cicada

Chapter 1498 [Magic]

Five hours before the convoy sank.

Inside the bridge of the Yamato Maru, Kono lit a cigarette and sat in a chair, gazing at the Snow Peak ahead, unaware of the slight strange noise coming from the exhaust pipe above his head.

A few seconds later, a colorless and odorless gas emerged from the exhaust vents and gradually filled the bridge.

The helmsman and second-class navigator, who had been forcing themselves to stay alert, slowly lowered their heads. Kono also closed his eyes, his fingers holding the cigarette loosening weakly, and the cigarette butt fell onto the deck, sparking a few sparks.

Not only the bridge, but also the corridors outside the cargo hold of the Yamato Maru, the crew rest cabins, and even the engine room were all covered by this gas.

The Kwantung Army soldiers and crew, whether awake or asleep, all fell into a deep coma, and the only sound on the cargo ship was the rumbling of its engines.

The same scene unfolded on the two cargo ships behind the Yamato Maru; without the helmsman's control, the fleet gradually veered off course.

At the same time, the Xuefeng launched three rubber boats, and a group of Xiaozechuan's cronies drove the rubber boats toward the cargo ship.

Watching his subordinates depart, Ozawa looked nervous and kept glancing down at the time.

After an unknown amount of time, three bright lights suddenly flashed across the sea, and the out-of-control Yamato Maru and the other two cargo ships came to a stop.

Ozawa breathed a sigh of relief and immediately ordered the helmsman to bring the ship closer and had the radio operator send a message.

"Notify the magic team that the plan is going smoothly and have them come to join us as soon as possible."

Just as the radio operator was about to operate the radio to send a message, the first mate of the Xuefeng came over and reported something to Ozawa. The other party was also a confidant that Ozawa had brought from the inland river fleet.

"Captain, all the unreliable crew members have been knocked unconscious. The hypnotic gas is very effective."

"Yoshi, well done."

Ozawa smiled and patted the first mate on the shoulder, expertly promising, "Don't worry, we'll all be millionaires after the war ends."

"Lord Shimizu said that each of you will receive at least $30,000 in compensation, with higher ranks receiving more."

"With this money, no matter what happens in the future, you and I can still live a wealthy life without worrying about our family going hungry."

The first mate and the other crew members, barely suppressing their excitement, nodded vigorously and shouted slogans of their willingness to die for Lord Ozawa.

After shouting, the first mate waved the others away and whispered in Ozawa's ear.

"Captain, why don't we do it ourselves? The cargo on the freighter is priceless. Are we just going to let the Shimizu Trading Company profit from it?"

"idiot!"

Ozawa whispered, glancing cautiously to his left and right, before pulling the first mate outside the bridge to begin his reprimand.

"Lord Shimizu's influence far exceeds your imagination. What you just said will reach his ears in less than three days."

"Besides, valuables are valuables, and banknotes are banknotes. Do you have the connections to exchange those gold and antiques for US dollars?"

“Doing this is not only dangerous, but it is also easy to be discovered. Once this is exposed, we will all be doomed.”

The first mate grew increasingly frightened as he listened, breaking out in a cold sweat, and repeatedly assured Ozawa that he would never do it again.

Seeing that the reprimand had worked, Ozawa reassured the first mate, saying that he would explain to Mr. Shimizu on the other party's behalf.

While the two were talking, the three rubber boats returned to the side of the Snow Peak, and the crew used a crane to lift them onto the ship.

A naval lieutenant boarded the ship and reported to Ozawa: "Captain, the target's engines have stopped running."

"Yes." Ozawa nodded in satisfaction, then asked, "Did you wear gloves when you boarded the ship?"

"Yes, Captain," the lieutenant replied quickly, not daring to be negligent.

Ozawa told the other person to go back and rest, his gaze fixed on the dark ocean as if waiting for something, while the moon in the night sky was gradually shrouded in dark clouds.

Half an hour later, three cargo ships broke through the darkness and appeared near the Snow Peak. Ozekawa breathed a sigh of relief.

"Send a signal."

He said something to the first mate, who immediately turned on his flashlight and drew a circle in the air. People on the three newly arrived cargo ships also responded with their lights.

One of the cargo ships, which looked exactly like the Yamato Maru and even had the same name, approached the Yamato Maru.

Just as the two ships were about to collide, a group of men in black threw a row of huge rubber mats onto one side of the ship's side, and the ship's engine quickly reduced its power.

"Squeak~~~"

The Yamato Maru and the fake Yamato Maru leaned against each other, the rubber pads between the two ships making a screeching sound.

Immediately, the men in black used ropes to secure the two boats firmly, preventing them from being pushed away by the waves.

The other two newly arrived cargo ships docked with their respective targets in the same way, and their appearance and names were exactly the same.

Wu Chunyang jumped from the fake "Yamato Maru" to the other side and gave orders to the little spy.

"Move away as quickly as possible, leaving no trace. Keep your belongings and people where they were before, and they will remain there after the move."

Before the words were even finished, a large number of junior agents, wearing gas masks, poured into the cabin of the Yamato Maru.

Wu Chunyang led his men straight to the bridge. When he saw the unconscious Kono and the crew, he immediately waved.

"move!"

The junior agents swarmed forward, carrying Kono and the other two back to the bridge of the fake "Yamato Maru." They secured Kono to his previous position and posture, and someone even brought him a coffee cup.

After some preparation, aside from the difference in coffee temperature and cigarette length, it was impossible to tell which of the two Yamato Maru was the real one. But this was just the beginning. The junior agents kept moving the personnel and odds and ends from the Yamato Maru to the new cargo ship, striving not to miss any detail.

For example, the order in which personal belongings were placed, the location of magazines hidden under the bedding, and even the way toilet paper was folded were all perfectly recreated by the little spy.

Over the past two months, the team has practiced countless times on the ship models built on land, so they are now very skilled at the operation.

Wu Chunyang quickly crossed the corridor, occasionally stepping aside to let the movers pass. He whispered to everyone not to wake the Japanese or break anything.

When he arrived at the cargo hold door, two old men were studying the lead seal on the door, with some rubbing tools at their feet.

Like the four technicians on the other ships, they were all skilled forgers recruited by the Kuomintang from the civilian population, and had previously carried out secret missions.

"Can you make the same lead seal? How long will it take?" Wu Chunyang squatted down and asked.

An old man pushed up his gas mask and said confidently, "Don't worry, there's nothing we two brothers can't counterfeit. It'll only take a quarter of an hour at most."

The other person didn't speak, but his expression was relaxed, clearly indicating that the Japanese methods were no match for them.

"Okay, be careful, and don't let the enemy discover any openings," Wu Chunyang reminded him again.

The two old men ignored him, wrote down the characteristics of the lead seal and the hidden marks on a piece of paper, and turned to walk towards the new cargo ship.

Watching their retreating figures, Wu Chunyang smiled faintly. Capable people naturally have the right to be arrogant.

These two guys once swindled a lot of money from Zheng Tingbing by selling counterfeit antiques. If it weren't for the intervention of the First Intelligence Division, they would probably still be living a carefree life.

The saying "Even a rooster's crow and a dog's thievery have their uses" perfectly illustrates this point. As long as they are placed in the right position, even tomb raiders can contribute to the nation and its people.

After thinking it over, Wu Chunyang pointed to the Kwantung Army officer at his feet and ordered the junior agent to move him away. He looked around the busy corridor and once again marveled at the ingenuity of the vice-captain's plan.

The Japanese racked their brains and used all sorts of methods to carry out the Golden Lily Project, and ordinary methods simply wouldn't work if they wanted to take action against the assets.

The co-pilot, however, took a different approach, suggesting that since they couldn't move the valuables, they should move the people instead. Indeed, who would have thought that the cargo ship, weighing thousands of tons, was a "fake" one?

The headquarters' naming of this operation as "magic" is truly apt. To steal the day from under the noses of the Japanese—isn't this just a magnificent magic show?

However, the Military Intelligence Bureau also invested a lot of manpower and resources in this plan. Just purchasing and modifying six identical cargo ships cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Fortunately, the Military Intelligence Bureau's version of US dollars had already begun production; otherwise, even if they sold them, they would not have been able to raise enough funds for the operation.

After checking the cabin one last time, Wu Chunyang opened the ventilation vent and reached his hand inside, his fingertips touching a complex machine.

This is a radio remote control device①, the latest research achievement of Daishan Company, which can release hypnotic gas over a long distance.

Without it, the [Magic] plan wouldn't have gone so smoothly. Wu Chunyang withdrew his hand and walked towards the deck.

Outside the cargo hold of another new freighter, Gu Qi stared at the restored lead seal, comparing it in his mind with the real one, and found that there was no difference between the two.

The remaining hidden marks were also so convincing that he didn't notice anything amiss, enough to fool the Japanese for a short time.

"Alright, let's retreat."

Gu Qi said something to the technicians, then got up and looked to both sides. The corridor was full of Kwantung Army soldiers lying in various positions.

He backed away from the cargo hold, wiping away footprints and other traces with a cloth. The cargo ship's engines started up again, as if nothing had happened.

Returning to the deck, Gu Qi sent a coded message to the imposter "Yamato Maru," and Wu Chunyang immediately responded with a light. Most of the operatives began to evacuate on three transport ships loaded with valuables, but some did not leave.

"You all retreat first, I'll cover the rear."

Wu Chunyang ordered his men on the Shin-Yamato Maru to cut the cables and rubber pads, while he and two junior agents stayed on the new ship. The three of them watched the cargo ship, laden with valuables, sail away.

Night gradually swallowed the fleet. Wu Chunyang returned to the bridge and ordered the junior agents to set sail. The agents left behind on the other two new ships carried out the same operation.

The three cargo ships and the Xuefeng sped across the sea, determined to make up for lost time and leave no opening for the Japanese.

On the Shin-Yamato Maru, Kono lay in a chair, fast asleep. Wu Chunyang looked at his watch, his right hand resting on Kono's neck as he silently counted the number of pulses per minute. The hands of the watch ticked away.

According to experiments conducted before the operation, as the effects of the hypnotic gas were about to end, the body's arterial pulsation would gradually strengthen until it returned to normal, which could be used to estimate the approximate time of awakening.

Fifteen minutes later, Wu Chunyang took out a Sunrise brand cigarette issued by the Qingshui Trading Company, put it between Kono's fingers and lit it, and then poured himself a cup of coffee from his thermos.

After doing all this, he led the junior agent up the rope to the rubber boat, and sent an evacuation signal to the agents remaining on the other two boats.

The motor started softly, and the propeller propelled the rubber boat quickly into the night. Kono, in the bridge, slowly opened his eyes.
-
In the mountainous region of Luzon Island in the Philippines, thousands of Allied prisoners of war dug caves under the scorching sun, while the Japanese soldiers guarding them had cold eyes.

A young major, brandishing a military knife, asked his adjutant, "Can the excavation be completed in a month?"

The other party shook their head: "It's impossible unless more laborers are conscripted."

The major stared at the prisoners working below, mentally assessed the progress of the project, and decisively issued an order.

"Notify the POW camps to secretly transfer more prisoners of war to the camp; we must finish ahead of schedule."

"Once the cave is excavated, immediately eliminate all those who know about it, including soldiers. If anyone is unwilling to commit seppuku, you must help them."

The adjutant looked at his superior, who had been admitted to the Army University as a homeless child, and sighed deeply. Working with such a workaholic was not a pleasant experience.

The major seemed oblivious to the other's actions, shifting his gaze to the distant green jungle, where cans on the camp's barbed wire rattled in the wind.

Several kilometers away, Song Minghao put down his binoculars and carefully retreated into the bushes to give instructions to his men.

"Notify the vice-captain that the target has been identified and action can be taken at any time."

① By this time, reliable radio remote control devices already existed, such as the US Navy TDR-1 remote-controlled attack drone, which carried out combat missions in the South Pacific in 1944.