Spy wars start with lurking Secretary Hong

Chapter 546 Who is the Mouse, Who is the Cat?

Enter the warehouse.

A cold smell, mixed with rust and old dust, hit them, and Cheng Bin and Zhang Xiruo couldn't help but wrinkle their noses.

Lu Ming walked ahead, his leather boots making a crisp echo on the cement floor, which sounded particularly jarring in the empty warehouse.

He spoke as he walked, his tone carrying a casual, almost condescending quality:
"This is the old warehouse of the police department."

“There used to be an old policeman who lived here as a gatekeeper, but after he died, the place fell into disuse.”

He pointed inside.

"There is firewood and a stove inside, which can be used to make a fire for warmth."

"I bought potatoes, cabbage, and meat for you in advance, and they're all piled up in the small hut in the back."

"The bed has been made, and enough coal has been prepared."

Lu Ming stopped and looked back at them, a faint smile playing on his lips:

"It's a bit cold, but it'll only last two or three days. Just hang in there and it'll pass."

Cheng Bin smiled broadly, quickened his pace, and walked alongside Lu Ming:
"Section Chief Lu, thank you for your hard work, you've been so thoughtful."

Lu Ming gave a noncommittal snort, his shrewd eyes scanning the two of them back and forth, his gossipy nature returning.

"I heard the Japanese dissected General Yang?"

He lowered his voice, his curiosity barely contained.

"Is it really all grass roots and tree bark inside?"

Cheng Bin's smile vanished instantly, and his eyes became wary.
"I'm sorry, Section Chief Lu, this matter involves military secrets and I cannot disclose it."

Lu Ming was taken aback, a hint of displeasure flashing across his face, realizing he had made a fool of himself.

He waved his hand dismissively and pointed to a passageway deep inside the warehouse.

"Fine.

“Walk south along this road for about 300 meters, and there’s a small shop at the back gate. That’s a safe spot I set up.”

"In case of an emergency, you can go there to call Section Chief Gao."

Zhang Xiruo, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up:
Where's the gun?
"Have it?"

Lu Ming seemed to have heard something amusing and snorted, "Don't worry, everything has been prepared for you."

He led the two to a large wooden crate and kicked the lid open.

Inside, two thick dog-skin hats and cotton-padded coats were neatly stacked, next to which were two gleaming Type 96 machine guns and bullets, as well as several hand grenades, which gleamed eerily in the dim light.

"A dog-skin hat, clothes for ordinary folks, three hand grenades, and plenty of machine guns and bullets."

"Even if there really are assassins, you two could easily wipe them out even if there's a whole platoon."

A look of joy appeared on Cheng Bin's face as he stepped forward and patted Lu Ming on the shoulder:

"Thanks, brother! I feel much more at ease now!"

Lu Ming put his hands behind his back, glanced at the two of them, and let out a meaningful dry cough.

Cheng Bin and Zhang Xiruo exchanged a glance, then chuckled dryly without responding.

The air fell silent for a moment, creating an awkward silence.

Lu Ming's smile turned cold, and he waved his hand, saying, "Alright, you guys can rest now. This is the code for communication."

He took out a slip of paper, handed it to Cheng Bin, and turned to leave.

Reaching the warehouse entrance, he stopped, turned around, spat angrily into the snow, and began to mutter curses.
"Two clueless bastards!"
"He pocketed so much prize money, and I ran around doing all that work, but he didn't get a single benefit in return."

"You country bumpkin!"

"You poor, worthless dog!"

He pulled up the collar of his leather coat, got into the rickshaw that had been waiting in the shadows, and with a wave of his hand, the driver pulled him away into the night.

Inside the warehouse, Zhang Xiruo listened until the commotion outside had faded away before straightening up and bolting the heavy iron door from the inside.

"Damn it, that kid is a real scoundrel!"

He spat in the direction of the door.

"We're here to give a lecture, we're honored guests! He still wants to squeeze money out of us? Dream on!"

Cheng Bin didn't seem to care much, and chuckled: "Alright, the whole of Manchukuo is like this."

"Just ignore him and that's it."

Zhang Xiruo was still somewhat indignant: "But these people from Harbin are really rich."

"Look at that lousy guy surnamed Lu. He's just a lowly section chief, but his leather overcoat is shiny and greasy, and his black leather gloves and thick-soled boots are more impressive than Director Angu."

His eyes revealed undisguised envy:
"Brother, when can we both be transferred to Harbin and become officials? That would be really impressive."

Cheng Bin chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Look at you, so pathetic."

"Once we follow Director Kishitani to the interior of China and make contributions, Tianjin and Shanghai will be truly great places."

A look of longing appeared on his face.

"Sleeping with blonde, blue-eyed foreign girls every night, drinking foreign liquor, and smoking cigars—that's the life a human being should live."

Zhang Xiruo clicked her tongue, but her displeasure still lingered.

"Damn it, I'm just a little annoyed."

"Look at that guy surnamed Lu, he speaks with a thick Harbin accent and looks at everyone like a country bumpkin. He doesn't even give people a second glance."

A sinister smile appeared on Cheng Bin's face:

"Hehe, no rush."

"When I return to Tonghua and become the police chief, I'll find a pretext to ask Chief Miyagawa for permission to transfer this kid there."

"I'm making things difficult for him every day."

Zhang Xiruo's eyes lit up, and she immediately leaned closer, a mischievous grin on her face:
"Brother, that's a brilliant move!"

"Make him clean the toilet, hehe, that'll disgust him to death!"

The two exchanged a smile, and their initial displeasure vanished instantly.

Zhang Xiruo pushed open the small, tidy-up room behind the warehouse.

"Cough cough!"

A thick cloud of dust hit him, making him cough repeatedly.

"Is this what you call tidying up?"
"It's like a pigsty, it stinks!"

Cheng Bin peeked out and frowned, but still advised:

"Just bear with it, it'll only be three days."

"Isn't this much better than living in a snow cave on the mountain?"

Zhang Xiruo thought about it and agreed, so she stopped complaining.

He kicked a bag of potatoes in the corner.

"Fortunately, there's enough food."

Cheng Bin shook his head, his eyes revealing the caution of a seasoned veteran:

"We should be careful about what we eat, lest we fall victim to some underhanded trick."

"Let's go to the morning market to buy some fresh food tomorrow morning."

Zhang Xiruo was taken aback, then nodded:

"Okay, bro, you're right, you make a good point."

……

The next day.

Gao Bin walked into the office, picked up the phone efficiently, and dialed a few numbers.

Soon, Zhou Yi, Lu Ming, Hong Zhiyou, and others came in one after another.

Gao Bin glanced at everyone and gave the order:
"Section Chief Liu, you and Li Xiangwu stay on duty."

"Zhou Yi, Lu Ming, and Zhi You, the three of you will come with me to a meeting at the Provincial Police Headquarters."

Zhou Yi nodded slightly.

"Yes."

Lu Ming's face revealed a perfectly timed hint of curiosity, and he deliberately asked:

"Section Chief Gao, what important meeting requires so many of us to attend?"

Gao Bin picked up the hat hanging on the coat rack and smiled, "You'll see when we get there."

Hong Zhiyou and Zhou Yi exchanged a glance and followed Gao Bin out.

The two got into a car, and Hong Zhi started the engine. The car slowly drove out of the police station compound.

"It's a little weird."

Hong Zhiyou was driving, looking straight ahead.

"Logically speaking, for such an important security mission, I should have heard some rumors about it."

"But this time, there was no sound at all."

He glanced at Lu Ming's car in the rearview mirror.

"Judging from Lu Ming's expression, he doesn't seem to know the inside story either."

"I guess the security work is directly handled by Director Miyagawa or the military police."

Zhou Yi sat in the passenger seat, his expression calm as he said:
"That's nothing."

"After the meeting, find an opportunity to probe Takeda and the others, and you'll find out."

The convoy arrived at the police headquarters.

The meeting room was already bustling with noise and filled with smoke.

Officers from the National Guard, the Security Bureau, the Military Police, and Unit 731 were all present, chatting and laughing loudly in small groups, creating a very lively atmosphere.

As soon as Gao Bin entered the room, he gave Lu Ming a wink.

Lu Ming immediately understood and followed.

The two walked to a corner, with Gao Bin facing away from the others and lowering his voice.

"You should open your eyes wide and take a good look."

"When those two people come in later, observe carefully and see who among the people present will look downstairs first."

Lu Ming nodded, his gaze sweeping across the room subtly before he frowned slightly.

"Section Chief, but Section Chief Hong is standing right by the window right now, so... how do we calculate this?"

Gao Bin followed his gaze and said, "I'll call him over later."

After Gao Bin finished speaking, he walked back to his seat as if nothing had happened.

A moment later, Gao Bin raised his wrist and looked at his watch.

He suddenly shouted:
"Zhiyou, come here for a second."

Hong Zhiyou, who was smoking by the window, stubbed out his cigarette and walked over.

Gao Bin chatted with him casually.

A moment later, the sound of a car horn came from downstairs.

Almost everyone in the conference room instinctively glanced in the direction of the sound.

Two black cars were parked downstairs.

The car door opened, and two men got out.

They were wrapped in thick scarves, wore top hats, and had large sunglasses on their faces. They were also covered with loose woolen coats, which completely concealed their figures and faces.

Almost at the same moment they got out of the car, several guards waiting nearby quickly went up to them, opened their umbrellas and held them high, like a mobile fortress, completely covering the two of them under the umbrellas, leaving no room for anything else.

Gao Bin's gaze, however, fell on something else.

He saw Zhou Yi sitting quietly in his seat, with a notebook and pen open in front of him, seemingly uninterested in the commotion outside the window.

That extraordinary composure caused a barely perceptible hint of disappointment and surprise to flash across Gao Bin's eyes.

"Captain Zhou, aren't you going to check out the commotion? It's quite a big event," Gao Bin said with a smile.

"We'll see you soon, it won't make a difference," Zhou Yi said calmly.

Just like his usual personality, he doesn't gossip, and his composure is tinged with a touch of aloofness.

Gao Bin nodded, sat down, and laughed, "Yeah, people just love to join in the fun. Aren't we all the same?"

Zhou Yi smiled but didn't say anything.

……

Soon, Cheng Bin and Zhang Xiruo entered the conference room.

After a round of mutual flattery and polite greetings, the lecture officially began.

Cheng Bin stood in the center of the podium, facing a group of officers whose ranks and grades were far higher than his. His face showed no fear, but rather a kind of morbid excitement and pride.

He was an excellent orator, and he spoke with great enthusiasm and eloquence about his "secret method" of setting a trap for General Yang and driving him into a corner.

A burst of applause occasionally rose from the audience.

After the lecture, which lasted for more than an hour, Yoshio Miyagawa briefly said goodbye to the group and personally escorted Cheng Bin and Zhang Xiruo out of the conference room in a hurry.

Lu Ming closed his notebook and pursed his lips:

"I must say, this grandson is actually quite good at it."

"As expected of General Yang's disciple, he has truly mastered the art."

Gao Bin said in a humorous tone, as if in casual conversation:
"Yes.

"A fortress is often most easily breached from within."

"The closer the relationship, the more dangerous it is."

"General Yang roamed the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River region for many years, and the Japanese simply couldn't do anything about him."

"Now look what's happened, even his own hand-picked subordinate has taken his head."

"Look at our Captain Cheng, sitting up there talking so eloquently, and he's even proud of it."

He sighed, as if lamenting, or perhaps issuing a warning.

"So everyone needs to open their eyes wide and see the people around them clearly."

Zhou Yi smiled slightly and took over the conversation:
"Yes.

"However, I believe that our Special Operations Division of the Police Department is united as one, and there is no possibility that the fortress will be breached from within."

Gao Bin paused for a moment, glancing at him sideways:
"Really?"

Zhou Yi's smile remained unchanged, and his tone was calm.

"certainly.

"Section Chief Gao, you are not General Yang, who would misjudge people."

"Besides, no one in our department would dare to make a move on you, right?" Gao Bin laughed and pointed at Zhou Yi with his pipe: "Oh, if it were five years earlier, I might have been a little more confident."

"Now, I'm old, and my eyesight is failing, so I can't see clearly anymore."

Hong Ji-yoo, who had been silent until now, smiled and leaned closer:

"Uncle, don't worry about your eyesight being poor."

"With the poor conditions of the Red Tickets, they have neither money nor power, so no one is willing to follow them."

Gao Bin said meaningfully:
"I hope so."

Without making a sound, he exchanged a glance with Lu Ming that only they understood.

The group walked outside while talking.

Lu Ming deliberately said:

"Captain Zhou, Zhiyou, tell me, how many people in Harbin right now want to get rid of these two traitors?"
"Director Miyagawa brought people here; isn't he just deliberately trying to cause us trouble?"

Gao Bin smiled, his tone relaxed.

What trouble do we have?
"It's not our responsibility to ensure their safety."

He gestured towards the downstairs, where a black sedan was starting up, surrounded by the same few tightly packed black umbrellas.

"Look at this scene."

"The last time Zhang Jinghui came to inspect, there wasn't such a grand procession."

"The Black Umbrella Formation, I haven't seen it in so many years."

"It seems that Commander Umezu really sees them as a hot commodity."

As they spoke, Lu Ming and Gao Bin secretly glanced at Zhou Yi's face.

Zhou Yi's gaze lingered on the black Ford sedan for a moment before he looked away.

Gao Bin glanced at him coldly, his eyes flashing with a chilling intent.

He waved his hand.

"Lu Ming, let's go."

"Come with me to the Industrial University to have a talk with President Yuan. Some students there have been causing trouble lately, and the newly appointed provincial official, Mr. Yu Jingtao, has asked us to keep a close eye on them."

Lu Ming looked at Zhou Yi with a smile:

"Mr. Yu deserves to be sent by Captain Zhou."

"Isn't Mrs. Zhou's family related to Mr. Yu? It's always easier to talk to family members."

Zhou Yi smiled but didn't reply.

Gao Bin waved his hand: "Forget it, he's a refined man, he can't say harsh words to those young punks."

"Let us roughnecks do this job."

He turned his head and looked at Hong Zhiyou.

"Zhiyou, you and Zhou Yi go back to the hall first."

Hong Zhi nodded. "Uncle, the students are very impulsive, especially those of us in official robes. They're born with hatred."

"You'd better keep your eyes peeled and be careful."

Gao Bin nodded and got into his car.

Hong Zhi flicked the cigarette butt from between his fingers, and he and Zhou Yi got into another car one after the other.

The car door closed, shutting out the noise from outside.

“You were staring at the car just now, and Lu Ming’s dog saw it all.”

Hong Zhi started the car and spoke while turning the steering wheel.

Zhou Yi remained calm, watching the street scene recede outside the window.

"I did it on purpose."

"Today in the conference room, I didn't join in the fun like everyone else. If I were to show no interest at all now, that would be abnormal."

"An excellent intelligence officer should be curious about all unusual things, even if a mouse dies in your neighbor's yard, you should know whether it is male or female."

"This is what Section Chief Gao taught us personally."

Hong Zhi nodded; he had heard similar things from Lao Yu before.

Zhou Yi's gaze sharpened again.

"It now seems that the person is in the hands of Yoshio Miyagawa."

“I just glanced at them, and the wheels of those two cars seem to have a lot of fresh mud on them. That might be a direction for reconnaissance.”

Hong Zhiyou shook his head, a disdainful smirk playing on his lips.

"We can look for it first, but I don't think it will be that simple."

"Don't forget, those two bastards, Cheng Bin and Zhang Xiruo, came from the Anti-Japanese United Army. They could outmaneuver the Kwantung Army in the mountains."

"Miyagawa Yoshio's bullshit black umbrella formation might fool laymen."

"I think this is precisely the illusion they deliberately created."

Zhou Yi frowned slightly.

"So where do you think Cheng Bin and the others are?"
"The basement of the police headquarters?"

Hong Zhi scoffed: "Unlikely."

“That place is safe, but Cheng Bin doesn’t trust Yoshio Miyagawa.”

"Miyagawa was also afraid that these two hot potatoes would get stuck in his hands and cause unnecessary trouble."

"I think the chances are not very high."

Zhou Yi pondered for a moment and said:
"The security bureau is full of big shots."

"It's not in the hands of the Special Higher Police or the Military Police."

"Besides Director Miyagawa, the only person in Harbin capable of handling their security is Section Chief Gao."

"But looking at Section Chief Gao and Lu Ming today, they don't seem to know anything about it either."

Hong Zhiyou's smile also faded a bit.

"It's a bit strange, and Takeda and the others are completely unaware of it."

"You tell me, isn't it strange that two traitors who are completely unfamiliar with Harbin have no one to take care of their security?"

"Even if they found a place to hide themselves and didn't want anyone to know where they lived, they still need to eat, drink, and relieve themselves, right?"

Zhou Yi's gaze fell on the car window, reflecting his calm face.

"It's also possible that they cook for themselves."

Hong Zhi clicked his tongue. "That would be troublesome."

"However, no matter how cunning a fox is, it will always show its tail eventually."

"Okay, have Lao Wei keep an eye out for any suspicious-looking strangers lately."

"I'll have Lao Hei mobilize his men to secretly search every nook and cranny of the area, at the docks, and in the rickshaw pullers' shops."

"I refuse to believe that two living people can just vanish into thin air."

Zhou Yi nodded: "I'll have Chun San look for him too. This guy is well-connected in Harbin, knows all sorts of people, knows the area well, and is also very clever."

……

Two days later.

At 10 a.m., the sun was shining brightly.

Gao Bin pushed open the door to Yoshio Miyagawa's office.

Yoshio Miyagawa was setting up his tea set when he saw Gao Bin enter, and his face immediately lit up with a warm smile.

"Section Chief Gao, come here quickly, this is freshly arrived tea, have a taste."

Gao Bin sat down opposite him, and Yoshio Miyagawa personally poured him a steaming cup of tea.

"Did you catch any fish?"

"This time, in order to help you find the mole in the police department and the anti-Japanese elements hiding in Harbin, I've brought out the best bait."

Gao Bin picked up his teacup and blew on the tea leaves floating on top:
"Thank you, Director. So far, the results are good, and we may see some results tonight."

“My people reported that there have been quite a few suspicious figures outside that villa in the suburbs in the past two days.”

He put down his teacup, his tone calm yet exuding a confident air of complete control.

"According to the schedule, Cheng Bin and Zhang Xiruo will leave Harbin at eight o'clock tomorrow morning, and I have already spread the word."

"For the red tickets, their only chance is tonight."

"Cheng Bin's bait is too tempting; there's no reason why Hong Piao won't take the bait."

Yoshio Miyagawa slapped his thigh:
"Very good!

"Then I wish Section Chief Gao a successful fishing trip tonight!"

"With his fishing skills and the credit for protecting Cheng and Zhang, it's hard for Section Chief Gao not to get promoted this time."

Gao Bin bowed respectfully at the opportune moment: "Thank you for your care, Director."

"Just wait for good news."

……

In the afternoon, by the Songhua River.

The wind was biting cold, and a thick layer of ice covered the river.

Old Wei sat on a small stool, a fishing rod stuck in the ice hole in front of him, and several lively river fish in the wooden bucket beside him.

Zhou Yi sat down next to him and lit a cigarette: "I'm having a lucky day."

Old Wei grinned:
"Yes, it's been a long time since I've had such good luck."

He lowered his voice, unable to hide the excitement in his tone.

"The monkey has found the two cars."

"They parked in a house on the outskirts of Daowai, bordering the suburbs. Although those bastards changed cars twice and drove around the city, they were still spotted by the monkeys."

"The monkey scouted inside and found three plainclothes police officers on duty, one with a submachine gun and two with pistols."

"Adding Cheng Bin and Zhang Xiruo, those two traitors, makes a total of five people."

"That house is about three or four miles away from the nearest police station."

A bloodthirsty glint flashed in Lao Wei's eyes.

"My men will fire a few shots near that police station around midnight tonight to draw the police away."

"Then, we just threw a dozen or so grenades into that house and blew it flat!"
"Charge in again, whether they're dead or alive, finish them off one by one, we must chop off those two traitors' heads!"

Zhou Yi listened quietly, smoke escaping from his lips:

"Old Wei, my suggestion is... cancel the plan."

"Both Caishen and I think this is very likely a trap set by the enemy to lure you in."

Old Wei's brows furrowed instantly, and he said with dissatisfaction:
"You're just being too cautious!"
"You watched those two bastards get into the car with your own eyes for two consecutive days. You know how good the monkey's tracking skills are. If he still makes a mistake, then it's truly unbelievable!"

Zhou Yi's tone remained calm:
"Did the monkey see them in that house with his own eyes? Are you sure it was Cheng Bin and Zhang Xiruo?"

Old Wei is a straightforward person, and he was momentarily speechless when asked the question.

"No... no."

"Those two people were wrapped up so tightly that they didn't come out once they went inside."

"But that's in line with their cautious nature, isn't it?"

Zhou Yi stubbed out his cigarette: "I didn't see Cheng Bin and the others get into the car with my own eyes. If those two are carefully selected stand-ins, things will get complicated."

"It's better to misplace something than to make a mistake."

"We can't afford any more losses."

Old Wei suddenly stood up, his expression somewhat indignant:
"Old Zhou! They are the traitors who murdered Commander Yang! They are the murderers!"

"The brothers' eyes are now red, and they wish they could eat their flesh and drink their blood."

"We finally got this opportunity, how can I back out? The brothers won't agree!"
Don't worry, they don't even know you exist!
"Even if this is a trap, and I get caught, I will never betray you!"

Zhou Yi looked at him: "Old Wei, I know you're not afraid of death, but that's a different matter..."

Old Wei waved his hand irritably.

"Old Zhou, you're a good person in every way, except you're too cautious!"

"Endure, endure, endure, how long do we have to endure?"

"Alright, it's settled then, so don't worry about it!"

After saying that, he turned around and left.

After taking a few steps, Old Wei angrily turned back, grabbed the fishing rod, wooden bucket, and small stool from the ground, and strode away without looking back.

……

As it was nearing the end of the workday, Zhou Yi walked into Hong Zhiyou's office with a worried expression.

"Old Wei insisted on taking action."

Do you have any new leads?

Hong Zhiyou shook his head:
"No.

"All the clues point to that villa, and it seems that's the truth."

"However, I always felt... it was a bit too easy, too smooth."

"Cheng Bin shouldn't be that careless."

Zhou Yi leaned back on the sofa, rubbed his temples, and sighed softly.

Hong Zhiyou took a sip of tea and said:
“There are signs that this is a setup, and I still think you should abandon the operation.”

Zhou Yi's face showed a hint of helplessness: "That's what I suggested too, but Lao Wei and the others are too eager to avenge General Yang, and I can't persuade them otherwise."

Hong Zhi put down his water glass and grinned:
"This is simple."

"give it to me."

He patted Zhou Yi on the shoulder.

"Let's go out to eat, it's on me today."

Just as I got up, the phone on the table rang.

Hong Zhiyou picked up the receiver, listened for a couple of sentences, and then hung up immediately.

His eyes lit up and he said:

"It was brought by Chun San."

He said that a couple of days ago, two people with Jilin accents bought a lot of potatoes and cabbages at a remote vegetable market in Daowai District, and their behavior was somewhat suspicious.

"Yes, a Jilin accent!"
"Let's go see! What if we're lucky and run into them?"

……

(End of this chapter)