Spy game? Stop guessing, I really am an undercover agent!

Chapter 159 Enforcing Family Laws
Shanghai, Paramount Ballroom.

This dance hall was the most dazzling entertainment landmark in Shanghai and was known as the "First Music Hall in the East".

It was built in 1932 with an investment of 70 taels of silver by businessman Gu Liancheng. It was located at No. 218 Yuyuan Road, Jing'an Temple. Its appearance filled the "aristocratic district" of Shanghai!
This place was a gathering place for Shanghai's elite. It was initially run by the French, but eventually went bankrupt due to mismanagement, such as forcing customers to bring dance partners.

After taking over, the businessman switched to using local dancers as companions, opened afternoon shows, and hired a well-known band, which immediately boosted the business.

At the Paramount Ballroom, a good-looking dancer could usually earn a tip of sixty silver dollars a day, and sometimes even more than one hundred.

At that time, the average employee of a foreign firm in Shanghai earned only five silver dollars a day.

A dancer's tips can be ten or even twenty times their wages in a day.

No wonder there's a saying in Shanghai: "People laugh at poverty but not at prostitution."

The night was fragmented into bizarre and colorful pieces by the huge neon sign of the Paramount Ballroom.

Jazz music seeped faintly from the cracks in the tightly closed doors and windows, creating a jarring contrast with the cold darkness of the street corner.

Lu Tao was like a stone blending into the shadows, pressed tightly against the cold brick wall, his breathing extremely low.

He was wearing a dark trench coat with the collar turned up, obscuring most of his face, his eyes fixed on the side door of the Paramount Ballroom that was about to open.

According to the intelligence provided by Zhao Lijun, that was the passage that Tang Shaoyi had reserved.

For this "Thunderbolt Operation" aimed at assassinating Tang Shaoyi, he brought a total of six men, two of whom disguised themselves as temporary waiters, and one who mingled in the kitchen to provide backup.

The other three people, along with him, occupied different positions around the Paramount.

If they can't find an opportunity to assassinate from the outside, then they have no choice but to risk infiltrating the Paramount Ballroom to carry out the operation.

Fortunately, they had planned an escape route in advance: the freight elevator in the direction of the Paramount kitchen.

Once the operation is successful, they will use the elevator to go down to the ground floor and leave through the back door there.

In the shadows not far away, the action team leader, Xie Zhipan, remained equally silent.

His eyes, however, were unusually calm, even carrying a hint of scrutiny that was barely perceptible.

His task tonight is not only to assist the second group in keeping an eye on the Paramount's movements.

Zhao Lijun's orders to him were to keep an eye on Lü Tao.

Xie Zhipan's fingertips unconsciously rubbed against the holster on his waist, where a pistol was hidden.

He knew better than anyone that "Team Leader Lü," the seemingly capable Kuomintang agent who was focused on carrying out his mission, had actually defected to the Japanese.

Zhao Lijun's orders to him were to utilize, monitor, and, if necessary, eliminate.

The purpose of this operation is to use Lü Tao's identity to determine whether he has any accomplices in Group Two.

If it is determined that there is no such thing, then family discipline will be enforced on the spot.

Time ticked by, and the air seemed to freeze.

The hustle and bustle inside the Paramount Ballroom seemed to be isolated by an invisible barrier, leaving only the deathly silence of waiting on the street corner and the heavy breathing of a man.

Lu Tao glanced at his watch. There were still ten minutes until the time he had agreed to meet Ling Jing, which meant that Tang Shaoyi's convoy could appear at any moment during that time.

He didn't know how Ling Jing would handle tonight's assassination attempt; it was very likely that neither Tang Shaoyi nor Yuantian Xiongji were the real people who had come.

More likely, the Jinling Special Service Committee has already devised a detailed plan, just waiting for Lü Tao and his men to make their move so they can wipe them out in one fell swoop.

But these were not his concerns; his mission was to spot the convoy and then fire.

Xie Zhipan was equally nervous, observing the changes around him. The earthworm had found evidence of Lü Tao's meeting with Ling Jing, and now he just wanted to know if Lü Tao had anyone else behind him.
Just then, a series of hurried and suppressed footsteps broke the silence from the alley behind them. Xie Zhipan turned around abruptly and saw a dark figure rushing up to him, panting heavily, his face pale and his forehead covered in sweat.

He clutched a piece of paper, soaked with sweat, tightly in his hand.

"Captain! Station Master's urgent order: 'Thunderclap' canceled! Immediately! Right now!" The communications officer's voice was hoarse and distorted from extreme tension and running, each word seeming to be squeezed out of his throat.

"What's going on?" Xie Zhipan's eyes suddenly narrowed, and he snatched the note. There was only one line of scribbled code on it, which translated to: "Operation Thunderclap, terminate immediately."

"The Jinling Special Service Committee has formulated Operation Chopping Wood, with the goal of capturing all personnel involved in today's assassination attempt on Tang. All personnel must evacuate immediately and must not be exposed."

"Furthermore, orders from higher command: eliminate Lü Tao."

Xie Zhipan pursed his lips, already understanding the situation. It seemed that there were also Kuomintang agents within the Nanjing Special Service Committee; otherwise, Zhao Lijun wouldn't have known about such a plan.

Considering Zhao Lijun's calm demeanor after learning that Lü Tao was a traitor, he finally understood that Zhao Lijun clearly had great confidence in the undercover agent and knew that he could keep track of every move of the Nanjing Special Service Committee.

Therefore, he did not rush to abandon the Jinbei Road stronghold, but stayed to deal with Lü Tao, so as not to arouse his suspicion.

After destroying the intelligence, Xie Zhipan asked in a deep voice, "Does the station chief have any other instructions?"

The courier said in a deep voice, "The stationmaster told you to be careful and to dispose of the body properly."

Xie Zhipan nodded, took out a flashlight he had prepared in advance, and sent a short signal followed by two long signals toward the location where the gray pigeons were hiding, indicating that the operation was terminated and the team members should be reminded to evacuate immediately.

Immediately afterwards, he glanced at the spot where Lü Tao was hiding and crept up there silently.

"Team Leader Lü, the station chief has ordered the operation to be terminated and all personnel to evacuate." Upon arriving at Lü Tao's hiding place, Xie Zhipan quietly relayed Zhao Lijun's order.

A hint of surprise flashed in Lü Tao's eyes, but he didn't think much of it and disassembled the sniper rifle in his hand.

Just then, Xie Zhipan darted forward and plunged the dagger directly into the other man's heart through his chest.

Lu Tao's body jolted violently, and the expression on his face was instantly replaced by astonishment and disbelief.

He never expected Xie Zhipan to suddenly attack him. A series of excruciating pains shot through his heart, and his mouth was firmly held by Xie Zhipan's large hand, preventing him from making any cries for help.

In just a few seconds, the world in his eyes quickly faded and spun, the blinding neon lights of the Paramount Ballroom turning into a blurry blood red.

In his last shred of consciousness, he seemed to hear Xie Zhipan's cold voice: "Traitorous dog, you deserve to die."

With a thud, Lü Tao fell forward, his body crashing heavily to the ground. Blood quickly spread beneath him, like a red flower suddenly blooming in the darkness...

"Captain," Gray Pigeon had already finished giving the message and arrived in front of Xie Zhipan.

He was puzzled by what he was seeing, but he didn't ask any questions.

"Take the body away," Xie Zhipan said calmly without explaining anything.

"Yes," Grey Dove replied, and the two of them quickly disappeared at the entrance of the Paramount with Lü Tao's body.

In the distance, the music from the Paramount Ballroom continued to be deafening, masking the stench of blood in this corner.

Only a pool of blood on the ground tells the story of what happened...

Mountain city, Hunan Guild Hall, Military Intelligence Bureau office.

Late at night, the lights were still on in Boss Dai's office. Boss Dai sat behind his desk, looking somewhat dazed.

A short while later, a knock sounded on the door…

(End of this chapter)