Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 68 Surprise? More like a shock.

Liu Zi said that the Japanese woman was heading towards Xiaguangyuan, but Cao Weida was not sure.

After all, he's a high-ranking spy; how could he possibly make such a basic mistake, letting others know his whereabouts so clearly?

Even Cao Wei Da speculated that it was still unknown whether that woman was still in the Eight Great Hutongs.

Maybe they'll turn around, leave the alley, avoid the crowd, and go somewhere else?
Not far ahead, a faint bloodstain, barely visible and covered by dust, appeared. Cao Weida knew that he had chosen the right direction.

But before he could go far and discover more clues, he suddenly heard someone calling his name.

"Cao'er, Cao'er!"

Looking up, he saw Duomen waving at him with two patrol officers.

"Master Duo." Cao Weida greeted him with a smile, only then realizing that a murder had occurred at Xiaguang Garden today, and Duomen was investigating the case here.

"Cao'er, what brings you here?"

Upon hearing the inquiry, if it were just Duomen alone, Cao Weida might be able to reveal some clues. After all, the fact that Duomen is a strange detail would make the search easier for him.

But since there were other people present, Cao Wei Da naturally couldn't reveal anything, so he chuckled and made up an excuse, saying:
“Uncle, you’re already so old, yet you’re still sticking to your post. I’m just a young man, I can’t just indulge in pleasure and let you drag your disabled body to your job.”

"Staying at home is really making me restless, so I came here to see if I can help out in any way."

Pfft~~
The two colleagues who came along couldn't help but laugh. Duomen glared at Cao Weida with amusement and said with a smile:
"You little brat, you can't say anything nice. I'm only thirty-something, not even forty yet!"

"Besides, which eye of yours saw me dragging my crippled body? I think you're just asking for trouble!"

Cao Wei Da grinned, and the two had bantered to relieve boredom more than once or twice. Given their relationship, he naturally wouldn't take it seriously.

"Master Duo, are you heading home? Is there a result?"

"What's the result? We're here to assist in the investigation." Domon shook his head. "The Special Higher Police are controlling the place. They've already sent autopsy experts over. We're just doing odd jobs."

“I took a look at the knife wound; it must have been done by Kuomintang agents. This matter is not our responsibility.”

Police officer Fu Xingcai, who was standing nearby, said regretfully:

"Those spies are really heartless. They killed such a beautiful girl like Yingchun with a single stab to the throat. How could they do that?"
If it were me, I would never be able to do it. Such a beautiful woman, what a waste.

Another patrolman laughed and cursed:
"You're making it sound like if Yingchun hadn't died, your meager salary would have been enough for a night of tenderness with her."

"You're destined to only dream about other people's faces when you go home at night!"

Fu Xingcai blushed with embarrassment. "Go to hell! You talk as if you can afford to spend the money."

One of them kicked them, laughing and cursing, "Can you guys stop calling me 'young lady' or 'little wench' all the time? Alright, get on with it."

"Hehe, alright then, Captain Cao, Master Duo, we'll be off now."

After the two left, Duomen finally spoke up and asked, "So, what happened?"

"What do you mean by that, Master Duo?"

"Don't I know you?" Domen rolled his eyes. "If you can lie down, you won't sit; if you can sit, you won't stand; if you don't have to stand, you absolutely won't stand. With your personality, how could you possibly care about a case?"

"Hehe, that's why you're still going strong, Master Duo."

"Um?!"

"Knowledgeable, insightful, farsighted, and discerning."

"Stop, stop, stop, you little rascal, where do you get so many words from? Why don't you go take the imperial examination to become a scholar? Tell me, what's the matter?"

"Here's the thing, a friend of mine asked me to find out some information."

Cao Wei Da recounted the events in a evasive manner, stating that Duo Men was the person he trusted most in the world, even more so than his two concubines, Xing Hong and Du Shiniang.

If he can't trust anyone, then he can trust no one in the world.

If that's the case, then it would be too lonely.

Upon hearing Cao Weida's words, Duomen raised his eyelids slightly and whispered, "You mean this woman isn't...?"

“Hmm.” Cao Weida nodded. “This woman is a Japanese spy. For some reason, she came to Beiping and instead of seeking protection from the Special Higher Police or the Military Police Headquarters, she ran to the Eight Great Hutongs.”

"That's strange. Since the Japanese spies came to Beiping, why didn't they seek protection from the local Special Higher Police? Why did they hide themselves instead?" Duomen was also confused by the Japanese spies' behavior.

"Who cares? Maybe it's factional infighting, maybe there's more important intelligence, or maybe there's an intelligence group's hideout here? Anything is possible, but none of that matters to me. All I know is that this woman is worth more than a dozen big yellow croakers!"

The Eight Great Hutongs are a complex network of all sorts of people, making it a decent option for a base. But if this were truly a base, then Beijing would be under the control of the Japanese. Why would they need to sneak around and infiltrate?

Could it be that some far-sighted, stubborn elements at the top foresaw the future outcome, were unwilling to accept defeat, and thus planted seeds of trouble in advance, hoping to make a comeback someday?
It's not impossible that the Kuomintang (KMT) used similar tactics to annoy the Communist Party (CCP) after its defeat in the war.

Duomen's eyes darted around. "So, did you find anything?" More than ten large yellow croakers!
This female spy is really valuable!
Even the most skilled men couldn't resist such a great temptation.

"We followed the scattered bloodstains here. She got off at the alley entrance. As a female spy, she wouldn't make such a basic mistake. It's most likely to cover up her real hideout."

“She injured her shoulder and fled all the way to Beiping. She must have received some basic treatment during that time, but the long journey or some accident on the way caused the wound to reopen.”

"The driver said his cushions were stained red, obviously he had lost a lot of blood and definitely needed to have his wounds treated."

“If she goes too far, her body might not be able to handle it, so I judge that her destination must be in this area.”

"We just need to follow the bloodstains. Even if we can't pinpoint her exact location, we can narrow down the search area as much as possible."

Setting up several safe houses is a basic skill for spies. Any shrewd spy will leave himself a way out, so that he has a place to hide in case of emergency.

These safe houses are generally used only once and then never used again, in order to ensure one's safety as much as possible.

With the help of many experts, Cao Weida's workload was significantly reduced.

The two seemed to be wandering around casually, but in reality, they were constantly paying attention to the ground, walls, and other objects around them.

The two met up half an hour later.

The two of them simultaneously turned their gaze to a building 500 meters away.

The Eight Great Hutongs were famous for their romantic and pleasure-seeking atmosphere in Beiping, but they were not only places of entertainment; there were also other commercial and residential areas there.

This place used to be a lodging for opera troupes, and there were originally many hotels for them to stay in.

Later, with the development of brothels, some second-class tea houses and other similar establishments evolved into independent rooms for people to live in and use.

These houses are inexpensive and close to bustling areas; you can walk for just a few minutes to enter the Eight Great Hutongs. As a result, there is a constant stream of tenants here, and it is even difficult to find a room.

The building they were looking at was a converted theater, with five floors in total. The exact number of rooms was unclear, but it was definitely not small.

The monthly rent is around 6 yuan, and many middle-class people who work nearby like to rent here.

This place is bustling with people, and unfamiliar faces often appear, making it an excellent hiding place.

That's why finding someone in such a place is no easy task.

"Hey buddy, what's up? Want to go up and look?" Domen gestured with his chin.

"It's too easy for the two of us to alert them. Who knows how many accomplices are inside?" Cao Weida decisively shook his head in denial.

"In the end, we're all living under the noses of the Japanese devils. If they find out we're looking for their people, we're doomed."

"We're not spies, we just want to earn some pocket money, there's no need to take this risk."

"Once the general area is determined, just let them find it themselves."

Cao Wei Da Cai wasn't stupid. He knew that the spy had already been exposed, and the threat level had dropped several notches.

Even if he hadn't been exposed, he wouldn't have risked his life. He valued his life very much and didn't have the lofty beliefs of his predecessors.

There were only a dozen or so large yellow croakers in total, why risk your life like that?

"Master Duo, let's go back."

Inside a teahouse.

Cao Weida pushed a slip of paper over, "Here, the information you wanted is all written on it. Burn it after you've read it."

Xu Jingge picked up the note with a complicated expression, looked at it, and then casually took out a lighter and burned the note in front of Cao Weida.

"Captain Cao, to be honest, I didn't have high hopes for this at first, but I didn't expect you to give me such a big surprise!"

surprise?

Xu Jingge really wanted to say he was terrified!
How long does it take!
All told, it took them less than three hours from when they parted ways to when they received the message!
He's a professional secret agent!

In the past, if you wanted to track down someone, let alone three hours, even if you could find them within three days, your superiors would still praise you with pleasantries.

Now look at Cao Weida, how could this professional spy possibly bear it after three hours?!
"It was really lucky. I didn't expect it to go so smoothly." Cao Weida touched his nose, feeling both amused and exasperated.

Last time, when he was asked to find Zhu Tianxi's whereabouts, if that traitor had been even a little more timid and hadn't thought of indulging in a life of luxury right away, but instead had hidden himself in some remote corner, it would have been no easy task for Cao Weida to find him.

It's likely that he was holding back too much while he was with the Kuomintang, and as soon as he arrived here, all he wanted to do was indulge in debauchery. He even hid in Xia Guang Yuan, and it just so happened that Xiao Erduo noticed him, which made it easy to get rid of the traitor.

This time it's even more outrageous; he just casually asked San'er, and lo and behold, that's how he got the information by sheer coincidence.
He himself found it somewhat outrageous, and he even began to wonder if he really was the protagonist!
Otherwise, why would everything go so smoothly?

(End of this chapter)