Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 562 The Japanese Spy Purge Operation, the Governor's Deal

The final list of 11 suspects was presented to Fang Wen by Shen Weitao.

“General Manager, these people are the most suspicious. I have already sent people to investigate in the nearby villages. We need you to come to Yangon.”

"Okay. I'll send a telegram to Yangon right now."

Fang Wen immediately got up and went to the base's telegraph room to send a telegram to the Yangon headquarters requesting an investigation into the three recruits.

Until noon.

Shen Weitao explained the situation after the investigation: "Because the base conducts background checks and establishes personnel files when recruiting employees, we conducted door-to-door investigations based on the information in the personnel files and found no cases of impersonation."

"Oh!" Fang Wen was surprised. He originally thought that the owl had bribed villagers to work in the base and infiltrate it. He thought that as long as he found out their background and identity, he could find out the truth. But he didn't expect that it was not like that.

That leaves three social recruits from Yangon.

If the owl was one of them, Fang Wen would really like to know how he managed to sneak in.

etc.
An idea flashed in his mind.

Suddenly I realized what the problem was.

The owl disappeared a few months ago. Could he have secretly gone to Yangon and then infiltrated the base through social recruitment there?

This is also possible.

Without delay, he couldn't wait for a reply from Yangon, so he simply flew there himself.

More than two hours later, the plane landed at Yangon Airport.

Fang Shouxin and his men were already waiting by the airport runway.

The cabin door opened, and Fang Wen got off the plane. Fang Shouxin immediately came over to explain the situation.

"At the beginning of the year, due to the high demand for electricity at our base in northern Myanmar, we expanded our thermal power plant, which created a significant demand for personnel, especially those skilled in power line maintenance. To this end, we recruited relevant personnel in Yangon and, through a multi-stage selection process, ultimately chose three people and sent them to our base in northern Myanmar."

As he spoke, Fang Shouxin handed three sets of backup documents to Fang Wen.

Fang Wen took the file and flipped through its contents.

The photos of the three individuals match those of the personnel at the base.

This eliminates the possibility of a substitute player taking the blame.

The family backgrounds and basic information of the three individuals are also recorded.

He asked, "Have you conducted any interviews or surveys with families of three?"

“Yes, we did. Two of them are local Chinese, and the other is of mixed British and British descent and is an illegitimate child.”

"A mixed-race illegitimate child?" Fang Wen looked at the three photos again, recalling how he had secretly observed them during the day. One of them had a high nose bridge and relatively thick hair.

Fang Shouxin looked at an administrative staff member next to him.

The man spoke up: "General Manager, I was in charge of recruitment at the time. When I interviewed him, he took the initiative to explain his situation. He said that due to his family circumstances and the fact that he studied electricity in school, he was applying for the job because he wanted to leave Yangon and start a new life."

Have you visited his home in person?
“We went there, to the British quarter, we spoke with his mother, and visited the neighbors next door.”

It seems there are no problems.

Fang Wen decided to visit the three people's home in person.

He drove the headquarters' official car, taking Fang Shouxin, the person in charge of recruitment at the time, and bodyguard Gong Xiuneng with him.

The first place we visited was a Chinese community near the Taishan Entrepreneurship Park.

Both of the Chinese recruiters lived there.

Chinese people naturally have a habit of gathering in groups and know each other's situations. When Fang Wen and his group went there to investigate, the local Chinese were very cooperative and quickly learned the detailed situation.

Both of them grew up here and later went to work at the Yangon Power Plant, where they have considerable experience in the power industry.

Their life trajectories are all traceable, and it's impossible for them to be missing owls, unless the owl looks exactly like one of them.

With the suspicions about these two individuals eliminated, the illegitimate child becomes highly suspicious.

Fang Wen did not go directly, but instead requested, "Uncle Fang, you don't need to go. Have Zhao Shanhu from the headquarters security department bring some men with me."

Fang Shouxin insisted, "Young Master, you think I'm too old and my health isn't good enough, right? I can do it."

Although he is a grandfather, he is only in his fifties and it is indeed not time for him to accept old age. Not to mention that he was a member of the Boxer Rebellion when he was young and was quite skilled.

Seeing this, Fang Wen tacitly agreed to let Fang Shouxin go with him.

Half an hour later, Zhao Shanhu from the headquarters security department arrived with 10 security personnel in plainclothes.

They were all carrying weapons and were traveling in two cars following Fang Wen's car through the city.

Three vehicles drove onto Sule Pagoda Road, the busiest street in Yangon.

The tall tower in front is Yangon's landmark: Sule Pagoda.

The area is lined with European-style buildings, including the Indian Imperial Bank, Yangon City Hall, Customs House, High Court, and the headquarters of Myanmar Petroleum Corporation.

The nearby residential areas are home to a large number of foreigners.

Fang Wen was going to one of the predominantly British residential areas.

Three cars stopped at the street corner. Zhao Shanhu and his men got out of the cars and quickly ran to Fang Wen's side to protect him.

They were all carrying weapons, fearing another attack like the one at the base in northern Myanmar.

Even Gong Xiuneng was a little nervous and took the initiative to say, "Commander, let Zhao Shanhu take some people over first."

Fang Wen understood that while he could do whatever he wanted in the heavens, everyone on earth was afraid of getting into trouble with him.

Therefore, he did not force the issue, and let Zhao Shanhu take people to investigate, while he waited outside.

Zhao Shanhu led three people into the residential area, and after a while he jogged out to report.

"General Manager, the family you're looking for has moved away."

The administrative staff member in charge of recruitment at the time exclaimed in surprise, "They moved away? Isn't this the house their family bought? I heard from his family that the house was bought by his biological father for his mother, and she has lived there since she was a child."

Once a point of doubt emerges, it means we are not far from the truth.

Fang Wen immediately sent Zhao Shanhu to investigate the neighboring house.

After a while, Zhao Shanhu returned.

"General Manager, the house next door has also changed hands, it seems like they all moved out at the same time."

Fang Wen immediately understood.

This is a bureau specifically for recruitment.

That person packaged himself very well, designing his personal history, family identity, and even his neighbors were played by his people.

Such a sophisticated design means that no matter how much background investigation Taishan Airlines conducts, they will be fooled.

Fang Wen's face turned cold: "Send a telegram to the base in northern Myanmar, instructing Shen Weitao to take control of the man." "Damn, only you and I can send a telegram of this level." Fang Shouxin finished speaking, got into his car, and left.

Fang Wenze looked at the buildings in the distance, pondering how to wipe out the remaining Japanese agents in Yangon.

It would be very difficult for him to do this, but it would be much easier if the British got involved.

Immediately afterwards, Fang Wen drove to the Governor's Mansion.

The last time Fang Wen visited the Governor's Mansion, he was able to enter through the introduction of a British officer.

But this time, he no longer needed to pull strings.

The governor's secretary led him into the governor's mansion, talking along the way.

"Mr. Fang, the Governor-General just happened to want to see you."

"Really? Can you tell me what it's about?" Fang Wen asked with a smile.

"I think it's better if the Governor tells you this," the secretary said, opening the mahogany door and gesturing for Fang Wen to enter the Governor's office.

Fang Wen went inside.

The room was spacious and luxurious, filled with medieval artifacts and hunting spoils, such as lion and tiger fur rugs on the floor and deer heads on the walls.

I never imagined that the governor's office would become so stylish over this period of time.

The governor was signing documents at his desk when he saw Fang Wen walk in. He stopped writing, stood up, and said with a smile, "Fang Wen, I've wanted to talk to you several times, but you're always flying around. It's really hard to see you. Sit here, let's chat."

The two sat facing each other on wooden chairs. Fang Wen did not speak of his own business first, but asked, "Governor, what do you want to see me about?"

"It's about China's overseas procurement. How many supplies can the air transport route you're in charge of transport each day?"

“Currently, we have 30 aircraft available for transport, and with each aircraft carrying 1 ton of cargo, we can transport 30 tons of supplies per day. However, air transport is very costly, and we can’t use that much capacity at the moment,” Fang Wen replied.

“I have a batch of scarce supplies that I can supply to you. These supplies are expensive, and air freight can deliver them quickly without worrying about damage during long-distance transport.”

"So that's what it is," Fang Wen nodded and said, "You mean you want to sell supplies to the country through me."

“Yes, as you know, my position is not suitable for doing these things. After all, I represent Britain and must maintain a neutral stance,” the governor replied.

"What are they?"

"These are all the transceivers, cipher machines, high-powered telescopes, artillery sights, rangefinders, etc. that your Nationalist government wanted, as well as some penicillin and sulfonamide drugs."

Fang Wen was surprised.

Taishan Airlines had hosted a procurement bidding meeting once and knew the scarcity of various materials.

Ordinary civilian and commercial supplies are not difficult to obtain.

The key is military supplies.

Some of the more technologically advanced equipment was so rare that it was impossible to find it anywhere else. It was unexpected that the governor would specifically acquire such a batch of supplies, clearly intending to make a fortune from it.

Being a middleman is perfectly fine; if Taishan Airlines doesn't do it, many others will be eager to do it.

He smiled and said, "Thank you for your trust, Governor. I'm willing to take on this shipment."

The governor smiled with satisfaction: "Then I'll have my secretary come to you tomorrow to discuss the details. By the way, what brings you to see me this time?"

"It's because of Japanese spies," Fang Wen said solemnly. "I've discovered that the Japanese have already deployed a large number of spies in Rangoon. This is a provocation against Britain. And I suspect they are conducting military surveys in preparation for an invasion of Burma. After all, this is how our China's terrain and geography were obtained through Japanese spies."

As colonial officials of Britain, a long-established colonial power, they were well aware of espionage activities such as infiltration and covert operations, and understood the harmfulness of these activities.

Therefore, the governor immediately asked seriously, "Are you sure?"

“I’m sure. You can send people to investigate the place I mentioned. There used to be a group of spies living there. Also, my people arrested a group of Japanese spies in the northwest corner of the headquarters building. These are all evidence.”

"Okay, wait a moment."

The governor stood up and dialed the military camp directly from his office phone.

A secret operation targeting Japanese spies in Yangon is launched.

Using the British's investigative methods, they quickly located the whereabouts of those who had terminated their leases.

A gunfight ensued, resulting in casualties on both sides. Although the Japanese spies in Rangoon were not completely wiped out, the battle made the British wary of Japan.

Fang Wen, after handling the governor's acquisition of military supplies, flew his plane carrying the supplies to the base in northern Burma.

After landing at the base in northern Myanmar, Fang Wen's first priority was to check on the guy codenamed 'Owl'.

Accompanied by Shen Weitao, Fang Wen entered the temporary detention room specially set up by the base.

This used to be an abandoned tool shed, but now the doors and windows have been reinforced, and two armed security guards stand at the door. The air smells of engine oil.

“The person is inside, but hasn’t said a word.” Shen Weitao pushed open the door.

The room was dimly lit, with only a small window letting in a sliver of daylight.

The man suspected of being "Owl" was sitting on a wooden stool in the corner, his hands tied behind his back.

Hearing the noise, he suddenly raised his head. With a high nose, dark curly hair, and deep-set eyes, he did indeed have some features of mixed British and American descent.

But at this moment, he had shed his usual feigned naivety at the power plant, and his eyes held a hint of vigilance and malice.

"General Manager Fang is personally interrogating me?" The man sneered, his voice carrying a deliberately suppressed calmness. "I'm just an electrician, you must have made a mistake."

Fang Wen didn't rush to speak, but walked up to him and looked him up and down.

Shen Weitao handed over a tin box that had been confiscated from his residence. Inside were several rolls of copper wire as thin as hair, some vacuum tube parts, and half a sketch with strange symbols.

"You need these to repair electrical wires?" Fang Wen picked up the roll of copper wire and gently twirled it between his fingertips. "Or are you using it to assemble a simple telegraph transceiver?"

The man's pupils contracted sharply, but he remained defiant: "That was a crystal radio I used for amateur radio hobby. Base regulations prohibit personal wireless equipment. Can't I just dismantle it?"

"A hobby?" Fang Wen smiled and unfolded the sketch. "So this map, which shows the distribution of the base's thermal power plant units and the route of the power transmission lines, is also part of your hobby?" He paused, his tone suddenly turning cold. "Including last month when Unit 3 suddenly tripped, causing a temporary half-hour power outage at the ammunition factory, was that also something your 'hobby' caused?"

These words were like a key, instantly piercing through the man's last pretense. The color drained from his face, and his breathing became rapid.

Fang Wen moved a chair over and sat down opposite him, looking him in the eye. He said in Japanese, "You're not some half-British, half-American Allen, but a Japanese spy from China. Now you're gone, and you're a prisoner too."

The man pretended not to understand, but his eyes trembled slightly.

"Stop pretending." Fang Wen stood up, his voice carrying an undeniable authority. "Your so-called 'home' in Yangon was nothing more than a makeshift stage set up by the Japanese intelligence agency. Your foster mother and neighbors were all pawns in disguise. The British launched an operation to arrest them, and now even the agents in Yangon are gone."

Hearing Fang Wen's words, the man lowered his head, then slowly raised it after a while, a strange smile appearing on his face: "Since you've seen through me, I have nothing more to say. But did you think it was over after you arrested me?"

His gaze swept over Fang Wen, carrying a hint of provocation: "Even if we fail this time, there will be another time. When the army of the Great Japanese Empire marches into Burma, your so-called resistance forces will be nothing but a mantis trying to stop a chariot."

"Is that so? Then bring it on, I'll be waiting in the sky," Fang Wen replied coldly, then turned and left.

Now that the internal troubles have been resolved, he is about to begin research on aero-rocket missiles and semiconductor integration.

Incidentally, they also needed to sell the military supplies purchased from the governor to the Nationalist government. After all, these supplies were part of the Nationalist government's military supplies, and it wouldn't hurt to make a profit from selling them.

(End of this chapter)