My spy diary

Chapter 562 Blueprints (Seeking monthly votes)

Cui Fangping left the conference room first. He saw Zhang Yi mysteriously getting together with Li Mulin again under the pretext of sending a telegram, and vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

Back in his office, he immediately called Captain Cui over: "How's the task I assigned you going? Any breakthroughs?"

"It's done."

"Oh, that's a pleasant surprise!" Cui Fangping's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "What have they been busy with lately?"

"We're still tracking down the remnants of the Japanese spies, but it seems we haven't found any valuable leads," Captain Cui said with some distress. After a pause, as if he had thought of something, he continued, "By the way, Li Mulin specifically selected a few people to carry out surveillance missions."

Cui Fangping seemed to be deep in thought: "Who is it?"

Captain Cui: "Zhao Jingming, from the war zone's confidential office. It's said that he was implicated by Xiao Rui, a captured Japanese spy, who said that this person is suspected of being a 'red' (a highly educated, corrupt official).

Cui Fangping thought for a moment and said, "Let's talk somewhere else."

Captain Cui followed Cui Fangping to a secluded corner of the courtyard. As he spoke, Cui Fangping observed their surroundings:
"Do you know where the investigation is at?"

"At first, they used conventional methods, such as tracking, surveillance, and wiretapping. They focused on a Chinese medicine shop, which was probably a secret communication station for the Red Party."

"Let's play the long game," Cui Fangping nodded, then asked, "Can we snatch this lead?"

"I haven't been in the action team for long, and I'm not familiar with the people below. If I'm too blatant, I'm afraid it will arouse suspicion from the man surnamed Li."

Cui Fangping shook his head: "The stage is too small, and the drums are beating too fast. There's no way for you to put on a grand show. Think of something."

Captain Cui frowned as he looked at him.

“That guy surnamed Li is so aggressive. If we don’t prove our worth soon, even Commander Chen will lose patience.” Cui Fangping’s face was grave, even somewhat worried. “You should know that my predecessor was ineffective in opposing the Red Army and is now in jail in Chongqing. I don’t want to follow in his footsteps.”

Captain Cui was momentarily speechless; he had never seen Cui Fangping react with such fear. He realized that if the station chief lost his battle of wits with Li Mulin, Commander Chen might abandon him, and then everyone would scatter, leaving him in dire straits.

While he was pondering, Cui Fangping spoke without the slightest hesitation:
"Take one of our own people with you. Make up any excuse, like a tip from an informant or an anonymous report. As long as it makes sense, just raid that Chinese medicine shop, arrest the people, and don't bring them back. Find a safe place to lock them up and interrogate them. Try to maximize our gains."

Captain Cui frowned and said hesitantly, "Then I'll give it a try."

"Better safe than sorry. I believe in you." Cui Fangping looked at him. "I'll be waiting for your good news."

Captain Cui forced a smile and turned to leave. His mind raced, devising a plan for this dangerous mission of snatching food from the jaws of death.

Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind.

After leaving the gates of the Military Intelligence Bureau, he looked around, went into an inconspicuous shop, picked up a public phone, dialed a number, and said to the person on the other end:
"Call my office in five minutes and tell them you saw someone who looks like the wanted criminal at Baicaotang on Changhe Road. Got it?"

Then, without waiting for a reply, he hung up the phone.

Liang Yutang had changed into a peony-patterned cheongsam and, wearing high heels, gracefully descended the third floor and headed towards the second floor.

It was lunchtime. In the corridor, groups of employees in restaurant uniforms were walking downstairs in high spirits. She turned her back and pretended to look at the posters on the wall, while occasionally stealing glances at the archives.

Not long after, a serious-looking old man wearing reading glasses came out of the archives, locked the door with his key, and casually hung the key on his belt.

After he left, Liang Yutang looked around the corridor, saw no one, and quickly went to the door of the archives room. She used a paperclip to unlock the door and slipped inside.

On the way to Luoyang Hotel, Monkey drove, Qian Xiaosan sat in the front, and Zhang Yi sat in the back with his eyes closed, resting.

As they passed an intersection, Zhang Yi saw Qian Xiaosan roll down his car window and light a cigarette. He took the opportunity to ask him for a cigarette, lit it, and after a few puffs, casually tossed the cigarette butt out the window, landing at the feet of a beggar on the roadside.

After the car drove away, the beggar glanced around cautiously, quickly picked up the cigarette butt and extinguished it, then hurriedly hid in an empty alley before unfolding the cigarette butt and carefully observing it.

The cigarette was covered with countless tiny needle holes, a Morse code message that read: Zhao Jingming, Baicaotang.

Baicaotang is a small to medium-sized Chinese medicine shop. Sunlight shines into the shop, and everything is peaceful.

Ahead, the shop assistant glanced outside the shop while using a feather duster to clean the dust off the medicine container.

Inside the room, Manager Zhao was waiting for Zhao Jingming to make contact, as he would bring penicillin, which the organization urgently needed.

Just then, the phone rang in the room.

The ringing sounded somewhat jarring in the quiet room.

"Hello, this is Baicaotang. He should be arriving soon, I understand." Manager Zhao's expression changed upon hearing the phone call. After listening to the other party say a few words, he calmly hung up the phone, then went out of the inner room and gave his assistant a wink: "Hang up the sign for tiger bones."

"understood."

In the teahouse opposite Baicaotang, the spy watching frowned as he peeked through a crack in the half-open window at the sign across the street advertising tiger bones.
"Send someone to check, but don't alert them."

Manager Zhao returned to the inner room and quickly dragged a box out from under the bed. The radio transmitter inside the box was the most important thing in the entire pharmacy.

He called over his assistant, and the two of them quickly carried the suitcase and left the pharmacy through the back window.

Zhao Jingming saw the sign outside the pharmacy that said they were buying tiger bones and realized something was wrong. He slowed down and calmly turned away from an intersection.

When the Kuomintang agents stormed into the traditional Chinese medicine shop, it was already empty.

Just as the head of the secret service was about to arrange for men to track down and search the place, four plainclothes officers carrying pistols walked in menacingly.

The intelligence chief gripped his pistol and asked warily, "What are you doing here?"

The plainclothes officer in charge showed his identification: "Captain Cui asked us to come and take a look."

The intelligence chief checked their identification; they were indeed from the Military Intelligence Bureau. He looked them up and down, and seeing their unfamiliar faces, he asked hesitantly:

"Captain Cui's men? I've never seen you before."

The plainclothes officer in charge said dismissively, "There are plenty of people you haven't seen. We were working together when Captain Cui was still in Shancheng."

Seeing that the other party was so confident, the head of the secret service was speechless for a moment.

"What about people?"

"Ran."

How did it get away?

"how could I know?"

"Didn't you know you arrived first?"

"What do you mean by that?" the intelligence chief questioned.

"It doesn't mean anything. I just wanted to let you know that we are now in charge of taking over this area."

"We discovered the clues. We're acting on Deputy Station Chief Li's orders. Get out of the way." The intelligence chief said, trying to kick the group out, but they were forcefully pushed back by the other side.

“You did discover the clues first, but the people also escaped from inside. Maybe you tipped off the Red Party, allowing them to escape.”

"What do you mean? You suspect us?"

"Take them back to the station for questioning!" The newcomers responded, stepping forward and pointing their guns at the first few. The first few were equally defiant, drawing their guns and engaging in a standoff. The atmosphere became tense.

Luoyang Hotel.

Li Hongwei had just finished eating and was sitting in his office, happily sipping tea. Suddenly, the office door was pushed open, and three unfamiliar men walked in, leaving him momentarily stunned.

Qian Xiaosan walked up to him and placed his identification documents on the table.

Li Hongwei glanced at him suspiciously, opened his ID card and looked at it, then quickly stood up:

"Sir! What brings you here?"

Qian Xiaosan went straight to the point: "The provincial government is holding a meeting here. Have you received the notification?"

Li Hongwei smiled ingratiatingly and said, "I received it."

"The Military Intelligence Bureau is in charge of security for this meeting. You need to provide a roster of the hotel staff immediately."

"I'll get it for you right away."

Seeing Zhang Yi open the drawer, just as he was about to ask for a structural diagram of the restaurant's interior, the monkey, who had been observing him closely, spoke up:

Where are the hotel's architectural blueprints stored?

Hearing this, Li Hongwei looked puzzled and said to the monkey:
"Blueprints? What do you need those for?"

"Do I need to report to you?"

Li Hongwei coughed awkwardly, "No need, no need, the blueprints are in the archives, I'll have someone bring them over right away."

Zhang Yi finally got his chance to speak: "No need to see me off." He had barely opened his mouth when Qian Xiaosan spoke up:
"It's just our position."

"Section Chief?" Li Hongwei was dumbfounded. He never imagined that this kind-looking man, who was impossible to get a word in edgewise, was actually a Section Chief. To be called a Section Chief, and to be from the Military Intelligence Bureau headquarters, must be none other than Zhang Yi, the Director of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Judicial Department, who had stirred up trouble in Kaifeng and Luoyang.

Li Hongwei snapped out of his daze, feeling extremely apprehensive. He put down the phone he had just picked up and said respectfully:

"Commander Zhang, please have a seat. Let me make you some tea. Please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality. I knew it! The magpies were chirping incessantly this morning; it turns out it was you coming. It's truly an honor to have you here."

Zhang Yi had no interest in flattery and interrupted him, saying, "We can have tea later. Let's go get the blueprints together."

"Yes, yes, this way please."

Led by Li Hongwei, the group quickly arrived at the archives room.

He pointed to a serious old man wearing reading glasses and said, "This is the manager, Old Qi. The restaurant opened here. Old Qi, find the architectural blueprints for the restaurant."

Old Qi nodded, stood up, adjusted his reading glasses, and ran his finger over the titles of the filing cabinets behind him, muttering to himself:

"It's on this shelf. Let me see which shelf it is."

Li Hongwei's eyes followed Lao Qi's finger, searching through the documents one by one, when he heard Zhang Yi say from the side, "Don't bother looking anymore, that blueprint may have already been stolen."

Old Qi glanced back at Zhang Yi and said with displeasure, "What nonsense are you talking about? I eat and live here, and I have the key with me 24 hours a day. Who could steal the blueprints?"

"Old Qi, how dare you speak to your superior like that? Apologize now!"

Zhang Yi shook his head, indicating that it was alright, but his expression became more serious.

The monkey and Qian Xiaosan, who had also been observing the bookshelf, knew that Zhang Yi never spoke without reason. They exchanged a glance, and the monkey stepped forward, observing the bookshelf, and said:
"This bookshelf is much cleaner than the others. It's very likely that the person who stole the blueprints wiped it clean to erase any traces they left behind."

Old Qi glared at him angrily: "You're all young and inexperienced, all you know how to do is talk nonsense." As he spoke, he happened to find the file folder containing the blueprints, opened the sealed thread, and found it to be empty.

The once defiant old man Qi trembled and panicked completely: "Where did it go? The key hasn't left my side!"

"A beard on the lips, yet reliable in handling affairs? You're far too reliable, aren't you?" Qian Xiaosan had long disliked him and sneered, "You need to lock the door to open it? Locks are for keeping out honest people, but they can't keep out scoundrels and spies."

Zhang Yi waved his hand, looking at Li Hongwei who looked puzzled: "What do you think?"

Li Hongwei was dumbfounded: "This is unbelievable, who would steal blueprints?"

“That’s a question for you to answer.” Zhang Yi stared at him and said coldly, “Let’s go, it’s time to go to your office for a cup of tea.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Qian Xiaosan gave Old Man Qi a warning look, ordering him not to leave, and then he and Monkey escorted Li Hongwei to his office.

Upon arriving at the office, Li Hongwei was already wiping away sweat. After handing over the employee roster, he hurriedly made a cup of tea and respectfully presented it to Zhang Yi.

"Sir, please have some tea."

Zhang Yi flipped through the roster without looking up: "Is this all? Are there any recent hires?"

"They're all up there." Li Hongwei's mind involuntarily conjured up Liang Yutang's graceful figure. After a moment of hesitation, he gave an affirmative answer.

"Are you sure?" Zhang Yi raised his head, staring intently at him.

Li Hongwei avoided Zhang Yi's gaze, smiled ingratiatingly, and said with trepidation:

"Sir, I'm telling the truth."

Zhang Yi stared at him for a few moments, and seeing that he still looked confused, he sighed: "Are you sure?"

"I am sure."

"Monkey, Qian Xiaosan."

"To!"

"It seems our Manager Li is not being honest."

“They’re definitely not honest.” Monkey and Qian Xiaosan grinned mischievously, rubbing their hands together in anticipation.

"What do you think?"

Before he could finish speaking, Qian Xiaosan punched Li Hongwei hard in the stomach, and Li Hongwei curled up in pain.

The monkey said sternly, "I don't have the patience to waste time with you. Have any new employees joined recently? Are you going to say it here, or in the Military Intelligence Bureau's interrogation room?"

“I said,” Li Hongwei said, trembling all over, “there’s one who just came to apply for the job today.”

"what is it call?"

"Liang Yutang".

"What about her?"

“I arranged for her to attend etiquette training.”

Zhang Yi then slowly got up, took the phone and handed it to Li Hongwei: "Please ask Manager Li to have her come over."

(End of this chapter)