cicada

Chapter 1510 Exceptional Wit (Happy New Year)
While Donovan and Adams were talking, music filled the air in a restaurant in the mountain town, where hundreds of well-dressed guests raised their glasses to each other, creating a lively scene.

The banquet was hosted to entertain diplomats from the United States and other allies. Many high-ranking government officials were invited, including heads of the intelligence system, which was reportedly at the special request of the United States.

Old Dai never liked such occasions, so he asked Zuo Zhong to attend in his place, while Gu Qi and Zheng Tingbing accompanied him.

Out of caution, the three men, including Zuo Chong, did not mingle with the other guests. Instead, they stood in the shadows and observed the guests, occasionally exchanging whispers.

"Co-seat, why did the Americans invite us to the banquet?" asked Gu Qi.

Zuo Zhong didn't answer. He took a sip of his drink and asked Zheng Tingbing, "Old Zheng, what do you think the Americans' purpose is?"

Upon hearing this question, Zheng Tingbing looked around and whispered, "Although Japan and Germany were defeated, America's biggest enemy is Red Russia. They definitely want to deepen their intelligence cooperation with the Nationalist government in order to deal with the post-war threat."

This answer was reasonable and well-founded, and Gu Qi couldn't help but nod in agreement. However, Zuo Zhong smiled slightly and glanced at the dance floor.

To the strains of a melodious waltz, Xu Enzeng was dancing energetically with a white woman, his obese waist swaying and twisting, drawing cheers from the onlookers—he looked exactly like a clown.

The white woman was quite attractive, tall, and dressed in a very modern style. Her delicate, fair skin reflected a soft glow under the lights.

When the song ended, Xu Enzeng clasped his hands together in gratitude to the crowd, which drew even louder cheers.

"Secondary, has this guy completely disregarded public opinion?"

Gu Qi looked at Xu Enzeng, who was beaming with excitement, and felt like he was going blind. For a deputy director of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics to act like this was a disgrace to the Party and the country.

Zheng Tingbing, standing nearby, sneered twice: "He has lost the leader's trust and can only do some low-risk, high-return business now. Naturally, he doesn't care what others think."

As the two were talking, Xu Enzeng walked over with the white woman, followed by Xu Enzeng's exaggerated laughter.

"Hahaha, Deputy Director Zuo, Deputy Director Zheng, Deputy Director Gu, how have you three been doing since we last met?"

Xu Enzeng extended his right hand towards Zuo Zhong, but Zuo Zhong turned his head away, pretending not to see him, making the scene somewhat awkward.

Worried about being laughed at by the Americans, Gu Qi and Zheng Tingbing quickly greeted him: "Hello, Deputy Director Xu."

After exchanging pleasantries, Xu Enzeng introduced the white woman: "Miss Cannon, this is Lieutenant General Zuo Zhongzuo, Deputy Director of the Military Intelligence Bureau, and the other two are..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zuo Zhong glared at him and said, "Damn it, is this something an intelligence officer should say? You might as well just hand over my file to the Americans."

Xu Enzeng also sensed something was wrong and shut his mouth with a dry laugh, but the white woman named Cannon took the initiative to speak.

"General Zuo, hello. I've long admired your name. I'm an Associated Press reporter. Would you be willing to grant me an interview?"

Faced with the woman's outstretched hand, Zuo nodded as a greeting. Danger lurked everywhere in this line of work, even a handshake carried risks.

As for interviews, that's even more absurd. The things the Military Intelligence Bureau does are highly classified, and not a single word can be leaked to the outside world.

Despite being snubbed, Cannon's smile remained unchanged. He spoke in somewhat broken Republican-era dialect, "General Zuo, under your command, the Military Intelligence Bureau has successfully carried out many secret operations. Do you have any secrets?"

Gu Qi frowned upon hearing this. Was this American woman blind? Didn't she see that even the co-pilot was silent? Why was she still pressing for details?

He stepped forward to drive Cannon away, but Zuo Zhong raised his arm to stop him and then gave a diplomatic reply.

"The people of the Republic of China have always loved peace and advocated mutual respect among nations. They never acted through conspiracies or tricks, and they would never conduct so-called secret intelligence operations against any country."

Cannon raised his chin and retorted with great certainty: "Is that so? Does that mean the assassination of Mr. Ji, the former head of the Nanjing government, in Hanoi was also unrelated to the Military Intelligence Bureau?"

The atmosphere suddenly became tense. Xu Enzeng was numb and wished he could slap himself.

Ji is a taboo subject for the Nationalist government. How can such a matter be discussed in public? If the leader finds out, his situation will be even worse.

When Zuo Zhong heard this sensitive question, he was not nervous at all. Instead, he showed a bright smile and his tone of voice gradually became more serious.

"All actions of the Military Intelligence Bureau have only one purpose: to safeguard national interests and international order."

"Most of the claims circulating outside the military are subjective speculations or even deliberate misinterpretations by those with ulterior motives. The Military Intelligence Bureau will not comment on these claims."

Zuo Zhong's main point is to say "you say yours, I say mine," seemingly saying everything, but actually having no substantial content.

Cannon sighed and handed over his business card: "General Zuo, it seems there is a deep misunderstanding between us. I am here at the invitation of your wife for the sake of friendship between our two countries."

"I would like to invite you to lunch tomorrow. I hope that through this exchange, American readers can understand the government's efforts in the field of intelligence cooperation."

Gu Qi and Zheng Tingbing's expressions changed. The other party was using his wife and public opinion to threaten them; this was troublesome. Zuo Zhong remained silent for a moment, then signaled the guard to leave Cannon's contact information. He wanted to see what the Americans were really up to.

He was now certain that today's banquet was aimed at him, but why hadn't Xu Enzeng, the old intelligence officer, noticed such an obvious purpose beforehand, and even brought Cannon to him?

Could it be that Xu En has become more capable and unwilling to retire in his old age, so he made contact with the Americans?

Not only Zuo Zhong thought so, but Gu Qi and Zheng Tingbing also stared at Xu Enzeng suspiciously, questioning the guy's stance.

Seeing that it was not a good place to stay, Zuo Zhong decisively took his leave: "Alright, Miss Cannon, I have official business to attend to, so I'll be leaving now. Let's keep in touch tomorrow."

After saying this, he and Gu Qi left the banquet. Zheng Tingbing stayed behind because he had some old friends and business partners to entertain.

Seeing that Zuo Zhong had left, Cannon smiled slightly at Xu Enzeng and turned to walk towards the US delegation.

After a long while, Zheng Tingbing, who had remained in place, spoke first: "Deputy Director Xu, did Cannon approach you on his own initiative?"

His original intention in asking the question was to remind Xu Enzeng not to fall for the Americans' tricks, but he didn't expect the other party to stick his neck out and shamelessly start boasting.

"Of course, you know how charming I am, Lao Zheng. It's normal for Miss Cannon to take the initiative to approach me."

Zheng Tingbing took a sip of wine, and upon hearing this, he spat out all the wine with a "pfft." He had seen many shameless people, but this was truly the first time he had ever seen someone so shameless.

After finally catching his breath, he pointed at Xu Enzeng, hesitated, and finally snorted without saying anything.

Xu Enzeng chuckled, looked around to make sure no one was nearby, and then leaned close to Zheng Tingbing's ear and whispered, "Old Zheng, you don't think I didn't notice that there was something wrong with that little girl, do you?"

Zheng Tingbing was surprised. If the other party had seen through the problem, why did they still introduce Kan Nong to Zuo Zhong?
Xu Enzeng waved his hand dismissively and said, "Don't worry, that guy surnamed Zuo is smarter than a monkey when he gets his hands dirty, he won't be fooled so easily."

"Besides, the Americans have been quite restless lately, especially after Roosevelt's death. Don't you want to know what they're trying to achieve by contacting Zuo Chong?"

This question stumped Zheng Tingbing. Naturally, he wanted to know the answer. The two men, each with their own ulterior motives, exchanged a glance and instantly reached a tacit understanding.

As the banquet ended, Xu Enzeng reminded Zheng Tingbing, "Old Zheng, remember to let me know if there's any news. The liveliness in Zuozhong is quite rare, hahaha."

Halfway through his speech, he burst into laughter a few times, as if he were having an epileptic seizure.

When Zuo Chong returned to the Military Intelligence Bureau headquarters, he first went to see Dai Chunfeng. He had to report to the American journalists who had arranged to meet with him.

His cheap teacher wasn't very shrewd; if the other party found out that he was meeting with Americans on his own, he would definitely become suspicious.

In addition, Zuo Zhong also wanted to report this matter to someone through Lao Dai's mouth, so as to prevent Kannon from setting a trap for him.

If the meeting is misrepresented as a rendezvous, he will be unable to clear his name even if he jumps into the Yellow River. There is no doubt that the Americans are capable of doing such a thing.

Dai Chunfeng's reaction was not unexpected by Zuo Zhong. After listening to the report, he immediately said, "Shen Zhong, you need to know what to say and what not to say when the time comes."

"You should also be vigilant, reporter. Hmph, I think you're more like an intelligence agent. The Americans have a very clever plan. Be careful not to get tricked by them."

It has to be said that Lao Dai's suspicious nature is somewhat useful; at least this time it was used in the right place.

Zuo Chong respectfully replied, "Teacher, I suspected that Cannon's identity was suspicious, which is why I immediately returned to report to you."

Dai Chunfeng nodded in satisfaction, then sighed: "Alas, the Japanese are about to be finished, and now the Americans are causing trouble again. It's truly a time of great turmoil."

Ten minutes later, Zuo Chong returned to his office to work on official documents. He Yijun came in and poured him a cup of hot tea. Before leaving, she asked how the banquet went.

"It's nothing special, just a formality. But an American female reporter invited me to dinner tomorrow."

Zuo Zhong lowered his head and wrote a few strokes on the document, casually answering the other party's question. He Yijun, who had walked to the door, paused, and then heard another sentence.

"You're coming with me to the appointment tomorrow. Remember to dress nicely so that American woman can see that modern women in the Republic of China also know how to be fashionable."

He Yijun smiled slightly and walked out of the office with light steps. As the door slowly closed, Zuo Zhong raised his hand to wipe away the cold sweat.

That was close; that murderous aura was even more ferocious than when the Japanese tried to assassinate him years ago.

Fortunately, he was quick-witted and decisively added a sentence; otherwise, He Yijun would probably have had to "visit" Cannon overnight so that they could have a feast the next day.

Sigh, was it a bit hasty to let He Yijun learn martial arts? Zuo Zhong scratched his head in distress.