My spy diary

Chapter 581 Solitary Confinement (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
He Shangyou remained noncommittal and continued to ask, "What about the code name and password for communication with the Night Falcon?"

"No," Lin Jingyi answered decisively.

Seeing his lack of cooperation, He Shangyou looked at him sharply.

Lin Jingyi realized he had misunderstood and quickly explained:

"They're using a radio, and the codebook is currently in Xu Zeng's hands."

“No wonder then.” Although He Shangyou was somewhat surprised, he quickly understood. This Night Falcon, lurking in the border region's security department, was perfectly capable of evading the Red Party's surveillance by taking advantage of his position. He smiled at Lin Jingyi, “Using others to achieve one's own ends, displaying great wisdom while appearing foolish—that's the true master. Alright, you can go now.”

He walked to the door, then remembered something and turned back to look at Lin Jingyi. "The handcuffs shouldn't be a problem for you. Three minutes. Remember to keep it quiet."

Even after He Shangyou left, Lin Jingyi was still shaken. Just as he himself had said, he had confessed everything and was now of no use to him. If the other party went back on his word, he would be completely finished.

He glanced warily at the doorway, then quickly bent down to pick up the chopsticks that had fallen to the ground, broke them in half, and used the sharp end to poke into the lock of the handcuffs, starting to fiddle with them.

A bead of sweat trickled into Lin Jingyi's eye. He blinked but didn't bother to wipe it away, focusing intently on unlocking the lock. He forced himself to calm down, silently counting down the seconds in his mind. Normally, unlocking a lock like this would only take a few seconds at most, but today a minute had already passed, and the lock still hadn't opened.

It has to be said that he is very flustered right now.

In the midst of a battle of sweat, suddenly, with a "click," the handcuffs were unlocked.

Lin Jingyi immediately tiptoed to the door of the interrogation room, listened carefully, and then cautiously opened the door.

He Shangyou returned to the next room, asked his subordinate for a cigarette, lit it, and while exchanging pleasantries, kept a close eye on the movements in the next room.

A short while later, a slight noise came from the corridor outside, and he knew that Lin Jingyi had succeeded.

He expressionlessly pulled a pistol from his back waist, cocked it, held it in his hand, then walked to the door with the gun, waited a while, and gently pushed the door open to come out.

As he walked down the corridor, he saw Lin Jingyi not far away crossing the corridor and reaching the main entrance at the end of the corridor.

Just as Lin Jingyi gently pushed open the door, greedily inhaling the fresh air with a joyful expression, and was about to step out, he coldly pulled the trigger.

"boom!"

Lin Jingyi collapsed to the ground, convulsing as she glanced back at the figure in the darkness, her face filled with disbelief.

"boom."

He Shangyou stepped forward and fired another shot, looking down at him with a mocking expression: "Some secrets are better left to the grave."

After saying this, he said to his subordinates who followed closely behind: "The traitor Lin Jingyi struggled in his death throes, injured the guards, and was shot dead on the spot during his escape. Notify the action department to conduct an autopsy."

In the quiet night, a small orange lamp was lit in Zhang Yi's house, and the curtains were drawn tightly, so there was no light outside.

Zhang Yi and Zheng Hu sat facing each other on the sofa.

“The presence of this night falcon is dangerous. Report it immediately,” Zhang Yi said solemnly.

As always, the speaker concealed the source of the information, and as always, the listener chose to believe it.

Zheng Huhe's face was grim: "With the nation in peril, these people aren't thinking about how to strike back at the Japanese invaders, but instead, they're still harboring treacherous intentions and keeping a close eye on us. Now it's not just the Military Intelligence Bureau, even the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics is colluding with the 76th Division, working together in cahoots." He grumbled, paused, and then seemingly casually asked, "By the way, how's it going on your end? Are they still suspicious of you?"

Zhang Yi glanced at him: "Trust is always temporary, while suspicion is permanent. Boss Dai will be restless every day until we uncover the mole lurking within."

Zheng Huhe thought for a moment and said, "That's exactly what I'm worried about. There's always been a common problem in the intelligence community."

"what?"

"How to utilize high-quality intelligence without revealing its source."

Zhang Yi understood what he meant. Agents in the enemy camp might expose spies within their own camp, but if you arrest and eliminate them all, it's tantamount to alerting the enemy to their own spies, thus putting your intelligence sources in danger.

Sometimes, the higher the quality and the greater the quantity of intelligence you provide, the greater the risk of exposure.

"The devil may be one foot tall, but the Tao is ten feet tall. I believe in your and Ke Gong's wisdom. I can barely handle things on my end."

Zheng Huhe smiled and said, "What wisdom do I have? I'm just your liaison now, helping you clean up the mess." As he spoke, he glanced at his watch; it was 1:50 a.m. He looked out the window. "I should go. By the way, all the comrades from Yuzhou who participated in the Niuzidao rescue have already evacuated to Baotashan."

"How is he? Is he alright?"

"It's not a big problem; he's already able to get out of bed and move around."

Zhang Yi smiled with satisfaction and watched him leave.

Early in the morning, He Shangyou, who hadn't slept all night, came to work full of energy.

He seemed to be in a good mood, humming a little tune as he pushed open the office door and said, as usual:
"Secretary Meng, call Department A immediately and schedule an appointment with Boss Dai. Tell him I have something important to report."

After waiting for a long time and seeing no movement from the small office next door, he couldn't help but feel displeased. Logically speaking, Secretary Meng should have arrived long ago, finished cleaning, and brewed his favorite tea.

What about people?

He strode over, angrily pushed open the door to the small office next door, and saw Secretary Meng standing in front of the dressing mirror, bruised and swollen, wiping her face with a cotton swab.

He Shangyou was completely bewildered and scolded in a low voice, "What's wrong with your face? What's going on?"

Secretary Meng was on the verge of tears, and said with a mournful face, "It's all because of Zhang Yi, Director, you must do me justice!"

"He hit you?"

"No, he...he forced me to be naked," Secretary Meng said, covering her face in shame and indignation, stammering for a long time before finally managing to explain.

Last night, under Zhang Yi's coercion, he ran half a mile in one breath, cut his foot and fell. He was in pain and angry. He finally met a rickshaw driver and ordered him to take off his clothes. Unexpectedly, the driver looked at him like he was crazy and, without saying a word, punched him with a fist the size of a sandbag.

"Senior, you must do me a favor!"

He Shangyou interrupted him: "I sent you to do the tracking, not to run naked. You're a disgrace. You're not as skilled as others, so what's there to be dissatisfied about? With Zhang Yi's methods, this is already showing mercy."

Secretary Meng was furious: "Director."

"I understand. Don't worry, he won't be able to keep this up for long." He Shangyou waved his hand and called over his adjutant, "Take him to the infirmary."

Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Secretary Meng felt a chill, but upon hearing these words, a thought struck her, and she began to ponder them carefully.

Inside the headquarters building, Zhang Yi returned, strolling leisurely down the corridor.

Although Dai Chunfeng gave him a leave of absence, he still wanted to use the rare free time to collect some intelligence and see if he could find any information about Japanese spies exploring for uranium ore from the intelligence reported by various local stations.

As he passed by an office, he noticed that the people inside were giving him strange looks, but when he looked back, they all quickly turned their faces away.

Zhang Yi was somewhat confused. He continued walking forward, ignoring the stares, but after only a few steps, he heard some snickers behind him. He immediately stopped, turned around, and walked into the office he had just passed.

The people in the office were whispering among themselves when they suddenly saw Zhang Yi appear in the doorway. They were instantly stunned and fell silent.

"what's the topic?"

Everyone lowered their heads and remained silent, looking timid.

Zhang Yi glanced around and then fixed his gaze on a lieutenant-level clerk. The man had a youthful face and was clearly a newcomer.
"Come out with me."

Lieutenant Zhang, timidly glancing left and right, waited for a long time, and seeing that his colleagues in the office were all standing aside and no one spoke to him, he could only quietly reply "Yes" before following Zhang Yi out, looking like a kitten that had been abandoned, bewildered and uneasy. In the corridor, Zhang Yi looked at the agent in front of him and asked:
"what's your name?"

"Li Shoucheng."

"Maintaining the status quo and being prudent? Not a bad name." Zhang Yi patted him on the shoulder. "So, what were you two talking about just now?"

Li Shoucheng glanced at it guiltily and stammered, "They...they said that Director Zhang likes men."

Zhang Yi was stunned, his hand frozen on his shoulder, and it took him a long time to awkwardly withdraw it.

Li Shoucheng watched timidly, expecting Director Zhang to fly into a rage, but Zhang Yi's face remained expressionless.
"Oh, them? Who are they?"

"Report, I only heard it from them, but I don't know who exactly spread it."

"Okay. Let's go back to work."

Zhang Yi smiled and left on his own, leaving the remaining agents in the room eyeing Li Shoucheng, this greenhorn, with their own thoughts.

"You're telling the truth, kid."

Do you think a fight might break out?

Anyway, there's going to be a good show to watch.

"Okay, I'll be right there." In the office, He Shangyou hung up the phone and was about to get up to report to Dai Chunfeng when suddenly the office door was pushed open roughly, and Zhang Yi walked in aggressively.

He Shangyou was taken aback, but immediately realized what was going on. He thought to himself, "You can't hold back anymore?" He couldn't help but feel a little more self-satisfied with his previous arrangement for Secretary Meng to alert the enemy.

He leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and said in a sarcastic tone:
"Director Zhang, you wouldn't come here without a reason. What is it?"

Where is Secretary Meng?

Secretary Meng's head's been beaten black and blue, and you're still holding a grudge? No matter what, he's still your secretary; even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner. His face darkened immediately.
"Get to the point, stop making a fuss."

"What about others?"

"Get to the point. I don't have the patience to listen to you beat around the bush."

"Okay, keep it simple. He followed me last night, did you arrange that?"

"Yes."

Zhang Yi smiled and said, "Oh, those things that Secretary Meng said, you arranged for them too?"

"Yes," He Shangyou replied casually, then stood up impatiently and waved his hand, saying, "Are you done? I have other things to do."

"Now that you've finished talking, it's time to settle the score." Zhang Yi walked over, grabbed his collar, and punched him.

He Shangyou was stunned. He couldn't believe that Zhang Yi would dare to attack him, and he immediately struggled desperately.

Zhang Yi's grip on He Shangyou's neck remained firm, and he continued to punch him repeatedly.

He Shangyou frantically tried to pry his fingers open, coughing violently.

"Zhang Yi, have you gone mad? Guards, come here!"

The two guards were shocked and kicked the door open. Just as they were about to pull Zhang Yi away, Zhang Yi suddenly pulled out a pistol and pressed it against He Shangyou's throat. The situation instantly froze.

The next office is the Operations Department office.

He Zhiyuan's secretary rushed in to report: "Sir, Director Zhang and Director He are fighting."

"A fight started?"

"Yes."

"Well, Director Zhang is young and hot-blooded after all. It's no wonder a fight broke out when they fabricated and spread such despicable rumors."

The secretary whispered, "Yes, saying that Director Zhang likes men is a disgrace and a stain on his reputation. This time, Director Zhang got really angry and beat Director He until his head was bleeding."

Hearing about the bloodied head, He Zhiyuan felt a sense of satisfaction. This He Shangyou, who promised to hand over a prisoner, had given him a corpse instead. He snorted and said:

"Brother Yunyi, when did your temper become so fiery? Let's go and try to persuade him."

Zhang Yi was facing off against the guards, while the secret agents at the door all peered up. He Zhiyuan entered with his secretary, almost failing to recognize He Shangyou. His once refined face was now a gruesome sight, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He Zhiyuan cursed, "Serves you right," then frowned and asked the expressionless Zhang Yi:

"Brothers, what's going on here?"

Zhang Yi: "I'm sorry, Mr. He. It's just a personal grudge."

He Zhiyuan pretended to be helpless: "I just heard about this. We've already hit each other and cursed each other. Give me some face and let's stop here. Don't actually kill anyone." As he spoke, he looked at He Shangyou and said, "Brother Shangyou, you're right. We're all colleagues. Even if we don't get along, you can't spread such immoral rumors. Your attitude is too ugly."

"Fuck you!" He Shangyou cursed, still completely bewildered. His words were cut short when Zhang Yi pressed the muzzle of his gun against him. Zhang Yi, with a stern face, said:

"I'm sorry, Director He, I can't give you that kind of face. Let's wait for Boss Dai to handle it."

"Oh fine."

No sooner had he finished speaking than hurried footsteps sounded, and Dai Chunfeng appeared at the door with his adjutant Jia and Mao Qiwu, their faces ashen.

"Zhang Yi, let go! Look at the state of yourselves, causing trouble and behaving like this. What do you think this place is? A vegetable market? You've completely disgraced the Military Intelligence Bureau. You're utterly lawless! Guards, arrest him and put him in solitary confinement!"

Watching the guards disarm Zhang Yi and take him away, He Shangyou shouted excitedly, "Chief, I'm not satisfied! They beat me like this for no reason!"

Mao Qiwu tugged at him: "Shh, no need to shout. Reason doesn't lie in raising your voice. If Zhang Yi really hit you for no reason, the bureau chief won't let him off the hook. Tell me, what caused the conflict between you two?"

"How should I know? He was acting like a madman, barging in looking for my secretary, and when he couldn't find her, he started hitting her. He beat me up like this, why am I even asking so many questions?"

"Look at you, you always have a cause and effect, a whole story. If you don't tell us, how are we supposed to punish Zhang Yi?"

“Cough, I might know.” At this moment, He Zhiyuan coughed lightly, leaned close to Boss Dai’s ear, and whispered a few words. Dai Chunfeng frowned, snorted coldly, called Mao Qiwu aside, and berated him:

"As the acting chief secretary, you handle everything, big and small. Did you know about this beforehand? Some things are fine for ordinary people to say, but for even the Military Intelligence Bureau to make wild guesses and spread rumors like this, what kind of behavior is this?"

Mao Qiwu had already heard the rumors, but he gloated and did nothing to stop them. Now, hearing Dai Chunfeng say this, he pretended to be blank and looked at him.

"You really don't know?"

Mao Qiwu couldn't keep up the act any longer and said innocently, "I heard it was Director He's secretary who grumbled a few words in the infirmary, and somehow it spread. Rumors stop with the wise, I thought..."

"You'd already heard about it?"

Mao Qiwu said awkwardly, "Yes, but I didn't expect it to spread so quickly. Everyone was just watching the show, but they still know their place and what's acceptable."

Dai Chunfeng waved his hand, interrupting him: "Your sense of propriety is just passed down by word of mouth? Even the parties involved know about it."

Mao Qiwu immediately understood: "Wait a moment, I'll go and tell them—that's enough, anyone who dares to discuss this further will be punished."

"Lock up the instigator too, and interrogate him properly." Dai Chunfeng snorted coldly and strode away. His cold expression was intimidating, and any passing agents would instinctively lower their heads upon seeing him.

(End of this chapter)