Spy wars start with lurking Secretary Hong

Chapter 547 I'm really lucky
Zhou Yi smiled and said, "You've always been lucky. Go take a look."

The two drove to the agreed location.

On a street corner in Harbin, the cold wind felt like a knife cutting into my face, burning painfully.

Chun San squatted on the curb, rubbing his hands incessantly from the cold, the white breath he exhaled instantly blown away by the wind.

The car stopped beside him.

Hong Zhiyou got out of the passenger seat, took off the soft leather gloves on his hands, and tossed them to him.

"Take it and put it on."

He took out another cigarette and handed it to him.

Chun San was flattered and immediately stood up straight, bowing and scraping.

"Thank you, Master Hong!"

Hong Zhi ignored his polite formalities and went straight to the point: "What's going on?"

Chun-san quickly put on his gloves, grinned, and revealed two rows of yellow teeth:
"Sir, didn't you ask me to find out about accents from other places? Well, I've actually found some."

He leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"I have a cousin who sells meat at the local market."

He said that the day before yesterday, early in the morning, two men came to buy meat, and they spoke with a strong Jilin accent.

"My cousin used to work with a horse team to transport goods from the mountains. He traveled all over the remote corners of Northeast China. He has a keen ear and knows everything about the place."

He casually greeted them and asked which part of Jilin they were from.
"As a result, the two people acted as if they had seen a ghost, abandoned the meat, and turned to leave."

“My cousin noticed something was off about the two of them, and since we happened to be talking about it today, he mentioned it to me.”

"Oh, right, he also said that those two weren't quite right," Chun San added.

Zhou Yi stood beside the car, hands in his pockets, and smiled:
"What's wrong?"

Chun San immediately perked up and began gesturing:
He said those two people were wearing tattered cotton-padded jackets that weren't much better than mine.

"But the shoes you're wearing are shiny, thick-soled boots, similar to the ones you two are wearing. They look very valuable."

"Who wears a dog-skin hat while sporting official boots?"

Hong Zhi's eyes flickered: "Quite meticulous, have you found them?"

Chun San shook his head, a hint of annoyance on his face: "After those two left, they never showed up again."

“My men and I searched the whole area in secret, but we didn’t find any new faces living there.”

"I'm so sorry, gentlemen, I did my best."

Zhou Yi patted him on the shoulder: "Thank you for your thoughtfulness. The information you provided is very important."

As he spoke, he took out his wallet, took out two hundred yuan and handed it to Chun San, "Take this and spend it. When the unit issues boots, I'll get you a pair so you can experience what it's like to be an official."

Chun Da was overjoyed, "Thank you, brother."

Hong Zhi looked at him and suddenly smiled:

"Chun San, you've got a sharp mind, how about doing something big?"

Chun San was taken aback, then smiled happily:

“Think about it!
“Sir, don’t let my illiteracy fool you. If you’re looking for a policeman, you’ve definitely found the right person.”

He patted his chest, spitting as he spoke.

"I'm not bragging, but in Harbin, I can tell whose dog is whose just by sniffing around."

"If you don't believe me, ask Brother Zhou. My Chun San works wonders!"

Hong Zhiyou certainly knew.

When he sent Chun San to work in Jiamusi last time, he could tell that this guy was not only quick-witted but also meticulous in his work, and was a promising talent.

He said, "Perfect timing. Sakura Club is short of a manager. Why don't you go over and help me manage it?"

Chun San's eyes widened instantly. He pointed to his nose, his voice stammering:

"Sir, that's...that's Harbin's number one gambling den, the Sakura Club! You...you want me to manage it?"

Hong Zhi raised an eyebrow: "What, can't handle it?"

Upon hearing this, Chun San immediately straightened his back ramrod straight:

"No way! It's just a matter of sprinkling water, isn't it?"
"Don't worry, I'll make sure I keep those people at the club completely under control and serve those big shots who come to spend money to their heart's content!"

Hong Zhiyou shook his head: "That's not the main point."

His tone became serious.

"Your task is to gather information from the guests over there, especially from high-ranking Japanese military officers and important figures in the chamber of commerce. These are the people you need to keep a close eye on."

"In other words, it means learning how to gather intelligence."

"This requires you to train those geishas."

"How should I put it? It's about making their words sound like they're not just platitudes, but actually, even if they are, you can get some real information from them."

"do you understand me?"

Chun San chuckled, his cleverness returning:

“Brother Hong, Brother Zhou, ever since you two asked me to do that job last time, I knew you two were going to do something big.”

"I may be poor, but I'm not a fool."

"Uncle Hong, don't worry, I've been in this city since I was a kid, and my livelihood depends on reading people and situations."

"I guarantee those Japanese women will be trained to be clever and obedient, and they'll have those Japanese devils completely bewitched, so much so that they'll forget what their mothers' names are!"

Hong Zhi nodded and added, "Also, you have to keep a close eye on things."

"The opium dens and luxury casinos of the Sakura Club are open only to Japanese people."

"Even if some Nationalist officers put a gun to your head, you must never give in."

"This is a matter of principle, and also a business matter."

"When everyone can go in and spend money, the club loses its unique commercial value, and it will also affect the business of Yong Sheng Kui."

"I don't need to raise gu here. Let's each do our own thing, so that Lao Hei won't get angry with you."

"Of course, as for other things like finding women, having tea, or eating, that's up to you."

Upon hearing this, Chun San immediately pounded his chest loudly:
"Don't worry, sir!"

"Even if they kill me, I will never let a single Chinese person into opium dens or casinos!"

Hong Zhiyou heard him blurt out "Chinese," and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly as he nodded in satisfaction.

Throughout history, many righteous men have been butchers.

Ordinary people like Chun San might not have had the determination or courage to fight the Japanese with their lives on the line.

But at least they still know who they are, and they're willing to annoy the Japanese behind their backs and watch them make a fool of themselves.

They openly called themselves the "Imperial Army," but secretly called themselves "Japanese devils."

That's good.

"Okay, then this job is yours."

"I'll give Lao Hei a call later. From now on, you'll be the manager of Sakura Club."

Zhou Yi looked at Chun San, who was still somewhat dazed, and gave him a reminder.

"Aren't you going to thank Section Chief Hong?"

Chun San seemed to wake from a dream, and immediately bowed deeply to Hong Zhiyou, nodding his head vigorously.

"Thank you, Master Hong! Thank you, Master Hong!"

Zhou Yi patted him on the shoulder.

"Chun San, there's something I need to tell you."

“When you go to the club, you absolutely cannot touch opium. If you get involved with that stuff, your life will be ruined.”

Chun San nodded vigorously: "Understood, brother!"
"I used to deal with that stuff, so I know how powerful it is. If I really wanted to smoke it, I wouldn't have lasted this long."

Zhou Yi nodded. "Yeah, think about your mother more often."

Hong Zhi jokingly said, "Later I'll get you a car and a Japanese translator. You need to learn Japanese as soon as possible, otherwise you won't be able to get by in that place."

"I'll find a better family to marry into later."

Chun San's face beamed with joy. He looked at his broken bicycle and chuckled dryly, saying, "So, can I just push this bike into the ditch?"

Hong Zhi laughed heartily:
"It's more than just pushing them into the ditch."
"With a car, when you visit your father-in-law's house, he'll be the first to eat, and he'll be much more reliable and influential!"

Chun San was so happy he didn't know what to say, and kept rubbing his hands together:
Alright!
"You guys handle it, I guarantee I'll make sure this deal is crystal clear for you!"

After seeing off the excited Chun San, Hong Zhiyou and Zhou Yi got into the car.

Hong Zhi started the car and said, "Old Zhou, I'm sorry, I poached your man."

Chun San used to be Zhou Yi's loyal informant, and now he's always following him around, so he still has to give him a heads-up.

Zhou Yi looked out the window and smiled faintly:
"It doesn't matter.

"It's this kid who keeps calling you 'Grandpa' and me 'Brother,' making me your nephew for no reason, which is a bit annoying."

Hong Zhiyou laughed: "Who cares? Let him do his thing, we'll do ours."

Anyway, I'll call you brother.

We chatted idly along the way, and the car conveniently arrived at Zhou Yi's building.

As soon as I entered the house, I saw Gu Qiuyan in the living room, helping Sasha, who had just learned to walk, to play. The little girl was wobbling and babbling, and she was incredibly cute.

Hong Zhi greeted her with a smile: "Sister-in-law."

Gu Qiuyan turned around and smiled gently: "Zhiyou is here."

Zhou Yi took off his coat and instructed, "Have Aunt Liu cook some dumplings."

Hong Zhi waved his hand: "No, I won't eat here today."

"I can't stay too long."

Zhou Yi understood what he meant.

In these extraordinary times, it's fine to come in and take a look if you're passing by, but if you stay too long, it will inevitably arouse suspicion from those with ulterior motives.

The two went upstairs and into the study.

Zhou Yi took a detailed map of HEB city from the bookshelf and spread it out on the table.

He took out paper and pen and quickly drew a circle with the Police Headquarters as the center.

"I might have guessed right."

"For absolute safety, Cheng Bin and his team chose to cook for themselves."

“They were unfamiliar with Harbin and had to go to the police headquarters to give reports every morning. Logically, they couldn’t possibly live too far away.”

Zhou Yi's finger moved slowly across the circled area on the map.

"We can search this area."

Hong Zhi leaned over for a look and shook his head.

"The target is still too big."

"They're leaving Harbin tomorrow, so we don't have much time left."

He tapped his finger on the map, his eyes sharpening.

"Since Cheng Bin and his group have come, they must have someone they trust by their side, or rather, someone who is extremely familiar with the local situation in Harbin and is absolutely reliable, who is in charge of their security."

"Director Miyagawa is not very familiar with this area, and neither Takeda nor Nichikawa took over."

"Then it can only be the Security Bureau or our police department that is in charge."

Zhou Yi stared at the map, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.

Hong Zhi pointed a finger at the map, his tone tinged with mockery:
"When Chengcang was alive, he dismissed Miao Futian from the Security Bureau."

"The current director's surname is Liao. He was parachuted in from Beijing and knows absolutely nothing about the place."

"The fact that Chen Jingyu hasn't received any news means that the security work for these two precious kids has most likely fallen to... our police department."

Zhou Yi frowned slightly: "You mean, Section Chief Gao is in charge of security?"

"Are he and Lu Ming deliberately putting on a show in front of us?" Hong Zhi chuckled. "Very likely."

"If it really was arranged by my uncle himself, he would never have come up with this bullshit Black Umbrella Formation."

"It looks impressive, but it's actually a sitting duck; the bigger the tree, the more the wind blows."

"You know him better than I do; you'd want to hide him in the ground."

"Therefore, the house that Lao Wei and his group found, as well as those two so-called 'Cheng Bins,' are most likely bait."

"Chun San's intelligence is the best proof."

"Wearing a tattered cotton-padded coat but wearing official boots, that's the loophole."

Zhou Yi's expression turned serious: "Yes."

"If it was a trap, and the military police didn't give any prior notice, then it could only be that Section Chief Gao assigned Lu Ming, Liu Kui, and a few of his trusted confidants to be in charge."

"He excluded both of us."

Zhou Yi's gaze fell on the telephone on the table.

"Perfect timing, I have a batch of goods to ship. Liu Kui mentioned it before, saying he wanted to take a look."

"I'll ask him."

He picked up the phone and deftly dialed the number.

"Hello, it's me."

"Come to my house for dumplings, and check out the goods while you're at it."

"By the way, if Lu Ming is here, invite him to come along, so he won't nag me about leaving him behind."

"Okay, see you later."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Yi shook his head.

"Liu Kui will be here in a bit; Lu Ming isn't in the duty room."

"It seems that Section Chief Gao has assigned this task to Lu Ming."

Hong Zhi nodded, this was entirely within his expectations: "My uncle trusts Lu Ming the most."

Zhou Yi's gaze returned to the map:

"Getting back to the main topic, let's analyze the local situation."

"If they are Gao Kezhang's men, and these two traitors are cowardly, they probably wouldn't live in an ordinary residential area."

"Even hotels and guesthouses can be excluded."

"Wearing a dog-skin hat and a tattered cotton-padded coat to stay in a high-end hotel, isn't that nonsense?"

"I certainly wouldn't buy meat and cook for myself."

Zhou Yi's finger moved slowly across the map, circling a small area.

"So, the most likely scenario is that they are hiding in a remote, undisturbed factory where they can cook, or in an old building with few people."

"There aren't many places within the police department that meet the criteria."

"Okay, you can go back from the west side later, and I'll take Liu Kui from the east side after I drop him off."

"Let's surround them and take a good look."

"Once we get home, if anything happens, call us. It's the old code."

Hong Zhi nodded: "That's the only way."

"I go first."

He turned and went downstairs.

In the living room, Gu Qiuyan was holding Sasha and making her laugh.

Seeing Hong Zhi come down, Gu Qiuyan raised an eyebrow at the table:
"The dumplings are cooked. Take some home to eat."

Sasha was in her arms, sucking on her chubby fingers, babbling softly.

"dad……"

Hong Zhi walked over and reached out to pinch her little cheek.

"I'm not your dad."

He picked up the takeout container from the table. "Let's go, sister-in-law."

Gu Qiuyan smiled and gently waved Sasha's little hand.

"Sasha, say goodbye to your uncle."

Hong Zhiyou carried the dumplings and walked out of the room.

After getting in the car, he didn't go straight home, but started the car and drove around the west side of the road.

The street scene outside the car window slowly receded, and Hong Zhiyou carefully observed each building on the roadside that met the criteria.

The car passed the back street of the police station.

Hong Zhiyou's gaze inadvertently fell on the abandoned old warehouse on the street corner.

This warehouse used to store commonly used supplies for the military police and the police department.

Since Shibuya Saburo turned against him, in order to ensure the safety of critical supplies such as medicine and bullets, Shibuya built a new warehouse near the police headquarters.

This place was completely abandoned.

He suddenly noticed that the rusty brass lock on the warehouse's large iron gate was gone.

Hong Zhi couldn't say for sure when he disappeared.

He would occasionally pass by this place, but he never made a point of observing an old warehouse that had already been emptied.

But today, the empty lock looks glaringly out of place.

The warehouse used to house the gatekeeper. It had a stove and a bed, making it perfectly suitable for cooking. It was also close to the police station.

In case of emergency, police support will arrive quickly.

This place was practically tailor-made for Cheng Bin and Zhang Xiruo to hide in.

Did Hong Zhi deliberately slow down his car to avoid alerting the enemy?

The car sped by as if he were just an ordinary passerby.

When he got home, he first called Zhou Yi and asked him to send someone to keep a close eye on that warehouse.

"Call me back after 9:30 if you have confirmation."

After hanging up the phone, he went straight to his aunt's house.

Uncle Gao Bin was holding his chubby grandson in the living room, making "tsk tsk" sounds.

It was clear that Gao Bin truly liked Cheng Zong; his usually gloomy face had relaxed at this moment.

Hong Zhiyou sat down next to him.

"Uncle, Cheng Bin and the others are going back to Tonghua tomorrow."

Gao Bin didn't even glance at him; his eyes remained glued to his grandson.

"Go back if you want."

"Anyway, security isn't our responsibility, so why are you in such a hurry?"

Hong Zhiyou reached out and took the child from his arms, weighing him in his hand: "I went to Yongshengkui today, and Lao Hei said that the atmosphere in Harbin these past two days has been a bit strange."

“I’m afraid… what if these two people are secretly under your care? If they die in Harbin, it will be bad for our family.”

Gao Bin then looked up at him, his tone still indifferent.

"Don't worry, it has nothing to do with our family."

"Besides, it would be a good thing if I really died."

Hong Zhiyou showed just the right amount of surprise on his face.

Gao Bin's gaze returned to his grandson, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips:
"Just think about it, if the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces in Laotuo Mountain and Zhuhe area were really wiped out, how many people's livelihoods would be destroyed?"
"Now Yoshijiro Umezu is going crazy, mining and building fortifications in the north, and desperately migrating laborers and soldiers to the border."

"Judging from this situation, it seems like we're going to have a second war with the north."

"Without the Anti-Japanese United Army dragging them down, the Kwantung Army can free up its resources."

"At that time, I don't know how many people will be dragged down as cannon fodder."

"The so-called 'pure land' of Harbin will soon cease to exist."

Hong Zhi gave a forced, disappointed laugh: "So Uncle understands politics too."

Gao Bin snorted:
"I'm too old to bother with all that."

"That would be ideal, that such days could last forever."

"Of course, Director Miyagawa is personally in charge of security for Cheng and Zhang, so it's not our place to worry about them."

Hong Zhi handed the child to the wet nurse next to him and said, "Okay, I'm going back now."

Gao Bin was immediately displeased when he saw Gao Bin's nonchalant attitude.

"You really are someone who is neither loved by daughters nor by sons."

“You never even glance at Sasha from Gu Qiuyan’s family.”

“Chengzong is always around you, but you always look like you don’t care.”

What are you trying to do?

"A father should act like a father!"

Hong Zhiyou pursed his lips: "I haven't had enough fun myself yet."

"Besides, whether you look at it more or less, it won't cost you a piece of meat."

“We agreed before that I would only give birth, and you and your aunt would be responsible for raising the child.”

After saying that, he turned and walked out.

He was a hands-off boss in his past life too.

Lele grew up in Hong Kong with her mother and maternal grandmother. Later, when her son was born, a bunch of "mothers" including Wanqiu and Jiqing took turns taking care of him. At that time, he spent his days fishing and avoiding the women at home to maintain his health, so he didn't care for them for long.

He really doesn't care much about things like taking care of children.

Gao Bin glared at him, shaking his head in exasperation.

After Hong Zhi left, his eyes darkened.

This brat is clearly trying to trick me into revealing information.

Perhaps some people are already anxious because they can't find Cheng Bin.

However, Zhiyou is still too inexperienced to get information out of him.

Of course, Cheng Bin and his companion absolutely cannot die.

Gao Bin said those words, but they were just temporary measures to appease his nephew.

If he really dies, it's fine for Yoshio Miyagawa to handle things, but I'm afraid that people like Zhu Yi, who covet Harbin, will stir up trouble and make things difficult for me.

……

At nine o'clock, Hong Zhiyou returned to his villa.

He took a relaxing hot bath, changed into a silk robe, and poured himself a glass of red wine.

Uncle is still cunning.

He deliberately used political arguments to deflect attention from his own actions.

Little did he know that his feint was a deceptive tactic.

Uncle Hao thought that he and Zhou Yi still had no progress and was getting impatient.

Just as I was wondering whether I should call a Japanese girl over to relax, the phone on the table rang.

He picked up the receiver.

From inside came Zhou Yi's signature, chilling, and calm voice.

"You left your gloves at my house. I'll bring them to you tomorrow morning."

……

(End of this chapter)