cicada

Chapter 1508 Wanlilang's Tears
The following morning, Mr. Ni got into a car under the watchful eyes of his wife and son, and was escorted to the Political Security Administration by a driver and bodyguards.

After seeing her husband off, Mrs. Ni played games with her son in the garden, but her eyelids kept twitching, as if something bad was about to happen.

"No, no, Amitabha Buddha, may the Bodhisattva protect you."

Mrs. Ni clasped her hands together and prayed incessantly, but what she feared most came to pass. Suddenly, several sharp gunshots rang out in the distance, and the prayer beads in Mrs. Ni's hand fell heavily onto the lawn.

Two minutes ago.

Mr. Ni's car was about to pass under the bridge when a utility pole on the roadside fell to the ground and blocked the road.

Mr. Ni, already on edge, shouted to reverse, but a telephone pole had also fallen behind the car. The secret agents in the car became extremely nervous and drew their guns to be on guard.

"Mr. Ni, don't worry, we'll provide support in a bit."

"Oh!"

The driver turned around to comfort the person he was protecting, but before he could finish speaking, he was shot in the head, and blood splattered all over the car window.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Gunshots rang out one after another, and the agents in the passenger seat and the back seat were also hit and killed instantly. Only Mr. Ni was still alive in the entire car, but this was only temporary.

A minute later, Mr. Ni was shot three times and collapsed beside the car. The spy surnamed Yu checked his pulse, got up, and quickly left.

He had carried out missions in Shanghai several years ago, and now that he was suddenly killing someone, he was bound to be nervous.

After the spy surnamed Yu hurriedly left the scene, another person emerged from the shadows, holding a silent pistol, and fired all the bullets in the magazine at Mr. Ni's head.

Having confirmed the target's complete demise, Tong Suo, responsible for cleaning up after the Yu-surname spy, threw his gun into the car and sped away down the street; his mission was accomplished.

Not long ago, Shancheng sent a secret telegram, asking him to cooperate with his own people who had infiltrated the Political Security Bureau to assassinate Ni Ni. As expected, that person was none other than Mr. Lao, who had just defected.

But killing the traitor was only the first step; there was still much more work to be done. Tong Suo returned to the Political Security Headquarters with a leisurely air and immediately saw Wan Lilang, who was furious.

"Useless! In Jinling, on our own turf, three people couldn't even protect one person."

In the lobby of the Political Security Administration, Wan Lilang was cursing loudly at a row of secret agents, looking like he wanted to eat them alive.

Mr. Ni was his intermediary between him and the U.S. Office of Strategic Services. Now that Mr. Ni is dead, he has also lost contact with the Americans. It will take a lot of time for the two sides to cooperate again, and by then it will be too late.

Tong Suo watched for a while, then stepped forward with a smile to plead for the little spies. Wan Lilang put his hands on his hips, snorted coldly, and chased his men away.

"Hmph, get out of here! Find the killer right now, and don't come back until you find him!"

After making his harsh remarks, Wan Lilang forced a smile and exchanged a few pleasantries with Tong Suo before returning to his office alone. Tong Suo watched his retreating figure and gave him a mysterious smile.

While walking upstairs, Wan Lilang encountered Mr. Lao in the corridor. Perhaps it was a test, or perhaps it was an intuition from an old intelligence officer, but Wan Lilang, who had already walked away, turned around and asked a question.

"Old Lao, where were you when Mr. Ni was assassinated?"

Mr. Lao was taken aback and asked the other party, "Director Wan, I don't know when Mr. Ni was killed, but it should have been on my way back to the station."

Wan Lilang's question was a trap because the murder of Mr. Ni was still kept secret. Apart from the investigators, only the murderer knew the specific time of the assassination. Therefore, the spy surnamed Yu threw the question back at them.

Mr. Lao's answer made Wan Lilang's face darken. He casually ordered, "Okay, go ahead and get busy."

But once the spy surnamed Yu was out of sight, a strong murderous intent flashed in Wan Lilang's eyes. No matter which side Mr. Lao was on, this person could not be allowed to live.

At this critical juncture when he was defecting to the Americans, any destabilizing factor had to be eliminated, and Wan Lilang's eyes grew increasingly fierce.

However, once he got back to his office, he had no interest in dealing with the copper lock, because someone had placed an envelope on his desk, and the sender's signature gave him a real fright.

[Mr. Ni's friend]

Wan Lilang stared at the words, quickly locked the door, then took out the letter and quickly read it. It turned out that the letter only contained an address.

What does it mean?
Could it be that the Americans knew Mr. Ni was dead, so they sent someone to deliver the rendezvous point to him?
A guess popped into Wan Lilang's mind. He couldn't think of any other answer. Right now, the Japanese and the high-ranking officials of the new government were busy making money and escaping. It was impossible for them to set a trap for him.

Should he go or not? Wan Lilang was caught in a dilemma, completely forgetting about dealing with Mr. Lao's matter.

That afternoon, Tong Suo slipped out of the Political Security Administration and drove back to his home in Nanjing. Ava hugged his arm and seemed very happy.

Listening to the eerie Showa-era folk songs playing on the radio, Tong Suo asked seemingly casually, "Did you go out last night?"

Ava remained calm, touching her dress as she recounted yesterday's itinerary: "Yes, darling, I bought a new dress at Central Department Store. Isn't it pretty?"

Tong Suo smiled and said "Good job," then slapped his forehead and told Ava about Mr. Ni's assassination attempt that morning, as if he had just remembered it.

"what?"

Ava gasped and scrambled off Copper Lock, but halfway up she realized she'd overreacted, so she changed her question to one of concern for Copper Lock.

“David, you need to warn your superiors. I’m afraid the Mountain City Special Agents will try to assassinate you.”

"It's alright, don't worry. The Military Intelligence Bureau has very strict operational discipline, and this kind of thing will never happen."

Tong Suo hugged Ava and comforted her, but a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes. Shouldn't Wan Lilang be there by now?

On the other side of the city, the white station chief of the Office of Strategic Services sat in a secret room, a document in front of him containing the name Wan Lilang several times. "Damn bureaucrats."

The white stationmaster muttered under his breath, utterly unable to comprehend Washington's thinking. Those officials were actually demanding that undercover agents submit regular reports—it was tantamount to playing with their lives.

But the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) is a military agency, and as a soldier, he must obey orders, so even if he is unwilling, he has no choice but to comply.

Fortunately, the Japanese were on the verge of defeat, and the electronic reconnaissance vehicles that were once ubiquitous stopped patrolling; otherwise, sending work reports would not have been an easy task.

The white stationmaster silently grumbled, skillfully sending out the coded message before immediately shutting down the radio.

Whether or not the higher-ups will receive it is none of his business; he has already done enough to justify his salary.

If you ask why the white stationmaster is so negative, the answer is that the situation is different now.

Previously, OSS agents infiltrated for freedom and democracy, to defeat the evil Japanese—at least on the surface. But now, it's all about self-interest.

Only a fool would work hard, let alone risk his life, to serve government officials and tycoons.

Meanwhile, Wan Lilang, disguised, entered the German trading company. This traitor couldn't resist the temptation and prepared to find another master.

"Dong Dong Dong~"

There was a knock on the white stationmaster's door, and an agent whispered, "Sir, you have a guest."

"A guest? Alright, invite him to the reception room." The white stationmaster was a little puzzled, but didn't take it to heart.

Their cover identity was that of businessmen, so it was normal for them to have guests visiting. He straightened his clothes a little and slowly walked to the reception room.

Wan Lilang had been waiting impatiently. When he saw the person in question enter, he quickly mouthed: "I am Wan Lilang."

The white stationmaster didn't recognize the defection target wearing a fake mustache, nor did he understand the other party's hints; his eyes were full of confusion.

Seeing that the Americans didn't react, Wan Lilang got anxious and immediately took out a pen and paper and wrote a line in English: "I am Wan Lilang, Ni's friend."

Since the fall of the previous dynasty, most of the senior intellectuals in the Republic of China received a Western-style education, so it was not surprising that Wan Lilang could speak English, but the white stationmaster was dumbfounded.

It's true that OSS is trying to recruit Wan Lilang, but it's a secret operation and the two sides haven't reached an agreement. So why did this man who calls himself Wan Lilang find his way here?

The white stationmaster realized something was wrong and quickly stood up to see the guest out: "I'm sorry, I don't know any Mr. Ni. You've got the wrong person."

Wan Lilang was also a veteran spy. Upon hearing this, his heart skipped a beat, and he realized that he had probably been tricked. He turned around and was about to leave without wasting a single second.

But getting in was easy, but getting out was difficult. He had only taken two steps when the door to the reception room was pushed open from the outside.

The person who pushed open the door was masked and wearing glasses. After entering, he first looked at the white stationmaster, who glared at him angrily, and then raised his hands in a German military salute.

Because more than one person entered the meeting room, a dozen masked men holding submachine guns stood behind the newcomer, their dark muzzles exuding a strong sense of intimidation.

Having lived in the Republic of China for so long, the Americans have also learned an old saying: a wise man doesn't suffer a loss he can't avoid.

Seeing that the white stationmaster was so sensible, the newcomer turned his gaze to Wan Lilang, whose face was already deathly pale, his legs were trembling, and he was on the verge of fainting.

"Hehe, Director Wan, don't be in such a hurry to leave. The brothers have been wanting to get closer to you for a long time."

The visitor spoke with a smile, but Wan Lilang looked as if he had seen a ghost. He knew his own affairs better than anyone else; no one knew better than him how many bad things he had done.

Regardless of whether these people come from the mountain city or the Northwest, their fate will not be good if they fall into the hands of the other side.

Realizing the danger, Wan Lilang regained some of the skills of a veteran agent, slowly reaching his right hand towards his lower back, attempting a desperate last stand.

"He's going to shoot!"

The speaker was the white stationmaster, who was behind Wanlilang. He saw the other man trying to reach for a gun and betrayed his temporary teammate without hesitation.

Before he finished speaking, two masked men stepped forward and subdued Wan Lilang. In fact, even without the Americans' reminder, Wan Lilang wouldn't have been able to cause much trouble.

"go!"

The leader spoke coldly, and the masked men carried the white stationmaster and Wan Lilang out of the reception room. Once outside, the two realized why no one had come in to protect them.

Under the guns of more masked men, all the business staff squatted on the ground with their hands raised, including Wan Lilang's driver and trusted guards.

Pushing open the shop's door, the group got into several cars. Just as they were about to drive off, a group of Japanese military police and puppet police came over. Wan Lilang, whose mouth was gagged, struggled desperately.

Sensing something was wrong, the new recruits in the Japanese military police were about to go forward to check, but were stopped by the veterans.

The masked leader of the convoy peered through the car window at the Japanese and puppet police, coldly uttering a single word: "Get lost!"

After saying that, he threw a stack of banknotes out of the car. Dozens of small-denomination US dollars were instantly blown away by the wind, and the eyes of the Japanese and the traitors widened in disbelief.

The next second, the Japanese and puppet troops and police all bowed down, showing the most humble smiles, and waved goodbye to the convoy.

Goodbye, sir.

Wan Lilang was utterly desperate, and a tear rolled down his cheek. "Damn it, the new government and the Japanese are really hopeless."

(End of this chapter)