My spy diary

Chapter 566 Operation (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"Hong Gu, whose full name is Ding Hongying, is 40 years old. After the September 18 Incident, she entered Beiping as a refugee from Northeast China. Using the alias 'Hong Gu,' she studied pipa, Kunqu opera, and brothel management at a local brothel called 'Yihonglou.' After 37 years, she came to Luoyang and took over a brothel that was on the verge of bankruptcy. She later renamed it Hongxiulou and quickly established herself and expanded the business with an iron fist. At its peak, she controlled more than a dozen top courtesans."

"A-Fu, forty years old, registered name Chen A-Fu, short and stocky, hunchbacked, a pimp at a brothel."

The portrait depicts a humble man with a timid smile on his face and a faint scar on his left eyebrow.

This is Qiaoying.

This is Shutong.

As night deepened, the atmosphere in Zhang Yi's temporary office became somewhat somber.

Li Mulin reported the latest situation: the portraits of the brothel owner and madam Hong Gu had been drawn and placed on the table; the arrest warrant had been issued; and the several clients arrested from the brothel had been interrogated. They had hoped to find some overlooked details and uncover new clues, but to no avail.

At this moment, Zhang Yi was sitting in a chair, smoking a cigarette with a blank expression.

Li Mulin sat to his left and said with a heavy expression:
"I'm sorry, Director Zhang, I still don't understand how those twenty or so people disappeared right under our noses."

After saying that, he paused for a moment, and then said, "The secret arrest warrant has been issued. I have also verified with the garrison command and the investigation department by phone. No one of suspicious identity left the city today. I believe they are still hiding in Luoyang. They can't have gone far."

Zhang Yi extinguished his cigarette butt and smiled slightly. Seeing this, Li Mulin looked at him with hopeful eyes.

Like Qian Xiaosan, the monkey looked at Zhang Yi with anticipation.

They all wanted to hear Zhang Yi's opinion on the matter.

"We should have consulted a fortune teller."

Li Mulin hadn't expected that Director Zhang would still be in the mood for jokes at a time like this. He said, somewhat irritated:

"My dear Director Zhang, what time is it? Give me some ideas! You have no idea, after hearing about the explosion at the restaurant, all those bigwigs in the war zone and the provincial government are on high alert. They've been calling me non-stop, ordering us to solve the case within a limited time, or they'll report me to Boss Dai. I'm completely at a loss."

Zhang Yixin said that if it weren't for matters concerning his life and fortune, he wouldn't be so panicked.

A faint smile appeared on his face. Although he knew where the Japanese spies were hiding and what their next plan was, he couldn't explain the source of the intelligence. He could only guide everyone's thinking appropriately.

He pondered for a moment and said, "I think Monkey's previous speculation makes a lot of sense. No matter who this Hong Gu is, she must be a cunning and experienced spy to have been able to lie low in Luoyang for so long. But even such a person seems to have acted recklessly and carelessly in the restaurant bombing case. So what exactly is she planning?"

Li Mulin thought for a moment, then suddenly realized: "Director Zhang, do you mean a series of interconnected schemes?"

"Very likely, so where will they attack next?"

“It must be the provincial government,” Li Mulin blurted out, then said suspiciously, “Impossible, right? The government building is already on high alert for the government meeting, except for the police, military police and special agents. Today, a reinforced special agent company was specially transferred from the war zone. There are guards every three steps and sentries every five steps. If it’s not as solid as a fortress, it’s an impregnable fortress. If Japanese spies dare to come, they will have no chance of survival.”

Zhang Yi neither confirmed nor denied it, shaking his head and saying, "Deputy Station Chief Li should have heard the saying that a fortress is often breached from within."

What kind of place is a brothel? It's a melting pot of all sorts of people. Hong Gu has been lying low for so long; who can guarantee she hasn't cultivated her own informants within the government? What if the enemy launches an inside attack?

Li Mulin's expression changed immediately: "Then, what should we do?"

"One must remain calm in the face of great events," Zhang Yi said calmly, waving his hand.

"No matter what schemes or tricks the enemy may have, in addition to checking for and addressing any shortcomings in our security work and taking preventative measures, we must do everything in our power to find the enemy's hiding place, even if it means digging three feet into the ground."

Li Mulin opened his mouth, his disappointment instantly showing on his face: "We've mobilized all the manpower we could, but the enemy seems to have vanished into thin air. We don't have a single clue now."

“‘Disappear’ is an interesting word. It’s like there’s a hole in the ground, and they suddenly crawled into it?” Zhang Yi further guided the discussion.

"A tunnel? Director Zhang, you mean they dug a tunnel?"

Zhang Yi chuckled: "Hard to say. If it were you, where would you hide it?"

Li Mulin thought for a moment and replied, "If it were me, I would definitely hide in a pre-prepared safe house or transit station first."

Zhang Yi nodded: "If I were her, I would have done the same." He stood up and said, "Let's go."

Li Mulin was taken aback: "Where to?"

"Red Sleeve Pavilion!"

"Red Sleeve Pavilion? My men have searched it all, leaving no stone unturned, but we haven't found a single clue."

"what about others?"

"others?"

"A person's whereabouts, residence, identity, and even appearance can be changed, but tastes and habits are hard to change. Does this Hong Gu smoke? What brand of cigarettes does she smoke? What does she eat every day? What is her favorite dish? Have you found out all of these things?"

Li Mulin raised an eyebrow, feeling that this was as good as saying nothing. As a seasoned undercover agent, how could Hong Gu not understand this? The people in the Supervision Office had searched carefully but had not obtained any valuable information. Based on this, Hong Gu's departure was planned and deliberate, and could be described as calm and unhurried. The trash had already been disposed of.

Zhang Yi noticed Li Mulin's subtle changes in expression, and he shook his head, saying:

"Even the wisest person can make a mistake, and even the most foolish person can have a stroke of genius. The most cautious person will leave clues in their own backyard. The key to many things lies in these unnoticed clues. So, no matter what, we must go and investigate this Red Sleeve Pavilion again."

Before Li Mulin could refute, Zhang Yi said in an unquestionable tone:

"Let's go."

"Yes." Monkey Qian Xiaosan immediately gathered his weapons and followed.

What could Li Mulin say? After hesitating for a moment, he followed, even though he had given up hope of a successful search.

A light rain began to fall from the night sky at some point, and several cars carrying Zhang Yi and others headed towards the Red Sleeve Pavilion.

The Red Sleeve Pavilion was shrouded in darkness. The red lanterns at the alley entrance swayed in the night wind. The unrestrained laughter and intermittent pipa music of the past had long since disappeared. The air still held the scent of rouge and the decadent smell of opium paste.

Zhang Yi lit a cigarette, observed for a while, and waved his hand, saying, "You few guard the door, the rest of you search in pairs. Search carefully, leave no stone unturned, not a single corner unchecked."

"Yes."

Plainclothes officers, flashlights in hand, scurried through the corridor of the brothel, entering the bedrooms spaced four or five steps apart like wolves, ransacking each room and searching for any belongings left behind. Clearly, the Japanese spies had made a premeditated and planned escape; though hasty, they left nothing behind containing personal information. There wasn't a single photograph or anything bearing identification; only a few old clothes and personal toiletries remained.

Zhang Yi put on gloves and entered the room where Hong Gu was staying, carefully searching around.

This small entertainment room is less than ten square meters, but it is small yet complete, with a sofa, coffee table, gramophone and other amenities. It is clear that Hong Gu knows how to enjoy life.

The room was ransacked, with some items on the bed and others scattered on the floor, all open and strewn about.

He found a piece of dental floss in the trash can next to the sofa, picked it up, looked at it, and casually tossed it onto the table.

Then he bent down and peered through the narrow gap under the bed, pulling out an iron basin for burning documents. He carefully searched through the ashes but found no fragments that were not completely burned.

Looking up and thinking for a moment, he saw Qian Xiaosan turning his back to him and rummaging through several newspapers. When no one was looking, he threw in a piece of half-burnt paper, then carefully picked it up with his fingers and examined it in the light of a flashlight, as if it contained a huge secret.

Meanwhile, Li Mulin was directing several plainclothes officers to search the restroom. One officer stepped on another to examine the ceiling, while the other two touched and examined the water tank, sink pipes, and other areas.

"Director, there's nothing up there, just dust!"

An undercover officer stared at the lampshade for a while.

Li Mulin looked at him: "What's wrong? Did you find anything?"

Plainclothes officer: "Report, it just feels a bit too clean."

Li Mulin was taken aback, pushed him away, and personally disassembled the lampshade and lamp holder. After feeling around for a long time, she found nothing.

He then asked another plainclothes officer inspecting the floor, "What about down there? Did you find anything?"

"No."

Li Mulin curled his lip, now even more convinced of his earlier judgment: the Japanese spies had already cleared out anything of value. They were all cunning foxes, what were they doing playing these ghost stories? In the dead of night, instead of wasting manpower and energy searching here, it would be better to go home, get a good night's sleep, and recharge for a thorough house-to-house search tomorrow.

Just as I was inwardly grumbling, I suddenly heard someone excitedly shout, "Found it!"

"what happened?"

"It seems like Director Zhang has found something!"

Li Mulin stared in disbelief. Realizing what was happening, he quickly walked towards Zhang Yi, turning back angrily to curse:

"A bunch of idiots!"

Upon arriving at Zhang Yi's room, Qian Xiaosan examined the remaining half of the telegram manuscript with great interest, clicking his tongue and saying:

"The Chief's insight is truly remarkable, with keen observation and keen perception!"

Li Mulin felt increasingly annoyed, then turned sharply to glare at his subordinates who were looking at each other in bewilderment behind him, before leaning over to ask:
"What did you find?"

Qian Xiaosan handed over the remaining draft of the telegram and said, "Although it's quite badly damaged, you can still vaguely make out a few words. It's in Japanese. The chief said it's Liuying Street. Deputy Station Chief Li, you're familiar with Luoyang, so what place is this?"

Li Mulin took the draft, looked at it again and again, sighed deeply, and said with shame, "Director Zhang, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault for not searching carefully enough; we almost missed such an important clue. I..."

Zhang Yi, without looking to the side, waved his hand to interrupt him:
"Now is not the time to assign blame. Let's talk about Liuying Street."

“Yes.” Li Mulin nodded and explained, “Liuying Street was originally the outskirts of Luoyang. It used to be a mining area. After the Xinhe Rebellion, the miners killed officials and rebelled, and many people died there. Later, the area was abandoned. Later, as the city expanded, that area was included.”

"Map!" Zhang Yi immediately had someone bring a map and asked Li Mulin to circle the location of Liuying Street. After carefully examining it, he saw that the provincial government offices were just one kilometer west of Liuying Street, and the power plant was just north of it. He had a look of sudden realization on his face. "The enemy has played a trick on me, hiding it in the dark."

Li Mulin sneered, "These Japanese spies are nothing but rats. So they've been hiding in this godforsaken place. No wonder we can't find them." He then straightened up, bowed, and asked with feigned relief:

"Director Zhang, when should we take action?"

"Assemble the team now." Zhang Yi glanced at his watch; it was already 1:30 a.m. "People are most tired around 3 or 5 a.m. There's plenty of time. Not only us, but we also need to bring a fully armed military police force from the garrison command."

He paused, then looked at Li Mulin. “Compared to the operation itself, secrecy is more important. From now on, no one participating in tonight’s operation shall act alone. Everyone shall work in pairs, cooperate with each other, keep their guns with them at all times, and be ready to act at any time.”

He raised his wrist, signaling everyone, "1:30 a.m., set the time, check your weapons, and get ready to go."

Everyone in the room started checking their watches.

Then came the sounds of a safety switch being activated, the magazine being ejected, the bullets being checked, and the magazine being reloaded.

Li Mulin also excitedly pulled out his pistol and checked the magazine.

The people he brought tonight were all from the Inspection Office. These people don't usually have many opportunities to handle guns. At this moment, some of them looked excited, some looked a little nervous, and some, like Zhang Yi and Qian Xiaosan, had no emotion on their faces.

"Let's go. Remember, all cars, park far away. Proceed separately according to plan. Once you reach the designated location, follow orders and act together. Do not turn on your headlights or honk your horns."

Zhang Yi repeated this last sentence three times.

"Yes."

Half an hour later, the car quietly arrived near Liuying Street.

After another half hour, a large group of fully armed military police quietly arrived and, as instructed, surrounded Liuying Street from all sides.

The rain is getting heavier.

Zhang Yi sat in a car parked on the side of the street, closing his eyes to rest.

Time passed second by second, and the pocket watch in Zhang Yi's hand ticked away. Suddenly, the ticking stopped abruptly.

"action!"

At Zhang Yi's command, the plainclothes officers immediately gripped their pistols, opened the car doors in an orderly and swift manner, and got out of the car one after another.

The plainclothes officers, who emerged from various vehicles, coordinated with each other and silently escorted Liuying Street from two directions.

(End of this chapter)