Kingsman Agent in Film and Television

Chapter 818 is all about setting things up.
There's a saying in the business world:

If a person has no conscience, he will earn more.

If you apply this statement to the field of espionage, Fang Minghui would wholeheartedly agree—but he's on a higher level because he appears to have a very good conscience.

It was precisely because he seemed to have a very good conscience that he joined the Military Intelligence Bureau at the age of 29 by chance. He did not have the impressive academic qualifications of others, but he still rose like a rocket. In just seven years, he transformed from an ordinary agent into a major in the Operations Department.

Given his skills and the persona he projected, the sledgehammer of layoffs shouldn't have fallen on him at all. Unfortunately, luck is a mysterious thing—the superior he closely aligned himself with became one of the chickens Zhang Anping used as a warning to others during the massive purge led by Zhang Anping, and was executed as an example to others.

Fang Minghui had a close relationship with that superior officer and should have been kicked out of the Military Intelligence Bureau immediately. However, he had extensive connections and resources, and managed to escape unscathed during Zhang Anping's anti-corruption campaign. Well, this also explains why the unlucky guy who was executed took all the blame himself before he died.

Having escaped unscathed, Fang Minghui believed that as long as he seized one more opportunity, he could make a comeback. However, fate played a cruel joke on him. Dai Chunfeng crashed his plane, and the Military Intelligence Bureau was tricked and forced to carry out massive layoffs. Fang Minghui, who seemed to have no reason to be laid off, ended up on the layoff list and gloriously... became unemployed.

During his seven years with the Military Intelligence Bureau, Fang Minghui amassed quite a fortune by working with the officer who was executed. However, during the anti-corruption campaign, in order to protect himself, he almost vomited up everything he had taken. He reasoned that if he could get through this crisis, he would have a chance to start over. But when the cleaver of layoffs fell upon him, all of Fang Minghui's plans turned out to be nothing but a mirage.

Fang Minghui believed he had risked his life countless times, and his contributions to the Military Intelligence Bureau were beyond reproach. However, he had fallen back into poverty due to the anti-corruption campaign and was dismissed just like that. One can imagine the resentment in his heart.

So after much deliberation, he used sweet words to gather a group of people and pulled off a big heist. The main reason why so many people trusted him and were willing to follow him was that the targets he chose were the "gluttons" that Zhang Anping despised.

Unfortunately, no matter how ingenious the plan, it is all empty talk in the face of absolute power.

The ransom of $39 million was reduced to $390. Some participants were able to accept the reality, but others, like Fang Minghui, were simply unable to accept it.

The shrewd strategist knew very well that he only had one chance. If he dared to continue extorting the Taotie, having already revealed enough flaws, he would definitely not escape the iron fist of the Secret Service.

Even with Wu Liwei as a smokescreen—the news Wu Liwei brought back had already proven that the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics had determined that the real mastermind was someone else—the longer time passed, the weaker the effectiveness of Wu Liwei's smokescreen would become.

He no longer had the chance to plan a similar operation, but the money he received was reduced from several hundred thousand to a mere twenty thousand US dollars. Even though this amount was still astronomical, Fang Minghui was unwilling to accept it!

He clearly could have had so much more!
So, how can we "stop the loss"?

[If a person has no conscience, he will earn even more!]

After those words resurfaced in Fang Minghui's mind, he decided... to betray his conscience.

……

Fang Minghui is informing Wu Liwei of the results of his secret talks with the Nanjing side:
“Mao Renfeng’s people will trade with us at the Caojiezi Wharf outside Hechuan County, with money first and people second.”

"When the time comes, you and Cen Anyan will wait for news on the boat. I will use the reflection of the mirror as a signal. Three reflections mean the money is in hand. Then you row over and hand him over to Mao Renfeng's men."

Shady dealings usually involve a cash-on-delivery transaction, but this doesn't apply to Fang Minghui and his group. After all, Fang Minghui still had hostages in his hands, and dealing with the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics put him at a disadvantage. Fang Minghui used this as a reason to force Mao Renfeng to pay first.

In fact, the person he was dealing with was Zheng Yaoxian's man, but Fang Minghui was unaware of this because it was Mao Renfeng's confidant in Chongqing who made the deal.

Wu Liwei nodded slightly: "I understand."

This arrangement actually aligned perfectly with Wu Liwei's long-held secret decision. Just as Zhang Anping had guessed, the loyal Wu Liwei was unwilling to cause Zhang Anping any more trouble—but too many members of this kidnapping gang had been invited by him, Wu Liwei, so he was unwilling to let those who trusted him suffer losses.

Therefore, after agreeing to Fang Minghui's request, he made a decision:
When handing over the person, he would personally kill Cen Anyan to repay Zhang Anping's kindness to him.

"Old Wu, after you give them the people, you should move along the Jialing River to Wusheng. We'll meet at the fish market at Yankou Wharf in Wusheng."

"Ah."

After giving instructions to Wu Liwei, Fang Minghui began to make arrangements for the others.

Fang Minghui's arrangement was in line with his cautious nature. To prevent anyone in the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics from causing trouble, the money would be transferred out as soon as it was obtained. At the same time, a nine-person elite armed team was prepared to deal with any unforeseen circumstances. They would all withdraw to Yankou Wharf in Wusheng after the transaction was completed.

Both the Caojiezi Wharf, where the transactions took place, and the Yankou Wharf, their final rendezvous point after their withdrawal, were black markets where the Nationalist government's control was weak and the Gelaohui (a secret society). The special nature of these two places meant that the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics could not secretly station a large number of people there.

With this arrangement, the attendees naturally had no objections.

"Brothers, we currently have a total of $41 on hand. Once we receive this money, it will be $44. After we evacuate to Yankou Wharf, we will distribute it according to the previously agreed amount."

At this point, Fang Minghui's expression darkened, and he sighed, "It's my incompetence that has let everyone down. The $390 million has turned into a mere $44. I am truly ashamed of my trust in you all—brothers, please forgive me!"

Fang Minghui bowed sincerely in apology.

The attendees quickly stood up and moved aside, offering words of comfort:

"Boss Fang, this isn't your fault. The blame lies with the underground Communist Party for taking advantage of the chaos!"

"Captain Fang, I was misled by slander before, but your actions now are truly unbearable!"

"Old Fang, this is a decision we made together, and the current situation doesn't allow us to delay any longer."

Everyone spoke up, and Fang Minghui seemed comforted by their words; the shame on his face faded, and he sincerely said:
"Brothers, after we have completely withdrawn, I, Fang, will definitely toast and apologize to each and every one of you. Now, I urge you all to unite as one and get this last sum of money!"

They were hesitant to evacuate before because losing the protection of their nests would make it easy for problems to arise during the evacuation process.

But this problem no longer exists.

The police headquarters and Mao Renfeng both provided them with evacuation routes, but they naturally wouldn't use them. After all, they were afraid of failing at the last step.

If the other party has malicious intentions, these two evacuation routes could be fatal.

Regardless of whether the police headquarters or Mao Renfeng had bad intentions, the existence of these two evacuation routes would distract them. If the other party had no bad intentions, they would naturally not worry about any trouble during the evacuation. However, if the other party had bad intentions, they would naturally concentrate their forces on these two routes, making their evacuation easier.

The seasoned former spies couldn't find any fault with Fang Minghui's arrangements.

After everyone took their leave, only Fang Minghui remained in the room. A gentle breeze blew into the room, and Fang Minghui seemed like a different person for a moment. He muttered to himself in a voice so soft that even he could not hear it:
Brothers, please don't blame me for being heartless, but this money is too little... far too little if divided among a group of people!
……

Fang Minghui and his gang of kidnappers understood one thing from the very beginning:
Time is not on their side; the longer it drags on, the more dangerous it becomes for them!
This is why Zhang Anping dared to trade ten for one.

Time is definitely not on the kidnappers' side; the longer it drags on, the greater the chance they will be exposed.

Since Lao Cen and his underground party comrades were able to find the kidnappers' hideout in more than 70 hours, could the underground party's solid and reliable grassroots network find out where the kidnappers were hiding the hostages after another hundred hours?

The answer is:
can!
In fact, as early as 17 hours earlier, the underground party had already identified a suspicious area—Kanggu Village in Beiping Township, Chengkou County.

This village has only about 20 households and is located deep in a canyon. It usually goes unnoticed. When the underground party members went to investigate, they noticed that a comrade went to this village and then went missing. They took this place seriously and arranged for a herb gatherer to observe from a distance. Finally, they confirmed that the village was under someone else's control.

To avoid alerting the kidnappers, the underground party decisively halted their investigation and reported the information, which eventually reached Zhang Anping, who was certain that the kidnappers had hidden the people there.

Chengkou County and Bishan County are completely different, and Chengkou County itself is one of the most remote and isolated counties in Chongqing. From a layout perspective, it fully meets all the conditions for hiding hostages.

It's funny, actually. The kidnappers' initial hiding place in Qitang Village was found by the underground Communist Party, and the hostages' hiding place in Kanggu Village was also found by the underground Communist Party—Chongqing was clearly the wartime capital of the Nationalist government.

This demonstrates just how weak the Nationalist government's control over the grassroots was!
Zhang Anping used this as a pretext to secretly go to Hechuan, and for this, he staged a whole performance. (Secret Service Chongqing Branch Headquarters, Medical Room)

Zhang Anping was holding a thick stack of files when he met with Chen Shugen, an underground party member who had been tortured during interrogation.

Zhang Anping looked at Chen Shugen sitting on the hospital bed with amusement and said with a smile, "I thought Chen Shugen was an alias, but I didn't expect it to be your real name—"

Chen Shugen remained silent.

"Do you think you can hold out forever by staying silent?" Zhang Anping said with a smile. "Or do you think you'll soon be shouting 'Long live the Communist Party' and sacrificing yourself for your cause?"

"No—I think that dealing with stubborn underground party members like you, simply eliminating your bodies is the least technically demanding job."

The main villain, Zhang Anping, is high and mighty, looking down on the ants.

He went on to say:
“I want to conduct a pilot program, a pilot program to reform the underground party. Chen Shugen, I hope you can persevere in this pilot program—let me see how many years the underground party can last!”

Yes, Zhang Anping has a detailed plan in his hands, which he drafted himself, codenamed "Slay the Heart".

The general content of this proposal is as follows:
Using the Chongqing Detention Center (Zhazidong) as a pilot, a long-term "psychological education" program was launched to investigate loopholes in the underground party members' beliefs and to brainwash and re-educate the stubborn members.

In the proposal, Zhang Anping stated that he would take five to ten years to complete the project.

Of course, this was a very insignificant, extremely insignificant, and very, very insignificant action. Even if it reached the ears of Mao Renfeng and Zheng Yaoquan, it would not cause any ripples.

But this is a crucial part of Zhang Anping's next plan!
Chen Shugen was unaware of Zhang Anping's plans; all he saw was the inexplicable confidence of a secret agent. Having no need to conceal his identity anymore, he revealed a contemptuous smile:

"Then I'll wait and see!"

Zhang Anping smiled: "I hope that many years from now, you can still be as...stubborn as you are now."

At this moment, Zheng Yi knocked on the door and came in:
"District Chief, Lin Nansheng has arrived."

"Let him in."

Lin Nansheng then entered, his gaze sweeping over Chen Shugen, who was wrapped up like a dumpling, without any change in expression, before whispering in Zhang Anping's ear.

The voice was very low, but because Zheng Yi was quite close, he could still faintly hear a few words:

"Underground Party...Shadow...Chengkou..."

Zheng Yi consciously took a few steps back.

After Lin Nansheng finished his whispered report, Zhang Anping smiled and gestured to Lin Nansheng:

“Nansheng, go ask the doctor how long it will take for him to go to prison. Zheng Yi, you personally arrange for him to go to the Chongqing Detention Center. Take this plan to Wu Fuhui and have him follow it. I will approve a special fund for him.”

Both should be.

After Lin Nansheng left, Zhang Anping got up and walked to the door of the infirmary, gesturing for Zheng Yi to come over:
"We just received news that the hostages are suspected to be being held in Kanggu Village, Beiping Township, Chengkou County. Go and call the special operations team to have them disguise themselves and meet me in Chengkou County."

As Zhang Anping spoke, a thought flashed through Zheng Yi's mind:
The message came from the underground Communist Party!
But she immediately forgot the thought without hesitation, and after Zhang Anping finished speaking, she immediately said:
"You plan to go there in person?"

"Well—we have to give them some explanation."

After Zheng Yi realized who "over there" was, he didn't dare to persuade her any further and said, "Shall I go with you?"

"Just let Lin Nansheng come with me. After I leave, there will be no one to oversee things here. I trust you with this."

Zheng Yi hesitated for a moment: "How about I find you another driver?"

Zhang Anping smiled knowingly: "I know your concerns—don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Seeing this, Zheng Yi said no more.

……

Shen Zui sat at the table, his fingers tapping incessantly on the surface—a habit he had learned from Zhang Anping, and once he got into it, he always felt that doing so would be beneficial for thinking.

Whether it was psychological or not, after a while, some of the confusion in his mind actually dissipated!
"If... I receive more news, then it'll be just as I expected!"

Perhaps it was a coincidence, but in any case, just as he saw through the fog, there was a knock on the door.

"Enter!"

"Chief—"

The trusted aide stepped in, stopped in front of Shen Zui, and reported:
"I just received another call from the mysterious person. He provided a location."

A cold look appeared on Shen Zui's face, which then turned into disgust.

Shen Zui asked, "Where?"

"Wusheng County, Yankou Wharf, Fish Market, tomorrow morning."

"Understood, you go down first."

After his subordinate left, Shen Zui slammed his fist on the table in anger, accompanied by a loud thud, and muttered angrily:

"Shameless bastard!"

He was supposed to be in Yunwu Mountain, but the action team received information from a mysterious person. So, Shen Zui led his men to Tongliang County, and after a search, they caught three people based on the information provided by the mysterious person.

They are kidnappers!
Shen remained calm and let the three be rescued—because before that, the mysterious person had called again, informing him that someone would come to rescue them, so he took the opportunity to set up the plan and let the three be taken out as former agents of the Military Intelligence Bureau.

Just now, Shen Zui had a rough guess, and this guess was immediately confirmed.

"To be this shameless is truly... disgusting!"

"Since you dare to play, then I'll play with you!"

Shen Zui's eyes flashed coldly. He wanted to use his own hands to eliminate the brothers who were dividing the money. Hmph, I'll play along to the end!
He got up and left the room, summoning his men:

"All personnel from Section 1 and Section 2, assemble!"

"From now on, work in pairs to monitor each other, and report any suspicious behavior immediately!"

(End of this chapter)