My spy diary

Chapter 606 Do you want to pull off a big heist? (Seeking monthly votes)
The moon is dark and the wind is high.

After leaving the hospital, Zhang Yi walked along the same route he had come from, heading towards the side of the street to retrieve his car. The person who had been watching him earlier continued to follow him at a respectful distance.

Zhang Yi seemed completely unaware of this.

At the Jiangshan Hotel, Dai Chunfeng sat on the sofa, closed the telegram he had just received, and sighed softly. A call came from Jiang Shaomo of Shanghai's Second District: "Dingzi is off duty today and doesn't yet know the specifics. We've tried to verify it through other channels."

Dai Chunfeng had initially placed high hopes on Jiang Shaomo, but Jiang had failed him at the crucial moment. He knew that intelligence and military situations were constantly changing, and by the time the other side had verified the information, it might be too late. So, he snorted, pondered for a moment, and then issued a new order:
"Contact Director Mao immediately and have him tell Shoehead to obtain the intelligence information as soon as possible at all costs."

As the clerk wrote down the message and began coding, Deputy Jia said worriedly, "Director, shouldn't we reconsider? After all, the intelligence gatherers always obtain information indirectly. If we take direct action, the risk will increase exponentially."

Dai Chunfeng nodded, hesitated for a moment, but still said firmly:

"This is indeed very dangerous, but the military situation is urgent, and we must accomplish it at all costs and overcome all obstacles. Execute it!"

"Yes." Lieutenant Jia nodded heavily.

"Has Director Zhang returned?"

"Not yet, they should still be in the hospital."

"Oh." Dai Chunfeng paused, then asked, "Where is Station Chief Tong?"

"I've been waiting in my room downstairs."

"Tell him to come up."

"Yes."

The dark street was almost deserted. Zhang Yi walked slowly, then suddenly stopped, lit a cigarette, and listened intently. The follower seemed caught off guard and hastily hid in a corner, making a rustling sound.

From this, Zhang Yi had already determined that the other party was definitely not a trained person.

So, who exactly is he? And why are we following him?

Thinking this, Zhang Yi walked along and suddenly turned into an alley.

The pursuer quickly caught up, pulling a gleaming dagger from his back as he walked.

Just as he turned the corner and entered the alley, the follower was tripped by Zhang Yi. Caught off guard, he stumbled forward and fell face-first to the ground with a "thud."

Zhang Yi bent down, pressed his knee against the man's lower back, pinched the man's tiger's mouth with his hand, and the dagger was in his hand. Then he grabbed the man's hair and pressed the dagger against his throat.

The moment the lighter lit up with a "click," Zhang Yi looked closely and realized that the person following him was actually a junior policeman, someone he seemed to have seen at the banquet.

The man, with a ferocious expression and heavy breathing, lay there staring intently at him.

With a clang, remembering what the nurse had said about the young policeman who brought Shen Ruozhu to the hospital, Zhang Yi guessed it was this man. He threw the dagger aside and looked at him, saying:

"Because of Shen Ruozhu?"

The young policeman's face turned bright red. He didn't say anything, but just glared fiercely at Zhang Yi.

Zhang Yi released him and stood up.

"If I don't teach you a lesson, do you think I'm a coward?" The young policeman scrambled to his feet and pounced on him like a hungry tiger. Just as they were about to meet, Zhang Yi nimbly dodged to the side and pushed the young policeman away. The policeman stumbled and fell down again, getting a mouthful of dust.

"Soft-legged Crab" gritted his teeth, acting like a madman, trying to get up and charge again. Zhang Yi took two steps forward, slamming him against the wall, using his knee to brace his leg, grabbing his chin with one hand, lifting his entire face high, and sternly rebuking him:

"Do you want to die?"

The young police officer struggled: "I'll kill you even if it kills me!"

"Just because you like Shen Ruozhu and she doesn't like you, you're going to kill someone?" Zhang Yi sneered, shoving him aside. The young policeman fell against the wall.

Zhang Yi looked at him and said, "If I were a woman, I wouldn't be interested in you either."

The young policeman leaned to one side, glaring at him resentfully.

Seeing his disheveled appearance, Zhang Yi suddenly couldn't bring himself to mock him, and added:
"Instead of thinking about this, you should learn more skills and be more filial to your parents."

The young policeman, hot-blooded and impetuous, jumped to his feet, glaring at him with eyes full of hatred.

"If you don't kill me today, I'll kill you sooner or later. If not today, there's always tomorrow."

Zhang Yi's temper flared up, his pupils contracted slightly, but he swallowed back the words he was about to say. Why bother arguing with a fool? He twitched his lips, then walked on without looking at him again.

"Hey Zhang, if you don't like her, why did you provoke her and hurt her!" The young policeman shouted angrily from behind him, his voice heart-wrenching and piercing.

This fool is being used without even realizing it, and yet he's complaining on behalf of others. Seeing this, Zhang Yi shook his head helplessly. To be honest, his feelings towards Shen Ruozhu were complicated. He hadn't figured out how to deal with her yet, and could only wait and see.

Seeing Zhang Yi stop, the young policeman paused for a moment, assuming he was feeling guilty, and became even more emboldened:

"Don't think that just because you have power and influence, I can't do anything to you. Believe me or not, I'll go to Chongqing and report you."

"Sue me? Why don't you go see the Chairman?" Zhang Yi couldn't help but laugh. "Do you even know which way the gate of Shangqing Temple faces? Even the Chairman can't control matters of love between men and women, yet you dare to sue me?"

Zhang Yi turned around and slowly walked back, until he reached Zhang Yi's side.

The young policeman was terrified, but he mustered his courage and stared back at him.

Zhang Yi looked into his eyes and asked, "How much do you like her?"

"I'd die for her, could you?"

"Instead of saying you'd die for her, it's better to learn to live well first and help her solve her current problems. That's much more practical than empty promises." Zhang Yi glanced at him, lost interest in speaking, and turned to leave.

The young policeman wanted nothing more than to knock him to the ground and beat him half to death, but sensing the sarcasm in Zhang Yi's words, he immediately retorted:

"Hey Zhang, fortunes change every thirty years, don't underestimate a young man's potential."

However, "East of the River, West of the River" never received a reply from Zhang Yi, only the roar of a car engine.

Poverty itself is not terrible; what is terrible is complacency, taking poverty for granted, and using "Don't underestimate a poor young person" as a fig leaf to escape reality.

The night was dark and gloomy.

Zhang Yi parked his car far away on the street near the South Gate Hotel and looked through the car window at the soft light shining from the hotel window.

According to intelligence, the Japanese spy Shibahara Heizaburo, who goes by the alias Su Wenjing, lives here and is plotting some conspiracy.

But intelligence is intelligence; the problem is how to explain the source of the intelligence appropriately, so as to convince the other party without arousing suspicion.

Otherwise, you'll only get yourself into trouble.

If the timing is not right, acting blindly and rashly can easily backfire, resulting in more harm than good. However, if the pace is too slow and the actions are sluggish, it is easy to miss a good opportunity. If Shibahara Heizaburo takes the lead, the consequences will be dire. To grasp this balance, a crucial prerequisite is to keep a close eye on Shibahara Heizaburo's every move, to know oneself and one's enemy, and to act accordingly.

Just as Zhang Yi was pondering this, he suddenly saw a dark figure climb out of a window on the second floor of the inn. Then came the sound of thumping on the stairs, followed by a disheveled old woman carrying a kitchen knife rushing out of the doorway, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Catch the thief! Catch the robber!" The old woman seemed to be using all her strength, so much so that her voice cracked as she shouted.

The thief jumped from the second floor, did a somersault, and ran away.

The woman's shouts not only startled the nearby residents, but also Zhang Yi, who lived nearby, and even Shibahara Heisaburo on the third floor of the inn.

In room 302 on the third floor, there were two people sitting. A man and a woman.

The man was tall and thin, with a refined demeanor, and wore gold-rimmed glasses. He was none other than Shibahara Heizaburo, who was using the alias Su Wenjing.

The woman wasn't the glamorous type, but she possessed a charming and graceful demeanor, with lively eyes and a captivating smile.

Her name is Matsushima Ryoko, and she uses the alias Su Jingyi. She has been lurking in the local Yicui Tower.

She secretly informed Shibahara Heisaburo that Dai Chunfeng was coming to Jiangshan.

According to the plan, the two would meet in this room on the third floor of the hotel and take out the target with a sniper rifle.

But the window of the room across the street was completely covered by thick curtains, so you couldn't see anything inside.

Seeing that this plan was not working, Shibahara Heisaburo prepared to activate the backup plan.

The two were discussing when they were suddenly interrupted by this hoarse shout.

Not daring to be careless, Shibahara Heizaburo immediately walked carefully to the window, hooked a corner of the curtain with his finger, and looked out through the gap.

Following his gaze, I saw the middle-aged woman brandishing a kitchen knife, chasing a man across the street. The two of them ran wildly towards another alleyway.

"Has something happened?" Ryoko Matsushima asked, somewhat uneasy. The sudden appearance of a thief made her feel that something was very wrong.

Shibahara Heizaburo seemed unconvinced by her doubts, shaking his head and saying:
"Stay calm, our identities can withstand scrutiny, don't worry."

Ryoko Matsushima gave a stiff smile: "Maybe I'm overthinking it, but something just feels off."

Shibahara Heizaburo smiled confidently and gently put his arm around her waist: "Relax, everything is going according to plan."

What if he still deviates from our plans?

"Wolves travel a thousand miles to eat meat, dogs travel a thousand miles to eat excrement. It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature." Shibahara Heizaburo smiled mysteriously. "If everything goes smoothly, we'll already be in Hangzhou by this time tomorrow."

"just in case"

"Then we have no choice but to go all in and kill him at all costs!" The room was dark, and Shibahara Heizaburo sneered in the darkness.

Just then, the telephone on the bedside table rang. Shibahara Heizaburo glanced at Matsushima Ryoko, who went over, answered the phone, and waited for the other person to say something before saying, "Okay, I understand."

She had just hung up the phone when Shibahara Heizaburo asked, "How did it go?"

"It's Chief Tong from the Military Intelligence Bureau who's here."

Shibahara Heisaburo was overjoyed: "The fish has taken the bait, now it's up to you."

On the other side, the sudden scene of the middle-aged woman chasing a thief with a kitchen knife stunned Zhang Yi for a few seconds. But he quickly realized something, quietly got out of the car, and followed her.

The thief was chased by the old lady into a dead-end alley. He struggled to climb over the wall and slid into another alley. He was panting heavily, still shaken, when a large hand pressed down on his shoulder.

He was startled and was about to retaliate when he found something hard pressing against his lower back. He paused, and before he could utter a single word, "you," a slap landed on his face.

The thief covered his face, completely bewildered.

Zhang Yi didn't say anything, but pulled him by the collar and led him outside.

Only when they reached the entrance of the alley did he speak his first words with a stern face: "Hands behind your head, squat down!"

The thief obediently squatted down, still shaken by the slap he'd just received: "Who are you? This humble one, Lu Shu'er, was out looking for some fun, but I don't know which deity I've offended?"

Zhang Yi was taken aback, then realized he was being tactful, and sneered:
"You think you're qualified to talk to me, you little punk?"

Among the various professions in the underworld, the thieves' profession is also known as "Rongmen," where "Rong" means glory and honor, naturally meant to beautify the profession and decorate its appearance.

The world of thieves is a special circle with its own unconventional way of communicating, known as underworld slang.

Skilled thieves are called "Old Rong" or "Little Thief".

Seeing that he knew everything, Lu Shu'er secretly thought that he had either encountered a double-cross or a "clown," and became even more guilty:
"No, no, that's not what I meant."

Zhang Yi snorted coldly: "Then what do you mean? Why don't you take out the hide?"

The leather is the wallet.

Lu Shuer looked aggrieved: "Big brother, grandpa, I'm just a fitter. I'm having a bad day. I didn't even have a chance to start before that fat woman found me."

"With that pointy-mouthed, monkey-faced look, he's obviously a habitual thief. How dare he lie to me?"

"Really, I wouldn't lie to you. I had my eye on a fat sheep, and I even scouted the place during the day, but who knew..."

"what?"

There was no one in the room.

"No one's in the room?" Zhang Yi sensed something was wrong and immediately said, "Tell me about your site visit experience, the more detailed the better."

Lu Shuer looked at Zhang Yi with a helpless and uneasy expression. After a pause, she recounted her afternoon's experiences in detail.

He pulled off a job that afternoon; the leash wasn't fat, but it was enough for a good meal. He'd just finished eating and was picking his teeth as he left the restaurant when his fellow villager, a rickshaw puller, mysteriously approached him and told him something: he'd just picked up a customer who was very generous and looked like a fat sheep.

The two agreed that after the deed was done, they would split the profits equally.

Hearing that there was a fat sheep, Lu Shu'er was very interested in it. After making some inquiries, he quickly found out that the person was staying at the South Gate Inn.

"and then?"

Lu Shuer said dejectedly, "I peeked at the hotel's front desk register. He clearly stayed in room 202, but when I opened the door, it was empty. No one was staying there at all."

Zhang Yi seemed to be deep in thought.

Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Lu Shu'er became anxious and pleaded desperately:
"Sir, may I leave now?"

Zhang Yi thought for a moment and said, "Want to pull off something big?"

Lu Shu'er's eyes widened.

(End of this chapter)