Spy wars start with lurking Secretary Hong

Chapter 524 Don't Protect Him
As Hong Zhiyou said this, he suddenly turned his head and his finger almost poked Cui Wannian's nose.

"Cui Wannian, why don't you confess to the leak?"

This loud shout was like a thunderclap exploding in Cui Wannian's ears.

His already shaky body shuddered violently, as if his bones had been removed, and he slumped into the chair.

"I...I didn't..."

"I really...didn't open the file."

Cui Wannian offered a feeble explanation.

Gao Bin laughed:

"That's strange.

"Captain Zhou had no opportunity to tip off the enemy."

"The call came from the direction of Jiamusi again."

"If it's not you, then could it really be a ghost?"

Lu Ming, who had been mostly silent, chimed in with a forced smile, "In my opinion, there might really be something fishy going on."

Liu Kui let out a cold laugh, crossed his arms, and his gaze swept unabashedly between Cui Wannian and Miyagawa Yoshio:

"Right now, the only ones who know the truth and have the means to leak it are you and Director Miyagawa."

"If it's not you, then is it Director Miyagawa?"

Yoshio Miyagawa was taken aback by the arrogance of the Harbin police, and his expression turned extremely grim.

Gao Bin immediately rebuked, "Liu Kui, what nonsense are you spouting?"

"Director Miyagawa is not one to joke around. Aren't you going to apologize to the director?"

Liu Kui realized he had spoken too quickly and immediately bowed deeply to Yoshio Miyagawa.

"Director, I'm sorry, I was wrong."

Yoshio Miyagawa's facial muscles tightened, and he ignored him.

He turned to look at Zhu Yi, who seemed detached from the matter: "Section Chief Zhu, don't you have anything to say?"

Cui Wannian seemed to have grasped at the last straw and shouted in a hoarse voice.

"Section Chief! You...you have to say something for me!"

"I really didn't peek at the documents!"

Zhu Yi sighed inwardly.

A perfectly good game of chess was turned into a checkmate.

Yoshio Miyagawa appears to be clever and meticulous in his planning, but he has many flaws in the details and can't even handle Master Jin.

At this moment, Hong Zhiyou has caught him red-handed, and it's already a miracle that he hasn't been dragged into the mess.

He no longer dared to save anyone.

A bunch of pigs!
Zhu Yi slowly opened his eyes, his gaze calm and undisturbed: "The witnesses and the recordings are all there, I have nothing to say."

Cui Wannian's face drained of color, and he stared at Zhu Yi in disbelief: "Section Chief, you..."

Hong Zhiyou stepped forward at the opportune moment, breaking the suffocating silence.

"Chief Miyagawa, please give your instructions."

Yoshio Miyagawa stood up, and a powerful sense of oppression once again enveloped the entire conference room.

He announced in a dignified voice, enunciating each word clearly.

"Cui Wannian, you are suspected of leaking top-secret intelligence about this operation. In accordance with the 'Wartime Severe Punishment Regulations,' you are hereby immediately detained and interrogated!"

Cui Wannian completely broke down, letting out a desperate roar.

"Director! I'm innocent! I'm innocent!"

Miyagawa Yoshio didn't even look at him, then paused and turned his gaze to Hong Zhiyou.

"Chief Hong, since you're the one who uncovered the lead, hand the person over to your police department for processing."

Hong Zhi stood up, gave a perfectly timed bow, and lowered his posture: "Your subordinate obeys."

Yoshio Miyagawa stared intently at him and added another sentence.

"We must get to the bottom of this as soon as possible."

Hong Zhi nodded. "Yes."

Yoshio Miyagawa buttoned up his suit jacket and walked out without looking back.

Zhu Yi also stood up, walked up to Gao Bin, shook hands, and said goodbye as if nothing had happened.

Then, he walked up to Zhou Yi, his face filled with utmost sincerity, and said apologetically:
"Brother Zhou, I'm so sorry. I never expected that I would ask you to deliver a secret letter, which almost got you into trouble."

As he spoke, he reached out and patted Zhou Yi's shoulder heavily, giving a meaningful laugh:

"See Lao Cui? The most poisonous person is the one you sleep with. Sometimes, the closer someone is to you, the more dangerous they are."

"The world is a dangerous place, brother, you'd better keep your eyes open in the future."

Gao Bin's jaw muscles tightened imperceptibly.

That bastard, even on his way out he tried to sow discord, what a despicable person.

Zhou Yi's expression remained calm: "Thank you for the reminder."

Zhu Yi nodded, then walked over to Hong Zhiyou and said, "You are a promising young man. I have truly broadened my horizons today."

Hong Zhi replied with a forced smile, "Section Chief Zhu is a senior, you're too kind."

"Harbin is much more lively than Jiamusi. Section Chief Zhu rarely comes here, so you should stay for a few more days."

Zhu Yi patted Hong Zhiyou's hand gently, as if he were an old friend: "No, I'm old. I prefer a quiet life. Jiamusi is much more peaceful."

Hong Zhi looked at him with a faint sneer in his eyes, "Yes, Jiamusi has beautiful mountains and clear waters, it's a good place to retire and live a peaceful life."

"Section Chief Zhu will surely live to be a hundred years old."

Zhu Yi seemed oblivious to the barb in his words, and instead burst into laughter: "A hundred years old? Haha, good, good, then I'll have to thank you for that."

He withdrew his hand, his gaze finally settling on Cui Wannian's ashen face.

"Brother Wannian, you should take responsibility for your actions. If you do something wrong, you should accept the punishment."

"Don't worry, out of consideration for our years of brotherhood, I will treat your wife, children, and elderly parents well."

“Especially Cui Jian, I will take care of him like my own son.”

Cui Wannian clenched his fists, staring at Zhu Yi with intense hatred.

He got it.

Yoshio Miyagawa and Zhu Yi have completely given up on themselves.

Otherwise, they could simply have their cases brought to Jiamusi or the police headquarters for trial and then try to exonerate themselves.

It now appears that they are willing to risk their lives to achieve a compromise with Hong Zhiyou.

What's even more despicable is that Zhu Yi, that bastard, actually used his son to blackmail me.

hateful!

There was absolutely no choice!

Cui Wannian's eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Zhu Yi, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Thanks."

Zhu Yi smiled with satisfaction, turned around and strode away.

The moment he turned his face, the smile vanished without a trace, replaced by an icy expression of resentment and disappointment.

Harbin, how prosperous and beautiful it is!

What a pity... sigh...

Gao Bin watched Zhu Yi's figure disappear through the door before turning his sympathetic gaze to the drowning Cui Wannian.

He raised his chin and gave the order.

"Liu Kui, take Captain Cui to interrogation room number one and hand him over to Lao Tu. Interrogate him thoroughly."

Liu Kui coldly raised his hand, "Captain Cui, please."

Cui Wannian was lifted up by two secret agents. He glared venomously at Zhou Yi before being dragged away unwillingly.

Gao Bin clapped his hands, instantly dispelling the somber atmosphere in the conference room.

He laughed loudly, "Everyone, what a scare! We almost got our Captain Zhou into trouble."

Zhou Yi also gave a faint smile.

"Thanks to the mediation of my colleagues, otherwise I would have really become a red vote today. Thank you."

Lu Ming then joked, "Captain Zhou, words alone don't carry any real meaning."

"If you really want to thank everyone, why don't you treat them to a big meal?"

Zhou Yi was very decisive.

"No problem, there's no time like the present, let's do it tonight."

"I'm treating everyone to a big meal at the Madier Hotel."

Gao Bin, with his pipe in his mouth, laughed, "Great! It's been a while since our department had a get-together. Let's have a couple of drinks tonight."

Laughter filled the meeting room as everyone packed their belongings and headed to their offices in twos and threes.

Lu Ming quickened his pace and caught up with Gao Bin, following him closely into the office.

He quickly poured Gao Bin a cup of hot tea, then stood respectfully in front of the desk.

"Section Chief, what exactly is going on here?"

"I don't understand it at all."

"Tell me, why would Miyagawa... no, I mean Old Cui, deliberately leak information?"
"Those two special envoys are real fat fish. Once they are caught, they may be able to uproot the Red Ticket Manchurian Committee. That would be a truly earth-shattering achievement."

"It's not worth making such a big fuss and losing Cui Wannian."

Gao Bin glanced at him and sneered, "Lu Ming, everyone is selfish, can't you see that?"
"Who is Yoshio Miyagawa, the new broom sweeping clean, aimed at?"

Lu Ming hesitated for a moment, then tentatively said, "Zhou... no, is it Zhiyou?"

Gao Bin nodded and exhaled a thick cloud of white smoke.

"Yes, I don't know what evil spirit this kid has been possessing lately. Now everyone, whether human or ghost, wants to pinch him."

Lu Ming chuckled dryly, "It's all because of money."

"If that's the case, then Zhi is really tough."

Gao Bin looked up, his gaze sharp as he stared at him. "You only understand now?"

Lu Ming's face stiffened, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on his back. He quickly explained:

"No, no, I figured it out a long time ago."

“If it weren’t for what happened with Ma Wendong last time, I wouldn’t have gone into hiding for more than half a month.”

Gao Bin then looked away and nodded.

"It's good that you know what's going on."

Lu Ming knew that Gao Bin was targeting him.

He nodded quickly, his voice filled with relief at surviving a close call: "Now I understand, as long as we follow Zhiyou, our police department won't suffer any losses."

He secretly rejoiced that he had been quick to adapt to the situation and had promptly informed Hong Zhiyou about the Ma Wendong incident.

Otherwise, I'd probably be rotting in the ground by now.

Gao Bin neither agreed nor disagreed with his statement, but simply raised his chin and said, "Go and call Zhiyou over."

A moment later, there was a knock on the office door, and Hong Zhiyou pushed the door open and walked in.

"uncle."

Gao Bin looked at him and sighed slightly for no apparent reason.

Hong Zhi pulled out a chair, crossed his legs, and put on his signature smile: "Uncle, why are you sighing? Aren't you happy that we turned the tables today?"

Gao Bin said, "Old Zhu went back to Jiamusi, and we even lost our valiant general Cui Wannian. Miyagawa Yoshio also voluntarily admitted defeat. Logically, I should be happy. But for some reason, I just can't feel happy."

At this point, Gao Bin stared intently at him:
"Tell me honestly, was Zhou Yi responsible for this leak of the list?"

"Based on my understanding of Lao Zhu, he is a very cunning person and he is unlikely to take the initiative to find out the inside story of the list."

"In other words, only Yoshio Miyagawa and... Zhou Yi might know the inside story of this list and have tipped it off."

Hong Zhiyou's smile remained unchanged as he shrugged: "Uncle, didn't I already deduce that Captain Zhou was in the car at the time and had no opportunity to leak information?"

Gao Bin's expression instantly turned cold, and he said in a sarcastic tone:
"You're just fooling me."

“You drove a Dodge sedan out of Harbin. If I’m not mistaken, you went to Jiamusi, right?”
"If Zhou Yi really wanted to pass on intelligence, he would have a hundred ways to do so, even on a train."

“In noisy places like trains, he could easily get people off the train midway to pass on intelligence with a little manipulation.”

"If Jin Si hadn't been arrested, do you think Yoshio Miyagawa and Zhu Yi would have believed your childish reasoning?"

Hong Zhiyou's smile faded slightly, but he still did not back down in the slightest.

“Uncle, I went to Jiamusi to deliver information according to your plan, to help Zhou Yi get out of trouble, and to suppress Lao Zhu by the way. This is your idea.”

Gao Bin was quite dissatisfied with his rambling: "That's only one aspect. What I'm discussing with you now is who actually let the red ticket go."

Hong Zhi leaned back in his chair, looking completely at ease: "Uncle, it's Yoshio Miyagawa, isn't it obvious?"

Gao Bin stretched out his finger and pointed at him from a distance.

You are lying.

"Yoshio Miyagawa has indeed refreshed my understanding of the bottom line of the Japanese, but he gave the intelligence to Kim Jong-un around 5 o'clock, which is the point of intelligence leakage you mentioned."

"But according to my people, some people had already left as early as four o'clock."

"That includes one of those two red tickets."

"This means that the intelligence was leaked before 5 o'clock, or even around 3 or 4 o'clock."

"How do you explain this?"

Hong Zhi secretly thought to himself, "This is bad."

He underestimated his uncle's methods and abilities, especially in intelligence gathering and surveillance; he was practically a master at it.

He remained expressionless and forced himself to speak.

"Uncle, this is a matter of trust. It depends on how you look at it."

"If you insist it was Zhou Yi, I can also say that Zhu Yi didn't trust Miyagawa Yoshio's professional abilities and made a mistake on his own."

"That makes sense too."

Gao Bin sighed deeply, picked up his pipe, but lost his appetite for smoking: "Logical, those four words are well used."

"I can't investigate Zhou Yi now, so as to give Yoshio Miyagawa and Zhu Yi a chance to turn things around."

"We can't argue with you or question them."

At this point, he glanced wearily at Hong Zhiyou and gave a self-deprecating smile:
"Alright, you all won, and I'm the only one who's completely clueless."

"This time, for the sake of my eldest grandson, I will not argue with you and will put Zhou Yi's matter aside for the time being."

He changed the subject, his eyes sharpening again.

"Tell me, how should we deal with Cui Wannian?"
"And what about Yoshio Miyagawa? What should we do next?"
"After all, he is our superior, who is several ranks above us. If you continue to fight and kill like you did with Shibuya Saburo and Ma Wendong, the Army Ministry should wipe out this internal bandit."

"It's best not to be too flamboyant."

Hong Zhi leaned forward, his expression becoming serious: "Uncle, my conflict with Shibuya Saburo is a clash of positions and beliefs, while my conflict with Ma Wendong is a struggle for interests."

"But I don't have any irreconcilable conflicts with Yoshio Miyagawa."

"Moreover, it is a good thing for me that such a stupid and clumsy opponent remains in office."

"Therefore, I will coexist peacefully with him."

"I will formally visit him tomorrow."

Gao Bin nodded, a hint of relief on his face: "It seems you really don't need my reminder anymore."

Hong Zhi chuckled and resumed his nonchalant demeanor.

"Having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. I do hope that my uncle can nag me more often so that I can reflect on myself from time to time."

"At least when I send someone to Jiamusi, I can't hide it from my uncle."

"If it were Shibuya Saburo, I would probably have walked right into a trap with this move."

Gao Bin's expression finally softened completely. "It's good that you understand."

"Remember, never underestimate your opponent. Sometimes it's better not to make a move at all than to make a move recklessly."

"Go ahead."

Hong Zhi stood up, nodded to Gao Bin, and turned to walk out.

Gao Bin leaned back in the large mahogany chair and closed his eyes with a hint of melancholy.

His intuition told him that Zhou Yi was suspicious.

Alas, the only one capable of biting Zhou Yi is...

Thinking of this, Gao Bin opened his eyes and picked up the phone on his desk.

"It's me, come here."

Soon, Lu Ming pushed open the door and walked in, his posture even more respectful than before.

"Section Chief, you're looking for me."

Gao Bin didn't look at him, but just played with the cold pipe.

"I remember last time a professor from Beiping sent three people, didn't he? They infiltrated the police department. Isn't it a waste to leave them unused?"
"Director Liu asked me about this matter yesterday."

Lu Ming's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately understood: "Yes, Zhang Tao is with me now, that kid is pretty shrewd."

“He’s classmates with Liu Yawen, the daughter of Deputy Director Liu. He goes there as soon as he gets off work. We need to find him something to do.”

Gao Bin's lips curled up slightly. "Well, once this storm passes and the fish in the pond become more docile, you can let Zhang Tao go fishing for them."

Lu Ming nodded immediately.

"clear."

He paused, then glanced upwards cautiously, tentatively probing:

"When Section Chief Hong exposed Cui Wannian's collusion with the bandits today, I noticed that you... didn't seem very happy."

Gao Bin felt a jolt of realization. Had he really lost control of his facial expressions?

He turned his head, a meaningful smile on his face, "You have a good eye."

"So, do you know what to do now?"

Lu Ming chuckled dryly and lowered his voice, "Internal surveillance, I know about it."

Gao Bin looked at him and said:

"Lu Ming, do you know why Zhi Youming kept you around even though he knew you were running errands for Ma Wendong last time?"

Lu Ming's face changed drastically in an instant, his lips trembling, "I, I... Section Chief, I was bewitched by Ma Wendong."

Gao Bin sneered: "Because I pleaded for you."

"You've been with me for many years, so I know your business capabilities well."

"So whether you gamble or have affairs in the hall, I can turn a blind eye, because I know you are a staunch anti-vote faction, just like me."

"As long as you have this one good point, I can tolerate all your shortcomings."

"What are you after by clinging to Ma Wendong? Isn't it just that you want a promotion?"

"It's simple. Once Director Bai retires, the department will be reshuffled. If you find out anything, I'll give you a hand in the future; it's no problem."

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Lu Ming's forehead, which he quickly wiped away. "Thank you, Section Chief Gao. I will swear to serve you to the death."

Gao Bin waved his hand, his tone tinged with impatience: "Stop with the slogans. I'm not expecting your loyalty anyway. Just get the job done."

Lu Ming felt as if he had been granted a pardon. "Yes, Section Chief Gao."

……

The next day.

Hong Zhiyou didn't wake up until 10 a.m.

I drank way too much at the Madier Hotel last night, and my head still hurts a bit.

dong dong!

"Young Master Hong, it's me."

Peng Hu's calm voice rang out from outside the door.

Hong Zhi rubbed his temples, got up, and opened the door.

Peng Hu stepped aside.

"Manager Zhao from the gold mine has arrived."

Soon, a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and with a refined demeanor walked in carrying a heavy leather suitcase.

Peng Hu gently closed the door and stood guard outside.

Manager Zhao placed the suitcase on the table and opened it directly: "Young Master Hong, this is the first batch of finished gold products from the mine. Please take a look at the purity."

Inside the box were dozens of neatly arranged gold bars, shimmering with an alluring golden luster in the morning light.

Hong Zhi picked up a stick casually and tapped it lightly on his knuckles. The texture was crisp and the sound was pleasant.

He nodded with satisfaction.

"Good job, thank you for your hard work."

Zhao Xiangli bowed slightly, "It's my duty."

Hong Zhi put the gold bars back into the box.

"Let's increase production even further."

"In addition, we need to maintain good relations with the Japanese technical staff at the South Manchuria Railway Company."

"Also, hand over the best batch directly to Chairman Kojiyama Naoto and ask him to pass on a portion to the Prince."

Zhao Xiangli respectfully replied, "Yes."

Zhao Xiangli left with the empty box, and Peng Hu walked in.

"Young Master Hong, is this person reliable?"

Hong Zhi smiled and said, "Of course."

Zhao Xiangli was recommended by Zhou Yi. He was fluent in Japanese and also skilled at raising pigeons. He was the one who helped Lao Wei send messages up the mountain by pigeon. He was definitely an elite figure among the Harbin Red Tickets.

Right now, Dai Li and Ye Ziming are eyeing his meager sum of money, and those who use red notes are far more reliable than those who use the Military Intelligence Bureau.

If Zhao Xiangli were to abscond with the gold to Yancheng one day, that would be more comfortable than giving it to Dai Li.

It's a pity there's only one Lao Xie in this world.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have to worry about having no one to use and would have to ask Zhou Yi for recommendations.

Hong Zhi took out twenty gold bars from the box and several stacks of brand-new banknotes from the bedside table, and put them into a small leather suitcase.

He picked up his suitcase and drove directly to the police headquarters.

It's time to have a good talk with the new Director-General, Yoshio Miyagawa.

Hong Zhiyou actually had feelings for Yoshio Miyagawa.

Foolish, crystal clear.

The methods were clumsy, simplistic, and almost entirely devoid of detail.

Such an opponent is simply a gift from heaven.

Now that Yoshio Miyagawa has taken the initiative to hand over Old Cui and sell him at a low price, Hong Ji-yoo certainly won't miss this opportunity.

We should try to win over this guy so we can all get rich together.

……

(End of this chapter)