My spy diary

Chapter 684 Getting There First (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Dai Chunfeng glanced at him, took the pastry, and took a bite:
"Where do you think Zheng Huhe is hiding? How could a living person just vanish into thin air?"

"Hmm? Could they be hiding in the Eighth Route Army's office, in the dark where it's right under their noses?"

"Tell me, if we're just sitting here by the phone, unable to go anywhere, wouldn't this be your goal if you were that person?"

"That person?" After listening to Dai Chunfeng's rambling, Lieutenant Jia paused for a moment, then asked, following his lead, "What is he afraid we'll interfere with?"

"It's a mess, a jumble of thoughts. I'm a little confused and can't figure it out either." Dai Chunfeng rubbed his face with his hand.

“Yes, when your mind is in turmoil, your thoughts become chaotic too. You need to calm down. Don’t you often say that people are prone to making impulsive decisions when facing life-or-death situations, or when they have information asymmetry and are panicked?” Deputy Officer Jia noticed that Dai Chunfeng was somewhat absent-minded and patiently followed up on his words.

Dai Chunfeng took a bite of the pastry haphazardly.

"And when people are caught up in their emotions, they are vulnerable." Deputy Jia tried his best to change the subject, and said with a hint of sarcasm, "My wife just had a cold and fever these past two days, but I thought she was going to die, and I almost gave her last words."

Dai Chunfeng glanced at him.

Seemingly realizing that discussing personal matters was inappropriate, Lieutenant Jia quickly said, "Has there been no word from Deputy Director Zhang?"

“Yes, he didn’t make a sound, Wang Xinheng didn’t make a sound, nobody made a sound.” Dai Chunfeng shook his head and said subconsciously.

"Perhaps that person sensed something and dared not reach out again so easily," Lieutenant Jia speculated.

"No. More than a day has passed, and that group is already on their way and will arrive soon. It shouldn't be this quiet. Could it be that that person isn't interested in the list at all? Why is there no movement whatsoever?"

"Be patient, there might be news soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, Dai Chunfeng seemed to realize something and suddenly looked up at him, asking, "What did you just say?"

Lieutenant Jia was taken aback, blinked, and looked at him with confusion: "I said there would be news soon."

"No, the sentence before that."

"What did you say? I mean, did that person realize something?" Lieutenant Jia frowned slightly, staring intently at him.

"Further ahead."

"Further ahead, is my wife sick with a fever?" The adjutant was somewhat bewildered by his question.

"Your wife is sick, she has a fever, isn't she?" Dai Chunfeng asked thoughtfully, his brows furrowed.

"Yeah, what?"

Is she sick?

Before Deputy Jia could react, Dai Chunfeng immediately started rummaging through a stack of documents on the table, and soon he found a report:
"This is it. Yesterday, YZ District reported that an Eighth Route Army office staff member named Guan Zuzhi went back to his hometown in Hunan because his mother was critically ill. He should not have gone far yet. You should immediately notify the people in the Supervision Office to take action and find him."

Just as he heard that Vice Admiral Jia's wife was ill, Dai Chunfeng suddenly realized an important clue—if Zheng Huhe was really hiding in the Eighth Route Army office, then this Guan Zuzhi might have seen him.

Lieutenant Jia looked at him, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back. After a pause, he finally spoke:

“Mr. Dai, shouldn’t you reconsider? After all, he has a public identity. If we touch him, the Red Party will not let it go.”

Dai Chunfeng looked up at him and snorted coldly: "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Besides, the journey to Hunan is long, and it's not surprising that we might encounter some accidents with soldiers and bandits. Who would know it was us?"

As he spoke, he shoved the report into Lieutenant Jia's hand, and while changing his clothes, he said:
"Let the people in the inspection office take action. I hope I'll hear good news when I finish this meeting."

Dai Chunfeng quickly dressed and walked outside, giving instructions as she went:

“He is a filial son, and his mother is his weakness. I hope he can make a breakthrough.” As soon as he finished speaking, he left.

"Fellow countrymen, comrades, this is the Central Broadcasting Station of Chongqing. We are now broadcasting the latest battle report from the front. Today, our soldiers on the Xiangbei front are engaged in a fierce battle with the invading Japanese invaders on the outskirts of Changsha."

At Editor-in-Chief Liu's house, Shen Linfeng, wearing a stethoscope, was squatting in the corner, listening to the powerful voice of a female announcer coming from the radio in Zhao Deshan's house next door. His good neighbor had just visited, and while not exactly suspicious, he could at least sense his cautiousness. In short, he had to be extremely careful in his conversation with Editor-in-Chief Liu in this room.

The room wasn't well soundproofed, and the radio next door was blasting, making eavesdropping quite clear.

Shen Linfeng squatted in the corner, idly twirling the pen in his hand. On the notebook lying on his lap were his records of Zhao Deshan's activities: "8:40, suspected of walking around at home," "8:50, listening to the radio," and so on.

Shen Linfeng reported the information he had overheard to the teahouse, and Zhang Yi immediately convened a meeting.

At this moment, a map was spread out on the table in the teahouse, with red circles marking the area where Zhao Deshan lived and the places he had visited that morning.

Zhang Yi pointed to this spot and said to everyone:

"The fish is actually listening to the radio, enjoying its leisurely life. Looks like it's not planning on going out?"

An undercover officer speculated, "Chief, did our surveillance and Shen Linfeng's sudden appearance alert him? His hasty return was clearly a test."

"Not necessarily. As long as you don't follow too closely, you won't be exposed. I guess this is a routine tactic he uses. He'll do it regardless of whether he's being followed or suspected. Conversely, once he's assured of his own and his hideout's safety, he might be about to do something important."

"Important matter? A rendezvous?"

Zhang Yi did not answer directly, but instead asked a question in return:

"Have the identities of those people who had contact with him this morning been confirmed?"

"We checked from the side, but haven't found any problems yet."

Zhang Yi nodded, looking at the map and pondering:

"Suppose you were Zhao Deshan, and the courier was arrested, your identity could be exposed at any moment and you would be suspected. What would you do in that situation?"

The monkey immediately said, "As is customary, he will stop all work unless safety is confirmed. Whether to stay or leave depends on the notification from the online team."

How should we notify them?

"Use code words to notify others by phone or give instructions directly via radio."

An undercover officer said with frustration:
"It's a pity we didn't install any listening devices, otherwise we could have found out what he was saying."

Zhang Yi glanced at him, and the man, feeling guilty, shut his mouth.

"The bugging device needs to be installed, but not now. Have the photos taken at his house been developed yet?" Zhang Yi's tone was light, as if nothing had happened.

An undercover officer said:
"It is being flushed urgently."

"After the photos are developed, take a close look at them. Next time you go, make sure everything is restored perfectly."

"Yes," everyone replied solemnly.

This incident did not disrupt Zhang Yi's train of thought; he looked at the monkey and continued to ask:
"and then?"

The monkey thought for a moment and said, "Judging from Zhao Deshan's experience and cunning, his superior must be no ordinary person either. If he saw the news of Xiaodie's arrest, even if he uses Zhao Deshan, he will still conduct a thorough investigation and test."

"for example?"

"Scout out the location beforehand, then arrange to meet Zhao Deshan. Change the meeting place midway, while you hide in the shadows and observe whether he is being followed. Once you discover that Zhao Deshan is being followed, you will immediately disappear and cut off all contact with him."

Zhang Yi nodded in agreement; the monkey's analysis of counter-surveillance measures was becoming increasingly sophisticated. He smiled, and couldn't help but think of the famous poem "Fragment":
"You lie in wait in the dark alley to spot your target, while the spy watches you from the rooftop. The crowd weaves your disguise, and you weave the tracks of others?"

As soon as this poem was published, plainclothes officers immediately began to flatter it:
"I never imagined that a seatmate could compose poetry. It's so catchy, it would be a shame not to publish it!"

Zhang Yi was stunned and gave an awkward laugh. The plainclothes officer then solemnly took out a small notebook and wrote it down, looking on with obvious admiration, which made the others exchange bewildered glances.

Zhang Yi coughed lightly: "Is it really that good?"

The plainclothes officer said earnestly, "It's very well written."

A few suppressed laughs escaped from the group of plainclothes officers. Zhang Yi glared at them, smacked his lips twice, and sat down to drink his tea, looking rather sullen.

An undercover officer, unable to stand it any longer, leaned over and said to the man, "You ignorant fool, this is Bian Zhilin's 'Fragments,' published in 35."

"Ah!" Upon hearing this, the man realized that his flattery had backfired, and he blushed with embarrassment, quickly lowering his head.

"Alright, everyone disperse. Recharge your energy and get ready for the next surveillance mission!"

At Editor-in-Chief Liu's house, Shen Linfeng was listening intently with his stethoscope when the broadcast from the next room suddenly stopped, and he couldn't hear anything anymore. At that moment, he stared intently at the wall, wishing his gaze could penetrate it to see what Zhao Deshan was doing.

Of course, Zhao Deshan knew nothing about this.

At that moment, he sat at the table, turned the radio volume down to the lowest setting, and adjusted the tuning knob.

A moment later, that familiar, slightly seductive female voice came on the radio again.

He immediately took out paper and pen and began recording various data.

After finishing his notes, he took out the book "The Legend of the Swordsmen of Shushan" from the table, opened it, and flipped through the pages one by one, matching the Arabic numerals he had just written down.

Afterwards, he wrote down a string of words on the paper: 3 PM, Wangjiang Pavilion.

"The Red Party's influence is growing stronger every day."

In a small conference room on Zhongshan Fourth Road, a meeting chaired by Tang Heng, the head of the intelligence group of the sixth squad of the Attendant's Office, ended in an atmosphere of "righteous indignation".

Dai Chunfeng's face remained expressionless. As the saying goes, the officialdom is a place for self-cultivation, and the meeting hall is the perfect training ground for it. Those who have spent a long time in this place will not show any obvious emotional fluctuations. No matter what secrets they harbor, they all maintain a stern face, serious and solemn.
Finally, Tang Heng gave a concluding speech and then announced the end of the meeting. The heads of the other departments left one after another, while Tang Heng, Dai Chunfeng, and Xu Zeng'en tacitly stayed behind.

As Dai Chunfeng had predicted, as soon as the door closed, Xu Zeng'en got straight to the point:
"Brother Yu Nong, what about Mao Zhongxin's matter? We agreed to be involved in the case of the Japanese spy Liu Ningxue, but you kept refusing. What's the meaning of that?"

Dai Chunfeng chuckled and said, "Isn't this the duty of our Military Intelligence Bureau?"

Seeing that he was going back on his word, Xu Zengen said with some resentment: "What do you mean by your duty? Arresting Red Party members is our duty, and I haven't seen you doing anything about it."

"Don't be too anxious. Everything is done in a first-come, first-served manner. We will inform you when we have the results of the interrogation."

Seeing his lack of cooperation, Xu Zeng'en looked at him sharply.

Dai Chunfeng glanced at Tang Heng and, seeing him looking at the documents as if it were none of his business, said:

"Pointing a gun at me won't do any good. Mao Zhongxin is dead. Who knows if his confession is true or false? Besides, everyone knows that your Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics is good at spreading rumors. You are good at 'making full use of, boldly hypothesizing, without verifying, making baseless rumors seem credible but without any evidence.' You can fool yourselves with this kind of fabricated intelligence. You wouldn't actually believe it, would you?"

The slap made Xu Zeng's face turn somewhat ugly. He snorted coldly:
"Confessions could be fabricated, so could the recordings be fake too? Do you want to hear them for yourself? Mao Zhongxin said that Zhang Yi is a Red Party mole infiltrating your ranks, and you have been investigating him all along."

"Who?" Dai Chunfeng looked like he couldn't believe his ears.

"Zhang Yi. As far as I know, there have been constant leaks within your organization lately. Elite talents carefully selected from various training classes in the border region have been captured one after another and are now digging cave dwellings in Yan'an. I'm afraid this Zhang Yi is involved, isn't he? Brother Yu Nong, aren't you going to explain?"

This time, Dai Chunfeng's expression darkened. He remained silent for a moment before speaking:

"Your information network is quite good, but these matters have nothing to do with Zhang Yi. He is a very reliable person and is extremely loyal to the Party and the State."

"Loyal? Is it loyalty to you personally, or loyalty to the Party and the country? Director Dai, it is our Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics' responsibility to identify internal dissidents and spies. Since there is suspicion, we must investigate thoroughly. If you are soft-hearted, I don't mind helping you clean house."

Dai Chunfeng stared at him without saying a word. He sneered inwardly. Even if he suspected Zhang Yi, that was a family scandal, and family scandals should not be aired in public. Who was it to you, an outsider, to comment?

"It's not that I have long arms, it's just my duty. After all, the interests of the Party and the country are above all else."

"Using the Party and the State to pressure me?"

"On the contrary, I think this is a form of encouragement!" Xu Zeng'en said with a forced smile, looking at Tang Heng. "Team Leader Tang, what do you think?"

Addressing him by his official title was naturally a matter of official business, and Tang Heng knew he could no longer refuse, so he feigned dissatisfaction and said:

"Brother Yu Nong, please explain. What exactly is going on with Zhang Yi? Is he a suspect? If so, then investigate him immediately. Those who should be detained should be detained, and those who should be executed should be executed. At this time, we can only choose to consider the overall situation and avoid being swayed by petty concerns, which could lead to greater losses. After all, Deputy Director Xu is right; the interests of the Party and the country are above all else."

Xu Zeng'en immediately chimed in, "I completely agree. Although Team Leader Tang's method is extreme, it's safe. Besides, if Director Dai is unavailable, our Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics can easily take over."

“That won’t be necessary!” Dai Chunfeng said without hesitation. “I told you, this person is very reliable.”

Xu Zeng looked at him suspiciously:
"reason?"

Dai Chunfeng solemnly extended both palms:

"There are many reasons, but the number of Communist Party members who died at his hands is far greater than that. Is this reason sufficient?"

"Really? How come I didn't know?" Xu Zengen was skeptical.

Tang Heng sat up straight as well: "Brother Yu Nong, is this really true?"

When pressed by the two men opposite him, Dai Chunfeng remained serious.
"He was the one who executed a group of key Red Army criminals previously detained at the Wanglongmen Detention Center." He paused, then named a few people. "Hmph, if he weren't one of our own, would he be so ruthless towards the Red Army? Suspicion should be based on evidence, not just hearsay. And what about Mao Zhongxin's confession? You actually believe the words of a scoundrel who eats, drinks, gambles, and betrays his own people? Mao Zhongxin and Zhang Yi were already at odds. He's only saying this because he wants to take someone down with him before he dies. If we actually believe it, our friends will be hurt and our enemies will be happy. Not only will our brothers be disheartened, but the Red Army will also laugh at us."

"He killed all these people?" Xu Zeng'en stared in astonishment. He was all too familiar with the names Dai Chunfeng mentioned; they were all veteran members of the Communist Party.

Tang Heng was also stunned for a moment, and said in disbelief:
"Is this all true?"

“These are all things that happened before and after he became the head of the judicial department. The facts are irrefutable. There are photos of those people before and after their deaths, and the time and place of their executions have been reported. If you need, I can show them to you.” Dai Chunfeng nodded. “He killed so many Red Party members; his hatred for the Red Party will never be resolved in this lifetime.”

“That’s right,” Tang Heng nodded, then changed the subject, “So, Mao Zhongxin’s confession was out of revenge?”

"Definitely, their posture was far too unsightly."

"So that's how it is!" Xu Zeng sighed awkwardly, pondered for a moment, then changed the subject, "Since Zhang Yi isn't him, how do you explain the intelligence leak? In other words, besides Guo Xinya, you have other spies lurking within your ranks?"

Dai Chunfeng snorted coldly: "It's none of your business to be like a dog catching a mouse. You should worry about your own business."

Xu Zeng shrugged, not wanting to argue with him, and said meaningfully:

"If Brother Yu Nong needs help, perhaps I can lend a hand."

"What are you trying to say, all this nonsense?" Dai Chunfeng stared at him.

Xu Zeng didn't answer immediately. He slowly took a sip of water, his words somewhat ambiguous:
"Brother Yu Nong, have you ever heard of the name Guan Zuzhi?"

Dai Chunfeng's heart tightened. Could it be that the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS) had also set its sights on him? He feigned ignorance and asked:
"Who is he?"

"A clerk at the Eighth Route Army office."

"You arrested him?"

"That's not how it works. We just suspected him of being involved in a murder case, so we stopped him on his way home for questioning."

"Oh, did you find anything?"

"Of course!" Xu Zeng'en said with a hint of pride. "Although he was just a small-time spy, he reaped quite a harvest."

"Oh, is it convenient for you to tell me?"

Xu Zeng smiled, looking into Dai Chunfeng's eyes, and spoke slowly:
"I've said everything I needed to say. If Deputy Director Dai is curious about the details, let's exchange them for Japanese intelligence. Let's get our Party and government investigation team dealing with the Japanese puppet regime started working on it, how about that?"

Dai Chunfeng's eyes changed slightly, but he quickly returned to normal. He hadn't expected that the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics would beat him to it just as he was thinking of taking action against Guan Zu.

After pondering for a moment, he looked calmly at Xu Zeng:
"I'll think about it."

Xu Zeng smiled smugly and raised his teacup:
"Waiting for good news."

(End of this chapter)