Chapter 705: Drinking tea and watching the crowd
What's going on?
Why do I see the exact same scene?
Didn't I just...
Oh, I'm confused.
This is a new place. The Japanese spy didn't go the wrong way. Neither did Zhang Yong.
Before, when he was driving around alone, he discovered that the Party Affairs Department had set up two small hotels to hold the captured Red Party members.
This Japanese spy is also strange. It's as if he, Zhang Yong, is guiding him. I've actually encountered the Party Affairs Department twice in a row. Just now there was a fierce battle. Maybe this time...
'Bang!'
'Bang!'
The gun went off.
Zhang Yong: ...
Okay, there's no maybe. It's already started.
The Japanese spy must have thought the men from the Party Affairs Investigation Department had come to arrest him when he saw them. And the Party Affairs Investigation Department must have thought they had come to rescue the Red Party.
The result was...
'Bang!'
'Bang!'
A gunfight broke out between the two sides. It was quite a lively scene.
Still, the majority of weapons were submachine guns. The men from the Party Affairs Investigation Department almost all used them.
Zhang Yong didn't see what kind of gun the Japanese spy was using.
In fact, Zhang Yong didn't see how the Japanese spy was fighting at all.
He didn't know the situation at the scene of the battle.
He didn't dare get too close. He didn't want to get caught in the crossfire.
Since the fighting was already going on, he would just watch from a distance.
If the secret agents of the Party Affairs Department killed the Japanese spies, that would be best. Then he wouldn't have to do anything.
Even if they were injured, that would be good.
Anything that could weaken the Japanese invaders would be good.
However...
The situation was not optimistic.
The only thing that kept disappearing were the white dots. The red dots were always there.
Disappointed...
Are the guys from the Party Affairs Department really this weak?
Before, there were a dozen of them for every one of us, and we never lost. We almost wiped them out. Now, there are a dozen of them for every one of us again. Are we going to lose again? Are we going to be wiped out again?
There seem to be even more of them this time. There are almost twenty of them.
Twenty of them for every one of us, and they're still so bad? How dare they call themselves an intelligence headquarters. Don't they even train?
Even if there were still a dozen of them, Zhang Yong would probably do better than this.
No wonder the Central Intelligence Agency collapsed immediately after the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War. They had no presence at all. It turns out that their combat effectiveness was really poor.
Facing the Japanese invaders, it was a matter of knife against knife, gun against gun, head-on combat. The Military Intelligence Agency could still hold its own for a while. The Central Intelligence Agency just couldn't do it.
The Military Intelligence Agency did suffer heavy casualties fighting the Japanese invaders. But the fact that they kept sending reinforcements did train their combat effectiveness. Most of the Military Intelligence Agency agents fighting on the front line were extremely skilled.
There was no other way. Those who were not good at it were ruthlessly eliminated.
It can be seen that you still need to have hard skills.
Monitor the battle silently.
One white dot disappeared...
Another white dot disappeared...
These people from the Party Affairs Investigation Department are really rubbish!
How many died?
Six? Seven? It was useless?
Even if you hit one bullet, it would be good!
What rubbish...
Suddenly, in the southwest, at the edge of the map, a group of weapon symbols appeared. They were all white dots.
No, that's not right. There's a yellow dot in there. It's mixed in with the white dots. At first glance, it's almost invisible.
Strange...
A yellow dot?
What's it for?
Is it here to rescue the captured colleague?
But there are more than 30 white dots! And they're all armed.
Since when has the underground party been so powerful and had such a strong armed force? It's like an entire platoon!
Something's not right...
It definitely can't be the underground party.
The underground party doesn't have such a powerful force. And it's impossible for them to rescue someone so high-profile.
Zhang Yong quickly raised his guard.
Who is it?
Is it the reinforcements Xu Enzeng sent?
He immediately ordered the team to be on guard. At the same time, he hid quietly.
Let's see what's going on first.
If things don't look right, we'll leave immediately.
As it turned out, it was soon discovered that it was actually Li Shiqun who had come.
Li Shiqun was accompanied by more than 30 people. They were also all armed with submachine guns. They looked very energetic.
A happy person is a healthy person!
The Third Section had just been established, with Ding Mo as the head and Li Shiqun as the team leader.
It seems that the Third Section had no deputy head. So, Li Shiqun was actually the second-in-command. It was exactly the same as the later headquarters of Agent 76.
The current Third Section (Postal Inspection Department) was backed by Wang Jingwei. Later, when Wang Jingwei defected to the enemy, these two guys also followed suit.
However...
Strange...
There is a yellow dot on Li Shiqun's subordinate?
In other words, there is a member of the Red Party in the team led by Li Shiqun?
Observe quietly. It turns out to be a very ordinary secret agent. He is unremarkable in the slightest.
Without the map as a hint, Zhang Yong would never have guessed that the other person would be an undercover member of the Red Party. Even if he were given X-ray eyes, he would never have noticed the person's existence.
Awesome!
This is a real undercover!
He has gone undercover right under Li Shiqun's nose. A true hero. Truly. I admire him.
They say the Red Party is formidable. They really are.
Li Shiqun is such a formidable person, but he never imagined that there would be a Red Party undercover agent in his ranks.
I guess Xu Enzeng never imagined it either...
The original Longtan Three Heroes, heh heh.
'Team Leader Li,'
since it's Li Shiqun, Zhang Yong doesn't have to worry.
For the time being, the biggest enemy of the Second and Third Branches is the First Branch. This is especially true for Ding Mocun and Li Shiqun.
They are eager to make achievements. They want to reap benefits.
'Team Leader Zhang,'
Li Shiqun is a little surprised.
He didn't expect Zhang Yong to be nearby.
Another surprise is that there was a gunfight nearby, but Zhang Yong didn't budge.
He can deduce with the heel of his foot that the people who had the gunfight in front of them are definitely from Section One. Since they are from Section One, then...
Rest.
No rush.
What does what Section One does have to do with us from Section Three?
Look at Zhang Yong from the Second Division, he's sitting there like a rock, pretending he didn't hear anything. What's Li Shiqun so keen to do? Go and clean up after the First Division?
"Team Leader Li.'
'Yes?'
'A little devil. Quite something.'
'You ran into a tough nut over there?'
'More or less.'
'Why don't we go somewhere and have some tea?'
'Great!'
Zhang Yong readily agreed.
The people in Section One are fighting hard. It makes sense for Section Two and Three to go for tea.
So the two men really did find a teahouse nearby and sat down. To drink tea. Li Shiqun said he would pay. Zhang Yong said that was fine. It would be rude to refuse.
They took their seats.
Zhang Yong never looked at the undercover Red Party member.
He was worried that if he looked too much, he would reveal the other person's identity. That would be counterproductive.
'Bang!'
'Bang!'
There was intermittent gunfire in the distance.
There are seven white dots. One is struggling with a red dot. That Japanese spy is really stubborn, he hasn't run away.
'I heard that Team Leader Zhang has recently become rich?'
'Don't mention it. I gave it all to Xuan Tiewu.'
'If Team Leader Zhang is willing, I am willing to join forces with Team Leader Zhang against Xuan Tiewu.'
'Forget it. I won't get involved in such a big matter.'
'Why?'
'I'm scared.'
'Team Leader Zhang has killed countless people, and you're saying you're scared?'
'Actually, I'm afraid of blood.'
'That's the funniest joke I've ever heard.'
'Team Leader Li, I know you don't believe me. But I really am afraid of blood. Besides, I don't want to be a servant of three masters.'
'Why do you say that?'
'I used to be just a small-time Shanghai police officer. It was Li Boqi who brought me back to the Fuxing Society Secret Service and cultivated me carefully, so that I'm where I am today. I can betray the head of the department. But I can never betray Li Boqi. I hope Team Leader Li understands what I'm saying.'
'I understand. Come, have some tea. I'd like to propose a toast to you, Zhang Yong.'
'Thank you!'
Zhang Yong lifted his teacup. He gulped it down.
Yes. He could betray the Chief, but he would never betray Li Boqi.
Unless Li Boqi did something to betray the country and the people.
He could be greedy and lustful.
But he would never be ungrateful.
These were chaotic times. But many people valued loyalty.
Even Wei Zuo. He once had murderous thoughts towards his own saviour. As a result, even his wife couldn't bear to look at him.
How could he kill his own saviour? He would be shamed for ten thousand years. He would be expelled from the human race. You can't even be considered human. You can only be considered an animal. You're even worse than an animal.
'Team Leader Zhang has been very busy recently.'
'Indeed. A damned project called Zeus has got me in a right mess.'
'What is the Zeus Project? Can you tell me?'
'It's not really a secret. It's the Japanese shipbuilding project. The Japanese are going to build the world's most powerful battleship.'
'Where did Team Leader Zhang get this information?'
'From Safiya. They only revealed a little bit. Then they asked for a lot. You have to pay at least 100,000 US dollars for the details.'
'What do you mean by 'at least'?'
'They're auctioning off the information. The highest bidder gets it.'
'I see. Thanks for the tip.'
'Team Leader Li doesn't get involved in this international intelligence?'
'No.'
Li Shiqun answered frankly.
He really didn't know. His attention had been on the Red Party before.
'Actually...' Zhang Yong paused.
'What?' Li Shiqun sensed that something was up.
'International intelligence is very lucrative, often calculated in US dollars. Or gold bars. Sometimes, a piece of information can be worth tens of thousands of dollars. The cheapest starts at 10,000. If someone could get hold of exclusive information, they would really make a fortune.'
'Really?'
'Yes. Unfortunately, I didn't. I worked hard to catch the Japanese spy, just to find out what Project Zeus was really about. Unfortunately, there was never any progress. Otherwise, I would have had a chance to get 100,000 US dollars.'
'One hundred thousand dollars, that's a lot.'
'Who says it isn't? But the Japanese spy just doesn't know! And he doesn't know who does.'
'Shigeaki Akiyama.'
'Him? That's a bit difficult!'
Zhang Yong smiled bitterly.
He cursed secretly.
Is this really Li Shiqun, trying to encourage him to go and get himself killed?
Who is Shigaki Akiyama? He is currently the Consul General in Shanghai. He is in a very high position. He is almost the highest ranking civilian official.
The Japanese Consulate General in Shanghai is located in the Japanese concession. Nearby is the Japanese marines in Hongkou. They can get support at any time. The Consul General is a position appointed by the cabinet. He has no grudges with the army or navy. When the navy receives the report, they will definitely send reinforcements at the first opportunity.
Strictly speaking, the Japanese cabinet was actually a lubricant that eased the tension between the army and navy. If the cabinet was strong enough, the military would not be so crazy. Unfortunately, the civilian cabinet would soon collapse. A military cabinet would take over. That would be a military-obsessed cabinet, going crazy and heading for destruction.
Moreover, Zhang Yong had a vague feeling that Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi Aoi A
This guy, he may have been inspired by the 226 Incident. He may also be heading towards a very bad extreme. That is, becoming an accomplice of the military.
If that's the case, there's no saving this guy. Pity his beautiful daughter.
Anyway, Aoi Akiyama is really pretty...
Stop.
Stop.
What are you thinking?
'Team Leader Li, I just want to get some money.'
'I understand.'
Li Shiqun nodded.
He made no secret of his desire for money.
What Zhang Yong had just said was actually true and false. Much of it was made up by Zhang Yong himself.
But to Li Shiqun, who didn't know the details, it all seemed true.
There was one thing, the core of the content, that Zhang Yong hadn't lied about completely. That was that international intelligence was really valuable.
One hundred thousand US dollars was nothing.
For the world powers, it was completely trivial.
The intelligence agencies of various countries all had a lot of extra income. The small amount of funding from the state was simply not enough.
Just look at how the CIA makes its money...
Although the CIA didn't exist at this time, the methods were similar.
MI7 had the power to sell arms in the Far East. And selling arms was undoubtedly a more profitable business than selling opium.
Just a few arms deals and MI7 would be well funded.
If you want to be well funded and have a fat wallet, then sell more arms. The more the merrier...
I digress.
Pretend to be looking at the scenery.
His eyes swept past the undercover Red Party member.
He couldn't help but take a look. He wanted to see what kind of person he was.
What kind of mental strength and abilities did it take to be able to work undercover under Li Shiqun's nose?
He found that the other person looked really ordinary. Plain and unremarkable. There were hardly any obvious distinguishing features. After thinking for a long time, he couldn't think of a single word to describe the other person.
In the end, he could only describe him in two words:
admiration!
This Li Shiqun was no slouch.
This guy's talent was actually even greater than Ding Mucun's.
In the future, in Demon Cave 76, Ding Mo Village was the director, and Li Shiqun was the deputy director. But Li Shiqun was even more capable.
However, sometimes, the more capable someone is, the more likely they are to be the target of jealousy.
The Japanese invaders were no exception.
The Japanese Special High Commission also kept a close eye on Li Shiqun.
When they discovered that this guy seemed to be showing signs of uncontrollability, the Japanese Special High Commission decisively took action and poisoned him to death.
What a life opportunity...
Zhang Yong listened attentively and noticed that the battle over there seemed to have ended.
The map showed that the red dot had withdrawn from the battlefield and retreated southwest. Then it entered a building and stayed put inside.
Huh?
The Japanese soldier is injured?
Or has it decided not to run anymore? Looking for a place to hide?
Anyway, after running for so long and encountering two consecutive battles, it is unlikely that the Japanese soldier is not injured at all.
Looking at the Party Affairs Investigation Department side, there are only four white dots left.
This time, they didn't chase after them. Instead, they scattered around the hotel.
The little yellow dot was still inside the hotel, motionless. Presumably, it was tied up.
Ready to get to work.
Zhang Yong stood up.
'Team Leader Li, shall we go and have a look?'
'Good,'
Li Shiqun nodded. He stood up as well.
The two of them went to the front together, and they all gathered around to watch the disheveled appearance of the Party Affairs Investigation Department.
Li Shiqun was obviously happy about this.
Serves you right.
The worse it is, the better.
I'll show you how it's done. You think you're so cool, don't you.
They arrived near the hotel.
Zhang Yong saw Feng Jiliang. There was a lot of blood on his body.
Needless to say, this guy was definitely injured. But it shouldn't be fatal.
There were many dead secret agents lying on the ground in all directions. It was a miserable sight.
The few remaining people were also injured.
'Who is it?'
'Director Feng, it's me, Zhang Yong. And Li Shiqun, head of the Third Division.'
'You...'
Feng Jiliang's face was unsettled.
It was actually Zhang Yong? And Li Shiqun? What were they doing here at this time?
A bad feeling came over him.