My spy diary

Chapter 565 Intelligence (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Just as I reached the corner of the stairs, I saw a man who looked like a waiter carrying a beautifully packaged cake, bowing and scraping as he entered through the restaurant's main entrance and headed towards the front desk registration area.

Could it be a bomb?
Zhang Yi was unaware of the situation, so he could only signal with his eyes to the plainclothes officers of the Military Intelligence Bureau who were lying in ambush in the hall, instructing them to quietly surround the man. He then led Monkey and Qian Xiaosan down the stairs.

With a series of clicks and the sounds of safety switches being activated and bullets being chambered, a dozen dark pistols were pointed at the guy.

"What did you get?"

"Egg, cake!" The waiter looked at the plainclothes officers who had gathered around him with a puzzled and uneasy expression. The cake in his hand trembled as if it might slip from his grasp at any moment.

"Don't move it, slowly put the cake down." A sharp-eyed plainclothes officer watched the waiter warily and shouted a reprimand.

The waiter's eyes widened in terror, his hands trembled, and he asked in a shaky voice, "Where should I put it?"

"Place it at your feet."

"okay."

"Open."

"This was ordered by a customer, it's really expensive, I..."

"Enough talk, open it!"

The waiter swallowed hard and cautiously opened the cardboard box, which was indeed full of cakes.

Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at Zhang Yi: "Director Zhang?"

A false alarm?
Zhang Yi's expression remained solemn, not daring to be careless in the slightest. Looking around, he noticed that a group of onlookers had gathered around the perimeter, with some even leaving their luggage aside to watch from a distance.

Chinese people seem to never lack onlookers, no matter where they are. As the waiter asked, "Sir, can I leave now?" the whispers grew louder and louder.

Someone muttered, "It looks like a Kuomintang agent."

"What are spies doing here? And why are they making things difficult for a guy?"

"Bullying others with their power, extorting money, can't you tell?"

"These spies, what's with their arrogance? If they've got the guts, they should go fight the Japanese."

The surrounding murmurs and jeers grew louder. Zhang Yi snorted coldly, whispered a few instructions to the monkey, and then ordered Qian Xiaosan and Li Hongwei to evacuate the onlookers and hotel staff.

Soon, the monkey came over with a bamboo strip. He first had the plainclothes officer restrain the waiter, and then carefully cut off a piece of cake with the bamboo strip. Underneath the cream, a layer of parchment paper was visible.

He took out a dagger, sharpened one end of a bamboo strip, and carefully cut open the oiled paper.

Beneath the oil paper was a dense and intricate network of electrical wires.

"There's a bomb! There's a bomb!" The man, who had just been terrified, suddenly shouted twice, broke free from the plainclothes officer's restraints, and ran outside.

Zhang Yi reacted swiftly, snatching the gun from the plainclothes officer beside him and firing a shot into his back. The man fell to the ground.

"boom"

As soon as the gunshot rang out, the entire hall quickly descended into chaos. The crowd, who had been watching with great interest, suddenly turned into birds and beasts, screaming in terror and fleeing in all directions.

Zhang Yi shook his head helplessly, walked up to the monkey, and seeing that the bomb's countdown had already started, asked in a deep voice, "Are you confident?"

Then, he asked the plainclothes officer next to him, "Who knows how to defuse a bomb? Who does?"

The plainclothes officers looked at each other, but no one responded.

"Chief, I'd like to give it a try," the monkey said firmly, a fine ring of sweat beading on his forehead.

Zhang Yi glanced at him, the countdown on the bomb no longer allowing him to think about anything else, and could only pat him on the shoulder with a sigh:

"careful!"

"Hey, bring me a pair of scissors!"

Soon, an undercover officer handed a pair of scissors to the monkey. After observing for a moment, he quickly and skillfully used the bamboo scissors to unscrew a screw on the top of the bomb, removing the cap and exposing the tangled wires.

Then, after a moment's thought, he pulled out a blue wire and decisively cut it with scissors without hesitation.

However, the timer did not stop.

The monkey closed its eyes in despair. 3, 2, 1, it silently counted in its mind, perhaps a countdown to its death, when suddenly it heard a "click"—
The timer reached zero, but the bomb did not explode.

Immediately, the plainclothes officers watching from all around burst into cheers.

Zhang Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that the monkey had collapsed on the ground, panting heavily.

"Deal with the bomb immediately and help the team leader to his office to rest."

In the office, after drinking a few glasses of water and smoking a few cigarettes, Monkey finally came to his senses. He said with a puzzled look, "Chief, why do I feel that today's events are so strange?"

"What's weird?"

"I just examined it closely. The bomb's explosive charge was clearly insufficient. Even if it detonated, it wouldn't have been able to destroy the hotel's main beams and pillars. It seems the maker only wanted to achieve one effect, how should I put it—"

"All talk and no action," Zhang Yi chimed in.

The monkey nodded and said, "Yes, that's what I mean."

Zhang Yi smiled thoughtfully: "The real intention is not what it seems? What exactly are they planning to do?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a rapid knocking sounded at the door. Qian Xiaosan stepped forward and opened the door. It was Li Mulin, who walked in with a solemn expression.

As soon as he entered, Zhang Yi noticed that his expression was strange.

"Director Zhang."

"What, you couldn't reach Liu Changfu by phone?"

Li Mulin shook his head.

"That's...the brothel area?"

Li Mulin shook his head again, but his expression grew increasingly grim: "We never expected this."

Zhang Yi frowned as he looked at him, while Monkey and Qian Xiaosan waited anxiously for him to continue. Under their watchful eyes, Li Mulin sighed and recounted the day's arrests to them.

First was Liu Changfu. When the agents broke down the door, Liu Changfu's wife and son were having dinner. Through questioning, they learned that Liu Changfu had received a phone call that morning and left home, never to return.

A phone call revealed a public phone booth, but no witnesses were found, and the trail went cold.

Next was Hongxiulou. When they broke in, the brothel was already deserted; everyone from the madam to the prostitutes had vanished, leaving only a few disappointed customers.

Zhang Yi's expression darkened as he listened to Li Mulin's report. Liu Changfu might not be an accomplice of the Japanese spies; his disappearance was likely due to him being silenced. But what about Hongxiulou? From the madam to the prostitutes and waitresses, twenty or thirty people had vanished right under his nose?
"Did they all run away?" Qian Xiaosan asked, full of doubt.

Li Mulin nodded.

"They've found you?"

"The people had already run away before we got there."

"Could it be that the operation has been leaked?" Qian Xiaosan knew that the two deputy captains of the operation team had long been siding with outsiders.

Li Mulin shook his head, denying his guess: "The task of arresting Liu Changfu was assigned to the action team, but I secretly had people keep a close watch on the two deputy captains' every move. So far, no problems have been found. As for the people sent to Hongxiulou, they were all people drawn from various places by the Supervision Office. They could not have leaked the secret."

Zhang Yi seemed thoughtful, then sighed, "We were still a step too late." After a pause, he pondered and said:
"Let's inform the war zone and the provincial government first. No matter what tricks the Japanese spies are playing, the Luoyang Hotel is definitely not safe. Let them find another place to hold the meeting."

"Yes."

The night was deep, and the small living room of Deputy Commander Tang's house in the First War Zone was closed, filled with smoke, and a record player was playing soft music.

Several middle-aged men were playing mahjong. Among them were a square-faced man and a pretty boy who had previously interrogated Sun Fu at the Military Intelligence Bureau. They were clearly regulars at the place.

The atmosphere at the card table was relaxed, without any of the tension before a major battle. The group happened to be discussing the armory case when the young man asked, "Commander, Sun Fu is dead. General Wei didn't say anything, did he?"

Deputy Commander Tang was having a good day, smacking his lips as he drew his cards:

“What can he say? The evidence is conclusive, what can he say? Besides, I still have the evidence that he secretly supported the Red Party with weapons.”

The square-faced man shook his head and said, "Commander Wei, really! Isn't this like being in Cao Cao's camp but having your heart in Han? You like supporting the Red Party so much, why don't you just go over there directly?"

"Heh, can he really let go of his own wealth and status?" Deputy Commander Tang sneered, shaking his head blankly. This guy, I don't know why, after going to Baota Mountain, his personality changed drastically. He talks about the Red Army's enthusiasm and fighting power in resisting Japan all the time, believing that such forces are needed to cooperate behind enemy lines. He not only turns a blind eye to the Eighth Route Army's activities in his jurisdiction, but also provides them with certain conveniences. Doesn't he understand the principle that one cannot allow others to sleep soundly on one's own bed?

"I can't figure him out. Could he be preparing a way out for himself?" The square-faced man chimed in, then added, "Whatever, as long as he doesn't interfere with our money-making." With that, he drew out a 50,000.

Deputy Commander Tang: "Bang!"

The square-faced man continued, "By the way, Commander, the Red Army somehow learned of the Japanese army's next operational plan, and it's said to have been submitted to the war zone. Do you think that's credible?"

"You mean to ask if Luoyang can be defended, right?"

"The commander is extremely perceptive."

"Hehe, it's probably impossible to hold on."

"This"

"As the saying goes, killing a thousand enemies will result in eight hundred casualties on your own. I can't possibly wager all my elite troops, can I? Even if we win, it will be a Pyrrhic victory, and my father will definitely give me a good scolding. Therefore, this battle should be fought by those miscellaneous troops. Even if we suffer a crushing defeat, as long as the casualties of our elite troops are under control, it will still be a victory."

"Commander, you have a brilliant vision. This is what it means to win or lose outside the battlefield, hidden in the planning of the court." The square-faced man looked on with admiration, completely forgetting that there was another part to this saying—hidden in the hearts and minds of the people. He seemed to casually play a 60,000.

Deputy Commander Tang happily pushed the tiles aside: "Draw!"

Just then, the phone in the living room rang urgently.

He had his adjutant pull the phone line over, and after hearing something said on the other end, he froze: "What did you say? There's a bomb at the Luoyang Hotel? What about the provincial government meeting? What? It's being held in the government conference room? Okay, I got it."

On the other side, in an abandoned courtyard, black smoke was billowing from the chimney.

A middle-aged woman was cooking in the dirty and dilapidated kitchen. Soon, she carried several small dishes into the next room and placed them on the bricks in front of Osawa Kanjiro and Ryuhoshi, who were kneeling on the straw mat.

Liuying took out a bottle of sake and two sake cups from her bundle, filled the cups with sake, and looked at Osawa Kanjiro opposite her:

"Please forgive my poor hospitality, please."

“In these extraordinary times, this is already quite a feast, not to mention the sake from my hometown.” Osawa Kanjiro didn’t mind at all. He picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, chewed it a few times, and raised his sake cup: “Now you can tell me your ultimate plan, right?”

"In extraordinary times, we must be even more cautious." Liu Ying smiled slightly, and the two wine cups clinked together.

The steaming food from the dishes rose upwards, and after chatting for a few minutes, Osawa Kanjiro showed a look of astonishment for the first time in front of Ryuhoshi. He stared intently into Ryuhoshi's eyes, pondering her earlier words about "blowing up the power plant," and asked uncertainly:
"After all that work, all for blowing up a power plant?"

“Yes, it’s the power plant.” Liu Ying lowered her voice. “As soon as the power plant explodes, the entire Luoyang will be plunged into darkness. At that time, our people can take advantage of the chaos.”

"What do you need me to do?"

"Attack the power plant."

Kanjiro Osawa did not immediately agree. He slowly took a sip of his drink and replied, seemingly unrelated to the question:
"Even if my men are fearless and blow up the power plant, then what? Your men take advantage of the chaos to attack the provincial government? Do they have an inside man? No, then they're just going to their deaths."

"Do you remember the telegram I sent before we evacuated today?" Firefly didn't care about his ambiguous attitude and smiled strangely. "The Imperial Air Force will cooperate with our operation. Think about it, where will the enemy go once the bombing begins?"

"dugout?"

“Oh, right,” Liu Ying smiled smugly, “we just happened to have dug an underground passage leading to the air-raid shelter.”

Where is the entrance?

Liu Ying lightly stomped her foot, looking smug. Osawa Kanjiro immediately understood, his face filled with disbelief.

Liu Ying continued, "Luoyang is rich in coal. Our passage was dug out from an abandoned mine. It's only a few meters away from the air-raid shelter next to the government building. All it will take is a grenade to clear it."

Following her train of thought, Osawa Kanjiro continued, "At that time, with just a few more grenades, without even using a knife or a gun, we can wipe out all the Kuomintang officials, big and small, who are hiding in the air-raid shelter. This is truly a brilliant plan."

“That’s right.” Liu Ying said with a smug look. “Think about it, as long as the plan succeeds, not only will the entire Luoyang be leaderless, but all parts of Yuzhou will also be without a leader. The imperial army will be able to occupy the entire Yuzhou without lifting a finger. At that time, you and I will surely become heroes of the empire and go down in history!”

The words "you and me" brought a complex expression to Osawa Kanjiro's face. He desperately wanted this tremendous achievement to go solely to the North China intelligence agency, but he quickly regained his composure, smiled, and raised his glass with delight: "The Emperor will surely win!"

Luoyang Hotel.

Zhang Yi stood in front of a window facing the street, staring at the darkness in the distance, his expression solemn.

Today's intelligence has been updated.

(End of this chapter)