cicada

Chapter 1463 Grievance
In Jinling, Ban Jun and Yu Qin sat on the exquisitely crafted Thousand-Work Bed. Although the space inside the curtained room was cramped, the two still maintained a certain distance.

Yuqin gently rocked the bedpost with one hand while writing a line on a piece of paper with the other. Ban Jun, sitting opposite her, peeked at it.

[Gathering intelligence on the movements of Japanese and puppet troops in Nanjing, as the Japanese army is about to launch a large-scale offensive]

Ban Jun quickly jotted down the contents of the paper, then put the paper in his mouth and chewed it. Yu Qin suddenly covered her mouth and chuckled.

Every time the two met, the other would eat the note with the information written on it. She really wanted to ask Ban Jun if doing this meant they could be full without eating.

Ban Jun felt somewhat helpless, but he couldn't say anything. After all, Yuqin wasn't a professional intelligence officer, and she only participated in the operation out of righteous indignation.

After a long while, the panting and creaking sounds inside the room gradually subsided, and the Japanese intelligence chief who was listening in next door breathed a sigh of relief.

Ban Jun got up and walked to the table to sit down. He poured himself a glass of water and thought about the [400] group and recent events.

Zuo Zhong had previously stated that he would report on his situation with Du Ziteng to the Northwest at an appropriate time.

But so much time has passed, and the other party has not made any move, seemingly having completely forgotten about the matter.

It's not hard to guess what Zuo Zhong was really up to: he was simply using this method to force them to become peripheral personnel of the Military Intelligence Bureau and work for them.

His old classmate was someone who thought three steps ahead before acting and loved to lay in wait.

Thinking of this, Ban Jun's expression turned serious. He had to find a way to contact his superiors; otherwise, a feigned surrender would become a real one, and he would fall into the enemy's trap. (Zuo Zhong: Don't always think the worst of your comrades!)

After tidying his clothes a bit, he bid a reluctant farewell to Yuqin and left with several traitors, getting into a car.

"Go to the advisory department."

Ban Jun gave the order with his eyes closed. The driver started the engine and drove onto the road, followed by several other guard vehicles.

Inside one of the cars, the traitors whispered about Ban Jun's scandalous affairs.

"Why do you think Consultant Ban keeps coming to see that woman Yuqin, but ignores Lin Miaoyin, this well-bred young lady?"

Some people were curious: Yuqin was indeed quite pretty, but she wasn't exactly a respectable woman. Did Banjun have a taste for that kind of woman? That would be quite a novel question.

At this moment, the driver chimed in, "You guys don't know anything. A wife is not as good as a concubine, a concubine is not as good as a stolen one, and a stolen one is not as good as one you can't have. Advisor Ban is a true veteran of the flower kingdom. If he went directly to Lin Miaoyin, what fun would there be?"

Everyone on the bus hissed and gasped. So that's what Ban Jun was thinking. We've learned something new.

The traitors' discussion grew increasingly heated, and soon the convoy entered a secluded side road, where everything suddenly became quiet.

The small vendors that used to line both sides of the road have disappeared without a trace, and the nearby houses are all closed.

Never underestimate the people's sense of danger. After years of war, the people of Nanjing have long since developed the ability to sense danger before it even begins.

The traitor in the lead vehicle was very alert. Upon seeing this, he immediately drew his pistol and whispered to his subordinates, "Something's not right. Be on guard."

Ban Jun also noticed the problem immediately. He bent down and hid behind the seat, using the traitor and the seat as cover.

The convoy gradually accelerated, preparing to pass through the danger zone at top speed. Just as the lead car was about to exit the intersection, nothing happened, and the traitors thought they were just being paranoid.

As the tires rolled over the gravel road, the pale-faced driver said with feigned ease, "Look at yourselves, you're all such cowards."

"Boom!"

A dazzling burst of light erupted beneath the vehicle.

The car, along with the five or six agents, weighed over a thousand kilograms. But under the enormous shockwave, the car first flew into the air and then crashed heavily to the ground with a piercing metallic twisting sound.

Seeing the lead vehicle completely engulfed in flames, the traitors behind felt a chill run down their spines. Before they could react, another explosion rang out.

In the long alley, a series of firelights flashed one after another, and the traitors, their faces ashen, let out desperate screams.

With a loud bang, the car Ban Jun was in was hit by the blast wave, and the windshield shattered instantly, turning the driver and passenger in the front seats into bloody messes.

Ban Jun's vision went black. Although the traitor and his seat provided some cover, the shockwave still slammed into his chest, making his internal organs churn.

After an unknown amount of time, Ban Jun heard a buzzing sound in his ears, and his mouth and nose were filled with the smell of gunpowder and blood. Through the half-torn skin, he saw several figures rapidly approaching.

Three masked men, each carrying a Shanxi-made Thompson submachine gun, strode toward the convoy. As they passed a wounded traitor, the masked man in the lead paused slightly and gently pulled the trigger.

Rat-a-tat-tat~ The wailing traitor was shot several times in the forehead and immediately stopped struggling.

The masked man didn't stop, stepping over the corpses and continuing to rush towards Ban Jun. The surviving traitors knew they had to fight to the death, otherwise none of them would survive.

The assassins' target was Ban Jun, but after killing Ban Jun, these people would definitely not let them go; to put it bluntly, they were killing two birds with one stone.

A traitor, his head covered in blood, aimed at the masked man and fired, but his hand trembled and he missed. The gunshot seemed to alert both sides; everyone snapped back to reality and raised their guns to fire back, the battle instantly escalating to a fever pitch, bullets flying everywhere.

Although the number of assassins was small, their marksmanship was exceptionally accurate, and they quickly suppressed the traitors, leaving them unable to raise their heads.

Despite facing imminent death, the traitors displayed remarkable fighting prowess, using the wreckage of vehicles as cover to withstand the attack.

Looking down on Nanjing from above, a black column of smoke spiraled into the sky, and the Japanese and puppet troops and police around the scene rushed toward the scene like startled rabbits.

After several security escalation operations, Nanjing had not experienced such a serious explosion in a long time, and police cars and military vehicles rushed towards the blast site.

That's all~ That's all~ That's all~
The alarm was getting closer, and one of the three assassins shouted, "Captain, the enemy is here, let's retreat!"

“We cannot retreat; we must eliminate these traitors,” another person objected.

The masked man, who was called the captain, glared at the traitor in the distance, threw out all the bullets from his magazine, shouted "Obey orders!" and led his team into the alley.

In the blink of an eye, only the terrified traitors remained at the scene. If it weren't for the shell casings scattered all over the ground and the still-burning wreckage, everything that had just happened would seem like a dream.

Ban Jun lay on the ground, wisps of smoke rising from the muzzle of his pistol. He had fired a few shots during the exchange of fire, but the muzzle had been raised slightly.

Analyzing the assassin's last words, Ban Jun felt that the assassin was likely his accomplice, and instantly, a bittersweet feeling welled up in his chest.

The most painful thing about being an undercover agent is never the torment between life and death, but the lack of understanding and the frustration of facing your own comrades but being unable to reveal your identity.

"Advisor Ban, the assassin is gone."

A traitor helped Ban Jun to his feet. At this time, the Japanese and puppet troops and police who came to support him arrived at the scene. Later, Shibayama Kenshiro, who had received the news, also rushed over.

"Ban-san, are you alright?" Shibayama Kenshiro asked with concern, supporting Ban-jun's shoulder.

He wasn't really concerned about Ban Jun; he was just worried that the important underground party intelligence personnel he had worked so hard to win over would die at his hands.

Ban Jun was fully aware of this, but on the surface he still pretended to be moved, and "shed tears" as he looked at the corpses of the traitors.

"It's alright. The Locust Army and the new government's military and police arrived just in time. The assassins fled when they saw things were going badly. It's just a pity about these brothers who died."

Kenjiro Shibayama glanced at the corpses out of the corner of his eye. They were just a bunch of dogs. It was an honor for them to die for the Empire.

He chuckled and invited Ban Jun into his car. The two returned to the advisory department under heavy guard, and then chatted in the office.

"Ban Sang, I want to apologize to you. This time it was our oversight. We didn't expect the Northwest to take action against you."

Kenjiro Shibayama apologized, and as if that wasn't sincere enough, he even knelt down and bowed deeply.

Ban Jun felt a little nauseous, but he was not fooled by such a hypocritical apology. He quickly returned the greeting, saying it was alright and that they were all serving the Locust Army.

The two exchanged a few more words before finally ending the topic of the assassination attempt. The assassin would be apprehended by professionals, so they didn't need to worry about it.

After a pause, Chai Shan casually asked, "Ban Sang, I heard you haven't been going to Miss Lin's place much lately?"

Ban Jun paused for a moment, then nodded slightly: "That's right, I think Miss Lin's stance needs further observation."

"No, no, no." Shibayama Kenshiro shook his head repeatedly, his tone impassioned: "A real man should dare to love and hate."

Upon hearing this, Ban Jun frowned. Since the Japanese had already said so, it would be ungrateful of him to refuse again, so he could only smile and nod in agreement.

"Okay, I'll go check on Miss Lin later, but when it comes to obedience, the girls in the brothel are more compliant."

Kenjiro Shibayama laughed heartily, then glanced at the gate and began to speak mysteriously.

"The headquarters plans to mobilize troops to attack the Nationalist-controlled areas soon. This is a major operation that requires a huge amount of supplies, some of which will be transported from Nanjing."

"Bansang, I hope you can help me develop a transshipment plan, improve the transportation process, and avoid the backlog of supplies en route."

Ban Jun didn't expect the mission to progress so quickly, but he didn't agree immediately, which was too unusual.

Shibayama is a suspicious person. Even though he had made a lot of preparations beforehand and was assassinated today, the other party should not have entrusted such an important task to someone who had just surrendered.

It is important to know that the transfer of supplies can provide access to a lot of classified information, such as troop deployments and troop distribution, the location of important facilities, logistical capabilities, and so on.

Realizing that the Japanese might be testing him, Ban Jun forced a look of embarrassment and politely declined Chai Shan's "kindness" on the grounds that he was unfamiliar with the transportation of supplies.

Upon hearing this, Chai Shan nodded and stopped trying to persuade him. Ban Jun, sitting opposite him, lowered his eyes and looked extremely humble.

Inside a villa on Yihe Road, Lin Miaoyin sat in front of her dressing table. Her expression in the mirror was calm, but then a sweet smile appeared on her face.

(End of this chapter)