Spy wars start with lurking Secretary Hong

Chapter 446 Zhou Yi Escapes Danger
In this gloomy city, passengers are as obedient and docile as sheep.

Lu Ming, Hong Zhiyou, and Liu Kui checked them one by one.

"You guys keep checking, I'm going to carriage number nine." Eager to make a contribution, Lu Ming said goodbye and headed to another carriage.

"Old Liu, you should go too," Hong Zhi said.

"Forget it, some people want to get promoted and make money, so I won't block their way. There are several policemen in that carriage over there; if they really want to arrest someone, they'll catch them easily." Liu Kui understood Lu Ming and was too lazy to compete for credit.

"You're quite the Zen-like person."

Hong Zhi casually took a ticket and a document, checked them against the ticket, and handed them back after confirming there were no problems.

"Buddhist-style?" Liu Kui was slightly taken aback.

“It’s like being a monk, not competing or fighting,” Hong Zhiyou said.

"Section Chief Hong, sometimes I feel like you don't belong to this world."

"The last time I went to eat Western food, I heard someone sing a song you wrote. The love in your song simply doesn't exist in this era."

"This world is all about interests and coercion."

"And what makes you different from others is that you are very respectful to people. I've seen it several times; you're very polite to rickshaw drivers, restaurant waiters, or street vendors."

"This is very different."

Liu Kui said as he walked.

“I pride myself on having read a few more books, so I’m just being a fussy person,” Hong Zhiyou laughed.

"No, you know I haven't read many books, so maybe I didn't express myself clearly enough."

"You're being impolite."

"Your eyes and behavior show that your politeness is not because you are well-educated, but because you genuinely believe that they are human beings. You see them as your own kind, and you have an essential sense of identification and respect for life."

"But I am different from Section Chief Gao, Lu Ming and the Japanese. In our eyes, some are human beings, some are pigs, dogs, cattle and horses, or even lower."

“If we’re unhappy, we have a hundred reasons to ruin their families.”

“Killing them is like crushing an ant; we feel no guilt whatsoever. We just think it’s their fate, and they can only blame themselves for being born into this unfortunate world where they can only be preyed upon.”

Liu Kui continued checking tickets and verifying documents while exchanging information in hushed tones.

"Well, you're the 'saint' of this era, that's what Old Tu and the others in the interrogation room said," he added with a smile.

"Isn't your summary pretty good?"

"Now that you mention it, I should be dismissed from the Special Service Section," Hong Zhiyou said with a smile.

"No, the police department needs a saint."

"As long as you're here, we'll at least feel like we're still human, and that the police department has some humanity left."

"Besides, dealing with you is so simple. You're not short of money or opportunities for advancement, and you wouldn't stoop to the petty tricks of dragging others down to gain a little advantage."

"Let me put it this way, every time I go on a mission with Lu Ming, I get chills when he stands behind me, always worried that he might shoot me one day."

"So, it's safer to follow you, get away with less bloodshed, and eat less to stay safe."

Liu Kui said.

"Thanks, but someone like me who sleeps with widows and steals their secrets is considered a saint." Hong Zhiyou smiled and smirked.

"Two different things!"

As the two chatted and laughed, they got closer and closer to Zhang Hua's seat.

The special envoy wasn't stupid.

He had shaved, was dressed very plainly, and was carrying a tattered cloth bag, which differed from the description in the intelligence report.

"Please show me your ID and ticket," Hong Zhiyou said.

"Ok."

He was clearly unaware that he had been exposed and thought they were just two ordinary ticket inspectors.

Hong Zhiyou took it and looked at it.

Zhang Hua!

He looked at the special envoy, then at the train ticket, and paused slightly.

He had put on makeup and shaved his beard, but his big eyes were still very striking.

The seating arrangement on the tickets doesn't match up either.

Hong Zhi's mind raced.

Zhang Hua should have met Lao Wei, an underground member of the Red Ticket organization.

Old Wei is Zhou Yi's liaison.

Although this person wasn't very smart, he was very efficient in getting things done. At least he could help me collect mountain goods, and the transportation station was well preserved.

The Laotuoshan area is rich in natural resources.

The Fourth Detachment of the Anti-Japanese United Army was stronger than ordinary bandits and was also familiar with the mountain terrain.

If Zhang Hua takes down Lao Wei, it will be a significant loss for Hong Zhiyou's business.

Just as he was considering letting Zhang Hua off the hook, he heard the train screeching against the tracks and coming to a stop with a heavy, piercing wheezing sound.

Clearly, Lu Ming's side failed to catch anyone and took temporary emergency measures to halt the operation.

Hong Zhi looked out the window; this place wasn't a pick-up point, but rather in the middle of nowhere.

In a flash, he quickly analyzed the situation.

If they release the person and the car stops, Zhang Hua will have no choice but to commit suicide or escape.

Moreover, Lu Ming had already ordered his men to rush to other carriages to relay messages, forbidding passengers from moving around.

Even if Zhang Hua runs away.

He could only climb onto the roof of the carriage through the glass window from the restroom.

If the train were still moving, he might have had a chance to escape by jumping off.

But now that the train has stopped, if he jumps out, he will be immediately discovered and there will be no way he can escape the pursuit of the military police and secret agents.

On the contrary, he himself was placed on the suspect list because he carelessly let Zhang Hua go.

He is now being targeted by Saburo Shibuya.

Making a mistake at this time will cause trouble.

It seems we have no choice but to abandon the goods from Laotuo Mountain.

Moreover, even if Zhang Hua runs away, what if one day he goes to sleep with Li Hong and reveals that he deliberately let her go? That would cause endless trouble.

In other words, Zhang Hua can be considered a "traitor".

Even if he didn't think so himself, Lao Wang, and even Zhang Pingjun and his girlfriend, died because of his unintentional leak of information.

Alas, one can only say that he brought this upon himself.

Thinking of this, Hong Zhi handed Zhang Hua's ID and train ticket directly to Liu Kui.

Liu Kui was a highly experienced frontline agent. He glanced at the ticket, then looked at Zhang Hua, who was slouching, and shouted, "Look up! What's going on with this ticket?"

"There was a fellow villager with a child in front of me, and we switched seats," Zhang Hua said uneasily, his expression slightly changing.

"Which carriage was your original ticket in?" Liu Kui narrowed his eyes and asked in a deep voice.

"Nine, carriage number nine, sir, if you don't think this is inappropriate, I'll switch back right now." Zhang Hua was a little flustered.

However, he still held a glimmer of hope.

That means the train police officer was only annoyed because of the seat change.

"Which seat is in carriage number nine?" Liu Kui's eyes lit up, and he returned the documents and tickets in a deliberately calm tone.

“Seat number eleven,” Zhang Hua said quickly.

"Next time, behave yourself and sit where you want. Don't keep slouching around," Liu Kui said, glaring at him.

"Yes Yes."

Zhang Hua nodded gratefully. Just as he breathed a sigh of relief and put the ticket in his pocket, Liu Kui swiftly drew his pistol and pointed it at him: "Heh heh, you're quite the troublemaker. Give me your left hand."

"Sir, what, what do you mean?" Zhang Hua felt a chill run down his spine, and his body went numb.

"Everyone else, get out of here!" Liu Kui shouted, turning his head away.

The passengers next to Zhang Hua panicked and shrank to the back of the carriage.

"Don't move, take out your left hand." Liu Kui realized that his chance to make a great contribution had come.

"Hurry up!" he yelled.

Zhang Hua took off his gloves and slowly extended his left hand.

Sure enough, there were only four fingers.

At this moment, his face was ashen, and his identity had been exposed.

"It's like searching high and low only to find you right under my nose, and then catching you comes without any effort at all."

"Serves me right for being lucky. You'll end up in my hands no matter what."

Liu Kui drew his gun and pressed it against Zhang Hua's head, then took the handcuffs that Hong Zhiyou handed him and, with a click, cuffed him up.

"Congratulations, Lao Liu! You've been appointed a special envoy to the Manchurian Provincial Committee with a red ticket. You've done a great service this time, and you're likely to be promoted and receive an award," Hong Zhiyou said with a smile.

"Brother, if it weren't for you..." Liu Kui was about to speak.

Then Lu Ming rushed over in a panic: "Old Liu, Section Chief Hong, damn it, Zhang Hua isn't here..."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Liu Kui, who looked smug, and Zhang Hua, who was in handcuffs.

Without saying a word, just those four fingers and those big eyes, Lu Ming knew that all his hard work had been for nothing but benefit for Liu Kui.

"Old Lu, I've caught the man," Liu Kui said with a smile.

"You damn lackey, you're pretty fast, trying to switch places with me, huh?"

"Trying to switch places, huh!"
"I'll let you play!"

Lu Ming was furious, so he went up and slapped Zhang Hua across the face several times.

Not satisfied with that, they pinned him down and beat him with punches and kicks until Zhang Hua's face was covered in welts.

……

Soon, Zhang Hua was escorted out of the train station.

Gao Bin and Zhou Yi went to greet them.

"oops.

"Special Envoy!"

"It's quite unique, with four fingers and a variety of patterns."

"But you should know that even Sun Wukong couldn't escape the Buddha's palm."

Gao Bin circled around Zhang Hua and sneered.

Zhang Hua, his face covered in bruises, spat out a mouthful of blood and glared fiercely at Gao Bin. "How did you catch him?" Gao Bin asked with a smile, unconcerned.

"Section Chief Liu spotted him while checking tickets in carriage number three and arrested him," Hong Zhiyou said.

Liu Kui glanced gratefully at Hong Zhiyou and quickly replied:
"I was just lucky. Who knew he would run into carriage number three?"

"You can't say that. Luck is part of ability. The Japanese have always only recognized results, not processes. Congratulations, Section Chief Liu," Zhou Yi said with a smile.

"This is a big fish, Liu Kui. I bet you'll get a good reward this time. Don't forget to treat us to a meal later," Gao Bin joked.

He was genuinely happy.

This task may seem like a piece of cake, but it actually involves many subtle details.

He did not allow Zhou Yi to participate.

One reason is that if Zhou Yi were to be promoted again, it would threaten his position as section chief, as his achievements would overshadow his superiors.

Furthermore, if Zhou Yi really is a red ticket, it could cause a major problem if someone misses the ticket.

As for Lu Ming and Liu Kui...

Lu Ming deserves credit for the arrangements, but he's a scoundrel. Now that Liu Kui has taken the credit, it's a good thing Lu Ming doesn't get cocky.

Moreover, the police department needs to strike a balance.

He restrained Zhou Yi, while Liu Kui was a pawn used to restrain Lu Ming.

All of this can be described as a stroke of luck.

"Congratulations, Lao Liu."

Lu Ming forced a forced smile, feeling quite uncomfortable.

"Thanks." Liu Kui nodded.

"Let's go, we can talk about the celebration later, let's go back to the hall first," Gao Bin said loudly.

Zhou Yi glanced at the special envoy. He was already cold-blooded, but now he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, with every pore of his body emitting a chill.

“It was my carelessness. That woman’s phone call did report crucial intelligence. If I had paid more attention, perhaps he wouldn’t have been arrested.” Zhou Yi frowned as he got into the car.

"It's no use, my uncle killed two birds with one stone this time."

"If you tip someone off, you'll probably be finished too."

"You need to think carefully about who leaked the special envoy's intelligence and where the problem occurred."

"Of course, most importantly, we must be prepared for this person to betray us."

Hong Zhiyou reminded him.

"To be honest, in all my years working in the police department, I've never seen anyone who was convicted and not punished leave alive."

Do you have a solution?

“I can make an offer.”

Zhou Yi had a bit of a headache, and he said this while driving.

“Not everyone is worth saving, let’s wait and see,” Hong Zhiyou said.

We arrived at the police station.

Gao Bin ordered Zhang Hua to be locked in the interrogation room first, and then reported to Bai Qiming alone.

Bai Qiming is nearly sixty years old, with his hair a mix of black and white, which he combs meticulously.

He was fair-skinned with bright, intelligent eyes, clearly a shrewd and capable person.

"Congratulations, you've caught a big fish. The police department has become noticeably stronger since you arrived," Bai Qiming said with a smile.

"Director Bai, this is all thanks to your leadership," Gao Bin said.

"I'm almost retired, what merits do I still have?"

"So, is there any progress on that matter?"

Bai Qiming asked.

There's no progress.

"I always thought it was Zhou Yi."

"But Lao Qiu's return from the mountain, as well as the missing files from the past two years, all prove that Zhou Yi could not have leaked the secrets."

"Moreover, these two incidents were the plan to exterminate the Anti-Japanese United Army's germ warfare program and the case of arresting the special envoys who received red tickets."

“You know, these two things are not just about breaking bones, they're like brain surgery.”

"Zhou Yi clearly showed his rejection and refusal to participate, even at the cost of developing a serious illness. Moreover, we have been monitoring his family and his phone calls."

"There are no problems."

"Do such lurkers really exist?"

"If he really is a red ticket, and can remain unmoved in the face of such important matters, then his infiltration is meaningless."

"So, I think maybe I was just being petty and judging others by my own standards."

"Zhou Yi is too upright, and I always felt that the police department should not have upright gentlemen, so I instinctively felt resistant and suspicious towards him."

"Unfortunately, reality slapped me hard in the face."

"Intuition is unreliable."

"Of course, it's also possible that I'm getting old."

Gao Bin sat down, leaned back in his chair, tapped his fingers on the armrest, and sighed thoughtfully.

"So?" Bai Qiming asked.

"I want to withdraw the surveillance on Zhou Yi, firstly because it's a waste of manpower, and secondly because I don't want to struggle with myself anymore."

"To be honest, I've been suffering from insomnia every day for the past month, and I'm almost bald."

"I should give myself a break."

Gao Bin shook his head and smiled bitterly.

"I never thought that even you, Old Gao with your bull-nose nose, would have a day when you compromise." Bai Qiming pointed at him and laughed.

“If it were before, I would definitely have made a move, but now that Zhiyou is back, and that kid is popular with women, I feel like the day when I can hold my grandson is not far away.”

"Forget it, I'll just live a few more years."

Gao Bin raised his chin and said.

"Yes.

"Now I just go home and hold my grandson every day. I'm getting old, and this is the only joy I have left."

"Then let's cancel the full surveillance of Zhou Yi."

"But who exactly is this mole?"

Gao Bin was still very distressed.

"Don't rush. Catching the mole can't be done in a short time. Let's treat Zhou Yi as the mole and cut off all the conditions that he can use. See, we'll succeed in the germ warfare and the capture of the red ticket special envoy, won't we?"
"In my opinion, we should change our strategic thinking and adopt a defensive approach instead of an offensive one."

"When the mole realizes that he can't accomplish anything by hiding inside, his confidence will collapse, and his organization will put pressure on him. Sooner or later, he will have to slip up."

"This way, it won't affect our work, it will force that person to reveal their true colors, and you, Lao Gao, can sleep soundly and wait to hold your grandson. Isn't this a win-win-win situation?"

Bai Qiming smiled.

"If I didn't say you were the director, you'd be the most intelligent superior I've ever met, aside from that fat, ugly guy," Gao Bin praised.

"I dare not compare myself to the head of the agency."

"Interrogate Zhang Hua thoroughly and make sure to get some solid information out of him."

Bai Qiming gave instructions.

"Yes." Gao Bin accepted the order and walked out with light steps.

Bai Qiming walked to the window, gazing at the white doves taking flight in the distance from the square, his bright eyes gradually clouded over with a gloomy look.

……

Gao Bin went directly to Zhou Yi's office.

"Section Chief Gao," Zhou Yi said, standing up.

"You go about your business."

Gao Bin closed the door behind him, then looked around with his hands behind his back: "You caught typhoid fever. Is the heating in the house enough? If not, I'll have you renovate it and build two more fireplaces."

"To be honest, even if I hid in Laozi's Eight Trigrams Furnace right now, I would still be cold." Zhou Yi put down his pen, picked up the kettle, poured some tea, and sat down at the coffee table next to the sofa.

"You've brought this on yourself, you're just being clever for no reason," Gao Bin said, pointing at him.

"Yes, if I had known Zhi had such a powerful background, I should have followed Lu Ming's example and tried to get some credit, and then pocket the 5,000 yuan bonus," Zhou Yi said helplessly.

"That kid kept it from you, and even from me."

"Let's not talk about him anymore. I'm here to give you a task."

"We've talked about the mole in the hall many times. I'm all alone now. Looking around the hall, I think there are only four people I can trust: you, Ren Changchun, Zhiyou, and myself."

“You all have proof of the time you were absent; this is irrefutable evidence.”

"So, I'd like to ask you for a favor."

Gao Bin said.

"You're too kind, Section Chief. Please give your instructions," Zhou Yi said.

"Help me secretly investigate everyone who has worked at the police department for more than three years...

"Remember, it's...everyone."

"I will request wiretapping and tracking permissions from Commander Kato, and you and Ren Changchun will be in charge of it secretly."

"No matter who it is, if there is a problem, you can report it directly to the Military Police Headquarters."

Gao Bin said.

"Including the two department heads?" Zhou Yi frowned.

"I don't know, you decide for yourself."

"Let's go to the interrogation room and talk to Zhang Hua first."

"Zhou Yi, you have to help me, you're one of the few 'innocent' people left among us."

Gao Bin patted him on the shoulder.

Zhou Yi breathed a sigh of relief. He knew he had finally survived Gao Bin's big test and had temporarily escaped a disaster.

"Section Chief, as long as you trust me, I will do my best, no matter who that person is... I will definitely find him."

Zhou Yi stood at attention and gave him a solemn salute.

……

(End of this chapter)