My spy diary

Chapter 168 Race against time (please vote for me)

At noon, Zhang Yi got off a rickshaw. Today was the day he and the buyer agreed to meet at Guyaxuan.

On Antique Street, the bluestone road is winding and lined with ancient shops. Every time you walk along it, you can feel the accumulation of history and the richness of culture.

The weather is nice today, and there are many people wandering the antique street.

Zhang Yi arrived at Guyaxuan and found that the buyer Zhu Shiquan had arrived.

This man was in his thirties, of medium height, with a thin build. He was wearing a satin double-breasted cotton coat and a top hat. His eyes were slender, and he narrowed into a slit when he smiled.

He is the kind of person who looks ordinary and does not stand out in the crowd at all.

"This is the antique dealer Boss Zhu."

"This is the owner of the jade, Mr. Zhang."

The owner of the antique shop made a recommendation, asked the waiter to bring tea, and then went about his business.

The two sat down, Zhu Shiquan said with a smile:

"I wonder where Mr. Zhang is employed?"

Zhang Yi wrote lightly: "Working hard, running around for others, just to make ends meet."

Zhang Yi had designed his identity a long time ago. Even if someone went to verify it, the verification result would be that he was a broker, a businessman speculating on the black market.

"That's it." Boss Zhu looked like he suddenly understood.

"The origin of this jade"

Zhang Yi pretended to be mysterious and lowered his voice: "Stolen items."

Boss Zhu’s eyebrows flashed, he was thoughtful, he made a gesture and said:
"Three small yellow croakers can be traded now."

Zhang Yi shook his head directly and said, "Thirty pieces. If there is less than this number, there is no need to discuss it."

Seeing Zhang Yi's firm attitude, he hesitated and said:
"This gap is too big, so let me think about it again."

"It's okay. If the deal doesn't work out, I'll have to think about it again, Boss Zhu."

"Oh, look again, look again." Boss Zhu sighed and left.

Zhang Yi disagreed. He came out of the antique shop and made a gesture quietly. Two passers-by who seemed to be wandering followed Boss Zhu away.

Zhang Yi came out of the antique street and was stopped by three men wearing cotton clothes and felt hats.

The three of them crossed their hands on their chests and looked at him lazily with sideways eyes.

"Boy, borrow some money to spend." The fat man in charge twitched his lips and sneered disdainfully at him.

Zhang Yi looked at the three of them and knew that they were gangsters on the streets, not even gang members, let alone big brothers in society.

The real big brothers in society have long been admitted as civil servants and have devoted themselves to serving the people. Only these little gangsters are fooling around on the streets.

Even the famous Du Yuesheng also holds the positions of advisor to the General Headquarters of the Navy and Air Force, major general counselor to the Military Commission, and counselor to the Executive Yuan. Although these are empty titles, his social status has been greatly improved.

The person who came was not a good person, and it was such a coincidence. It was probably Zhu Shiquan who had come to test him. Maybe this guy was hiding somewhere and peeping.

"Lack of money? Haha." Zhang Yi smiled disdainfully, took out a copper plate from his pocket and threw it on the ground, "Is that enough?"

This move naturally angered the gangster. The three of them smiled ferociously and pulled out wrenches and daggers from their waists, and surrounded Zhang Yi with sneers.

A fight soon broke out.

The two sides were going back and forth, Zhang Yi got a wrench on his back, and then grabbed the wrench, pointed it at a gangster, and beat him repeatedly until his head was broken and bleeding, and he grinned and moaned.
The gangster was about to avenge his companions when suddenly a sharp whistle sounded in the distance and two patrolmen were seen running over with batons. The gangster immediately picked up his companions and fled in embarrassment.

In the corner not far away, Zhu Shiquan looked away in frustration, thought for a moment, stopped a rickshaw and left.

He directed the rickshaw to drive left and right until it reached the downstairs of an apartment. After the rickshaw left, he changed cars again and went to a private room in a teahouse.

Sitting in the box was a middle-aged man with fair complexion and kind-hearted features.

Zhu Shiquan entered the box, immediately crossed his hands and bowed respectfully, and said humbly:

"Suma-senpai."

Suma is Suma Yakichiro, his name is Shenglongshanren, and his house name is Plum Blossom Cottage.

This person has worked in the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, Spain, and China.

From 1927 to 1937, he worked in China for nearly ten years, serving as the second secretary of the Japanese Embassy in Peiping, the Japanese consul in Guangdong, and the first secretary of the Jinling Embassy.

He attached great importance to his contacts with pro-Japanese factions in China and had a good personal relationship with Wang Chuanhai.

This person is fluent in English, German, and Chinese, and is well-known among diplomats from various countries. He is especially recognized as a connoisseur of Chinese art.

What is particularly ironic is that this person likes to collect Qi Baishi's works the most. In addition, he also has works by Xu Beihong, Zhang Daqian and others, with a collection of more than 400 pieces.

In addition to calligraphy and painting, he also likes to collect seals and jade.

During a recent stroll, I discovered the ancient jade that Zhang Yi left in Guyaxuan. He immediately recognized that it was an inherited ancient jade from the Oda family, and he had the idea of ​​possessing it.

But because I was too excited at the time, my boss noticed my words and quoted a sky-high price.

Suma returned in despair, and finally found Fukuoka Masanobu, a Japanese spy disguised as the antique businessman "Zhu Shiquan" who had taken the special high school course.

"Senior, I met the owner of the jade today and asked someone to test him. This person is not an agent from China. He is probably selling stolen goods for others."

Suma was noncommittal, and he pondered: "A few months ago, Oda Nobuhide, an agent of the North China Expeditionary Army, was arrested in Kaifeng. This traditional jade from his family should appear in the China Secret Service."

"No matter how this jade article leaked out, you must be careful. If this is a trap set by Chinese agents, you may already be under their surveillance."

"Senior, I was very vigilant when I came here. I changed cars several times and didn't find anyone following me." Zhu Shiquan looked around warily and explained quickly.

"It's safe here." Suma waved his hand, looked directly at him with sharp eyes, and his tone became stern:
"Induction is the summary of experience, and deduction is logical reasoning. Experience often tends to paralyze people, but correct logic is trustworthy."

"You have been lurking for a long time and have been publicly active as an antique dealer. You are used to living a comfortable life. Do you still have the same vigilance as before?"

Suma's stern tone was as sharp as a sharp knife, making people unable to help but fear.

Zhu Shiquan was frightened. He was just about to explain something when he heard Suma say unquestionably:
"Agree to his request. After getting the ancient jade, you will immediately change your identity or evacuate. I will explain it to the Special High School."

"Ha Yi." Zhu Shiquan agreed respectfully.

When Zhu Shiquan appeared again, he had a briefcase in his hand and two bodyguards behind him.

When they saw Zhang Yi followed by two sinister strong men, everyone smiled tacitly. After all, everyone was afraid that the other would take advantage of him.

The transaction went smoothly and the payment was paid on the spot. Zhu Shiquan also readily paid the antique shop's 10% commission.

"Mr. Zhang, I'll see you later. Remember to let me know if you have any good stuff in the future. Money is not an issue."

"It's easy to say, Boss Zhu is a cheerful person."

"Haha, that's right, Mr. Zhu can swear that no one has offered a higher price than me."

"Isn't it necessary to swear? From ancient times to the present, there is a high probability that swearing to God will not end well. Not to mention that it is generally impossible, and the motives are not pure." Zhang Yi said meaningfully.

"Hahaha" Zhu Shiquan smiled, and then left with Gu Yu and his bodyguards.

They got into a black car and drove away.

However, the car stalled just after running a short distance.

"What's going on?" After successfully completing the transaction, Zhu Shiquan's nerves relaxed for a while, but he didn't expect the car to have an accident again.

"Boss, I don't know. I just filled up the gas today. I checked it when I went out. There is nothing wrong with the car." A bodyguard who was driving explained.

"Why don't you go down and check?" Zhu Shiquan scolded, and saw a car chasing him. The curtain of the back seat was pulled down, revealing Zhang Yi's face.

"Boss Zhu, what is this?"

"The car probably broke down."

"It's freezing cold. How about I give you a ride?"

"No need." Zhu Shiquan shook his head warily.

"Are you still polite to me?" Zhang Yi got out of the car, wrapped up his clothes, and pretended to walk around the car, then glanced at the chassis of the car and pointed at the exhaust pipe:

"That should be the problem here."

"The exhaust pipe is blocked. Is it strange that your car doesn't fall down?"

"Really?" Zhu Shiquan frowned suspiciously after hearing what Zhang Yi said so professionally, and then got out of the car and directed the bodyguards to check.

But before he got out of the car, several strong men suddenly jumped out of Zhang Yi's car and directly controlled him. Two of his bodyguards were also pressed against the head by the black muzzle of the gun.

Zhu Shiquan's face turned pale and he said tremblingly:

"Mr. Zhang, what do you mean?"

"What do you mean? I want the money and the goods. Stop talking nonsense. If you want freedom, call the person behind you and get another 100 and the little yellow croaker."

"A hundred?"

Zhu Shiquan was stunned. He thought it was just like what Xuma said, this was a fishing tactic played by the Chinese Secret Service. At this moment, his identity was suspected by the other party, but he didn't want to be regarded as a human cash machine.

However, he soon realized how foolish his idea was.

He was knocked unconscious first, and when he woke up again, he found himself in an empty room with all his clothes stripped off.

The window of the room was open, and the cold wind was blowing. The biting cold wind fell on his face like a knife, and his expression quickly dimmed.

'Officials are bandits, and bandits are officials. These Chinese people are too vicious. Zhu Shiquan cursed in his heart when he saw the door to the room opened and Zhang Yi walked in holding a teacup.

"Mr. Zhang, what do you mean? If you want money, let me make a phone call. Although 100 gold bars is not a small amount, I can still make it by selling iron."

"Calling? I don't think it's necessary, right? Boss Zhu should honestly explain his identity and who did you meet at the teahouse?"

When Zhu Shiquan heard this, his heart felt like it was being burned by fire, and his whole body was agitated. He looked at Zhang Yi blankly, and then retorted after a while:
"What kind of identity can I have? I am a businessman. I have been in Jinling for six years. I have always been honest, knowledgeable and abiding by the law."

"You are not honest. An ordinary businessman would know Suma from the Japanese Consulate? He is a diplomat and has diplomatic immunity. What about you?" Zhang Yi interrupted him with a sneer. "If you don't confess, we will have to torture you."

"I don't know what you are talking about. I just went to the teahouse to drink tea and eat. I didn't see anyone at all." Zhu Shiquan stared and gritted his teeth.

"Is it such a coincidence? You just left the teahouse and Suma left too.
You said having tea and dinner... It only takes half an hour for me to bring the boss and the waiter of the teahouse to confront you?
Also, you went to the teahouse empty-handed, and when you came out there was a briefcase in your hand. Could it be that you picked it up? "

"Also, you went home just now and came out with your bodyguards. I have the photos. If you want to see them, they can be developed tomorrow."

Zhu Shiquan could hardly breathe under the pressure of a series of words. He knew that his judgment was wrong. These people were not gangsters at all. They were people from the Secret Service of China's counterintelligence agency.

He wanted to say something, but found that his throat was hoarse when the cold wind blew. Although he was in the cold wind at the moment, fine cold sweat was oozing out from his forehead. He felt that his eyes were getting more and more confused. The ability of the Chinese Secret Service made him Feeling scary, even horrifying.

But he foolishly went to test Zhang Yi. Could it be that, as Senior Suma said, his long and prosperous life had made him lose his vigilance?
Zhu Shiquan felt that his mind went blank, and he closed his eyes in frustration.

To explain at this time is undoubtedly a cowardly act of begging for forgiveness...

And as long as he remains silent, Suma will not be able to receive the jade, and he will know that something is wrong with him, and he will definitely find a way to rescue him...

Even if his identity as a Japanese was exposed, the Chinese agents could not find any evidence that he was engaged in espionage activities, so they had no choice but to release him. On the contrary, once he confessed, he would not only become a shameful traitor, but his family members at home would not end well.

Seeing his silence, Zhang Yi immediately guessed what he was thinking, so the interrogation had to race against time to get this person's confession before Suma could react.

"Torture."

Zhang Yi sneered and waved his hand.

Two plainclothes officers took a wooden bucket filled with ice water, grabbed Zhu Shiquan's head and pushed him into the ice water.

Crash, water splashed and overflowed everywhere.

The cold water choked Zhu Shiquan's lungs and made him unable to breathe, with a painful expression on his face.

Under the water, he struggled desperately with his eyes wide open, but his two calves kneeling on the ground were stepped on by plainclothes. He tried to struggle but was unable to do anything.

More and more water filled his trachea, and soon he was coughing up blood.

Gradually, he began to drift into a trance, everything in front of him was blurred, and he seemed to be getting further and further away from the world.

His brain felt like it was being stabbed by needles, and his chest seemed to explode at any moment. He could clearly hear his heartbeat roaring like a drum for a while, and then dull and feeble for a while...

I'm dying?

Suddenly a pale halo appeared in front of his eyes, and the faces of his wife and son flashed inside. They looked at him with smiles...and then suddenly turned away indifferently...

No no no…

Zhu Shiquan's chest heaved violently, breathing heavily, and suddenly roared:

"I recruit..."

……

(End of this chapter)