Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 673 The Second Air Raid on the Japanese Headquarters in South China (Part 1): The Patriotic Infiltrators of the Lan Agency

Fang Wen and Gong Xiuneng walked along the desolate Shibapu Street.

There are still a few shops open.

Those who went in looked listless, but those who came out were full of energy.

“It’s an opium den,” Gong Xiuneng whispered.

There are quite a few of these shops, all displaying plaster flags and euphemistically calling themselves "Specialty Stores for Quitting Smoking Plasters".

The opium was transported from other places by the Japanese army and processed into "Twin Coins" and "Golden Deer" brand opium paste for sale. With this income, they could pay 50 yuan in military pay to the Guangzhou puppet regime every month.

Besides the opium dens, there were also some shops on the street run by Japanese capital, and most of the customers were Japanese.

Fang and Wen walked eastward along Shibapu Street until they encountered a Japanese checkpoint ahead.

Behind the sentry post was a restricted area for the Japanese army; we couldn't go any further.

Fang Wen stopped and turned to walk back.

Now he needs to make contact with Tang Yuandong.

The meeting place was Lianxiang Tea House in the Tenth Shop, which is one of the few tea houses that is still open and is one of the few places that locals in the city can go.

Walk back 400 meters, turn onto Shibapu North Road, and then walk west to reach Dishipu Street.

The three-story Lianxiang Tea House is very eye-catching and can be seen at a glance.

"Keep an eye on your surroundings. If there's any trouble, we'll fight our way out," Fang Wen instructed.

After saying that, he and Gong Xiuneng went inside.

In the lobby on the first floor, only a few people were having morning tea, and business was very slow.

A waiter from the restaurant jogged over and said, "Please have a seat here, gentlemen."

After Fang Wen and his companion sat down, he asked, "What would you two like to order?"

“One pot and four dishes,” Fang Wen replied in Cantonese.

The so-called "one pot and four dishes" means one pot of tea and four kinds of snacks, which is just enough for two people.

"Sir, we're out of Pu'er and Tieguanyin tea. We only have Narcissus and black tea left."

"Then let's have narcissus tea. What kind of refreshments do you have?"

"Lotus seed paste buns, chicken feet in black bean sauce, fried dough sticks (a type of fried dough) that I learned from Pantang, and chicken biscuits from Chengzhulou."

The waiter explained that due to the scarcity of supplies, teahouses could no longer offer the abundant dim sum they had before the war. Lianxianglou's signature lotus seed paste buns were one example, and steamed chicken feet with black bean sauce were still in high demand. The dim sum called "Zha Liang" was actually just hot rice noodle rolls wrapped around leftover fried dough sticks, allowing customers to try two delicacies for a small price.

After ordering tea and snacks, the waiter went downstairs and returned shortly with steaming hot tea and snacks. He poured tea for the two of them and then left.

"Let's eat while we wait," Fang Wen said, picking up a lotus seed paste bun. Gong Xiuneng also chose to eat fried two buns first.

Four breakfast items and a pot of tea—perfect for a leisurely meal while waiting for someone.

After eating a lotus seed paste bun, Fang Wen casually placed his chopsticks horizontally on the chopstick holder.

After a while, Tang Yuandong arrived.

His appearance made the manager of Guixianglou dare not neglect him, and he hurriedly came out from behind the counter to greet him.

"Captain Tang's presence is an honor to our humble establishment."

"It's been a while since I've had your lotus seed paste buns, bring me a steamer of them," Tang Yuandong said, his eyes scanning the room.

After seeing the chopsticks that Fang Wen had placed horizontally on the chopstick holder, he walked over and sat down in the seat behind Fang Wen.

With his back to Fang Wen, he whispered, "I've received the notification and will cooperate with your operation. What exactly do we need to do?"

Fang Wen didn't reply immediately, but waited until the waiter brought the tea and snacks before speaking: "I want to go into the restricted area."

Tang Yuandong ate a lotus seed paste bun and replied in a low voice, "We can't go there. That's where the Japanese high-ranking officers live, and key departments are located there. Ever since our Independent Regiment attacked us, the Japanese have increased their guard, and even we lackeys can't get in."

The two communicated in this way.

"Will the Japanese soldiers themselves be questioned when they come and go?"

"Most will be inspected, only the Military Police Special Higher Police and high-ranking officers will not."

In other words, only two types of people can enjoy the "exemption from inspection" privilege on the streets of Guangzhou: high-ranking generals and military police officers from the Special Higher Police Section.

Fang Wen pondered.

Generals are not easily disguised; they come into contact with many people on a regular basis, and subtle changes can easily be noticed by those close to them.

On the other hand, military police and special higher police personnel are recognized by the system and only recognize their physical identity, making it easier for them to disguise themselves.

Thinking of this, he whispered, "Do you know where I can run into the Military Police Special Higher Police?"

“They come here to patrol every day to check for any Japanese soldiers violating regulations,” Tang Yuandong replied.

"Should we patrol as a whole team, or split up?"

Tang Yuandong thought for a moment: "After they finish their patrol, most of them will return, but two of them will go to Shamian Island for an inspection. That's when they will separate."

There are exactly two people, which is suitable.

after an hour.

The guardrail at the checkpoint from Shibapu to the restricted area was moved aside, and a team of Special Higher Police officers came out.

Their uniforms differed from those of ordinary Japanese officers and soldiers; they wore special medals on their shoulders.

Upon seeing them, the Japanese soldiers loitering on the street became much more obedient.

Subsequently, these military police special higher police units began patrolling the streets.

Forty minutes later, the patrol was completed, and the Special Higher Police Section began its return journey.

At the crossroads, two of them left the group and headed to Shamian Island.

After patrolling the area for a while, the two returned. As they passed an alleyway, two men started arguing and even fighting on the nearby street, attracting the attention of passersby.
The two of them also looked over.

But they didn't notice anyone in the alley behind them.

Fang Wen and Gong Xiuneng acted simultaneously, covering their mouths, binding their bodies, and forcibly dragging them into the alley.

The two military police officers from the Special Higher Police Section were no match for Fang Wen and his companion, and could only struggle and whimper as they were led into a house in the alley.

That house was the safe house where Fang Wen rested last night.

Once inside, Gong Xiuneng used his specialties to dislocate their jaws and limbs, rendering them unable to make a sound or move.

Immediately, Fang Wen took out his disguise tools and began to work.

Two life-sized human skin masks, made based on real people, were completed an hour later.

Then, Fang Wen put one of the pairs of uniforms on Gong Xiuneng and then stripped off the Japanese soldier's uniform and made Gong Xiuneng wear it.

With almost identical faces, and wearing uniforms, it's practically impossible to tell them apart unless you know them well.

Fang Wen nodded, put on a human skin mask for himself, and then made some fine edits.

The disguise wasn't finished yet.

He had Gong Xiuneng loosen one of the men's chins, then squatted down in front of him and said coldly in Japanese, "If you want to live, read what's on this piece of paper."

The Japanese soldier, still not having reacted, replied in Japanese, "Baka! Which unit are you from? You can't joke like that. You have to let me go."

Fang Wen sneered, indicating to Gong Xiu that he could use his methods.

The Japanese soldier's jaw was dislocated again, and Gong Xiu was able to use the tendon-splitting technique on him, causing him unbearable pain.

A few minutes later, Fang Wen told Gong Xiuneng to untie the paper and threw it on him.

"To recite or not to recite?"

This time, the Japanese soldiers didn't dare to make a fuss and picked up the paper to read it obediently.

As he read, Fang Wen observed carefully and listened attentively.

After he finished reading it, Fang Wen repeated it, and surprisingly, he had a similar accent.

Immediately afterwards, the two Japanese soldiers who had lost their uniforms were knocked unconscious and thrown into the closet.

Fang Wen and Gong Xiuneng left wearing the uniforms of the Special Higher Police Section of the Military Police.

The two arrived at the alley entrance. Outside, the crowd was still watching the fight; no one noticed that the two Japanese soldiers had disappeared for some time. Before setting off, Fang Wen whispered again, "From now on, don't speak. I'll handle things."

"Understood, Commander. I will not speak, I will only act," Gong Xiuneng replied in a low voice.

This guy is really relaxed. Fang Wen couldn't help but smile, but then he put away his smile and walked towards the checkpoint with a straight face.

When the two arrived at the checkpoint, the Japanese soldiers guarding it saw that they were from the Special Higher Police Section of the Military Police and did not question or search them at all, but directly opened the gate and let them pass.

This suit of skin is actually quite useful!
Immediately, Fang Wen and his companion passed through the checkpoint and entered the restricted area.

This large area contains many buildings, streets, and many Japanese soldiers.

However, no one noticed the flaw in Fang Wen and his companion's deception.

But if we just search street by street, will we be able to find the location of the Lan agency?
Fang Wen himself wasn't sure, but coming here wasn't without its rewards; at least he could find out the location of the Japanese army headquarters and officers' residences.

If the Lan agency is not found, air strikes can be carried out on these two targets, and another decapitation operation can be launched.

Time passed slowly, and it was afternoon.

If nothing is found, the Special Higher Police will realize that one of their personnel is missing.

At that point, leaving the restricted area would probably be difficult.

In response, Gong Xiuneng said anxiously, "Commander, let's go."

Fang Wen shook his head, looked around to make sure no one was there, pointed to the west, and whispered, "Look there."

Gong Xiuneng looked in that direction and saw a sign that read "Oda Trading Company," but below it was a flower symbol.

"It's an orchid!"

"Yes, this might be it. I have a way to find out."

After Fang Wen finished speaking, he took out the necklace. The black ball hanging on the necklace suddenly melted and fell into his palm, turning into a puddle of liquid.

The liquid then flowed into a walnut-sized dish.

"What is this?" Gong Xiuneng asked curiously.

"nice one."

As Fang Wen spoke, he tossed the disc into the courtyard of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce.

The disc fell to the ground, the lid popped open, and a small bamboo figure crawled out.

The bamboo-like figure, whose joints were filled with black substance, stood up and took a step toward the house in front of it.

Its height was less than that of the grass, and the people outside the house did not notice anything unusual.

After passing through the grass, the bamboo-shaped figure leaned against the corner of the wall and crawled into the rain hole.

Outside the Japanese trading company, Fang Wen stood with his eyes closed, while Gong Xiuneng stood guard beside him.

Through the strange electromagnetic energy of the light beads on the necklace, Fang Wen established a connection with the black matter. He is now controlling the little bamboo figure to travel through the rain cave from the perspective of the little bamboo figure.

Following the rainwater hole, the bamboo figure climbed to the outer edge of the second floor, and then climbed up the uneven wall to the air vent.

Humans couldn't get through those air vents, but the bamboo-like little people could easily squeeze in.

After entering the second-floor room through the vent, the little man looked down and observed.

A man in military uniform was sitting behind the desk below.

He was listening to a report, all in Japanese.

Fang Wen also heard the voice through the vibration of the metal plate inside the bamboo figure.

The metal "ears" of the bamboo figurine clearly transmitted the conversation inside the room to Fang Wen's mind.

"General, our liaison from the Guangxi clique has sent word that they have agreed to meet at Gu Rong Village, but they require us to show our sincerity."

The man in military uniform behind the desk must be Kazue Takaji.

He said, "Take the things over there and tell him that we are very sincere in our desire to cooperate."

Fang Wen opened his eyes.

He was incredibly surprised. Could there be a traitor within the Guangxi clique?
This was no small matter, and Fang Wen decided to communicate with the Guangxi clique before the bombing.

Immediately afterwards, he and Gong Xiuneng left from the other side of the checkpoint.

After a while, a group of Japanese soldiers rushed out and began searching for the missing members of the Special Higher Police Section, but to no avail.

Unbeknownst to them, the real culprit had already changed his appearance and left Guangzhou.

Four hours later, at night, on an uninhabited mudflat by the Xijiang River.

The seaplane descended from the sky and landed on the water.

Unable to reach the shore from the mudflats, Fang Wen and Gong Xiu swam across and climbed onto the plane using the buoy tubes.

Pan Jiafeng, who was piloting the plane, asked with concern, "Master, did it succeed?"

"Done." Fang Wen took off his wet underwear and took out clothes from the waterproof bag to change into.

He then went to the cockpit, operated the onboard radio, and sent a message directly to the Guangxi clique.

He wanted to ask the Guangxi clique's top brass how much they knew about the Lanzhou agency.

The plane flew back to its base in Yangjiang. Fang Wen prepared for the bombing while waiting for a reply from the Guangxi clique.

He had already made up his mind that regardless of whether the Guangxi clique returned or not, the bombing would not stop.

It wasn't until 1 a.m. that I received a call back.

Fang Wen looked surprised after translating the coded telegram.

[We were already aware of this matter, but it was merely a ploy to lull the enemy into a false sense of security; we had no intention of cooperating with the invaders. Commander Fang, please don't misunderstand.]

Fang Wen hadn't expected this.

Will the bombing continue?
What if the Guangxi clique has an informant planted in the Lanzhou government?
After hesitating, Fang Wen still sent the telegram.

[Our unit will launch an air raid targeting the headquarters of the Lan agency and the Japanese military command.]

The telegram was sent and a reply was received immediately.

[We have an informant on our side. Please wait for further instructions before launching the bombing. Don't let this patriotic undercover agent sacrifice himself in vain.]

Seemingly to demonstrate this person's importance, another telegram was sent.

We must wait until he leaves before bombing. He made a huge contribution to the victory at Taierzhuang; without his intelligence, our troops could not have made the necessary preparations in advance.

So this was a patriot who had infiltrated the enemy ranks. Fang Wen agreed to this.

A secret telegram was sent from Guilin.

Upon receiving the coded telegram, the Guangxi liaison station in Guangzhou immediately dispatched a liaison officer to notify its undercover agents.

The liaison officer arrived at a safe house near Shibapu.

That was the residence of traitors, translators, and other personnel who were affiliated with the Japanese army.

The undercover agents came out after receiving the signal.

He was Xia Wenyun, the translator for the Lanzhou government agency.

After the two met, the liaison officer whispered, "Your mission is over. Thank you for your contributions to China."

Xia Wenyun was stunned.

He has been following Wachi Takaji for 9 years, during which time he has sent out a lot of intelligence without ever being suspected.

Now that it's finally over, I can't help but feel relieved.

"what happened?"

"I don't know that. I was told to inform you that you absolutely cannot go to Lanzhou tomorrow."

"Okay. I'll get started right away."

The two ended their meeting and went their separate ways.

(End of this chapter)