It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 135 | Even a mouse couldn't squeeze out

"Search complete. The room is safe. No booby traps were found."

"The target is a woman, which matches the description from the neighbors. The tenant moved into the room two weeks ago and is said to be only staying temporarily."

The small building was completely surrounded by dozens of military police and agents from the Second Bureau.

Upon learning that their target had vanished, Shank and Monica entered the enemy agent's residence.

Seeing that the inside had been ransacked and made a mess, the two couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache.

An agent reported to Monica the initial findings of the investigation, such as the target burning paper documents and flushing them down the toilet, and that the small radio was likely Russian-made.

Just then, Shang Ke looked around and took a few steps to the side. He didn't notice that he had stepped on something smooth and fell backward.

A female sergeant suddenly turned around and rushed over in a flash, grabbing his hand.

How embarrassing! I almost tripped and fell on my butt in public.

A cardboard box lay on the ground, with several candles scattered around it. He had just stepped on one of them, flattening it.

After a moment's thought, Shang Ke pointed and asked, "Did this box of candles fall down later? How many were originally in there?"

A military police corporal came over, thought for a moment, and replied, "Sorry, sir, we accidentally knocked it over."

Shank bent down to pick up the candles and quickly discovered that there were twenty candles in the box, but only four or five of them were flattened by him.

Monica seemed to have sensed Mr. Shang's suspicions and thoughtfully added, "According to the residents, the target, using the alias Linda, works at a bar. She used to work the night shift, but only recently switched to the day shift."

I'm not home because I'm on the night shift, so I don't need candles.

A single candle can burn for one or two hours without any problem. These past two days I've been working the day shift, leaving early and returning late. Even if I light three or four candles at the same time each night, it's impossible to use up nearly ten candles.

Moreover, not many candle wax residues were found inside the house.

“Then this is clearly a point of suspicion.” Shank examined the candle, lost in thought.

Why are there fewer candles?
Why did the target take some candles with him before leaving?
Where did she go to hide?

While he was still thinking, Sabo-Monica was already giving orders.

"...You guys search the rooftops, and you also keep an eye on the nearby houses."

Suddenly, Shang Ke raised his hand to stop him, saying, "Wait!"

Monica and everyone else looked at him in confusion, only to see him point his index finger downwards.

"She hid in someone's house downstairs?" someone blurted out without thinking.

"Idiot! The colonel meant the sewers!" the military police corporal said helplessly.

“The sewers? Those damned spies! They really are rats!” Monica said through gritted teeth.

Budapest is a metropolis with a population of over a million, so its municipal water supply and drainage system is naturally crucial. Budapest's sewer network was first built in the 1830s and has become quite sophisticated after a century of development.

She couldn't help but worry that her target might slip away through the extensive sewer system.

"Why worry?" Shan Ke fiddled with the small radio in the large leather case for a few moments with interest, then stood up and said calmly, "I've already said it, once the blockade is sealed off, not even a rat will be able to get out."

At the same time, at the junction of sewer lines 7 and 8 in Budapest's VI district...

The accumulated stench of decay, the filthy sewage ditches, and the polluted air were unbearable.

The sewer walls are made of brick, with an arched top, a recessed sewage channel in the middle, and walkways about one meter wide on both sides.

Grishna carefully moved around inside, flashlight in hand.

Actually, electric lights were installed in the Budapest sewers ten years ago, but with the power outage for residential use, it's pitch black here. The flashlight gradually dimmed; the battery probably wouldn't last much longer, but the six or seven candles in her pocket gave her peace of mind.

The sewers were a maze, and she couldn't figure out where they were. She could only try to walk as far away as possible, as long as she was away from the blocked-off areas.

Grishna muttered to herself, "Those stupid Huns would never have imagined I'd escaped from here..."

Just then, a creaking sound came from around the corner ahead, making her heart skip a beat.

The orange beam of the flashlight shone on it, and a fat rat darted quickly along the base of the brick wall, disappearing into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

Thank goodness... thank goodness it was just a mouse.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

But as she took a few more steps forward and reached the corner, the cold metal touched her forehead as soon as she turned around.

A Steyr double-barreled shotgun was pressed against her forehead.

Grishna's hair stood on end instantly.

Two seconds later, several flashlights lit up, and Grishna could then see that there were five Hungarian military police officers in front of her with cold eyes.

"Did you catch her?"

"I'm sure it's her."

"Shoot to let others know."

"clear."

A gunshot!
Warning shots echoed through the confined, narrow sewers...

As expected, a patrol from the János-Hungati military police captured Grishna, who was about to escape, in the Budapest sewers.

She was then taken to a station of the Second Bureau of the General Staff for interrogation.

Mr. Shang didn't have much free time to do everything personally. After learning that the target had been successfully captured, he returned to the regimental headquarters to handle other matters.

It wasn't until the next morning that he suddenly remembered the matter and called to inquire about the interrogation and whether there were any other spies in the city.
Monica's frustrated voice came through the microphone.

"Uh... I'm sorry, Shang, we haven't made any progress yet. She's very stubborn."

This greatly surprised Shang Ke, so much so that he made a special trip there.

The intelligence agency's site looked like just a warehouse, but its basement held a secret.

Stepping inside, the pungent smell of disinfectant mixed with the stench of blood, along with a faint odor of urine, was overwhelming and extremely unpleasant.

“Until now, we can only be certain of a few things,” Monica said bitterly. “First, she was assigned to Budapest a year ago; second, she reported the approximate size of the garrison a week ago; and third, she also discovered and relayed the location of the gendarmerie headquarters.”

"Okay." Shang Ke nodded, then asked, "So where is she now?"

Monica, looking disgusted, casually pointed to the diagonal front.

Shang Ke moved a few steps to the side and saw a slender figure bound to a chair, her clothes tattered, following the direction she was pointing.

His memories flooded back, recalling the time when the military technical advisory group had a meal together at Yanyun Pavilion not long after the outbreak of the war.

Shang Ke frowned slightly, quite surprised, and took two steps forward to examine her closely.

Huh? No way? How could it really be that bar dancer I met at Yanyun Pavilion back then?

(End of this chapter)