Spy wars start with lurking Secretary Hong

Chapter 449 Eliminating Lai Wenbin

"No, Murakami-san, this matter concerns the reputation of the Kwantung Army, the General Staff, and the Shibuya Chief, and even our lives."

"Once the news gets out, it could even cause irreparable damage to the empire's reputation."

"I wish I could be present during this torture."

Hong Zhiyou's smile held a hint of undeniable ruthlessness.

“But Shibuya Saburo will definitely find out that you came, and he will become suspicious and question us about it. That won’t do us any good,” Murakami said shrewdly.

"Do you think he doesn't know about us, and about your dealings with Commander Guan?"

Why did he choose me to go up the mountain?

"Just because he hates anyone who is interested in gold bars and banknotes, he is fundamentally our natural enemy."

"Unless you choose to be a loner like him."

"To be a hypocrite who has a reputation but is filthy at heart."

“Shibuya Saburo is not even loyal to the Emperor. Such a person is only loyal to his own heart. As long as he is in Binjiang Province and Manchukuo, he will haunt us like a ghost.” Hong Zhiyou stared into his eyes and said coldly.

“But that’s dangerous.” Murakami hesitated.

Hong Zhiyou knew that if this matter wasn't kept a close eye on, given Murakami's cautious nature, it would inevitably drag on and cause trouble again.

"What is there that is not dangerous?"

"I told you, once Shibuya Saburo finds out the truth, you'll be the first one he takes out on.

"If you want to make big money and climb the ladder, how can you do it without some guts?"

Click! Hong Zhi turned the money box back.

"Shibuya's weakness is that it's too rule-abiding. As long as we're fast enough and handle things cleanly enough, they won't find any fault with us."

"Brother Murakami.

"I see your potential, don't take me for a fool."

"I want my partner to be a capable person, not a hypocrite who just spouts empty words and puts on airs."

"Don't forget, I have someone behind me too."

“I said I could carry you up, and I definitely will.”

Don't let me down!

Hong Zhiyou's tone became sharp, like a ferocious tiger baring its fangs.

Murakami glanced at the money on the table, then at the samurai sword on the wall, and finally slammed his hand on the table:

“I agree to your participation in the interrogation of Lai Wenbin.”

"Thank you." Hong Zhiyou's smile returned to its usual warm and gentle tone.

"Wait a moment, I need to make a phone call."

To show his sincerity, Murakami didn't avoid him, but instead walked aside and picked up the phone:
"Hello, Gao Binjun."

“Hong Sang is with me now. I want to confirm whether you interrogated Lai Wenbin alone last night.”
Does Li Hong know?

"Okay, I understand, thank you."

After hanging up the phone, Murakami let out a slight sigh of relief.

It seems that not many people know about the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army.

After all, the Anti-Japanese Alliance had done this very discreetly. Even if Lao Qiu could have guessed it, with his shrewdness, he wouldn't dare to speak recklessly.

After all, he himself is a prime suspect.

Murakami didn't want to escalate the situation; he just wanted to get rid of Lai Wenbin.

"Someone come here!" he shouted.

A guard immediately came in: "Captain, what are your orders?"

"Bring Lai Wenbin here immediately, no, take him to the warehouse," Murakami ordered.

……

in the room.

Lai Wenbin ate the fragrant white rice, a plate of crispy pork, a plate of pickled vegetables, and soup—it was simply perfect.

He used to have money on hand and could occasionally afford to eat out.

But having white rice to eat every meal is like living in paradise.

Lai Wenbin ate very slowly.

He was pondering his escape route.

The news of his arrest must have reached Hongpiao's ears by now.

Moreover, he had already handed over the first batch of names to Murakami last night. Although they were just a few peripheral intelligence agents, the Japanese were already trying to squeeze every last drop of value out of them.

It's not safe to stay in Harbin.

Lai Wenbin had made up his mind that once he had given out the complete list, he would immediately flee far away.

Just then, two Japanese agents in suits walked in: "Mr. Lai, please come with us. Captain Murakami requests your presence."

"it is good."

Lai Wenbin had no doubts. He put down his chopsticks, got up, and followed the two agents to the back of the villa.

Soon the two men led him to the entrance of a warehouse.

Lai Wenbin sensed something was wrong: "Where am I? I need to see the village head."

"Go in."

The Japanese shoved him inside very roughly.

Inside the warehouse.

The room was brightly lit, and various blood-stained instruments of torture hung on the walls.

Puddles of filthy, dried blood were visible on the ground, their pungent odor sending shivers down one's spine.

Murakami and a young man in a suit sat upright.

"Captain Murakami, what does this mean?" Lai Wenbin asked, his brow furrowing.

"Mr. Lai, don't be nervous."

“Choosing this place is just my habit; usually, we can ensure that some information is more authentic and effective here.”

I hope you don't mind.

"sit."

Murakami politely offered him a cigarette.

Lai Wenbin lit a cigarette, took a puff, and looked at Hong Zhiyou warily: "Didn't I already give you the list?"

“What you gave me was just a small fry. I know you’ve hidden a big fish in there. Speak up,” Hong Zhi said.

"Who are you?" Lai Wenbin asked coldly.

"This is my friend, an excellent translator. You can call him Mr. Hong."

"To facilitate communication, he will be the one to ask you some questions on my behalf."

Murakami raised his hand to introduce.

“Captain Murakami, I’ve heard that Chief of Staff Shibuya is a kind and benevolent man. I would like to request a meeting with him.” Lai Wenbin had a bad feeling about this.

A hint of displeasure flashed across Murakami's face.

"Special Envoy Wright, are you implying that Captain Murakami is a villain?" Hong Zhiyou countered with the eloquence of a professional lawyer.

"Do not.

"You've misunderstood. I've only long admired Mr. Shibuya's name," Lai Wenbin quickly explained.

"So, you're saying you're unwilling to cooperate with Captain Murakami?" Hong Zhiyou asked aggressively.

“I am a special envoy of the Manchurian Provincial Committee. Given my rank and the seriousness of this Anti-Japanese Allied Forces incident, you should report to me so that I can meet with Mr. Shibuya.” Lai Wenbin had a bad feeling and his tone was somewhat flustered.

"Mr. Shibuya will see you."

"However, there are some things you need to explain before you see him again."

"But now someone has reported you for deliberately fabricating false information and slandering the reputation of our Great Japanese Empire. Do you admit it?" Hong Zhi asked.

"False information, are you referring to the Anti-Japanese United Army?" Lai Wenbin looked at Murakami's sinister eyes and panicked a little.

"Exactly.

"We have carried out this matter with meticulous planning and achieved complete success. This is the result of the investigation by Yano Otosaburo and Commander Shibuya."

"The Army Headquarters and the Secretariat both commended it, considering it a new model of warfare that can be recorded in history."

Why did things turn out so badly when it came to you?
"I suspect that your surrender is feigned, and you want to drag the Kwantung Army into a quagmire of public opinion and internal suspicion in order to achieve your ulterior motives, right?"

"According to our investigation, you are a seasoned and outstanding underground intelligence agent. You once followed General Yang. That crippled finger must be a war wound."

"For a high-level warrior like you, made of special materials, Chief Gao didn't even use severe torture to get you to confess."

"This is illogical, so we have reason to question your motives and everything you say."

Hong Zhi deliberately flattered him, attacking his hypocrisy.

"You!" Lai Wenbin was both ashamed and embarrassed.

Murakami's eyes flashed with a cold light.

Hong Zhiyou's analysis revealed a flawed point of thought, and upon reflection, it is indeed chilling.

"Captain Murakami, you captured me because you wanted to know these top secrets, didn't you?"

"I swear, this is true."

"The soldiers in Guanyin Cave were not members of the Anti-Japanese United Army; they were all bandits."

Please believe me.

"This was personally reported by Political Commissar Zhou to the Manchuria No. 1, and Fu Jun, who came to attend the meeting to receive the award, can also testify to it."

Lai Wenbin composed himself and shouted.

"Who is Fu Jun?" Hong Zhi lit a cigarette and slowly took a puff.

“He is the deputy captain of the Fourth Brigade,” Lai Wenbin said.

"Where is he now?" Hong Zhi asked.

“We’ve gone up the mountain,” Lai Wenbin said.

"Ha, don't you think that's a lame excuse?"

"Even if the person you mentioned does exist, we still have to search the entire Laotuo Mountain, fight fiercely with the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces, and then capture him alive."

"This is harder than climbing to heaven."

"Hmm, that's a good point."

Hong Zhi raised his hand and smiled with admiration.

“I’m telling the truth!” Lai Wenbin shouted, feeling humiliated and angry. “Who else can testify?” Hong Zhiyou asked.

"Old Wei, he was there too," Lai Wenbin blurted out in a moment of panic.

"Who is Lao Wei?" Hong Zhi asked anxiously.

“Old Wei was the head of the underground organization in Harbin. At the time, he, Fu Jun, me, and a woman codenamed Maple Leaf were present,” Lai Wenbin said.

"Write down your address and identification information right now!" Hong Zhiyou handed him paper and pen.

"I don't know the address."

"Although I have been to Harbin a few times, I have mainly stayed in the Nangang area. Each time they picked me up, they used a small car covered with a cloth, and then we met in some abandoned factories or under bridges."

"so……"

Lai Wenbin couldn't quite explain it.

Hong Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. He insisted on asking more questions, firstly to clear his name in front of the village, and secondly because it was always better to have the information in his own possession.

“Old Wei’s appearance, age, or rather, his features…” Hong Zhiyou continued to ask.

"His face is a bit big and slightly round. He looks very amiable. He has businesses in Harbin. There's also a woman named Maple Leaf. She's about thirty-five or thirty-six years old. I don't know what she does."

"This is the rule in our line of work: a system of responsibility by designated areas."

“I’m mainly active in Fengtian, so I’m not really familiar with the situation in Harbin.”

Lai Wenbin said with great effort.

"boom!"

Hong Zhi slammed his hand on the table and stared at him coldly, saying, "After all that talk, you haven't provided any useful information. You're quite the smooth talker."

"Captain Murakami, you heard it too, this person has been stirring up trouble and playing tricks on us."

"Not a single reliable word came out of his mouth."

He then turned to look at Murakami.

“Mr. Lai, since you can’t prove your innocence and can’t pinpoint the exact location of this old Wei, then don’t blame me for being impolite.” Murakami beckoned, and two burly interrogators stepped forward, grabbing Lai Wenbin’s shoulders on either side.

"Captain Murakami, listen to me, this news is indeed true."

“I, I can provide information about the Manchurian Provincial Committee.”

"As long as we capture Manchuria No. 1, he can prove that what I said is true."

Lai Wenbin completely lost his shame and shouted loudly.

Murakami gestured, calling Hong Zhiyou outside.

“Brother, this is a big fish, the Manchurian No. 1, a tremendous achievement,” Murakami said, somewhat tempted.

"If you want to arrest someone from Fengtian, you have to report to Commander Kato and Chief of Staff Shibuya to allocate manpower. Once you arrest someone, it will be the head of the Fengtian agency who will handle the case. At most, you will only be credited for providing intelligence."

"What makes it so great?"
"Besides, once it's reported, Chief of Staff Shibuya will know that Lai Wenbin is in our hands."

"If he spews nonsense and talks rubbish, then it will all come back to the way it was, and you'll be the one to take the blame again."

"Using our heads to benefit others."

"Lai Wenbin's move can be described as extremely vicious."

Hong Zhi immediately poured cold water on the situation.

"Hey, you're the one who's clear-headed, little brother. That Lai guy is just awful." Murakami slapped his forehead and said angrily.

Back in the interrogation room, Lai Wenbin asked impatiently:

"Well, this is my most treasured information. Are you satisfied now?"

"You should be the one who's satisfied."

"If I'm not mistaken, by the time we finish coordinating the search in Fengtian, your number one should have already disappeared without a trace."

"No matter what you say, you just want to amplify the influence of the Anti-Japanese United Army's false information and create international public opinion that is detrimental to the prosperity of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere."

"Incidentally, you'll attract the attention of important figures and successfully infiltrate our ranks."

Hong Zhi saw through all the cold smiles.

"You, you're talking complete nonsense! Every word I've said is true! Why don't you believe me? Is this how you treat high-ranking defectors?" Lai Wenbin stomped his feet in anger.

"You're getting impatient."

There is no such thing as a bandit impersonator.

"It doesn't feel good to have your conspiracy exposed."

"Captain Murakami, it's up to you now."

Hong Zhiyou sneered.

"Guards, use severe torture until he confesses the truth," the village chief ordered.

The interrogators were all trusted confidants of the village. Upon hearing about severe torture, they would not bother with branding irons and would simply beat the victim to death.

"I'll recruit, I'll recruit."

Lai Wenbin was beaten half to death, all his teeth were shattered, he suffered multiple fractures, and his liver was also severely damaged.

He knew very well that if he didn't admit it, he would be beaten to death.

Pretend to admit it first, and you'll have a chance to see Chief Shibuya alive and seek a glimmer of hope.

"Sign this confession."

Hong Zhi handed him a document that he had personally drafted.

The document makes no mention of the Anti-Japanese United Army or the bacteriological drugs, only stating that Lai Wenbin deliberately leaked his whereabouts and was arrested, attempting to infiltrate the high-ranking officials of Manchukuo by leaking information about a few peripheral intelligence agents and taking advantage of the police department and the Japanese policy of offering preferential treatment to those who surrender.

Lai Wenbin's left eye was blown out, leaving it a bloody mess.

My right eye can't see anything clearly either.

In a daze, he signed and pressed his fingerprint on the paper.

Hong Zhiyou took it, shook it, and handed it to Murakami.

Murakami glanced at it and, understanding, said, "Immediately implement the severe wartime punishment."

"Severe punishment during wartime?"
No, no!

"I want to see Shibuya Saburo, I want to see..."

Lai Wenbing started screaming and yelling, and one of the interrogators punched him in the mouth, immediately putting him to silence.

Hong Zhiyou and Murakami personally drove Lai Wenbin to the outskirts of the city.

……

Binjiang Provincial Police Headquarters.

Tanaka hurried into Shibuya Saburo's office.

"Chief, the Special Service Section arrested a fugitive yesterday, supposedly from Fengtian," he said.

“This is their job. They often catch Kuomintang agents and corrupt officials. What’s so strange about that?” Shibuya Saburo meticulously reviewed the documents without even looking up.

"Gao Bin interrogated this person late last night. Not only that, but not long after, the village brought people and kidnapped him."

"Anyone who can make Gao Bin and Murakami so concerned must be no ordinary nobody."

"Not only that, our people reported that Hong Zhi went to the military police station and stayed there for a full hour. They even tortured him. I just called my men and they said they took him away."

Tanaka said.

"Oh?" Shibuya Saburo frowned and put down his pen.

"Why are Hong Zhiyou and Gao Bin in such a hurry?"
"That is indeed a bit unusual."

Shibuya Saburo had a feeling that this matter was not simple.

"Call the military police immediately and ask where they've taken him. If we rush over there, there might still be hope of intercepting him," he ordered immediately.

"Yes." Tanaka accepted the order.

After making the call, the two men led a squad of guards and immediately headed to the outskirts of the city.

……

Suburbs.

boom!
With a gunshot, Lai Wenbin fell into a pool of blood, his eyes wide open.

Hong Zhiyou, wearing a long, thick fur coat and with a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth, gazed at the flock of crows flying in the distance.

These crows with bloodshot eyes were not frightened by the gunshot; instead, they swarmed around it.

Clearly, the gunshots were a signal for them to start their meal.

They quickly landed on Lai Wenbin's body, clamoring and fighting over the still-warm flesh.

“Hong-san, if it weren’t for you, I might be the one being devoured by these beasts in a few days,” the village chief said expressionlessly.

"Isn't that just how the world is?"
"Either you eat people, or you get eaten," Hong Zhiyou said with a detached smile.

"Now I have to admit your exceptional qualities."

"You are an excellent hunter in yourself."

"Being able to defeat Commander Guan and Ni Xiaoping is not a matter of luck, but of your strength."

“With the protection of the prince and the chief of the guard, I wouldn’t be surprised if you became the new prime minister of Manchukuo in the future.” Murakami took a deep breath of the blood-tinged air.

I will not become the second Zhang Jinghui.

“But I am definitely the richest person in Manchukuo,” Hong Zhiyou said with a faint smile.

Just saying.

Several cars sped over.

Shibuya Saburo and Tanaka walked over quickly, and when they saw the body on the ground, they knew they were too late.

"Chief Shibuya, Assistant Tanaka," Murakami greeted respectfully with a bow.

Hong Zhiyou simply gave a perfunctory salute according to the superior-subordinate relationship.

Last time, Shibuya wanted him dead.

Moreover, this person doesn't need social skills, and the two can never become friends, so Hong Zhi has no need to pretend with him and his attitude is very cold.

"I heard that this person is a special envoy sent by the Manchurian Provincial Committee. Why not report such an important person and investigate him carefully, instead of rushing to silence him?"

"Captain Murakami, I expect you to give me an explanation."

"Shibuya Saburo asked in a cold voice."

"Director Shibuya, after repeated questioning by Chief Gao and me, this person has not revealed any useful clues."

"On the contrary, he admitted that he wanted to take advantage of the generous treatment our Imperial Army gave to those who surrendered, and attempted to infiltrate our high command by recruiting some low-ranking officers."

"This is a document he personally confessed to and signed."

Murakami calmly took out Lai Wenbin's signed document from his pocket and handed it over with both hands.

……

(End of this chapter)