cicada

Chapter 1520: Resurrecting a Soul from a Borrowed Corpse
"Third Sister! Just tell me what the Military Intelligence Bureau commander wants to know! Even if you want to die, you can't drag me and the child down with you!"

Seeing Fang Zhanbo crying with tears streaming down his face, Jin Sanmei sighed inwardly. What an idiot! Even now, he still doesn't realize that his whole family is doomed.

Thinking of her child, her expression finally changed slightly, but this change was fleeting and quickly turned into indifference.

Zuo Zhong stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, put his hands in his pockets, and looked at the two of them calmly, saying, "Mr. Fang, how did you and your lady meet? With your background, you shouldn't have married such a shrewish woman."

Fang Zhanbo paused for a moment, a bitter smile appearing on his face: "I am the third sister I met when I was drinking with Mr. Shi... that bastard Schneider."

“She was working as a waitress at a bar at the time. One time I got drunk and she took me back to my place. When I woke up, we had already made a big mistake, so we had to get married hastily.”

At this point, he suddenly realized something, turned around and looked at Jin Sanmei in disbelief.

Fang Zhanbo was no fool to be noticed by Americans; he simply hadn't considered it before. But now, after being awakened by Zuo Zhong's words, he immediately realized that his acquaintance with Jin Sanmei was probably not accidental.

Facing her husband's gaze, Jin Sanmei remained calm, neither admitting nor denying, seemingly determined to put up a fight to the bitter end.

"you you."

Fang Zhanbo's finger trembled as he pointed at Jin Sanmei, too angry to speak. The fact that his marriage was a conspiracy filled him with shock and fury.

Zuo Zhong wasn't interested in this kind of family drama, so he turned to Wu Chunyang and asked, "Does Jin Sanmei have any overseas connections? Have you been able to find any records of her parents or grandparents?"

Wu Chunyang nodded and replied one by one: "The brothers in Fuling searched through the household registers of the previous dynasty and found that Jin Sanmei's ancestors moved from Guangxi Province to Sanyuan Lane in Fuling around 1852. After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, Jin Sanmei went to the mountain city alone to make a living."

"No overseas connections have been found so far, at least there are no records at the local post office and telegraph office, but we cannot rule out that the other party contacted the outside world through other channels. I will continue to investigate."

Zuo Zhong grasped the key point in Wu Chunyang's words: in 1852, which was the second year of the Xianfeng Emperor's reign in the previous dynasty, a momentous event had occurred in the previous dynasty.

Moreover, this matter is closely related to Guangxi Province. The previous dynasty almost perished because of it, and even Nanjing fell for more than a decade.

That year, a large-scale peasant uprising swept across most of the south, and many Jurchens went into hiding under assumed names until the uprising was suppressed and they regained their identities.

If Jin Sanmei's ancestors were among these people, why didn't they leave Fuling and instead continue living under the false identity of a Han Chinese?
The answer is easy to guess: Kim Jong-un's ancestors may have had secret missions, such as secretly monitoring local officials and gentry, a situation that was common in the previous dynasty.

Even before entering the pass, the so-called Jurchen emperor sent a large number of traitors to the interior to gather intelligence, bribe insiders, and spread false information.

These traitors played an indispensable role in the establishment of the previous dynasty. Having tasted the benefits, the Jurchens placed even greater emphasis on intelligence work and established multiple intelligence organizations to maintain their rule.

A series of clues flashed through Zuo Zhong's mind: Americans, Adams, the former dynasty's intelligence agency, the fall of the former dynasty in the Xinhai Revolution of 1851 (the second year of the Xianfeng Emperor's reign), and the pseudo-mite.
Almost instantly, these seemingly trivial clues connected, pointing to a terrifying conclusion.

He walked up to Jin Sanmei, placed his fingers on her wrist, and said a few names with his eyes closed.

"Madam Fang, may I ask which government office your ancestors came from? Was it the Infantry Commander's Office? Or the Imperial Household Department? Or perhaps the Imperial Guards and the Imperial Clan Court?"

Upon hearing these familiar names, Kim San-mi's eyelashes fluttered slightly. She took a deep breath, trying to keep her breathing steady.

Then look at Zuo Zhong. After he finished speaking, he suddenly opened his eyes and laughed: "Haha, Mrs. Fang, don't be so nervous. Actually, you can't judge whether someone is lying by the speed of their pulse. At least you can't judge accurately. That's all hearsay."

Jin Sanmei was furious, but she was at the mercy of others, so she could only suppress her anger and continue to stare blankly ahead.

Zuo Zhong, still smiling after playing a trick on his opponent, released his grip and said, "Just kidding, don't mind it. To be honest, I don't care which hole you rats came from, because the pseudo-mites are almost extinct."

"I have two pieces of good news for you. The Allies have made it clear at the Potsdam Conference that after Japan's defeat, the puppet regime must be dissolved and returned to the rule of the Republic of China."

"Furthermore, five days ago, the Russian Foreign Minister rejected Japan's request to renew the 1941 Neutrality Pact."

"I don't need to explain what these two things mean to you, do I? Your Emperor Kangde's men have either fled or died, and his defeat is a foregone conclusion."

Kim Jong-un paused, knowing full well what this meant: the Red Russians were going to join the war.

Could the Kwantung Army and the puppet Mongol army stop the Red Russian army? Just look at the Germans who once swept across Europe and Africa to know the answer. If the Kwantung Army were really as powerful as the Japanese say, it wouldn't have failed at Nomonhan.

Zuo Zhong noticed the other party's emotional fluctuations and his tone became even colder: "No matter how much the pseudo-mite struggles, it will eventually be swept into the dustbin of history just like the previous dynasty."

"But this time you won't have a chance to turn things around. I'll be watching you and your people. Anyone who dares to betray the country will face my gun without mercy!"

Jin Sanmei completely broke down, ripped off her disguise, and began to curse loudly, but Zuo Zhong couldn't understand her because she wasn't speaking Chinese.

Wu Dahui hesitated for a moment, but still stepped forward to translate. Zuo Zhong glanced at the guy and thought to himself, "No wonder you've been a spy for over ten years and are still just a low-ranking officer. You're so bad at handling things."

In short, Jin Sanmei's cursing was very vulgar and included Jurchen slang, which is enough to prove that she was a genuine Jurchen.

Without long-term immersion and instruction, it would be difficult for outsiders to master a language to such an extent, not even intelligence personnel.

After Jin Sanmei finished scolding, Zuo Zhong thoughtfully fed her some water. Sometimes, interrogation requires gaining the trust or goodwill of the person being interrogated, even if it's just to reduce some of the antagonism.

In the future, FBI agents used a few sugar-free cookies to pry open the mouth of a poor villager with diabetes and find the culprit who crashed the plane into the building.

But Jin Sanmei was different. She gulped down the water, ready to unleash another torrent of profanity, showing no sign of softening her stance. Seeing that the woman was unmoved by either soft or hard tactics, Zuo Zhong took out an electric wire and stuck it to her temples, wrists, and ankles.

Interrogation is a battle between people; the interrogated person should not be allowed to control the pace of the conversation, and the interrogator should decide whether to give or take the lead.

Kim San-mei twisted her body forcefully, trying to resist in this way, but the little spy held her hands, feet and head firmly, and the much-anticipated electric chair scene was about to begin.

With everything prepared, Wu Chunyang walked to the wall and switched on the power. A burnt, pungent smell of scorched hair quickly filled the interrogation room.

The light bulb on the roof flickered on and off, then flickered on and off again. Fang Zhanbo, who was lying on the ground, screamed and frantically pushed himself up with his hands, desperately trying to back away.

Wu Chunyang pulled the switch, and Jin Sanmei, who was covered in smoke, crashed heavily into the back of the chair. Zuo Chong waved his hand in front of his nose twice and gave a fake apology.

"I'm sorry, the interrogation was rushed and I didn't have time to cut your hair, Mrs. Fang. Please forgive me for not taking good care of you."

Jin Sanmei raised her head slightly, staring fiercely at Zuo Zhong, still showing no intention of confessing. Just as Wu Chunyang was about to turn the power back on, Zuo Zhong stopped her.

"Alright, people who have been thoroughly brainwashed can't be woken up by one or two electric shocks."

Zuo Zhong shook his head at Jin Sanmei. "Every pitiful person has a pitiable side," this saying was perfect for describing her.

Kim San-mei's entire life was dedicated to fulfilling her missions. Her birth, upbringing, and marriage were all controlled by others, and what's even more tragic is that she herself didn't realize that she was wrong.

After his initial reflection, Zuo Zhong sat back down and glanced at Fang Zhanbo, his tone slightly sarcastic: "Marrying this coward is really a disservice to you. OSS did a bad job of this; there's no such thing as a forced marriage."

Faced with his sarcasm, Kim Sam-mi, who had recovered from the electric shock, remained silent and pretended not to hear anything.

Zuo Zhong didn't care and continued, "But the fact that you can endure this humiliation and obey the OSS's orders shows that, besides the Japanese, the remnants of the previous dynasty also recognize the Americans as their masters. Am I right?"

"This relationship is very secretive, even the Japanese don't know about it. Let me guess, did a group of nobles from the previous dynasty go to Europe and America during the Xinhai Revolution?"

"These people used the hard-earned money of the people stored in Western banks as bargaining chips to induce high-ranking officials in Europe and the United States to support the restoration of the Jurchen state, or at least remain neutral in private."

"Moreover, you also have allies, the Jews, who have great influence in the West. More importantly, they are like the remnants of the previous dynasty, also like stray dogs. In the end, your plan succeeded, otherwise the pseudo-mite would not have been established."

Fang Zhanbo was filled with remorse. He was so stupid. He should have realized the problem when Jin Sanmei blurted out the origins of Jinshan and San Francisco.

Song Minghao and Wu Chunyang, who were listening in, were somewhat skeptical. Was the vice-captain's conclusion too hasty? But the more they thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

Speaking of which, Wu Chunyang has always had a question: how does the pseudo-mite support its huge official system and army, and where does the funding come from?

Relying on taxes? After being exploited by the Japanese, the people of Northeast China were all impoverished. Where would the tax revenue come from for the puppet regime's high-ranking officials to squander? That's unrealistic.

Trade? The Pseudo-Mite's heavy industry was under military control, its light industry was practically nonexistent, its food had to be handed over to the Japanese and the settlers, and its valuable furs were limited in quantity, so there was practically nothing to sell.

Relying on the Japanese? As the aggressor, the Japanese government would provide a small amount of aid to the puppet, but the Japanese themselves were dirt poor and could never support a large group of old-timers in the long run.

But if the co-pilot's speculation is true, then everything makes sense; the pseudo-mite is just living off its past achievements!

For centuries, the previous dynasty plundered China, and the wealth held by the upper nobility was unimaginable. According to an investigation by the FIRC, one prince alone had £750 million in savings.

With this money, it would be enough to support not just one pseudo-mite, but even three.

Zuo Zhong remained calm and composed. Facing the increasingly uneasy Jin Sanmei, he gave his second guess.

"Another group of Jurchens did not leave when the previous dynasty fell. They used different identities to infiltrate various places. Some became farmers, some became merchants, some married and had children like you, and others..."

"Nonsense! You are talking nonsense!"

Jin Sanmei finally panicked. She opened her mouth and shouted, but Zuo Zhong was not disturbed and his voice remained calm and clear.

"Some people joined different organizations. If they couldn't get into the military and political system, they went into the cultural sphere or slowly infiltrated it. The task of these people was very simple: to gain power, to use power, and to make a comeback!"

As Zuo Zhong uttered the last four words, Jin Sanmei pounded on the back of her chair frantically, her eyes bloodshot as she shouted, "They didn't come back! They didn't!"

Zuo Zhong laughed. What do you mean by confessing without being asked? This is what you mean by confessing without being asked. He ignored Jin Sanmei and continued speaking slowly and deliberately.

"It must be admitted that there were many clever people in the previous dynasty. They cooperated from the inside and outside, used others to kill, and used others to restore the country without anyone knowing."

"Such a good tactic, you can't just use it once. With the pseudo-mites about to be wiped out, I think a new round of evacuation and infiltration has already begun, right?"

"It seems there's no need for us to continue this conversation. As long as we keep an eye on the Pseudo-Mite's higher-ups, we can get all the information I need."

After finishing his speech, Zuo Zhong got up and left. His movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation. When he reached the door, he pointed behind him and said, "Send Mr. and Mrs. Fang on their way. They can't go to court anymore."

Jin Sanmei and Fang Zhanbo's screams pierced through the iron gate and echoed back and forth in the corridor, while the other prisoners covered their mouths, their eyes filled with terror.

Throughout the entire process, Zuo Zhong never revealed his identity, because the dead don't need to know too much, and the weeds in the Northeast really needed to be cleaned up. After committing such a heinous act, he thought he could just run away? There's no such thing as a free lunch!