Spy wars start with lurking Secretary Hong

Chapter 539 I Have a Good Backer
Inside the metal cargo box of the military truck, the chill felt like invisible needles, piercing through every crevice.

One of the accompanying military police officers rubbed his red hands together, his face still showing signs of anger.

"Ogasa-kun, these guys are absolutely lawless!"
"They pulled out guns right in front of us and incited the crowd to surround us. I think they don't know who's in charge in Harbin!"

He said through gritted teeth.

"In my opinion, we should immediately ask the commander for instructions, take our men back, and execute them all on the spot!"

Ogasawara Kichi leaned against the cold car wall, his brow furrowed as waves of pain shot through his right hand.

He didn't look at the agitated subordinate; his gaze was fixed on the rapidly receding snowscape outside the car window.

"The commander has ordered that this matter be discussed again tomorrow."

His voice was flat, devoid of any emotion.

"Moreover, the commander explicitly said not to make any arrests."

The military policeman was stunned for a moment, his anger seemingly extinguished by a bucket of cold water.

"But……"

Ogasawara Yoshi closed his eyes, and the image of Hong Zhiyou's slightly wicked smile and his cold, domineering gaze as he burned money flashed through his mind.

Hong Zhiyou has never fallen into a trough.

The dense crowd and torches downstairs tonight are just the tip of the iceberg.

He remains the uncrowned king of Harbin.

Commander Shirokura... will surely follow in Shibuya Saburo's footsteps.

"You should go back and rest now. You've had a hard day."

The truck stopped in front of the military police headquarters, and Ogasawara Yoshi's voice sounded weary.

"Yes."

The military policeman obeyed the order and jumped out of the car.

……

The Japanese-style wooden sliding door was gently pushed open, and a warm breeze carrying the aroma of food wafted in.

"you are back."

His wife, Sakurako, dressed in a simple kimono, knelt in the entryway, handing Ogasawara Yoshimi slippers to him with a gentle and respectful demeanor.
"I've made you some soup. Go wash your hands and I'll bring it up."

Ogasawara Yoshi quickly washed up, changed into his pajamas, and sat down at the low table.

Several delicate side dishes and a bowl of steaming miso soup were laid out on the table.

He instinctively reached out his right hand to grab the soup spoon, but a sharp, piercing pain shot through his finger bones, causing his wrist to tremble.

"What's wrong with you?"

Sakura immediately noticed his unusual behavior and asked him with concern.

Ogasawara frowned, then subtly switched to her left hand to pick up the spoon.

"It's nothing. I was on a mission today and got a minor injury."

He took a sip of hot soup, the warmth sliding down his esophagus into his stomach, dispelling some of the chill: "Is everything alright at home?"

Sakura gently served him food, a satisfied smile on her face:
"Everything is fine. The school for the child has been arranged, and it's the best in Harbin."

“My father’s surgery at the Army Hospital was also very successful. The doctors said he is recovering very well. My father and his family are very grateful to you.”

She paused, her tone filled with emotion.

"Compared to the days in China when we could only receive a fixed amount of rations and didn't know where our next meal would come from."

"Manchukuo, especially Harbin, was like paradise to us."

Listening to his wife's words, Ogasawara Yoshitsu felt that his hand didn't hurt so much anymore, and all his efforts and hard work had not been in vain.
"You are my wife, we are all family, it is my responsibility to take care of them."

He gently stroked Sakura's delicate cheek with his fingers and said softly:

“I know your brothers are having a tough time at the factory.”

"Don't worry, I will find a way to transfer them and their families to Harbin as soon as possible and find them a good and decent job."

Sakura's eyes instantly filled with tears, and she abruptly bent down, kneeling deeply on the ground:

"Thank you, Mr. Ogasawara! You are truly the pride of all of us!"
“You are like a god who rescued us from the oppressive and desperate suffering in Tokyo.”

Ogasawara Yoshi smiled slightly and helped his wife up: "Come, have a drink with me."

Sakura poured a full glass of sake.

She picked up her wine glass, carefully examined her husband's face, and asked curiously.

"You seem to be in a good mood? Did something good happen?"

"Yes, that's great news."

Ogasawara Yoshimi kept everyone in suspense, taking a sip of his drink: "You'll find out in a few days."

Sakura took a sip of her drink, as if she had remembered something.

"Oh, right.

"Some time ago, your classmate at the General Staff Headquarters, Mr. Ikeda, his wife came to see me today."

"She asked me if I could help her family find a way to bring her family to Harbin."

Sakurako's tone carried a subtle hint of superiority.

"Although many people are migrating from China to Manchukuo, most of them are sent by the pioneer groups to remote places like Yilan to cultivate the land, where life is very hard."

"It's harder than climbing to heaven to settle down in big cities like Xinjing and Harbin."

"Now many people envy our family."

"Although Mr. Ikeda's official rank is higher than yours."

“His wife used to look down on me, but I never thought she would end up begging our family for help.”

When her husband is mentioned, Yingzi's face is filled with pride and happiness.

Ogasawara Yoshi put down his wine glass, a shrewd glint in his eyes.

“Sakurako, I was able to settle my family in Harbin not because I became Chengcang’s adjutant.”

"You know, Chengcang is a rigid and harsh person. If you really ask him for help, he will refuse outright."

"Our family is where it is today because I... know a very powerful and influential person."

"A big shot? Who is it? Is he even more powerful than the commander?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Yes!

"Sometimes you have to admit that when you have connections, everything in the world becomes simpler."

"Please forgive me for not being able to tell you his name right now."

Ogasawara Yoshi wasn't drunk yet, so he stopped short of getting drunk.

"But how should I answer the question about Mrs. Ikeda?" Sakurako asked.

"Just put it off for now, and say I've been busy lately."

"When Mrs. Ikeda comes to you again in a few days, you can consider helping her out."

"But you have to talk to her and make it clear that you need this..."

He extended his right hand, pinched his thumb and forefinger together, making a gesture representing money.

Sakura, being incredibly clever, immediately understood: "Okay, I understand."

"You're following that important figure, won't you be in danger? You said yourself that the commander is ruthless."

Ogasawara Kichi touched her face. "Don't worry, Harbin... is about to change."

"I have something for you."

Sakura stood up and took an exquisite wooden box from a nearby cabinet.

"Someone delivered it this afternoon. He said you'll know once you open it."

Ogasawara Kichi's gaze instantly turned wary:
"Don't accept anything from unknown sources in the future. There's a type of bomb that can be connected to a clock, which is very dangerous."

"Yes, I've got it." Sakura nodded, still feeling a bit shaken.

Ogasawara Yoshi took the box and carefully opened it.

There were no bombs inside.

A bottle of liniment for bruises, and two yellowish things lying quietly beside it.

Six ounces of yellow croaker.

"Ah! Gold bars!"

Sakura couldn't help but let out a soft gasp, her eyes filled with ecstasy.

Ogasawara Yoshi smiled and let out a long sigh of relief.

Tonight's meal was worth the loss.

Although his hand was almost ruined, he gained two gold bars in return, which brought about a brand new situation.

It's not a loss, not a single bit.

"This is yours."

He handed two gold bars to Sakura.

"Now, please help me apply the medicated wine, madam."

Holding the heavy gold bar, Sakura smiled from ear to ear, obediently kneeling down and gently applying the strong-smelling medicinal wine to his swollen and deformed fingers.

Ogasawara Yoshi narrowed his eyes.

Young Master Hong is indeed a man of great taste.

……

The next day.

The wilderness outside Harbin is swept by a biting wind.

A truck stopped, and a dozen prisoners in prison uniforms were roughly shoved off and lined up in the snow.

"hurry up!"

"Stand still for me!"

Lu Ming and Liu Kui, dressed in black leather jackets, shouted menacingly.

Gao Bin stood not far away with his hands behind his back, squinting as if admiring a painting.

Lu Ming inspected the pistol, walked over, and wore a fawning smile.

"Section Chief Gao, would you like to try your luck?"

Gao Bin shook his head, his voice flat: "Forget it, I'm getting old, my eyesight isn't what it used to be. Let's do some good deeds for our grandchildren."

"Hey."

Lu Ming gave a dry laugh.

"You're trying to become a Buddha on the spot, a living Bodhisattva!"

"Fine, anyway, someone like me is destined to stay in hell forever, so I'll do it."

Gao Bin smiled but didn't say anything.

In the past, he would have at least chatted with Lu Ming for a few minutes.

He has grandchildren now, so he tries not to say anything unlucky. Whether they are traitors, lackeys, butchers, or bullies, he can't wash his hands clean. He just wants to save enough money so that his descendants can live a peaceful life.

Liu Kui glared at Lu Ming: "If you can't speak properly, shut up and get to work."

Lu Ming curled his lip and walked toward the row of trembling prisoners, whispering to Liu Kui who followed him.

"Old Liu, tell me, Section Chief Gao is starting to play the 'good deeds' card now, and Captain Zhou is a saint who doesn't get his hands dirty, but he has a gun and only shoots women."

"From now on, all the hard and tiring work, like murder and arson, will fall to us?"

Liu Kui paused, turned his head, and looked at him coldly:
"Why are you spouting so much nonsense?"
"What, didn't you learn your lesson from the beating you got from Chen Jingyu last time?"
"Be careful, loose lips sink ships."

His voice was lowered even further:

"If you're going to be a dog, you have to be prepared to be one."

"In this police department now, every single one of them is someone you can mess with."

"We should just be obedient, do our jobs well, and hope to live a long and healthy life."

"As for getting promoted and making money, that depends on whether people are willing to let you slip through their fingers."

"understand?"

Lu Ming's smile froze.

He knew that Liu Kui was targeting him.

Why did I lose my service pistol the other day and get beaten up? Wasn't it because I chose the wrong side in the Ma Wendong incident, and because I was too eager to show off and stole Chief Gao's thunder?

An uncontrollable hatred and resentment welled up from the depths of his heart.

But Lu Ming could only press it down firmly.

There's nothing I can do; my thighs aren't even as thick as someone else's arms.

Who told me I wasn't born into a good family and didn't have a good uncle to take care of me?
Thinking of this, Lu Ming deliberately chuckled and shouted to Zhou Yi and Hong Zhiyou, who were not far away.

"Old Zhou, Zhiyou, watch closely!"

boom!
A gunshot rang out across the open snowfield, startling a few crows in the distant woods.

A thin, middle-aged man in tattered prison clothes was struck as if by an invisible giant hammer, and he fell forward violently onto the dirty snow.

Blood quickly seeped from beneath him, turning the pristine white snow a glaring dark red.

Hong Zhiyou curled his lip, his eyes behind his sunglasses filled with numbness and disgust.

Zhou Yi stood beside him, his voice very soft, as if afraid of disturbing the departing souls:
"These are the people you arrested during your time in Jinhai."

“There were businessmen who secretly supported the Anti-Japanese United Army, students, and peripheral members of the liaison stations and the Military Intelligence Bureau.”

He looked at the figures shivering in the cold wind, their faces filled with despair, and continued:

“When Kato was around, he would lock her up in prison for interrogation and wait and see.”

"Kiyokura, like Yoshijiro Umezu, advocated the 'Three Alls' policy, which meant that anyone who refused to surrender or submit would be executed by firing squad."

“The prisons were cleared three times a month, under the guise of saving food.”

"Now, once you're arrested by the police, it's almost certain you won't get out."

"The good things that Professor Jin and Zhang Pingru's father could get out of trouble like this will never happen again."

"Coming in means certain death."

"There is absolutely no possibility of rescue."

His voice was flat, yet it carried a chilling undertone.

"Kurokura is a demon a hundred or a thousand times more terrifying than Kato."

Hong Zhi lit a cigarette and took a deep drag:
"His good days are numbered. If things go smoothly, today might be his death day."

Zhou Yi turned his head and glanced at him: "So fast?"

"It depends on how much Shirokura wants to get rid of Takeda and Nikawa. The faster he thinks about it, the faster he'll die."

"Takeda and his men will not sit idly by and wait to die."

"Moreover, there are many people who want the city warehouse to die, and this powder keg could explode at any moment."

Hong Zhi exhaled a puff of smoke.

Zhou Yi took a deep breath of the cold air, the chill going straight to his lungs: "I can't wait to see this scene."

"Otherwise, who knows how many innocent people would die at the hands of this devil."

boom!
Boom!

A series of rapid gunshots rang out, and the remaining prisoners fell one after another.

Lu Ming made a gesture without any expression.

The police officers who were waiting on the sidelines immediately stepped forward, examined the bodies one by one, and coldly shot each of them in the back of the heart.

The gunshots were muffled.

They gave no hope whatsoever for survival.

Hong Zhiyou watched this scene and squeezed out two words through gritted teeth.

"brute."

After the execution, Gao Bin waved to Lu Ming, and the two got into a black car and drove away.

Zhou Yi and Hong Zhi got into another car.

Inside the car, Zhou Yi's brows were furrowed:

"Section Chief Gao has been getting very close to Lu Ming lately. I wonder what he's plotting now."

Hong Zhi started the car and turned the steering wheel in his hands:
"What else could they possibly do?"

"They're just suspicious of you. Just be careful lately."

"Tell Lao Wei and his wife to lie low as much as possible."

Zhou Yi asked, "Which sister-in-law?"

Hong Zhiyou said, "Sun Yuejian."

Zhou Yi nodded: "Yes, I can listen to what she says, but if it were Gu Qiuyan, it wouldn't matter. She only does things based on her mood."

"Do not worry.

"They will not take any further action until Shirokura is dead."

Hong Zhiyou said, "How about I help you find someone to get rid of her?"

Zhou Yi looked at him and said, "Then you can be my telegraph operator."

Hong Zhi shrugged. "Then forget it. You can continue to associate with her. When you're feeling down, look at her face more often, and maybe it will make you feel better."

Zhou Yi laughed and said, "If she knew you were talking about her like that, she'd be asking you to pay me back."

Hong Zhi nodded. "Alright, what can we do? She's Miss Gu, she's rich, and she calls the shots."

……

Inside another car.

Gao Bin leaned back in the back seat and slowly lit his pipe with a match.

"How's the investigation going?"

Lu Ming, driving the vehicle, turned around and said respectfully:

"Following the timeline you requested last time, I checked the file transfer records and all current section chiefs and above who had access to higher-level intelligence at that time."

"Those who meet the requirements are Director Bai and Deputy Director Liu."

His voice was low and heavy.

"The others either died too early, or their intelligence activities continued in the mountains after they were transferred."

"Only these two people are of a high enough rank and fully meet the condition of having been in the hall before Zhou Yi arrived."

"Section Chief, how... how do we investigate this?"
"Director Bai is about to retire, and he hasn't been in charge of anything for over a year."

"It must be Deputy Director Liu, who has a very close relationship with Yu Jingtao."

"Yu Jingtao is about to replace Wei Huanzhang and become a high-ranking official in our Binjiang Province. Investigating them at this time... will be very troublesome."

Gao Bin took a puff of his pipe:
"Yes."

He spoke slowly, his voice carrying a strange sense of emotion.

"If one of them were to be a red ticket, it would be a tragedy for the entire Manchukuo and a colossal farce."

We must be careful.

"I will discuss this matter with Commander Chengcang."

"We'll have to put in some effort, otherwise they won't give themselves away."

A glint of light flashed in Lu Ming's eyes:
"However, we also have an advantage, which is that we are in the dark."

"They've always thought that our attention is all on Zhou Yi and that we're not on guard at all."

"This is our opportunity."

Gao Bin smiled approvingly: "You're very smart, which is why I admire you."

"Let's investigate slowly for now. We can put Zhou Yi's case on hold for the time being."

"However, I will pretend to continue discussing the suspicious points about Zhou Yi with them."

"First, we want to lower their guard."

"Secondly, look at their attitude towards this matter."

"Perhaps we will soon discover their weakness."

Lu Ming immediately nodded: "That's right, but..."

Gao Bin raised an eyebrow.

"But whatever you want to say, just say it."

Lu Ming hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Section Chief Hong and Captain Zhou are very close. I think... you'd better keep it a secret. If the two directors find out we're investigating this, it'll be a big problem."

Gao Bin smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind reminder."

"This matter is known only to Heaven, Earth, you, and me."

As he said this, he narrowed his eyes, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"I have good news for you."

"Li Guoyi's concubine, Jinzhi, was robbed last night. She was raped and then killed. She died a terrible death."

"This murder case is now in your hands."

"You can investigate slowly, so you can give Commander Li an explanation later."

Lu Ming's expression froze instantly; he was completely dumbfounded.

What a load of bull!
This was clearly done by that bastard Li Guoyi!
His lips trembled as he stammered, "Section Chief... I... it's not appropriate for me to investigate."

Gao Bin pointed at him:

"Commander Li specifically named names and asked you to investigate."

"What do you think I should do?"

"He's not afraid of the Japanese, but he's not someone our police department can mess with. He has about a thousand men under his command."

He withdrew his hand, took a drag of his cigarette, and slowly exhaled.

"This is the price of not being able to control your lower body. Just consider it... a lesson learned."

Lu Ming felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and his whole body felt icy cold.

He knew that Gao Bin was giving him a warning and punishing him.

He could only manage a smile that looked worse than crying.

"All right.

"I'm in trouble."

……

Military Police Headquarters, Office.

After listening to Ogasawara Yoshi's report, Shirokura's brows furrowed tightly into a deep frown.

"Takeda and his men dare to draw their guns at you?"

Ogasawara Kichi, clutching his right hand still wrapped in bandages, his face filled with lingering fear and resentment, said, "Yes, Commander!"
"They've all gone mad!"
"I was almost shot to death on the spot!"

"And that Hong Zhiyou, he even called hundreds of thugs to surround us downstairs!"

"We almost didn't make it back!"

boom!
Shirokura slammed his hand on the table: "Baka!"

His eyes burned with rage.

"Those guys from Takeda deserve to die!"

"This person cannot be allowed to live!"

Ogasawara Kichi's spirits lifted, and he immediately volunteered: "Commander! I'll take men and arrest him right now!"

"No."

Shirokura, however, calmly rejected the idea.

"If you go and arrest him, it will cause too much of a commotion. If he gets away, Harbin is so big, it will be difficult to catch him again."

He picked up the phone on the table, his fingers deftly tracing the dial, and connected to the military police number.

His tone returned to its usual seriousness and calmness, revealing nothing unusual.

"Captain Takeda?"

"it's me.

"Come to my office."

……

(End of this chapter)