My spy diary

Chapter 672 Recording (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

The search revealed listening devices, and everything became traceable.

Soon, several plainclothes officers found a small hole in the wall of the adjacent fireworks room, located a hidden antenna, followed the antenna down to a record player, and then discovered a miniature tape recorder hidden inside the record player's base.

"Team leader, we found it."

"Just as I expected!" Shen Linfeng's tone was calm, but his face betrayed his smugness. He glanced at his subordinates and saw them looking up at him with adoration. He felt extremely pleased, thinking to himself that he had finally won them over. He deliberately kept a straight face and gave orders to them:
"Protect the scene. I'll go report to the section chief now and ask for your commendation!"

"Yes."

While the plainclothes officers were conducting a destructive search of the entire building, He Zhiyuan was sitting leisurely at the octagonal table, sipping tea with his legs crossed, his eyes intentionally or unintentionally circling around the crowd, observing the expressions on everyone's faces.

At that moment, Shen Linfeng hurriedly came downstairs and whispered something in his ear. In that instant, Liu Ningxue's heart sank into an abyss. Had the Military Intelligence Bureau discovered something?
She secretly glanced up, trying to glean something from He Zhiyuan's expression, but found nothing.

He Zhiyuan stood up, his face grim as he reprimanded:
"So, we haven't found anything after all?"

Shen Linfeng was stunned for a moment, somewhat unable to believe his own slap. Just as he was about to speak in defense, He Zhiyuan gave him a wink. He immediately understood and, with a dejected expression, began to play along.

"Sir, your subordinate is incompetent."

He Zhiyuan interrupted him, saying in an almost complaining tone, "Incompetent? We raise an army for a thousand miles, but use it for a single moment. Whatever you need, I'll give you; whatever you lack, I'll make up for. Everyone prides themselves on being well-trained, so how come they're so incompetent when it comes to getting things done?"

Before Shen Linfeng could reply, he continued, "Search again right now. Pry open the walls, the stove, under the bed, the cabinets, dig three feet into the ground. I don't believe we won't find anything!"

After a few seconds of pause, He Zhiyuan suddenly looked towards the outside of the gate:

"Has Zheng Rui still not been dealt with? Let's go take a look."

"Yes," Shen Linfeng replied meekly.

Once outside the gate and out of sight of everyone, He Zhiyuan's gaze immediately changed. He stared at Shen Linfeng and asked:

"Tell me about the search you just did, the more detailed the better."

"Yes." Shen Linfeng immediately recounted the entire search process in detail.

"A two-way mirror? That is, one-way transparent glass?" When the topic turned to two-way mirror cabinets, He Zhiyuan had never heard of spies using such a thing. As far as he knew, it was invented in the United States by the Russian immigrant Bloch, though he couldn't remember exactly whether it was 1902 or 03. He only remembered that this "transparent mirror" was patented. Its first practical application was achieved in 37 thanks to the research of the Hungarian inventor Nosspiegel, typically used in interrogation rooms.

"Yes. It's a secret room with state-of-the-art listening equipment, as well as guns and ammunition."

He Zhiyuan looked at him with interest: "What do you think?"

"Chief, I suspect that the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics has other motives, and it is definitely not as simple as issuing arrest warrants for Communist Party members."

"What's the reason?"

“This kind of state-of-the-art equipment is not unusual for our Military Intelligence Bureau and the Japanese, but it is a very precious resource for the Communist Party. They would not be so extravagant. In addition, Huanyun Pavilion was formerly known as ‘Youlai Pavilion’, which was the former stronghold of the Japanese. Therefore, I speculate that this must be used by Japanese spies, and its owner may be hiding among those prostitutes.”

He Zhiyuan said with admiration, "Your analysis is meticulous and thorough. You truly deserve to be a top student from the Linli training program."

"You flatter me, Chief!" Shen Linfeng said humbly. "It's all thanks to your foresight in drawing up the design plans for the brothel in advance. I was just taking advantage of the situation."

He Zhiyuan nodded slightly in satisfaction:

"What are you going to do next?"

"Find that person quietly."

"Have you got a clue?"

"Whoever lives in that bedroom is a prime suspect. My men plan to get to the bottom of this by talking to the madam."

"Go."

"Yes."

Soon, the madam, her face covered in blood and weeping bitterly, was dragged out again. Without any questioning, she honestly confessed everything—the owner of the brothel was Liu Ningxue.

After receiving this answer, He Zhiyuan and Shen Linfeng returned to the hall.

The two exchanged a glance, and He Zhiyuan said:
"Since we've found nothing, let's take them all back and interrogate them one by one. We'll release them when we find clues about the murderers."

"Yes." As soon as the words were spoken, the plainclothes agents, as fierce as wolves, pounced on a group of prostitutes and roughly handcuffed them.

The crowd erupted into chaos.

Several gossips and regular patrons who frequented the area were particularly noisy, pleading and arguing that they hadn't seen any murderer at all.

He Zhiyuan snorted coldly and gave Shen Linfeng a cold look.

Shen Linfeng understood, drew his gun, and shot the two men who were pleading and struggling the most without saying a word.

"boom!"

"boom!"

Two men were shot in the thigh, bleeding profusely, their faces deathly pale.

Suddenly, a terrible silence fell over the hall, and several prostitutes who were about to cry bit their lips tightly, afraid to make a sound.

The crowd was deathly silent as they were handcuffed and pushed out one by one.

Shen Linfeng's gaze fell upon Liu Ningxue, who was feigning trembling. Just as an officer was about to handcuff her, Shen Linfeng walked over and, without a word, twisted her arm, handcuffing her behind her back.
"Miss Liu, it's an honor to meet you. Military Intelligence Bureau, Operations Division. Your acting career ends here!"

Liu Ningxue didn't immediately change her expression; she gave a cold smile and said:

"Even though I'm in this state of disgrace, I still have my dignity. What right do you have to treat me like this?"

The Kuomintang plainclothes officers escorting her were also bewildered, exchanging bewildered glances. Why was she being guarded so closely, when she was just a prostitute who couldn't even kill a chicken?
"Still acting?"

Shen Linfeng gave a cold laugh and grabbed her chin:
"On what grounds? The eavesdropping devices and firearms you hid in the secret room don't seem to have anything to do with prostitutes, do they?"

As Shen Linfeng spoke, he pried open her mouth, checked her over, and ordered the plainclothes officers to search her while saying, "Didn't expect to be caught so quickly, did you? Perhaps you think you're very clever—unfortunately, Chongqing is not Shanghai, and our capabilities are far greater than you imagine."

Liu Ningxue remained expressionless, her face nearly pale. Meanwhile, Xu Zeng'en sat in his office, seemingly calmly flipping through documents.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Office Director Pu Mengjiu entered with a sweaty, panting young agent. Xu Zeng frowned, recognizing him as Zheng Rui's subordinate, and asked directly:
"Caught it?"

The junior agent stammered, "No."

"What happened?" Xu Zeng'en's face immediately darkened. This was the young spy's first time meeting the deputy director, and he was extremely nervous. He didn't dare to look at the deputy director's expression and dejectedly recounted the whole story.

Hearing that the Military Intelligence Bureau had also gone to the brothel to arrest people, Xu Zeng'en knew that this meant another intelligence leak. Annoyed, he also felt a little smug upon hearing that the Military Intelligence Bureau only thought they were arresting Guo Xinya, a fugitive Red Party member, and didn't know they were arresting Liu Ningxue, Mao Zhongxin's lover. He casually cursed:

“Those bastards from the Military Intelligence Bureau are really well-informed. Zheng Rui is such a good-for-nothing, there must be someone betraying him. If I catch them, I’ll skin them alive.”

Pu Mengjiu, sensing that Xu Zeng's tone didn't imply any further blame, asked:

"Director, please advise on the next steps."

"What do you think we should do?" Xu Zeng asked, staring at Pu Mengjiu.

Pu Mengjiu thought for a moment and said, "Should we ask District Chief Chen Qingzhai to go?"

Xu Zeng nodded approvingly, saying, "Qingzhai is bold and ruthless, always capable. Catching someone is a piece of cake for him. Call him right now and have him bring his men over!" He paused, pondered for a few seconds, and then added, "Those bastards from the Military Intelligence Bureau are really going against us. This is intolerable. What's the name of their leader?"

The junior agent immediately gave the answer: "Li Maocai, the head of the intelligence section."

"Yes, that's him. Bring him back to me while you're at it."

Just then, the phone on the table rang. After answering the call, Xu Zeng's expression turned even more grim.

“He Zhiyuan from the Military Intelligence Bureau’s Operations Department went there personally. They have already captured Liu Ningxue. In addition to the firearms and ammunition seized at the scene, there were also eavesdropping devices. She is undoubtedly a Japanese spy.”

"Oh no! What do we do now?"

Seeing that the duck in his hand had flown away, Xu Zeng'en was furious. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly noticed that the little spy was still cowering in place. His anger flared even more. "Get out!" he waved his hand like shooing away a fly, ordering his secretary to take him out. Only then did he say, his face ashen:

"Damn it! Those bastards from the Military Intelligence Bureau are going too far! Call Chen Qingzhai right now and tell him that no matter what method he uses, he must get me back."

“Yes.” Pu Mengjiu hesitated, but seeing Xu Zeng’en’s gritted teeth, he had no choice but to swallow his words and turn to make a phone call.

Just as he turned around, Xu Zeng called him back:
"Has Mao Zhongxin's confession been prepared yet?"

Pu Mengjiu understood and said in a serious tone:
"As per your instructions, Director, we have prepared a new statement for him, which has been signed and sealed. We can now confirm that Mao Zhongxin is indeed a Red Party spy infiltrating the Military Intelligence Bureau. Moreover, he is a double agent, providing intelligence to the Japanese and their puppet regime. We found correspondence between him and Japanese spies in his home, and the evidence is conclusive!"

Xu Zeng asked in the same serious tone:
"The fact that Mao Zhongxin has remained hidden for so long without revealing his identity shows that he is a very cautious and cunning person. Why would he keep so much evidence against himself?"

"The Director has keen insight. I believe this evidence is his way of leaving himself a way out. If he were to be exposed one day and have to seek refuge with the Japanese to survive, this would be the key to proving that he did things for the Japanese invaders."

That makes perfect sense! Xu Zeng finally nodded approvingly.
"Is the person handling this reliable?"

“They are all my people, very reliable. I have already arranged for them to go to Kunming.”

Flawless! Deputy Director Xu was very satisfied, smacking his lips as he said:

"Now let's see how that little scoundrel surnamed Dai explains himself to the old man."

After saying this, he waved for Pu Mengjiu to leave. After thinking for a moment, he picked up the red phone on the table, dialed two numbers, and said in a relatively calm and respectful tone:
"Hello, Team Leader Tang, this is Xu Zeng. Okay, I'll be right there."

In fact, after the establishment of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS) and the Military Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (MBIS), the intelligence force expanded rapidly, and the amount of intelligence became increasingly large. Chang felt that military and political affairs were too heavy, and it was difficult to read through all the intelligence sent by the CBIS and MBIS. Therefore, he considered adding an intelligence staff officer to his personal office to help him to synthesize, check, organize and analyze the intelligence sent by various intelligence systems, so as to improve the quality of intelligence utilization and reduce his workload. He also intended to select from CC Clique agents or MBIS agents.

Unexpectedly, Dai Chunfeng learned of this from Chang's trusted confidants and immediately recommended Tang Heng to Chang for the position.

The CC faction and Xu Zeng'en were both annoyed by this for a long time.

However, after a while, both the CC Clique and Dai Chunfeng discovered that Tang Heng was trying his best to maintain a balance between the two systems and did not openly favor the Military Intelligence Bureau. Sometimes, he even pointedly criticized the work of the Military Intelligence Bureau in front of the old man.

This discovery thrilled Xu Zeng'en.

It was only then that Dai Chunfeng realized he had fallen for Tang Heng's cunning scheme and had recommended the wrong person. But it was too late, because Tang Heng had already won Chang's trust and was promoted from intelligence staff officer to major general and head of the sixth group of the second department of the adjutant's office, in charge of intelligence operations.

Therefore, both sides are trying their best to win over Tang Heng, hoping that he will submit their intelligence first so that the old man will think highly of him and put them in a favorable position in the spy struggle.

After hanging up the phone, Xu Zeng felt a sense of relief, but also a bit smug. Just as he had expected, Tang Heng was indeed ambitious.

The night is rich.

Meanwhile, He Zhiyuan and others had already escorted the prisoners to the Wanglongmen Detention Center.

In the interrogation room, Liu Ningxue was bound to the torture device, her body covered in wounds and bloodstains. Her silk cheongsam was now tattered and torn, but she remained silent.

He Zhiyuan snorted coldly:
“Continue with the torture. Japanese spies are always tight-lipped. How you pry them open is your business. I don’t care if she’s crippled or disabled, but you can’t kill her.”

After saying this, He Zhiyuan immediately rushed to his office, focusing on the seized recordings.

When they arrived at the office, not only Zhang Yi was there, but Yang Rong, the head of the intelligence department, also arrived with a beaming smile.

After exchanging pleasantries, the group took their seats. With permission, Shen Linfeng pressed play on the recorder.

A woman's voice came from the loudspeaker:

Why choose a place like this to meet?

“The organization has clear requirements that it is strictly forbidden to meet in public places or near areas with a high concentration of enemy military, police, and secret agents, or in places with complex personnel flow and no escape route. What you did was a blatant violation of discipline.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yi frowned: "Play it again."

Shen Linfeng rewound the program and pressed play again. Zhang Yi, He Zhiyuan, and Yang Rong listened intently.

The woman's voice came through the recording again.

"Stop!" Zhang Yi pretended to think for a moment:
"That voice sounds so familiar! It sounds like Guo Xinya!"

(End of this chapter)