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Chapter 1542 Extra (Beiping Station 2, Part 4)

In a large courtyard near Nanluoguxiang, the head of the social affairs department asked Luo Yongying, "How is the situation? Can we confirm Zuo Zhong's whereabouts?"

"Reporting to the commander, the target left work as usual this afternoon. Residents along the route from the school to No. 95 saw him, but to avoid alerting him, our comrades did not enter No. 95 to investigate."

"The other suspect is named He Yijun. She is Zuo Zhong's wife, and the two have a son. She and the child did not go out today."

Luo Yongying gave a general overview of the situation, and then took out several other files, continuing her report with a serious expression.

"The other residents of No. 95 also have problems. These people all mysteriously disappeared for a month 45 years later, for all sorts of strange reasons."

“For example, Yi Zhonghai told his coworkers that he was going to visit his relatives in his hometown, but according to our investigation, his hometown was destroyed by war long ago and he has no relatives at all.”

"And then there's Zhang Xiaohua. Although she didn't leave for long periods of time in the second half of her 45th year, she left early and returned late every day, always looking exhausted."

“Among the remaining people, Yan Bugui, Xu Wude, and He Daqing all have similar situations. I believe that No. 95 Courtyard is simply a den of enemy agents.”

The leader nodded after reviewing the file. If it was as Luo Yongying had speculated, then it would explain why Zuo Zhong dared to infiltrate Beiping, because the people around him were all his accomplices.

After a moment's thought, the commander picked up the field phone and asked his superiors for instructions. The superiors replied that they should arrest them and not let any suspicious persons go, but they must capture Zuo Zhong and his wife alive.

With the order to arrest, hundreds of soldiers, divided into several action groups, approached the outer wall of Compound No. 95 and surrounded the suspect's residence from different directions, waiting only for the final order to make the arrest.

Before the war, the head of the Social Affairs Department repeatedly reminded the participants that the old Military Intelligence Bureau and the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics were different.

Zuo Zhong's old subordinates were all tough guys who had fought against the Japanese, so they had to take the enemy seriously strategically.

The birds in the courtyard were unaware that disaster was imminent. Yi Zhonghai, a man with a square face who appeared honest but was actually full of evil intentions, was calling a meeting for the entire courtyard.

As for the reason for the meeting, it was naturally related to the Jia family. He looked at the residents sitting in a circle, cleared his throat, and began to morally blackmail them.

"Ahem, Dongxu just got married. As you all know, the Jia family's place is so small that there's really not enough room for everyone. So I was thinking if everyone could make room for Dongxu."

"Let's make it clear beforehand: the Jia family won't be staying for free. They'll pay rent on time every month. As the old saying goes, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. You can't just think about yourself."

Upon uttering this famous saying from all the heavens and myriad realms, Yi Zhonghai realized that no one responded to him, and his face immediately darkened.

When he discovered that one of the residents hadn't arrived yet, he became even angrier and immediately turned around and started yelling.

"Teacher You? Where is Teacher You?!"

Someone chimed in, "It seems like Teacher You and Sister-in-law You took the child out. I saw them leave the compound as a family."

Yi Zhonghai originally intended to use this opportunity to make things difficult for the You family, who usually disrespected him, but he didn't expect them to be absent. He waved his hand, ready to adjourn the meeting, but suddenly heard a flurry of footsteps coming from the wall.

Before anyone could turn around, a large number of soldiers, like tigers descending from the mountain, pinned everyone to the ground, including Qin Huairu, who had been married into the compound for less than two months.

"What are you doing! Help! You're arresting people randomly!"

The bolder residents desperately cried for help, but the deaf old woman and Yi Zhonghai, who used to swagger around the courtyard, lay on the ground like wilted eggplants, their faces ashen. After subduing the suspects, the social affairs department staff began searching all the houses and quickly made a discovery.

The documents belonged to the Military Intelligence Bureau, along with various privately held weapons and even a military radio.

Out of caution, the searchers dug up the ground for a thorough search, and sure enough, they found a file folder in the deaf old lady's house.

"Director Luo, look."

The Social Affairs Department staff handed the document bag to Luo Yongying. When Luo Yongying saw the line of red text on the cover, her pupils instantly contracted.

[List of the Surprise Team]

The Special Forces Group: Luo Yongying had come into contact with this enemy intelligence organization when he was stationed in the Northwest. Unfortunately, the Social Affairs Department had been investigating for so many years and had only found a few "special forces" members. As a result, the list of the Special Forces Group was handed over to him.

With a mixture of disbelief and skepticism, Luo Yongying opened the file bag and stared at the names on the list, some familiar and some unfamiliar. She couldn't believe her eyes.

Looking at the task descriptions at the end of the list, Luo Yongying discovered that the Kuomintang was plotting a conspiracy during Dai Chunfeng's time.

The enemy attempts to infiltrate the relatives of important personnel and into non-critical positions. These agents do not collect any intelligence under normal circumstances, but once the time is right, they will stir up trouble, instigate power struggles among their subordinates, and undermine the organization from within.

Luo Yongying felt a chill run down her spine. Ignoring discipline, she ran to her superior and reported a few words. A larger-scale arrest operation was about to begin.

That night, no trace of Zuo Zhong and He Yijun was found in Beiping or the surrounding cities; the two had completely disappeared with their child.

Meanwhile, at Vladivostok Airport in Russia, more than a thousand kilometers away, a "diplomatic couple" from Mongolia, with their young child, disembarked from a diplomatic plane from Beiping to Vladivostok. They were the Zuo Zhong family, who had escaped capture.

Zuo Chong took a deep breath of the cool air and looked back to the west. Old Yang and Luo Yongying should have received that gift by now.

To verify the authenticity of the list, he personally risked infiltrating Beiping to meet with Mole and verify the true identities of each person before handing over the intelligence.

Hopefully, Lao Yang won't let him down. With the false information that Song Minghao deliberately revealed, the other party should be able to find the No. 95 compound.

Recalling his first encounter with Vice Minister Yang, Zuo Zhong smiled wryly, thinking, "Our comrades are truly everywhere."

Although the mission was dangerous, it gave him a chance to experience the passionate years of the past and witness the earth-shaking changes in the country, making the trip worthwhile.

As Zuo Chong boarded the passenger plane flying from Vladivostok to Europe, he touched He Yijun's and his son's hands and suddenly thought of Gongdelin.

Sigh, I hope Old Bai and the others are doing alright in the POW camp①. If they're not, I'll be relieved.

The porthole reflected Zuo Zhong's smiling face. At the same time, Bai Wenzhi in the Gongdelin Bathhouse sneezed. The line of people waiting to take a bath stretched far ahead. Zheng Tingji, Lao Zheng's cousin, called out in his hometown dialect while clapping his bamboo clappers.

"It's time for the death bath! It's time for the death bath! Everyone, let's all take the death bath! The first group goes first, and after the first group is done, the second group goes!"

Bai Wenzhi was disgusted by the constant "die, die, die" sounds, so he threw down the basin, clenched his fists, and charged at his opponent. The bathroom immediately descended into chaos, with the Kuomintang's military police and secret agents once again engaging in a fierce battle.

① It was established in 49 and became a centralized detention center 55 years later, advancing the plot.