My spy diary

Chapter 662 A Discovery (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
The night is rich.

A rickshaw stopped by the roadside. Zheng Huhe got off, paid the fare, and walked alone toward another street. He was used to getting off the rickshaw a street away from the meeting point and then walking to meet his courier.

This is a traditional Chinese medicine shop.

Zheng Huhe stood at the door of the closed pharmacy, knocking on the door while cautiously checking his surroundings.

After three short knocks and one long knock, a middle-aged man inside asked:

"Who?"

"Doctor, my old ailment has flared up again. I need to get some medicine."

This is the agreed-upon code.

Soon, the door opened.

The person who opened the door was a middle-aged man wearing a coat, who was also Lao Liu, the person in charge of the intelligence relay station. He contacted Director Ye's secretary directly.

Upon seeing Zheng Huhe, Old Liu immediately welcomed him in. Closing the door, he looked at him with hopeful eyes:
"How about it?"

"I've already obtained the intelligence."

Upon hearing this news, Lao Liu's nerves, which had been on edge for several days, immediately relaxed. In order to uncover the spies lurking in the border region, the headquarters had mobilized almost all the special agents infiltrated into the Military Intelligence Bureau, trying to obtain useful clues. However, despite their hard work, they had not found even the slightest trace.

Old Liu instantly felt relieved, but Zheng Huhe's expression looked very unpleasant. He continued:
"It's a trap."

"A trap?" Old Liu frowned, anxiously waiting for him to continue.

Under his watchful eye, Zheng Huhe immediately recounted the "Thunderclap" plan, the "Lone Boat" plan, and Dai Chunfeng's insidious scheme of "openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass."

Old Liu looked shocked: "All's fair in war! A series of traps, a combination of deception and reality, a feint to the east while attacking in the west—this puts our comrades who don't know the truth in danger!"

“This is where Dai Chunfeng’s cunning and treachery lie.” Zheng Huhe nodded solemnly. “The Military Intelligence Bureau headquarters is an impregnable fortress; entry and exit require credentials. According to their rules, before a major operation, unrelated individuals are isolated, and key suspects and their associates are placed under surveillance. Apart from those participating in the operation, no one else can leave at will or contact the outside world. At this time, as soon as our people make a move, it will immediately arouse their suspicion, leading to tracking, surveillance, or even direct arrest.”

Old Liu agreed: "Understood! I'll immediately activate the emergency plan and inform the Eighth Route Army office and the Southern Bureau of the situation. By the way, how is Comrade 031?"

"The enemy's investigation into him is still ongoing, but we can manage it for now. In order to completely dispel the enemy's suspicions about him, I need the organization to cooperate in staging a play."

Old Liu was surprised by such a good idea, and his eyes lit up:
"what?"

Zheng Huhe immediately recounted Zhang Yi's plan. The original text was written on a draft, but he had destroyed it. He then recited it again using his amazing memory.

"Concise, effective, and reasonable. Theoretically, it's flawless," Old Liu remarked, then said solemnly, "I'll report to my superiors immediately."

Silent all night.

Zhang Yi walked calmly through the courtyard of the Military Intelligence Bureau's office. He was in a good mood today because he had already passed on the intelligence last night, but his face remained impassive.

As he was walking, a radiant female office worker carrying a stack of documents walked briskly toward him. Upon seeing him, she greeted him with a "Good morning."

It was Zhao Ailan, the secretary of Office A.

Zhang Yi nodded politely, glanced at her, and saw that she looked radiant, with joy in her eyes and a smile that she couldn't hide, full of vitality. He couldn't help but think to himself.

On the other side, Li Jiafu and Liu Ziying, who had graduated from the Linli training class and were assigned to work as assistant secretaries in Room A, were eating steamed buns as they crouched down and quickly passed Zhang Yi from behind.

Zhang Yi recognized the two men and said something to them:
"If I had gotten up five minutes earlier, I wouldn't be in such a sorry state."

The two men smiled at Zhang Yi.

Zhang Yi walked through the courtyard, carefully observing the offices on both sides, where the staff were as busy as ever.

Everything was calm. This morning seemed no different from usual, and the chain reaction from last night didn't seem to have started yet.

Did the other comrades who were lying in wait not take action?
Given Zheng Huhe's eagerness during his first visit, the organization should have been trying every possible means to obtain intelligence. Or has another possibility emerged? Did Zheng Huhe's timely report to his superiors cause the previously poised undercover agents to go into hiding again?

Zhang Yi pondered it carefully.

But then I thought about it again and realized that wasn't right.

Even though Zheng Huhe's report was timely and the higher-ups saw through Dai Chunfeng's plot, notifying the undercover agent still took time. According to the underground organization's rules, the two sides were not allowed to meet outside of the agreed-upon time. Even in an emergency, a reasonable excuse and reason were needed to notify the undercover agent; otherwise, it would be walking into a trap.

The office was right in front of the door. He thought for a moment, took out his key, opened the door, and went inside. Then he picked up the phone.
"Secretary Mao? Come here."

A moment later, Mao Zhongxin came running in, panting:

"Deputy Director Zhang!"

Zhang Yi stared at him, noticing his pale face and listless appearance, with lipstick marks still visible on his neck. He thought to himself, "This kid must have gone to the brothel to see his lover again last night. I wonder what information he leaked." His eyes remained fixed on him, never letting his guard down.

"Deputy Director Zhang." Mao Zhongxin felt a little uneasy under Zhang Yi's gaze. He looked up at Zhang Yi and said timidly, "What brings you here?"

"You're late today?"

"No!"

"Then why wasn't my office cleaned beforehand?"

Mao Zhongxin muttered, "I'd like to clean, but I don't have the key!"

"You didn't know to ask me for the key? Why all the nonsense? Go get a bucket of water and clean my office thoroughly." Zhang Yi feigned anger, slamming his hand on the table. "What are you standing there for? Get going!"

Mao Zhongxin was full of resentment, but there was nothing he could do, so he obediently agreed and left.

As soon as he left, Zhang Yi immediately picked up the phone:
"Hello, this is Zhang Yi. Which hospital is Feng Wenrao's mother staying at? The 41st Hospital, thank you!"

After hanging up the phone, he immediately told Monkey to buy some gifts and go to the 41st Hospital with him.

The Military Intelligence Bureau's 41st Hospital was located at the foot of Gele Mountain, just a few hundred meters away. However, the roads in the mountain city were mostly winding, and it took more than ten minutes to get there.

Feng Wenrao's mother is currently lying in a hospital bed.

Team Leader Liu from the Military Intelligence Bureau's Operations Department, along with several of his men and police officers, was standing by the bedside taking statements. He looked utterly dejected.
"That man pushed you down, but he didn't steal any money. What was he after?"

The old lady lay weakly, too weak to even speak. "How are her bones?" Team Leader Liu turned to ask the doctor.

"We just had an X-ray taken and are still waiting for the results. But for an elderly woman like her, a fracture is probably inevitable."

Team Leader Liu thought for a moment, and was about to say something to his subordinates when Zhang Yi and Monkey walked in carrying fruit. He immediately stood at attention and saluted, looking surprised.
"Deputy Director Zhang, what brings you here?"

Zhang Yi returned the greeting and asked directly:
"Has the suspect been found?"

Team Leader Liu stammered, "We are looking for witnesses."

"We must hurry and find this bastard. We must skin him alive and punish him severely. If we can't even protect our own families, how can we talk about purging Japanese spies and the Red Army, stabilizing the rear, and being loyal to the Party and the country? Anyone who dares to shirk responsibility or delay will be dealt with according to military law!"

"Yes, sir!" Hearing Zhang Yi's stern tone, Team Leader Liu jumped to his senses and resolutely accepted the order. He hadn't expected that Feng Wenrao, the usually unassuming and taciturn good-natured man, actually knew Zhang Yi, and their relationship seemed quite close. Now that Zhang Yi had given a death order, but the suspect had already fled, and there were no witnesses at the scene, where was he supposed to find the suspect? He was immediately filled with anger and anxiety.

As they were talking, the monkey beside them carefully tugged at Zhang Yi. Zhang Yi turned around and saw Feng Wenrao hurriedly walking in, holding a surgical notification form.

"Deputy Section Chief Feng!" Zhang Yi waved away Team Leader Liu and the others, and walked directly to him.

"Deputy Director Zhang?" Feng Wenrao was surprised by Zhang Yi's arrival and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Zhang Yi nodded to the monkey and took the summary of inside information and the letter of denunciation copied by Mao Zhongxin from his hands:
“I know you are feeling heavy-hearted because your mother is injured, but I still need to trouble you to do me a favor.”

Knowing his mother's injuries were quite serious, Feng Wenrao was already extremely anxious. Zhang Yi's arrival at this critical juncture, asking him to do handwriting analysis, only added to his annoyance. He glanced at the documents in Zhang Yi's hand, didn't reach for them, and said bluntly:

"I'm in a state of turmoil right now, with Vice-Zhang taking office to atone for my sins. I have neither the mood nor the time to do handwriting analysis. You should find someone else who can do it!"

After saying that, he expressionlessly pushed Zhang Yi aside and walked directly into the ward.

Despite being rebuffed, Zhang Yi remained unperturbed. Putting himself in Feng Wenrao's shoes, he realized that in that situation, his attitude would likely be even worse. He pondered this, then sighed with a guilty expression.

"Very well, take care, Deputy Section Chief Feng. To be honest, this whole thing started because of me. I'm ashamed!"

After saying that, he waited quietly for Feng Wenrao to turn around.

"Deputy Director Zhang, what do you mean by that?" Sure enough, Feng Wenrao immediately turned around and looked at him with a surprised expression.

Zhang Yi gave a wry smile: "I'm a straightforward person, I say what I think, all for the sake of the Party and the country, please bear with me. The reason I feel ashamed is not because of anything else, but because I feel that this matter may have started because of me."

Feng Wenrao was even more puzzled, his brows furrowing:

"I do not understand."

Zhang Yi glanced warily outside the ward and lowered his voice: "The handwriting analysis I asked you to do involves a Communist Party mole embedded in headquarters. He wrote an anonymous letter beforehand, trying to sow discord among our own people. Boss Dai was furious when he heard about it and ordered me to investigate thoroughly. How could I investigate? I could only ask you, a handwriting analysis expert, for help. But then your mother got injured, and you lost all interest in your work. Think about it carefully, isn't everything too coincidental?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Wenrao seemed to understand.

Zhang Yi looked at him with a solemn expression: "This kind of person will stop at nothing to hide their identity; they're utterly ruthless. This time it was an old lady, but what about next time? They might target you, killing you before you can even have your handwriting analyzed. That way, it'll be over and done with, eliminating any future trouble!"

Feng Wenrao's expression changed, and he said through gritted teeth, "Deputy Director Zhang, there's no need to say more. Let's go to the hospital now to find a microscope. I'll do nothing else today, but I swear to dig this bastard out."

Bai Mansion.

In the office, Wang Xinheng stood at the window, holding binoculars, watching Zhang Yi's car drive out of the office gate down the mountain.

His subordinate, standing to the side, respectfully reported to him:

"According to the report from the brother who was monitoring him, he didn't leave home all night, nor did he make or receive any calls. The same was true for his adjutant, Monkey. In addition, we investigated the noodle stall owners that Monkey had contacted during the night, but found nothing wrong. In the morning, he didn't contact anyone on his way from home to the office. Once he got to the office, he made two phone calls, one to his secretary and one to the technical department, to inquire about Feng Wenrao's mother's hospitalization. I guess he's probably at the hospital now."

"Feng Wenrao? They don't seem to have any connection, do they? What's he doing at the hospital?"

"I don't know about that."

Wang Xinheng put down his binoculars, his brows furrowed, and he never turned around. He stared blankly out the window, saying nothing.

Suddenly, there was a rapid knock on the door.

"Enter!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a smart-looking plainclothes officer rushed in, looking excited, and said:
"Chief, we've made a discovery!"

Wang Xinheng's spirits lifted, and he turned around abruptly:

"What discovery?"

"Guo Xinya, the radio operator in the confidential office, just left the bureau headquarters on the grounds of illness."

"Who are you talking about?"

"Guo Xinya is a radio operator under Section Chief Jiang Yiying."

"The confidential office!" Wang Xinheng said decisively, his expression grave.
"Immediately notify the surveillance team. Whether she's genuinely ill or faking it, keep her under close surveillance. Remember: do not alert her."

As he gave instructions to his subordinates, he thought to himself, "The undercover agent really can't hold back anymore." As far as he knew, this Guo Xinya was from Jiangshan and had worked under Jiang Yiying since the days of the Special Service Department; she was a senior radio operator. Given her qualifications, if she really was a Communist Party undercover agent, then her rank must be very high.

Watching his subordinate leave, he hesitated for a moment, then dialed Dai Chunfeng's number:

"Yes, I'll be right there!"

Dai Mansion.

As soon as Dai Chunfeng saw Wang Xinheng, he couldn't wait to ask:
"You just said you found something?"

"Yes. Guo Xinya, the radio operator in the confidential office, just left the bureau headquarters."

"Guo Xinya?"

Dai Chunfeng appeared calm on the surface, but a turbulent feeling stirred within him. He shared the same thought as Wang Xinheng: if even the confidential room was infiltrated with Red Party spies, what secrets would the Military Intelligence Bureau have left?

Could there be another case of corruption within the Kuomintang's radio station? (The Zhang Weilin case: Zhang Weilin was a radio operator at the Kuomintang's Chongqing Telecommunications Station. He single-handedly recruited five people at the station, including the radio operator director, and even established a party group.)
Is she really her? She's a special agent from Jiangshan. Dai Chunfeng wanted to find the spy as soon as possible, but he didn't want to believe she was from his hometown. At this moment, his heart was like a pendulum, heavy and uncertain.

At the same time, Mao Zhongxin's secretary also received an unexpected phone call.

(End of this chapter)