Spy wars start with lurking Secretary Hong

Chapter 577 Zhou Yi is the mole

Amidst the conflict between death and the beautiful vision of the future, Zhang Pingru completely broke down.

Hong Zhiyou stood up, took off his police uniform and draped it over the trembling shoulders, then patted him gently.

"That's right.

"If you had told me earlier, this steak wouldn't have gone to waste."

"Changchun, pour wine for Mr. Zhang."

Ren Changchun's face was full of undisguised contempt as he muttered under his breath, "Useless."

Hong Zhi glared at him.

Ren Changchun pursed his lips and poured Zhang Pingru a full glass of red wine:

"Captain Zhang, you're so lucky."

"This one cup is enough to feed me for several months."

"Please use it."

He slammed the wine glass down on the table with a loud "clang".

Old Tu, who was standing nearby, was quite perceptive. He immediately lit a match and offered Zhang Pingru a cigarette.

Zhang Pingru put a cigarette in her mouth, took a deep drag, and her wildly beating heart calmed down a little:

"Ask whatever you want."

Old Tu was quite perceptive. He nodded to Hong Zhi, turned around and walked out, closing the heavy iron gate behind him.

Ren Changchun glanced at Hong Zhiyou.

"Section Chief, am I leaving too?"

Hong Zhi laughed. "What, are you scared too?"

Ren Changchun retorted, "What do I have to be afraid of? If you want me to listen, I'll listen."

Hong Zhi nodded.

"You can stay here and give a statement."

"Otherwise, if it doesn't follow the interrogation procedures, it will cause a lot of trouble when the police headquarters comes to check the files."

Ren Changchun no longer hesitated, pulled out a stool and sat down on the other side of the interrogation table.

Hong Zhiyou sat back down, crossed his hands on the table, and leaned forward slightly.

"Let me tell you about the situation on the mountain first."

Zhang Pingru nodded, her eyes vacant.

"it is good."

Then, as if he had opened a floodgate, he poured out everything he knew.

From Zhuhe to Laotuoshan, the exact location of each Anti-Japanese Allied Forces team was pinpointed down to the valley and secret camp.

The number of people in the team, the name of the commander, and the call sign of the radio.

How many guns and bullets did they have? How long would their food reserves last? And in which cave were they hiding them?

He even knew the details of several secret routes down the mountain.

Hong Zhi listened quietly.

Since he joined the police department, the Harbin police department and military police have arrested high-ranking officials with red tickets.

But those people were either stubborn and refused to speak.

They either have limited knowledge and can only disclose information about peripheral organizations.

It is unprecedented for someone like Zhang Pingru, who holds a core leadership position on the front line, to sell out his personal secrets so completely, and for every piece of intelligence to be enough to trigger a devastating blow.

This is all thanks to him and Zhou Yi for conducting the trial today.

If it had been Lu Ming or Gao Bin personally taking charge, the Anti-Japanese Allied Army and its communication stations would have been in grave danger.

Another Shiba Inu.

Hong Zhi lit a cigarette, took a puff, and said, "The information you provided is extremely valuable."

"Enough for us to wipe out all the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces around Harbin."

"Thank you."

A deep pain flashed in Zhang Pingru's eyes, but she quickly suppressed it.

He forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"This is just an appetizer."

"I have more underground intelligence that you are concerned about."

"After all, fighting the Anti-Japanese United Army isn't your job, police department. Catching rats in the city is your biggest hobby, isn't it?"

Hong Zhiyou pointed at him from a distance with the fingers holding a cigarette between them.

"You're a real genius."

I'm starting to like you.

"Tell me your terms."

Zhang Pingru's spirits lifted; he knew the real deal was about to begin.

"First, I need a stable public service job."

"I and my family must be under the strictest protection to prevent retaliation from the Harbin underground anti-traitor squad."

Hong Zhi nodded; this was expected.

"That's how it should be."

“I will arrange for you to live in the ‘official residence area,’ where all the HEB municipal officials live.”

“There are high walls and barbed wire fences over there, and our police department and military police are on joint guard 24 hours a day.”

"Not to mention the anti-traitor squad, not even a fly could get in."

Zhang Pingru picked up her wine glass, took a big gulp, and then said:
"second.

“Sasha is indeed my daughter.”

"I want her, and Gu Qiuyan, to live with me."

Are you fucking out of your mind?

Ren Changchun could no longer hold back, slammed his hand on the table, and stood up.

"Gu Qiuyan is Mrs. Zhou! She's the wife of Section Chief Zhou from our Special Affairs Section!"

"Even if you two had an affair before, you think you can get a special agent chief to give up his wife to you? Who do you think you are?"

Zhang Pingru looked at the enraged Ren Changchun and sneered coldly:

"Chief of the Special Affairs Section?"
"hehe.

"Isn't your police department always looking for a mole?"

"So, can you agree to my conditions?"

The air in the interrogation room froze instantly.

Ren Changchun blinked, his anger turning into astonishment, and then into deep fear.

He is not a fool.

Some things, if heard, can cause harm.

He subconsciously looked at Hong Zhiyou, "Section Chief, I...I request to recuse myself."

Hong Zhi smiled:

"Avoid my ass, it's too late."

"Sit down properly and write this down word for word."

Hong Zhi turned to Zhang Pingru and answered in a relaxed tone:

"If the information you provide is true, the request for family reunification can be fully fulfilled."

He paused and added.

"Alright, let's begin."

"Let's start with the underground transportation stations in Harbin."

Zhang Pingru nodded, completely letting go of all her burdens:
"My trip down the mountain was arranged through the coordination of Lao Wei at the Harbin underground transportation station."

Hong Zhi interjected.

"Old Wei?"

"There really is such a person? The last case caused such a big stir, how dare he stay in Harbin?"

"Yes," Zhang Pingru said.

"His name is Wei Shan. After your work group was destroyed last time, he personally took action and executed the traitors Chen Zhen and others."

"For safety, he disfigured his face and then gained the trust of the new leadership of the Manchurian General Committee, and rebuilt the transportation station."

"Because he announced his withdrawal in advance, the original personnel at the transportation station, as well as the anti-traitor team, did not suffer significant losses."

As Zhang Pingru spoke, he gestured to Ren Changchun to give him another cigarette.

Hong Zhiyou pulled out a whole pack of cigarettes from his pocket and threw them, along with the matches, in front of him.

Zhang Pingru skillfully lit a cigarette, her expression becoming somewhat numb:

"I know three people."

One is Lao Wei.

"One of them is Old Meng, who runs a leather goods shop. His name is Meng Laosan."

"There's also the manager of Sihai Pharmacy, named Zhou Fang. She's a woman."

He added, "When Qiu Yan was in Jiamusi, it was Zhou Fang who took care of her there."

Hong Zhiyou's smile grew even warmer.

Do you know where Lao Wei is hiding?

Zhang Pingru did not hesitate at all.

"Know.

"He lives next to the park in the special city, in a building called 'Yahe Apartments,' I think the apartment number is 37."

Hong Zhi felt a chill run down his spine.

This Zhang Pingru is truly a complete disaster.

If any of the intelligence he provided were leaked, it would be a catastrophic disaster for the Harbin underground organization.

And thankfully, it ended up in my own hands.

Hong Zhi picked up his teacup, took a sip, and suppressed the turmoil in his heart.

"Very good, your intelligence is indeed very valuable."

He put down his teacup and pulled out a file from the pile of documents next to him.

"Now let's talk about Gu Qiuyan."

According to the testimony of her classmate Liu Ping in Moscow, Gu Qiuyan once worked at the Central Intelligence Headquarters of the Soviet Red Army.

Is this true or false?

In the dim light, Zhang Pingru's eyes flickered with unease.

That was his last line of defense.

He could betray the organization, betray his comrades, and betray his own beliefs.

But he couldn't drag Qiu Yan into the abyss as well.

He remained silent for a moment, then met Hong Zhiyou's gaze and firmly shook his head.

"no.

"She went to study abroad; she's just a simple music student."

Hong Zhi smiled, his eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses seeming to see right through people's hearts.

"If you say it like that, it loses its meaning."

"Mr. Zhang, you are a smart man."

"Think about it, Lao Wei and the others, Meng Laosan, Zhou Fang, don't they have families, wives and children?"
"You sold them out without batting an eye, yet you deliberately try to protect Gu Qiuyan here."

"Do you think this is interesting?"

Hong Zhiyou stood up and walked over to Zhang Pingru:
"And think again, what do you really want?"
"You want her, Sasha, to be with you forever, don't you?"
"Then there is only one way: to tell the truth."

"Otherwise, our investigation will never stop. Today it's me interrogating, tomorrow it might be Director Gao, and the day after tomorrow it's the military police."

"If you protect her today, someone else will pry your mouth open tomorrow, or someone else's mouth open."

"At that time, everything you ask for will be nothing but wishful thinking." Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on Zhang Pingru's forehead.

Hong Zhiyou watched his reaction and sneered:
Actually, we know everything.

"Gu Qiuyan is the courier for the red tickets, responsible for contacting the mountains, right?"
"She and Zhou Yi are a fake couple, aren't they?"

“Only when you tell us everything about her can we ‘whitewash’ her.”

“Make her like you, a ‘righteous person’ who voluntarily surrenders and turns against you.”

"Only in this way can we eliminate future troubles and allow your family to truly live together in peace and stability."

"Only in this way can she and Section Chief Zhou be completely separated."

"Didn't you want to win back your wife?"
"Didn't you want to report Section Chief Zhou?"
"Look, I'm helping you right now, just as you wished."

The persuasiveness of these words is devastating.

It precisely struck the most selfish and darkest corner of Zhang Pingru's heart.

Even Yoshijiro Umezu and Rensuke Isogai could be fooled by Hong Zhiyou, let alone Zhang Pingru, who had already suffered a mental breakdown.

After silence.

Zhang Pingru raised her head, her eyes unfocused, having completely given up resisting.

"Yes.

"Qiu Yan... she was sent by the Comintern to Harbin to work as a telegraph operator at the transportation station."

"She and Zhou Yi are a fake couple."

He spoke very quickly, as if he were trying to pour out all the secrets he had kept hidden for years.

We got married a long time ago.

“She was already pregnant with Sasha before she came to Harbin.”

"Snapped!"

Hong Zhi snapped his fingers with a cheerful smile.

"Isn't that settled?"

"After vomiting it all out, wouldn't it be better to start afresh, clean-headed life, and live openly and honestly in the sunlight?"

Ren Changchun, who was standing to the side, was already dumbfounded and his whole body was stiff.

"Section Chief, is this...is this recorded?" he asked tremblingly.

Hong Zhi glanced at him, his eyes calm and expressionless.

"of course."

"We actually already had the clue that Gu Qiuyan was a red ticket."

"Your appearance merely confirms our suspicions."

"Then, let's talk about Zhou Yi."

"I advise you not to hide anything from me."

"This is related to whether you can get your wife back."

Zhang Pingru took a deep breath, as if she had resigned herself to her fate.

"I can only say that Zhou Yi is very likely the mole hidden in your police department by the red ticket."

Hong Zhi frowned. "What do you mean...possibly?"

Zhang Pingru said with some bitterness, "I shamelessly betrayed my teammates, but I would not casually frame Zhou Yi."

I can only say maybe.

"According to procedure, Qiu Yan needs to send a telegram, especially at home, where she must have someone from her own circle covering for her."

"Zhou Yi and she have been husband and wife for so many years, living under the same roof. It's impossible that he wouldn't notice anything."

"Then, the only possibility is that Zhou Yi also got a red vote."

Hong Zhi nodded: "But this is ultimately just your guess."

Did Gu Qiuyan say this to you in person?

Zhang Pingru picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp:

“I asked.

She said no.

She denied that Zhou Yi was a "red ticket" (a person with connections to the government), saying only that the marriage was arranged by the organization and Lao Wei.

"Think about it, if Zhou Yi wasn't a red ticket, how could a section chief in the police department accept such an absurd arrangement from the organization?"

Zhang Pingru paused, as if remembering something, a hint of jealousy flashing in her eyes.

"Oh, right, there's one thing she did tell me."

She said that she and Zhou Yi had never slept together.

"Zhou Yi has his own wife and children, and he loves his family very much."

"Isn't that proof enough?"

The moment those words were spoken, the temperature in the entire interrogation room seemed to drop to freezing point.

Hong Zhiyou's eyelids twitched as he listened.

Ren Changchun, standing to the side, was covered in cold sweat. His hands were shaking so badly that his handwriting was crooked and almost illegible.

This is a truly earth-shattering piece of news.

Any single sentence in this passage would be enough to nail Zhou Yi to the cross.

Hong Zhi was silent for a moment, then stubbed out his cigarette.

"Well, is there anything else you want to add?"

Zhang Pingru shook her head.

"there is none left.

"I just want to know when I can get out, when I can see Qiuyan and the child."

Hong Zhiyou stood up, a handsome and warm smile appearing on his face, which inexplicably warmed Zhang Pingru's heart.

"It should be soon. You should go and rest for a while," he said gently, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses.

Zhang Pingru said gratefully, "Okay, thank you for your trouble."

Hong Zhi called Lao Tu in and whispered instructions in his ear.

"Take the person to room number three underground and settle them in first."

"Remember, no one is to see him without my order."

His voice was low, but exceptionally clear.

"Remember, it's anyone."

“If anyone insists on seeing me, even if the Emperor and Puyi come, you have to say it’s my order and have them call me directly.”

Old Tu nodded knowingly, then called Chen Liang and Ding Xiaoyi, and together they escorted Zhang Pingru out.

The heavy iron gate slammed shut with a loud clang.

In the interrogation room, only Hong Zhiyou and Ren Changchun remained.

Ren Changchun let out a long sigh of relief and handed the heavy interrogation record to Hong Zhiyou.

His voice trembled:
"Section Chief, this...this is too unbelievable."

"Am I in big trouble?"

Hong Zhiyou took the notebook and flipped through it casually.

"If you get into trouble, I'll still be there for you, won't I?"

He picked up the pen on the table and began to mark up the interrogation record himself.

He crossed out and cut most of the fatal accusations against Zhou Yi and Gu Qiuyan.

Finally, after confirming that there was only some fragmented information about the Zhuhe Anti-Japanese Allied Army and underground transportation stations left and there were no further questions, he handed the notebook back to Ren Changchun.

“Rewrite it again according to this.”

Ren Changchun instantly understood and quickly rewrote a clean record.

Hong Zhiyou picked up the original record and threw it directly into the furnace, where it burned to ashes.

Ren Changchun looked at him with some unease.

"Go ahead, do what you need to do."

"You've seen the world with me, you know what to do, right?"

Ren Changchun nodded vigorously: "Understood."

"Section Chief, I admire people like Section Chief Zhou."

"Moreover, I swear to my mother, my bones are at least a little harder than that Zhang's."

He paused, then added with a smile.

"Of course, with you here, I have nothing to worry about."

Hong Zhi nodded.

"Go."

After Ren Changchun left, Hong Zhi straightened his collar and turned to walk into the listening room next door.

Zhou Yi sat in the dimly lit room, smoking one cigarette after another.

At this moment, his expression was frighteningly gloomy, his eyes filled with lingering fear, relief, and exhaustion.

This time, it was truly a narrow escape from death.

He had no doubt that if Gao Bin had been in charge of the interrogation today, he would probably be sitting in the electric chair by now.

You can't deny it even if you want to.

Hong Zhi pulled out a chair and sat down opposite him.

"How about it?
"The feeling of escaping death must be unpleasant."

Zhou Yi slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, his voice hoarse.

"Besides you, Lao Wei, there's also my brother."

"I really don't know who can be trusted in this world anymore."

Hong Zhiyou took the transcript out of his pocket, placed it in front of him, and smiled.

"Do you know how to operate it?"
"Take some time to process the recording."

"I'll go to the door and keep watch for you."

Zhou Yi's eyes instantly turned somewhat red:

"Zhiyou, thank you."

Hong Zhi waved his hand and said, "Don't mention it."

He stood up, went outside, leaned against the cold, dark corridor wall, and lit a cigarette.

Time passed by minute by minute.

After a long while, the door to the listening room opened.

Zhou Yi came out and said, "I've got it done."

"Take the statement to Zhang Pingru later and have her put her fingerprint on it."

He paused for a moment, his voice extremely low.

"In addition, this person must be dealt with as soon as possible."

"The longer the night goes on, the more things can go wrong. If someone else comes to interrogate us, it will be very troublesome."

"I heard that Zhu Yi is in a hurry to come to Harbin to take up his post. I guess he has heard some rumors."

Hong Zhi nodded and flicked his cigarette ash: "I won't give him that chance."

As he spoke, he waved towards the end of the corridor.

Ding Xiaoyi, the interrogator who had been standing guard there, immediately jogged over.

Hong Zhi looked at him and whispered the instructions:

"Xiao Yi, when Lao Tu comes back later, have him take Zhang Pingru to the interrogation room immediately."

"Just do it the way I told you before."

A knowing glint flashed in Ding Xiaoyi's eyes. He licked his lips and gave a harsh, dry laugh: "Understood, Boss Hong. Your business is our business. We'll take care of it."

……

(End of this chapter)