My spy diary

Chapter 680 Little Horse (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Qian Xiaosan leaned tightly against the wall, holding his breath as if his heart was about to jump out of his chest.

His guess was quickly confirmed—when there was no response from inside, the person outside started picking the lock, and a "click, click" sound came from outside the door, which was probably someone fiddling with the keyhole with a wire.

The sound was actually extremely faint, but Qian Xiaosan felt as if his ears were about to be deafened.

He gritted his teeth, raised his pistol, and pointed the dark muzzle at the door.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down his brow and into the corner of Qian Xiaosan's eye. He blinked but didn't dare wipe it away.

The person unlocking the door had a fine layer of sweat on his forehead. Mao Shusheng silently counted down in his mind. Normally, it would only take a dozen seconds to open a lock like this, but today more than half a minute had passed and the lock was still not opened.

It has to be said that he is somewhat flustered now.

Within the Military Intelligence Bureau, there has always been a saying about "Sanmao" or "Simao," which is actually just a joke. When Mao Qiwu joined the Special Service Department, Dai Chunfeng already had the intention of annexing the Zhejiang Police Academy, so he sent him to the Political Training Department of the Police Academy as a secretary to secretly collect intelligence.

At that time, the secretary of the Political Training Department was Wang Kong'an. He was a member of the Whampoa Military Academy and always acted arrogantly because of his seniority. He dared not say anything in front of Dai Chunfeng, but he ridiculed and ostracized Mao Qiwu and other members of the "Jiangshan Gang".

They openly ranked the Mao family members, including Mao Qiwu, from the "Jiangshan Gang," saying, "There are many people with the surname Mao in our Special Service Department. People often say that Boss Dai has a horse face and a lot of hair on his body, and that's absolutely true. He has four hairs now."

Mao Qiwu's nickname was Mao Shanyu. He had a brother named Mao Shangao and a cousin named Mao Sen (Mao Shansen). They were numbered as Da Mao, Er Mao, San Mao, and Si Mao, referring to Mao Zongliang, the brother-in-law of Dai Chunfeng, who was a telegraph operator at the time.

In fact, Wang Kong'an and the others were unaware that Mao Sen, or rather Mao Hongyou, was not Mao Qiwu's cousin, but merely a fellow villager. One can only say this man was incredibly audacious, because applying to the Zhejiang Police Academy required at least a primary school diploma, and he directly used the name and diploma of his fellow villager Mao Shansen to gain admission.

These need not be elaborated upon.

Among Mao Qiwu's relatives and friends in the Military Intelligence Bureau, Mao Sen and Mao Qianli are the most successful, followed by his nephews and nieces such as Mao Zhongxin and Mao Shusheng.

Mao Shusheng graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Paris. After returning to China, he was recommended by Mao Qiwu to study at the Seventh Branch of the Central Military Academy. After graduation, he served as the head of the Military Law Section.

He returned to Shancheng this time to handle Mao Zhongxin's funeral, so Mao Qiwu entrusted him with the task of dealing with Qian Xiaosan.

After all, it's a private matter, and one's own nephews and nieces are the most reliable.

In the midst of a battle of sweat, suddenly, with a "click," the lock was opened.

Mao Shusheng immediately pushed the door open, and Qian Xiaosan's hands were clenched so tightly inside that they hurt.

But the door didn't open; the lock remained stubbornly locked.

Mao Shusheng let out a soft breath, just about to continue, when he suddenly heard footsteps coming from the direction of the stairs. Whoever it was, he couldn't be exposed in the current situation, because Mao Qiwu's orders to make Qian Xiaosan disappear silently.

Mao Shusheng immediately stopped what he was doing and left with two attendants via the other side of the stairs.

After a few footsteps, the area outside the door gradually quieted down. Qian Xiaosan's grip on the gun loosened, and then he slowly slumped to the ground.

Zhang Yigang had just returned to the judicial office when he received a call from Deputy Officer Jia, who said that Boss Dai had summoned him. He had no choice but to drive to the bureau headquarters office again.

Arriving at Dai Chunfeng's office, he found the door open, knocked, and entered after receiving permission.
"Seat!"

Dai Chunfeng leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. He looked very tired. He didn't reply, but gestured for Zhang Yi to close the door. Then he pointed to the chair in front of the desk and told Zhang Yi to sit down.

Zhang Yi knew that there must be something he wanted to say.

Sure enough, as soon as he sat down, Dai Chunfeng spoke:
"You know Mao Zhongxin is dead, but you probably don't know what he confessed to in the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics' interrogation room, do you?"

Zhang Yi didn't understand what he was trying to say for a moment and looked at him blankly.

Dai Chunfeng continued, "Have you forgotten about the whistleblower letter? According to the information from the inside, this Mao Zhongxin not only leaked a lot of intelligence to Japanese spies, but he also wrote the whistleblower letter. He's sowing discord and is utterly depraved! In order to avoid being exposed, he even secretly plotted to break Deputy Section Chief Feng's mother's leg."

Zhang Yi stared wide-eyed in shock, looking completely unprepared for this outcome.

"What's even more surprising is that the person in charge of carrying out this task is your subordinate, Qian Xiaosan."

"Qian Xiaosan? That's impossible! When did he get involved with Mao Zhongxin?" Zhang Yi was very surprised.

Dai Chunfeng did not answer immediately. He slowly took a sip of water, his words somewhat ambiguous:
"I don't know about that, but I'm confident that the intelligence from our inside sources is accurate." He then changed the subject, looking at Zhang Yi meaningfully, "Did you see Qian Xiaosan today?"

"I've seen him, I just saw him a moment ago." Zhang Yi said frankly, without any hint of guilt. "Speaking of him, there's something I was just about to report to you."

Dai Chunfeng asked with interest, "Oh, what is it?"

"Regarding the Japanese spies." Zhang Yi immediately gave a brief recount of the interrogation of the Japanese spies and the events that occurred at the safe house that evening. He inevitably omitted some details and cut out parts, a necessary measure given the current situation. He replaced the received intelligence with a "luring the snake out" plan targeting the Japanese spies' accomplices. However, his account was largely faithful to the original events.

Dai Chunfeng's expression was somewhat grave. He then twirled the cup in his hand, pondering what Zhang Yi had just told him:
"So, there's a Japanese spy or informant within the Justice Department? Also, is there any progress in tracking this rickshaw driver?"

Zhang Yi nodded: "Right now it's just suspicion. I've isolated and interrogated everyone who knows about the plan, but we haven't found any suspects yet. As for the rickshaw driver... I just got back to the office and hadn't even had a chance to hear the report when I received a call from the director and I had to come here."

After listening for a while, Dai Chunfeng suddenly asked:
"Does Qian Xiaosan know about this plan?"

Zhang Yi looked at him, his expression darkening slightly, but he did not answer immediately.

Dai Chunfeng stared intently at Zhang Yi, not missing a single expression on his face.

"What? You can't even answer such a simple question? You're really insecure." He asked with a hint of sarcasm.

Zhang Yi pretended to be stupid, stole a glance at Dai Chunfeng, and hesitated to speak.

Dai Chunfeng stared intently at him: "You won't tell me, huh? Then I'll tell you! After receiving intelligence from an inside source, I immediately ordered the Supervision Office to conduct secret surveillance on Qian Xiaosan. As a result, we not only discovered that his whereabouts were suspicious, but we also found evidence of your betrayal of me."

Zhang Yi was humiliated by his words, stood up in fear, speechless.

In fact, when Zhang Yi drove Qian Xiaosan home, he had already noticed that someone was following him, but he was still acting.

"Why did you lie to me?" Dai Chunfeng stared intently at him, his voice low but seemingly conveying a sense of seeing right through him. Zhang Yi sighed and said, "I only suspect him, but I have no evidence."

Dai Chunfeng snorted coldly and remained silent, waiting for Zhang Yi to give an explanation, a reasonable explanation.

Seeing that he remained silent, Zhang Yi sighed, "Chief, please let me explain (make excuses). I have suspicions about him, but I don't want to believe that person really is him. After all, he has followed me for so long and made many contributions. Perhaps he just went astray for a moment, so I thought I'd give him a chance to see the error of his ways."

"Meritorious service? Wrong turn? Wang Tianhai was a revolutionary hero back then, but so what? He still became a shameful traitor and collaborator. And he didn't see any sign of repentance!" Dai Chunfeng sneered, his tone becoming stern. "Compassionate and merciful, you have the heart of a bodhisattva, unable to bring yourself to do it? Or are you deliberately protecting him?"

Zhang Yi lowered his head, avoiding his gaze: "Chief, you misunderstand. But people aren't plants or trees; how can they be without feelings? After all, he's been with me for so long."

These words seemed to have no effect; Dai Chunfeng sneered:
"Out of consideration for past relationships? Yes, logically speaking, we shouldn't be so ruthless. Was Confucius your teacher when you first attended police academy training?"

"Director, I—"

"What do you mean, 'you'? Loyalty is for brothers, not for traitors. This is not the time to play the gentle and courteous card. Traitors and collaborators deserve to be killed by everyone. When it's time to be decisive, we must not hesitate."

After these words were spoken, Zhang Yi had no way to defend himself.

It's already two o'clock in the morning.

Qian Xiaosan decided not to wait any longer. He walked into the bedroom with a gloomy face, looked at the sleeping child, hesitated for a moment, then suddenly turned around and walked out. He picked up the suitcase on the table, and just as he was about to leave, he thought for a moment, then turned around and took out a long robe and a top hat that he had never worn before from the wardrobe.

After changing his clothes, he bent down and tied his shoelaces into a tight knot. He tiptoed to the door, listened for a while, then grabbed the doorknob with one hand, held the gun in the other, and took a deep breath.

The door opened, but there was no one outside. He quickly went downstairs and saw his wife walking towards him from a distance at the entrance of the stairwell. He ducked into the shadows, and as soon as his wife entered the stairwell, he grabbed her from behind.

"Shh!" Seeing her fear and panic, Qian Xiaosan immediately made a shushing gesture.

Then, he ripped off her red raincoat and whispered:

"Wearing this is too conspicuous. Don't say anything, go take the child right now and come with me!"

The wife was taken aback: "Where are we going?"

"Urgent mission. First to Yunnan, then on to Hong Kong. Don't ask me the details." Qian Xiaosan rubbed his nose and shoved his wife. "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and go!"

"So sudden? There aren't even any cars around at this hour."

Qian Xiaosan said impatiently, "Why are you talking so much? What I say goes. Hurry up."

Helpless and bewildered, the wife turned and went upstairs.

A few minutes later, she finally dragged her sleepy-eyed and reluctant child downstairs.

Because they were walking too fast, the child almost tripped and fell. His wife looked down and saw that his shoelace was untied.

Before she could say anything, Qian Xiaosan had already squatted down and tied the child's shoelaces, but when he stood up, the child still didn't move.

"What's wrong?" his wife couldn't help but ask.

"I forgot my schoolbag!" the child shouted, then turned and ran upstairs.

His wife was about to chase after him, but Qian Xiaosan stopped her. She turned to look at him, and he gently shook his head.
"Let the child get it. Don't panic, don't scare the child."

The wife nodded, trying to calm herself. She instinctively reached out and grabbed Qian Xiaosan's arm, whispering, "..."

"Has something happened? Are you hiding something from me?"

Qian Xiaosan's expression shifted slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. He looked at his wife with a gentle expression:

"Don't worry, everything will be fine. I've got you covered!"

Seeing that his wife remained silent, he added, "Once we get to Hong Kong, we'll have a proper wedding, a formal marriage, and we won't have to sneak around anymore."

"Aren't you bound by rules that you can't get married privately during the War of Resistance?"

Qian Xiaosan gently put his arm around her shoulder and said softly, "There are rules, but the mountains are high and the emperor is far away, so no one can control me. Don't worry, I will definitely do what I promised you."

His wife looked at him intently, her eyes filled with complex emotions. She felt that today's events were too strange. But as the saying goes, "a woman should follow her husband wherever he wants to go."

Qian Xiaosan wanted to say something more, but the child had already come out skipping and jumping with his schoolbag on his back, excitedly saying:
"let's go."

Qian Xiaosan acted as if nothing had happened, smiling as he picked up the child, picked up his suitcase with his other hand, and walked out in a few steps.

The wife followed behind them, and couldn't help but look back at the house again. After a long while, she reluctantly raised her hand to turn off the light and lock the door.

A car was already waiting downstairs; the driver was Xiao Ma, an office clerk.

The wife carried the child into the car and smiled at Xiao Ma:
"You're making a fuss, coming all this way so late."

"You're too kind, Madam. It's just a matter of stepping on the gas," Xiao Ma replied with a grin.

Qian Xiaosan also sat in the back seat of the car. Hearing what Xiao Ma said, he joked to his wife:
"Don't be fooled by his smiling face; he's probably cursing me in his heart. I just criticized him tonight, and now I've dragged him out in the middle of the night."

"A beating is a sign of affection, a scolding is a sign of love. It's just that Deputy Director Qian thinks highly of me." Xiao Ma smiled as he started the car, then casually asked, "Where are you going, sister-in-law? Going back to your parents' house?"

Before the wife could speak, Qian Xiaosan interrupted:
"Yes, we'll go live in the countryside for a while."

His wife looked at him, puzzled. Qian Xiaosan's mind raced, and before he could think of what to say, he suddenly heard the roar of a car engine. He turned his head and saw an out-of-control heavy truck hurtling towards him.
"Quick, turn left—" Qian Xiaosan yelled at Xiao Ma in a panic. However, Xiao Ma just smiled mockingly, pushed open the driver's side door, and jumped out.

Before Qian Xiaosan could finish speaking, everything suddenly went black, and a deafening crash resounded.

(End of this chapter)