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

Chapter 396 Before the War
Sasaki nodded, not daring to look at Toa again, and quickly led six or seven of his men toward the street where Suzuki Haruko was.

After seeing off the Mei Agency personnel, Sakata Jiro looked at Toa beside him:
"Miss Xiaoya, everything should be alright now. Shall I have someone take you home, or..."

Dao Ya smiled and waved her hand:
"No need, Sakata-kun. I was going to the French Concession for a meal. I didn't expect to run into something like this. I'm so glad that you trusted me and came to meet me here early. Now that the enemy has been defeated, there's nothing more to do. I still plan to have a meal in the French Concession first."

Sakata Jiro chuckled speechlessly. "After such a big thing, you still have the mood to eat? That's something else."

Even Nan Ting thought Dao Ya was too bold when she heard this. This was not like a little girl at all. If other little girls encountered this, wouldn't they be unable to eat or sleep for days?
Meanwhile, Sasaki, who was heading towards Suzuki Haruko's location, saw the scene of flames soaring into the sky on Wutong Road halfway there.

Sasaki's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly urged his subordinates to speed up.

When he arrived at the scene with his men, he found Miao Xue leaning against the car door, while Yuan Fang was directing his men to put out the fire.

Sasaki was stunned by what he saw.
"Baka! What happened here?"

Miao Xue stubbed out her cigarette and looked at Sasaki, whose eyes were bloodshot and who had already ordered his subordinates to join the firefighting efforts, and said:
"Sasaki, what are you doing here?"

Sasaki took a deep breath and turned his head to look at Miao Xue:
"Section Chief Miao, what exactly happened here?"

Miao Xue crossed her arms, leaned lazily against the car door, and said unhurriedly:
"He was leading a team on a field mission when they arrived here. They discovered the fire and sent their men to put it out. What else could have happened?"

Sasaki was filled with doubt and suspicion. Could it be that Section Chief Suzuki was afraid of being discovered that today's assassination was related to the Mei Agency, so he burned this place down to destroy the evidence?

Sasaki, increasingly convinced of this possibility, watched his subordinates desperately trying to put out the fire, a smirk creeping onto his face. He then looked at Miao Xue:

"Oh, I see. Since we've run into them, let's help them out!"

After saying that, Sasaki strode forward, grabbed his subordinate who was about to fetch water from the well, and shouted:

"Faster, faster! Go even faster!"

After shouting, Sasaki lowered his voice and said in a tone only the two of them could hear:

"Tell everyone to slow down, and ideally, try to disrupt the firefighting efforts of the No. 76 group."

The subordinate looked at Sasaki in bewilderment, but seeing the unwavering look in his eyes, he nodded quickly and then hurriedly ran towards the well to tell his colleagues what Sasaki had said.

The fire wasn't extinguished until after 4 p.m., and Sasaki looked at the result with satisfaction.

After such a long period of time, there probably isn't any evidence left inside!

After the fire was extinguished, Miao Xue stepped forward and looked at Sasaki with a smile:
"Sasaki, shall we go in and take a look?"

of course!

Sasaki thought to himself that although the fire had been burning for so long, there was bound to be some evidence inside that hadn't been completely destroyed. He could go in and fill in the gaps, completely destroying any remaining evidence that might have been left behind.

Entering the completely cleaned-up fire site, Sasaki looked around and finally found only a body burned to ashes in the very center of the original house.

The reason it can be identified as a corpse is because the pile of ashes still resembles a human figure.

Sasaki crouched down, brushed away the ashes with his gloved hand, and frowned slightly.

Miao Xue was also listening to Yuan Fang's report:
"Section Chief, judging from the surrounding situation, it seems that someone deliberately set the fire. There are several points of ignition. If it wasn't intentional arson, this situation wouldn't have occurred."

As he said this, Yuan Fang glanced at Sasaki out of the corner of his eye without realizing it.

It was Yuan Fang who started the fire, so he knew about the several ignition points. He was saying this to Sasaki.

Upon hearing this, Sasaki no longer cared about the pile of ashes. He clapped his hands, stood up, and smiled at Miao Xue:

“Section Chief Miao, your subordinate is right. This person must have started the fire. He must have committed suicide.”

"Sigh, I never expected the people of China to be so incomprehensible. Instead of living a good life, they insist on doing such extreme things."

"I don't see anything worth searching here, Section Chief Miao. If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."

"Please."

Miao Xue smiled and replied. After Sasaki and his men left, Miao Xue slowly stepped forward, squatted down in front of the pile of ashes, reached out and brushed aside the ashes at the head of the pile, and retrieved the bullet buried under the ashes.

As Miao Xue stood up, Yuan Fang also had his subordinates line up in a row:

"Section Chief, what about us?"

Miao Xue turned to face her subordinates who had come out with her that day:

"Since the Japanese are saying it was suicide, then it was suicide. Let's call it a day. Everyone knows what to say and what not to say about what happened today, right?"

The crowd nodded repeatedly, their faces filled with terror.

After becoming Miao Xue's subordinates, these people both respected and feared her.

Today, everyone was truly surprised that Miao Xue dared to kill a Japanese person, especially Suzuki Haruko, the head of the intelligence section of the Mei Agency.

Suzuki Haruko was already infamous for her ruthless methods; anyone who encountered her would suffer greatly. Yet, Miao Xue killed her without hesitation. What's even more chilling is that she was able to cover it up calmly. Even when Suzuki Haruko's subordinates came, Miao Xue remained nonchalant, unafraid of being exposed. She even used Sasaki to make a murder appear as a suicide.

With such methods, how could they dare to have any disloyal intentions?

"Let's call it a day!"

Hongkou, Meiji.

After Sasaki returned with his men, he kept asking if Suzuki Haruko had come back.
By 6 p.m., Suzuki Haruko still hadn't returned, and Sasaki panicked. He quickly found Kagesa and reported the day's events to him.

After listening, Yingzu remained silent for a long time, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, his eyes gloomy.

"Bury the command post to destroy the evidence?"

"Take me there and let me see!"

Sasaki quickly agreed and led Kagesa and a team of agents from the Mei Agency to Wutong Road.

Upon arriving at the fire scene, Sasaki led Kagesa inside and went directly to the spot where the pile of ashes had been found.

Looking at the pile of ashes, Kagesa squatted down to examine it carefully, while Sasaki also looked on with a furrowed brow.

Soon, as Kagesa took a necklace out of the ashes, Sasaki's expression changed drastically, staring at the necklace in Kagesa's hand in utter horror.

"This is...the section chief!!"

Kagesa's face was ashen; as expected, his student Haruko was dead.

Sasaki's speculation about burning evidence is completely unfounded. Someone killed Suzuki Haruko and then set the place on fire.

"idiot!"

How long has it been? How long has it been since anyone dared to touch anyone from my Mei Agency!
Kagesa suddenly stood up, his eyes bloodshot, and ordered in a trembling voice, "Investigate everyone who has approached this place today!"

Sasaki's face was filled with grief, but upon hearing these words, he also spoke with great bitterness:
"Chief, we can't investigate. A gunfight broke out in the Wutong Road area today. It was us and the military police here. Miao Xue from No. 76 also came here, but she was directing people to put out the fire. As for me, I'm just an idiot!"

"At the time, I thought the section chief started the fire to destroy evidence. I never imagined that if I hadn't secretly ordered my subordinates to obstruct the 76th Division from putting out the fire, the section chief probably wouldn't have been burned like this, and I would have discovered him immediately. If we had investigated then, we would most likely have found the culprit. But now..."

Kagesa was furious, but he also knew that the truth was as Sasaki had said.

It's too late now; the clues in the ashes have been completely destroyed.

Yingzuo slowly clenched the scorch-marked necklace, his knuckles turning white, his eyes burning with rage.

Miao Xue… that woman is so audacious! She killed a key member of my Mei Agency and dared to openly stage the scene. Does she think a fire can cover up the truth?

Kagesa was almost certain that Suzuki Haruko's death was definitely related to Mie Yuki.

Otherwise, how could Miao Xue have appeared here at such a convenient time?

More importantly, Yingzuo knew that the relationship between Miao Xue and Zhao Xuan was very mysterious.

Since the Mei Agency is targeting Zhao Xuan's sister-in-law this time, it's perfectly reasonable for Miao Xue to take action against Suzuki Haruko.

What's most despicable is that Miao Xue not only killed Suzuki Haruko, but also treated Sasaki like an idiot.

He gritted his teeth and finally gave the order in a low voice:

"Keep a close eye on Miao Xue, and don't miss her every move."

The night wind swept through the ruins, but could not dispel the murderous intent lurking in this deathly silence.

Sasaki has finally realized what's happening, but it's too late now; the evidence has definitely already been destroyed by Miao Xue.

During the crucial period when No. 76 became an affiliated unit of the Mei Agency, they could not act against Miao Xue based solely on conjecture. After all, Miao Xue was the head of the intelligence section of No. 76.

Moreover, Miao Xue was indeed there at the time, putting out a fire.

Sasaki took a deep breath, glanced one last time at the ashes on the ground, and silently vowed to avenge Suzuki Haruko.

Exhausted and angry, Kagesa returned to the Mei Agency. He stared at the food on the table with a sinister look in his eyes. After a long while, Kagesa beckoned to Kudo Ikkyu.

"Chief, please accept my condolences regarding Haruko's passing." Kagesa snorted coldly.
"No need to mention it again. We underestimated Dao Ya. Now we can only compromise with her. Ding Moqun won't help in this matter. You personally lead a group to visit Ding Moqun. Tomorrow, you must compromise with Dao Ya. We, the Mei Agency, will remember this for now!"

"Hi!"

Ding Moqun not only did not compromise, but also sent Miao Xue to secretly protect Dao Ya. Otherwise, how could Miao Xue have appeared on Wutong Road at such a convenient time?

Although Mieyuki is the prime suspect in the murder of Suzuki Haruko, Kagesa still finds it hard to believe.

When did pet dogs start biting their owners?
The reason Kudo Ikkyu was sent to find Ding Moqun was twofold: firstly, to discuss the reconciliation with Dao Ya, and secondly, to give Ding Moqun a warning.

If you're going to be a dog, wag your tail properly and show your loyalty. If you dare to bare your teeth again, Kagesa won't mind having 76 replace you with a new chief of staff.

Wusong Road, Special Higher Police Apartment Complex, Villa No. 3.

Zhao Xuan and his family were chatting in the living room.

The sudden ringing of the phone brought the three of them to an abrupt halt.

After Zhao Xuan answered the phone, a glint flashed in his eyes upon hearing the report. He hung up and looked at Dao Ya, who was sitting next to Dao Yan:
"Haruko Suzuki is dead."

Dao Ya's pupils contracted slightly, and Dao Yan was also somewhat surprised.

Dao Ya has already told her sister and brother-in-law everything that happened on Wutong Road today.

When Sasaki appeared, Toa knew that the Mei Agency wanted to distance itself from the matter.

But shouldn't these have been instructed by Haruko Suzuki?
If that's the case, why did Suzuki Haruko die? Who killed her?

Dao Yan frowned slightly, carefully considering what he had seen and heard at No. 76 today, and then guessed:

"Section Chief Miao is not at No. 76 today; it seems he is leading a team on a field mission."

"Moreover, Miao Xue returned home close to the end of her workday today. Judging from their appearance, they must have just left the fire scene, as they still had a burnt smell on them."

Zhao Xuan laughed:

"That matches up. There was a house on fire on Wutong Road, and that's where the Mei Agency ambushed Xiaoya."

Dao Ya nodded slightly upon hearing this:
"That should be right. At that time, almost everyone was busy hunting down those assassins. Even Sasaki led his men to wipe out the assassins he sent out. No one would pay attention to the situation on Wutong Road in a short period of time."

"If Miao Xue had been there at the time, Suzuki Haruko would most likely have died at her hands."

Dao Yan is no longer just guessing. From the moment Zhao Xuan mentioned the fire at a residence on Wutong Road, Dao Yan was certain that Suzuki Haruko was killed by Miao Xue.

After all, the person Miao Xue truly admired and followed blindly was Zhao Xuan.

Zhao Xuan lit a cigarette, slowly exhaled the smoke, and looked at Dao Ya:
"With Suzuki Haruko dead, the Mei Agency should have stopped. If I'm not mistaken, the Mei Agency will come looking for you tomorrow. This time, Ding Moqun will probably come too. Xiaoya, what are your plans?"

Daoya pouted:
"They almost emptied my savings these past few days. If the Mei Bureau doesn't stop soon, I'll go bankrupt. Perfect timing, they've come looking for me, so I'll just take the opportunity to ask for some benefits. What do you think, brother-in-law?"

With Dao Ya's minor problem temporarily resolved, Dao Yan and Zhao Xuan both breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, they were being targeted by the Mei Agency, so it's impossible for Zhao Xuan and Dao Yan not to worry about Xiao Ya's safety.

Zhao Xuan gently stubbed out his cigarette, his gaze calm:
"It's good that Ding Moqun came. At least Miao Xue was able to show up this time, which means Ding Moqun must have put in some effort. This proves that Ding Moqun still cares about family ties."

Dao Yan and Dao Ya lowered their heads. Yes, how good it was to be a family before. Although they were on different paths and destined to be enemies, at least when they lived together, they still felt the warmth of home.

There are also Dao Yan and Dao Ya.

When Dao Yan brought Dao Ya to Ding Moqun, Dao Ya was still young. As her uncle, Ding Moqun practically raised Dao Ya as his daughter.

Dao Ya had considered whether Ding Moqun had other paths to take in the future. Ding Moqun also seemed to want to broaden his options, but the situation was like a game of chess, and he had no choice in the matter.

Given Ding Moqun's actions, it's virtually impossible to bring him back.

Dao Ya smiled:

"Since my uncle is here, I'll naturally give him face. Brother-in-law, is it really impossible for you to help my uncle out?"

Zhao Xuan and Dao Yan exchanged a glance. If it were possible, Dao Yan would have acted long ago. How could Zhao Xuan have waited until now?
"Xiaoya, some things are beyond our control."

Hearing her sister's words, Dao Ya sighed:
"Okay, I understand. But I hope that Uncle will be arrested in the end, even if he has to serve his life in prison. That's not too much to ask, is it?"

Zhao Xuan and Dao Yan nodded. With their current achievements, they could make sure that after the war, Boss Dai would grant them the favor of spending Ding Moqun's life in prison.

After discussing this matter, Dao Ya continued:
“Brother-in-law, Tu Feiyuan sent people to pick up a batch of raw materials today. According to the information from the convoy, the raw materials were sent directly to the Sheshan Research Institute.”

"I'm afraid it won't be long before the Sheshan Research Institute project restarts. Today I went to the French Concession and heard from Smith that people from the original organization have already gone to check out Tilanqiao Prison. They probably want to select a batch of test subjects to send to Sheshan."

"Brother-in-law, time is of the essence. When will this Sheshan Research Institute be destroyed? Is the operation about to begin? You promised me you would let me participate this time."

Dao Yan's beautiful eyes flashed with a sharp light; she wanted to participate in this kind of operation too!

Zhao Xuan smiled at Dao Ya. The plan to target the Sheshan Research Institute had been arranged long ago. Zhao Xuan had promised to let Dao Ya participate, so when it came time to distribute the credit, he would give Dao Ya a share, which would be considered as if Dao Ya had participated.

Moreover, as the tiger cub, she always gets a share of the credit for every task the cub completes.

On Dao Yan's side, since it's his own wife, he'll definitely have to share some credit with her too.

When the war ended and they returned to the mountain city, and it was time to reward those who had contributed, Zhao Xuan thought to himself that Boss Dai would have a headache then. No matter how bad he and Dao Yan were, they should be able to get a deputy director position.

He started as a deputy director, and his future is limitless.

Unfortunately, Zhao Xuan only climbed to that position to better gather intelligence to help our party later on.

"Alright, I'll definitely involve you when the time comes. And Ah Yan, don't worry, this operation will definitely require a lot of manpower, and I'll make arrangements accordingly."

Dao Yan and Dao Ya nodded excitedly. Zhao Xuan smiled and asked again:
"By the way, Xiaoya, your convoy went to Sheshan. How did it go? Which companies did the Military Police Headquarters send over?"
As Dao Ya recounted her story, Zhao Xuan gained a preliminary understanding of the current situation in Sheshan.

The convoy reported that the Military Police Headquarters had dispatched the Third and Fifth Mobile Squadrons, which were under tight security along the route.

The Fifth Mobile Squadron is the elite unit of the Military Police Headquarters. I didn't expect Koji Ida to be so willing to invest so much, even sending the entire mobile squadron.

"The convoy discovered newly erected barbed wire and patrol posts around Sheshan. The Third Company of the Military Police Headquarters was responsible for perimeter security, while the interior was guarded by a special higher command squad."

"Doiyu sent a telecommunications team to oversee and provide support, which shows that he attaches great importance to the reopening of the research institute."

"At the same time, searchlights have been set up at each checkpoint, which means that we are now on high alert. It can be said that Sheshan is now an impregnable fortress. I really can't imagine how you, brother-in-law, could possibly destroy the Sheshan Research Institute?"

After hearing Dao Ya's words, Dao Yan's expression became extremely solemn.

According to Daoya, with the Fifth Mobile Squadron there, plus the interlaced searchlights, there was absolutely no chance of finding a loophole.

In this situation, let alone Dao Ya, even Dao Yan couldn't figure out how to break into the Sheshan Research Institute.

Zhao Xuan picked up his teacup and took a sip, his eyes growing increasingly profound. "I understand. I will make arrangements as soon as possible. Don't worry."

After saying this, Zhao Xuan looked at Dao Yan and said:
"Do you remember what I told you before about the Japanese army's plan to carry out a large-scale wartime mopping-up operation?"

Upon hearing this, Dao Ya's eyes lit up with delight as she looked at Zhao Xuan. Before her sister could reply, Dao Ya interjected:
"A large-scale mopping-up operation? Isn't that aimed at the Eighth Route Army?"

Seeing Zhao Xuan nod, Dao Yan also looked at Dao Ya curiously. Dao Ya smiled and said:
"What a coincidence! Today, Wan Laosan from the black market contacted Xiao Ai, saying that Zhang Gezhuang wants to buy a batch of weapons from us. Xiao Ai and I have already agreed. The weapons were loaded onto the truck today, and at this time, they have probably already been sent out by train."

"I also tampered with it, smuggling in a batch of medicines and necessary physical parts. It seems that the Eighth Route Army also realized that the Japanese might launch a large-scale mopping-up operation against them."

"With the support of this batch of military supplies, we believe it will give the Japanese a big surprise."

Dao Yan didn't think much of it. Although she was a member of the Military Intelligence Bureau, she always held the idea of ​​fighting the war together with her allies and never had any intention of rejecting them.

Dao Yan was just worried that Dao Ya's actions might leave some loopholes. If the war was won, would the Military Intelligence Bureau find out something, which might be detrimental to Xiao Ya?

Zhao Xuan glanced helplessly at Dao Ya. Ever since she guessed that he had another underground party member identity, she has become even more reckless in her actions.

However, given Daoya's intelligence, she probably won't leave any flaws.

"Just clean up this mess. What I want to say is that the Japanese army should get a list of the locations of the Eighth Route Army's bases. Once they get the information, the Mei Agency will definitely send someone to verify it. I've already mentioned this to you, Ayan."

Dao Yan nodded with a somewhat complicated expression, and asked with a hint of worry:
“Although I have already told Ichiya about this, we have no idea where the Japanese are going to get that intelligence, and it’s not good to target them.”

"Most importantly, even if we verify the accuracy of the intelligence, we may still be unable to transmit the intelligence."

As Dao Yan said, the entire process of intelligence gathering was closely followed by agents from the Mei Agency. To transmit intelligence, one had to risk exposure, and the risk was extremely high.

However, Zhao Xuan was not worried about this at all, because this was a plan that Xia had arranged. Keeping that hunter in place was for this very purpose.

The sweep was a crisis for the Red Party, but also an opportunity.

The hunter was already under Xia Gong's control, and Xia Gong had naturally informed Zhao Xuan as well.

The hunters existed just to wait for this day to come.

Once the Japanese dare to use the intelligence provided by the hunter, Xia Gong can teach them what it means to live on Chinese soil.

(End of this chapter)