Chapter 547: The Broker

It's three hundred dollars to help deliver the goods.

If the goods are robbed, wouldn't that be more than thirty thousand dollars? Maybe even more?

Zhang Yong looked at the box with greedy eyes.

'Pop!'

'Pop!'

He quietly slapped his hand.

What are you thinking about? How come you can't control your hands?

Your task now is to catch the Japanese spy!

Catch the Japanese spy!

Don't get sidetracked! Don't stir up trouble everywhere!

Even if there are 100,000 US dollars inside, you still can't... Then I'll definitely take the 100,000 US dollars first.

'Give me the suitcase.'

'I'll open it and take a look.'

'Then you're asking for my life.'

'Why?'

'As the client, if I let the suitcase be opened, it would be a dereliction of my duty. I would have no credibility left in the future.'

'What exactly do you do?'

'All kinds of things. A bit of everything. Whatever makes money.'

'Including stealing?'

'Your suitcase is empty.'

'It contains 50,000 US dollars, 50,000 British pounds, 50 gold bars...'

'You!'

Mei Wan-jun laughed in anger.

She suddenly stood up. She left in a huff, walking quickly.

She couldn't bear it.

She was afraid she would explode.

She would die right in front of Zhang Yong. She needed to calm down.

The suitcase could just as well be left with Zhang Yong.

The people behind the suitcase knew that Zhang Yong had intercepted it, and I believed they would not dare say anything.

You guys are good. You go and get it back.

I, Mei Wan-jun, am powerless anyway.

I have already blocked the suitcase next to the person who is going to take it over. It was him who hesitated in his movements, and then Zhang Yong intercepted it. The main responsibility does not lie with me.

Zhang Yong: ?

Huh? Gone? Oh, good riddance!

Actually, there's no point in arguing all day.

It's more fun catching spies. They have money and weapons. Where else can you find such a good deal?

I swear!

Starting today, I'll quit smoking, drinking and women! I'll exercise and revitalise China!

You guys start first!

...I can't do it...

'Lao Zhao!'

Zhang Yong called Zhao Guanglin over.

He's already gone. You're done here. Come here. Let's talk.

Zhao Guanglin came over.

He gained a deeper understanding of Zhang Yong.

This guy is really shameless. He really grew up on the streets of Shanghai.

'Are you going to act at night?'

'Are you going to act at night?'

'Yes. Many of our actions at the Special Branch of the Restoration Society are carried out at night.'

'So are you going to...'

'Eat. We'll also be active at night. It helps with digestion.'

'Shall I call Pang Yu?'

'Yes!'

Zhang Yong nodded.

Zhao Guanglin then went to make the call.

An evening operation? That'll be a hoot. I wonder how much noise it'll make?

Zhang Yong took out the suitcase.

It wasn't actually very big. At most 16 inches. Probably not big enough.

Very modern. Very fashionable. Compared to those old relics, it was a sight for sore eyes. The powers that be are still technologically advanced!

There was a combination.

But it was simple. It was a three-digit number. A mechanical lock.

With enough time, it is possible to match the numbers one by one. But Zhang Yong didn't have time.

For the time being, there was no way to disassemble it by force.

After all, smashing the suitcase in public was a bit too conspicuous.

It's better to take it back. You can take your time and smash it open later.

Soon, Zhao Guanglin returned from his phone call. Pang Yu had already been located. Pang Yu immediately gathered his team and was on his way.

Everyone was very excited to hear that the hunt for Japanese spies would continue at night.

Everyone is eager to take the lead and scramble for the limelight.

'Help me carry this suitcase,' Zhang Yong hands the suitcase to Zhao Guanglin.

'I...' Zhao Guanglin is at a loss for words.

He knows that the suitcase is not from a legitimate source. Zhang Yong robbed the woman of it.

If he takes it, he may arouse suspicion.

Zhang Yong is clearly trying to drag him down. He has to be cautious.

'Are you afraid?'

'I don't want to get involved with people and things that don't concern me.'

'Fine! I'll carry it myself!'

Zhang Yong nodded.

Since he was not welcome, he would have to fend for himself.

So he carried the suitcase and waited for Pang Yu to arrive.

Soon afterwards, a large number of weapon symbols appeared at the edges of the map. It was obvious that Pang Yu had arrived.

There were no cars. Everyone was running.

The police department was not yet wealthy enough to afford cars. Even Tong Zhongting had to walk.

Oh, they have bicycles. But there aren't many. Only one-third of the force can use them. And they have to be rotated during working hours. You can't ride home after work.

Most senior officers actually prefer riding horses.

Look at Tong Linge, he came here on horseback. Riding a horse is fast. It's agile. You have a wide field of vision. The problem is that the target is a bit big. You can't hide.

If you're ambushed by a sniper, the person on the horse will be a sitting duck.

'King moves!'

'King moves!'

Pang Yuxing came in high spirits.

Just now, he went back to see his father. It was rare for him to be praised.

His mother was also very happy. She felt that catching the Japanese spy was still possible. It wasn't too dangerous. He could make another achievement. It was considered a success.

At the same time, they were secretly shocked. They didn't expect the Japanese spy to hide so many weapons.

Fortunately, they were dug out. Otherwise, if there was an attack, no one knows how many people would be killed.

'You came so quickly? Do you want some mutton hotpot?'

'No, thanks. You eat it yourself. You need to be full so we can get started.'

'I've already eaten. I'm burping. I can't finish it.'

'Take it away! Take it away! After the operation tonight, let's go back to the police station for a midnight snack!'

'Great!'

Zhang Yong and Pang Yu were chatting nonsense while secretly selecting targets.

There are nine red dots within a 400-metre radius. That's a lot. The closest one is less than 100 metres away. It's just across the street.

The density of Japanese spies is terrifying. It's really scary.

You can imagine how much damage these Japanese spies could cause once Beiping enters a state of combat.

Arrest them!

We must arrest them all!

Approach the target quietly. It turns out to be a small detached house.

Secretly rejoice.

Rich people!

This Japanese spy must have a lot of stock.

However...

When they arrived, the Japanese spy happened to be going out. An elderly man. Wearing sunglasses, a long black silk robe, and carrying a walking stick.

Next to him were three attendants. Although there were no guns, it seemed a bit ostentatious. Obviously a man of status.

'Who is this guy?'

'Master You.'

'What does he do?'

'A charlatan who makes a living by talking. He's an old hand at this and a real piece of work. Why do you want to know what he does?'

'What do you think?'

'Huh? He's Japanese?'

'Yes!'

'No way...'

Pang Yu was stunned.

The people around him also looked at each other in disbelief.

This Master You is actually Japanese? How is that possible? This old guy is more cunning than all the Chinese!

He's actually Japanese?

'Wait a minute,' said Pang Yu, frowning. "I've known Master You for seven or eight years. Could it be that he was already in China seven or eight years ago?'

'More than ten years, probably," said Zhang Yong, unperturbed.

'No...' said Pang Yu, unable to bring himself to say it. He still couldn't believe it.

Even Zhao Guanglin had reservations.

He had known Master You for two or three years, too. He had heard that the man had been in Beiping for a long time.

Could it be that Japanese spies had been infiltrating China since the Xinhai Revolution?

That's a bit far-fetched. It's a bit scary.

Did the Japanese invaders go to such lengths?

Did they plant spies more than ten years ago? The more I think about it, the more horrified I feel.

Master You got into the car. The black car gradually pulled away.

Pang Yu asked quietly, 'Should we go after him?'

'Forget it,' Zhang Yong shook his head.

Since everyone said that this Master You is a tough nut to crack, it means that he is not easy to deal with, and directly arresting him may not be effective.

People like this are hard to deal with, as they are willing to risk their lives. It's better to go catch other Japanese spies.

He silently marked Master You on the map and then led the men to the second target.

Suddenly, he saw someone rushing over and reported to Pang Yu.

After listening, Pang Yu looked strange.

'What is it?'

'Someone has brought a corpse to the police station.'

'What?'

'Someone has brought a corpse to the police station.'

'What's going on?'

'I don't know.'

'Go back and check!'

'Okay!'

The group quickly returned.

What did the other party mean? Was it a request for help? Or a provocation?

Back at the police station. They saw a handcart. And an old man pulling it. A face full of vicissitudes.

On the handcart lay a person. Vaguely familiar.

Suddenly it came to him. Wasn't this the middle-aged man who was going to take the suitcase today?

Oh no! He was actually killed?

And then sent here?

What did it mean?

Was it a provocation?

A warning?

Oh, it can't be a warning.

Warn the enemy by killing your own people? What's wrong with this guy's brain...

However, it is also possible that the person who killed the enemy was framed and the blame was put on Zhang Yong.

The suitcase is still in Zhang Yong's hands.

In that case, the rumour will be that Zhang Yong killed someone and then took the suitcase.

Shit...

What a sinister plot!

However, Zhang Yong would soon be fine.

After all, there was already so much chaos surrounding him, it didn't matter.

'Who is this person?'

'It seems to be from the Beiping Bank. I'll find someone to verify it.'

'Good!'

Zhang Yong frowned inwardly.

Someone from the Beiping Bank? What was in the suitcase?

Why did it have to pass through the hands of a female thief?

Oh, Mei Wan-jun is a female thief. This was the first time he had learned of her exact occupation. Could it be that she was also working part-time?

He decided to pry open the suitcase.

He took the case from Zhao Guanglin's hands, then found an empty house nearby and started to force the lock.

After tossing around for ten minutes, he finally managed to open the case.

There were indeed weapons inside.

It was a brand new Walther PPK pistol. There were two magazines. Both were empty. There was no magazine in the pistol. There was a box of bullets next to it. It was very exquisite.

A German pistol? It seems that ordinary people can't get their hands on one...

There were no silver notes.

Oh no. I was so excited for nothing. There's not even a banknote.

It's all filled with bills.

I pick one up and can't read it. There are names on it. There are dates. There are account numbers.

It's all handwritten. The handwriting is neat.

The amounts don't seem to be very large. They're all 500, 800, 1,000, whatever. The highest is 3,000. There's nothing over 3,000.

Confused...

What is this?

Why are there so many bills?

Why are all the names on them different? Not a single duplicate?

Confused...

Keep flipping through the papers. Still just bills.

Finally confirm that there is nothing else. Disappointed. Trying to put the Walther pistol away, but there is not enough room.

There is nothing to be done but close the suitcase again and try to sew it shut.

'Wang Dong!'

'Wang Dong!'

Someone is calling from outside.

It is someone sent by Pang Yupai. He says that the check is in order.

The deceased was indeed a manager at the Beiping Bank. Well, these days people already have the title of manager.

His main task was to be in charge of deposit and loan business.

My name is Zhu Yue. I am 40 years old. I have worked at the Beiping Bank for more than four years. I don't know his family background. It seems that he doesn't have any family. It's a bit strange.

'How strong is the Beiping Bank?'

'It was founded by a few big businessmen. It's quite strong. Recently, it has also received investment from the Japanese.'

'Is it backed by the Japanese invaders?'

'The Beiping Bank and the Industrial Bank are both backed by the Japanese.'

'How much was invested?'

'It was about 100 million yen, I think. It was even reported in the newspaper at the time. Wang Ke-min was the largest shareholder. And Kawashima Yoshiko.'

'Kawashima Yoshiko had a share in the Beiping Bank?

'Yes. Wait a minute. I'll look for the newspaper. It seems to have been reported just last month. The Manchukuo government also invested.'

Pang Yu went to look for the newspaper.

He found it quickly.

Zhang Yong looked it over and found that it did indeed contain relevant content.

Kawashima Yoshiko, on behalf of the puppet state of Manchukuo, invested 30 million current dollars in the Beiping Bank. The group photo shows Wang Kemin, Yin Rugeng and others.

However, the one standing in the middle is a Japanese. His name is Matsui Yoshio. He is the owner of the Matsui residence and one of the leaders of the Japanese secret agents.

Obviously, the Japanese were in the lead in this matter.

The so-called puppet state of Manchukuo was just a puppet.

'Ah...'

Zhang Yong suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

He understood what the notes were for. They were deposit accounts. They were fake names.

At that time, there was no requirement for real-name systems. You could just take the notes to the Beiping Bank and withdraw the corresponding amount of money according to the amount marked on it.

If it said 200 silver dollars on the note, you could receive 200 silver dollars.

Exchange by ticket.

Only the ticket is recognised, not the person.

However, its greatest use was actually for gift-giving and bribery.

Although each pseudonym is only worth a few hundred or at most three thousand silver dollars. However, the amount is very considerable when there are a lot of them.

Moreover, if the accounts are all scattered and the names are not their own, no one can say anything wrong.

I also understand why the other party is looking for Mei Wan-jun.

Simply put, it is to keep it confidential.

Even if someone knows about this and wants to investigate, they can only trace it back to Mei Wan-jun.

Whether or not they can catch Mei Wan-jun is another matter.

This female thief is on the run. She may not even be in Beiping.

Even if you can catch Mei Wan-jun, she is unlikely to reveal the name of her employer. Otherwise, in the future, she will not be able to continue working in this line of work.

Moreover, Mei Wan-jun may not be the first middleman. She may be the second or even the third.

After going through the hands of several middlemen, even immortals will not be able to find out the employer behind the scenes.

Zhang Yong himself stumbled upon it, simply and roughly.

He got the box.

The bills inside the box are now his.

He only needs to take the bills and go to the Beiping Bank to withdraw the dollars.

The bank only recognises the bills, not the person.

If he doesn't want to go himself, he can just ask someone to help him withdraw the money.

For example, Zhao Guanglin.

However, Mr Zhao is probably unwilling. He doesn't want to go down with him.

Haha, got rich.

Hehe, he's rich.

This box is full of banknotes, worth tens of thousands of dollars at least. Maybe even hundreds of thousands.

Mei Wanyun is truly a blessed woman!

It's like a gift in disguise.

She must be thanked for such a good thing.

So, the question is...

What did the person who killed the Beiping Bank manager want to express?