cicada

Chapter 1509 Full Infiltration (Happy New Year)

After several rounds of counter-surveillance, the masked man, along with Wan Lilang, the white stationmaster, and a group of business employees, finally appeared in an abandoned factory in Jiangbei.

Kneeling on the cold cement floor, Wan Lilang felt utterly hopeless; he knew he was doomed.

The group that kidnapped him was arrogant yet very cautious, much like the Kuomintang's (KMT) style of operation. He knew he would not have a good end if he fell into their hands.

Sure enough, the masked leader's next words plunged Wan Lilang into utter despair.

"Director Wan, I forgot to introduce myself. My surname is Tan, and I am the station chief of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Nanjing Station. You can call me Mr. Tan or Station Chief Tan."

The leader, who called himself Mr. Tan, took off his mask and put on glasses, revealing a pair of small eyes. A glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes behind the lenses, making him look quite intelligent.

Wan Lilang was even more desperate. As a long-time adversary of the Military Intelligence Bureau, he had certainly heard of the name of this Station Chief Tan.

The other party was a former member of the Military Intelligence Bureau and an old subordinate of Zuo Zhong. He was shrewd, capable, meticulous, and ruthless. The 76th Division and the Political Security Bureau had suffered many losses at his hands.

Seeing Wan Lilang's appearance, Mr. Tan chuckled and looked at the white stationmaster who was also kneeling on the ground.

“Mr. Corneda, am I right? Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1899, a graduate of West Point, served in the Air Force, and is currently the head of the Office of Strategic Services’ station in the Republic of China.”

Conida's expression turned serious. He hadn't expected the Military Intelligence Bureau to be so capable of gathering information on him, which meant that the Nationalist government had already begun investigating the OSS.

After a quick thought, Conida forced a smile: "Tan, we're allies, aren't we? If you're unhappy with our recruitment of Wan Lilang, you can kill him anytime. I promise to keep it a secret."

Faced with the threat of death, the Americans immediately betrayed Wan Lilang, which is normal. Compared to the generosity of the Soviet Union and the Russians, the British and American intelligence agencies do not treat the mole as a human being at all.

Wan Lilang, standing nearby, neither cursed nor argued; he kept his head down and remained silent.

Since becoming a traitor, he had prepared himself for punishment, but he never expected the punishment to come so suddenly.

Mr. Tan observed their reactions and shook his head slightly. Conida was puzzled, but then saw the other man's lips move slightly.

"Frankly speaking, we are not interested in Director Wan. He was just an accident. What I want to know is, why does OSS want to turn Ni Ni against us?"

"What does this have to do with your recruitment of senior British intelligence officers and your pointing the finger at the Red Russians? That's why I invited you here."

Upon hearing these two sentences, Wan Lilang and Konida both looked up. The former looked depressed, while the latter looked as if he had seen a ghost.

Seeing Conida's mouth agape, Mr. Tan stepped forward, helped him up, and patted him hard on the shoulder.

“We are allies. If you confess honestly, I am willing to give you a chance to live. As for them, I can only apologize.”

Mr. Tan glanced at Wan Lilang and the business clerk, then gave his subordinates a signal, and the little spy immediately began his operation.

They turned on a machine, and the roar of its operation instantly filled the entire factory. Under everyone's watchful eyes, the agents threw an American agent into the machine's feed inlet.

"Let me go, please, let me go! Ah!!"

American agents cried out for help, but their pleas for mercy quickly turned into wails as countless pieces of flesh and blood gushed from the discharge port, staining the ground and walls red.

Wan Lilang nearly fainted as his eyes rolled back. This traitor who had harmed countless compatriots was trembling uncontrollably, and his crotch was soaked.

After the first "raw material" was processed, the Kuomintang agent led the second American agent toward the machine, and Mr. Tan once again asked Koenida with a smile.

"My friend, now can you tell me why you want to turn Ni Ni against his cause?"

Konidas was jolted awake by these words. Faced with such a horrific scene, loyalty and duty were all thrown to the back of his mind. He almost shouted as he answered Mr. Tan's question.

"Congress authorized the OSS to use the names of third countries to recruit senior intelligence personnel from various countries, gain access to the structure of relevant national intelligence agencies and telecommunications codes, in order to help the United States dominate the post-war international order."

"Not only your country and Britain, but we have launched operations against all our allies and most countries in the world. The plan has been very successful, and we have even turned members of the Military Intelligence Bureau against us."

Just as Conida was about to say Ji Dawei/Tong Suo's name, Mr. Tan immediately stopped him: "Shut up! You only need to answer my question, understand?"

“Yes, yes.” Konida nodded vigorously, understanding that the other party did not want to cause trouble, so he changed the subject to explain other matters.

"This is a highly classified plan. I don't know the name or specific details of the plan, but the commanders who carried out the missions in Europe and the Americas are old friends of mine. I can help you find them."

"The person in charge of European operations is called Fox, and his disguise is..."

As long as he could survive, Conida didn't care about his old friend's life or death and blurted out all the information he knew. Mr. Tan instructed his men to record it.

Meanwhile, the third American agent was minced into a bloody pulp. Corner glanced at the machine out of the corner of his eye and sped up his dictation.

Wanli Lang, perhaps knowing he was doomed or perhaps driven to the brink of collapse by fear, suddenly broke free from his restraints and began to flailing his arms and legs, uttering all sorts of meaningless cries.

Mr. Tan frowned slightly, pointed at Wan Lilang, and told his men to deal with him first. According to Shancheng's orders, they did not need to interrogate this traitor; they could execute him directly, because the Military Intelligence Bureau already had all the information Wan Lilang possessed.

One minute later, Wan Lilang disappeared into the machine, and the remaining American agents all collapsed to the ground.

Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, Corneda exclaimed, "FXXK! I know who initiated this plan: Adams! Army Colonel Adams!"

Mr. Tan subconsciously pursed his lips. He had never heard of Adams, but the man was preparing to infiltrate allies before the war ended, so he must be a typical hawk.

The fact that the plan was approved also indicates that hawkish forces are on the rise within the US military, which is not good news for any country.

It seems that Roosevelt's death has led to a significant shift in the United States' diplomatic and military course. Mr. Tan pondered silently and decided to report this dangerous signal to Shancheng as soon as possible.

On the other side, apart from Koneda, all the other American agents were dead, and the factory was filled with the pungent smell of blood.

"Station chief, what should we do with this guy?" a Kuomintang agent asked, pointing at Koenida.

Mr. Tan narrowed his already small eyes and casually replied, "Send it to Shancheng through secret channels. The Vice-Chancellor will personally interrogate him. Clean up the scene quickly."

"Yes, stationmaster."

After the little spy finished speaking, he took out a gasoline can and poured it on the machine. The others dragged Conida out, and one of them whispered a question to Mr. Tan.

"Station chief, what can we do after we drive out the Japanese? Are we really going to go to war with the Americans?"

Mr. Tan continued walking, replying, "As long as there are humans, as long as there is war, the intelligence struggle will never stop."

"The deputy has already made arrangements. The senior and elite personnel in the bureau will be transferred to the Foreign Intelligence Service in their entirety. Our future adversaries will not only be the Americans, but also agents from other countries."

Before the words were even finished, a raging fire broke out in the factory behind them, the flames erasing all traces.

The next morning, as Copper Lock and Ava were enjoying their time together, the phone rang suddenly. Ava picked up the phone and listened to the call; her expression changed slightly.

"What's wrong, darling?" Tongsuo asked, feigning curiosity.

Faced with this "concern," Ava suppressed her shock and made up a flimsy excuse to brush it off.

After Tongsuo left for work, she sat on the sofa, her face pale, her mind replaying the contents of the phone call and its underlying meaning.

[Konida and trading company employees go missing]

Ava's mind went blank. How could so many people just disappear like that? Could it be that the Japanese did it?
After thinking for a long time, she first called Ryosuke Hasegawa, then picked up her handbag and took a train to the train station, preparing to return to Shanghai to see Hasegawa.

That evening, Ava got the answer she wanted: Japanese intelligence agencies had not captured any American intelligence personnel recently.

Soon, this intelligence was sent to the headquarters of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) at Navy Hill in Washington, D.C.

After reading the telegram, Donovan, the director of the Office of Strategic Services, rubbed his temples and looked at the man in front of him: "Adams, what's your opinion on this?"

"Director, it seems that people from the Republic of China era are very vigilant. They are truly an interesting opponent."

Adams touched his hooked nose and stated his judgment with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Upon hearing this, Donovan tapped the table and said unhappily, "Colonel, I must remind you that, as of now, they are still our allies."

"Okay, okay, we're allies."

Adams raised his hands to correct the erroneous statement, and seeing Donovan's expression brighten, he continued.

"Konida's disappearance is most likely related to the Military Intelligence Bureau. You and I are well aware of Director Zuo's capabilities, but for well-known reasons, we cannot conduct a public investigation into this matter."

Donovan agreed, saying that Washington needed the Nationalist government to stop the spread of Red Russia in Asia, and naturally couldn't afford to turn against Chongqing.

Before he could offer his opinion, Adams suddenly sneered, "But even if the people of the Republic of China knew about the plan, what could they do?"

"Without American aid, the other side can't even fight a decent battle, so we only need to focus on one thing, which is the operation in the mountain city."

The wall clock jumped a notch, its crisp chime echoing through the office. Donovan hesitated for a moment before issuing the order.

"Alright, we'll decide everything after Operation Mountain City is over. We must teach the people of the Republic of China a lesson and let them know that the dignity of America cannot be challenged."

Adams glanced at his watch, casually "removed" a non-existent hat, placed it on his chest, and bent slightly, making a joke in a strange British accent.

"As you wish, Director, if the plan goes smoothly, our people are now close to the target."

Donovan smiled, but the worry in his eyes wouldn't go away. This plan had to succeed, otherwise OSS would lose its value.