Courtyard House: I, the eldest son of the Jia family, have returned from the battlefield.

Jia Dongming leaned forward slightly, a half-smile on his face: "There's a guy named Yamamoto who mocked you in front of his superior, Keiko—saying that you were too arrogant, which caused the plan to fail and you yourself to stumble."

"Yamamoto"

And "Huizi"

These two names pierced Zhou Xudong's ears like icicles.

His legs began to tremble uncontrollably, and a chill crept up his spine.

"Do you think the organization will let your family off the hook if you don't expose them?"

Jia Dongming's gaze was fixed on his face like a nail. "We're talking to you not because we know nothing, but because we want to leave you a way out."

Zhou Xudong bit his lower lip tightly with his teeth.

He has persisted until now because he fears that if Huizi is arrested, the organization will assume that he betrayed her—at which point his wife and children will surely be silenced.

But now Jia Dongming already knows about Huizi's existence... Could it be that they've been targeted all along?

Thinking of the possible fate that might befall his wife and children, he felt his heart pounding wildly in his chest.

But he still shook his head defiantly: "I don't know these people."

You've got the wrong person.

Jia Dongming looked at his legs, which were shaking more and more noticeably, and clicked his tongue lightly. "If you don't know me, why are your legs shaking?"

His tone suddenly turned cold, "Stop acting."

Tell me about your "Cherry Blossom Project."

"How do you know this?!"

Zhou Xudong blurted out, his voice trembling with shock.

Li Xidong, who had been silent for a long time, had a slight twitch in his eyes.

He had initially thought that Jia Dongming only had some scattered clues, but now it seemed that the depth of the intelligence the other party possessed far exceeded his expectations.

Taking advantage of the situation, Jia Dongming took a step closer and lowered his voice: "Don't worry about how we know now."

I'll only ask you one question—do you want to live, or do you want to die?

Zhou Xudong's breathing became erratic.

Only his heavy breathing could be heard in the interrogation room.

After a long silence, he raised his bloodshot eyes and asked, "Could I have a cigarette?"

Li Xidong immediately took out a cigarette case from his pocket, pulled out a cigarette and handed it to him, lighting it with a match.

Zhou Xudong took a few deep, greedy breaths, and smoke slowly escaped from his nostrils.

He looked at Jia Dongming through the gray smoke: "I guess... before you were transferred to the steel rolling mill as the head of security, the intelligence department had already tracked us down, right? Otherwise, why would it be you who came?"

This question made Jia Dongming raise an eyebrow slightly.

He didn't answer, but just smiled meaningfully: "Mr. Koizumi, you've been in China for so many years, haven't you heard the saying—'If you don't want others to know, don't do it in the first place'? Do you really think we're blind?"

As Jia Dongming finished speaking, the lingering echo of his deliberately drawn-out voice seemed to still remain in the air.

He turned slightly to the side, his gaze falling on the haggard-looking man opposite him, his tone carrying an almost sympathetic urging: "Mr. Koizumi, you've been keeping us company for the past two days, aren't you tired? Why don't we be more straightforward and lay out the 'cherry blossom' matter?"

Zhou Xudong—or rather, Xiaoquan—took a deep drag on the nearly burnt-out cigarette between his fingers, and grayish-white smoke slowly escaped from his nostrils, blurring the fine lines on his face.

After a long pause, he seemed to have made up his mind, his voice hoarse from not drinking water for a long time: "When the Empire withdrew, it left behind some special winters around the capital city of Beijing."

These are not ordinary ammunition; they are specially made.

They are sealed in several secret vaults whose coordinates are known only to a very few people.

The "Cherry Blossom Project" aims to awaken these dormant winters in your most important cities...

"Special edition?!"

Li Xidong, who had been listening intently with a furrowed brow, suddenly leaned forward, his arm pressing against the edge of the table, his knuckles turning white. "What is the exact number? And where exactly are those secret vaults located?"

Zhou Xudong shook his head, his movements gentle yet carrying a sense of helpless exhaustion. "The exact location... aside from Miss Huizi, probably no one else can say for sure."

That's top secret.

"Huizi?"

Li Xidong immediately pressed on, his tone unconsciously rising, "Where is she now? Do you know?"

Before Zhou Xudong could react, Jia Dongming chuckled softly, the sound particularly clear in the tense interrogation room.

He turned to Li Xidong, a lingering smile on his lips: "Director Li, I know where Huizi is staying."

You don't need to make things difficult for Mr. Koizumi anymore.

Zhou Xudong suddenly raised his head, and for the first time, his bloodshot eyes revealed Xianming's astonishment.

He stared intently at Jia Dongming, as if trying to find a flaw in the other's calm face.

Even his own people on his own line of work didn't know where Huizi was hiding. How could this head of the security department possibly know...?

"Section Chief Jia, you...you really knew?"

Li Xidong's reaction was equally intense; disbelief was almost overflowing on his face. He took a quick half-step forward and pressed, "Is this really true?"

Looking at Li Xidong's anxious expression, Jia Dongming could understand his feelings at that moment.

He suppressed his smile, nodded solemnly, and said each word clearly and firmly: "Absolutely true."

Moreover, Director Li, no matter how you look at it, you probably couldn't have predicted that place.

As the head of the Kyoto City Fuyuki branch, Li Xidong knew all too well what it would mean if those specially made explosives were detonated.

That was his duty, and he had to stop the disaster at all costs.

The head of security at the steel rolling mill, who held such a life-or-death clue, failed to report it immediately! A surge of anger at being concealed from and even disregarded, mixed with worry about the situation spiraling out of control, suddenly welled up in Li Xidong's heart.

His face darkened, his gaze sharp as a knife as he pierced Jia Dongming: "Section Chief Jia! Why did you keep such crucial intelligence to yourself? Did you think our Public Security Bureau would steal the credit from your Security Section?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongming immediately realized that the other party had misunderstood.

He glanced at Zhou Xudong, whose expression was complicated, and felt that it was not appropriate to say more here, so he took the lead and walked out of the interrogation room. At the same time, he lowered his voice and said to Li Xidong, "Director Li, this is not the place to talk."

"Let's talk outside."

Li Xidong suppressed his anger and quickly arranged for two officers to continue interrogating Zhou Xudong. He then strode after Jia Dongming and led him directly into his office.

The door clicked open behind me.

The door was shut shut with a bang, cutting off any outside noise.

Li Xidong turned around, the last trace of politeness vanishing from his face. He stared directly at Jia Dongming, his words carrying an undeniable warning: "Section Chief Jia, you must give me a reasonable explanation today."

Otherwise, I have a responsibility to truthfully report your actions to my superiors.

Jia Dongming had intended to explain things properly, but the other party's almost accusatory attitude aroused his displeasure.

The respect on his face faded somewhat, and his tone became harsh: "Director Li, your words are rather ill-considered."

"The problem lies with your police department, so why are you blaming me for not reporting it?"

"A problem? What problem?"

Li Xidong frowned deeply and asked sternly, "Jia Dongming, explain yourself clearly!"

Jia Dongming stopped beating around the bush and said seriously, "This morning, I received a call from my subordinate Zhang Dapao."

Based on Chen Jianfei's confession, they discovered a hidden weapons depot in the suburbs of Beijing, and the weapons they found were enough to arm an entire regiment.

He paused, then looked at Li Xidong with a meaningful gaze, "Our ancestors had a saying, 'A cunning rabbit has three burrows.'"

Given their caution and cunning, would they put all their eggs in one basket? Director Li, there must be other 'holes' hidden in Beijing.

That's the most fatal thing.

"It was this thought that reminded me of your police report on the previous search of enemy spy dens, so I went to ask Dapao for details."

"Besides some money and a few guns, you only found a radio transmitter," the cannonman said.

"I still felt uneasy, so I went back to Zhou Xudong's place and searched it again, inside and out."

As a result, they found the entrance to a tunnel hidden by weeds at the base of the abandoned wall of the neighboring courtyard.

"I ventured into that tunnel alone in the dark."

At the far end was a dark room, inside which two radios were neatly stacked, and a lot of guns and ammunition were piled up in the corner.

Above the dark room was a small courtyard, about a hundred paces away from Zhou Xudong's house.

"After memorizing the location of the darkroom, I planned to visit Chen Jianfei's place on the way."

Just as I was about to leave, I saw a man and a woman slip into the small courtyard one after the other.

The two are Keiko and Yamamoto, whom I just mentioned.

It was only when they were talking in hushed tones that I heard the words "Project Cherry Blossom" for the first time.

"I wanted to hear a few more words, but the woman only instructed Yamamoto to wake up the others who were lurking in the city, without mentioning a word about the specific details of the plan."

That's why I insisted on interrogating Zhou Xudong.

Li Xidong listened silently to Jia Dongming's account, and his previous suspicions vanished completely.

The thought that his men had missed such a crucial clue during that search sent a chill down his spine.

A look of shame appeared on his face, and he bowed slightly to Jia Dongming: "Section Chief Jia, I was just being narrow-minded and misunderstood your good intentions."

I sincerely apologize to you here.

Seeing his sincere attitude, Jia Dongming waved his hand and said no more. He continued, "After confirming that these two were Zhou Xudong's accomplices, I kept watch outside that courtyard."

As they parted ways, I hesitated for a moment, then quietly followed the woman named Huizi.

"This woman is extremely vigilant."

When she left the hospital, she had disguised herself as an elderly woman with mobility issues and squeezed onto a bus, driving around most of the city.

After confirming that no one was following her, she got out of the car and turned into a public restroom by the roadside.

When she came out again, the old lady had become a middle-aged woman dressed simply.

She then transferred to another bus, got off at a stop not far from the Winter City Police Station, and finally slipped into the tailor shop across the street from the station.

"What?"

Li Xidong suddenly stood up. "Section Chief Jia, you mean... that female spy is hiding right under our noses?"

His voice was filled with shock, and his eyes were fixed on Jia Dongming.

Jia Dongming was not surprised by his reaction.

Anyone who suddenly hears such news would find it difficult to remain calm.

He nodded firmly: "Director Li, in my opinion, Hui Zi chose to settle down opposite the branch office for two reasons. First, she was betting that the most dangerous place would be the safest. Second... I'm afraid it was also to keep an eye on our movements at all times."

Upon hearing this, Li Xidong's first thought was to immediately lead his men to rush over and arrest the person.

He reached into the drawer, grabbed his service pistol, and said, "Since she's inside, let's go take her out now!"

Jia Dongming raised his hand to stop him: "Director Li, we haven't found out where the other person is yet."

Given this woman's cunning, there's a high chance there's a secret escape route hidden in the tailor shop.

Without absolute certainty, taking rash action would only alert the enemy.

Li Xidong paused, took a deep breath, and slowly put the gun back in the drawer.

He wiped his face and turned to Jia Dongming, his expression now calm: "You're right."

I was impatient just now.

"Thanks to your meticulous attention to detail, otherwise a disaster could have occurred."

If his two investigative skills weren't temporarily unavailable, he would have long wanted to explore what secrets were hidden in that tailor shop.

Jia Dongming mentally reviewed Li Xidong's words, and the presence of the special forces lurking within Project Sakura caused a solemn expression to appear between his brows.

He turned to Li Huaide, his voice deep and serious: "Director Li, although we have found out the female enemy agent's whereabouts, we must not underestimate the spies planted in the Sakura Project."

I suggest that this information be reported upwards immediately.

In fact, even before he spoke, the same thought had already crossed Li Xidong's mind.

Upon hearing the reminder, he nodded to Jia Dongming in acknowledgment: "Section Chief Jia, you've gone to a lot of trouble."

Once Zhou Xudong's statement is fully compiled, I will report it to the Municipal Bureau immediately.

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongming relaxed and stood up, saying, "I've taken care of what I needed to do, so I won't bother you any longer."