cicada

Chapter 1511: The picture shows the dagger
The following day at noon, several cars stopped in front of a restaurant in the mountain city. A group of junior agents quickly got out of the cars and began searching and guarding the area. After confirming that the surrounding area was safe, someone bent down and opened the car door.

Zuo Zhong stepped out of the carriage, straightened his collar, turned around and extended his right hand into the carriage, a soft hand gently resting on his palm.

Wearing a long-sleeved cheongsam, He Yijun gracefully stepped out of the car, her figure elegant, a stark contrast to her dashing military bearing when she was in the car.

On the second floor of the restaurant, Cannon stood by the window and frowned. She hadn't expected her target to bring a female companion, so it seemed she would have to abandon her original plan.

Just then, Zuo Zhong and He Yijun came upstairs arm in arm, and Cannon immediately greeted them with a smile.

"General Zuo, good morning. Is this lady your secretary?"

Cannon greeted Zuo Zhong with a smile, then glanced at He Yijun out of the corner of his eye, his tone carrying a hint of provocation.

He Yijun seemed not to hear, maintaining a polite smile on her face, though her eyes gradually turned dangerous.

She scrutinized Cannon closely, lingering for a few seconds on his arms and neck, seemingly assessing their fighting abilities. The result was quite good; He Yijun felt she could take on three American women.

Zuo Zhong was internally cursing, but outwardly he smiled and said, "Good afternoon, Ms. Cannon. This is Ms. He, my most trusted assistant and family member."

When Zuo Zhong said the last two words, "family," he was unusually serious. He Yijun had silently followed him for more than ten years, helping him with his official duties and taking care of his daily life. From the beginning, their relationship was not as simple as that of superior and subordinate.

However, with the Japanese pirates still at large, matters of personal affection had to be put aside for the time being. He also couldn't lead the way in violating the Military Intelligence Bureau's rules. Once victory was achieved, he would definitely give the other side a result.

On the other side, He Yijun's heart pounded when she heard these words. She instinctively tightened her grip on Zuo Zhong's arm, a mix of bittersweet emotions welling up inside her.

Cannon noticed the change in their emotions and felt like an outsider, but she still greeted Zuo Zhong and He Yijun warmly and invited them to sit down at the table, as if nothing had happened.

At the same time, in a house a hundred meters away, a pair of binoculars were peering out of a window and aimed at the restaurant, and two voices rang out.

"Move aside, let me see it quickly."

"Hey, don't push, Lao Zheng. The man surnamed Zuo's face has turned black."

Zheng Tingbing forcefully pulled at Xu Enzeng, trying to snatch the binoculars from his hand, but Xu Enzeng pushed him aside with a thrust of his buttocks.

Watching the confrontation in the restaurant, Xu Enzeng's face flushed with excitement. He couldn't wait to rush over and enjoy Zuo Zhong's show up close, so he was unwilling to give up his binoculars to someone else.

This infuriated Zheng Tingbing. He was the one who provided Zuo Zhong's whereabouts, and Xu Enzeng, that bastard, was turning his back on him!
Just as the two were entangled, a soft cough suddenly came from behind them. Zheng Tingbing and Xu Enzeng were startled and slowly turned their heads around.

Wu Chunyang raised one hand in a casual gesture and said jokingly, "Please make yourselves at home, officers. Just pretend I'm not here."

Given Zuo Zhong's status and position, any trip to an unfamiliar location would undoubtedly be met with heightened security. Since Xu Enzeng and Zheng Tingbing did not conceal their whereabouts, they were naturally discovered by the vigilant agents.

Zheng Tingbing looked embarrassed and remained silent, while Xu Enzeng was extremely arrogant and even turned the tables, claiming that he was carrying out his official duties.

"Director Wu, our Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics has the responsibility of internal supervision. It's normal for me to come and check on the situation when Deputy Director Zuo meets with unidentified persons, right? Don't you think that makes sense?"

Wu Chunyang looked at the smug Xu Enzeng, grinned to reveal a set of big white teeth, and pushed the guy aside. He also took out a pair of binoculars from his pocket.

It's lively, who doesn't love to watch? If Zuo Zhong hadn't forbidden it, he would have gone to "protect" him long ago.

Seeing this, Xu Enzeng and Zheng Tingbing chuckled and squeezed to the window again to fight over the binoculars. Wu Chunyang, however, saw that Zuo Zhong and the other two had already started eating.

At the dinner table, Cannon took a sip of fruit wine. The sweet and sour taste was quite pleasant, which improved her mood considerably.

However, remembering her mission, Cannon put down her wine glass, her dark green eyes sweeping over Zuo Zhong. After hesitating for a moment, she chose to get straight to the point.

"General Zuo, if possible, please release Konida and those employees of the Office of Strategic Services."

Zuo Zhongzheng's chopsticks, which were picking up food, stopped in mid-air. He asked the other person in confusion, "Konida? I've never heard of that name, and the Military Intelligence Bureau has never detained any OSS members."

Then he asked He Yijun, "Yijun, have any relevant reports been submitted recently?"

He Yijun smiled and shook her head, replying crisply, "Vice-Captain, there are no reports from headquarters or regional stations regarding any actions related to the US. Miss Cannon must have misremembered."

Zuo Zhong looked completely innocent after hearing this: "Look, our Military Intelligence Bureau would never target our allies. That's something only a villain who deserves to go to hell would do."

Cannon took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and forced a smile as she nodded in agreement before changing the subject.

"In fact, Conida's life or death is not important. Washington is more willing to cooperate with you, General Zuo. The OSS is willing to establish a deeper connection with you."

Perhaps fearing that Zuo Zhong wouldn't be interested, Cannon sat up straight and continued to persuade him, his once handsome face gradually turning arrogant. "You should know that the war will end soon, and then the United States will become the most powerful country. Only by serving the United States can you fully utilize your talents."

"I can assure you that once you join us, Washington will appoint you as the Deputy Director of the OSS, in charge of Asian intelligence operations."

Zuo Zhong remained noncommittal upon hearing this, then gently tapped the table with his hand. After a long while, he raised his head and spoke under Cannon's expectant gaze.

"So what do you want from me? I know there's a Western proverb that says there's no such thing as a free lunch. Your OSS isn't a philanthropist, am I right?"

He directly exposed Cannon's identity, and Cannon did not deny it, but just smiled ambiguously and revealed his true purpose.

"We need the list of moles you have, or more precisely, the list of all the undercover agents of the Foreign Intelligence Service and the Military Intelligence Bureau."

Zuo Zhong remained calm. It was normal for Americans to know about the Foreign Intelligence Service, given that the two countries had cooperated for many years and some people in the Republic of China had a strange kind of worship for the United States, so it was not surprising that relevant intelligence was leaked.

However, the Americans wanting the mole list is probably wishful thinking; he has no interest in being a dutiful son or grandson of the Americans.

As for the deputy director of the OSS, just take it with a grain of salt. Even if the Americans made him vice president, it wouldn't matter; he'd be a figurehead. This has happened countless times in the thousands of years of history of the Republic of China; it's nothing new.

Moreover, Truman is different from Roosevelt; OSS is currently in a precarious situation, which may be why Cannon turned him against him—it's simply a matter of performance requirements.

Therefore, after Cannon finished speaking, Zuo Zhong resolutely refused her invitation: "Miss Cannon, you should think about your future first. I heard that your president is very dissatisfied with OSS and has even come up with a plan to cut it."

Cannon's expression froze for a moment, then he gave Zuo Zhong a deep look. The disbandment of OSS was a top secret, and very few people knew about it. The Military Intelligence Bureau was indeed living up to its reputation.

Seeing her reaction, Zuo Zhong didn't stop. He then mentioned some information whose source couldn't be traced, in order to prove the accuracy of his information.

"The existence of your OSS has no legal basis. It is a temporary organization authorized by the president and has too much power, which has made the FBI, Army Intelligence (G-2), Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) and the government intelligence system quite dissatisfied."

"FBI's Hoover even said that the OSS was an out-of-control secret government, the American version of the Gestapo."

"President Truman also had extreme distrust of OSS, believing that you were too British, a spy adventure group, and lacked democratic oversight."

"If my information is correct, in the near future, the OSS's intelligence analysis department will be transferred to the government, and its covert operations forces will be placed under the jurisdiction of the Department of War."

Zuo Zhong's voice wasn't loud, but his tone was very confident, and he even added a sarcastic remark at the end.

"So, as a spy about to lose your job, who gave you the courage to try and turn me against you? Donovan?"

Cannon's face turned pale and then red. Zuo Zhong was right. OSS was indeed in a very awkward situation. Without outstanding performance, being laid off was inevitable.

But giving up easily is not the style of an intelligence officer, so she tried to remain calm and gave some information that was half true and half false.

"General Zuo, regardless of whether there is a war or not, the intelligence battle will continue. OSS will only be weakened, not completely eliminated."

"Before I went to your country, Director Donovan asked me to tell you that there will always be a place for you in the OSS after the reorganization."

Zuo Zhong laughed. Donovan's guarantee? This guy was Roosevelt's confidant and classmate. He was about to be kicked out, so why should he leave a seat for him? A seat at the farewell dinner?
So he waved his hand and said, "Alright, Miss Cannon, you don't need to waste your time. My loyalty to the leader is as clear as day."

"When the leader retires after achieving his goals, I, Zuo, will also retire to the countryside and enjoy a peaceful life."

Taking the opportunity to pat someone on the butt, Zuo Zhong got up to say goodbye, and He Yijun also stood up quietly.

Cannon was anxious and didn't care about saving face. He looked at Zuo Zhong with a pleading look and said, "General Zuo, don't make a decision in such a hurry. Let's go for a walk outside the city the day after tomorrow. Um, and this Miss He too."

Halfway through her sentence, she felt a sting from He Yijun's gaze, so she promptly added him to the invitation list as well.

Zuo Zhong glanced at He Yijun and thought about it again before finally agreeing to Cannon's request. He then got into his car and left the restaurant.

After the car had traveled a distance on the bumpy road, Zuo Chong asked, "Did you record everything?"

"Yes, Vice-Sir, the surveillance personnel next to the restaurant are evacuating," He Yijun said.

Zuo Zhong nodded. The recording wasn't for him to hear, but for Lao Dai and someone else, since neither of them were particularly magnanimous.

However, the Americans will certainly not be satisfied with today's outcome. OSS will continue to make moves. Zuo Zhong lit a cigarette and took a puff, his eyes appearing even more profound in the drifting smoke.

(End of this chapter)