cicada

Chapter 1532 The Post-War Era

"bang bang bang"

Gunshots rang out suddenly. Adams looked down at his chest, his face full of disbelief. Several bright red bloodstains quickly spread across his chest.

The OSS special envoy opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound. His body swayed and he fell backward.

"Colonel!"

Some people at the scene exclaimed in surprise, while others stared in disbelief, but everyone had the same question: why would this American officer shoot his superior? Did the two have a grudge?
The Kuomintang agent who had just realized what was happening drew his gun and pointed it at Tom, loudly warning him to put it down. The other American officers, as if they had seen a ghost, cautiously hid to the side.

Zuo Zhong pushed the guard aside and began to speak sternly: "Sir, I don't know why you fired the gun, but please think about your family. If you put down your gun, I will plead with your government on your behalf."

Tom gave a bitter laugh and raised his pistol again, but this time he didn't aim it at anyone. He put the muzzle in his mouth and shouted a mumbled slogan.

"The honor of American soldiers must not be tarnished!"

After shouting, Tom pulled the trigger without hesitation. A spurt of blood gushed from the back of his head, and half of his skull exploded instantly.

Two people died in the dance hall in a short period of time, and everyone present was still in shock, especially the American officers, who were sobered up by the fright.

The honor of American soldiers? Please, man, you don't actually believe that nonsense, do you?

But the officers thought about it again. Tom hadn't actually laid a hand on any of the women from the Republic of China. Could it be that one of them was a "knight"?
Perhaps the person had long wanted to die, and this was just a way to find a respectable and meaningful reason to commit suicide under the influence of alcohol and chaos.

Since his wife and children were burned to death in the fire, Tom has become more and more depressed and has shown signs of suicide on several occasions.

At this moment, the Kuomintang agent stepped forward and kicked the pistol next to Tom aside. Gui Youguang felt Adams's breath and pulse, and after a moment he looked up and shook his head at Zuo Zhong.

"Co-pilot, it's hopeless."

Zuo Zhong's face darkened again. What do you mean the co-pilot is beyond saving? Damn it, can't you speak properly?!
He cursed the bald man in his mind, then walked to Adams, who was lying dead with his eyes wide open, put his hands in his pockets and looked down at the corpse. His eyes were completely calm, as if he had expected all of this.

With such a big incident at Jingyanglou, the banquet could no longer be held, and the victims' families, having received the news, arrived at the scene one after another.

Upon hearing that the Americans had targeted their wives, sisters, and daughters, these officers became extremely agitated and demanded that the Military Intelligence Bureau hand them over, but their actions remained relatively restrained.

They already knew what had happened, and if the Military Intelligence Bureau hadn't arrived in time, the victim would have suffered even more serious harm.

Therefore, many of the army's fierce generals did not directly take action to seize people, nor did they draw their weapons.

Looking at the indignant Guo army officers, Zuo Chong stood on higher ground and patiently persuaded them: "Brothers, I understand your feelings, but what you need to do now is comfort your families, not fight."

“If you take action today, you will be in the wrong, and as for accountability, the government will negotiate with Washington. I can guarantee that those involved will be punished as they deserve! Everyone, go home now!”

Upon hearing this, the officers gradually regained their composure. After all, the worst had not happened; otherwise, even with Zuo Zhong's obstruction, they would have made a big fuss to seek justice.

A few minutes later, the victims left one by one, accompanied by their families. No one mentioned giving a statement. Statements can be given anytime, and now was clearly not the right time.

Moreover, the key to this case is not the evidence. If the Americans insist on denying it, the spineless KMT officials certainly won't turn against Washington for a group of women, and might even turn around and accuse them.

Zuo Zhong breathed a sigh of relief and personally escorted the Red Russians and the Northwest representatives to their car. Before parting, he made a request.

He hoped that both sides would keep tonight's events confidential, and if they must report on them, they should avoid revealing the victim's true identity as much as possible.

Lovic and the Northwest leadership agreed on the spot without hesitation. They couldn't decide whether to make the matter public, but they would definitely not exploit the victims; that was their bottom line.

After everyone had left, Zuo Chong looked up at Jingyang Tower, feeling utterly exhausted. Just as he was about to leave, he heard a familiar voice coming from afar.

"Be careful until the end~ Be careful until the end~"

Dai Chunfeng waved to Zuo Zhong from a distance. That old fox had probably arrived long ago, but he was hiding to the side and hadn't shown himself because he was worried about being harassed by the victim's family.

Zuo Zhong strode over to the other person's side, and Lao Dai immediately asked, "What exactly happened? Is Adams' death related to you?"

While being questioned, Dai Chunfeng secretly observed Zuo Zhong's reaction. Zuo Zhong was stunned for a moment and quickly denied it.

"Teacher, this matter really has nothing to do with the students. Adams was killed by the US military itself. The murderer committed suicide by shooting himself after the murder. Representatives from the Red Russia and the Northwest were also present. The motive for the murder is still under investigation."

Upon learning that the murderer was an American soldier and that there were Soviet Russians as witnesses, Dai Chunfeng immediately believed Zuo Zhong's explanation.

Suicide squads aren't as common as cabbages. Lao Dai didn't believe Zuo Zhong had the ability to make an American officer willingly kill and commit suicide, not even through threats, as that would easily be discovered by the Americans.

The following day, news of the American officer harassing the family members of a Russian soldier spread throughout the country. Due to continuous reporting by Red Russian and Northwest newspapers, the incident was quickly pushed to the forefront.

Public opinion was outraged, criticizing the U.S. military and the U.S. government and demanding an apology from the Americans. The already poor reputation of the United States in the Republic of China suffered further setbacks. OSS Director Donovan was questioned by Congress, attempting to shift blame to the Nationalist government. However, the perpetrator's background was impeccably clean, with no evidence of him being controlled or threatened.

Tom is a typical American officer: well-off, well-educated, with his entire family killed in a fire. He has no weaknesses and would never betray his country for money.

Unable to find a scapegoat, the US government could only engage in secret negotiations with the Nationalist government to transfer the officers involved out of the Republic of China. The victims received only a perfunctory verbal apology.

What is shameful is that, just as Zuo Zhong had guessed, some government officials said that the victim deliberately "seduced the Allied forces," was "immoral," and deserved to be punished severely.

That evening, the official who made those remarks was ambushed on his way home and both his legs were broken. The assailants later reported the incident to the Shancheng Police Station and the Military Intelligence Bureau.

Faced with the tearful accusations of this "victim," Zuo Zhong personally gave instructions that the case must be handled, but it should be handled slowly, deliberately, and in a planned and steady manner.

Gui Youguang secretly asked Zuo Zhong if the murderer, Tom, was a member of the Military Intelligence Bureau. Zuo Zhong glanced at him but didn't say anything. The bald man's curiosity was getting more and more serious, which was not a good thing.

In short, the Jingyanglou incident was left unresolved. Later, when the US military was examining Tom's belongings, they found a movie ticket stub, which the finder casually threw into a trash can, and the case was completely settled.
-
A few days ago.

Tom sat in the movie theater watching a silent film on the screen, his eyes vacant and lifeless. He had come here simply to kill time and avoid reliving his wife and children over and over again.

Gradually, fewer and fewer people were in the theater, until only Tom was left. Tom, lost in his grief, was completely unaware of what was happening.

Suddenly, the projector dimmed for a moment, and when the light shone back onto the screen, the film playing had changed.

The video shows a white woman playing happily with two children on a lawn. Behind them is an ordinary house, and the surrounding environment does not show any geographical features, making it impossible to determine when the video was filmed.

This seemingly ordinary film moved Tom to tears. He gazed greedily at the woman and child, his body trembling uncontrollably.

The clicking of the projector's metal claws echoed in the screening room. Tom's heart pounded, and his vision gradually blurred with tears.

"Isn't it so heartwarming?"

A stranger sat down next to Tom and uttered a remark in a familiar tone, as if the two were old friends chatting.

Tom turned sharply, pleading in a low voice, "Tell me, my wife and children aren't dead! Right?! Tell me!"

The stranger continued watching the screen, nodding twice: "That's right, they didn't die. The three bodies at the fire scene were borrowed from the cemetery. My boss said that making use of waste is a good habit."

Tom realized he had fallen into a trap, but all he wanted to do was see his family. He grabbed the man's sleeve and begged him in the most humble way possible.

"Please, I'll do anything you ask, just let me see my wife and children."

The stranger pulled Tom's hand away, turned around and said the purpose of the meeting: "At the banquet tomorrow, you must break the window at the right time, then kill Adams in front of everyone and then commit suicide."

"If you agree to our conditions, I can take you to see your wife and children right now, and we will ensure their peaceful life in the future. If you don't agree..."

Before he could finish speaking, Tom eagerly raised his right hand: "I do! I will kill Adams! I swear!"

The stranger nodded. The Military Intelligence Bureau had selected this person from among the American troops stationed in Chongqing because they valued his family, making him easier to recruit and utilize.

Caring for family is an advantage for ordinary people, but a fatal weakness for soldiers.

Without a word, the stranger got up and walked out of the movie theater. Tom practically jumped up to follow him, and a car without license plates was already waiting outside.
-
In October, all parties finally agreed on the policy of peaceful nation-building, and thunderous applause filled the meeting room.

Zuo Zhong witnessed the entire moment. Compared to the jubilant representatives and reporters, he was extremely pessimistic, believing that war was inevitable.

Back at the Military Intelligence Bureau headquarters, Zuo Chong sent a warning telegram to the Northwest, and summoned Gu Qi, Wu Chunyang, Song Minghao, and Gui Youguang to issue the first important order after the war.

He wanted to transfer all the elite military intelligence agents within the Republic of China to the FIRC overseas, fill the personnel gaps left behind with newcomers, and hand over important positions to veteran agents with a background in the underworld who were recruited during the Special Service Bureau period.

Although they had known this day would come, Gu Qi and the others were still somewhat downcast upon hearing Zuo Zhong's order.

Zuo Zhong watched them leave calmly. He couldn't afford to waste his carefully cultivated intelligence talent on the civil war, nor could he allow his subordinates to stand against the people.

Two days later, Zuo Zhong saw someone off at the airport. Wu Jingzhong finally got his wish and became the stationmaster of Tianjin Station, a Class A major station.

If there was one city in the Republic of China era whose prosperity rivaled that of Shanghai, it would undoubtedly be Tianjin. As the economic center of North China, Tianjin boasted a thriving industrial, commercial, and financial sector.

Being a station chief in such a place is like a mouse falling into a honey pot, so Wu Jingzhong left with wrinkles around his eyes from smiling.

At Chaotianmen Wharf, a young couple boarded the Minsheng ship bound for Tianjin. The spy surnamed Yu and his wife leaned on the railing and gazed into the distance at the mighty river. Their war was about to begin.

(A massive update will be released at midnight on New Year's Eve, the 16th. The remaining chapters will be released all at once. Thank you for your support.)