Chapter 780: The New World Gate

Zhang Yong: ?

This Yankee is so on the ball?

He immediately seized the lifeline.

Good, good, as long as there are US dollars. Saving you is not a problem at all.

Aren't I saving you now?

However, there are still five Japanese invaders left, so you deal with them yourself.

If you need my help, I can consider it. It's not expensive. 1,000 US dollars each...

He looked up and down at Michael Flanagan.

Fortunately, there was no major damage. No visible wounds. No missing limbs.

'Zhang, US dollars! US dollars! US dollars!'

'I heard you.'

'I'm hiring you to work for General MacArthur...'

'Huh?'

Zhang Yong tilted his head and thought about it.

It seemed like he had a new job? Or was he working for Old Mac?

MacArthur!

The number one foreign army!

Peng Dehuai's specialty is beating the number one!

Hu Zongnan is also number one!

"You will be given 500 US dollars per month...'

'How much?'

'500 US dollars...'

'That's not enough.'

'That's a fixed amount. If there is any intelligence, there will be more.'

'What intelligence?'

'Of course it's about the Japanese.'

'What do you need Japanese intelligence for? They're not going to attack the Philippines.'

'No, no, no, you don't understand. There are many Japanese spies operating in the Philippines. The Japanese have designs on the Philippines too. General MacArthur is very vigilant.'

'Really?'

Zhang Yong pretended to be dumb.

He had to act a little dumb.

Otherwise, if you know everything and predict the future, what's the point?

Historically, clever people often don't end well.

Just look at Yang Xiu.

Otherwise, where would the idiom 'great wisdom but seeming stupidity' come from?

'Really.'

'I don't believe it,'

Zhang Yong shook his head. He had to play the part.

He couldn't look so profound. After all, his persona was one of simplicity.

Greedy for money. Lustful. And a bit stupid.

Such a person was the easiest to manipulate. Everyone found him easy to control.

'Really!' MacFarland vowed.

'No,' Zhang Yong suddenly said, as if he had just realised, 'aren't you selling guns?'

'Huh? Me?' MacFarland's expression suddenly stiffened.

Shit. His identity had been revealed.

Zhang Yong didn't know that he was an intelligence officer. But he had said it himself.

Damn. He had actually leaked a secret.

However, McFarland quickly reassured himself that it didn't matter. He happened to need Zhang Yong's help.

His intelligence work here was too passive. There were no people at all. He didn't know where to start. There were quite a lot of US dollars, though. MacArthur was still quite generous, giving him quite a lot of US dollars. He was told to keep a close watch on the movements of the Japanese invaders.

Zhang Yong was a very good partner to work with.

It is said that this guy has some very magical and strange abilities.

As long as you give him enough money, everything is fine. To put it in an exaggerated way, he can even pick the moon up and give it to you.

Most importantly, this guy has captured many, many Japanese spies. He knows a lot of Japanese intelligence. General MacArthur also wants to know all this.

'I have another identity. I'm an intelligence officer,' said McFarland directly.

'You? You don't look like it,' Zhang Yong shook his head slowly.

'I really am!'

'You don't look like it,'

'Why?'

'You don't look cunning at all.'

'I...'

MacFarland was at a loss for words.

For a moment, he couldn't figure out whether this was a compliment or a put-down.

But in any case, the other person didn't seem to be resistant to this identity.

Right, I almost forgot. It doesn't matter what your identity is. What matters is to pay! Pay! Pay!

As long as there is money, this Zhang Yong will do things for you!

"MacArthur...'

'Yes. General MacArthur. President of West Point. Chief of Staff of the Army. Adviser to the President of the Philippines...'

'Wait.'

'Go on.'

'I can't remember all those names you mentioned.'

'No. What I mean is, General MacArthur has held all those positions. All by himself.'

'Oh. Go on, then. What happened next?'

'He's gone to the Philippines now. He's in charge of forming the US-Philippine coalition army.'

'And then?'

'And then, he needs information about the Japanese.'

'Oh...'

Zhang Yong nodded, then fell silent.

MacFarland became impatient. No. Why aren't you saying anything? Say something!

Then he came to his senses. All that talk was useless. Dollars were what mattered.

Idiot!

What a waste of breath!

Just pay up! If you have money, the other party will be motivated immediately!

"You're coming with me.'

'What for?'

'I'll take you to get the dollars.'

'This...'

Zhang Yong initially refused.

But if there really were US dollars, it wasn't impossible.

'I'll give you US$1,000 first.'

'First?'

'Yes. Then I'll try to get you US$3,000. Maybe more. It depends on how we do it.'

'How?'

'First, don't report that I've been rescued. I'll call the consulate and the International Settlement's Public Works Department and ask them to offer a reward of US$3,000. Then you can report that I've been successfully rescued. In this way, you can get US$3,000.'

'This...'

Zhang Yong almost said, this is embarrassing.

I didn't even think of that. You actually thought of everything for me?

Wow. So this is how it's done. You really are an expert.

Okay. I'm a rookie. I'll listen to the expert.

As long as there are dollars, everything is negotiable. It's not impossible to do something for Lao Mai.

In the future, when Lao Mai goes to Japan to arrest the Japanese emperor in the palace, he can go with him. Just to see if there are any treasures in the Japanese imperial palace.

And in the homes of those Japanese war criminals, see if there is anything of value that can be quietly moved away.

Among the foreigners, this is the rule. The victors take all.

You see, in Band of Brothers, the American soldiers all kept the spoils for themselves. There is no saying that they didn't hand them in.

'And...'

'What?'

'Go ahead and arrest those Japanese. After you catch them, secretly detain them. Don't tell anyone. Just say that you've killed them all. Then the Japanese will definitely ask you for them, or ask you to silence them, and then you can collect another round of money.'

'Huh?'

Zhang Yong's eyes sparkled.

Holy shit. It felt like the door to a new world had opened.

This is...

quite a high-level operation!

After the accused, eat the plaintiff...

No. Eat the sugar cane. Both ends are sweet.

If someone else were to do it, it might be a bit difficult. But he can definitely do it.

The main thing is to have the old guy Shigeaki Akiyama on board.

The old guy will definitely cooperate.

If things get too big, the Japanese will definitely deny it resolutely.

Then, the Japanese spies you caught are time bombs. The Japanese will definitely demand that they be eliminated.

The elimination fee...

Haha.

Shigeaki Akiyama, let's have a good chat.

Immediately went to get US dollars.

Sure enough, he quickly got US$1,000.

All brand new. 5 dollar bills. A thick stack. 200 bills in total.

Good. Zhang Yong expressed his full trust in MacFarland's actions.

'You call now.'

'Okay.'

MacFarland readily agreed. Very obedient.

He was determined to capture Zhang Yong. Capturing this guy would be like capturing intelligence.

With Zhang Yong's abilities, what kind of intelligence couldn't he get?

Money is not a problem. His Excellency the President of the Philippines is not short of money. He is very worried about his safety. He is worried that if the Japanese come, they will take his presidential throne. He even summoned the US military. Does he care about a few dollars?

For such a large country, a few hundred thousand or even a few million dollars is nothing. But it is definitely possible to bribe Chang Yong.

Although he rarely deals with Chang Yong, McFarland believes he has Chang Yong's life in his hands. Money is the lifeline.

Just pay him and he'll do a good job without you having to say a word.

Perfect. That's the kind of partner he needs.

He'll pay the money. Cheung Yong will do the job. After all, the one who ends up paying is the President of the Philippines.

He finds the phone.

McFarland demands that the scene be cleared. Everyone else is removed.

At the same time, he hands Cheung Yong a stick.

Cheung Yong: ?

"When I make a gesture, you hit me.'

'No need.'

'It'll make it more realistic.'

'This...'

Zhang Yong thought to himself, you son of a bitch, you're even more devious than me!

You're willing to take a beating for realism?

Life is really like a play, and it all depends on acting.

Fine. I'll do it for you.

McFarland started making phone calls.

He didn't know who he was calling. Zhang Yong didn't ask. He didn't bother to listen.

After all, the other person was speaking gibberish English. He didn't quite understand it either. So he didn't bother to show off.

Suddenly, McFarland made a gesture.

Zhang Yong: ?

Really?

He hesitated.

It seemed that the other person was the one paying the money. Taking other people's dollars and beating them with a stick, he felt bad about it in his conscience...

As a result...

McFarland continued to gesture.

Zhang Yong had to raise the stick. He gave a light but not insignificant blow with the stick.

'Ah...'

McFarland immediately screamed.

Zhang Yong: ...

Damn, this guy, he's really an actor!

The sudden scream must have sounded creepy on the other end of the line.

Okay, that was pretty much it, right?

However...

Soon after, McFarland gestured again.

Zhang Yong: ?

What? Again?

No way, wasn't that enough?

Again?

Hesitated once more.

As a result, McFarland continued to gesticulate.

Zhang Yong had no choice but to raise the stick. He struck again, with about the same force. As a result, MacFarland shook his head.

His movements and eyes said, 'No, that's not enough.'

He kept gesturing, telling Zhang Yong to strike harder.

Zhang Yong: ...

I understand. This guy. He's really calculating.

When he was rescued, he didn't actually have any injuries. Maybe the Japanese hadn't tortured him yet.

He was fine, and he would have been fine after being rescued. But now it seems that McFarland obviously wants to make a big deal out of it. He wants to make himself 'scarred' and 'covered in wounds', and let everyone see his miserable state. On the one hand, he wants to take credit from his superiors and show his loyalty. On the other hand, of course, he wants to frame the Japanese. Frame the Japanese. Provoke the anger of other Americans.

In short, he wants to have injuries, and the more injuries the better.

The more injuries, the more proof of the Japanese's brutality. After being exposed, the Japanese will be in a passive position.

It might even turn into an international dispute.

Zhang Yong understood. So he changed the whip. McFarland gave a thumbs-up. It meant that this was a good one.

He also deliberately turned around. He turned his back to Zhang Yong. Signalling him to whip him hard.

Zhang Yong was speechless. Who said that foreigners don't know how to play tricks? McFarland's trick of inflicting pain on himself was definitely enough to make the Japanese eat their words.

He immediately waved to the door. He called in Lu Keming. He told him to invite some reporters to come.

Preferably Western reporters. And they should bring their cameras.

Then there would be pictures to prove the truth. If he added a sob story, the Japanese would have no way to refute it.

If he wanted to make a big fuss and turn it into an international dispute, someone had to stir things up behind the scenes. Someone had to provide financial support behind the scenes.

Those foreign newspapers and reporters were all in it for the money.

Just pay them and they'll do it.

With a stack of US dollars in his hand, Lu Keming was told to go find the reporters.

Michael Flanagan showed Zhang Yong the way to a chain of money collection. A few hundred US dollars now. You can earn thousands or tens of thousands back in the future.

High investment, high return.

Of course, the risk is also high.

But Zhang Yong was not afraid.

Michael Flanagan gave a thumbs-up with great satisfaction. It means a pleasant cooperation.

'Pop!'

'Ah...'

Zhang Yong raised his whip and gave him a lash on the back. MacFarland let out a scream into the phone.

Well, this effect definitely doesn't need to be acted. It really hurts like hell.

Acting to this extent really makes the listener sad and the listener shed tears. Can anyone not immediately feel concerned?

Sure enough, MacFarland wailed for a while and hung up the phone.

Well, this wave is really...

Zhang Yong said that as a rookie, he has learned another trick.

and walked over to prepare to treat the wound.

'No, no, a few more lashes,' McFarland called out.

Zhang Yong was stunned, 'Again?'

'Again. At least five lashes. Spread them out. Don't overlap them.'

'You'll pass out.'

'It'll be better if you pass out. You take the reporter and take me to the hospital.'

'Okay,'

Zhang Yong nodded. It meant he understood.

This was also McFarland's way of getting his revenge. He wanted to make a big deal out of it.

Not only must it be made public, it must also be made public. This is the only way to put pressure on the Japanese. Only then will the Japanese feel the pressure of public opinion.

Then...

Of course, it will be to his advantage.

Zhang Yong raised the whip and calculated the angle.

It must not overlap.

It should be distributed across the entire back.

It was a bit difficult.

But, it wasn't impossible...

'Snap!'

'Snap!'

He whipped out five lashes in one go.

He really didn't hold back. He wanted it to look realistic. He wanted it to look brutal.

This is not Zhang Yong's work. It's the Japanese.

The journalists must write this:

An American businessman was kidnapped and tortured by seven Japanese for no reason.

Is this a moral decline, or a perverse distortion...

Tomorrow morning...

No, tonight, all newspapers must publish a special edition. Publish this shocking news.

What a vision...

Something big is really going to happen in Jinling.

'Ring ring ring...'

'Ring ring ring...'

Suddenly, the phone rang.

Zhang Yong picked up the receiver. Someone was speaking English on the other end.

Who was it? No idea.

What should he say? Zhang Yong was quick on his feet.

He immediately answered in broken English: 'Fifty thousand dollars, fifty thousand dollars...'

No matter what the other person said, he kept repeating the same thing.

'Fifty thousand dollars...'

'Fifty thousand dollars...'

'Fifty thousand dollars...'

And then...

There was no then.

The other party hung up. They never called back.

The show had begun.

It was now a matter of who would appear next.