cicada

Chapter 1536 First stop: Xianyang (Happy New Year)
On the afternoon of the same day that Dai Chunfeng and Zuo Zhong flew to Shanghai and Nanjing, Wu Jingzhong was furious when he saw the newspaper report.

He picked up the phone and asked a few questions, then strode to the office of the spy surnamed Yu, pushed the door open, and the door slammed against the wall with a bang.

The secret agent surnamed Yu, the head of the intelligence section, and Mr. Clumsy, who were talking quietly inside, were startled by the noise and quickly got up to greet them.

The three knew that only the stationmaster at the entire Tianjin station dared to do such a thing. Sure enough, the next second Wu Jingzhong walked in with a cold face and threw the newspaper onto the coffee table.

"Look! The underground party has exposed the spies in the military investigation team's temporary residence! They know more than I do! The operation to transport strategic materials has also been exposed!"

“I beg you all to put more effort into your work. I’m almost a grandfather, but I’m being called a grandson by Deputy Director Zheng.”

Wu Jingzhong uttered another memorable line, his sharp gaze fixed on his three subordinates, his teeth grinding together as if he wished he could find the traitor on the spot and kill him.

The corruption and concubine issues haven't been resolved yet, and now there's been an intelligence leak. If the leaker can't be found, even with the deputy director pleading on his behalf, his future will be completely ruined.

The spy surnamed Yu picked up the newspaper and saw that it contained the files of relevant spies and a list of transported supplies. He immediately showed a "surprised" expression.

On the other side, the intelligence chief and Mr. Clumsy exchanged a glance and immediately began to shirk responsibility. The former said the problem might lie with the military or the U.S. Navy, while the latter secretly suspected Wu Jingzhong.

Because the list of spies and the transfer list are highly classified, only a handful of people are qualified to access them, and even the co-pilot does not know the detailed information.

Therefore, apart from the director and the person in charge, namely the station chief, Mr. Clumsy could not think of any other suspects. The mole couldn't possibly be Director Dai, could he?

Wu Jingzhong was about to curse when a phone call came in. The spy surnamed Yu quickly took the receiver and handed it to the other party.

Surprisingly, upon hearing the report from the other end of the phone, Wu Jingzhong, who was initially furious, froze instantly, even stammering as he spoke.

"Say it again, call Director He right now to confirm. What? That's a fact?"

Wu Jingzhong hung up the phone with trembling hands, slumped onto a stool, his face deathly pale, and kept muttering that this was impossible.

Seeing his panicked appearance, the three agents surnamed Yu rushed forward to ask what had happened. Wu Jingzhong lowered his head and told them some explosive news.

"The plane carrying the Director and his co-pilot has gone missing. There's no news from either the airports in Shanghai or Nanjing."

"what!"

The three agents surnamed Yu exclaimed in shock: Director Dai and Deputy Director Zuo's plane had gone missing! If this were true, it would cause a major earthquake in the Military Intelligence Bureau and even the Nationalist government.

A deathly silence fell over the office. Wu Jingzhong, supporting himself on the desk, struggled to his feet, muttering to himself, "No, I have to go to Shancheng, I have to go to Shancheng..."

After saying that, he pushed away the three people who were helping him, and walked out of the office dejectedly. His usually meticulously styled slicked-back hair was plastered to his forehead, just like his dejected mood.

Before long, everyone at Tianjin Station knew the news. Some were in despair, some broke down in tears, and some were secretly delighted.

The head of the intelligence department called Zheng Tingbing, who was behind the scenes, to confirm the accuracy of the information. He hung up the phone with a smile, hoping that Zheng would promote him after taking office.

Mr. Clumsy also contacted Li Qiwu. No one knows what Li Qiwu said on the phone, but after the call, Mr. Clumsy was no longer discreet and started interfering in the daily work of Jinmen Station.

The spy surnamed Yu returned home immediately and informed his wife of the intelligence. The couple looked at each other speechlessly, their expressions blank.

Subsequently, a rumor spread rapidly across the country: Dai Chunfeng and Zuo Zhong's plane had not gone missing, but had landed in the Northwest, and the two major spies had defected to the underground party!
Upon learning of this, the Nationalist government was in an uproar. Someone personally ordered that Dai Chunfeng and Zuo Zhong's whereabouts must be found and that no one was allowed to spread rumors or cause trouble.

Compared to the noise outside, the situation at No. 29 Luojiawan in the mountain city was even more chaotic, with countless junior agents running around inside the building, their expressions filled with panic.

Most of them regarded Dai Chunfeng and Zuo Zhong as the soul of the Military Intelligence Bureau, and were filled with awe and admiration. Now that these two pillars had disappeared, the junior agents were naturally greatly affected.

However, some people saw an opportunity in this. For example, Li Qiwu convened a secret meeting with his few close confidants, including personnel from various departments such as general affairs, operations, and telecommunications.

Looking at his carefully cultivated subordinates, Li Qiwu said excitedly, "Gentlemen, our opportunity has arrived!"

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the people opposite also lit up. A deputy captain of the guard brigade was the first to express his loyalty, his face full of flattery.

"Chief! Give the order! The brothers will obey you!"

"Now that the man surnamed Zuo, Wu Chunyang, and Gui Youguang have disappeared, and those three old foxes Zheng Tingbing, Gu Qi, and Song Minghao are not in Shancheng either, as long as you control the headquarters, the position of director will be yours for the taking."

The others nodded in agreement. Although the decision on who should serve as director required the highest level of leadership, the higher-ups also needed to consider the continuity of the Military Intelligence Bureau's work.

In other words, the person with the bigger fist is more likely to become the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau.

"it is good!"

Li Qi slammed his hand on the table, his smile finally coming out. The Dais and the Zuos were dead! It was truly a miracle!

Despite being his old classmate and having been promoted, Li Qiwu was actually hoping that Dai Chunfeng would die soon.

The reason was that the other party listened to Zuo Zhong's slander and had been suppressing him for more than ten years, which resulted in him, as the chief secretary, not having as much power as an ordinary section chief. Li Qiwu had long harbored resentment.

Now that he was certain that his subordinates were willing to follow him, Li Qiwu became full of confidence and immediately issued orders to them, preparing to seize power.

"Old Wang, your general affairs office has sealed off the armory. No one is allowed to take weapons without my order."

"Old Ding, cut off all communication between the bureau and the outside world. If anyone objects, tell them to come find me."

Li Qiwu gave instructions to the deputy directors of the General Affairs Department and the Telecommunications Department, and then looked at the deputy captain of the Guard Battalion. He thought that the Guard Battalion was the key to controlling the headquarters.

His eyes were fierce as he said, enunciating each word clearly, "Deputy Captain Gou, I will order an emergency meeting later. You will lead your men to control the meeting venue, and pay special attention to that woman He Yijun. We must arrest her!"

"Zuo Zhong's men are mostly overseas. The people left in Shancheng and various regional stations all rely on He Yijun as the middleman for communication. Capturing her is equivalent to cutting off the eyes of the intelligence network."

"In addition, while taking control of the venue, have your people close all entrances and exits. No one is allowed to enter, and no one is allowed to leave, regardless of who comes!"

"Don't be afraid, everyone. It's only a rebellion if the operation fails; if it succeeds, it's restoring order. I, Li Qiwu, will not keep this glory to myself!"

For some reason, Li Qiwu blurted out those words without thinking, feeling a sense of exhilaration.

Deputy Captain Gou patted his chest and assured him, "Yes, Director, don't worry, I will definitely arrest He Yijun!"

Li Qiwu smiled very happily, as if he could see himself ascending to the throne of the Military Intelligence Bureau.

He will definitely do a better job than Dai Chunfeng and Zuo Zhong. It's just intelligence work, he can do it too. He just lacked opportunities before.

Half an hour later, the heads of various departments at headquarters received orders and headed toward the conference room, but they were disarmed as soon as they entered.

"Damn it! What are you doing, you surnamed Gou! Trying to rebel!" The agent who replaced Wu Chunyang as the head of the First Intelligence Division cursed, his hands already handcuffed behind his back by guards, and his sidearm taken from his waist.

Deputy Squad Leader Gou glanced at Li Qiwu on the platform, strode up to the new director, and slapped him across the face.

"I'm warning you, don't be stubborn! With Director Dai and that guy surnamed Zuo dead, you people only have one path to take: follow Director Li!"

"Don't forget, you come from a martial arts background and are not a confidant of Zuo Zhong at all. There's no need for you to risk your life for someone surnamed Zuo."

That's true. The elite of the Military Intelligence Bureau have all been transferred overseas, and the heads of various departments are indeed not the people Zuo Chong trusts the most, at least not his cronies.

But the head of the intelligence department spat on the ground and sneered, "Bullshit! I only know the deputy commander, I don't know any Director Li."

Not only this person, but the other high-ranking members of the Military Intelligence Bureau who were under control also looked resentful. Li Qiwu, an incompetent person who got promoted by flattery, also wanted to get his hands on the position of director. It was truly a joke.

Li Qiwu's face burned with embarrassment from the scolding. He hadn't expected that even with Zuo Zhongdu missing, so many people would still be so devoted to him. It seemed he had to take drastic measures.

He slowly stood up, drew his sidearm, and walked towards the crowd, mentally preparing to unleash a massacre.

Outside in the corridor, several guards stood armed, and people kept peeking out of the office. The staff had already noticed the unusual atmosphere inside the bureau.

"Da, da, da, da"

Just then, the sound of heels hitting the ground came from the end of the corridor. The sound grew closer and closer, and the guards turned their guns on alert.

He Yijun, dressed in a newly changed American military uniform and wearing a boat cap, walked out of the meeting room with a cold expression.

Without even glancing at the few junior agents, she resolutely pushed open the door. Her oversized military uniform looked somewhat bulky, as if something was hidden inside, but the junior agents dared not stop her.

The sound of the door opening startled Li Qiwu. Everyone looked over and saw He Yijun standing at the door with a detonator in her right hand. Everyone took a step back.

"Li Qiwu, I'm asking you, did you sabotage the co-pilot's plane?"

He Yijun asked the question in a flat tone, but Li Qiwu instinctively shuddered and pointed at the detonator, stammering as he rebuked her.

"You, you're talking nonsense! The disappearance of that plane belonging to the man surnamed Zuo has nothing to do with me! Put down the detonator right now!"

Li Qiwu's reaction seemed genuine, but He Yijun had no time to distinguish between truth and falsehood. The moment she learned that Zuo Zhongfei had disappeared, she was prepared to perish together with Li Qiwu.

Thinking of this, He Yijun's eyes hardened, and amidst the horrified gazes of the crowd, he ripped open his coat, revealing several coils of military explosives wrapped around his dark green shirt.

"Don't be impulsive! Whatever you do, don't press it!"

Li Qiwu hurriedly tried to stop him, his legs trembling uncontrollably, filled with regret.

If he had known it was so dangerous to be a bureau chief, he wouldn't have been the one to stick his neck out. That woman surnamed He has gone mad, completely mad!

If these explosives were to detonate, not only would they be blown to bits, but the headquarters office building itself would be blown to smithereens.

Hearing Li Qiwu's wailing, He Yijun slightly tightened her right thumb, and it looked like the detonator was about to be triggered, but a hand firmly grabbed her wrist.

"Alright, Yijun, don't scare our Director Li."

A familiar male voice rang out, and Li Qiwu then realized that the "missing" Zuo Chong was standing next to He Yijun, smiling at him.

"Someone come here! Someone come quick!"

Li Qiwu seemed to wake from a dream, and shouted at the top of his lungs for the guards outside the door. The door opened immediately, but it wasn't Deputy Captain Gou's men who came in.

Gui Youguang wiped the blood-stained dagger with his clothes and nodded to Zuo Zhong: "It's all cleaned up, Vice-Captain."

Zuo Zhong didn't speak, but gently patted He Yijun's shoulder, signaling Wu Chunyang, who was accompanying him, to disarm the explosives, and then slowly walked up to Li Qiwu.

After staring at the other person for a while, he suddenly let out a sneer: "Director Li, do you have the strength to fight me, Mr. Zuo?"

Li Qiwu's face was like a dye vat, turning red then white, white then purple. Still unwilling to give up, he turned to look at his confidant, and then he was completely desperate.

The deputy captain, Gou, and several others who had previously shouted about loyalty were now kneeling on the ground with their hands raised, having given up resistance.

A person's name is like a tree's shadow; who in the Military Intelligence Bureau doesn't know the methods of the Smiling Tiger? Not to mention the dozen or so FIRC elites who were aiming their guns at the crowd—these were all old hands of the Military Intelligence Bureau.

What made Li Qiwu even more desperate was yet to come: several headquarters telecommunications personnel ran into the conference room and loudly read out the telegrams sent by various regional stations.

"All colleagues at Tianjin Station are willing to obey the deputy commander's orders!"

"All colleagues at Beiping Station are willing to obey the deputy commander's orders!"

"All colleagues in the Shanghai office are willing to obey the deputy commander's command!"

One after another, telegrams of loyalty arrived from dozens of district stations and offices under the Military Intelligence Bureau, all with the same message, all siding with Zuo Chong.

After the last telegraph operator finished reading the script, he looked up and added, "The wording is the same at all the other stations."

This same wording is extremely damaging, indicating that the above statement is not the stance of a few individuals, but the attitude of the entire Military Intelligence Bureau.

Li Qiwu's body went limp, and he slumped weakly into the chair. The power grab was over before it even officially began, and he became a laughing stock in everyone's eyes.

A moment later, Li Qiwu scrambled to Zuo Zhong's side, grabbed his leg and begged for mercy: "Director Zuo, please let me go. I didn't mean to kill you. I... I just really wanted to get ahead."

Zuo Zhong kicked Li Qiwu away, bent down and patted his pants. He looked coldly at the disgraceful Director Li and made the final decision.

“I don’t have the authority to execute you, but you should remember that there are so many cars in this mountain city, and more than one or two people die in car accidents every day, so you’d better behave yourself from now on, understand?”

"Understood! I understand!"

Li Qi nodded vigorously.

With the suppression of the "rebellion" at the Military Intelligence Bureau headquarters and the emergence of Zuo Zhong, everything in the local district stations continued as usual.

Wu Jingzhong, far away in Tianjin, walked out of the telecommunications room with his hands behind his back, humming a little tune: "First to Xianyang to be the emperor, then to Xianyang to uphold the court."

On the Changjiang River, a cargo ship is heading towards the estuary, its destination being New Zealand in the Southern Hemisphere.

In a dark room at the bottom of the ship's cabin, a person lay on a wooden plank bed, staring at the dark ceiling with an uncertain gaze.