Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Chapter 254 Must the traitor be someone from the Wanhua Escort Agency?
Yu Zhihao stared at the middle-aged man on the opposite sofa. He was completely different from Chen Zhan in his memory, but when he recalled the voice, it was indeed very similar.

The reason he was able to recognize him so quickly was mainly because of his tone and expression.

The middle-aged man in front of me was sallow and thin, tall and thin, but his tone and demeanor were unforgettable.

For more than a year, he often thought of Chen Zhan.

I remember that man who was so unscrupulous, who stirred up a bloodbath in Fengtian and slaughtered Japanese people like dogs and chickens.

"Yes, it's me. Tell me how Wanhua Escort Agency was exposed and how Ding Lianshan died," Chen Zhan said calmly.

Yu Zhihao got up to turn on the light, but as soon as he reached out, his wrist went numb and he couldn't exert any strength.

A silver needle was stuck in his wrist, sealing off the flow of energy.

Thinking Chen Zhan was going to kill him, he turned around in surprise to look.

But then Chen Zhan said, "Don't turn on the lights. You've been on the surveillance camera all along, didn't you know?"

"Don't speak louder than me, the other person won't notice."

"If I hadn't helped you, killing these ninjas would have left me unharmed, but you would likely be in mortal danger."

Yu Zhihao was startled; he truly had no idea he was being monitored.

There are many ninjas lurking around Yu Zhihao. As an anti-Japanese element and the police chief, he will inevitably be monitored. This is unavoidable. If there is any unusual activity, these ninjas will directly kill him.

Chen Zhan's words made him break out in a cold sweat, but fortunately he had already sent his wife and daughter to Beiping, and he was all alone in Fengtian.

"Mr. Chen, why are you back? The Japanese hate you to the bone, and Fengtian is in even more chaos than before."

It was only after the explosion and subsequent investigations that Yu Zhihao learned of Chen Zhan's true identity.

Although I had doubts before, it still felt incredible after it was confirmed.

Chen Zhan didn't have many men under his command, just these few, yet they dared to do such a thing.
Moreover, the Japanese could only suffer in silence after Mitsui Hayato and Tanaka Taro were killed, and dared not publicize it at all.

The Japanese cannot accept defeat, and when this news reached the country, it became big news, causing great frustration to the pro-war faction.

Even now, Japanese media outlets such as Asahi Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun are still publishing numerous articles claiming that "Manchuria and Mongolia (Northeast China) are Japan's lifeline, and losing Northeast China would lead to the collapse of Japan's economy."

They distort China's sovereignty over Northeast China into "illegal occupation," claiming that Japan is the true owner of Northeast China.

Some scholars have even fabricated the fallacy that "Manchuria and Mongolia are not Chinese territory," thus creating a theoretical basis for aggression.

Japan's overall policy was to lead a military invasion of China.

The commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army in North China was assassinated and his body was hung on a street lamp.
When this news got back to China, I couldn't believe how big of a storm it would cause.

"You hate me to the bone, that's why I came back. Fine, I'll ask you, you tell me. I don't have time to catch up with you." Chen Zhan's tone was somewhat unpleasant.

Chen Zhan kept thinking about the deaths of Wanhua Escort Agency and Ding Lianshan, and concluded that there must have been a traitor among them.

Otherwise, given Gong Shu's caution and Ding Lianshan's shrewdness, how could they have been wiped out in one fell swoop?

"To be honest, I didn't know about this. I only found out the next day that the Wanhua Escort Agency had been wiped out and its entire family had been brutally murdered," Yu Zhihao sighed and said softly.

"Didn't you investigate afterwards?"

"We've investigated and can confirm one thing: there's a traitor in the Wanhua Escort Agency, but we can't confirm who it is."

"The body was destroyed?"

Chen Zhan asked in confusion, "There are no signs of fire at Wanhua Escort Agency."

"That's right. After the Japanese killed people, they took all the bodies away. Only Elder Gong and Elder Ding were left hanging on the city wall for three days."

"How can you be so sure there's a traitor among them?" Chen Zhan asked.

"Because Old Ding and my family have some connections, he secretly contacted me after he came to Fengtian. I roughly knew that Old Ding had someone in the city to help him. In hindsight, it should be the Wanhua Escort Agency."

"But given Old Master Ding's caution and the extremely secretive nature of his interactions, the fact that he was wiped out in one fell swoop within the Wanhua Escort Agency must be a betrayal by the agency's higher-ups; otherwise, it would have been impossible."

After Yu Zhihao finished explaining his analysis, he looked at Chen Zhan, believing his analysis to be very reasonable.

"Does a traitor have to be from the Wanhua Escort Agency?" Chen Zhan asked calmly.

Yu Zhihao felt a chill on his neck and immediately understood what Chen Zhan meant. He quickly said, "Mr. Chen, you don't suspect me, do you?"

Chen Zhan sensed the other person's heartbeat and speech speed, then shook his head: "You're fine. If it were you, you wouldn't react that way when you saw me."

If Yu Zhihao really betrayed Ding Lianshan, he would definitely be terrified the moment Chen Zhan appeared.

Instead of just being surprised.

"Who else did Ding Lianshan contact besides you when he came to Fengtian?"

"You suspect that the leak wasn't from Wanhua Escort Agency, but from Elder Ding's side?"

In fact, Yu Zhihao's words reminded him that, in principle, both Gong Shu and Ding Lianshan were cautious people who had been lying low in Fengtian for many years.

There are many people inside the Wanhua Escort Agency, but not many know Gong Shu's true identity. If it were just the Wanhua Escort Agency that was exposed, that would be fine.

But when he happened to meet with Ding Lianshan, something was wrong.

Ding Lianshan was a wanted criminal in Fengtian, and even though many years had passed, Gong Shu would not allow Ding Lianshan to appear in front of others.

Moreover, Gong Shu didn't need to tell his subordinates about Ding Lianshan; he was just passing on information, which didn't require a large number of people to be mobilized.

“Ding Lianshan must have had contact with more than just you. You investigate, starting with the Gong family and the internal relationships within your Northeast Army, focusing on those old friends he met more than a decade ago.”

"This kind of relationship, how could it be..."

"More than a decade has passed, and people's hearts have changed."

Yu Zhihao knew nothing about the internal affairs of the Wanhua Escort Agency, and even if he were asked to investigate, he wouldn't find anything. No wonder there had been no leads for so many days. However, the Gong family had close ties with the Northeast Army, and Yu Zhihao's identity was perfect for investigating.

"You'd better hurry and give me a rough list, I can't wait."

Yu Zhihao wanted to say something, but when he turned around, Chen Zhan was already gone.

Looking out the open window, with the night wind howling, Yu Zhihao dared not go out. If it were before, he would have gone to the police station overnight, but now he knew that someone was watching him without him noticing.

This means the other party's martial arts skills are too high for him to detect, and it would be too suspicious for him to go out now.

Chen Zhan left Yu Zhihao's residence. As the police chief, he naturally lived in a detached house in an area known for its wealthy residents, not far from the Marshal's Mansion.

Of course, with the Marshal's Mansion deserted and the young marshal absent, other high-ranking officials naturally dared not stay there.

The Japanese didn't go so far as to directly occupy it, but it was only a matter of time.

The defenses here are very tight, and Chen Zhan needs to be a little cautious as he walks through.

Japanese ninjas have very keen senses. With their senses all around them, Chen Zhan wasn't afraid of being discovered, but Yu Zhihao couldn't die. He was the only one among the top ranks of the Northeast Army in Fengtian whom he could trust.

Wan Laisheng's secret report clearly stated that Japanese intelligence agencies were secretly contacting pro-Japanese factions within the Northeast Army, offering them "high-ranking positions and generous salaries" to incite them to break away from the central government and implement Northeast autonomy.

However, they couldn't find out who it was, so Chen Zhan came to Fengtian to investigate the matter.

The military can only start with Yu Zhihao. All they need is a list of suspects; they can't possibly go door-to-door to find everyone, it would be too time-consuming.

Chen Zhan came out of the East District, walked around several blocks, and entered an alley.

The buildings in this alley are semi-Japanese style, because it is adjacent to the Japanese consulate area and many of the houses were built by the Japanese.

Chen Zhan knocked on the door of the deepest room.

"Ding ding, ding ding ding ding, ding."

A specific rhythm; if it weren't for this knocking sound, the person inside would simply leave through the tunnel.

The thieves' gang, aside from anything else, has taken concealment and security to the extreme.

Having been taught this since childhood, living a life of irregular meals and constant travel, it was impossible not to be cautious.

As soon as the sound rang out, a person quickly rustled in. Upon opening the door, it turned out to be the young man they had met in Beiping before. He had failed to challenge the young man on stage, and Chen Zhan had recognized his sect.

The Three Saints of the Thieves' Guild ended up in Fengtian thanks to this kid, so Li San and his friends brought him along as well.

The young man looked at Chen Zhan and, not recognizing him, asked, "Who are you looking for? We're an honest family."

"Find the top boss."

"Oh, it's you! Come in, come in quickly."

"Master of the Piao" is Chen Zhan's exclusive code name, and no one else can use it.

"Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties" is a novel from the Qing Dynasty, and it was also very famous in the Republic of China. In it, Shan Xiongxin, the chief of the seven provinces in the south and sixty-three provinces in the north, is the leader of the bandits, which is similar to the position of Chen Zhan, the leader of the martial arts alliance.

Chen Zhan went in and immediately used a bone-changing technique to revert to his original appearance, saving him the trouble of explaining.

As soon as Li San saw Chen Zhan arrive, he immediately came out to greet him, "Alliance Leader, what brings you here?"

"Let's get straight to the point," Chen Zhan said.

Li San invited Chen Zhan inside. The house was simply furnished, just an ordinary house. He knew what Chen Zhan wanted to ask.

The Wanhua Escort Agency had been in Fengtian for many years, and it was completely wiped out by the Japanese. It's understandable that Chen Zhan was furious.

That day.

“Japanese samurai and ninjas attacked Wanhua Escort Agency in the middle of the night. I had been keeping an eye on them for a long time, so I quickly received a secret report. But even so, by the time we got there, it was already over. There were some experts among the samurai. Mr. Ding and Elder Gong took the two children and rushed out, heading straight for the outside of the city. There was a tunnel that had been dug in the north of the city.”

I quickly followed.

Only after Li San recounted the events did Chen Zhan understand the situation at the time.

That night, the four of them left the city, traversing mountains and forests, but with a child in tow, they couldn't shake off the tail at all.

Both the samurai and the ninjas were highly skilled, and while they might not be a match for Ding Lianshan individually, they were adept at night travel and ambushes, and they were well-prepared. Even Ding Lianshan would be unable to cope with them when they joined forces.

The two children died quickly after being hit by poisoned hidden weapons.

Ding Lianshan and his companion also died in battle.

"You don't know how Wanhua Escort Agency was exposed? Was there any investigation afterward?"

Chen Zhan didn't ask Li San why he didn't make a move. Li San's internal strength was barely passable, but his footwork and lightness skills were quite good.

If he had attacked then, he would have surely died.

"You're not angry with me?"

"this is not your fault."

"Thank you, Alliance Leader. Afterwards, we investigated and found that Black Swallow and the other two are still investigating, but there isn't much useful information. The bodies from Wanhua Escort Agency were moved away overnight. I was far away that night and couldn't hear Mr. Ding and Elder Gong talking."

"However, there was something strange that night. The disciples who were watching Wanhua Escort Agency said that not long after Old Master Ding went in, the Japanese arrived. Moreover, Old Master Ding usually lives in the west of the city, but he came from the east of the city that day."

Chen Zhan nodded and said, "You suspect that someone is following Elder Ding?"

Li San nodded.

Chen Zhan thought for a moment, then got up and left, saying as he led the way, "You don't need to investigate anymore. Don't expose yourselves. Just pretend you've never seen me."

(End of this chapter)