hurriedly led the troop out the door, but after searching around, they couldn't find an open brothel.

That's true, there's no such thing as a brothel that takes customers so early in the morning; the girls are still in bed right now.

They strolled around until the afternoon, when Ban Jun took the initiative to choose a bookstore. As soon as they entered, the waiter came to greet them.

The agent, too lazy to waste words, made his request in Concord: "All the pretty girls, come out here."

After saying that, he turned to look at Ban Jun: "Ban Sang, Lord Chai Shan asked me to treat you well. Don't worry, I will cover all the expenses for today."

"Alright, then I, Ban Jun, will respectfully comply." Ban Jun said calmly.

Hearing their conversation, the waiter bowed and scraped as he left, returning with a throng of beautiful women following behind him.

Upon learning that the visitors were Japanese and traitors, all but one or two of the dozen or so girls reacted coldly.

Ban Jun didn't care and casually picked a girl with an oval face. Although she looked very resistant, she still led him to the room.

Unlike lower-level technical schools, brothels had music rooms and tea rooms. The girls were required to sing Kunqu opera, write lyrics, and compose poems. They mainly entertained wealthy people, officials, and businessmen.

An oval-faced man sat in front of the guzheng, plucking the strings, while Ban Jun, separated by a beaded curtain, listened with great interest, his legs crossed.

The night was as dark as ink, the moon as crescent as a hook, and as the sun set, the bookstore gradually became lively.

The waiters carried trays of food and drinks into different rooms. Ban Jun sat opposite the oval-faced man, and the two ate and chatted by the moonlight.

"How's it going?"

The leading Japanese agent went into the next room to question his companion, not forgetting to fasten his coat buttons as he did so.

The other person glanced at Ban Jun and the oval-faced man in the distance and replied in a low voice, "Everything is normal. Now we're just waiting for the target to go back to his room to rest."

At this point, the two spies exchanged a knowing smile, a smile with an indescribable lewdness.

(End of this chapter)