cicada

Chapter 1454 Threat Letter

In front of the Hase government office in Shanghai, Hase Ryosuke saw Xing Hanliang off into his car, slamming the door shut as he gave him some instructions.

“I have sent an official letter to Chai Shan, confirming that you are going to see Ban Sang on official business. All your meals, lodging and expenses during the trip will be reimbursed by official funds. Enjoy your vacation, Xing Sang.”

After saying that, he glanced around furtively and whispered something in Xing Hanliang's ear.

"Xing, it's hard to say whether your old classmate has really surrendered. Be careful what you say, and don't let Chai Shan target you."

"That guy is very stubborn and doesn't trust you Republic of China people who have sided with the Empire. Be careful in everything you do."

Xing Hanliang was speechless. This director was quite a character. If the other party wasn't Japanese and a veteran spy, he would have really doubted Hasegawa's background.

He had just reported to Hasegawa that he wanted to meet Ban Jun, and Hasegawa not only immediately agreed, but even came up with a reason for him—to represent Hasegawa's organization to screen Ban Jun.

Thinking to himself, Xing Hanliang nodded solemnly: "Yes, Your Excellency, please rest assured, I will be careful with my words and actions."

Ryosuke Hase laughed and waved his hand: "No need to be so careful. You're from the Hase Agency, Shibayama always has to give me some face."

Hasegawa had no qualms about his benefactor's friend or the suspected mole; it was just intelligence gathering, he understood.

The car started and drove quite a distance, but Chang Gu was still standing by the roadside waving goodbye. Xing Hanliang looked back at the rear window, his expression a mixture of helplessness and excitement.

The helplessness stemmed from Hasegawa's excessive enthusiasm, while the excitement arose from the prospect of seeing Ban Jun; they hadn't seen each other for many years since their parting in Jinling.

With mixed feelings, Xing Hanliang boarded a train to Nanjing. More than ten hours later, he knocked on the door of his uncle Du Ziteng's residence.

Du Ziteng had not yet returned home; he must have been out socializing. Xing Hanliang, after finishing dinner with his aunt and cousins, sat in the study patiently waiting for Du Ziteng to come home.

At 10 p.m., the sound of a car engine came from outside, followed by the greetings from the servants downstairs.

"Master, the young master has returned and is waiting for you in the study."

Du Ziteng handed his coat to the maid, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes, and strode towards the study on the second floor.

When he walked to the outside of the study, Xing Hanliang was already waiting at the door. The two greeted each other and then sat down.

"Hanliang, is there any important official business in Jinling this time?" Du Ziteng asked casually, taking a sip of hot tea.

Xing Hanliang sat up straight and answered softly, "Reporting to my uncle, Chief Changgu heard that my classmate Ban Jun had surrendered to the Locust Army, so he sent me to check on him."

Du Ziteng tightened his grip on the teacup slightly, his gaze growing increasingly serious, and the study instantly fell into complete silence.

Noticing that something was wrong with his expression, Xing Hanliang asked if something had happened. Du Ziteng hesitated for a moment, then stood up and gestured for him to come with him.

The two went downstairs into the garden, where a sky full of stars stretched overhead. Du Ziteng suddenly stopped and looked at his nephew, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"What orders did your Deputy Director Zuo give you?"

Upon hearing this, Xing Hanliang's head buzzed, and blood rushed to his head, but he quickly regained his composure and feigned confusion.

“Uncle, I don’t understand what you’re saying. Zuo Chong and I have long since severed ties and haven’t been in contact for a long time.”

Du Ziteng gestured for him not to be nervous, and then began to talk about something that had happened not long ago.

"Hanliang, two days ago, I received a secret letter. The sender asked me to become a double agent, or else he would report me and my superior to the Japanese, because my superior did not tell the Japanese my identity."

As he said this, Du Ziteng kept observing Xing Hanliang's expression, but he only saw shock and confusion.

This confirmed one thing for him: the sender was not a member of the Military Intelligence Bureau, or at least had no connection with Xing Hanliang.

Meanwhile, Xing Hanliang's mind was in turmoil. His own uncle? A double agent? His superior? A whistleblower?

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he immediately looked up and asked, "Uncle, are you from the Northwest? That Ban Jun is with you?"

Du Ziteng was very pleased. His nephew was very perceptive and deserved to be valued by Zuo Zhong. He readily admitted the other party's guess.

"That's right, my superior is Ban Jun, and he didn't reveal my existence to the Japanese."

According to discipline, Du Ziteng should not reveal his identity, but the current situation is complex, and the enemy may very well be inside the organization.

Because Ban Jun's exposure was too strange, Du Ziteng couldn't think of any other reason besides an internal traitor.

Considering various factors, he was unable to seek help from his superiors and could only seek external assistance.

Compared to other forces, those on Zuo Zhong's side are more trustworthy when it comes to dealing with the Japanese.

Underground work requires not only calmness and caution, but sometimes also decisiveness.

Xing Hanliang's mind was in complete chaos. His uncle, a notorious traitor, had suddenly become a member of the underground Communist Party and was even being threatened. What on earth was going on?

After a long pause, he didn't dwell on how he had been exposed, but simply asked the other person one question: "Uncle, what do you need me to do?"

“Go and meet with Ban Jun. I want to know the details of his arrest,” Du Ziteng said.

Xing Hanliang nodded to indicate that he understood, and then recounted the letter signed by Ban Jun and Zuo Zhong's order.

Du Ziteng realized that Ban Jun and Zuo Zhong must have also guessed that there were problems within the underground party, which was why they both thought of establishing contact through Xing Hanliang. This was normal, after all, these two were old intelligence agents. At the same time, he was certain of one thing: Ban Jun's defection to the enemy was a temporary expedient, and this old comrade-in-arms was going to get involved himself.

After glancing at his watch, Du Ziteng suggested that they go back to rest first. Xing Hanliang, full of questions, returned to his room and lay on the bed unable to fall asleep for a long time.

One thing after another has happened in the past two days, leaving him somewhat exhausted, especially for an intelligence newcomer.

But what puzzled Xing Hanliang most was who sent the threatening letter? Was it the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS)? Or an intelligence agency from another country?
In an instant, countless thoughts popped into his mind, and Xing Hanliang even began to doubt Zuo Zhong.

There was nothing he could do; the other party was a master at using others to do his dirty work. He decided to report the threatening letter to Shancheng and see Zuo Zhong's reaction.

After a long while, the city of Nanjing outside the window fell silent, and Xing Hanliang slowly drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Xing Hanliang took a car to the Japanese advisory department and, posing as a staff member of the Hase Agency, requested an audience with Shibayama Kenshiro.

Upon hearing that Hasegawa had sent someone to screen Ban Jun, Shibayama frowned deeply. He disliked the Imperial Intelligence Flower and always felt that she was not a citizen.

However, the Hasegawa Agency had the responsibility of supervising intelligence agencies in China, so he could not and did not refuse the other party's request and could only agree to Xing Hanliang's request.

That noon, Ban Jun was taken to a restaurant in Jinling. When the door to the private room opened, the two old classmates met again.

"Old classmate, it's been a long time," Xing Hanliang said with emotion.

"Yes, it's been a long time." Ban Jun sat down casually, glancing at the doorway. "What made you decide to see me?"

Xing Hanliang understood that the other party was implying he shouldn't mention the letter, and he chuckled in response.

"Chief Hasegawa sent me to check on the situation. Old Boss, I never thought we'd become colleagues."

Ban Jun smiled and didn't say much about that topic. Instead, he talked about the funny things that happened when they were in school. But he dipped his hand in alcohol and wrote a line on the table.

[Please inform the Northwest Mountain City Representative Office that I am temporarily unable to leave and must remain in hiding.]

After confirming that Xing Hanliang had seen it clearly, Ban Jun erased the words and quickly wrote another sentence.

[Contact Zuo Chong to verify whether one person is a member of the Military Intelligence Bureau: Lin Miaoyin, female, 24 years old, from Quzhou, Zhejiang Province]

Xing Hanliang sighed. It felt like everyone knew his true identity. He replied by writing on the table with his drink.

Someone threatened my uncle, demanding that he act as a double agent.

My uncle asked me to inquire about the details of your arrest.

Ban Jun looked shocked. Du Ziteng had also been exposed and had even revealed his identity to Xing Hanliang. It seemed that the problem was more serious than expected.

He originally thought the mole was at the execution level, such as Wei in Jinling City or the contact person, but the appearance of the threatening letter proved that the mole was in the border area.

After a moment's thought, he wrote with his finger as a pen: "The Japanese know my detailed information and contact details. There may be a traitor in the Ministry of Social Affairs. Termination of liaison office."

While the two were communicating via text, they continued to chat idly, and the Japanese were definitely listening in.

Xing Hanliang suddenly realized why Ban Jun wanted to see him and contact the Northwest through Zuo Chong; it turned out there was a traitor within the underground party.

At this point, Ban Jun wrote another line, which contained an address, a meeting time, and a code.

Immediately afterward, Ban Jun and Xing Hanliang stopped their secret conversation, and the latter began making traitorous remarks about pledging allegiance to the new government.

After the dinner, Xing Hanliang returned to Du Ziteng's residence and informed him of the meeting.

Du Ziteng breathed a sigh of relief. Ban Jun had indeed not betrayed them. The other side's extortion of the merchant and demand for the concubine were all to mislead the Japanese.

After thinking for a moment, he instructed Xing Hanliang: "Don't contact Shancheng yet, wait until we get back to Shanghai."

"Be careful when making contact. The Japanese have many spies in Nanjing. If you sense any danger, evacuate without hesitation."

Xing Hanliang did not object. He rested for two days and did not take any action until the evening of the third day.

In a nightclub in Nanjing, Xing Hanliang sat in a corner, drinking alone, his eyes secretly glancing at the crowds coming and going.

Under the colorful lights, people would hurry by from time to time, and occasionally a socialite would come up to chat, but he would politely refuse them all.

Time ticked by, and with only five minutes left before the rendezvous time given by Ban Jun was over, Xing Hanliang grew increasingly anxious.

Suddenly, a woman appeared in the crowd. She was dressed fashionably and kept turning her head as if searching for something.

When the woman saw the blue handkerchief in front of Xing Hanliang, her eyes lit up and she quickly walked over. Her slender and charming figure attracted the attention of many people.

"Sir, is this seat taken?" the woman asked in a sweet voice.

Xing Hanliang noticed a pearl brooch on her chest, and immediately smiled and nodded, saying, "Please go ahead."

The male customers around were quite disappointed, but they quickly looked away and began looking for new targets.

A few minutes later, Xing Hanliang looked around and asked softly, "May I ask your name, Miss?"

The woman adjusted her hair and announced her name in a clear voice: "My name is Yuqin. From now on, I will be the liaison between you and Mr. Ban."