My spy diary

Chapter 685 The Rendezvous (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

After parting ways with Xu Zeng'en, Dai Chunfeng got into the car with a heavy expression.

Back at the mansion, he went straight to the sofa without even changing his clothes and made a phone call.

Soon, Yang Rong and He Zhiyuan arrived, panting.

Before the two could speak, Dai Chunfeng launched into a tirade:

"One of you is in charge of intelligence, and the other is in charge of operations. You haven't been able to catch Zheng Huhe after all this time. Are you deaf or lame?"

The two men hung their heads in dejection, remaining silent. In truth, they secretly speculated that Zheng Huhe had either fled the mountain city earlier or was hiding in the Eighth Route Army office, having played a trick on them. However, both men were politically astute enough not to be foolish enough to suggest searching for him there; they could only strengthen surveillance on the perimeter.

Deputy Jia reassured him, "Chief, as per your orders, the Inspection Office has already taken action. According to the report from the land and water transportation checkpoints, Guan Zuzhi took the last ferry last night."

Before he could finish speaking, Dai Chunfeng interrupted him:
"No need, those bastards from the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics have already beaten them to it."

Lieutenant Jia was taken aback for a moment: "People from the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Zhongtong)."

“Yeah, how do they know everything? A few lousy intelligence agents, they’re too capable, aren’t they?” Dai Chunfeng put his hands on his hips, his face gloomy. After a pause, he continued, “The original search and arrest plan remains unchanged. Send another group to keep a close eye on those bastards from the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. See what they’re planning. Show them some real skills, or I’ll have to start cursing again.”

Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS).

Xu Zeng returned to his office with a beaming smile and immediately summoned Chen Qingzhai, the head of the Southwest Experimental Zone:

"How's it going? Any progress in the interrogation? You're quick on your feet. If you'd handed it over to Zheng Rui and the others, they might have escaped again. You didn't see it, Dai Yunong's face turned ashen just now."

Looking at the smug Deputy Director Xu, Chen Qingzhai gave a wry smile and stammered:

"Everyone is dead."

"Dead?" This answer left Xu Zeng'en's mind blank for several seconds, then his eyes widened, and he asked angrily:

"Dead? Killed? Why weren't you more careful?"

"Nobody expected a nineteen-year-old to be so stubborn and unyielding, so the men below went a bit too far."

Xu Zeng'en had been full of anticipation, after all, he had boasted in front of his "good friend," and the more smug he was before, the more annoyed he became now. He spat at Chen Qingzhai in frustration:
"You bunch of good-for-nothings! Get out!"

He waved his hand angrily, but when he found Chen Qingzhai still standing there, he became even more furious:

"Anything else?"

Chen Qingzhai said cautiously, "Although the person is dead, it's not like we've gained nothing."

Xu Zeng'en's eyes lit up: "Go on."

"This guy named Guan Zuzhi, because his identity was public, all used genuine identification documents. After he died, I wondered, who introduced him to the Communist Party when he was so young?"

Xu Zeng interrupted him: "Get to the point!"

"Yes. Based on the registered address on the document, I urgently contacted people in Hunan to help verify. The information shows that his father's name is Guan Hu, and he has an uncle named Guan Ping. These two were arrested for participating in a workers' riot, and disappeared after their release from prison. I'm thinking..."

Xu Zeng urged, "Get to the point!"

"Yes, I'm wondering whether they simply disappeared, died far from home, or joined the Red Party, changed their identities, and went to new cities to continue fighting under new identities. To do that, they would need a complete set of identities. Think about it, anyone from anywhere who wants to live like an ordinary person in this mountain city needs a fake identity. Name, identity, resume, household registration—you can't stand it if you're missing any one of them. Such a long list of things can't be without flaws. We just need to find one, hmm?"

"That's it?"

Xu Zeng grunted, saying noncommittally:

"The city has a population of nearly one million, most of whom are from other places, and two or three tenths are migrant workers. We've been doing household registration statistics and investigations for several years, but we still haven't figured it out. You think you can find these two people through household registration data? Isn't that like looking for a needle in a haystack? How long are you planning to investigate? Next year or the year after? Also, how can you guarantee that these two people are hiding in this mountain city and not in other cities?"

Chen Qingzhai smiled slightly, exuding confidence:

"Brothers fight tigers together, fathers and sons go to war together. Do you remember that case we handled last year? The man was the courier, the wife was the radio operator, the child's teacher was their superior, and the child's homework contained intelligence. The whole family was involved. They didn't care about numbers, they valued efficiency. Therefore, I speculate that this Guanhu Guanping might be lurking in the mountain city."

"Speculation? You want to investigate based on speculation?" Xu Zeng hesitated, somewhat displeased. "Have you considered the workload? Even if we conduct a comprehensive investigation, who knows when it will take?"

Chen Qingzhai nodded with a smile: "The key to many things lies in these subtle clues that go unnoticed. You said that. We should try anything, even if it seems hopeless. Sometimes, solving cases also requires luck. As long as there is even the slightest possibility, we must keep pressing on."

"Firmly rooted in the rocks, never letting go. A commendable spirit!" Xu Zeng pondered for a moment, then asked, "What are you planning to do?"

Chen Qingzhai knew the matter was settled: "As long as you have the manpower, even if it's like finding a needle in a haystack, I will find the man."

"how many people?"

"two thousand."

"No, even if we did, we couldn't give it to you. Don't they do anything else? Working requires food and money, so who will take care of their basic needs?"

"Then it's a thousand, no less."

Xu Zeng hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "500 people, that's all!"

"make a deal!"

The sheer size of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS) was not due to its accumulation at the top, but rather its expansion and infiltration at the grassroots level. Apart from the military, police, and gendarmerie, which were largely controlled by the CBIS, other party organizations of the Kuomintang (KMT), from the central government ministries and agencies down to provincial and municipal governments and county-level units, were virtually all under the CBIS's control.

Currently, the headquarters has nearly 500 staff members, the mountain city experimental zone has more than 130 staff members, various provinces and cities have nearly 10,000 staff members, various ministries and commissions have more than 2,000 staff members, public groups have more than 300 staff members, and peripheral key agents have more than 700 staff members, totaling more than 13,000 staff members.

However, this only refers to professional agents who are on the payroll and receive a monthly salary from the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS). If investigators who already have jobs and do not receive salaries from the CBIS are included, the total number would be over 100,000.

The sources of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS) agents were quite diverse, consisting of roughly five types of personnel.

One type is the investigation staff, referred to as "investigators," similar to the "agents" during the Secret Service headquarters era, except that the division of labor is more refined than before.

There are three types of job transfers: full-time job transfers, part-time job transfers, and voluntary job transfers.

The so-called "dedicated agent" is essentially a professional spy who receives a monthly salary.

Part-time agents refer to spies who have formal jobs in party affairs, administration, finance, justice and other departments. They also receive allowances or travel expenses from the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS), provide intelligence to the CBIS and are under the command of the CBIS.

Unpaid and without official status, these voluntary labor assignments were entirely voluntary. It may sound unbelievable, but these agents all had their own agendas. They were used to using powerful figures as a front, extorting money or murdering people under the guise of being informants of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS).

The second is the Party member investigation network. These people are hidden in Party and government administrative organs at all levels. The network directly controlled by the headquarters numbers around 3,000, and if those controlled by the provincial offices are included, the number is around 100,000. This represents the overall strength of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS). The third is the correspondents, who are distinguished by their source as student correspondents and special correspondents.

Student correspondents are mainly university students, while special correspondents come from all walks of life. Together, these two groups number around 100,000.

Fourthly, there are peripheral members, including secret basic peripherals and public ordinary peripherals.

The former mainly focuses on the "Three People's Principles Youth League," while the latter refers to student life clubs.

Fifthly, there were special intelligence agents. These were undercover agents embedded within the Communist Party and progressive groups.

The five types of spies mentioned above, excluding peripheral members, totaled more than 200,000. Perhaps Xu Zeng'en was bluffing in order to compete with the Military Intelligence Bureau, but no matter how this number is reduced, there is no doubt that the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Zhongtong) was a 100,000-strong army.

Therefore, it is quite easy to assemble a team of 500 people in the mountain city.

Xu Zeng hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'll give you the person. What else do you want?"

"Closed-door investigation. No one is allowed to go home; we will all eat and live together. No leave is permitted. During the investigation, men cannot marry, and women cannot get pregnant. If you can do it, do it; if you can't, don't come. Also, only elites are welcome; no lowly mediocre personnel."

Before he could finish speaking, the office phone rang. Xu Zeng answered it, listened for a few moments, said "Keep a close eye on them," and then hung up. He said to Chen Qingzhai, "I knew that little bastard Dai was up to no good. He's trying to be the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Dream on."

Just as Chen Qingzhai was about to ask what had happened, Xu Zengen continued:
"You choose the people yourself. I don't care about the process; I only care about the results."

"Yes, I will definitely make the most of my time."

"I don't want empty promises. I want to hear the results in three days at the latest."

"Three days later?" Chen Qingzhai was a little incredulous, but Xu Zeng nodded at him without any room for doubt. Then, he raised his wrist and looked at his watch:

"Have you thought about how long it will take to get to Hunan? Once news of Guan Zuzhi not returning home gets back, according to their organizational discipline, if Guan Hu and Guan Ping are really hiding in the mountain city, they will also make a hasty escape."

"Yes." Chen Qingzhai nodded solemnly.

Xu Zeng glanced at him and said meaningfully, "Besides this matter, perhaps you can also use this opportunity to do something we've always wanted to do, and investigate the people we want to investigate."

"understand!"

After seeing Chen Qingzhai off, Xu Zeng'en immediately summoned Pu Mengjiu, the office director:

"Have any screening arrangements been made for Zhang Yi and Wang Xinheng?"

Pu Mengjiu nodded: "It has already been arranged. We will start with their outer circle and those around them. You said that only by fully understanding a person's background can we truly understand and capture him."

Xu Zeng nodded in satisfaction. Pu Mengjiu was a student who had studied in Germany and was his elementary school classmate. He was weak-willed and lacked decisiveness, but his good point was that he was obedient and would follow his orders without question. He pondered for a moment and said:
"We need to hurry, especially with Zhang Yi."

Pu Mengjiu asked in confusion, "Director, has he given himself away?"

"No, on the contrary, he's become the model of unwavering loyalty to the Party and the State that Dai Yunong talks about!" Xu Zeng sneered. "Do you believe that? I certainly don't! Everyone is selfish, and I just don't believe that this Zhang Yi has no desires at all. Thirty years old and not even a woman, is he some kind of saint or a saint? Hmph, a great villain disguised as a loyalist, a great hypocrite disguised as a true man!"

Pu Mengjiu opened his mouth: "Director, he has a woman, who is said to have been brought back from Dai Chunfeng's hometown."

"Really?" Xu Zeng was taken aback, then sat down somewhat sullenly. After pondering for a moment, he snorted coldly, "Then let's start with this woman. If we can't deal with him, we can at least deal with a woman."

"Yes."

Zhang Yi was completely unaware of all this.

Before we knew it, it was afternoon.

From the morning onwards, Zhao Deshan stayed at home like a hibernating snake, never venturing out of the house. He cooked, paced around, and listened to the radio. Just as Shen Linfeng, who was monitoring him, was getting impatient, the door suddenly closed, and he immediately went to the teahouse to give a report.

Upon hearing this news, Zhang Yi, who had been lying in a chair with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes and stared intently at the figure that appeared in the binoculars.

Zhao Deshan strolled downstairs carrying a bag of trash, threw it into a tin can by the roadside, and walked straight towards a grocery store without looking to either side.

He stood by the counter, glanced at the prices of the cigarettes, and then ordered a pack of Lao Dao brand cigarettes. While the shopkeeper was giving him his change, he pretended to casually look around as he lit a cigarette. There were few pedestrians on the street, and they were all walking quickly; no one seemed to be following him or paying him any attention.

Zhao Deshan looked back behind the counter and greeted the owner, saying:
"This cigarette feels a bit fake."

2:50.

Opposite the Wangjiang Pavilion teahouse, there is a semi-open-air teahouse on the first floor where several men are playing mahjong, cursing and swearing, amidst swirling smoke.

A middle-aged man sat in an inconspicuous spot near the door, holding a copy of the "Shancheng Daily" in his hand, slowly sipping his tea as he read the newspaper.

The front page of the newspaper carried the news of the capture of Japanese spies Liu Ningxue and Xiaodie, their photos prominently displayed. As he looked at them, the man frowned slightly, glancing casually at the teahouse across the street.

At this time, the Wangjiang Pavilion teahouse still showed no signs of anything unusual.

The man glanced at his watch almost imperceptibly, then quickly looked away to read the newspaper and drink his tea.

Time passed slowly, and soon a rickshaw stopped far away on the side of the road. Zhao Deshan got off, paid the fare, and walked alone toward the teahouse.

The man's eyes flashed, then he looked away.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zhao Deshan enter the teahouse, choose a window seat on the first floor, and sit down to drink tea and read the newspaper.

The man glanced at his watch again; it was exactly three o'clock.

Just then, Zhao Deshan downstairs casually glanced at his watch. The time had come. He looked out the window, but no one he suspected of being his contact had appeared.

The man continued to wait. In his view, Xiaodie's arrest and exposure of her identity, regardless of how it was exposed, meant that Zhao Deshan, with whom she had direct or indirect contact, was no longer safe or reliable, and screening him was a matter of course.

So he's waiting.

If Zhao Deshan were exposed or betrayed, he would definitely be followed by a large number of secret agents. As long as he didn't show himself, the Military Intelligence Bureau would inevitably appear and surround the teahouse with guns at his feet.

This is called "testing the waters".

However, five minutes passed, and the Kuomintang agents did not appear. The middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief. Now they could find another place to meet.

(End of this chapter)