Spy wars start with lurking Secretary Hong

Chapter 530 Kill them

The bright, blinding beam of light, like a cold, sharp blade, suddenly pierced the darkness of the ruins.

Gu Qiuyan was so shocked she almost lost her mind.

She instinctively held her breath and quietly peeked half her head out from the gap in the broken wall.

Damn.

It's the Japanese military police.

How could I be so unlucky?

She quickly looked away, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.

She quietly pulled out her pistol for self-defense; the cold metal in her palm gave her chaotic thoughts a little bit of support.

She lowered her body, pressing herself tightly against the inside of the wall, trying to blend her figure into the darkness.

The two Japanese military policemen got off the motorcycle with smirks, walked to the base of the wall, and each lit a cigarette.

Amidst the wind and snow, their indistinct Japanese conversation could be heard.

One of them loosened his belt and began to release water towards the base of the wall; the sound of the water hitting the soil was exceptionally clear in the deathly still night.

The other one walked to the side near the wall, squatted down, and muttered something under his breath.

Soon, a nauseating stench of excrement and urine wafted over on the wind.

Gu Qiuyan felt a wave of nausea and vomiting. She covered her mouth and nose tightly, her brows furrowed tightly.

Just then, the antenna that she had temporarily placed on the telegraph machine box suddenly slipped off the box with a "thud" and fell onto the rubble.

The sound wasn't loud, but it seemed unusually abrupt at that moment.

The Japanese soldier who had just finished relieving himself paused.

"Kimura, there seems to be some noise inside."

"Could it be a stray cat or a rat?" The Japanese soldier named Kimura haphazardly pulled out a newspaper from his pocket, wiped it a few times, and followed while pulling up his trousers.

The two men took the rifles off their shoulders and held them in their hands, slowing their pace as they walked step by step into the depths of the ruins where Gu Qiuyan was hiding.

The footsteps grew closer, each one feeling like a blow to Gu Qiuyan's heart.

Her heart was in her throat.

His palms were sweaty, he gripped the pistol tightly, and his finger was already on the trigger.

She knew that once discovered, she would have to fight to the death.

Just then, the two dark figures of Japanese soldiers were about to cross the gap in the broken wall.

Sudden.

A beam of light suddenly shot out from behind them, hitting them precisely in the face.

"who!"

A deep and powerful shout rang out.

The two Japanese soldiers were so blinded by the bright light that they couldn't open their eyes. Startled, they instinctively turned their guns towards the source of the light.

"idiot!
"Who?"

Zhou Yi, holding a flashlight in one hand and with the other in his pocket, walked forward unhurriedly, the beam of the flashlight sweeping across the two men's faces: "I'm from the Special Operations Section of the Police Department, patrolling this area. What are you doing here!"

As he spoke, he handed over his identification.

One of the Japanese soldiers was intimidated by his calm demeanor and subconsciously took the identification he handed over.

By the light of the flashlight, he saw that it was a second-class police officer, the captain of the Special Operations Team.

He was a high-ranking official.

He quickly put away his gun, respectfully saluted Zhou Yi, and returned the identification documents with both hands.

“We are the Nangang branch of the Daoli Military Police.”

Zhou Yi took the identification and put it back in his pocket, a hint of suspicion in his eyes: "The Nangang branch has come to Daowai. Does your Captain Wutian know?"

Since Shirokura became the commander of the military police, he has carried out extremely strict reforms to the internal rules and regulations in order to enforce discipline and prevent the military police from abusing their positions for personal gain.

Fearing misunderstanding, the Japanese soldier quickly bowed and explained, "Sir, we just changed shifts and were passing by. We just... just needed to use the restroom."

Zhou Yi nodded, his tone softening somewhat.

"Alright, the Iron-Blooded Youth Corps of the Military Intelligence Bureau has been very active lately, and things aren't peaceful here. Let's go back early."

"Hai!"

The two Japanese soldiers bowed and accepted the order.

Behind the broken wall, Gu Qiuyan's tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

She was just about to quietly breathe a sigh of relief.

Behind me, a fat wild cat suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Clap!"

The stray cat stomped on and crushed the old tile beneath its feet.

A crisp cracking sound rang out in the silence.

Gu Qiuyan's brow twitched violently, and she cursed her bad luck inwardly.

"who!"

The two Japanese soldiers, who were about to turn and leave, became alert again, turned around sharply, and pointed their guns into the depths of the ruins once more.

One of them shouted to Zhou Yi, "Sir, there are people inside!"

Zhou Yi groaned inwardly, his face darkening. "Let's go take a look."

"Kimura, go inside."

Another Japanese soldier was clearly suspicious. He didn't move, but instead held his gun at Zhou Yi warily, the muzzle moving with Zhou Yi's movements.

The Japanese soldier named Kimura, carrying his gun, cautiously walked step by step toward the gap in the broken wall.

Gu Qiuyan knew that there was no way out.

Her gaze was fixed on the approaching dark figure.

Just as Kimura was about to step halfway into the gap...

She pulled the trigger abruptly.

Almost at the same moment, Zhou Yi, who was standing outside, also moved.

boom!
Boom!

A series of gunshots shattered the tranquility of the snowy night.

A burst of blood erupted from the chest of the Japanese soldier named Kimura, and he fell backward with a scream.

At the same time, the military policeman behind him who was pointing a gun at Zhou Yi was also shot and fell to the ground in the snow.

"Zhou Yi, are you alright?"

Gu Qiuyan's anxious voice came from the ruins.

Zhou Yi clutched his left arm, where a piercing pain shot through him.

"I'm fine, hurry up and pack your things!"

He endured the pain, rushed forward, and without hesitation, fired a shot between the eyebrows of each of the two Japanese soldiers who were still convulsing in the snow.

The gunfire completely subsided.

He crouched down, pulled a dagger from his pocket, and with rough and swift movements, dug out two deformed bullets from the corpse of the Japanese soldier that Gu Qiuyan had killed.

Blood and bits of flesh were splattered everywhere.

He turned his head and looked at Gu Qiuyan, who was running out carrying a suitcase.

"How many shots did you just fire?"

"Three shots."

Zhou Yi frowned.

"Only two shots hit the target, and the other shot missed."

Gu Qiuyan's face turned deathly pale instantly.

"This is troublesome, I'm using your gun."

Zhou Yi said in a deep voice, "It's too late, let's get out of here first."

He reached out and took the box from Gu Qiuyan's hand, then strode towards the car.

Gu Qiuyan felt her legs go weak and her whole body was trembling. She was about to reach out and hold him.

"Um……"

Zhou Yi let out a painful groan and his body swayed.

Gu Qiuyan was shocked.

"You've been shot!"

"Hurry up and go!" Zhou Yi roared.

The two staggered into the car, Zhou Yi's face was frighteningly pale under the dim car lights.

He started the car, the wheels skidding wildly on the snow with a piercing screech, and then it shot off, speeding toward the abandoned chemical plant.

……

Peng Hu was huddled in a corner of the factory, lighting a small fire to keep warm.

Upon hearing the car engine, he immediately got up and went to greet it.

The car door opened, and a strong smell of blood hit the door.

He immediately noticed that dark red liquid was dripping from Zhou Yi's gloved hand.

"Captain Zhou, you're injured."

Zhou Yi leaned against the car door, panting heavily:

"Please tell Zhiyou that I just had a firefight with two Japanese military police officers, and a bullet casing landed near the ruins in Daowai."

Peng Hu's expression hardened. "Get in the car quickly, I'll take you to Master Hong's clinic."

“No need.” Zhou Yi shook his head. “I’ll handle it myself when I get back. Could you please take us back to Serbian Street first, and then we’ll get rid of this car.”

"it is good."

Peng Hu said no more, beckoned Zhou Yi and Gu Qiuyan to get into the rickshaw, and with astonishing strength, pulled the rickshaw swiftly into the vast snowstorm.

In the car, Zhou Yi tightly wrapped his bleeding arm with the dry towel that Peng Hu had given him.

Back on Serbian Street, he got into his car and sped home.

Fortunately, Liu Ma and Sasha were already fast asleep.

Gu Qiuyan helped Zhou Yi up to the second floor.

Zhou Yi pulled up a chair by the fireplace, took off his coat and sweater, gritted his teeth, rolled up a piece of his blood-soaked undergarment, and said in a trembling voice, "Quick, stop the bleeding first. Have you ever learned this before?"

"I've learned a little bit about it, but I haven't used it."

Seeing his bloody gunshot wound, Gu Qiuyan's tears welled up instantly, and she felt so heartbroken that she could hardly breathe.

"There's a button behind the third row of bookshelves. Press it, and there's a hidden door with a first-aid kit inside." Zhou Yi's voice was weak, but he remained calm.

Gu Qiuyan frantically found the button and opened the hidden compartment.

She fetched the first-aid kit, opened it, and looked at the bottles, jars, and various instruments inside, momentarily at a loss:
"Your injury... seems to be the same arm as last time."

Zhou Yi's face was as pale as paper, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat.

"Bring me a basin of water, but not too hot."

Gu Qiuyan quickly did as instructed.

Once the water arrived, Zhou Yi began to instruct her step by step.

Cut open the sleeves.

Simple cleaning.

Disinfect the area, locate the bullet, and remove it with tweezers.

He explained each step clearly and calmly, as if he himself was not the one who was injured.

Gu Qiuyan completed all of this with trepidation.

When the blood-stained bullet clattered into the plate, she was almost completely exhausted, her body already soaked in cold sweat.

Zhou Yi looked at his bandaged arm and said softly, "Thank you."

Gu Qiuyan wiped the sweat from her forehead and shook her head: "What are you thanking me for? We're in this together now. If anything happens to you, Sasha and I won't be able to survive either."

Zhou Yi closed his eyes and weakly took a breath.

"I'm going to lie down for a while."

"Put everything away. Later, check the yard and the house, and clean up any bloodstains."

"Then turn the fire up a bit, and throw these blood-stained clothes and towels in and burn them."

"Remember to seal the baffle properly to prevent smoke from escaping."

"Also, go take a hot shower, don't catch a cold."

He struggled to his feet, preparing to go to the study. "Wait," Gu Qiuyan called out to him.

You'll be sleeping in the bed tonight.

"The sofa is too uncomfortable, you can't turn around properly, don't hurt your arm."

Zhou Yi paused, "Then where will you sleep? The study isn't warm enough; you won't be able to handle it. Don't forget, you still have to take care of Sasha."

Gu Qiuyan gritted her teeth, as if she had made up her mind.

"Then let's sleep in the same bed."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was unusually firm.

"These are critical times. We both need to take good care of ourselves. As for everything else... to hell with it."

Zhou Yi thought about it and did not refuse.

He took his bedding from the closet and spread it out on the other side of the bed.

As she lay down, the mattress still carried the faint scent of Gu Qiuyan, mixed with the smell of shampoo, wafting over in waves.

Zhou Yi was somewhat dazed.

He thought of Yuejian.

She's raising her child alone, and it's so cold outside. I wonder how she's been doing lately.

Is Xiao Jiaqiao's cotton-padded coat warm enough?

I didn't get to see him the last time I went to Daowai.

The thought of being a father to other people's children while his own flesh and blood lived a life without a father made Zhou Yi feel as if countless cold needles were pricking his heart, causing waves of pain.

A moment later, Gu Qiuyan finished tidying up, washed up, changed into a long cotton nightgown, and came over.

She was using the Jin Hai brand shampoo that Hong Zhiyou had given her; it had a very strong fragrance.

In Zhou Yi's mind, however, floated the image of Yue Jian's sallow cheeks, chilled by the cold wind.

His distress intensified.

Gu Qiuyan turned off the light and lay down on the other side of the bed.

"Aren't you sleeping yet?"

"Can't sleep."

Zhou Yi's voice sounded somewhat low in the darkness.

"Every time I get injured, I miss my child terribly."

"I need to find some time to go see them."

"Otherwise, if they were to pass away one day, these widows and orphans would have nothing to remember them by."

Gu Qiuyan was silent for a moment.

"Don't say such discouraging things, we'll all be fine."

"Once we win, I'll bring my sister-in-law and Jiaqiao back and make room for them."

"Let them live a good life."

Zhou Yi smiled and said, "Yes, Zhi said that we could win in four or five years."

"There are still five years left. Just hang in there, and it will be over soon."

Gu Qiuyan said, "He was just trying to comfort you, wasn't he?"

"The Japanese are becoming increasingly powerful, and the Kwantung Army's strength is constantly increasing."

"Even General Yang and his men are struggling to protect themselves..."

She didn't dare say anything more; what she was about to say was too ominous.

"Qiuyan, he's not trying to comfort us."

Zhou Yi's voice was soft, yet it carried an undeniable certainty.

"I saw the answer in his eyes."

“Hong Zhiyou’s most impressive quality is not his money or his skills, but his determination.”

"Every word he said and every thing he did was accomplished."

“I’ve been with him for so long, and I’ve seen that look in his eyes many times.”

“He was right every single time.”

"Therefore, what he said will definitely come true."

Zhou Yi paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts.

"Sometimes I think about it, and here in this icy and snowy place, we've basically lost all contact with Yancheng."

"We can't get the wisdom and guidance of those great figures; we can only rely on our own exploration and struggle."

"At this time, having such a guiding light is extremely important to us."

“Hong Zhiyou is the guiding light in my heart.”

"As long as this light is still on, no matter how dark or terrible it is, I will still have the courage and hope to fight to the end."

Gu Qiuyan turned around in the darkness and faced him, saying softly:
"It's hard to imagine that someone as cold-hearted as you would have such a high opinion of another person."

“I always thought that the guiding light in your heart was Sun Yuejian and Jia Qiao.”

Zhou Yi smiled: "Yuejian, if you were to sacrifice yourself one day, I would continue to fight with hatred in my heart."

"But if Hong Zhi were to sacrifice himself one day, it would surely mean the end of the world."

“You used the word ‘sacrifice,’ but I asked him, and he’s not one of our people.” Gu Qiuyan’s voice was filled with confusion.

"We cannot win by relying on our own people; we must unite all forces that can be united."

“We are important, but people like him are equally important,” Zhou Yi replied.

Gu Qiuyan remained silent for a long time: "It seems that next time he comes, I'll have to make dumplings for him myself."

"Then let's not."

"Liu Ma's dumplings are still the tastier," Zhou Yi said with a smile.

Gu Qiuyan chuckled softly.

"Screw you."

After laughing, her tone became serious again.

"You said that tomorrow morning, that bullet that went unfired... won't end up in the hands of the Japanese, will it?"
"And the injuries on your body."

“It will be very troublesome once they follow the clues and find you.”

Zhou Yi felt a dull pain in his arm: "The bridge will straighten itself when it reaches the bow of the boat."

"We can only take it one step at a time now."

……

The next day.

The cold wind is biting.

A line of black cars rolled over the snow and stopped next to the abandoned buildings.

Gao Bin and Hong Zhiyou, along with others, have arrived at the scene, where several Japanese military police technicians are investigating for clues.

Zhou Yi parked the car and got out.

"Section Chief Gao, I'm sorry, the car got stuck in a snowdrift on the road. We had to ask a fellow villager for help to get it out."

Gao Bin nodded and exhaled a puff of white breath:
"It's very troublesome."

"With two Japanese military police officers dead, Commander Shirokura is bound to fly into a rage again."

Zhou Yi walked closer and glanced at the corpse covered by a white sheet.

How's the on-site inspection going?

Hong Zhiyou stood to the side, hands in his pockets, and said with a smile, "Captain Takeda's men are examining the body. The Japanese don't trust us and won't let us touch it."

"Alright, let's take a look."

Liu Kui rubbed his hands together and breathed out, saying, "In my opinion, it was most likely the Kuomintang's Iron-Blooded Youth Corps that did it."

Li Xiangwu from the Criminal Investigation Department immediately chimed in:
"Yes, the negotiations between the Japanese and Chiang Kai-shek in Beijing and Tianjin broke down. I heard that students in North China are marching, and Chiang Kai-shek publicly announced in the newspaper that he would fight to the end."

"Right now, Okamura Yasuji is launching a fierce attack on the Changsha area, and both sides are very angry."

"At this time, it would be very reasonable for the Military Intelligence Bureau to carry out a series of assassinations in conjunction with Chiang's communiqué."

As Gao Bin listened to their analysis, a mysterious smile appeared on his face:

"You need to think about this, why would two military policemen die here in such a remote place?"

He pointed to a pile of filth in the corner not far away, covered with a layer of fresh snow.

"There was excrement at the scene, as well as newspapers distributed by the Japanese army."

"This suggests that they most likely got off the bus temporarily to relieve themselves, and unfortunately, they were assassinated."

Gao Bin's gaze swept over the crowd.

"Based on the Iron-Blooded Youth Group's past assassination practices, they usually carry out assassinations in the city, making a big show of it and even printing leaflets to promote it."

"In this assassination attempt, one of the military police officers squatted on the ground to finish defecating before they made their move."
"This is not logical."

"In my opinion, it is highly likely that someone is hiding in this dilapidated place."

"The two military police officers were silenced because they accidentally discovered something."

"It's a pity that a heavy snow fell in the latter half of last night, covering up all the footprints. There are very few traces left at the scene, which is very detrimental to the investigation."

Liu Kui was very puzzled: "Who's so bored as to come here to stake out in the middle of the night?"

Lu Ming let out a cold laugh.

"In my opinion, Section Chief Gao is right. There's something fishy about this."

"Look, this place is very remote, and radio wave monitoring vehicles rarely come here. It's practically the perfect place to send telegrams."

"And in my opinion, it's most likely a red ticket."

As they were talking, a Japanese officer wearing a major's uniform walked over.

It was the newly appointed Captain Takeda.

"I've heard some of your analyses, and they're very insightful."

He looked at Lu Ming with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Section Chief Lu, I'm curious, how can you be so sure it's a red ticket and not someone from the Military Intelligence Bureau?"

Seeing that the Japanese had taken the initiative to talk to him, Lu Ming immediately straightened his back and analyzed in a very professional manner:

"Captain Takeda, think about it, what intelligence is most urgent right now?"

"Naturally, it's heading towards the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army and the Soviet Union."

"Commander Yoshijiro Umezu is launching a full-scale attack on the Anti-Japanese United Army."

"The Kuomintang had no battle plan here, nor did they organize any resistance forces. At most, they would secretly gather intelligence, carry out assassinations, and create panic."

"They had no urgent need to send intelligence."

"Therefore, those that can hide here are most likely red tickets."

"Don't they love to do those petty thievery, hit-and-run tactics?"

"This fits their activity pattern perfectly."

Captain Takeda nodded slowly, his eyes filled with approval:

What you said makes a lot of sense.

"I have decided that this case will be handled entirely by your Special Service Section."

"After the autopsy results and some clues are compiled, I will have someone hand them over to Section Chief Gao."

Before Gao Bin could reply, Lu Ming had already stepped forward, stood at attention respectfully, and raised his hand:
"Yes, Captain Takeda, I will certainly..."

The words had barely left his mouth when he saw Gao Bin's death stare, and he quickly changed his tune in fright:
"Section Chief Gao... will definitely be able to find the murderer and give you a satisfactory answer."

Gao Bin then smiled and stepped forward:
"Captain Takeda, rest assured, I will do my utmost to track down the real culprit."

Captain Takeda shook hands with him, then walked over to Hong Ji-yoo alone.

"Section Chief Hong, come over for tea sometime. It's been a long time since we last met."

Hong Zhi smiled:

"As long as Commander Shirokura doesn't mind, I will definitely come."

Takeda laughed as well: "Commander Shirokura certainly won't mind. He thinks highly of you and has praised you as a rare talent many times."

See you another day.

"it is good."

After saying this, Takeda shook the snowflakes off his military uniform, got into the car with his men, and the group drove off.

……

(End of this chapter)