Spy wars start with lurking Secretary Hong

Chapter 537 Two Traitors
Outside the security bureau's gate, the cold wind whipped up snowflakes that stung people's faces like tiny ice needles.

Gao Bin and Lu Ming stood side by side on the steps. The latter's face was covered in bruises, and there was still swelling around his eyes. His eyes were filled with a mixture of relief at surviving the ordeal and lingering resentment.

Hong Zhiyou strolled out of the building with his hands in his pockets, followed by Zhou Yi, who had a calm expression.

He saw Lu Ming's face and laughed: "Section Chief Lu, congratulations."

Lu Ming twitched his lips, which aggravated his wound, causing him to grimace in pain and mumble a curse:
"Happy my ass! I almost got beaten to death by that son of a bitch Chen Jingyu."

"Just you wait, one day I'll get my revenge!"

Zhou Yi suggested at the opportune moment, "Lu Ming has been exonerated, so our whole department should have a good celebration tonight. I'll go to Madier to book a table."

Lu Ming quickly waved his hand, "No, thank you. I was able to escape with my life thanks to Section Chief Gao and my colleagues. I have no right to arrange this."

"Besides, I'm stuck with Li Guoyi's wife, which is enough to embarrass Section Chief Gao and the department."

Gao Bin raised his hand, pointing his finger through the air while holding the pipe: "Hmm, you're teachable. It's not a waste of time to help you if you know how to save face."

"However, the more unlucky a person is, the more they need to rely on good luck to ward off bad luck."

"Don't worry, Corey still has enough money for a get-together."

Lu Ming looked troubled: "I'm just afraid that Commander Chengcang will come looking for trouble again, causing trouble for you and everyone else."

Gao Bin sneered:
"Commander Chengcang also put in a lot of effort to clear your name this time; he values ​​you highly."

"That's settled."

Hong Zhi rubbed his hands together and exhaled a puff of white breath: "Uncle, it's cold outside, let's go back into the hall first."

Gao Bin looked at the snowflakes falling from the sky and shook his head:
"No need, I have to go out for a bit. You and Captain Zhou can go back first."

He turned to Lu Ming, raising his chin.

"Lu Ming, you'll be in the same car as me."

Lu Ming paused for a moment, then stood at attention: "Yes, sir."

The two walked down the steps one after the other and got into a black sedan.

Watching the taillights disappear around the street corner, Hong Zhi opened the car door and got in with Zhou Yi.

Hong Zhi glanced at Zhou Yi, who was starting the car, and spoke lazily.

"My uncle is furious this time; it looks like he's going to find Commander Chengcang."

Zhou Yi smiled, started the car, and the windshield wipers swung rhythmically across the windshield: "Yes, Section Chief Gao is looking for this opportunity to launch a counterattack."

He paused, a hint of confusion in his voice.

What can you do in three days?
"To be honest, I don't understand the commander's intention in making this move either."

"He saved Lu Ming, shouldn't we continue to investigate further?"

Hong Zhi leaned back in his chair, watching the snow rushing past the window: "For him, there are things a hundred times more important than catching red tickets."

Zhou Yi asked, "What is it?"

Hong Zhi turned his head, a playful smile on his lips:
"Testing Takeda's limits."

"These three days can be said to be Takeda's last chance."

“If Takeda is truly focused on his mission, even if he finds nothing in three days, as long as he does his best and reports the investigation process in detail, Shirokura might still give Takeda a sliver of a chance.”

"But if Takeda, in order to close the case, finds a scapegoat to finish the job..."

Hong Zhiyou dragged out his words.

"Shirokura will definitely give up on Takeda completely."

"He will immediately make a judgment about Takeda: first, that he is colluding with me; second, that he has completely lost his loyalty to the Emperor and is merely a parasite of the empire focused on personal gain."

Zhou Yi frowned and said, "Takenada is too difficult to choose; it's hard to pick either way."

"He's getting too close to you!"

Hong Zhiyou said, "This is all Shirokura's fault. Takeda was actually trying to keep his distance from me, but Shirokura was anxious and wanted to use me and observe me, so he deliberately let Takeda get closer to me."

"But Takeda wasn't sure about the limits, and driven by self-interest, he naturally and instinctively moved closer to me."

Therefore, Shirokura believed that he was the second Murakami.

But he was wrong.

Hong Zhiyou's gaze deepened, as if piercing through the wind and snow to see something essential:

“Apart from you people who have absolute red faith, the vast majority of people in this world, including Chiang, Soong, Kung, Chen, and Dai, are all profit-seeking people.”

"The mistake that Shirokura and Shibuya Saburo made was that they were unwilling to admit or accept this cruel reality and the rules of the game."

"But he overestimated his abilities. They are smart, but far from enough to change the rules."

"Thank you for such high praise," Zhou Yi said with a smile.

Hong Zhiyou shook his head:
"This is not a compliment; I've seen many people like this."

Some blurry yet vivid faces flashed through his mind: Jiang Aimei, Mr. Dong, Lao Yu, and his senior sister Cuiping, who had been living in anonymity for many years.

For that unseen and intangible thing, they could endure unimaginable loneliness, pain, and even willingly walk towards death.

It was precisely because of people like these that a brand new world eventually came into being.

He pulled himself out of his thoughts, looked at Zhou Yi, and said, word by word:
"When the people have faith, the country has strength, and the nation has hope."

These few words seemed to carry immense force, striking Zhou Yi's heart heavily.

Zhou Yi's eyes instantly shone brightly.

He pondered these words repeatedly, feeling a surge of warmth welling up in his chest, instantly washing away the fatigue, fear, and worry of the past few days.

The lurking loneliness and the trembling of walking on the edge of a knife seemed to find meaning in this moment.

He looked at Hong Zhiyou with some disbelief.

He found it hard to believe that this was something a guy who always talked about money could say.

He knew that Hong Zhi had a lot of influence in Harbin, especially with the Kuomintang's secret police.

But he never expected that Hong Zhiyou would have such a profound and accurate evaluation of his own faith and of them, the group of people who were moving forward in the darkness.

Zhou Yi felt a tightness in his throat. He remained silent for a moment, forcibly suppressing the rising urge to sob.

"Section Chief Gao once discussed this issue at a banquet."

He believes that if faith truly exists, why were there so many traitors within the Anti-Japanese United Army?

Hong Zhiyou pursed his lips.

"My uncle narrowed down his faith."

"It is not only Marxism and Leninism that constitute faith."

"Faith can sometimes be very simple."

"Whether you're a merchant, a farmer, or even a kid playing in the mud on the street, if even one person secretly curses the Japanese in their heart, or even one person thinks about finding an opportunity to fight the Japanese to the death, that's faith."

He looked at Zhou Yi with a calm and clear gaze.

In other words, conscience is faith.

"I have never studied Marxism-Leninism, nor am I interested in them, but that does not affect my conscience's judgment of the world."

"I know this is the Northeast, not Manchukuo."

"I know I am Chinese, and I know you are doing something righteous, so I am willing to do my part."

"This is also a belief."

"If I had to give it a concrete form, I would trust my own conscience."

Zhou Yi nodded slowly, the turmoil in his heart gradually subsiding, replaced by a deeper understanding and recognition.

“Liu Kui and the others always say that Section Chief Gao is a philosopher, but I think you are more like him, and you see things more deeply.”

Hong Zhi smiled:
"When we win in 1945, I will have a good talk with my uncle about this issue."

"At that time, I believe he will sincerely apologize for the word 'faith'."

Zhou Yi took out a cigarette case from his pocket, handed one to Hong Zhiyou, and lit one for himself.

A faint smell of tobacco quickly filled the carriage.

“I’m curious to see what Takeda will do,” Zhou Yi said, exhaling a smoke ring.

"No matter what he does now, it seems like Shirokura will target him."

Hong Zhiyou countered, "If you were Takeda, what would you do?"

Zhou Yi pondered for a moment:
"Takeda might not be able to think that deeply. He will most likely just think that Shirokura is slightly dissatisfied with him and is deliberately picking a fight with him."

Faced with pressure and difficulties from his superiors, his most likely option would be to find someone to deal with and appease them.

"But in doing so, he played right into Chengcang's hands, because he was a licentious official and had his name completely removed from the trust list."

Hong Zhi hummed in agreement, a knowing smile spreading across his face.

"That's exactly what he thinks, and that's exactly what I want too."

"They hold positions without doing any work, and then they charge me money back later."

"Shirokura will probably take his life."

"Judging from Takeda's tone, he must have friends around Shirokura and be able to get a lot of first-hand information."

"If Shirakura really has the idea of ​​getting rid of him..."

Hong Zhi's voice carried a hint of cold excitement:

"At that time, Takeda and the Incheon section chief will be like an arrow on a bowstring, ready to be released."

"It's difficult to avoid killing Cheng Cang now."

"Have you chosen a candidate yet?" Zhou Yi asked.

"This is a matter of life and death, we must be very careful."

Hong Zhi leaned back in the soft chair, his posture languid: "Am I the kind of person who kills innocent people indiscriminately?"

He turned his head, a hint of mockery on his lips.

"Li Jiawang".

Zhou Yi's eyebrows twitched; he recognized the name.

"can."

He nodded, his voice flat.

"I heard that this guy recently ruined someone's daughter and even set their house on fire."

“His brother-in-law works at the city hall. He gave money to Director Liu and suppressed the matter.”

Hong Zhiyou snorted softly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes: "This time, even the Heavenly King himself can't protect him."

……

Gendarmerie Headquarters.

Inside the office building.

Gao Bin and Lu Ming sat on the hard leather sofa in the living room, waiting anxiously.

After a long while, Ogasawara Yoshi, the assistant adjutant of Shirokura, walked over.

He stopped in front of the two of them and bowed slightly:

"Please return, both of you. Commander Shirokura is very busy right now."

Gao Bin sighed inwardly.

He stood up, bowed solemnly, and then left quickly with Lu Ming without saying a word.

Ogasawara Yoshi watched them disappear through the doorway, then turned and returned to Shirokura's office.

The charcoal fire in the closet was burning brightly, making a soft crackling sound.

Shirokura stretched out his hands and warmed them against the flames to dispel the chill from his fingertips.

"Ogasawara-kun, do you think Takeda can solve the case in three days?"

His voice was calm, as if he were just asking casually.

Ogasawara Kichi lowered his eyes, his posture respectful: "This subordinate does not know."

Shirakawa seemed unsurprised by the answer. He turned around and gestured for the other person to relax.

"You can make a bold guess." Ogasawara Yoshi hesitated for a moment before speaking: "I think it's impossible."

"Let alone three days, even three months might not be enough to find the real culprit."

He paused, then continued his analysis.

"In Harbin, there are very few people who are capable of and dare to set up this scheme to harm Lu Ming."

"It's very difficult for people in that circle to convict them without overwhelming evidence."

A look of satisfaction appeared on Shirakawa's face.

Ogasawara Yoshi is an upright person with a clear understanding of things.

"Then let's wait and see."

"What if Takeda-kun can pull off a miracle?"

Shirokura sneered.

……

Day three.

With a document tucked tightly under his arm, Takeda strode into Shirokura's office.

He looked somewhat tired, but his eyes sparkled with the excitement of a successful achievement.

Shirakawa sat behind his desk, looking at him expressionlessly.

"Captain Takeda, how's the investigation going?"

Takeda immediately stepped forward and respectfully handed over the documents in his hand.

"Reporting to the Commander, thanks to our subordinates' race against time in the investigation, we started with the missing bullet and apprehended the suspect, Li Jiawang."

"This person is the law enforcement captain of the Fujiadian Police Station."

He swallowed hard and continued his report:

"Besides the missing bullets, we also found a radio in his house."

"After interrogation, he confessed that he, Sun Xiaoliu, and Ma Qiang were all members of the Harbin Red Ticket Underground Transportation Station, and Li Jiawang was the group leader."

"On the night of the incident, he and Sun Xiaoliu were sending a telegram in Daowai when they encountered military police. A firefight ensued, and Sun Xiaoliu and Ma Qiang were unfortunately shot and killed."

"He burned the body to dispose of it."

"Since Sun and Ma were Lu Ming's subordinates, he took the opportunity to use them to do his dirty work and pinned the blame on Lu Ming."

"He also sent someone to steal Lu Ming's pistol from the casino."

"In summary, the facts of the case are clear. This is the evidence for closing the case. Please take a look."

Shirokura took the dossier, but a cold laugh escaped his lips.

Good riddance.

The damage was flawless.

They even have a radio station; they've really gone all out.

If the Harbin Military Police were handed over to such people, the discipline of the Great Japanese Empire would probably vanish.

Harbin will be completely turned into a breeding ground and paradise for red tickets and Kuomintang secret police.

Takeda, Takeda, don't blame me for not giving you a chance.

You're asking for it.

He remained expressionless as he carefully examined all the "evidence," a rare smile even appearing on his face: "Takeda-kun solved the case swiftly, well done."

Takeda's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down, and his face was filled with undisguised elation: "Commander, then... can we close the case now?"

"of course."

Cheng Cang closed the file, his tone light and cheerful.

"Since the evidence is clear, why not close the case? This case has already wasted too many of our resources, so let's just leave it at that."

He stood up and patted Takeda on the shoulder.

"I will report to the General Staff Headquarters as soon as possible and request commendation for you."

"Thank you, Commander!"

Takeda bowed deeply in excitement.

"Go down."

Shirokura waved his hand.

With a huge weight lifted from his heart, Takeda bowed deeply once more and strode away, his back view radiating a triumphant and lighthearted air.

The office door closed.

The smile on Shirakawa's face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, sinister look.

He picked up the file on the table, his eyes flashed coldly, and he slammed his fist heavily on it.

"Damn guy."

……

The following day, at the police station.

Lu Ming hurried into Gao Bin's office, his face filled with barely suppressed resentment.

"Section Chief, Li Jiawang was executed this morning."

"That guy Takeda just found a scapegoat and hastily closed the case!"
"This is clearly an attempt to exonerate the real murderer!"

Gao Bin rubbed his throbbing temples; the exhaustion from insomnia made him look somewhat haggard.

"I've been thinking about this for days and nights, but I still can't figure out what this is all about."

"It shouldn't be."

Lu Ming shook his head dejectedly and sighed, "The Japanese don't want to investigate, so this case is dead."

"I took that beating for nothing."

Gao Bin glanced at him sideways and tapped his pipe in the ashtray.

Don't be discouraged.

"A good hunter must learn to remain calm."

His voice regained its usual calm and steady quality.

"Our opponents are cunning, and it seems that a long struggle is ahead."

"But as long as he is still around, mistakes are bound to happen."

"If we can't rely on the Japanese, we have to rely on ourselves."

Lu Ming raised his head: "Section Chief Gao, tell me... who exactly is that mole?"

“I said it was Zhou Yi.”

Gao Bin's tone was resolute.

Lu Ming hesitated and said, "But he didn't fall for the trap. Besides, didn't Lao Qiu already confirm it? When Zhou Yi was inside the pass, there were people in the hall passing intelligence up the mountain."

He knew perfectly well that Section Chief Gao had been using him as a pawn to test Zhou Yi.

But this time, Lu Ming felt that things weren't so simple, and that this situation seemed more like a setup by Hong Zhi.

Of course, he dared not say this outright.

"I was also misled by Lao Qiu's information before."

Gao Bin stood up and walked to the window, looking at the cars coming and going downstairs.

"Now that I think about it, why did we have to believe that there was only one mole in the hall?"

He turned around, his gaze sharp.

"Is it possible that there are two people?"

"Besides Zhou Yi, there is another person who has been in the hall for even longer and is more deeply entrenched."

Lu Ming frowned deeply: "That's going to be difficult."

“I’ve been with you in Fengtian all this time, but we’re not really familiar with Zhou Yi or the people here.”

"Before we came, there weren't many elderly people left in the hall. There were only the two directors and Li Junshan from the equipment department."

"Considering that Zhou Yi took over the shift after that person left, there are many more people coming and going at the police station, making it even harder to find him."

"There's nothing hard to find," Gao Bin sneered.

"The other party must be a high-ranking figure to be able to steal such important information."

He sat back down in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

"Give me a list of all personnel at the section chief level and above from the past five years, including those who were previously transferred. We'll take a closer look."

"Since Zhou Yi can't crack it right now."

"Perhaps we can start with this person."

Lu Ming perked up: "Understood."

……

It was five o'clock in the afternoon, and it was getting dark.

Hong Zhi opened the car door and got into Zhou Yi's car.

Zhou Yi took out ten rolls of neatly bundled 100-yuan Kangde coins from his briefcase and handed them over.

“Your sister-in-law contributed 60,000, and I contributed 40,000. It’s all here.”

Hong Zhi took it, weighed it in his hand, and smiled, "Sister-in-law is really rich."

Zhou Yi's expression remained unchanged; he simply said, "As long as we can take down Chengcang, this amount of money is a small matter."

Hong Zhi put the money away carefully, then changed the subject.

"By the way, it's already February. Has the intelligence from Xinjing reached the mountains yet?"

Zhou Yi started the car, and the engine hummed softly inside.

"Not sure.

"I asked Lao Wei, but there has been no response from them."

"This is rather strange."

"Qiu Yan confirmed that the telegram had been sent. After so many days, the people in Xinjing should have responded by now."

"don’t worry."

Hong Zhi looked out the window and comforted her.

"General Yang and his men are elusive; the forest is so big, it's normal that they can't be found for a while."

Zhou Yi drove in silence, saying, "I hope General Yang can escape this calamity."

"Shirakura is very skilled at using detection technology; he was the one who introduced the radio reconnaissance vehicle back then."

"He devised a complete plan for covert operations that combined inducing surrender with reconnaissance. On one hand, he conducted strict investigations and arrests, and on the other hand, he tried to win people's hearts. Now, intelligence work is more than a hundred times more difficult than before."

Hong Zhi sighed inwardly.

Perhaps this time, there really won't be a miracle.

He snapped out of his reverie and steered the conversation back on track.

"It just so happens that Takeda solved the case, so I invited him and Section Chief Incheon to a gathering tonight to give them money."

"If all goes well, the end of the city granary is not far off."

He looked at Zhou Yi and said, "Have Lao Wei go and find out more information. You must protect General Yang at all costs."

Zhou Yi nodded.

The car was parked on the side of the road. Hong Zhi took the money, got out of the car, and got into his own car.

Two black sedans, one after the other, drove off in different directions, disappearing into the deep twilight of Harbin.

……

(End of this chapter)