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

Chapter 197 Something happened

"No, no problem." Zuo Mingquan swallowed and quickly said, "Hurry up and bring Miss Shen out."

The junior agent frantically opened the cage, and Chen Yang snorted coldly before walking into the cell.

Only when he got closer could Chen Yang clearly see Shen Qingyao's appearance.

This is a strikingly beautiful girl from the Jiangnan region. Her skin is delicate and fair, nurtured by the water towns of Jiangnan, like the finest mutton fat jade. However, there are several places marked with bloody welts from whippings.
Her eyebrows were curved, her nose was small and delicate, and there was a trace of blood on her upper and lower lips. Her head leaned limply against the cell wall, her hair was black and shiny, and a few strands of hair hung messily on her ears and neck.
Southern girls are usually petite and delicate.
Shen Qingyao was no exception. She was less than five feet tall, with a slender frame, and wore the student uniform of Shanghai University. Underneath her light blue jacket was a black skirt, and underneath she wore thick white tights.
Now, these clothes are torn in many places, exposing the skin underneath.

"Miss Shen, are you still able to leave?" Chen Yang asked gently.

Shen Qingyao leaned against the wall, struggled to stand up, and looked at Chen Yang and Zuo Mingquan behind her.

"Hmm," Chen Yang frowned, looking at Shen Qingyao's expression, and gently raised his hand.

Zuo Mingquan was clever; he immediately said to the junior agent beside him, "Go and get me some clean clothes."

The junior agent responded and quickly retrieved a clean uniform from the next room. Chen Yang took the uniform, casually draped it over Shen Qingyao, and helped her out of the cell.

"Phew," Zuo Mingquan wiped the sweat from his forehead as he watched Chen Yang lead the group of military police away.

"Director, are we just going to release him like that?" Gao Bin from the intelligence department leaned closer and asked cautiously.

"This is quite a troublemaker. Although there is no evidence that she joined the Red Party, she has made many remarks at Shanghai University, criticizing the government and Sino-Japanese friendship."

"It's not unjust to arrest her at all."

Zuo Mingquan's fat face twisted in pain: "Don't I know? But what can we do if the officer wants to protect someone?"

"Never mind, it's just a small fish, let it go."

"As long as the officer doesn't have any designs on that person, we can talk about anything."

"Section Chief Gao, has that person confessed yet?"

A cruel smile appeared on Gao Bin's lips: "Director Zuo, I have accomplished my mission. The guy codenamed Blacksmith has confessed."

"He named two people: Xue Lian, their coded operative in the French Concession, and his superior, Qing Hu."

Zuo Mingquan was overjoyed: "It seems that chess piece is still somewhat useful."

"If this blacksmith is real, then it seems that the old Zhong, who is codenamed 'Manager,' is also real."

"Section Chief Gao, take your men and get ready. According to the time he gave us, tonight, on Fuxu Road, we must catch Lao Zhong."

"Yes."

No sooner had Gao Bin left than a junior agent rushed in in a great hurry.

"Director Zuo, someone outside is looking for you. They say they are from the Special Higher Police."

"Special Higher Police? What are they doing here?" Zuo Mingquan was taken aback, but he had no right to refuse, so he quickly ordered, "Take them to the office, I'll be right there."

"Yes"

The French Concession, Shen Mansion.

The black sedan slowly pulled up outside the imposing yet slightly worn black lacquered gate of the Shen Mansion.

The rain had stopped, and the wet pavement reflected the dim yellow light from the mansion entrance.

Chen Yang got out of the car first, and then opened the back door.

Shen Qingyao slowly got out of the car.

She was wearing a men's coat over her shoulders, her face was still pale, and her eyes held a dazed look of surviving a disaster and a trace of lingering fear.

She instinctively pulled her coat tighter, as if she could still feel the chill in the detention room of the Nanjing Special Service Committee.

Shen Xingshan, who was waiting at the door, rushed forward with tears streaming down his face as soon as he saw his daughter: "Qingyao! My child! You're finally back! You scared your father to death!"

He looked his daughter up and down, and seeing the minor scratches on her face and her haggard appearance, he felt even more heartbroken.

“Father…” When Shen Qingyao saw her father, her nose tingled, and the grievances and fears she had been holding back finally found an outlet, and her voice choked with sobs.

Shen Xingshan hugged his daughter tightly, then turned sharply to Chen Yang, so excited that he was about to kneel down again: "Section Chief Chen! Thank you! Thank you so much! You are the greatest benefactor of my Shen family! You have given me a second life! I, Shen Xingshan, will never forget your kindness!"

Chen Yang said gently, "Mr. Shen, there's no need for that. It's good that she's alright. You should keep a closer eye on her in the future and make sure she doesn't get involved in dangerous things again."

When Shen Qingyao met his gaze, she subconsciously lowered her head, pursing her lips. Was it fear? Gratitude? Or resentment? "Yes, yes, yes! Certainly! I will definitely talk to her properly! I absolutely won't dare to cause you any more trouble!" Shen Xingshan responded repeatedly, then quickly called to the steward and servants behind him, "Quick! Help Miss inside to rest! Make some ginseng soup to calm her nerves!"

Watching his daughter being helped into the mansion by the maid, Shen Xingshan's excitement slowly turned into a shrewd gratitude.

He leaned closer to Chen Yang and quickly pulled out a bulging, long, rectangular package wrapped in thick kraft paper from the inner pocket of his long robe. With extremely discreet and practiced movements, he swiftly stuffed it into Chen Yang's hand.

"Section Chief Chen, this is just a small token of my appreciation! You must have gone to great lengths and spent a lot of money to help with my daughter's matter! I absolutely cannot let you put in so much effort and spend so much money! You must accept this! Otherwise, I will feel guilty for the rest of my life!"

Shen Xingshan lowered his voice, his tone earnest yet carrying the manners of a江湖人 (jianghu person, someone who conducts business in the martial arts world). The paper package was heavy, clearly indicating a substantial amount.

Chen Yang weighed it in his hand, but before he could speak,

Shen Xingshan quickly stepped forward and said, "Section Chief Chen, please don't misunderstand! This is just a small token of my appreciation, there's absolutely no other meaning behind it! There will definitely be more to come..."

Chen Yang smiled and said, "Mr. Shen, you're going too far."

As he spoke, he placed the brown paper package into the car.

“That’s only right,” Shen Xingshan felt reassured upon seeing this scene. Those who spend money always have more confidence in such matters than those who don’t.

"By the way, I heard that Section Chief Chen likes calligraphy and paintings, and I happen to have a few good pieces on hand."

"I'll have someone deliver it to your residence another day, so that Section Chief Chen can take a look."

Chen Yang waved his hand and said, "Boss Shen, I take money to do things, and everyone knows it perfectly well. There's no need for calligraphy and paintings."

Shen Xingshan followed up, saying, "Hey, Section Chief Chen, you're being too polite."

"Calligraphy and paintings are things that only those with the right affinity can possess. We, who are just ordinary people, are just pretending to be cultured. Only someone like Section Chief Chen can appreciate the beauty of these things."

"Section Chief Chen, please don't refuse. I'll send someone to deliver it to your residence another day."

Chen Yang laughed and said, "Boss Shen, your daughter has just returned. Remember what I told you before, don't let her go out again."

"This time I was able to use my superior's name to get her out of the Secret Service prison, but I won't be so lucky next time."

"Spend more time on it yourself and keep an eye on it."

Shen Xingshan nodded repeatedly and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Section Chief Chen. I will definitely do as you say and will not cause you any more trouble."

Chen Yang nodded: "Please go back, I'll be going now."

"Section Chief Chen, please take care."

Shanghai, nighttime, a café on Jinxian Road in the French Concession...
Lin Xueli sat in the innermost booth, his coffee untouched; he was already fifteen minutes past the agreed time.

At this moment, this unusual delay made his sensitive nerves tense, and an ominous premonition spread in his heart.

He had five minutes left. If the person didn't arrive within five minutes, he would have to leave and proceed with the next rendezvous.

Finally, the door to the coffee shop was pushed open, and a figure, carrying a damp and cold aura, quickly approached.

It wasn't the contact person he had expected, but another courier, a "carrier pigeon," who would only be activated in extremely urgent situations.

"How could it be you? Where is the shopkeeper?" Lin Xueli had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

"Carrier Pigeon" was deathly pale. He didn't even have time to take off his dripping trench coat before he hurriedly sat down opposite Lin Xueli. His voice was extremely low, but it carried an undisguised panic: "'Manager' fell into a trap set by the Special Higher Police at the liaison point on Foch Road yesterday evening!"

Lin Xueli's pupils suddenly contracted, and his heart felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer.

The shopkeeper's real name was Zhong Yuan. His position was extremely important; besides being the deputy leader of the underground transportation station, he was also the right-hand man of Comrade Pan, the leader of the Shanghai intelligence group.
Most importantly, he possessed a list of most of the people in Shanghai's intelligence network.
"Specific details! Do you know which department is in charge?" Lin Xueli forced himself to calm down, his voice steady but his pace quickening.

"It was the Special Higher Police who took direct action! The operation was extremely precise and swift, giving us absolutely no warning time!"

"The initial assessment from above... we have a mole within our ranks! And a deeply entrenched traitor! Otherwise, it would be impossible to have such precise knowledge of the 'shopkeeper's' whereabouts and the safe house on Foch Road!"

Traitor! Lin Xueli's eyes narrowed suddenly. This not only meant that Lao Zhong's life was in imminent danger, but also that the entire organization's recent plans might be exposed.

The carrier pigeon said in a deep voice, "The higher-ups have already activated the emergency response mechanism."

"All communication links with the 'shopkeeper' have been severed. In order to rescue the shopkeeper and Xue Lian, the organization appointed 'King of Spades' as a special envoy to rush to Shanghai and take full responsibility for assessing the situation and leading the rescue operation."

"The organization orders you," "Carrier Pigeon" stared intently at Lin Xueli, each word carrying immense weight, "to use all possible means, without jeopardizing your own 'shell,' to ascertain to the greatest extent possible the location of the 'Manager's' detention, the progress of the interrogation, and exactly how much the enemy possesses."

"This will be the main basis for 'King of Spades' to formulate his action plan. But the premise is that your personal safety is absolutely guaranteed! This is an ironclad rule!"

(End of this chapter)