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

Chapter 195 Section Chief Chen, help!
Yoko Minami stared intently at Doiyuu: "Teacher, what do you mean?"

Doi-maru said earnestly, "Yoko, it's precisely because I don't want you to become that kind of person that I'm desperately trying to stop you from taking that step."

"You should know that sometimes, if a person makes the wrong choice, the consequences can be more terrifying than death."

Yoko Nanada frowned, but still insisted, "Teacher, you don't need to try to persuade me."

"I know what I'm doing, please give me a chance."

"Yoko, why are you doing this to yourself?" Doi-Yuan sighed deeply, looking at Minamida's stubborn expression: "Alright, I can take you to see Chief of Staff Kawabe."

"I hope your military deployment map of the mountain city will impress him. I can't do anything else."

"However, I still want to say one more thing: I hope you won't regret it."

Yoko Minami bowed ninety degrees: "Teacher, I will not regret it."

In Shanghai, New Year's Day is also the Japanese New Year.

Since the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese have designated January 1st of each year as New Year's Day.

Just like the Chinese, the shops and department stores in the Japanese community also offered various discounts to the Japanese community on this day to attract them to spend money.

Moreover, on the day the New Year arrived, the heads of many units in the south arrived in Shanghai to submit their annual work summaries to the Army Ministry.

This is what is known as a performance review.

The Army will select those with outstanding performance from among them and recommend them to the mainland, where the mainland will decide whether to promote them further.

Those who lack ability will have their positions adjusted after discussion by the staff.

Meanwhile, the controversy surrounding Wang's alleged affair with a woman did not stop, and even showed signs of escalating.

Universities in Shanghai, such as Hujiang College and Tongji College, have raised the banner of strike in protest against Wang's remarks.

Not only them, but even the labor union was secretly planning a major strike.

It was 10 a.m. on New Year's Day.

The air inside Hujiang University seemed to be ignited.

This place is no longer the tranquil ivory tower it once was. Slogans, like snowflakes, are plastered all over the walls and tree trunks, their ink dripping and shocking: "Severely punish the traitor Wang Jingwei!"

"Oppose surrender, persist in the war of resistance!"

"Studying should not be done without thinking about saving the country!"

The students were outraged and gathered on the playground and in the auditorium, with impassioned speeches and angry slogans rising in waves.

The classrooms were almost empty; the professors either tacitly approved, participated, or sighed helplessly.

It wasn't just universities. When the news spread, workers at several Japanese-owned textile factories and dock companies in the French Concession and the International Settlement also joined the strike.

The workers walked out of the workshop and gathered at the factory gate, silently but firmly expressing their protest against capitulationism.

Students and workers began to march in the streets, carrying flags and banners and singing anti-Japanese songs, heading towards the edge of the Japanese-occupied area like an unstoppable torrent.

Wang's telegram was like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, thoroughly enraging the national conscience that had not yet been extinguished in this isolated island city.

Shanghai, 625 Daxi Road, Jinling Special Service Committee Shanghai Office.

The atmosphere here is the complete opposite of the bustling outside world; it is cold and desolate.

The radio crackled incessantly, and the telephone rang shrilly. Secret agents dressed in Mao suits or Western suits hurried about, their faces grave.

Zuo Mingquan had just finished a high-pressure, encrypted phone call from Nanjing, and his face was so dark it could drip water.

He slammed down the phone and roared at the several action team leaders waiting for orders in the office:
"Did you all hear that? It's an order from headquarters! Those ignorant fools from Shanghai University and the Labor Union dare to openly incite strikes and boycotts, oppose the peace movement, and slander the government! This is a counter-revolutionary act that undermines Sino-Japanese cooperation and the construction of a new order! It cannot be tolerated!"

He slammed his fist on the table: "Orders from above: Act immediately! Arrest all the ringleaders and organizers of the demonstrations! Be quick! Be ruthless! Make an example of them! We absolutely cannot allow this evil trend to spread!"

The team leaders replied in unison, "Yes, sir!"

neighborhood near Hujiang University
The march grew larger and larger, with students and workers joining together in high spirits. Little did they know that danger was quietly approaching.

Several black sedans and trucks full of plainclothes agents drove silently into the nearby streets like ghosts, blocking off all the intersections.

These members of the Nanjing Special Service Committee were different from ordinary police officers; they were more ruthless and unscrupulous.

Suddenly, a piercing whistle rang out!

"Move! Arrest them!" Ling Jing, the leader of the action team, gave the order.

The special agents of the action team rushed towards the parade from all directions like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey!

Their target was clear: the key students and workers who were giving speeches, giving instructions, or who appeared to be organizers.

"What are you doing!"

"Why are you arresting people?!" "Patriotism is not a crime!"

Exclamations, shouts, and cries of struggle instantly replaced the previous slogans.

The team descended into chaos. The agents showed no mercy, punching, kicking, and smashing with pistol butts, roughly dragging the target out and shoving him into the waiting car.

When students tried to resist, they were immediately beaten even more brutally, and blood stained the banners.

The scene was chaotic, with cries and curses filling the air.

What started as a passionate protest quickly turned into a horrific scene of violent arrests.

Shanghai, Southern Transportation Department.

The intense work of the past few days and the shadow of the suppression of the Communist Party have left Chen Yang, deputy director of the Nanjing Special Service Committee, feeling extremely exhausted.

Just as he returned to the office door, a figure dressed in a silk robe, unable to conceal his anxiety and fear, suddenly rushed out of the shadows and almost bumped into him.

"Section Chief Chen! Section Chief Chen! Help! Please, please help me!"

Upon closer inspection, Chen Yang realized it was Shen Xingshan, a senior figure in the Shanghai Green Gang known for his "Tong" generation.

The two sides had cooperated before. Chen Yang handed over Zhang Xiaolin's opium business to Shen Xingshan, who then joined forces with Ji Yunqing, Yang Zaitian and his gang of quacks to deal with Zhang Xiaolin's men.

Nowadays, their private goods are also transported through Chen Yang's transportation network, making him a major client.

At this moment, Shen Xingshan was completely devoid of his usual composure and the demeanor of a gangster boss. His hair was disheveled, his eyes were sunken, and his face was covered in oil, sweat, and panic. He clung tightly to Chen Yang's arm as if he had grasped the last straw.

"Boss Shen? What's going on..." Chen Yang was startled, but remained calm on the surface, trying to break free from his grasp. "What happened? Let's go into the office and talk slowly."

"It's my troublesome daughter! Qingyao! Section Chief Chen, you have to save her!" Shen Xingshan's voice was choked with sobs, and he spoke incoherently, "She...she participated in the demonstration at Shanghai University! She was arrested by those damned agents of the Special Affairs Committee!"

“I only have one daughter! Her mother passed away early, and I raised her and sent her to university. Who knew she would... she would do such a dangerous thing!”

Chen Yang immediately understood.

Shen Qingyao, a female student at Shanghai University, was progressive in her thinking and had long been on the arrest list. Unexpectedly, she turned out to be Shen Xingshan's daughter and became a typical example of the leaders of this incident who were arrested.

“Boss Shen, you…” Chen Yang tried to keep his voice steady, “Sigh, the Special Committee is also acting on the orders of the Japanese.”

"Over there... well, things are tense right now. You know about Mr. Wang's case; their arrests were all approved by higher-ups, so I'm afraid..."

"I know it's difficult! I know it's difficult!" Shen Xingshan interrupted him urgently before he could finish, almost kneeling down. "Section Chief Chen, who doesn't know that you have influence among the Japanese and in the Meiji Restoration Government!"

"Putting aside your position as the head of the Special Service Department, as the head of the Army Transportation Section, you are in charge of land and water transportation and have connections with various parties!"

"Please, considering that I, Old Shen, have been somewhat useful in the past and have done some favors for you, please think of a way!"

"I'll spend any amount of money! I'd even go bankrupt! She's my only daughter!"

Shen Xingshan had been in the underworld for many years and knew the methods of these people well. Anyone who went in would either die or be severely injured. His daughter was a pampered female student. How could she withstand those tortures?
At this moment, he was no longer a gang leader, but simply a desperate father.

Chen Yang was in a very difficult position. Officially, he was an official of the Japanese puppet government. Interfering with "saboteurs," especially those arrested during the sensitive period after the "Yan Telegram," could easily backfire and arouse suspicion from Kagesa and Fujita.

Personally, he didn't have much affection for Shen Xingshan; it was just a relationship of mutual exploitation.

But... Shen Qingyao was just a student who suffered this fate because of her patriotic act, and his conscience could not ignore it.

Moreover, Shen Xingshan has deep-rooted influence in Shanghai, so if we can use this opportunity to do him a favor, it might be beneficial for our future work.

“Mr. Shen, it’s not that I don’t want to help…” Chen Yang carefully chose his words, “If I rashly ask for the person, not only will I fail to get him, but I might also harm your daughter.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Xingshan's face turned ashen, and tears streamed down his face: "Then...then what can we do? Are we just going to watch her...Section Chief Chen, you must have a way! Please, please do something, even just a word! As long as she can get out, I, Shen Xingshan, will serve you like a slave for the rest of my life!"

Chen Yang pondered for a moment, then lowered his voice: "Releasing her out directly is probably impossible. But perhaps... we can try to smooth things over inside, at least to ensure that your daughter is not tortured, suffers less, and survives."

"I'll try to find out more about how much evidence they have and where the case will ultimately be sent."

"As long as a person is alive and not sentenced to death, there is always room for maneuver."

This is currently the most realistic and achievable option. Directly getting someone released is too risky, but bribing prison guards, turning to insiders to improve their treatment, or gathering information are relatively feasible, though this still requires extreme caution.

Shen Xingshan seemed to have grasped a glimmer of hope, nodding repeatedly: "Good, good, good! No suffering! Life saved! That's good! That's good! How much money do you need? I'll prepare it right away! Gold bars, US dollars, or antiques and paintings? You name it!"

"If I have it, I definitely won't haggle!"

"We'll talk about that later." Chen Yang waved his hand and looked around warily. "This matter is of utmost importance; we must not make a big fuss about it."

"Mr. Shen, go back and wait for news. Remember not to ask anyone else for help, and especially don't make a fuss, otherwise it will only backfire."

"Also, if your daughter is able to get out, be sure to hide her well, at least for the time being."

Chen Yang patted Shen Xingshan on the shoulder earnestly: "I'm doing this for her own good."

(End of this chapter)