Spy wars start with lurking Secretary Hong

Chapter 548 The Traitor is Executed
"Click."

The call was hung up.

Hong Zhiyou gently placed the receiver back on the base, and the only sound in the study was the crackling of the burning firewood in the fireplace.

Sure enough, his sixth sense was right.

Cheng Bin and Zhang Xiruo, those two easily frightened birds, hid in an abandoned old warehouse on the back street of the police station.

Now, it all depends on luck.

If Cheng Bin and his companion are willing to accept the protection of the police department and the military police, then the assassination will become more complicated.

However, there were also activists among those people who wanted the "red tickets," and Lao Wei and his group still had a chance to succeed.

Of course.

Hong Zhi felt that Cheng Bin and Zhang Xiruo would most likely refuse.

A person who is extremely insecure will feel more and more anxious in such situations, seeing everyone as an assassin.

There's no reason for them to entrust their lives and fortunes entirely to Lu Ming at the last minute.

In that case, the assassination would be relatively simpler.

Even if Lao Wei and his team fail, Hong Zhiyou is not flustered.

He had a backup plan in Jiamusi.

Even if Cheng Bin and Zhang Xiruo escaped the calamity in Harbin, there will still be plenty of opportunities to get rid of them.

He stroked his thick beard, his gaze suddenly darkening.

Hong Zhi picked up the phone again and dialed a number.

“Peng Hu, go and keep an eye on the abandoned warehouse on the back street of the police station.”

"Be careful, the people inside are very cunning and adept at counter-surveillance; they may also be carrying guns."

"Be careful."

Peng Hu's calm and composed voice came from the other end of the phone, "Young Master Hong, don't worry."

"I can even keep up with a tiger, let alone a human."

Hong Zhiyou still gave him a word of advice out of concern.

"Bring a gun."

After hanging up the phone, he thought for a moment and then dialed Director Huang of the telephone company again.

"Old Huang, it's been a while since we got together. How about we meet up at Sakura Club for a couple of drinks tomorrow night?"

Only after receiving a definite reply did Hong Zhiyou finally hang up the phone.

……

Inside the warehouse, the charcoal fire in the brazier burned brightly, casting swaying shadows on the walls.

Lu Ming, accompanied by several elite men, appeared silently at the back door of the warehouse.

With a wave of his hand, his men immediately dispersed and hid in the darkness.

Lu Ming pushed open the creaking iron gate and went inside.

"What do you mean?"

Zhang Xiruo bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, "Why did you bring people here? Are you afraid we haven't been exposed enough?"

Lu Ming took off his leather gloves and patted them slowly in his palm.

Don't be so nervous.

"Section Chief Gao said tonight is the last night, and there are many people outside looking for you."

"He meant for me to bring more men to form a fortified defense and keep watch for the two of you at night."

Cheng Bin stared coldly at him, picked up a potato he had just dug out of the fire, and blew on it:

"Brother, we need protection, do we really need to be eating potatoes here every day?"

Before he finished speaking, he raised his hand.

With a "smack," the scalding hot potato was slammed into the fire, sending sparks flying.

Lu Ming chuckled dryly and shrugged. "What, you're ungrateful for my kindness? Don't you trust me?"

Seeing his arrogant and conceited demeanor, Zhang Xiruo's anger flared even more.

"That's right, I just can't trust them."

"Please, take your people away from me now, immediately, right now."

"Go as far as you can, okay?"

Lu Ming's smile gradually faded, and he sneered, "You don't know what's good for you."

He opened his briefcase and took out a miniature recorder, about the size of a matchbox:

“You said it yourselves.”

The tape recorder made a slight spinning sound, indicating that it had been recording for some time.

Cheng Bin looked at that thing and laughed:
"You're pretty good, bro. You're very reliable. You always carry this with you when you go out."

Lu Ming took out a cigarette case from his pocket, lit one, and took a deep drag.

He glanced sideways at Cheng Bin, smoke billowing from his nostrils:
"There's no other way. If something goes wrong, I can't afford to take the blame if I don't have some evidence."

He asked again, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Gentlemen, are you sure you don't need our protection?"

Zhang Xiruo's answer was firm and resolute: "That's right, please."

"it is good."

Lu Ming nodded.

"Gentlemen, you'd better take care of yourselves."

After saying that, he turned off the recorder and slowly put it back in his briefcase.

He turned and went out, waving into the darkness:

“Brothers, they don’t care.”

"gone."

"Pooh!"

"WTF!"

"You country bumpkin, you really think you're something special!"

Amidst a chorus of hushed curses, Lu Ming and his group quickly disappeared through the back door of the warehouse.

Once inside the car, driver Xiao Li started the engine.

"Section Chief, Section Chief Gao asked us to deliver this gift..."

Lu Ming leaned back in the back seat, closed his eyes, and looked impatient.

"Didn't you see how they were treating us like thieves?"
"I'm not going to do something like offering my warm face to someone who doesn't reciprocate."

"I'll return it to Section Chief Gao tomorrow."

Xiao Li glanced at him through the rearview mirror and asked again.

"Then...should we inform Section Chief Gao?"

Lu Ming thought for a moment:
"No.

"It's so late, Section Chief Gao must have gone to bed early."

"Besides, we have recordings here. It was their own fault for not protecting them. If something really happens, it won't be our fault."

He actually had ulterior motives.

Gao Bin used to joke about having a grandson, saying that once he had a grandson, he should consider retiring.

The police department is currently operating on a tight quota system; if one officer retires, another position becomes available.

Furthermore, if Cheng Bin and Zhang Xiruo really get into trouble in Harbin, I have the recording as evidence, so I might not bear much responsibility.

But Gao Bin was the person directly in charge.

If this matter blows up and he gets fired, it might be an opportunity for him.

In the past period, Gao Bin had helped Zhou Yi apply for merit twice in order to keep him in check, and now he and Zhou Yi were of equal police rank.

Gao Bin is retiring, so I might have a chance to become a section chief. If all else fails, and Zhou Yi gets promoted, I can become the action team leader.

Thinking of this, Lu Ming's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile.

He waved his hand.

"Withdraw."

……

In the warehouse.

Zhang Xiruo peered through the crack in the door and confirmed that the taillights of Lu Ming's cars had completely disappeared around the street corner.

He then straightened up and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Damn it, I suspect this guy took bribes!"

Cheng Bin frowned and stood up from the fire. "What do you mean?"

"Brother, don't you want to think about it?"

Zhang Xiruo lowered her voice and spoke very quickly.

"We've been staying here just fine, and now it's only one night left."

"Lu Ming just had to bring his men here at this time, and make such a big commotion."

"Isn't this blatantly telling outsiders that there's something wrong with this warehouse?"

Cheng Bin's brows furrowed into a knot.

Yes.

Because of Lu Ming's actions, they were completely exposed.

Zhang Xiruo's voice trembled slightly:
"Brother, trust me, my intuition is always very accurate."

"From the first moment I saw this kid, I knew he was up to no good and was no good!"

Cheng Bin paced anxiously for a few steps, his face terribly gloomy.

"It's no use talking about this now. The problem is, we need to come up with a different plan."

He stopped and looked at Zhang Xiruo.

"Now there are two paths."

"One path: go find Chief Kishitani immediately. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that there are 'red ticket' agents in the Police Headquarters and the Police Department who might shoot someone on the way."

"Another way."

Cheng Bin's eyes turned fierce.

"Move immediately, let's find a place to hide."

"Once this storm passes, we'll try to contact Director Kishitani Ryuichiro to send a car to pick us up, or we can find a way to leave by train ourselves."

"Anyway, let's get through tonight first!"

Zhang Xiruo immediately nodded, "Okay, let's do it that way!"

"Hurry up and pack, let's go!"

Cheng Bin quickly put on the tattered cotton-padded coat and stuffed the valuables into his pocket.

Zhang Xiruo then grabbed the light machine gun from the corner.

"What are you doing?"

Cheng Bin gave a low shout, his eyes widening like copper bells.

"Can we take this thing out in public? Are we afraid people won't know what we do?"

Zhang Xiruo was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and felt a little embarrassed.

"Yes, yes, I almost forgot about that."

He reluctantly put down the machine gun, but still felt uneasy.

"But we don't have that. If something happens, we'll both become sitting ducks."

Cheng Bin pulled out a pistol from his waist, checked the magazine, and then took out a grenade and weighed it in his hand.

"Alright, take your pistols and one grenade each, that should be enough."

"Alright." Zhang Xiruo stopped arguing; something was better than nothing.

The two quickly tidied up.

Cheng Bin peered through the crack in the door, like a frightened mouse, and stared out for a long time.

It was pitch black outside, with only a faint light coming from a distant street corner.

He waved his hand only after confirming that no one was outside.

"go!"

The two of them, one after the other, crouched low and slipped out of the warehouse, their figures quickly disappearing into the boundless night.

They didn't dare take the main roads, but instead relied on their memory to wander through the secluded alleys.

This was the route they specifically learned when they last went out to buy potatoes.

After winding through several turns, a sweet aroma mixed with the scent of cream and bread, along with the sounds of bustling people, wafted towards us.

Suddenly, a bright and clear view opened up before me: Horvat Street.

Even late at night, the place is still brightly lit.

In front of the Madier Hotel, well-dressed men and women were going in and out, and a row of rickshaws were parked at the entrance waiting to solicit customers.

The warm light shining from the shop window illuminated the exquisite foods they had only ever seen in magazines.

Zhang Xiruo couldn't help but swallow, her eyes wide with astonishment.

Cheng Bin tilted his chin at him: "Alright, stop being so pathetic."

Zhang Xiruo smacked her lips, looking on with envy.

"Brother, you have to admit, Tonghua doesn't have nearly as many different styles as Harbin."

"How about... we go in and have a steak dinner, and experience being a foreigner for once?"

Cheng Bin glanced at him, then looked at his own dirty, tattered cotton-padded coat.

Forget it.

"With our outfit, we'd be kicked out like beggars before we even got inside."

"Those foreign devils, and those who serve them, are all very arrogant and snobbish."

"Let's go."

Cheng Bin stopped looking and walked straight to the roadside. He called out to a rickshaw driver who had just dropped off a passenger and was wiping his sweat, "Brother, please take us to Majia Village on Yulong Road."

The driver glanced at them, looking troubled.

"Sir, it's so late, it's not close to that place."

"There are two of you, this job... is not easy to take."

Cheng Bin understood that this meant they wanted more money.

Too lazy to waste words, he simply pulled out a ten-yuan bill from his pocket and handed it over.

"Dude, is that enough?"

The driver's eyes lit up the moment he saw the brand-new bill, and his face broke into a wide smile.

"Enough! Enough! That's enough!"

He hurriedly took the money and carefully stuffed it into his pocket.

Cheng Bin got into the car without changing his expression and made up an excuse.

"Let's go, the old folks at home are sick and they're in a hurry to see my brother and me."

At this point, he deliberately spat, his face full of gloom, and said:
"Damn it, my brother and I have worked for nothing this month. We've been working for your brother the whole time."

This complaining tone, ironically, makes everything seem more real.

The driver nodded repeatedly, his face full of gratitude.

"Thank you both for your understanding. I wish you great fortune!"

The two got into the car.

The driver shouted and strained with both legs, pulling the cart steadily forward.

The wheels rolled over the stone pavement, making a monotonous "gurgling" sound.

The driver's back was quickly soaked with sweat, and his head was glistening with sweat; his breath formed puffs of white vapor under the streetlights.

Instead of taking the main road, the car turned into a narrower alley.

The surrounding light quickly dimmed, with only the small kerosene lamp in front of the car casting a small, flickering halo in the darkness.

Gululu...

The sound of wheels rolling echoed clearly in the quiet alley.

The further Cheng Bin ran, the more his heart sank.

This alley is too dark and too quiet.

It was unusually quiet.

He sensed something was wrong.

He suddenly called out to the coachman.

"Stop here, let's get off here."

The driver stopped, turned around and smiled憨厚ly: "Brother, we're still far from Majia Village. I'm taking a shortcut, going through the alleys to get there faster."

Zhang Xiruo also sensed the strange atmosphere and, before Cheng Bin could speak again, said directly:
"No need, we'll get off here."

The two got out of the car, carrying their respective bags, and turned to leave.

Just walked a few steps.

Suddenly, a cacophony of footsteps echoed through the alley.

The sound came from both the front and back directions simultaneously.

Several dark figures emerged from both ends of the alley, each holding a gun.

Cheng Bin was shocked and his right hand flashed towards his waist.

But he was still a step slow.

Behind them, the driver, who had just looked so honest, had somehow stood up straight, a dark Mauser pistol in his hand, its muzzle steadily aimed at the two of them.

"Don't move."

"If you move, I'll kill you both."

"You can try and see if your gun is faster or mine."

Zhang Xiruo froze. He knew he was doomed this time.

He took a slow breath, forcing himself to remain calm, and asked in a deep voice, "Brothers, which route are you on?"

The driver was none other than Peng Hu.

He walked up to the two of them expressionlessly, his eyes as cold as icicles under the eaves.

Which road?

"The way of loving one's country is the way of killing traitors."

Before he finished speaking, two men immediately stepped forward and swiftly searched Cheng Bin and Zhang Xiruo, taking all the pistols and grenades from their bodies.

Cheng Bin's face turned ashen, but his mind was still racing.

"Brother, let's talk this out."

“We have money, just name your price.”

"Furthermore, I'm friends with Chief Gao of the Police Department. If you mess with me, Chief Gao won't let you get away with it!"

Upon hearing this, Peng Hu's lips curled up, not in a smile, but in utter contempt.

"It doesn't matter who you're friends with."

"When you betrayed General Yang, you should have thought this day would come."

"A beast worse than a pig or a dog."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word was piercing.

“I’ll rip their hearts out and see if they’re red or black.”

This sentence became the last straw that broke Zhang Xiruo's back.

His legs buckled, and he knelt down on the ground with a thud, tears streaming down his face.

"Brother! No! Grandpa! Ancestor!"

"Please, we were forced into this by the Japanese, we really had no other choice!"

"Please, please give me a chance..."

His wailing stopped abruptly.

One of his men walked over, and without hesitation, pulled out a dagger from his waist and stabbed him hard in the chest.

"Pfft."

Zhang Xiruo's body trembled violently, her eyes widened, and her mouth opened, but she could no longer make a sound.

He collapsed limply, and blood quickly spread across the cold ground.

Looking at his companion lying in a pool of blood, Cheng Bin felt as if all his strength had been drained away.

He knew he was doomed.

After the fear subsided, there was an eerie calm.

He looked at Peng Hu and asked in a hoarse voice:

When did you start targeting me?

Peng Hu coldly uttered three words: "Not long ago."

Cheng Bin asked again.

"If I hadn't come out, or had stayed at the Police Headquarters or the Military Police Headquarters, would I have survived?"

Peng Hu's eyes remained completely expressionless: "Useless."

You can run away from the first day of the month, but you can't run away from the fifteenth.

"Traitors always end up like this, no matter where they go."

Cheng Bin nodded, as if he understood something, or as if he had completely given up.

He closed his eyes: "Fine, this is retribution. Consider it a life for a life for General Yang."

"Traitor dog!"

Immediately, someone stepped forward and several sharp knives were plunged into his body at the same time.

Cheng Bin let out a muffled groan, and his tall body crashed to the ground.

The assailant, still not satisfied, stabbed the corpse several more times and spat fiercely.

Looking at the two corpses on the ground, Peng Hu gave orders to his men behind him:
"Pack the body up and take it back to await further instructions."

"Yes."

……

Inside the room, the kang (heated brick bed) was burning brightly.

Hong Zhiyou was wide awake, wearing a thick bathrobe, leaning back on the sofa, listlessly flipping through the newspaper.

The phone on the table suddenly rang, its sound exceptionally jarring.

He picked up the receiver immediately.

On the other end of the phone, Peng Hu's voice was completely devoid of any emotion:
"Young Master Hong, the matter is settled, the body is in my hands."

"okay, I get it."

This was within Hong Zhiyou's expectations. Peng Hu was the best hunter in the mountains, and in Harbin, he was like a tiger coming down from the mountain.

"In that case, move the body to Cuixiang Tower first," he continued to instruct.

"Find a room and put it there, making it look like it was killed by the anti-traitor squad."

"that is it."

He hung up the phone and gently placed the receiver back on the stand.

The study returned to silence, with only the soft crackling of the burning wood in the fireplace.

Hong Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, walked to the bathroom, and picked up a razor...

(End of this chapter)