My spy diary

Chapter 616 Torture (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Yang Neng finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "You keep looking at your watch. Why?"

Xiao Huan pointed the gun at him and, ignoring his question, said, "Drive, now!"

Yang gripped the car keys but hesitated to start the car, instead staring intently at Xiao Huan: "Where are my wife and son? Tell me!"

Xiao Huan gave a cold laugh and, equally irrelevant, replied:
"Whether you want to gamble or not, you have to take the gamble now."

Yang Neng was confused: "What do you mean?"

"I'll bet your wife and son's lives."

Upon hearing this, the veins on Yang Neng's forehead bulged, and he suddenly turned his head and grabbed Xiao Huan by the collar.

Xiao Huan ignored him and looked at him with a mocking expression: "If you want to fight, if you want to kill me to silence me, go ahead. But I must remind you, you only have ten minutes."

"What do you mean?" Yang Neng's eyes were already bloodshot.

Xiao Huan smiled, glanced at her watch, and said, "I strapped time bombs to them, which will explode at six o'clock. It's 5:50 a.m. now. At 80 kilometers per hour, it will take four minutes to get out of the city from here, which means you have six minutes to go back, find them, and defuse the bombs. Captain Yang, you are the action team leader and a key member of the Military Intelligence Bureau. I'm sure your ability to adapt and reason is much better than mine. Rescuing them will definitely not be a problem. I believe in you."

Yang Neng, as if possessed, grabbed Xiao Huan, gripped her neck tightly, and roared:
Where are they? Tell me!

Xiao Huan remained motionless, letting him do as he pleased without any resistance: "The bomb will explode at six o'clock. You're just wasting your own time."

One was extremely anxious, while the other was fearless and complacent.

"Meow!" In the distance, a wild cat seemed to notice the commotion and let out a shrill cry, startling Yang Neng.

Xiao Huan smiled and said, "Scared? The screams of a person before they die are much more painful than this."

Yang Neng gritted his teeth and stared at her, wishing he could tear her to pieces.

"You have nine minutes left. The countdown has begun: 60, 59."

The veins on Yang Neng's forehead bulged. He quickly thought of a way to take advantage of her momentary lapse in attention, control her, and force her to reveal the whereabouts of his wife and son. But he dared not gamble, so he slammed his fist on the steering wheel a few times and slowly started the car: "Xiao Huan—"

“I told you I’m not Xiao Huan, my name is Suzuki Yuki.” Yang Neng was about to say something when Xiao Huan suddenly interrupted him emotionally. But she had only spoken halfway when a “bang” was heard, and a bullet, accompanied by the sound of shattering car windows, passed through the car and entered her body.

It was Zhang Yi. With lightning speed, he rushed forward and pointed his gun at Xiao Huan's back.

The moment the bullet pierced her clothing, Xiao Huan felt a burning, dull pain in her back. Her body shuddered, and she slammed heavily against the seat in front of her. But she reacted quickly, gripping the pistol tightly while simultaneously pulling the still-stunned Yang Neng close, her trembling hand pressing against his chin.
"Who goes there? If they dare to fire, I'll shoot them."

"Threats like that won't work on me. Go ahead and shoot if you dare!" This wasn't just indifference; it was utter coldness.

But Xiao Huan still hadn't given up. She gasped, "That's not necessarily true. He's your colleague. You're just going to stand by and watch him die?"

Zhang Yi interrupted her with a cold laugh: "He's about to die, and you're still worrying about nothing. What does his death have to do with me? Captain Yang, you won't blame me, will you?"

"Director Zhang, what brings you here?" Yang Neng shuddered, his face ashen. He had planned to stall Xiao Huan, using the opportunity to find out the location of his wife and son's imprisonment, and then find a way to kill them, thus ending the matter once and for all. But with Zhang Yi's arrival, all his plans had fallen through.

"I've been observing you here for a long time," Zhang Yi said coldly.

Xiao Huan said, "Zhang Yi? You're Zhang Yi, you idiot!" She shouted, but halfway through her sentence, a loud shout of "Dodge!" was heard, followed by a gunshot. A bullet flew into the back of Xiao Huan's head, and she fell headfirst into the front seat. Yang Neng turned his neck in fear, and bang! The bullet grazed his neck, splattering blood all over his face.

At the same time, a large number of guards who heard the gunshots rushed over and surrounded the group.

"Director Zhang?"

"What are you standing there for? Examine the body and arrest him."

"Yes." The lead guard paused for a moment, then quickly waved for his men to drag Xiao Huan's body away. Looking at Yang Neng, who seemed emotionally distraught and had lost his mind, he asked suspiciously, "Captain Yang? Is that you?"

"Didn't you hear my command?"

The guard glanced furtively at Zhang Yi and saw that he didn't explain, only staring at him with a dark expression. He quickly waved for someone to restrain Yang Neng and handcuff him.

Yang Neng's head was still buzzing. He was being controlled by the guards, standing there in fear and trembling, feeling like a dog surrounded by wolves, living in constant anxiety.

Zhang Yi: "Captain Yang, please explain!"

Yang Neng dared not look him in the eye, staring blankly with his eyes, and said somewhat hysterically:

"Director Zhang, why did you kill her? She's controlling my wife and son! The bomb is about to explode!"

Before he could finish speaking, a slap landed on his face: "Useless trash! You're supposed to be the captain of the action team, do you have any brains? It's only been an hour since the raid on the brothel. She fled in a hurry, like a frightened bird or a stray dog, without any help from her accomplices. Where would she have had the time to kidnap your wife and children? Even if she did kidnap them, she should at least have one or two tokens, right? You believe everything she says?"

Yang Neng swallowed hard: "Me."

"What do you mean, 'you'?" Zhang Yi snorted coldly, summoned a guard, and ordered him to call Yang Neng's home. He continued, "Of course, those involved are often blinded by their own perspective, while bystanders see things clearly. It's understandable that you're overwhelmed and have believed her one-sided story. But explain what just happened. What were you doing with the Japanese spy remnants we're after?"

"I don't know either. I was on the orders of Station Chief Tong to carry out the mission, but as soon as I got on the bus, she took control of me."

"and then?"

“She coerced me into sending her out of the city.”

"Then?"

"I will resist to the death."

"You lied."

Yang Neng panicked immediately: "I...I didn't!"

"Tell me, what did you two talk about in the car just now?"

"She didn't say anything, but she threatened me, using my wife and son's lives to coerce me. Oh, and she even tried to turn me against her."

"Turning you to your side? Your wife and children were the bargaining chips she used to coerce you into escorting her out of the city. If she wants to turn you to your side, she must have some other dirt on you, right?"

Yang Neng was speechless for a moment.

At this moment, Deputy Officer Jia walked over with several guards, one of whom was the person Zhang Yi had just sent to make the call.

Upon seeing this man, Yang Neng suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with hope: "Brother, did you get through on the phone?" The guard looked annoyed: "Captain Yang, isn't your wife perfectly fine at home? Saying she's been kidnapped, you can't lie like that."

Yang Neng was taken aback and was stunned for a moment.

Deputy Officer Jia asked, "Director Zhang, what exactly is going on?"

Zhang Yi explained the situation in a few words, and Deputy Officer Jia listened with a livid face, staring at Yang Neng:

"You have one last chance to tell the truth."

Yang breathed a sigh of relief, but his heart was in his throat again. He racked his brains, repeatedly recalling what Station Chief Tong had told him, and gritted his teeth, saying:

"I...I need to see Station Master Tong."

"Don't rush. When you reach that point, you will see him."

"What do you mean? What are you trying to do?"

Lieutenant Jia sneered, "It seems you don't understand your situation. Take him away!"

In the Military Intelligence Station office, Station Chief Tong seemed somewhat tired. He adjusted his posture, leaned back in his chair, lowered his head slightly, crossed his arms over his chest, closed his eyes, and began to rest.

Recalling the events of today, he still felt a lingering fear. Boss Dai's cold stares, scolding, and interrogation were like being subjected to electric shocks, branding, chili water, and the tiger bench. Fortunately, it was all over now. The troublesome matters of the madam and the manager had been handed over to Captain Yang, and the order to search for the Japanese spy, Xiao Huan, was being issued methodically. As long as she was arrested and Boss Dai, this big shot, was respectfully sent away, everything would be fine.

With too many things weighing on his mind, Station Chief Tong was truly exhausted. He leaned back in his chair and fell into a deep sleep.

However, just then, a rapid knocking sounded at the door, startling Station Chief Tong awake. Seeing his secretary rush in, he was furious.

"what the hell?"

The secretary said cautiously, "Station Master, something terrible has happened! Captain Yang has been arrested."

"Who?"

"Captain Yang Neng!"

Station Chief Tong jolted awake and asked a second time, with no room for doubt, "Are you sure?"

Secretary: "Yes, I'm sure."

"Because of what?"

"It is said that he colluded with the enemy and betrayed his country."

"Is there any evidence?"

"I heard that he was caught red-handed while secretly meeting with the Japanese spy, Koran."

Station Chief Tong was stunned for a moment, then let out a long sigh: "Such a scoundrel has infiltrated such a crucial place as the Military Intelligence Bureau."

Hearing him say that, the secretary couldn't help but feel uneasy. She thought to herself, "I suggested 'kicking a dog when it's down,' but you disagreed and insisted on recruiting it for your own use. It hasn't been that long!" Of course, she only thought this to herself; how could a secretary be more astute than her boss?

At this moment, as the secretary, one must seize the opportunity to jump in, pretending to "walk into the trap," using subtle naiveté or even foolishness to impress the leader's brilliance. So he went along with Station Chief Tong's words:

"Station manager, shouldn't we find out the specific details of the case first, and then..."

"Times have changed, you should understand that," Station Chief Tong interrupted him with a cold laugh. He was absolutely not going to plead for a subordinate who wasn't one of his own and was suspected of treason. He said indifferently:
"I suspected he was suspicious when I saw him acting suspiciously before. In order to keep him calm and put him at ease, I had no choice but to take this drastic measure and temporarily entrust him with important responsibilities. Now it seems that my prediction has come true."

Take some men to his house immediately and investigate carefully; you might find something unexpected.

He deliberately emphasized the words "check carefully," and the secretary understood immediately, replying "Yes," before leaving, unable to hide her excitement.

After the secretary left, Station Chief Tong thought for a moment, then summoned the deputy captain of the action team and immediately promoted him to acting captain, instructing him to complete the task previously assigned to Yang Neng.

On the other side, Yang Neng had been taken to a makeshift interrogation room, handcuffed to a chair, with two plainclothes officers armed with guns watching him from behind.

Zhang Yi and his adjutant Jia sat opposite each other, acting as interrogators.

However, at this moment they could only be considered puppets, because the real interrogators were hidden behind the scenes, closely monitoring every move in the interrogation room through a telephone placed on the table.

A bead of sweat slowly slid down Yang Neng's cheek. The burning charcoal brazier was smoky and the temperature in the room was rising. His breathing became heavier and heavier. He anxiously repeated his previous answer: "I was indeed tricked and controlled by her. I resolutely resisted her coercion and enticement. I am as clear as day regarding the Party and the State. I will never collude with the Japanese invaders."

"Stop spouting high-sounding platitudes!" A cold snort came from the phone, followed by the rustling sound of documents being flipped through, and then a question was asked:
"You joined the Military Intelligence Bureau in 37 after attending the Qingpu Special Training Class?"

Yang Neng was silent for a while, then slowly said, "Yes, at that time, we were incorporated into the Special Operations Team of the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Action Committee along with students from the Central Military Academy and Police Academy and members of the Green Gang, and participated in the Battle of Jinshanwei." When he recalled the past, a hint of glory appeared on his face, but it quickly turned into coldness and pain.

In the early morning of November 5, 1937, three divisions of the Japanese 11th Army landed at Jinshanwei in Hangzhou Bay. At that time, Jinshanwei's defenses were extremely weak, consisting only of a company from the 62nd Division, a supplementary company, and a small number of troops including anti-smuggling police, salt police, and security personnel. To strengthen the resistance, the Military Intelligence Bureau organized a special operations team from the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Action Committee to participate in the defense of Jinshanwei. They engaged in fierce fighting with the Japanese, but due to the overwhelming disparity in strength, they suffered heavy casualties.

Before he could finish speaking, a cold voice on the phone interrupted him again: "So you've been in the Military Intelligence Bureau for four years?"

Yang Neng was taken aback and said, puzzled, "Yes."

“That’s an old man.” The voice on the phone said with a hint of sadness, then changed tone and became cold, “Since he’s an old man, you should know that our line of work is very special. Unlike the police, sometimes you don’t need evidence to arrest someone. As long as you can’t explain yourself, we can determine that you are a bad person.”

This answer was so unexpected that Yang Neng suppressed his unease and struggled to shout, "Director Dai, please listen to me, I really have nothing to do with Japanese spies!"

"Then why didn't he look for someone else, but instead chose you?"

Yang Neng was speechless for a moment.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then the voice said, "I'm asking you one last time, will you tell me?"

Yang Neng remained silent. He knew the rules of the Military Intelligence Bureau. Although he had unintentionally leaked military intelligence, no one would care. Anyone who leaked secrets would face death.

Sure enough, the person on the phone asked, "Lieutenant Jia, what should be done with the person who leaked the secret?"

Deputy Jia: "Execute him."

"Alright, no need to wait any longer, begin the torture!"

(End of this chapter)