cicada

Chapter 1512 Using Human Skin to Claim Merit

By the end of July 1945, it was clear to everyone that the Japanese were doomed, and the atmosphere in the mountain town suddenly became relaxed. Many officials and wealthy people chose to go out of town for sightseeing.

However, early that morning, a road leading out of the city was suddenly blocked, and the highway was crowded with pedestrians and vehicles.

One of the cars was carrying a section chief from the Shancheng City government. This section chief, who thought he had some status, got out of the car and started yelling at the people blocking the road, demanding that they remove the roadblocks immediately or else.

But what awaited him was a slap. After hitting the man, Song Minghao waved his hand at the junior agent: "Take him away and interrogate him thoroughly. I think this guy looks like a Japanese spy."

The section chief was dragged away like a dead dog, and the rest of the people fell silent, no longer daring to make a sound, and all lowered their heads.

In the past two years, the reputation of the Military Intelligence Bureau has grown, which has both advantages and disadvantages for an intelligence agency, but most people certainly don't want to provoke these killing gods.

Two kilometers away from Luca, a different scene unfolds: several parasols are set up in the quiet, verdant valley, and a babbling brook flows gently by, carrying away a trace of the summer heat.

Under the central parasol, Cannon sat at the table, dressed in a striking English hunting outfit that caught the eye.

Zuo Zhong and He Yijun, who were at the same table, were dressed very simply, wearing civilian clothes issued by the Military Intelligence Bureau, and looked very low-key.

The waiter prepared fruit for the three of them. Cannon put his hand above his eyes, looked around, and uttered a sigh.

"General Zuo, Miss He, Shancheng is truly a beautiful place."

Zuo Zhong didn't speak, but picked up the hot tea his subordinate had poured and sipped it slowly. He didn't believe that the Americans had invited him to the suburbs just to discuss the scenery.

Sure enough, seeing that he didn't react, Cannon's expression turned serious, and he reported the latest news.

"Director Zuo, we are about to launch a secret weapon against Japan. This weapon is extremely powerful and could pose a threat to your country's intelligence personnel and residents in Japan."

"To avoid disaster and to report the results of the Potsdam Conference, an intelligence coordination team led by OSS Commissioner Mr. Adams will arrive in the mountain town in three days."

"If you can hand over the list of personnel from the Foreign Intelligence Service and the Military Intelligence Bureau, Commissioner Adams can reveal to you the specific time of the secret weapon's deployment."

Zuo Zhong brought the teacup to his lips and blew on it. The name Adams had been mentioned in the intelligence sent by Old Tan from Jinling. It seemed that the Americans were going to use both soft and hard tactics.

On one hand, there was Cannon's persuasion, and on the other hand, there was the threat of a secret weapon. Most people would find it hard to resist, but he had studied history.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, that massive bomb will still explode in Hiroshima, and most likely at the same time.

Because the targets and routes of the large bombs were rigorously calculated and analyzed, and the timing and weather windows were extremely strict, it was very difficult for the Americans to change them.

Furthermore, members of Project Steam Engine have already infiltrated the core of the US superweapon and can transmit information when necessary, so the threat of OSS cannot scare him.

So Zuo Zhong listened to Cannon's story, simply smiled, glanced at his watch, and prepared to leave.

Now that the Americans have already gone so far as to abandon all pretense of civility, what's the point of them staying here? Let's all just rely on our own abilities to make our decisions.

Surprisingly, Cannon was neither angry nor tried to stop him. He simply asked to return to Shancheng with Zuo Zhong's convoy, which Zuo Zhong readily agreed to.

The conversation ended abruptly, and the convoy drove slowly along the winding mountain road. Cannon's vehicle was at the very front of the convoy, with the American flags on both sides of the hood waving in the wind.

After glancing back at the car, Cannon instructed the driver, "Proceed according to plan."

The driver, with a cold expression, replied, "Sir," and released the accelerator, further reducing the speed.

On the distant mountaintop, Zuo Zhong watched the convoy drive away, gently patting the dust off his trousers and clothes.

Although he hadn't carried out field missions for many years, he was still capable of jumping out of a slow-moving car.

At this moment, He Yijun asked, "Co-pilot, will our actions be discovered?"

"I'm not sure. At that time, Cannon's car had already turned the hairpin bend, and with the mountain as cover, it would have been difficult for the other side to spot us, but..." Zuo Zhong's voice gradually faded.

After answering He Yijun's question, he turned to a junior agent and whispered something to him, but after only a couple of sentences, he turned back to look at the woods.

The grove, which should have been deserted, was suddenly filled with strange noises. Military intelligence agents raised their guns in alert, and the rustling sound of grass being pushed aside grew clearer and clearer.

A moment later, two chubby figures emerged from the bushes, looking rather disheveled. One of them greeted Zuo Zhong with a wild laugh.

"Hahaha, Deputy Director Zuo, it's been a long time!"

Zuo Zhong frowned and asked softly, "Deputy Director Xu, Deputy Director Zheng, why aren't you enjoying yourselves in the city? What are you doing in the suburbs?"

These two uninvited guests were Xu Enzeng and Zheng Tingbing. They not only came by themselves, but also brought a small number of elite men with them.

Upon hearing Zuo Zhong's question, Xu and Zheng exchanged a smile, and then Zheng Tingbing, as their representative, explained the reason for their visit.

“Deputy Director Zuo, we’re about to win, and the brothers want to ask you for some credit.”

Looking at the grinning Zheng Tingbing, Zuo Zhong really wanted to shoot him. He had heard plenty of stories about weasels asking for credit, but this was the first time he had encountered someone in human skin asking for credit. Damn it, was he treating him like a fat sheep? And he was even asking for credit. Did he want a bullet?
Xu Enzeng chimed in from the sidelines, "Yes, yes, that little wench named Kannon is up to no good. We're here to help you."

Zuo Zhong gritted his teeth and spat out a few words: "Is that so? Then I really thank you both." Xu Enzeng and Zheng Tingbing were so happy they were practically snotting through their noses. Finally, finally, the guy surnamed Zuo had suffered a loss at their hands. It was as if God had opened his eyes.

Xu Enzeng, in particular, had his eyes turn red instantly. For so many years, it had always been Zuo Zhong who had tricked him, and today he had finally gotten his revenge.

Wiping away non-existent tears, Xu Enzeng said smugly, "Deputy Director Zuo, for you to go to so much trouble to deal with Cannon, it must be quite valuable. How about the three of us take command of this operation together?"

Zuo Zhong stared coldly at him, then snorted and turned away, raising his binoculars to observe the convoy, which was tantamount to acquiescing to the actions of these two bastards.

Xu Enzeng and Zheng Tingbing didn't care. As long as they could get credit, what did it matter if they were snorted?

The two men also took out binoculars to look at the convoy, but the scene in the lenses startled them, as bullets were flying everywhere and flames were shooting into the sky on the highway.

A few seconds earlier, Cannon had put away his pocket watch, a victor's smile on his face.

"Bazooka!"

Suddenly, the driver in the front seat let out a desperate shout. If Zuo Zhong had heard it, he would have said that he was dreaming of Somalia.

A rocket trailing white smoke flew out of the woods on one side of the road, and Cannon watched through the windshield as the rocket drew closer and closer to him.

At that moment, she realized that she was also a "necessary loss" in the plan.

"Boom~~~~"

With a loud bang, Cannon's vehicle turned into a fireball, and then a large number of armed men emerged from the shadows and opened fire on the other vehicles in the convoy.

The accompanying Kuomintang agents reacted quickly, using vehicles as cover while taking out various weapons to retaliate, and the battle between the two sides immediately reached its climax.

As the fighting progressed, the agents realized a problem: their enemies were not American agents, but people from the Republic of China, and their fighting capabilities were vastly different.

Some of the enemy agents were decisive, skilled in tactics, and accurate with their marksmanship, holding their own against Kuomintang agents.

The other group of enemies was the complete opposite. They fought without any strategy, charging in a chaotic frenzy and retreating immediately after suffering a few casualties. If it weren't for the presence of a supervisory team, they probably would have scattered long ago.

Zuo Zhong put down his binoculars and asked He Yijun, "Have you figured out what these people are all about?"

He Yijun nodded and stated his judgment: "A small number of them are from the regular army, while the rest are mostly bandits or secret societies. The Americans must have spent a lot of money."

"Anything else?" Zuo Zhong asked again, somewhat dissatisfied.

Xu Enzeng and Zheng Tingbing strained their ears to try and eavesdrop, but that was all they could glean. After all, they were too far away to grasp many of the details.

After observing carefully for a while, He Yijun slowly spoke: "Judging from the tactical movements, the enemy who comes from the military is likely from the Central Army, and is a veteran."

"Impossible!" Xu Enzeng couldn't help but interject.

The Central Army offers generous benefits and has excellent recruits. More importantly, it is highly regarded from top to bottom, and no one dares to defy public opinion and mobilize troops on their own.

Zheng Tingbing, however, was somewhat skeptical. Ever since the last inspection incident, he had lost faith in the discipline of the Guo Army.

Let alone deploying a small number of soldiers to assassinate Zuo Zhong, those bastards would even dare to bring out anti-tank guns if the money was right.

However, that matter is not important. Zheng Tingbing only cares about one thing now: why are Zuo Zhong's men digging fortifications, and why are they digging so fast?

Not long after they appeared, the junior agents following Zuo Zhong quietly began using entrenching tools to build a fortified position, which was now almost complete.

Zheng Tingbing had a bad feeling, but before he could speak, Zuo Zhong and He Yijun took the initiative.

"Yi Jun, come in."

Zuo Zhong led He Yijun into a bunker, where they were well hidden, with protruding rocks overhead providing cover.

"Hey? You surnamed Zuo, what are you doing?"

Xu Enzeng was still standing there with his hands on his hips, loudly asking questions, while Zheng Tingbing had already found cover and squatted down.

"10, 9, 8, 7"

Zuo Zhong counted down quietly. When he reached 3, a whooshing sound came from the sky, and several black dots flew towards the ground. Xu Enzeng was horrified when he saw this.

"Mortar!"

With a scream, Xu Enzeng scrambled towards Zuo Zhong's location. He wasn't stupid; he knew where the safest place was.

Zuo Zhong sneered and waved his pistol at the guy. "Do you think it's so easy to hitch a ride with me? Be careful you don't end up with a broken mouth instead of getting any credit."

At the same time, Gui Youguang and Margaret strolled through the coconut groves of Temasek, their laughter echoing throughout.

(End of this chapter)