Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 497 Citywide Manhunt for the Spy, Tang Yuandong of Guangfu
William returned from outside and reported in a low voice: "The person who shot him has escaped, and the police are investigating everywhere."

"Tell our men to be on high alert; there might be accomplices inside," Fang Wen instructed.

At this moment, the county magistrate and the police chief walked over.

"Commander Fang, we didn't expect things to turn out this way either, please forgive us," the county magistrate said.

"It's alright, they can't escape."

After Fang Wen finished speaking, he glanced at the corpse, his mind racing.

The telegraph operator's death was likely a spur-of-the-moment decision by the murderer.

It's likely the killer didn't expect the telegraph operator to guess his identity, and that's why he risked killing him to prevent his identity from being revealed.

Another reason for this judgment is that the danger warning from the bronze tripod only appeared when the telegraph operator revealed that he knew who the real spy was.

After this analysis, he came up with a solution.

He spoke with the police chief and asked him to investigate the deceased telegraph operator.

It is necessary to find out what the telegraph operator did from morning to night over the past few days and who he came into contact with.

Subsequently, the entire county police department launched a comprehensive investigation into the deceased.

Two hours have passed.

With a comprehensive investigation, the circumstances surrounding the deceased's death in the three days prior have been clarified, and Fang Wen recorded these circumstances on paper in chronological order.

Octover 12st

07:10 Left home (verified by passersby while walking)

Arrived at the telegraph office at 07:30 AM (verified by a colleague at the telegraph office).
At 12:00, I went to "Old Chen Teahouse" nearby for lunch (a place I frequent; the teahouse staff and owner confirmed that I did not have contact with anyone).
At 15:30, I received an encrypted business telegram from a Guangzhou trading company (it was handled by them, but because the recipient was not present, it was not decoded that day).
I go straight home after get off work at 18:00 PM.

Octover 12st

I was 20 minutes late at 08:00, explaining that my son had a fever (I took my wife and son to a pharmacy, and there is evidence from the pharmacy).

10:15 Alone in the archives sorting through old telegram stubs (no witnesses)
At 12:30, while eating at the telegraph office canteen, I had an argument with a colleague (due to a past grudge).
He left work early at 17:40 PM, claiming he was going to a pharmacy to buy medicine, but his family, the pharmacy staff, and the manager all said they hadn't served him that day.

December 5 (Day of Air Raids)
Arrived at work early at 06:30, saying he needed to handle a backlog of telegrams.

At 07:15, the manager saw him wiping the telegraph machine (claiming the machine was dusty).
Report to the director at 10:00 that the equipment is malfunctioning and requires repair.

10:20 Japanese warplanes launch air raid on the south side of the city
After the timeline was recorded, Fang Wen summoned the county magistrate and the police chief.

He took out the paper and said, "This is the deceased's experience over three days. It's very likely that the murderer is hiding in these records."

The county magistrate was the first to speak up: "Could it be that encrypted business telegram? Guangzhou has now fallen, and telegrams sent from there are very likely related to the Japanese."

Fang Wen nodded: "That's possible."

Following this line of thought, the police chief said, "In that case, the person who sent the telegram is very likely the one who shot the enemy. I'll have him arrested right away."

He immediately ordered the police officers to be dispatched.

Pan Jiafeng then analyzed, "I think there's something wrong with 5:40 pm on the 4th. The deceased said he went to the pharmacy to buy medicine, but his family said they didn't see him bring the medicine home. The pharmacy clerk and manager also said he didn't go to the pharmacy. There must be some secret hidden here."

After speaking, Pan Jiafeng looked at Fang Wen.

“This is indeed a problem. Why did the deceased lie? What did he do during this time? Who did he meet? I think it is very likely related to espionage,” Fang Wen commented.

As a result, two directions for the investigation were determined.

Forty minutes later, the police returned with a man whose face was bruised and swollen.

He was the owner of that encrypted business telegram.

The man was taken into a small room and interrogated by Fang Wen personally.

Fang Wen looked at him coldly and asked, "What was the content of the telegram sent from Guangzhou the day before yesterday?"

The man leaned back in his chair and said weakly, "I am innocent. Don't frame an honest man."

"Then explain things clearly," Fang Wen replied.

The man shut up.

Clearly, there are some problems here.

Gong Xiuneng, standing behind Fang Wen, spoke up: "Commander, I'll use some tricks on him to make sure he confesses."

Fang Wen knew about Gong Xiuneng's methods; even highly trained Japanese spies couldn't withstand his tactics.

Therefore, Fang Wen reminded him: "If you insist on your innocence, then explain things clearly. If you don't, I will assume you have a problem, and then you won't have a choice."

The man looked up, but remained silent.

Upon seeing this, Fang Wen's expression turned cold: "Then I'll have to offend you."

He gave Gong Xiuneng a look and whispered, "Go easy on him."

Gong Xiuneng walked over and spread his hands. With his movements, the man finally couldn't help but cry out, "Ouch, that hurts! Let go!"

No matter how much he shouted, Gong Xiuneng showed no intention of letting go; instead, he gradually increased the force in his hands.

The pain was only half of what a normal interrogation would cause, yet it was enough to break an ordinary person.

"Stop it, I said."

Gong Xiuneng then released his grip.

The man quickly explained.

“My name is Tang Yuandong. I’m from Guangzhou. I fled to Yangjiang because of the war. That telegram was sent by a friend of mine. He asked me to go back to Guangzhou to help him.”

"Help? Help with what?" Fang Wen asked coldly.

Tang Yuandong fell silent again. Gong Xiuneng stepped forward, startling him so much that he quickly confessed.

“My friend sent a telegram saying that the Japanese were preparing to establish the Guangdong Security Maintenance Association in Guangzhou, and he would be the vice president. He said he wanted to help me get ahead, but I didn’t agree.”

Gong Xiuneng couldn't help but scold, "So they want you to be a traitor and a lackey of the Han people. They say birds of a feather flock together. The fact that they chose you means you're no good."

This time, Tang Yuandong retorted angrily: "I, Tang Yuandong, have been in Guangzhou for 30 years. I have done all sorts of swindling and cheating. I am certainly not a good person, but I would never do something like being a traitor or selling out my country."

Gong Xiuneng glared at him: "Kid, you still dare to talk back? Or I'll give you another whack."

Tang Yuandong immediately fell silent.

Fang Wen asked, "How can you prove your identity?"

“My wife is from here and owns a house in the city. Her family can vouch for me,” Tang Yuandong quickly replied.

Fang Wen then asked the police officers to verify the information. Shortly afterward, the officers returned and confirmed that it was indeed the case.

It seems this guy isn't a spy, but he knows the current vice president of the Guangzhou Maintenance Committee and has even received an invitation.

Fang Wen couldn't help but think that if this person could be used, he could provide assistance for his subsequent actions in the Guangzhou area.

Thinking of this, he ordered Wu Yingzong to detain him, intending to take him back to the camp after finishing things here.

The doubts surrounding the encrypted business telegrams have been cleared up.

What happened during the time the deceased disappeared at 10:40 p.m. on October 4th is even more problematic.

Fang Wen suggested, "The police officers should start by questioning the residents and vendors around the telegraph office. Yangjiang City isn't big, and many people in the city know each other, not to mention that the deceased was a telegraph operator who frequently interacted with people. As long as you ask, you'll get some information, more or less. It's impossible for the deceased to have vanished into thin air during that period."

This is indeed a solution; it's simple, direct, and effective.

The officers dispersed around the telegraph office, questioning each person individually.

To improve efficiency, the county magistrate personally used a megaphone to announce on the street: "Please cooperate with our work. This time, we are looking for a Japanese spy hiding in the city. We can't let this spy continue to lurk in the city and provide bombing intelligence to the Japanese planes." Upon hearing that it was about catching a Japanese spy, the people enthusiastically cooperated. Even those who didn't know the details accompanied the police officers in spreading the word to others.

As a result, the investigation into the deceased has made new progress.

At 10:40 p.m. on October 4, the deceased left the telegraph office.

The cigarette vendor outside the telegraph office saw him and headed straight west.

The pharmacy the deceased claimed he wanted to buy medicine at was located to the east.

Following this trail, one by one, eyewitnesses emerged, revealing the deceased's movements during that period.

He eventually went to a small alley in the west of the city, and the residents of the alley testified that the house he went to was occupied by a single woman who had just moved in not long ago.

Immediately, the Independent Regiment's soldiers and police surrounded the residence, and then three brave soldiers went upstairs and broke down the door.

The person was no longer there, but a crucial clue was found in the room.

A Japanese military telegraph machine, weapons, and remnants of paper with Japanese writing that had not been completely burned.

This confirms that it was the residence of the spies lurking in Yangjiang City.

The relationship between the deceased and the spy can only be known after the spy is captured.

The spy has been identified as a young woman.

Furthermore, Yangjiang City has been placed under lockdown due to the shooting, so this person is likely still somewhere in the city.

To this end, Fang Wen specially mobilized 300 soldiers from the Independent Regiment to cooperate with the county police and security brigade in a city-wide search.

Three hundred soldiers of the Independent Regiment dispersed to various neighborhoods in squads.

The police chief stood on the steps of the county government building, waving household registration books and shouting, "Check every household against the registration list! Bring all unfamiliar faces here for unified identification!"

To prove that their homes were not places of filth and corruption, every household cooperated with the investigation.

When questioned by the police, Mr. Wang, the owner of the cloth shop in Chengnan, provided a clue: "The day before yesterday, a girl wearing a blue cloth shirt came to buy fabric. I've never seen her before."

Soldiers from the Taishan Independent Regiment who were assisting with the search reported the situation via walkie-talkie.

Upon receiving this message, Fang Wen drove over.

The car stopped at the cloth shop, and Fang Wen got out to talk to Manager Wang.

"Think carefully, what's so special about that woman?"

“What was special about her?” the shopkeeper recalled. “She was very polite, and I noticed she nodded when I spoke to her.”

"What about the others?" Fang Wen pressed.

The shopkeeper shook his head, indicating that there was none left.

At this moment, a plump woman among the onlookers spoke up: "I've seen the woman the shopkeeper mentioned before. She always buys fish early in the morning, and she only picks the live, jumping sea fish."

Fang Wen summoned him over and inquired about him privately.

Do you know what kind of fish she bought?

"Sea bream".

Do you know where she lives?

The plump woman hesitated for a moment before replying, "Sir, to tell you the truth, I'm a matchmaker. When I saw that woman was young and beautiful, I thought I'd check if she was married. After all, in this society, you can't tell if someone is married or not just by their appearance. Once, I followed her to her place. But I found out she was eating raw fish. I was afraid she was crazy, so I left quickly."

Eating sea bream as sashimi, along with subtle Japanese lifestyle habits, confirms Fang Wen's suspicion that this is the spy.

This guy is cunning. He has a residence in the west of the city and another in the south. If something happens, he will immediately change his address and hide.

I don't know if I can catch her this time.

Fang Wen immediately arranged for the arrest operation.

The soldiers and police officers followed the fat woman to two streets away from the fabric shop, where she pointed to the alley opposite: "It's inside, the second one. I dare not go there."

Immediately, the soldiers of the Independent Regiment surrounded the alley, preparing to make the arrest.

Fang Wen entrusted the arrest to William and instructed him: "She has received rigorous training, so don't underestimate her just because she is a woman. I also suspect that because of her physical weakness, she is more inclined to use traps in her defense."

William nodded, indicating that he understood. A spy who has been exposed and is fighting like a cornered beast is much more dangerous.

He led 10 arresting soldiers into the alley, quietly approached the second courtyard, and climbed over the wall.

William did not order his soldiers to violently break down the wooden door of the side room.

He remembered Fang Wen's words, inserted the dagger into the crack in the door, and carefully pried open the bolt.

After the bolt was loosened, William did not open the door directly, but instead pushed it open little by little, peering inside through the crack.

In the distance, Fang Wen stood on a three-story building, observing the situation through binoculars.

Although there was no machine to activate his abilities, Fang Wen could still clearly see William's actions in the distance through his enhanced vision.

A glimmer of light flashed, and Fang Wen immediately became alert.

He also did the same defensive design, hanging safety wires behind the door.

The end of this safety wire can be a table leg or a grenade with a pin pulled out.

Therefore, Fang Wen quickly picked up the Taishan walkie-talkie and made a call.

"Watch out, there might be a bomb."

William, who was about to open the door, heard a warning coming from the walkie-talkie and immediately stopped.

He and the soldiers stepped back, found long bamboo poles, and used them to push the door open.

With a loud bang, the wooden door was blown to pieces, and flying wood fragments injured two soldiers, but did not cause any further damage.

William and his soldiers immediately rushed out and went inside to check the situation.

At this moment, Fang Wen, who was observing from a high vantage point, discovered traces of the enemy.

A woman with her head covered rushed out of the back alley and turned into another alley across the street.

Fang Wen immediately picked up the walkie-talkie to give instructions.

The soldiers in that direction immediately gave chase.

As soon as the spy showed himself, sharp whistles rang out throughout the city.

The entire city is involved in the manhunt.

"On the roof tiles!"

"They ran towards the ancestral hall!"

The candy vendor grabbed his carrying pole and gave chase, while the teahouse staff formed a human wall by carrying long benches to block the alley entrance.

The female spy had just jumped off the stage in the ancestral hall when she was caught red-handed by the old man who was waiting for her.

Later, people quickly subdued him.

Then, as if they had won a great victory, they escorted the woman to the county government.

Fang Wen hadn't expected that such a well-planned arrest would still allow the cunning spy to escape. Fortunately, the people in the city cooperated, and they didn't waste any more time.

He led his team to the county government and brought the spy and Tang Yuandong back to their base.

(End of this chapter)