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

Chapter 223 There is a traitor in the Shanghai Railway Station

In an inconspicuous attic in the HK district of Shanghai, the room was filled with a strong mixed smell of alcohol and liniment.

The door was gently pushed open, and Wan Tianmu, the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Shanghai station, walked in with a solemn expression. He brought with him the latest intelligence summary and a top-secret telegram.

"Old Liu," Wan Tianmu's voice was full of praise, "Chen Lu was executed, and the Chairman personally sent an order to commend him, praising my colleagues in Shanghai for their 'unprecedented feat, chilling the enemy to the bone.' This operation has truly brought great honor to the Director and all of us colleagues in Shanghai..."

"Station chief, you flatter me. It is what we soldiers should do to risk our lives for the Party and the country," Liu Geqing replied in a very official tone.

Wan Tianmu nodded and said, "This time we have to thank Liu Haishan for his help. The Chen Mansion is in a lot of chaos right now. The Director has instructed that Liu Haishan has made contributions to the Party and the country and should be rewarded."

"If he wants to withdraw, we will do everything we can to help him."

"By the way, this is the address of his wife and children on Hong Kong Island."

"The Hong Kong Island authorities have made arrangements, so there is no need to worry about daily life."

"Thank you very much, stationmaster," Liu Geqing said sincerely.

Wan Tianmu was slightly taken aback, then waved his hand. This guy didn't say thank you when he heard about the commendation, the promotion, and the fortune.

On the contrary, he thanked Liu Haishan for arranging accommodation for Liu Haishan's wife and children, showing himself to be a truly kind and righteous man.
Wan Tianmu slowly walked to the table, put down the telegram, and his eyes became sharp as knives: "A commendation is a summary of the past."

“We killed Chen Lu, but the enemy will never let it go! The military police, the Special Higher Police, and the Nanjing Special Service Committee are searching the whole city like mad dogs.”

"Chen Lu is dead, but they still have Fu Xiao'an! This die-hard traitor and mayor of Shanghai! His weight is no less than Chen Lu's!"

"The Director personally ordered that Fu Xiao'an must be eliminated. We must strike the enemy again before they can catch their breath! We must use our actions to comfort the spirits of the brothers who died at the Paramount and prove that their sacrifice was worthwhile!"

Liu Geqing suddenly raised his head and said in a deep voice, "When do we make our move?"

“Wait a little longer,” Wan Tianmu said, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. “Fu Xiao’an is a fake mayor of Shanghai. He is elusive and cunning.”

"Liu Haishan was able to infiltrate the Chen residence by taking advantage of the newly formed guards of the Chen residence."

"Upon learning of Chen Lu's incident, Fu Xiao'an became extremely anxious and drastically replaced and strengthened his personal security detail..."

"Especially the bodyguards, almost all of them were veterans directly assigned by the Japanese military police special task force, and the core residence was guarded by a small team of elite Japanese soldiers on rotation, making it extremely difficult for outsiders to infiltrate."

He paused, then pointed to another thin piece of intelligence on the table, “But we are not without a chance. Fu Xiao’an is a superstitious man who believes in feng shui, is greedy for valuables, and has a passion for antiques, especially calligraphy and painting.”

“Every Saturday afternoon at 3 PM, without fail, he would discreetly go to the Tianbaozhai antique shop near the City God Temple to ‘appraise treasures’ and secretly meet his lover. This was his only regular activity, and he was accompanied by relatively fewer guards. This was our only chance!”

“Tianbaozhai…” Liu Geqing murmured the name, his gaze gradually turning cold.

A knock sounded at the door. Wan Tianmu got up and opened it. It was Xiong Jiandong, the captain of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Nanjing Station Action Team.

"Stationmaster, we've confirmed their whereabouts." Xiong Jiandong took off his coat. In Shanghai in March, spring had not yet arrived, and the wind was still biting cold.

"I waited outside Tianbaozhai for three hours, and it wasn't for nothing."

Wan Tianmu patted Xiong Jiandong on the shoulder, "Adong, please explain the details."

“Okay.” Xiong Jiandong nodded: “Fu Xiao’an, whose original name was Zong Yao and courtesy name was Xiao’an, was from Zhenhai, Ning City, Zhejiang Province.”

“He came from a poor family and started working at the British-owned Jesson Shipyard in Shanghai when he was 15 years old.”

"This person is exceptionally intelligent and learned some basic English in just a few months."

"He used his broken English to curry favor with the foreign managers at the shipyard and was quickly promoted to foreman, in charge of the workers' wages."

"During this period, he amassed wealth by withholding workers' wages and purchased properties in Pudong for rental income."

"As his wealth increased, he met Yan Zijun, the son of Yan Xinhou, a wealthy merchant in Shanghai, through foreign channels. He took over the rental business of Yan's family's real estate and recognized Yan Xinhou's concubine, Yang, as his 'godmother'. He took this opportunity to get close to Sheng Xuanhuai, an important minister of the late Qing Dynasty's Westernization Movement."

"Afterwards, he was adopted as Sheng Xuanhuai's 'godson' and gradually became Sheng Xuanhuai's capable assistant and agent in finance and industry."

"Under Sheng Xuanhuai's recommendation, Fu Xiao'an successively served as section chief, director of China Merchants Group, and deputy manager and manager of Huaxing Insurance Company."

"After Sheng Xuanhuai passed away in 1916, Fu Xiao'an revealed his true nature and used various means to nibble away at and embezzle a large amount of Sheng's property, accumulating huge wealth for himself."

"After the fall of Shanghai in 1937, the Japanese sought out influential Chinese to serve in puppet positions in order to implement their strategy of 'using Chinese to control Chinese'."

"On the recommendation of traitors such as Zhou Wenrui, Fu Xiao'an officially took office as the mayor of the puppet 'Shanghai Special Municipality' on October 16 last year."

"After taking office, he worked diligently to serve Japan's policy of aggression against China: suppressing anti-Japanese activities, arresting patriotic anti-Japanese figures, and pressuring the concession authorities to cooperate in arresting people!"

"To curry favor with the Japanese authorities: demand that the concessions not display the Nationalist government's Blue Sky with a White Sun flag, but instead display the puppet regime's five-colored flag."

"His numerous other misdeeds are too many to list; he is undoubtedly a die-hard traitor."

Xiong Jiandong's tone unconsciously turned somewhat angry.

Wan Tianmu raised his hand and said, "Jian Dong, you are an operations expert, meticulous in your thinking, and an excellent marksman. You will be in charge of this operation!"

"Ge Qing served as intelligence support and peripheral coordination."

"You two are old partners, with perfect teamwork. Just let us know what personnel and equipment you need! We'll provide full support from all the resources in the Shanghai station!"

“I and Team Leader Zhou from the Shanghai Station Intelligence Division will assist you. On Saturday afternoon, I will arrange for someone to create a small-scale disturbance at a nearby alleyway to attract the attention of the patrolling police and some guards.”

"Jian Dong, take a high-powered Browning pistol with a silencer, try to fire at close range, and then leave through the second-floor passage of 'Si Shi Ju' in the back alley. Ge Qing will be there to meet you."

"Remember, you must evacuate within three minutes of killing Fu Xiao'an! His Japanese bodyguards react extremely quickly and have heavy firepower, so do not linger! Aim for a fatal blow and then disappear!"

Liu Geqing tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making a barely audible tapping sound, as if he were calculating each step of the action.

He didn't respond immediately to Wan Tianmu's arrangements, but instead asked, "Old Xiong, has the final confirmation process been completed? Is it possible that Fu Xiao'an might change his itinerary after Chen Lu's death?"

Xiong Jiandong answered confidently, "Yes, it's true. Fu Xiao'an's mistress is named Xing Huilan, the former secretary of Guo Maosheng, the owner of Shanghai Department Store."

"She was spotted by Fu Xiao'an at a Shanghai Chamber of Commerce party and quickly fell into his arms."

“I arranged for Fang Ze to follow her all the way. When she was getting her hair done in the afternoon, she told me that Fu Xiao’an had invited her to Tianbaozhai on Saturday and had prepared a gift for her.”

"Men, once they're overcome by lust, won't care about anything ahead, not even mountains of knives or seas of fire."

"Alright, I have no problem with that." Liu Geqing nodded, his tone carrying a calm killing intent. "Weapons, route map, rendezvous point."

"The weapons will arrive Saturday morning. Keep the route map safe and do your on-site survey." Xiong Jiandong handed the route map to Liu Geqing.

The two were partners in Nanjing, and everyone knew each other's way of doing things.

"Then I'll be going now." Liu Geqing picked up the hat beside him, cupped his hands in greeting to the two of them, put the route map in his pocket, and slipped out of the contact point.

March 13th, 1939 (Saturday).

The sky was as gloomy as a huge leaden curtain, as if it might fall at any moment.

The cold wind swirled dust and scraps of paper in the narrow alleyway.

The area around the City God Temple was much quieter than usual, as the shadow of Chen Lu's stabbing had not yet dissipated.

Wearing a thick cotton robe and an old felt hat, Wan Tianmu looked like a lowly clerk whose spine had been crushed by life. He entered the private room by the window on the second floor of the "Luyang Teahouse" not far from Tianbaozhai two hours early.

As the operation commander, although he does not personally participate in the assassination, he must have the ability to control the overall situation and respond to any unexpected events.

In other words, he had to ensure that Xiong Jiandong and Liu Geqing's operation went smoothly.

The teahouse has a wide view, and you can clearly see the black lacquered gate of "Tianbaozhai" 20 or 30 meters away.

He ordered a pot of jasmine tea and sipped it slowly, but his gaze was fixed like a hawk's on every corner of the Tianbaozhai entrance and the street.

Liu Geqing mingled among the crowd at the food stalls in the City God Temple. He was wearing a tattered cotton-padded jacket with the hood pulled low, and his right hand was inside his clothes, tightly gripping a Browning pistol from a package.

This is the same gun that killed Chen Lu. Before the operation, he had disassembled and maintained it twice, and applied gun oil. In addition, there were three spare seven-round magazines in his other pocket.

At the stalls outside Tianbaozhai, Xiong Jiandong, dressed like a middle-aged wealthy businessman, squatted in front of the stalls, picking and choosing the items, but his eyes never left the entrance of Tianbaozhai.

About a hundred meters away from Tianbaozhai, Wu Ming, the leader of the intelligence team, was eating knife-cut noodles with three of his men in front of a noodle stall.

They were dressed as laborers who had just finished work, and there were several carts that the workers used to go to work parked nearby.

Several coarse cloth sacks were lying haphazardly on the cart; it was unclear what they contained.

Their task was to cause a minor car accident at around 2:50 p.m., about 100 meters from Tianbaozhai, without alerting anyone, to briefly block traffic and cause a small disturbance, thus drawing the attention of some of the outer sentries and patrol officers.

Their location is relatively safe, and they can evacuate once the mission is complete.

Time ticked by, and it was exactly 2:50 PM.

Wu Ming, who was picking his teeth, suddenly frowned and nodded sharply to Fang Ze, who was sitting opposite him.

Fang Ze dodged and pushed the dilapidated cart toward the intersection, deliberately "losing control" and overturning it at the designated spot!
The sacks were opened, and lime powder instantly scattered like smoke bombs!
A rickshaw that was about to pass collided with it unexpectedly!

The burst of smoke immediately alerted several patrol officers nearby.

The driver screamed, the police officer cursed, the lime choked people, and passersby and vendors all panicked and ran away!
The intersection instantly descended into chaos!
"Fire! Run!" Wu Ming and his group screamed in their local accents, lighting several small bamboo firecrackers they had prepared beforehand and throwing them towards the edge of the chaotic crowd. Then, they quickly ducked into a narrow alley they had already scouted out and disappeared. The chaos was successfully created! The police officers and two plainclothes officers on the periphery were indeed drawn to the scene.

Wan Tianmu saw everything clearly from the teahouse window, a hint of admiration in his eyes; the first step of his plan had succeeded.
At this time, the area in front of Tianbaozhai was relatively quiet.

A black sedan was discreetly parked near the gate. The driver leaned against the car smoking, while two burly men in gray overcoats stood guard at the entrance. A sound coming from afar alerted the two men.

They instinctively looked toward the riots not far away.

Xiong Jiandong, who had been selecting goods at the street stalls, quickly got up and swaggered into Tianbaozhai.
The second step of the plan has also been completed.
Immediately afterwards, a shout suddenly came from the direction of the back door of Tianbaozhai: "Murder! Murder!"

The two guards' expressions changed drastically. They rushed inside.

The shop assistants from Tianbaozhai rushed out of the gate like madmen and ran towards the police patrol posts on the street. However, due to the commotion at the intersection, the patrol posts were empty, and the plan went quite smoothly.

The next moment, Xiong Jiandong lowered his hat and strode out of Tianbaozhai. Seeing this, Wan Tianmu picked up his teacup, slowly drank the last mouthful of cold tea, pressed a silver coin to the bottom of the cup, and quickly and silently got up, left the private room, and headed towards the side door leading to the back alley of Tianbaozhai according to the predetermined route.

After completing the assassination, Xiong Jiandong needed to further confirm whether the target was dead.

Of course, this was risky, but he had already calculated that it would take at least three minutes for the patrol officers to arrive after receiving his colleague's report, while he only needed one minute to pretend to be passing by the back alley.
One step, two steps...

His heartbeat was as steady as a cold machine. Passing through the narrow passageway behind the teahouse, filled with the smell of mildew and goods, ahead was the side door leading to the back alley of Tianbaozhai.

Simply push open that heavy wooden door, and you can enter the secluded back alley directly.

But just as his fingers were about to pull the latch, an almost beast-like intuition, honed from countless struggles on the brink of life and death, suddenly pierced his spine like a steel needle, causing his mind to tighten for no reason!

Wan Tianmu's gaze suddenly swept to the only window above the side door, where there seemed to be an extremely slight movement of shadows!
wrong
It felt as if someone was watching my every move. In an instant, a terrifying thought flashed through my mind like lightning!

Wan Tianmu's muscles tensed instantly. Without any hesitation, he abruptly retreated, preparing to abandon his mission!
Unfortunately, it's too late.

The windows on the second floor of the teahouse were shattered instantly! Several dark submachine gun muzzles were clearly visible!

At the same time, the latch above the side door was suddenly pulled open violently, and the agent lying in ambush behind the door shouted, "Don't move!"

"Put your hands up!"

The angry shouts were like thunderclaps! A mixture of Japanese and Chinese!
Spies, lurking in front of and behind the teahouse, surged out like a tide from the narrow doorways and windows, and even from the shadows of the goods piled up in the warehouse!
In an instant, all his escape routes were completely blocked from all directions, and the dense gun barrels wove a seamless net of death!

Before Wan Tianmu could even draw his gun, he was already pinned to the ground by at least five strong enemies!
The knee slammed into his spine, twisted his arm, and the cold butt of the gun slammed into his temple!

"Mr. Wan, I've heard so much about you!" Qingqi Qingyin walked over with a cold smile, his leather shoes making a crisp sound on the cold ground. "Let me introduce myself. I am Qingqi Qingyin, the deputy director of the Mei Agency."

Wan Tianmu's vision blurred, his head throbbed with pain, and his mouth was filled with salty blood.

He was pressed firmly to the cold, dirty ground, his face covered in dust.

Through the gap between the legs, he saw that Fu Xiao'an's short, stout figure had been quickly escorted into the back door of Tianbaozhai. The two "guards" at the door were looking this way, with smug and mocking expressions on their faces.

The driver stubbed out his cigarette, opened the car door for the fat traitor to get in, and then the car started and sped away from the meticulously planned slaughterhouse.

“Old Xiong…” Wan Tianmu felt a chill in his heart, and anger and a strong sense of betrayal surged like magma.

He gritted his teeth, suppressing the name he almost shouted into his throat.

Xiong Jiandong! It must be Xiong Jiandong! He's a traitor...

Haruki Yoshitane looked down smugly at his prey, who was being held down tightly, kicked the Browning pistol that had fallen to the ground at Mantenki's feet, and ordered the agent next to him in Japanese, "Take him away."

In Shanghai, at the Southern Transportation Department, Qingqi Qingyin left the Land Transportation Section office with a smile.

Once his figure disappeared from sight, the smile on Chen Yang's lips slowly faded.
Wan Tianmu, the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Shanghai station, was arrested.

This news shocked him immensely. When Qingqi Qingyin told Chen Yang the news with a smug look on his face, Chen Yang's first reaction was that there was a traitor within the Military Intelligence Bureau.

Otherwise, how could the head of the Kuomintang's Shanghai station be captured so easily?

He's a seasoned veteran who's been in the intelligence field for over a decade or two.

If he didn't have some tricks up his sleeve, he would have died long ago.

However, Qingqi Qingyin was also very careful and did not tell Chen Yang whether there were really traitors within the Military Intelligence Bureau.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Chen Yang, but rather that Yingzuo had already instructed him that Chen Yang wasn't a professional intelligence officer.

It's best to keep him out of some classified intelligence work; otherwise, if the operation fails, he could be implicated.

His intention might have been to protect Chen Yang, but in Qingqi Qingyin's view, it was because Yingzu felt that Chen Yang was not capable enough.

Of course, Qingqi Qingyin's visit this time wasn't simply to boast about his achievements or to inform Chen Yangmei that the organization had captured Wan Tianmu.

He was following Kagesa's orders to have Chen Yang arrange a train to send Wan Tianmu to Jinling, where he would be handed over to Yuanda Xiongji and Kagesa for interrogation.

Kagesa worried that leaving Wan Tianmu in Shanghai would give the Special Higher Police an excuse to interfere with the interrogation.

After all, the secrets known to a Kuomintang station chief are not something that ordinary agents can access.

Moreover, who is Wan Tianmu? He is Boss Dai's top general.

From the Blue Shirts Society to the Military Intelligence Bureau, he served as the head of the North China region, and was involved in the construction of most of the Military Intelligence Bureau's intelligence network, including the Tianjin, Nanjing, and Shanghai stations.
If we can get even a little bit out of him, we'll have accomplished a great feat.
The fact that the Mei Agency had just been established and had no notable achievements already drew extreme dissatisfaction from the Special Higher Police.

It's important to understand that both the Special Higher Police and the Mei Agency require a certain amount of supplies.

The more intelligence agencies that are established, the more of the pre-planned supplies will be diverted away.

This power struggle between institutions is just like the infighting between different departments in Chinese dynasties throughout history, where they seize any opportunity to persecute someone to death.

Chen Yang held his coffee, stirring it slowly as he pondered Wan Tianmu's situation.

Kagesa had made ample preparations to extract useful information from Mantenki.

This time, the escort team consisted of a well-equipped squad.

A Japanese squad is not just a few or a dozen; it consists of three platoons plus a heavy firepower platoon.

It was equipped with four light machine guns and six grenade launchers.

Given the limited capabilities of the Shanghai Military Intelligence Bureau, a rescue operation would face numerous difficulties.

Moreover, Chen Yang's biggest concern was not whether they could be rescued, but that the traitor hidden within the Military Intelligence Bureau had not yet been found.

This is the most crucial issue. If he hadn't shown up, the information Chen Yang had sent out would likely have been leaked.

The Japanese would immediately suspect that there was a spy within their ranks.

Moreover, anyone who knows the transportation process so well would be Chen Yang as their first suspect.

Although Chen Yang has a network now, he is still a liaison and not an indispensable figure.

For his own safety, Chen Yang thought it over and decided to remain silent.

Perhaps the Military Intelligence Bureau knew about Wan Tianmu's arrest and had already made a rescue plan.
Night, seven o'clock, the moon veiled the sand.
The black sedan slowly drove into the parking lot behind Moonlit Sand. A waitress waiting under the covered walkway stepped forward with small, quick steps and respectfully opened the car door.

"Good evening, Minister Suzuhara." Suzuhara Shingo had only been here once before, but that didn't stop the waitress from recognizing him at a glance.

Lin Su has a unique way of training people; she can always maximize the abilities of her subordinates.

The waitress's name was Suzuzawa Natsuki. Although her appearance wasn't top-tier, her memory was the best Lin Su had ever seen. She would never forget any customer she had served, no matter how much time had passed.

It can be said that such a person already possesses the most basic qualifications to become a madam.

Chen Yang also realized that this Miss Xia Shu would likely open an izakaya (Japanese pub) in the Shinjuku area and become the proprietress after returning to her homeland.
"Miss Natsuki, good evening. I have an appointment with Section Chief Chen." Shingo Suzuhara smiled warmly.

Suzuzawa Natsuki bowed slightly and said, "Section Chief Chen is already waiting for you upstairs. Please come with me."

With that, Suzusawa Natsuki bowed slightly in invitation, then took small steps to lead the way, taking Suzuhara Shingo up to the third-floor private room.

Inside the private room, Chen Yang was already waiting.
"Minister Suzuhara, it's been a long time! You still look so radiant and full of energy."

Lingyuan laughed and said, "Mr. Chen is too good at talking. I'm almost sixty years old. Where do I have any more spirit?"

"Just barely surviving."

Chen Yang smiled in agreement and gestured for Suzuhara to sit down.

"Minister Suzuhara, if I remember correctly, this is your second time here since Tsukigami opened."

"I know you've never liked socializing, so you must have something to discuss with me today..."

Lingyuan nodded and said without any hesitation, "That's right, Mr. Chen. We've known each other for a long time, so I won't beat around the bush with you."

"You take a look at this first."

As he spoke, Suzuhara took a document out of his briefcase and handed it over.
(End of this chapter)