My spy diary

Chapter 548 Investigation (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Surprisingly, Sato Kenjiro only stared at Guan Ayue for a few moments before turning around and asking with a surprised look, "Who is she?"

"do not know?"

Sato said sincerely, "I've never seen her before, but this woman is quite good-looking."

Hearing this, Zhang Yi raised an eyebrow and shouted, "Playing dumb?"

“Zhang Yisang, I’m not pretending, I really don’t know this woman.” Sato Kenjiro looked innocent. “As the Chinese saying goes, ‘One person does something and one person takes responsibility for it,’ and ‘A dying man’s words are good.’ I have nothing to say about falling into your hands. But apart from my two subordinates, Morikawa Insuke and Matsui Tetsuya, oh, there are Zhou Entai and Zhang Xianmin. I have no other subordinates.”

Zhang Yi sneered: "Before I came to Yuzhou, your telegram was sent to Kaifeng, and then reported to Yoshikawa Teisuke through Osawa Kanjiro, and then you issued an order to surround and kill me. There were quite a few people at Luoyang Railway Station at that time, weren't there?"

“I don’t know, maybe they’re from the Red Party,” Sato replied, following his lead.

"Alright, we're all seasoned foxes, don't try to play these old tricks with me. Explanations are just cover-ups." Zhang Yi looked at him and smiled sarcastically. "You think you're the only ones who can plant spies among us? Let me tell you the truth, I have people among you too. Brother Shi and Guan Ayue were the ones who gave me the information."

Sato was somewhat confused by Zhang Yi's words and looked up at him with some skepticism. Zhang Yi thought he wanted to say something and his expression immediately became serious, but after only a few seconds of eye contact, Sato fell silent again.

Zhang Yi was not discouraged. He brewed himself a cup of hot tea, took a sip, and said with a smile:
"Oh, right, he also provided some information. Want to hear it?"

Sato glanced at him, then leaned forward, seemingly showing some interest.

"Guan Ayue has a daughter. If I'm not mistaken, she should be your daughter, right?"

Sato's heart skipped a beat, and he wondered to himself, "How did Zhang Yi know?"
Could there really be a traitor within his ranks? But only he, Guan Ayue, and Ishikawa Kazuo knew about this. Could it be that he had betrayed the organization? He opened his mouth, then quickly concealed his emotions, shaking his head noncommittally.
"Zhang Yisang is really joking. I don't understand what you're saying."

“You said it yourself: a dying man’s words are good. A dying man always has heartbreaking words. Even if you don’t think about yourself, you should think about your wife, no, your lover and children, right?” Zhang Yi’s words hit Sato’s weak spot. “Of course, you’re a spy. You don’t trust anyone and you’re emotionally detached. Perhaps Guan Ayue is just a plaything for you to vent your frustrations, but the children are innocent.”

"Using a child to threaten me? It's not my child, what does it have to do with me?" Sato Kenjiro scoffed.

“Wrong, I said the child is innocent.” Zhang Yi suddenly stood up and looked at the puzzled Sato. “If she were a spy, I would kill her without hesitation, but she is not.”

Sato Kenjiro looked at him and laughed, "I knew it! The Chinese have the best policies."

"It's not that the policy is good, it's that we are human beings. If we were like you, wouldn't we be even worse than animals?"

Sato Kenjiro chuckled shamelessly: "Zhang Yi-san, I must say I disagree. War is about destruction, a life-or-death struggle. It's about killing the enemy by any means necessary, at any cost. As the Chinese saying goes, 'Wildfire cannot burn it all; the spring breeze brings it back to life.'" He paused, then continued, "Frankly, I admire China greatly. China is vast and rich in resources, with a long history. But I only admire the Han and Tang dynasties. Japanese scholars believe that after the southward migration, there was no more China, especially after the Chinese people lived with their pigtails for hundreds of years. They have lost all their fighting spirit. What kind of people are they? Cowards? Or sheep? With such a populace, do you think this country has any future? Hahaha!"

Sato Kenjiro laughed without restraint, his voice hoarse and grating.

However, Zhang Yi did not erupt in anger as he had imagined. Instead, he calmly said, "Backwardness invites aggression. We were indeed backward at one time, and there's nothing shameful about admitting it. Modern China suffered from corrupt feudal rule and the aggression and plunder of foreign powers, resulting in the loss of national sovereignty and social unrest. Under long-term oppression, the people lacked effective organization and a sense of resistance, which allowed you Japanese to swagger and act arrogantly for a time. But a single spark can start a prairie fire. From the resistance in the First Sino-Japanese War to the nationwide awakening in the War of Resistance against Japan, the Chinese people have never stopped fighting. Countless martyrs have proven the Chinese nation's determination to resist foreign aggression with their blood. Deng Shichang, Yang Jingyu, Tong Linge, Zhao Dengyu, Zhang Zizhong, and so on—are these names familiar? Are they frightening? I'm telling you right now, there is only one outcome in the Sino-Japanese War: China will win, and Japan will lose. Hmph, if you know what's good for you, you'd better reveal your allegiance sooner rather than later. If you confess, I guarantee you'll live peacefully until the day Japan is defeated."

Sato Kenjiro laughed again: "Zhang Yijun, this is the best joke I've ever heard in the world. The Imperial Japanese Army is invincible and will eventually be defeated by you Chinese."

"Is that so?" Zhang Yi sneered. "Did you forget something just now?"

"what?"

"You say you like the Han and Tang dynasties, but do you like the Ming dynasty? Why are you deliberately avoiding it? When I mention the Ming dynasty and the Japanese pirates, I immediately think of the national hero Qi Jiguang. Are you avoiding him? What are you afraid of? Are you afraid that others will know that your ancestors were pirates? Or are you afraid that others will know that your ancestors suffered repeated defeats?"
Oh, right, I remember now. Don't you like the Tang Dynasty? Do you know about the Battle of Baekgang? Japan, allied with Baekje, fought against the combined forces of the Tang Dynasty and Silla, and suffered a crushing defeat. Speaking of the Ming Dynasty, even if we don't mention Qi Jiguang's resistance against the Japanese pirates, you must have heard of the Imjin War in Korea, right? You Japanese, unrepentant, invaded Korea again. The Ming Dynasty sent troops to aid Korea, and in the end, your ancestors were routed, fleeing Korea in disarray, and even your Toyotomi regime collapsed. It hasn't been that long, and you've already forgotten so much? If your memory is bad, you must remember the Battle of Pingxingguan, the Battle of Taierzhuang, and the Hundred Regiments Offensive, right? Is this what you call invincible and unconquerable?

Zhang Yi's words grew faster and harsher, one after another, leaving Sato Kenjiro almost breathless from his barrage of questions. In a fit of exasperation, he roared, "Baka!"

"Are you angry? Or are you feeling guilty?" Zhang Yi sneered and said coldly, "Someone like you dares to talk about the Han and Tang dynasties? Your writing and artifacts imitate our Chinese, but you are treacherous, fickle, know only petty manners but lack righteousness, fear power but not virtue, and are shameless. Today, I will teach you a lesson on behalf of your ancestors. Guards, hang him up!"

Monkey and Qian Xiaosan, who had been holding back for a long time, immediately dragged Sato Kenjiro into the interrogation room upon hearing this, and used two barbs to pierce his palms and hang him up.

After leaving the interrogation room, Zhang Yi ran into Li Mulin, the deputy station chief, and asked him, "Have you found the rickshaw driver who took Guan Ayue?"

Li Mulin nodded: "Found it. It belongs to Rongsheng Auto Dealership. According to him, the other party got into the car at an intersection about one kilometer away from the destination."

The two walked and talked until they reached the conference room. Li Mulin found a map and marked the pick-up point.

Zhang Yi studied the map thoughtfully and asked Li Mulin:

"What do you think?"

“That woman was dressed so flamboyantly, she must be going on a date or on a mission. I’m guessing she’s meeting a man, so the location would be particular, usually a coffee shop, hotel, or restaurant.” He pointed to the map as he spoke, “But I didn’t find any valuable places near the pick-up point. Is it possible she changed vehicles midway?”

Changing vehicles midway is a necessary means of concealing the route, a point that coincided with Zhang Yi's. He thought for a moment and drew a circle on the boarding point with a pencil:

“Within a radius of one kilometer, send someone with Guan Ayue’s portrait to find another rickshaw driver, or someone you’ve seen before. The key is the coffee shop, hotel, restaurant, etc. that you mentioned.”

As for why it's one kilometer, it's actually quite simple. These days, cities are relatively small, mostly within a 3-5 kilometer radius. Travel between the core business district and residential areas is generally within this distance, which is also the short-distance shuttle service range for rickshaws.

"Yes."

Zhang Yi thought for a moment and then instructed, "We can't rule out the possibility that she was disguised during the rendezvous, so we need to broaden the scope of our investigation. We can't miss anyone with similar height and build. Have our people be more careful and ask them more questions so that we don't miss any clues."

"Understood, I'll go set it up right away."

"Let's split up, I'll go too."

Li Mulin was somewhat surprised: "Director Zhang, is this really necessary? You can leave this kind of thing to your subordinates. You've had a long day, and I've already arranged accommodations."

"Strike while the iron is hot!" Zhang Yi interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Let's get moving. Every extra person adds to our strength." Of course, his mission wasn't just to investigate; his main objective was to make contact with Zheng Huhe.

The headquarters had already issued the execution order for Niu Zidao, and the die was cast. He had to find Zheng Huhe to discuss the details of the rescue.

Not to mention, there are also people from the Supervision Office secretly watching over them.

We can take advantage of tonight's investigation to fish in troubled waters.

As soon as the meeting ended, Zhang Yi, along with Monkey and Qian Xiaosan, drove to the place where Guan Ayue got into the car.

Upon arrival, the three of them each hailed a rickshaw and went their separate ways.

Once inside the rickshaw, Zhang Yi took out a map of LY city and a pencil, and said to the rickshaw driver, "Master, just go at your usual speed."

Although the driver found it a bit strange, he didn't bother to ask any questions once he was paid. After receiving permission, he immediately began to exert himself, pulling Zhang Yi along the bustling street, running non-stop.

At this moment, Zhang Yi noticed that not far behind him, a figure wearing a felt hat also got into a rickshaw and followed behind at a leisurely pace.

Zhang Yi pretended to be oblivious, observing the surrounding buildings from time to time while making marks on the map. When they reached the intersection of Shili Road where a hotel was located, he suddenly asked the driver to stop, got out of the car, lit a cigarette, and stood on the road to observe the hotel.

Sure enough, the tail behind them also got out of the car and switched to following on foot.

And so, one stood on the road, the other hid in the shadows of a corner, one in the light and the other in the dark, each trying to guess the other's thoughts.

Zhang Yi took a few puffs, casually tossed the cigarette butt on the ground, stomped on it, then took Guan Ayue's portrait and went into the hotel. A short while later, he came out looking disappointed, got back into the rickshaw, and went to his next destination.

As soon as he left, a figure peeked out from the shadows in the corner, looked around warily, then quickly walked over, picked up the cigarette butt Zhang Yi had discarded, and swiftly crossed the road and entered the hotel.

He naturally gained nothing, because the cigarette butt was just something Zhang Yi used to distract him. While he was questioning him in the hotel, Zhang Yi had already quietly slipped the intelligence into a passing mailbox while riding in a rickshaw. This was something he and Zheng Huhe had agreed on in advance. If there was no opportunity to meet after receiving the intelligence, Zheng Huhe would publish the plan in the newspaper using a special encryption method.

After delivering the intelligence, Zhang Yi returned the way he came. At this moment, an undercover agent under Li Mulin brought good news—someone had seen someone resembling Guan Ayue at the Luoyang Hotel.

Everyone was immediately alerted and rushed to the Luoyang Hotel.

Li Mulin was questioning a female duty officer with a braid: "Did you see it?"

The female staff member on duty nodded.

"Is it possible I'm seeing things?"

The female staff member on duty answered with certainty: "There's no mistake. When I came to change shifts, I saw her walking quickly into the hotel with her head down, so I paid a few more glances. This woman didn't register at the front desk, but went straight up the elevator. A dozen minutes later, she left in a hurry."

"Oh, do you know which room she went to?"

"I don't know that."

Zhang Yi thought for a moment and asked, "What time was it?"

"Eight o'clock."

"Okay, bring me your register."

The duty officer found the registration book and handed it to Zhang Yi. Zhang Yi started from the first name that checked in that day and went down the list little by little.

The Luoyang Hotel is the most luxurious hotel in the area, and also a place of entertainment for high-ranking officials and nobles. Amidst the singing, dancing, and intimate moments, shady dealings are often carried out.

There are 23 people checking in today, most of whom are government personnel.

Zhang Yi noticed that two people checked out within half an hour of Guan Ayue leaving; one was named Wang Jinjun, and the other was named Lu Yanzhi.

But apart from the name, there is no other information.

Zhang Yi pondered for a moment before asking, "What impression do you have of these two people?"

The duty officer thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Wang was probably around thirty years old, with an ordinary appearance. He left in a hurry, dropping off the keys and leaving. As for Mr. Lu, he was refined and spoke very politely."

If a person lacks distinctive anchor points, it is difficult for them to be remembered. Moreover, the duty officer has not undergone special training. After a brief contact, the information only stays in the brain's "short-term memory" stage. Without repetition or reinforcement, it will soon be covered by new information. It is already good if he can recall a little bit. Zhang Yi was not surprised by this. After thinking for a moment, he immediately instructed Li Mulin to find the portrait artist.

Half an hour later, as the portrait artist continued to draw and modify, a portrait gradually emerged.

Curious, everyone crowded around to examine it. Suddenly, someone let out a soft exclamation and snatched the portrait away.

It was Li Mulin, the deputy stationmaster.

He stared at the portrait for a few moments, then said, "The more I look at it, the more it looks like Liang Fu!"

As soon as he spoke, all eyes turned to Li Mulin.

Who is Liang Fu?

"Major Chief of the Armory under the Military Police Command!"

(End of this chapter)