You were allowed to marry into No. 76 family, and you were promoted to director?

Chapter 229 Hitting the road
The moment the cell door opened, what greeted Zhao Xuan and Song Rong's eyes was a man who looked emaciated.

"Baka! Who gave him the paper and pen?"

Song Rong was furious and snatched the item from Fang Lie's hand. Liu Sen sighed from behind, and He Shen also tilted his head back and closed his eyes for a moment.

Zhao Xuan stepped forward and snatched the paper filled with writing from Song Rong's hand:
"My life in prison?"

"Tsk tsk, I rebelled from the darkness, but I don't belong to the bright land of the future. I didn't expect you to be a follower of Mr. Li."

"what?"

Faced with Zhao Xuan's teasing, Fang Lie looked over calmly.

"It should be him."

After saying that, Song Rong looked at Zhao Xuan with some confusion:

"why?"

Zhao Xuan handed the manuscript to Song Rong and pointed to a passage on it, saying:

"It seems he misses his hometown very much."

Song Rong looked at it and saw that the last line of the poem, "The bright moonlight shines before my bed, I wonder if it is frost on the ground. I raise my head to gaze at the bright moon," was missing.

Song Rong thought that Fang Lie must have just snatched it away, so he hadn't had time to finish writing the Tang poem.

"Come with us."

After Zhao Xuan put the manuscript away, he gestured to Fang Lie to invite him to leave.

Song Rong didn't stand on ceremony and immediately gestured for two military police officers to come in and forcibly take Fang Lie away.

Liu Sen and He Shen dared not stop them and quickly made way for them.

Fang Lie snorted coldly and stood up calmly:

"I can walk by myself!"

Fang Lie spoke in Hokkien, and seeing how cooperative he was, Song Rong didn't make things difficult for him. Zhao Xuan, however, smiled.
"Hokkien? I had a friend who also spoke Hokkien before, and the phrase that impressed me the most was 'wine dry, for sale.'"

Upon hearing this, Fang Lie's pupils dilated slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.

Song Rong rolled her eyes at Zhao Xuan:
"Let's go quickly. If Suzuki Haruko realizes what's happening, it will be difficult for us to take him away."

After Zhao Xuan and his group left with Fang Lie, Liu Sen stood at the cell door sighing. He Shen's gaze fell on a calendar inside the cell.

This was something Fang Lie asked Liu Sen to bring in, so that Fang Lie could calculate how many days he had left to live.
"He Shen, clean up the cell. Sigh, what a mess. I hope Mr. Fang will remember my kindness."

After Liu Sen left, He Shen entered the cell and immediately went to the wall where the calendar was hung.

After he took off the calendar, he reached out and pulled out a wall tile, inside which was a letter without a stamp.

He quickly hid the letter on his person and then began packing his things in the cell.

Meanwhile, Zhao Xuan and Song Rong took Fang Lie directly back to the Military Police Headquarters.

Now that the person has been found, it's impossible to send him to Tilanqiao Prison; that would be like walking into Suzuki Haruko's line of fire.

Just as Zhao Xuan and Song Rong were leading Fang Lie to the Military Police Headquarters, Suzuki Haruko, who had arrived at Tilanqiao Prison, used her connections with Kagesa to obtain the interrogation records of Zhao Xuan and Song Rong.

In Warden Hasegawa's office, Haruko Suzuki frowned as she looked at the transcript.

Soon, Sasaki, who had been sent to investigate the "underground party member," also returned.

"Section Chief, that underground party member is beyond saving. He's barely breathing and there's no way he can withstand any further interrogation. We can only send him to the hospital for treatment."

Upon hearing this, Haruko Suzuki shook her head:
"No need, he has already given instructions. It seems that the people from the Military Police Headquarters went to get the things before us."

Haruko Suzuki smiled coldly. Since they had taken the items, she would take the underground party member with her.

"Senior Hasegawa, I need to take that underground party member away; it's related to the teacher's future plans."

Hasegawa squinted at Suzuki Haruko:

“Haruko, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but this person is under strict guard by the Military Police Headquarters. If you take him away, it will be difficult for me to explain.”

Just as Haruko Suzuki was trying to persuade Hasegawa, the phone on her desk rang.

Hasegawa smiled apologetically at Suzuki Haruko, then turned to answer the phone.

A few seconds later, Hasegawa turned to look at Suzuki Haruko:

"Haruko, it's a call from the police station. They said that the military police headquarters just took a prisoner from the police station's jail. That's the person you specifically asked to be detained."

Haruko Suzuki felt a buzzing in her head, then looked down at the transcript in her hand, and finally angrily threw it to the ground:
"Baka! We've been tricked!"

"Sasaki, quick, come straight to the Military Police Headquarters with me!"

Sasaki realized what was happening and hurriedly chased after Suzuki Haruko, who had already left the office.

Hasegawa smiled, and he knew he hadn't guessed wrong.

Based on his years of experience, the prisoner who was interrogated for the second time did not seem like a member of the underground party at all.

However, Zhao Xuan and Aoki Junko managed to extract so much information from him, and he confessed to almost everything.

Now it seems that this was all a scheme orchestrated by Zhao Xuan and Junko Aoki, with the aim of transferring Haruko Suzuki away from the police station.

In the interrogation room of the Intelligence Division of the Military Police Headquarters in Hongkou.

Upon learning that Zhao Xuan and Aoki Junko had found the underground party member hidden among the prisoners so quickly, Ida Koji was overjoyed and went straight to the interrogation room, intending to witness Zhao Xuan and Aoki Junko interrogating the underground party member firsthand.

Given Fang Lie's current physical condition, Zhao Xuan and Song Rong both knew that as long as they used torture, this guy could give them a live death performance.

But if torture isn't used, those present don't know how to conduct the interrogation.

Even Song Rong was at a loss.

You could say that you'd use psychological techniques for interrogation, but no matter what you asked, Fang Lie remained silent.

Song Rong sighed and looked at Koji Ida, who was sitting in the middle:

"Commander, we can only rely on Zhao Sang now. Torture won't work, and my methods are useless."

Koji Ida naturally noticed Fang Lie's current state, nodded, and then looked at Zhao Xuan:

"Zhao Sang, are you alright?"

At this moment, Zhao Xuan was looking at the article that Fang Lie had written in the police station prison.

Zhao Xuan had just finished reading when Koji Ida asked his question.

"Commander, all I can say is to give it a try."

After speaking, Zhao Xuan stood up, took the manuscript written by Fang Lie, took two steps forward, sat halfway on the table, and looked at Fang Lie:

"Mr. Fang, we have verified your identity. You are a well-known writer, and your articles are being published in newspapers in major cities."

"But I don't understand why a bestselling author like Mr. Fang would get involved with the Red Party. You could have lived a comfortable life."

Zhao Xuan's words made Fang Lie raise his head. Although he looked withered, his eyes were very bright.

Fang Lie looked at Zhao Xuan, smiled smugly, and said in a weak voice:

"Faith can transform an ordinary person into a person of ambition, and a person of ambition will eventually turn faith into reality."

"Young friend, you are so young, why did you become a traitor instead of striving for progress? If you can answer my question, I can also answer yours."

Zhao Xuan smiled, then changed the subject and asked directly:
"Mr. Fang, you can't hold on much longer. Tell me, where did you hide it? If you don't tell me today, no one will ever find it again. Do you intend to leave this world with this secret?"

Fang Lie smiled as he looked at Zhao Xuan:

"I don't understand what you're talking about. I haven't finished writing the ending, but I believe that someone will help me complete it."

Koji Ida's face darkened; it seemed this stubborn fellow wasn't planning on saying anything.

Song Rong looked at Fang Lie with some regret. She admired him, but that was all.

People with different principles cannot work together. As a commander of the Military Intelligence Bureau, Song Rong didn't care at all about the life or death of an underground party member.

Now, Song Rong just wants to know what Fang Lie has in his possession and why it has attracted the underground party members in Nanjing to come after him.
Zhao Xuan knew that Fang Lie was referring to the article in his hand, the unfinished Tang poem.

While in the police station prison, Zhao Xuan had already tested the waters, and he knew that this Tang poem was a secret code.

When Xia Gong came to Shanghai, he had already handed over all the important secret codes of the underground party to me. The secret code for the last line of the Tang poem written by Fang Lie was: "If there is no wine to sell."

Under dialysis mode, Zhao Xuan discerned Fang Lie's psychological state and realized that Fang Lie was now somewhat suspicious of whether Zhao Xuan's remark about "wine for sale" in the police station prison was unintentional or a secret code he was using to rendezvous with him.

Before figuring things out, Fang Lie dared not tell Zhao Xuan where he had hidden the things.

Fang Lie is now striking up a conversation with Zhao Xuan to further confirm Zhao Xuan's identity.

Zhao Xuan sighed. If it were just Koji Ida here, Zhao Xuan would have found a way to tell Fang Lie his identity.

But Song Rong was also there, and Zhao Xuan dared not take the risk.

After all, during the dialysis treatment, Zhao Xuan was able to discern Song Rong's inner thoughts for once.

At this moment, Song Rong also wondered if the Tang poem that appeared so abruptly in Fang Lie's article might be a secret code.

Song Rong was unsure, but she already had suspicions, so Zhao Xuan dared not exchange secret signals with Fang Lie again.

(Edith, how much time does Fang Lie have left? Can the scan detect it?)
(Sir, Fang Lie is determined to die and will not live much longer. At the latest, the day after tomorrow; at the earliest, tomorrow. Right now, he is fighting against his illness every moment. He is still persevering because of the coded message you gave him earlier, and he doesn't want that document to be lost forever.)
Tomorrow?
Zhao Xuan felt a deep sorrow. He had immense respect and admiration for revolutionaries like Fang Lie.

With a violent cough, Fang Lie spat out a mouthful of blood, causing both Ida Koji and Song Rong to look on in shock.

"Commander, he doesn't look like he can hold on much longer. Should we take him to the hospital?"

Koji Ida shook his head, his face grim, and said:

"Since Mr. Fang hasn't finished writing the ending, then let me add a sentence for you!" Koji Ida's words made Zhao Xuan and Song Rong both look at him.

Koji Ida, who had stood up, had lost all patience. Although he didn't know what Fang Lie was holding, Koji was certain that the intelligence might be important to the Red Party, but it was dispensable to the Empire.

Otherwise, Kagesa would never have attributed the credit to someone else.

Even though Suzuki Haruko was Kagesa's student.

"Commander, do you mean to execute him on the spot?"

Having worked at the Military Police Headquarters for so long, Song Rong had also figured out Koji Ida's personality.

This guy is an impatient person, and also a very stingy one.

Under dialysis mode, Zhao Xuan also discovered Koji Ida's psychological state.

Koji Ida's plan was simple: if he couldn't get the information, no one else could either.

When he arrived at the interrogation room, he had already received a call from Hasegawa informing him that Haruko Suzuki had arrived at the military police headquarters.

Koji Ida had no choice but to give Kagesa face, since Kagesa was now a favorite of the cabinet.

Therefore, Koji Ida decided to execute Fang Lie before Haruko Suzuki arrived.

Fang Lie was an underground member of the Communist Party; even if he were executed, it would still be considered a merit.

Fang Lie looks half-dead; if we don't torture him, we probably won't get anything out of him, so we might as well squeeze out every last bit of value from him.

“Junko, there’s no need to waste time on a useless person. He may have important intelligence, but he came from Nanjing, and that intelligence is very likely about Nanjing. In that case, what use is it to me?”

Song Rong's lips twitched. To be honest, Koji Ida's thought process was quite unique, and what he said made a lot of sense.

Even if they did manage to find out what information Fang Lie had, it would most likely be from Nanjing.

They can't interfere with what's happening in Nanjing, since Yingzuo is still there.

Upon hearing Koji Ida's words, Zhao Xuan was stunned, and his heart skipped a beat.

Yes, with Kagesa's intelligence, how could he not have thought of this problem?

Then why did Yingzuo still allow Suzuki Haruko to bring Fang Lie to Shanghai?

The underground Communist Party in Nanjing has been silent since the last incident.

Yingzuo dreamed of destroying the Nanjing underground party's communication network.

After all, having laid out the plan for so long, to suddenly have all the lines cut off is the greatest disgrace for the head of an intelligence agency.

Therefore, Yingzuo did this for two reasons: first, to prepare for his trip to Shanghai, and second, to lure out the underground Communist Party members in Nanjing.

The underground Communist Party in Nanjing probably knew best about Fang Lie's situation, or rather, what Fang Lie possessed.

Now that Fang Lie has been brought to Shanghai, how can the underground party in Nanjing not move?
Lu Jin's appearance clearly confirmed Zhao Xuan's guess.

Yingzuo successfully mobilized the Nanjing underground party. Once they made a move, Yingzuo would probably have a way to purge them. If what Fang Lie had was more important, Yingzuo might actually be able to completely destroy the Nanjing underground party's liaison network before coming to Shanghai.

Thinking of this, Zhao Xuan couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

It seems that this Shadow Lord has been hiding in Nanjing for so long, constantly looking for an opportunity. He has accumulated considerable strength, and now he has become a formidable foe, even more difficult to deal with than people like Tobi-Yuan.

Now, Zhao Xuan only hopes that the underground party members in Nanjing will not run into any problems.

As for Fang Lie, Zhao Xuan had no choice.

Even Edith said that Fang Lie only had one or two days left to live, and in his current state, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was experiencing a final burst of energy before death.

As for using nanobullets to put Fang Lie into a state of suspended animation, Zhao Xuan estimated that it wouldn't be a suspended animation, but a real death. After all, Fang Lie is currently only holding on by a single breath, and if he were to enter a state of suspended animation, that breath would probably be gone.

Military Police Headquarters firing range.

Fang Lie stood in the center of the arena with his eyes closed. Koji Ida, with a gloomy expression, said to Junko Aoki beside him:

"Junko, carry it out. If Suzuki Haruko comes, it won't be easy to kill her."

Song Rong smiled and nodded, but after looking at Zhao Xuan, she suddenly said:
"Commander, I remember that Zhao Sang has not personally executed many underground party members, but he has killed a lot of Kuomintang agents."

Koji Ida narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at Zhao Xuan with a hint of suspicion in his gaze.

Zhao Xuan was speechless; Song Rong was definitely testing him.

Zhao Xuan knew that Song Rong definitely didn't believe he was a member of the Military Intelligence Bureau, but she didn't rule out the possibility that he might be a member of the underground Communist Party.

After all, it's easy to find out what Zhao Xuan did with a little inquiry.

Indeed, as is widely known within Shanghai's intelligence agencies, Zhao Xuan has never killed any members of the underground Communist Party.

“Zhao Sang, Chunzi is right. Since you haven’t killed any members of the underground party before, I will give you a chance today.”

As soon as Koji Ida finished speaking, Song Rong smiled and handed him his sidearm.

Zhao Xuan glanced at it, took the Browning without hesitation, loaded the bullet, and walked forward step by step with the gun in his hand.

Koji Ida and Rong Song stood still, watching Zhao Xuan's actions intently.

As Zhao Xuan approached Fang Lie, his expression remained calm. He slowly raised his gun and spoke in a voice only Fang Lie could hear:
"If you don't have any wine for sale, please let me know."

Fang Lie's heart skipped a beat, and he desperately wanted to open his eyes wide, but he held back. He slowly opened his eyes, then threw his head back and laughed loudly.
"Hahahaha! I can't put a period to my own life, but I believe someone will help me put that period, but that person can't be you invaders, you traitorous dogs!"

"bring it on!"

Fang Lie's words were impassioned, and Koji Ida's already gloomy face turned ferocious. He wished he could personally execute the person who provoked him like this.

But now, Koji Ida only wants to watch Zhao Xuan execute Fang Lie.

Song Rong watched Zhao Xuan's retreating figure with a half-smile, then looked at Fang Lie's resolute and determined face.

Song Rong knew that the underground party would eventually have to fight again, so he respected these people, but he would not be ruthless towards them.

Zhao Xuan let out a soft breath. He knew that Fang Lie's words were a hint to him, but he couldn't quite figure out what they were hinting at yet.

Inside the police station prison, Zhao Xuan had Edith compare what Fang Lie had written with what Fang Lie had just said, but they couldn't match at all.

Therefore, Fang Lie likely handed over the item containing the coded message to someone else.

As for who that person was, Zhao Xuan immediately thought of He Shen, the three-faced agent he had met at the police station!
"I understand. I'll put a period at the end for you, so you won't leave with regrets."

"The person who sent you on your way is your comrade. I hope you won't blame him!"

Fang Lie wanted to smile, but he knew he couldn't.

Knowing that Zhao Xuan was his comrade before he died brought Fang Lie an unusual sense of relief. But at that moment, Fang Lie lost his breath and began to cough violently.

boom!
With a pull of the trigger, a bullet pierced Fang Lie's heart. Without pausing, Zhao Xuan turned and walked towards Song Rong and Koji Iida.

Seeing Zhao Xuan walk over calmly without any sign of distress, Koji Ida nodded in satisfaction. Song Rong, on the other hand, watched thoughtfully as Zhao Xuan approached and touched the pistol.

"It seems that Zhao Sang is also a heartless person."

After making a joke at Zhao Xuan, Song Rong took his sidearm.

Soon after, Haruko Suzuki arrived, only to find Fang Lie's body lying on the shooting range.

Haruko Suzuki chuckled, her face pale as she looked at Zhao Xuan and the other two standing together:

“Commander Jingda, this is a member of our Mei Agency. You executed him without notifying our Mei Agency. I will report this matter to my teacher in detail.”

"Sasaki, let's go!"

After uttering those words, Haruko Suzuki gritted her teeth and left the military police headquarters with Sasaki.

With the matter concluded, Zhao Xuan did not remain at the Military Police Headquarters.

After returning to the Special Higher Police Department's apartment complex, Zhao Xuan poured himself a glass of wine and sat on the sofa to drink alone.

(Sir, I have already sent a telegram to Lord Xia, and I believe he will respond soon.)
Zhao Xuan seemed not to hear, nor did he communicate with Edith. His gaze was fixed on his wine glass, and his mind was filled with thoughts.

Killing one of his own men for the first time was an unbearable ordeal for Zhao Xuan. Even though Comrade Fang Lie didn't have many days left to live, this psychological torment still made Zhao Xuan's will somewhat weaken.

"Edith, do you think I'm incompetent? Even with your help, I still couldn't do my best."

“When Tiger Girl sacrificed herself, I told myself that I would never see any comrade sacrifice himself in front of me again, but this time, I sent her on her way with my own hands.”

(Sir, even if you used the nanobullets this time, Fang Lie would not have survived. In his state of suspended animation, his pain would have been aggravated. I think you did the right thing, and if you hadn't taken action, you wouldn't have been able to obtain that crucial piece of information.)
With a slight sigh, Zhao Xuan said coldly:

"We need to send a few people down to keep Comrade Fang Lie company, don't you think, Edith?"

(Sir, please give Edith the order to do as you please.)
Soon, news of Fang Lie's execution spread throughout Shanghai. Zhao Xuan didn't even need to guess; it was definitely Song Rong who did it.

On Fuzhou Road, in the alleyways of a poor neighborhood, underground Communist Party members gathered together.

As the person in charge of the second line, Shi Yinong looked at the three people present with a sorrowful expression.

“Zhao Xuan, that traitorous dog, actually killed Comrade Fang Lie. We must avenge this.”

"The whistleman was also arrested by Zhao Xuan's team. The whistleman's death is inseparable from Zhao Xuan, that traitorous dog."

"Woodcutter, boatman, fisherwoman, find out Zhao Xuan's routine as soon as possible and arrange an assassination. This time, I want Zhao Xuan to die without a burial place!"

The woodcutter Xue Dou, the boatman Wang Gen, and the fisherwoman Wang Shuyu exchanged a glance and nodded with heavy hearts.

Bang bang bang!
As the group was discussing, a knock came from the front door.

The people in the hall immediately tensed up. Shi Yinong gave the fisherwoman a look, and Wang Shuyu nodded slightly, got up and walked towards the main entrance.

As for the woodcutter and boatman, they had already left through the back door under Shi Yi Nong's arrangement.

(End of this chapter)