My spy diary

Chapter 608: Taking Advantage of the Situation (asking for monthly ticket)

"Sir, it seems like someone is following us."

Station Master Tong's Dodge sedan was driving smoothly on the road when suddenly the driver glanced at the rearview mirror and said in a low voice.

Station Chief Tong was puzzled. There weren't many cars in Jiangshan County. Apart from the military and government agencies, only a few gentry and wealthy merchants owned private cars. But these people were all elderly, and they had witnessed Zhao Longwen's murder tonight. They were all terrified and had already gone home. It was already the middle of the night. Who could it be?
He thought for a moment, about to pull back the curtain, then hesitated and said to the driver:
"accelerate!"

"Yes."

As soon as he finished speaking, the driver slammed on the gas, and the Dodge shot off like an arrow.

The secretary in the front row was fine, but Ryoko Matsushima and Station Master Tong in the back row were caught off guard and lurched backward due to inertia. Station Master Tong grabbed the front seat and said to the driver with an annoyance, "I'm an old man and it's fine, but please don't bump into the lady."

In the instant her body leaned backward, Ryoko Matsushima instinctively reached out and grabbed the seat in front of her. She immediately realized she shouldn't have done that, so she pretended she hadn't held on properly, swayed slightly, leaned back against the seat, and let out a soft cry.

"Are you alright?" Station Chief Tong glanced at her.

Pan Qiaolan shook her head without speaking, but her tense body and the way she gripped the seat tightly seemed to betray her nervousness.

Station Master Tong chuckled softly, said nothing more, lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, tilted his head to peek around, found nothing, and then snorted:
"Being careful is not a bad thing, but there's no need to be overly alarmed. Drive slowly, it's too bumpy."

"Yes." The driver didn't dare to argue and slowly slowed down, but his eyes were still warily glancing at the rearview mirror outside the car.

However, after waiting for a long time, the car behind never came up again.

In the car behind, Zhang Yi remained calm. It was the middle of the night, with few cars and people around, making it difficult to follow. So he simply turned around, took a side road, and overtook them.

At the Jiangshan Hotel, Dai Chunfeng was taking a shower.

For someone who loves taking baths, in addition to bathing in the morning and evening, sometimes they also bathe at noon. Whether it is the Dai Mansion in the mountain city or several other residences, the bathrooms are very elaborate, with the walls and floors inlaid with snow-white glazed tiles.

However, because the glazed tiles became very slippery when wet, Dai Chunfeng nearly slipped and fell several times, becoming furious and cursing. Fortunately, Shen Xishan was quick-witted and had a wooden board nailed together, then laid a bath towel on it, solving Dai's problem. He was very satisfied with this, thinking Shen Xishan was meticulous, good at managing a household, and had the potential to be a housekeeper, so he promoted him to head of general affairs.

Jiangshan Hotel was already the best hotel in the county, but everything is subject to comparison. It couldn't even compare to the basic facilities of the Dai Mansion, let alone the Central Hotel or the Huamao Hotel. What dissatisfied Dai Chunfeng most was naturally the bathroom; there wasn't even a shower. Helpless, he had his adjutant, Jia, find a bathtub.

At this moment, amidst the rising steam, Dai Chunfeng was soaking in the hot water, holding a towel and leaning against the edge of the tub, closing his eyes to rest, exuding a somewhat lazy and comfortable air. However, upon closer inspection, one could see a faint trace of doubt between his brows, which did not dissipate along with his relaxed posture.

Beside him, Lieutenant Jia, holding soap and a towel, was diligently scrubbing his back.

Just minutes earlier, upon learning that Station Chief Tong had arrived with "Little Pan Fei," he signaled to bring her up. However, a subsequent phone call made him change his mind.

Zhang Yi said on the phone that he had something extremely urgent to report. When asked what it was, Zhang Yi wouldn't say, which made him quite annoyed.

Thinking of this, Dai Chunfeng asked in an annoyed tone:
"What urgent matter could Zhang Yi possibly have in the middle of the night?"

The adjutant thought for a moment and said, "Could it be that he has seen through Major Shen Ruozhu?"

Dai Chunfeng remained silent and did not speak.

Just then, voices came from the corridor outside. Lieutenant Jia stopped what he was doing, listened intently, and said:

"It seems to be Director Zhang."

The corridor was dark, with only a sliver of light coming through the crack in the door. Dai Chunfeng's bodyguards, Cao Jihua and He Qiyi, were standing guard at the door.

As soon as Zhang Yigang went up to the third floor, the two men alertly drew their sidearms and became wary.

Cao Jihua asked, "Who?"

The person in the darkness said, "Zhang Yi."

He Qiyi turned on the light and, seeing that it was indeed Zhang Yi, quickly put away his gun and saluted.

"Director Zhang, what brings you here?"

"I'm going to report to Boss Dai and give him an update."

"I didn't receive any notification?" Cao Jihua smiled apologetically, not daring to risk trouble. "I'm sorry, Director Zhang, the boss is taking a shower inside. It's not convenient right now. Could you wait a moment?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the door behind him opened, and Dai Chunfeng, wrapped in a bathrobe, appeared in the doorway, her eyes fixed on him.

Zhang Yi peeked into the room and blinked: "Chief, are you alright?"

"Should I have something to do?" Dai Chunfeng said with a serious expression, his eyes growing colder.

"Where is Station Master Tong?"

"Why are you asking about him?" Dai Chunfeng stared straight into his eyes.

"It's extremely urgent!" Zhang Yi noticed that his long face was drawn up, so he lowered his voice and said, "Chief, may I speak to you in private?"

Dai Chunfeng narrowed his eyes, staring intently at him, not missing a single expression on his face. After hesitating for a moment, he turned and went inside, with Zhang Yi following him.

The room was dark and the lights were off. Dai Chunfeng stood with his back to him, and as the door closed, the room fell into a deathly silence.

However, Zhang Yi still sensed something was wrong—there were other people in the room, even though this person's breath was so faint that it almost fooled his ears.

Zhang Yi guessed it was Deputy Officer Jia, who might be lying in ambush somewhere with a gun right now, ready to pull the trigger without hesitation if he made the slightest move.

Of course, putting myself in his shoes and thinking from his perspective, my initiative tonight was indeed somewhat suspicious.

Just as I was pondering this, Dai Chunfeng asked directly:

"Tell me, what do you want from me?"

Zhang Yi stood ramrod straight, his eyes fixed straight ahead, and said thoughtfully, "Director, you are well-versed in the classics, so you must be familiar with the Battle of Wancheng, right?"

The Battle of Wancheng refers to Cao Cao's campaign against Zhang Xiu. Zhang Xiu had initially surrendered, but Cao Cao, being greedy for beauty, forcibly took Zhang Xiu's aunt, Zou Shi, as his concubine. This act greatly humiliated Zhang Xiu, who then launched a rebellion, causing Cao Cao to suffer heavy losses, including the deaths of his eldest son Cao Ang, nephew Cao Anmin, and personal guard Dian Wei.

This is the origin of the famous "One Cannon Kills Three Worthies" incident in history.

Dai Chunfeng was slightly taken aback, then turned around: "What do you want to say?"

Zhang Yi stared intently into his eyes: "Chief, your situation tonight is ten times more dangerous than Cao Cao's back then!"

"I don't need you to explain the things in the historical novel to me, and don't try to put on this roundabout nonsense! What exactly are you trying to say with your mystical talk?" Dai Chunfeng was furious.

Zhang Yi also became "anxious" and agitated: "Chief, did you send Station Chief Tong to a brothel tonight? What about the woman he brought?" His eyes widened: "Chief, poppies bloom, but beauty hides poison!"

Dai Chunfeng looked at him and immediately became suspicious.

Didn't Zhang Yi go to the hospital? How did he know that Station Chief Tong went to a brothel? He even knew about the woman the other party brought back.

Was he stalking and monitoring Station Chief Tong?
What's the motive?
The fox's true colors can no longer be hidden?

And what's with all this talk about "poppy" and "Tibetan drugs"? What the hell is this bastard trying to say?

Zhang Yi stared back at him, filled with worry. The two stood there, gazing at each other. Unfortunately, the lights were off, and neither could see the other clearly.

After a long silence, Dai Chunfeng asked, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

“That woman is suspicious.” Zhang Yi calmed himself down and got down to business.

"Is there any evidence?"

“Of course!” Zhang Yi looked at him without backing down.

Slowly, Dai Chunfeng moved. He walked to the sofa and sat down, then coughed lightly. Next, a dark figure rose from behind the sofa and turned on a small, green lamp on the windowsill.

As expected, it was Deputy Officer Jia. He gave Zhang Yi a forced smile, then picked up his gun and walked behind Dai Chunfeng, stopping in his place.

Zhang Yi remained standing in his original spot until Dai Chunfeng glanced at him, at which point he walked over and sat down with a wronged expression.

As the saying goes, to elevate, one must first suppress! The more agitated and "wronged" one appears at this moment, the more negative experiences are built up, and the stronger the positive feedback from others will be when the "truth comes out" later, due to feelings of guilt and a desire for compensation.

In philosophical terms, it's called emotional compensation psychology.

Dai Chunfeng glanced at him and saw that he was frowning, half worried and half indignant. She wondered if she had misunderstood him, so she softened her tone and said:
"Tell me about it!"

"After leaving the hospital, I met someone."

"Who?"

"A thief."

"Thief?"

Zhang Yi looked him in the eye: "The thief just happened to be there, but I unexpectedly got some information from him." Then, Zhang Yi recounted in detail how Lu Shu'er got the clue about the "fat sheep" and how he committed the theft. He then changed the subject and said, "Chief, who in their right mind would change their identity and register two houses? Wouldn't that be suspicious? So, I'm convinced that this Su Wenjing is suspicious."

"You suspect he's a Japanese spy? And then what?" Dai Chunfeng asked, looking surprised.

"Just as my subordinates were about to investigate him, they suddenly noticed a suspicious-looking woman appearing."

Dai Chunfeng unconsciously sat up straight: "He has accomplices?"

“At the time, I didn’t know anything, I just suspected. So I followed her and found that she had entered Yicui Tower.”

Dai Chunfeng's eyes sharpened: "And then?"

"Then my subordinates spotted the car parked outside Yicui Tower, and then saw Station Chief Tong come out of it."

"What? Station Chief Tong!" Dai Chunfeng jumped to his feet as if stung by a bumblebee, asking nervously:
"You saw them meet up?"

"No, not at all!" Seeing that Boss Dai had misunderstood, Zhang Yi quickly explained and described what he had seen and heard afterward.

"Their walking style is the same, and they're even wearing mesh hats. So, this is a switcheroo?" Dai Chunfeng was quite surprised. He and Zhao Longwen had just pulled off a substitution trick, and now the Japanese spy had copied it and done the same thing, targeting him as well!

"That must be it, they're trying to assassinate the Director!"

Dai Chunfeng gasped. In his youth, he was ambitious and had even received military training at the Whampoa Military Academy, so he was quite skilled and confident that two or three ordinary men could easily defeat him. But his opponent was, after all, a well-trained female spy, who knew what deadly weapon she might be hiding. Once in bed, he would be unarmed, and a fight would be like throwing an egg against a rock—the consequences would be unimaginable! Wasn't the Jiajing Emperor of the Ming Dynasty almost strangled to death by a palace maid with a yellow silk cloth?

It seems that my situation tonight is indeed as Zhang Yi said, ten times more dangerous than Cao Cao's back then, no, a hundred times more dangerous!
Thinking this, a feeling of gratitude welled up within him. He looked at Zhang Yi, paused, and said sincerely:

"Yunyi, thank goodness for you."

Judging from Boss Dai's demeanor and tone, Zhang Yi could tell that he was telling the truth, at least for now.

However, regardless of whether these words sound noble or not, just listen to them. Based on his years of experience in the Kuomintang, he concluded that everyone is an actor, and to judge a person, one should not only listen to their words but also observe their actions.

There's a saying, "oral candy," meaning that sweet words can be easily fabricated and vows of eternal love can be readily uttered, but only concrete actions reveal a person's truest feelings.

However, he appeared humble: "Director, you flatter me. It is my duty. After all, to protect the leader, one must first protect the superior. I am glad you were not frightened."

Dai Chunfeng smiled with satisfaction and patted him heavily on the shoulder, everything understood without words.

Then, he looked at Lieutenant Jia and asked in a deep voice, "Where are Tong Xiang and that woman?"

"Station Chief Tong is waiting in his room downstairs. Little Pan Fei has been arranged in the next room." Lieutenant Jia took out the pistol he had quietly put away earlier, loaded it, and said with a cold expression.

The thought of Boss Dai nearly being assassinated sent a chill down his spine. Deputy Jia understood the importance of his position better than anyone else; it was a matter of mutual dependence, like lips and teeth, where if one falls, the other is vulnerable. Only by following Boss Dai could he rise in rank; if Boss Dai met with misfortune, he would have nowhere to stand.

"Get this good-for-nothing up here to see me right now!" Dai Chunfeng said, hands on his hips, gritting his teeth. But as soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly remembered something and slapped his forehead. "Damn it, this is a series of schemes. Shoehead is probably in trouble. Send a telegram to Mao Qiwu immediately to verify."

The thought of the telegram sent by Shoehead earlier, which claimed that Japanese intelligence agencies had cracked down on the Red Party's underground transportation station, made him feel uneasy.

Seeing that he was about to send a telegram, Zhang Yi pretended to avoid it, saying, "Director, I'll come over later."

"No need, I was just about to discuss this with you," Dai Chunfeng waved his hand.

"Yes." Zhang Yi glanced at him, looking hesitant.

Dai Chunfeng noticed his expression and gestured for him to speak: "Speak. Tell me everything you know."

Zhang Yi thought for a moment and said, "Chief, I have a plan!"

"what?"

"Use the trick!"

(End of this chapter)