Spy War: My Cheat Code is a Rat

"Team leader, I admit that I gave him those wooden crates. But I had no idea what was inside. I was used."

"Oh?"

Kiyoko Matsumoto raised an eyebrow.

Lu Chen pointed at the underling, his tone sincere.

"He came to me last night and said that Boss Zhang wanted me to help him get a batch of opium. If I could find a source, we could cooperate long-term. I did know a few friends in the French Concession, so I asked around. Someone notified me last night that the goods had arrived and I could pick them up. I didn't even open them to look at them; I just handed them over to him. If I had known that they were Imperial Army rations, how could I have gone out in person? Wouldn't that have been like walking into a trap?"

He spoke reasonably, portraying himself as a middleman who was kept in the dark.

Kiyoko Matsumoto frowned, seemingly trying to determine whether his words were true or false.

At this moment, Zhang Rongshan suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"Bullshit! When did I ask you to help me get opium? I always sell opium by the ton, why would I care about your few hundred pounds?"

Upon hearing him speak, Lu Chen immediately replied.

"Boss Zhang, you're mistaken. You may look down on him, but your subordinates might. He came to me last night, saying he wanted to do something for you. I thought it was really your idea, but who knew he was doing it behind your back?"

Upon hearing Lu Chen's words, the underling immediately became anxious, waving his hands and speaking rapidly.

"I didn't! I never said it was the boss's idea!"

Lu Chen glanced at him and curled his lips into a smile.

"You didn't say that? Then what did you say back then? You said, 'Our boss said we don't want your batch of grain anymore,' and then I gave you a few silver dollars, and you told me that the boss suspected I had ulterior motives. Later, I asked you if you had any ways to make money, and you said opium, and then you immediately said that you had channels and wanted 50% profit, right?'"

The underling opened his mouth, but was speechless, because what Lu Chen said was true.

Upon hearing this, Matsumoto Kiyoko roughly understood, and her gaze toward the underling turned fierce.

"So, you used Zhang Rongshan's name to secretly buy opium, but what you actually bought were the Imperial Army's military rations?"

The underling was so frightened that he knelt down on the ground, his body trembling uncontrollably, and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Sir! I'm innocent! I really didn't know it was grain! I thought it was just opium!"

That's enough.

Kiyoko Matsumoto coldly interrupted him and turned to give instructions to Fu Yangshan.

"Bring Zhang Rongshan and this man back to the intelligence section. Take all of this grain as evidence."

Fu Yangshan responded excitedly, took out handcuffs, and was about to step forward.

Zhang Rongshan's face was ashen. He knew that this trip was likely to end badly. Even if he hadn't done it, the special high-level special agents would eventually confess, so he couldn't go.

"Sir, I, Zhang Rongshan, have always supported the Imperial Army. I am truly innocent in this matter! Someone must have framed me!"

Kiyoko Matsumoto remained unmoved, coldly waving her hand to signal Fu Yangshan to act quickly.

"Whether it's a false accusation or not, the investigation will clarify things. Take him away!"

Zhang Rongshan's men were like mice seeing a cat; everyone knew the Japanese were at their zenith and no one dared to offend them.

Besides, if Zhang Rongshan were to get into trouble, they would be the ones to benefit in the end. The Chinese territory is so vast that they might even be able to get a share of the spoils. So at this moment, no one wanted to stand up and resist.

As Zhang Rongshan was being put into the car, he turned back and glared fiercely at Lu Chen, his eyes filled with a look that seemed to want to tear him apart.

Lu Chen stood there expressionless until the car drove away, at which point he finally let out a soft sigh of relief.

But he knew that things weren't over yet. Once that underling was taken back, he would likely reveal more details under torture, such as the fact that Lu Chen had given him money to get closer to him.

While this wasn't enough to prove Lu Chen was the mastermind, it was enough to make Matsumoto Kiyoko have even deeper suspicions about him.

He had to do something before the interrogation results came out. Back in the intelligence section, Kiyoko Matsumoto went straight to the interrogation room.

Lu Chen was left in the office. He waited anxiously for a while, then excused himself to go to the restroom and quietly slipped to the door with the sign for the study. Two Japanese guards were still standing at the door.

He pretended to be passing by, but out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of light shining through the crack in the door, and could vaguely hear faint screams coming from underground.

He thought to himself that the company commander was probably being tortured, and if he couldn't take it, he might reveal what he had deliberately told him in the barracks that day...

However, it's not a big problem; what he said only proves that he is a suspect.

The real problem is that underling; he needs to find a way to shut him up forever.

Lu Chen returned to his office, pondering how to silence them without exposing himself.

The rats might be able to help, but they can't get into the so-called training room. He needs to create an accident, or make the underling "commit suicide out of guilt" during the interrogation.

Just then, Fu Yangshan pushed open the door and came in, his face full of smugness.

"Lu Chen, I've done a great job this time. I might be promoted to team leader soon."

Fu Yangshan came to Lu Chen's side, his face almost tilted to the sky, and his voice was ridiculously loud, as if he was afraid others wouldn't know that he had done a good deed.

Lu Chen ignored him; the most important thing now was to extricate himself from this matter.

"Did the company commander give any instructions? If there are no problems, release him as soon as possible. At least we're all family, and we're all working for the Imperial Army."

Seeing that Lu Chen was still in such a deadpan state, Fu Yangshan was so angry that he gritted his teeth, but he still spoke up.

"Not yet, he's very stubborn. But that thug has already confessed, saying that you sold him the opium and that you gave him money to get close to him. The team leader asked me to call you over for questioning."

Lu Chen's heart tightened, but he remained calm on the surface. "Alright, let's go."

He followed Fu Yangshan to the door of the study. After the door opened, he went inside and found a very proper study, but the floorboards in the corner had been lifted up.

It was a staircase, a staircase leading underground. Fu Yangshan led Lu Chen down.

As soon as he stepped down, Lu Chen smelled the stench of blood emanating from inside.

The younger brother was inside the iron bars, tied to a chair, covered in blood, his head drooping. Matsumoto Kiyoko sat opposite him, holding a transcript.

Upon seeing Lu Chen enter, Matsumoto Kiyoko raised her head, her gaze sharp.

"Lu Chen, he says you gave him money to do things for you. How do you explain that?"

Lu Chen approached, glanced at the underling, and was shocked by the Japanese's cruel methods. He sighed helplessly.

"Team leader, I gave him the silver dollars because I wanted to get information out of him. That day he came to me and said that Zhang Rongshan didn't want that batch of grain anymore, so I took the opportunity to slip him some money and ask him if he had any ways to make money. It was also to get closer to him. Is there anything wrong with that?"

Kiyoko Matsumoto stared at him for more than ten seconds before slowly speaking.

"No problem, but why did you specifically seek him out? And why did you specifically ask him to sell your opium on the very night the grain was stolen?"

"Also, what's the deal with that batch of grain? Do you have a lot of grain? Are you sending another batch to Zhang Rongshan?"

Lu Chen gave a helpless, bitter smile.

"Team leader, this is purely coincidental. How was I supposed to know he'd be involved in the grain theft? Besides, if I really wanted to frame Zhang Rongshan, why would I need to do it myself? Couldn't I just find someone else?"

Kiyoko Matsumoto didn't answer, but waved her hand instead.

"You can go out now."

Lu Chen nodded and turned to leave. He walked out of the interrogation room, his back soaked with sweat. He knew that although Matsumoto Kiyoko had no evidence yet, she had begun to suspect him.

He must be even more careful from now on.

Back in his office, he sat down in his chair and closed his eyes in deep thought.

Now that Zhang Rongshan has been arrested, the grain case has temporarily found a scapegoat, but the big boss in the organization is still lurking in the shadows, and Wang Yan's death also needs to be investigated.

He must contact Zhang Xiaolin as soon as possible to prove his identity and find the mole.

But is Zhang Xiaolin really trustworthy? What if he is the big ghost...?

Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open. A Japanese soldier walked in and spoke in broken Chinese.

"Mr. Lu, Colonel Kuroda wants to see you."

Lu Chen was taken aback. Kuroda? He hadn't contacted him for so long, but suddenly summoned him at this time. Was it a good thing or a bad thing?

He stood up, straightened his clothes, and followed the soldier out of the office.

After walking through the corridor, the soldier arrived at Kuroda's office door. He knocked on the door, and a voice from inside said, "Come in."

Lu Chen pushed open the door and entered, only to see Kuroda sitting behind his desk, holding a document in his hand.

When Lu Chen came in, he looked up and a rare smile appeared on his face.

"Mr. Lu, please have a seat."

Lu Chen sat down as instructed, but secretly wondered why Kuroda had summoned him.

Kuroda put down the documents, looked at Lu Chen opposite him, and spoke.

"You did a good job on the grain theft case."

Lu Chen didn't understand why he suddenly said that, so he just laughed twice and said.

"Colonel, you flatter me. It was all thanks to the team leader's excellent command, and also to Fu Yangshan, who provided the clues. I was just a bystander."

Kuroda nodded, then abruptly changed the subject.

"However, Ms. Kiyoko has doubts about you. She feels that the case was solved too smoothly and suspects that someone deliberately misled you."

Lu Chen's heart tightened. Why was Matsumoto Kiyoko being so serious? Since there was concrete evidence, wouldn't it be better to just convict her directly?

Lu Chen remained expressionless.

"Colonel, you are wise. I was just doing my duty."

Kuroda waved his hand, showing that he trusted Lu Chen quite a bit. Not only had he sent people to follow him many times, but Matsumoto Kiyoko had also sent people to follow him.

Lu Chen also discovered anti-Japanese elements, and there was so much grain, and he didn't know any of the officers in the military camp. How could he possibly steal the grain by himself?

"You don't need to be nervous. I believe you, but Miss Kiyoko may have some doubts about you. However, it's alright; the Empire will not wrong anyone who is loyal to the Empire."