My spy diary

Chapter 596 Stunned (Part 2)

"Please calm down, Director!" Zhang Yi, equally bewildered, looked at Deputy Officer Jia and asked, "What happened?"

Lieutenant Jia opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say, so he could only give a bitter smile.

Zhang Yi was even more puzzled: "Did something go wrong at the press conference?"

Lieutenant Jia: "No, that's not it."

Zhang Yi and the other two eagerly awaited his reply, but after a long while, Deputy Officer Jia showed no sign of continuing.

Station Master Tong was the first to lose his composure. He looked around cautiously and asked:

"Chief, what exactly happened?"

"Useless idiot!" Dai Chunfeng's eyes widened, his face dark, clearly still angry, and he paced back and forth on the ground. "Tell them what our Director Zhao has done."

"Yao Zechong is dead," said the adjutant in a low voice.

Deputy Officer Jia already knew the details, but only Director Gong and Station Chief Tong were unaware of the inside story. At this moment, like Zhang Yi, they were even more confused upon hearing this. Wasn't the punishment of Yao Zechong personally approved by Boss Dai? Why were they so alarmed?

Although Yao Zechong is dead, it's inevitable that everyone feels a sense of shared sorrow and sympathy. Regardless of whether he deserved his fate, as colleagues, or as people who are weak, we can't help but feel sympathy or regret. As for whether we were secretly gloating, only heaven knows.

Station Chief Tong found Boss Dai and Deputy Officer Jia's behavior very strange. He looked suspiciously at Zhang Yi and Director Gong, who were both frowning, and hesitantly asked:
"Director Dai, is there something I'm the only one who doesn't know?" It was understandable that he asked this, since everyone else present was from headquarters and he felt that they were hiding something from him.

Dai Chunfeng's face was gloomy. He rubbed his temples, as if talking to himself, "I didn't tell you about this not because I didn't trust you, but because I didn't want you to be implicated. People aren't plants or trees; how can they be without feelings? Considering Yao Zechong's loyalty to the Party and the country, and with Commander Li's mediation, I originally intended to let him off the hook, to give him a small punishment as a warning. It's never too late to correct one's mistakes, right? Who knew..."

What a joke! It's clearly condoning evil and covering it up.

Of course, in Dai's view, this was perfectly justifiable. Protecting Yao Zechong would only let everyone know that he, Dai Yunong, was a loyal and sentimental boss who appreciated kindness. Such praise is the hardest to come by for an incumbent official, yet it's also the praise they most desire.

"A scholar will die for one who understands him," he believed that after this experience, Yao Zechong would only become more loyal to him.

The blame lies with that incompetent Zhao Longwen, who spoke with such conviction and conviction, yet turned around and sent Yao Zechong to the execution ground.

"Damn it, the prince has been replaced by a civet cat! We don't know if the civet cat is dead or not, but the prince has ascended to heaven."

"Take it too far and have Yao Zechong executed?" Station Chief Tong blurted out.

"How could this be?" Zhang Yi and Director Gong stared wide-eyed in shock, completely unprepared for this outcome.

Dai Chunfeng fell silent, snorted twice, and felt increasingly uncomfortable.

"Humans are emotional beings. It's a pity that the Director's good intentions went awry." Station Chief Tong tried to ease the atmosphere with a sigh, then frowned: "Wait a minute, if it was a well-planned thing, how could things go wrong?"

"Ask me? I'd like to know too!" Dai Chunfeng snorted coldly.

Silence. The atmosphere was so tense that everyone's heart tightened.

Just then, a rapid knocking sounded at the door, and a guard shouted from outside, "Director Zhao, Mr. Dai is discussing business. Please wait for me."

Zhao Longwen burst through the door, looking utterly dejected, and said:

"Director Dai, I am willing to accept the investigation."

Dai Chunfeng had lost her temper and simply looked at him coldly: "Explain yourself."

The atmosphere in the room was somewhat tense. Zhao Longwen, feeling uneasy, said dejectedly, "I also can't understand why this is happening, Mingming."

"Obviously what?"

"Everything was arranged perfectly. I personally picked him up this morning and even had someone change his socks. Everything was fine then. Who would have thought..."

At this moment, Zhang Yi interjected, asking, "Who is he? Is he the scapegoat? Does Director Zhao mean you saw him with your own eyes when you picked him up?"

Zhao Longwen was taken aback, somewhat uncertain. He stammered for a long time before hesitantly saying:
"No, for secrecy, the prisoner always wears a hood." He sighed heavily. "If I had known this would happen, I should have taken off his hood to check him out. What I feared most has come to pass; it's bizarre."

"You brainless idiot!" Dai Chunfeng interrupted him, asking sternly, "Didn't you know to verify his identity before the execution?"

Zhao Longwen, reprimanded and too ashamed to raise his head, offered a dry explanation: "It wasn't convenient for me to handle this myself, so I left it to my nephew, Zhao Wenwu. I repeatedly gave him instructions. His men were present during the handover this morning, and he reported that everything was normal. At that time..."

Where is Zhao Wenwu?

"He didn't come to work today. I wish I had known."

"Shut up." Dai Chunfeng interrupted him angrily. "If only I had known, if only I had known! What good is hindsight? He was involved in such an important matter, how could he not come to work? He had no vigilance at all, he was so careless, it's no wonder something bad happened."

Zhao Longwen listened with a humiliated expression, not daring to say anything other than "Yes, yes, yes".

"Please calm down, Chief." Zhang Yi's expression was grave as he offered his suggestion. "The one who tied the knot must untie it. We should find Zhao Wenwu immediately to find out what really happened last night." He paused, then added, "Oh, and those two police officers guarding the prisoners. Besides them, there's that scapegoat, Chief Zhao. What's his name?"

"Fatty Li, his real name seems to be Li Yishan."

Dai Chunfeng seemed to be pondering something. After listening to the two finish speaking, he paused for a moment before saying:
“Then let’s do it this way. I’m also very curious about what exactly happened in that house last night.”

After saying this, Dai Chunfeng looked at Station Chief Tong:
"Did you hear what Director Zhang said? Immediately get your men moving, split into three groups, and bring all of these people back to me."

"Yes." Station Chief Tong bowed and walked away with a triumphant air.

As a newcomer to the station, he was no match for the local authorities and was constantly hampered by the supervisory office and the police station. Now it was finally the Kuomintang's turn to show its skills.

The arrest operation was carried out in full swing.

When intelligence organizations operate efficiently, their efficiency can sometimes be frighteningly high.

First, Liu San and Zhao Si were arrested in their respective homes.

After handing over their shifts, the two men didn't go home immediately. Instead, they went to a restaurant and indulged in a feast, basking in Director Zhao's promise of promotion and wealth. In their excitement, they drank a little before going home, completely unaware that the "prince" they had been protecting all night was dead. He was dragged from his bed by several ruthless agents and interrogated on the spot.

When Liu San and Zhao Si heard that Yao Zechong was dead, they were shocked, but they were equally confused about how "Li Yishan" had become "Yao Zechong".

However, this attitude was seen as mere feigned ignorance by the Kuomintang agents, who immediately beat them up.

Finally, Liu San and Zhao Si couldn't hold back any longer and confessed everything that had happened the night before.

It was said that the police station had experienced a power outage last night. After Zhao Wenwu sent the two away, the agents concluded that Zhao Wenwu was a prime suspect. While the good news reached the police station, another team found nothing at Li Yishan's house.

Undeterred, the spies split up to search, while simultaneously sending a group to the city gate to verify the information.

After verifying with the military police of the garrison command guarding the city gate, it was confirmed that a man named Li Yishan had indeed taken his daughter out of the city in the middle of the night last night. Although their behavior was suspicious, the military police allowed them to leave the city because they had a police station pass with Director Zhao Wenwu's personal seal, and all the paperwork was in order.

At this point, suspicion against Zhao Wenwu intensified.

But then he disappeared.

He can't be found in the office, at home, or in the brothels and bars he frequents.

Where is Zhao Wenwu?

As he listened to the continuous stream of intelligence reports, Dai Chunfeng's face darkened, and he suddenly shouted sternly, "Zhao Longwen, where is your good nephew?"

Zhao Longwen was pale and felt worse than ever before. He simply couldn't believe that his nephew had done this.

Is this little beast trying to get himself killed? Why would he do that?

If he really did it, he really doesn't know how to explain himself, and his career is completely over.

"Director!" Zhao Longwen was on the verge of tears. "Director, please let me explain. I watched Wenwu grow up. I know his character. He wouldn't dare disobey my orders even if I had ten lives. There must be some misunderstanding here. His disappearance is too suspicious. Maybe something has happened to him. Director, there must be someone behind this, trying to frame him."

"Of course I'm willing to believe you, but how do you explain the police officers' statements, the passes, and the personal seal on the passes?"

"Chief, give me three days, no, one day. I will get to the bottom of this. If it really was that little bastard, I'll kill him myself."

"Chief, a major discovery!" Before Zhao Longwen could finish speaking, Station Chief Tong pushed his way in, his face beaming with excitement. "Chief, we just found Zhao Wenwu's car near the police station. This is what we found in his car: a miniature tape recorder." He proudly waved the tape recorder in front of everyone.

"A tape recorder? What's recorded on it?"

"I haven't even had a chance to check it yet, right now!" Station Chief Tong fiddled with the recorder for a few moments, then pressed play. A dry, resentful voice came from the recorder:
"I am Zhao Wenwu."

Everyone stared wide-eyed in astonishment!
Dai Chunfeng immediately said, "What? Zhao Wenwu? Pause first, turn the volume up to the maximum."

Station Chief Tong did as instructed, and then Zhao Wenwu's clear voice came through the recorder, which everyone could hear clearly:
“I am Zhao Wenwu. I don’t know if anyone will ever hear this recording. Regardless of whether they do or not, I think I will probably have already escaped Jiangsu and Zhejiang or died by then. As I am about to leave, there are some things I have to say. If I don’t say them now, I’m afraid I will never have the chance again. My uncle, no, I mean Zhao Longwen, his despicable actions are contemptible. I really can’t stand it.”

This sentence seems to be spoken with great effort.

The people in the conference room were shocked and full of doubts. Wasn't it Zhao Wenwu who did this?
How did Zhao Longwen get dragged into this again?

It was his nephew who personally reported it; this is a case of upholding justice even at the cost of family ties.

What heinous crime did Zhao Longwen commit?
Zhao Longwen's face was ashen, suppressing his emotions, his lips trembling as he spoke:

"Director Dai, this is a frame-up, this is a trap."

Station Chief Tong asked with an air of righteous indignation, "Old Zhao, what do you mean by this? Am I framing you?"

"Shut up!" Dai Chunfeng was equally suspicious. This sudden recording was beyond his expectations. He interrupted Zhao Longwen sharply and gave Jia, the adjutant, a wink. "Take him away. No one is allowed to leave without my permission."

"Yes."

Zhao Longwen was taken away, while the others continued listening to the radio:
"Zhao Longwen is not a good official, not even a good person. He always uses loyalty to the Party and the country, and loyalty to the respected Director Dai, as a pretext to manipulate power, cultivate his own faction, embezzle and accept bribes, and line his own pockets. He doesn't love his Party and the country at all; all he cares about is his own interests and himself. He's always been cold to me. Perhaps I disappointed him, or perhaps we're just not on the same page; we were never meant to be. But when he thought I had some use to him..." Zhao Wenwu's voice was filled with anger. He paused for a moment, then continued, "Last night—no, yesterday—he suddenly found me."

"He told me that the Plum Blossom spy case was about to be closed and that he needed to give an account to everyone, but Yao Zechong had already privately given Commander Li and him benefits. Therefore, he promised to speak well of Li Jue to Boss Dai and use the trick of switching the prince to save the person."

He asked me if I had a suitable candidate. I suggested finding a death row inmate from prison to take his place, but he disagreed. He had somehow set his sights on Li Yishan, who ran a shoe repair stall outside our bureau, and ordered me to secretly take care of the matter.

"Of course I disagreed. While I'm no saint myself—allowing Li Yishan to set up a stall outside the police station was nothing more than crocodile tears to satisfy my own desire for control—I have to ask myself honestly, he's already pitiful enough. How could I bear to send him to the guillotine? A person should have some principles, otherwise, what's the difference between them and animals?"

"However, when Zhao Longwen heard me say that, he actually slapped me across the face and flew into a rage. He said that this was a secret mission assigned by Boss Dai, and for the sake of the Military Intelligence Bureau and Boss Dai, we must consider the big picture at this time and avoid being sentimental and losing sight of the bigger picture. What does the life or death of a stinky cloth shoe have to do with me? He also said that as long as I do this job well and am fortunate enough to catch Boss Dai's eye, promotion and wealth will be just around the corner!"

"I don't know what got into me at the time. He sounded so sincere, and I actually went against my conscience and agreed to his request."

"However, what happened next was completely unexpected—Zhao Longwen actually changed his mind."

Just a few hours ago, at the welcome dinner for Boss Dai, he suddenly approached me again and told me things had changed. I thought he had finally had a change of heart and was going to release Li Yishan. But what he said next shocked me.

At this point, Zhao Wenwu's breathing became rapid, and after a long pause, he said, "It's unbelievable that he actually planned to pull another trick on the original plan, killing Yao Zechong without a word."

I asked him why?
He told me mysteriously that Yao Zechong had been making a fortune in arms smuggling with Li Jue, profiting from the national crisis. He said that his family was very wealthy, and instead of rescuing him and getting the promised thirty gold bars, it would be better to kill him and then he could take all of Yao's assets.

It is said that people die for wealth and birds die for food, but how can people be so shameless and so depraved?
When he saw that I remained silent, he actually threatened me with my wife and children.

How dare he? I'm his nephew!

Alas, one wrong step leads to another, and I'm sinking deeper and deeper into this mess.

But Zhao Longwen patted me on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, you won't get any deeper into trouble. Once you get through this, your future will only get smoother."

Really? "

"But after leaving the party, I became more and more afraid. If I really did what he said, and Yao Zechong was really killed, Boss Dai would be furious. If he investigated, I would be the first to be punished, and I probably wouldn't even be able to save my own life. What future would I be talking about?"

Perhaps, in order to shift the blame and for his own future, Zhao Longwen might kill me before Boss Dai does.

No, it's certain. Knowing him as I do, he's definitely capable of it; he's gone mad. Since that's the case, don't blame me for being ruthless in return. Zhao Longwen, you demon, you beast, I, Zhao Wenwu, will risk my life to expose your hypocritical face.

Good and evil will ultimately be rewarded; the cycle of karma is inescapable. Look up and see, who has ever escaped the judgment of Heaven?

"God, if you have any eyes, please let Boss Dai hear this recording soon!"

"I don't know if I can escape his clutches. I just hope he doesn't find this recording. That way, one day, this heartless bastard will confess and be brought to justice."

"Boss Dai, loyalty and filial piety have always been difficult to reconcile. I have not betrayed the Party and the country, the Military Intelligence Bureau, or you. I hope that you will treat my family kindly, considering my exposure of Zhao Longwen. Finally, please allow me to sing our bureau song one more time—'Revolutionary youth, prepare yourselves! Wise, benevolent, and courageous! Grasp the pulse of the present stage, stand at the forefront of the great era! Poverty and hardship cannot sway us, power and force cannot subdue us.'"

The recording ended there, leaving everyone speechless.

(End of this chapter)