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

Chapter 227 Boss Dai, you've fallen for their trap.

The Military Intelligence Bureau's interrogation room in Nanjing was hidden deep underground in a Western-style building somewhere in the city.
The man bound to the rack at this moment is Wan Tianmu, the former station chief of the Shanghai Station. At this time, he is only wearing a tattered, blood-stained undershirt.

His face, covered in blood and swollen with bruises, was even more horrifying.

His jaw drooped as if dislocated, and saliva mixed with blood kept dripping from the corner of his mouth onto the dirty floor.

Each weak breath brought excruciating pain to every part of his body, causing him to convulse uncontrollably.

Two burly men, wearing vests that revealed their muscular arms, were also covered in bloodstains.

They handled him like a lifeless object, unfastening the iron clasps binding Wan Tianmu's wrists, roughly twisting and stretching his limp arms upwards, then tightly gripping his wrists with another, smaller iron ring, and hoisting him up again!
In an instant, the excruciating pain of his bones and ligaments being forcibly stretched to their limits caused Wan Tianmu to let out a beast-like howl. His previously unfocused eyes suddenly sharpened, filled with endless terror and pain.

"Station Chief Wan, you might as well confess." The head of the secret service in charge of interrogation sat on a chair to the side, legs crossed, picking at the dirt under his fingernails with a thin bamboo stick.

"The newspapers said you suffered terribly, that the Japanese beat you to a pulp, but in the end, you walked out of Tiger Bridge Central Prison unharmed."

"You're not trying to say you went on vacation to prison, are you?"

Wan Tianmu shook his head laboriously, "No, this is a Japanese conspiracy... I didn't say anything... I really didn't say anything..."

"Tsk tsk, he's definitely one of our seniors, he's got some backbone." Zhao Biao winked.

A burly man picked up a cowhide whip that was soaking in a bucket of salt water, flicked his wrist, and with a loud crack, the air was torn apart!

The whip tip struck Wan Tianmu's left inner thigh precisely, tearing open a gruesome gash in the already bruised and fragile flesh, exposing the flesh beneath! Fresh blood spurted out with a "whoosh," splattering all over the executioner's face!
Wan Tianmu felt as if he had been electrocuted, and an indescribable scream burst from his throat as his entire body twisted violently under the restraint of the iron chains!

The pain was like an invisible giant hand gripping his heart and every nerve!
The whip did not stop. "Crack! Crack! Crack!..." It rained down on the same spot! Each lash was a repeated and cruel torment of the same horrific wound! Wan Tianmu's screams were initially high-pitched, then became hoarse and distorted due to suffocation, and finally only a desperate growl and convulsions remained.

Salt water was splashed on it! "Ah!!!" This was no longer a human scream, but a scream that was close to despair.

The salt water felt like countless steel needles piercing into exposed nerves and fresh wounds. Wan Tianmu's eyes rolled back, his body convulsed violently, and he nearly fainted.

Next came the red-hot branding iron.

The sizzling, red-hot iron block looked particularly terrifying in the dim light.

The executioner did not choose to press it onto his body, but instead slowly pressed it onto Wan Tianmu's bare instep.

"Hiss~~~~~!!!" White smoke mixed with the stench of burning flesh suddenly rose up!
Wan Tianmu's pupils suddenly shrank to pinpoints, all the screams vanished instantly, and his whole body was like a bow stretched to its limit, his mouth open but unable to utter a sound, only a desperate "ho...ho..." sound came from deep in his throat.

The immense pain exceeded the limits of the nerve response, bringing with it an eerie, brief stillness.

The next second, a bloodcurdling scream, pierced by excruciating pain, burst forth like a flood bursting its banks, heart-wrenching and agonizing!
Tears streamed down his face uncontrollably, and he cried out helplessly like a child.

The torture continued in a vicious cycle. Whipping, waterboarding, bamboo skewers driven into fingernails... In the intervals between each torment, Zhao Biao's death-dealing question would resurface.

Wan Tianmu's mental world completely collapsed amidst the political intrigue and the life-or-death struggle on the intelligence front.
At this moment, all that endless physical torment seems so ridiculous and distant.

His once-proud mind was crushed to dust by excruciating pain and fear.

Dignity and integrity were reduced to the most humble desire to survive.

"Stop...please...stop..." Wan Tianmu's voice was as weak as a whisper, each breath laced with blood.

The heavy iron door slid open silently, and a tall, straight figure walked in.

The person who arrived was wearing a neatly pressed navy blue woolen Zhongshan suit, and his hair was perfectly styled.

Wu Gengshu took out his pocket watch and glanced at the time. Then, he slowly took out a silk handkerchief and gently covered his mouth and nose, seemingly disgusted by the polluted air.

His gaze was calm and unwavering as he looked down at the mangled, unrecognizable mass of flesh and blood on the rack.

Wan Tianmu's blurred vision caught sight of that figure, like a drowning man seeing the only piece of driftwood. He grabbed at it like a savior, and with his last remaining strength cried out, "Brother Moqian, stop! Stop! I need to see Boss Dai! I'm innocent! I didn't say anything!"

Wu Gengshu waved his hand, and Zhao Biao immediately ordered the executioners to step back a few steps, but did not release Wan Tianmu from his restraints.

Walking slowly to the rack, Wu Gengshu avoided the bloodstains on the ground.

He used a handkerchief as a pad to pinch Wan Tianmu's chin, which was twitching in pain. "Brother Renqiang, even now you still won't tell me. I'm in a difficult position too."

“You’re closer to Boss Dai than I am, so you should know better that we wouldn’t dare to lay a hand on you if it weren’t for his orders.”

"Brother Moqian, listen to me! I...I'm willing to offer...offer...all my wealth! All my gold! US dollars!" Wan Tianmu stammered, tears streaming down his face, afraid that if he spoke too slowly, the torture would begin again. "Everything! Everything is for Boss Dai! I just...I just beg Boss Dai...to spare me...to spare my worthless life!"

A barely perceptible glint of greed and calculation flashed in Wu Gengshu's eyes, but his face remained icy cold: "All your assets? Including everything you know...?"

"All of it! Everything! Not a single penny left!" Wan Tianmu shouted with all his might. "I still have $40,000 in personal savings at HSBC. Just tell me, and I'll give you that money."

Wu Gengshu's gaze was sharp as a knife, as if trying to dig into the depths of Wan Tianmu's brain. After a long while, he nodded slightly: "Brother Renqiang, I dare not make any guarantees, I can only try."

"If the higher-ups don't agree, there's nothing I can do..."

Wan Tianmu cried out as if grasping at a last straw, “I know… I only beg… I only beg Boss Dai… to give me a chance to return to Shancheng for trial… no… I mean… to be investigated! I am willing to accept any punishment from Boss Dai!”

Wu Gengshu released his grip on his chin, and then threw the handkerchief into the filthy blood next to Wan Tianmu like trash.

He slowly and deliberately took out a fountain pen and an elegant notebook from his pocket, as if he were discussing a routine business transaction:

"Complete a detailed list of your assets, including domestic and foreign bank deposits, real estate, stocks, paintings, securities, as well as the locations of related secret accounts, passwords, and vouchers, and everything else you know."

Zhao Biao immediately brought the prepared paper and pen to Wan Tianmu and untied his hands, which were tied behind his back.

Wan Tianmu trembled so much that he could not hold the pen, so he could only dictate while others recorded.

"HSBC Bank...Safe Deposit Box...Section...50 US Standard Gold Bars..."
"No. XX, Avenue Joffre, French Concession, Garden Villa... The key is in a hidden compartment in the floor..."

Just as he was about to faint from exhaustion, Zhao Biao looked at Wu Gengshu and made a very subtle gesture, pointing to the complex-structured, gleaming electric torture device in the corner.

Wu Gengshu nodded expressionlessly.

Before Wan Tianmu could even scream, a massive electric current had already pierced through his mangled body!

Like a rag doll flung away by an invisible giant hand, he convulsed and throbbed violently on the rack once more!
Eyes rolled back and foam came out of the mouth.

This time, the "added ingredients" were no longer a forced confession, but more like a final, thorough humiliation and trampling on him, destroying the last shred of his self-respect as a human being.

When the current stopped, Wan Tianmu became completely limp, incontinent, and resembled a real pile of mud.

His last line of defense was completely breached...

More than ten minutes later, Wu Gengshu stood up from his chair, looked at the dense list of wealth and names on the statement paper, and finally a cold smile appeared on his lips.

"Brother Renqiang, let's stop here for now." With that, Wu Gengshu slowly walked out of the interrogation room.

The telegram sent to the mountain city received a reply quickly. Boss Dai, mindful of Wan Tianmu's great contributions to the Military Intelligence Bureau, finally agreed to his request.

Wu Gengshu immediately ordered the action team leader, Lin Huaixin, to escort Wan Tianmu on the road.

They planned to take a boat from Nanjing to Hunan, enter the territory of the Kuomintang, and then take a train to Shancheng.
March 22, 1923, night
The secret escort convoy of the Military Intelligence Bureau wound its way along the rugged highway.

The escort vehicle was a truck with several fully armed escorts inside. The interior of the truck had been modified and reinforced with iron railings.

Wan Tianmu was imprisoned alone in a specially made iron cage at the innermost part of the truck, with his hands and feet shackled with heavy chains attached to his shackles, which were then connected to the steel plate at the bottom of the truck.

Although he had changed into a blue long robe, the scars on his face from the torture he had suffered could not be concealed.

The wound was a mixture of blue and purple, especially the deep, bone-revealing scar on the right cheek, which was particularly gruesome and glaring.

Wan Tianmu slumped in the corner of the iron cage, his head drooping, his shoulders occasionally twitching nervously, and whimpering groans escaping his throat from time to time as the car jolted.

That listless, lifeless aura was so palpable that even through the iron bars, it instilled a hint of contempt in the two team members on guard.
This is the former high-ranking head of the North China region, the first head of the Tianjin station, and the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau stations in Shanghai and Nanjing.
Bah, you traitorous dog!
A corner of the canvas at the rear of the carriage was lifted, and a cold wind carrying thick fog rushed in instantly.

The escort captain, Lin Huaixin, glanced at Wan Tianmu, who was huddled in the iron cage, and then carefully examined the shackles, which were as thick as a child's arm, and the connecting welds.

"Team Leader Wan, keep quiet. This road isn't safe. If you don't want to attract unwanted attention, keep your noise under control."

The huddled figure seemed to tremble even more violently, the whimper in its throat turning into a gasp for breath: "Understood, Captain Lin,"

Lin Huaixin frowned, a hint of pity seemingly rising in his heart.

But he quickly put that feeling behind him.

The truck cautiously made its way through the thick fog, where visibility was extremely low, as if it were navigating a gray and white chaotic sea.

suddenly!

Bang! Bang! Boom—!
Almost simultaneously, the left front tire of the lead truck exploded with a terrifying bang! It blew out instantly!
Immediately afterwards, an even larger explosion erupted from the bottom of the front of the car!

It's not a cannonball, but it's definitely a high-powered explosive!
The truck tilted violently to the right as if it had been hit on the head by an invisible giant fist!

The heavy vehicle, propelled by inertia, sent its tires off the ground with a sickening metallic screech! Inside, the world spun around them! The dim headlights went out instantly! The immense impact sent everyone unprepared flying like sandbags!

The iron cage emitted a piercing metallic scraping sound under the enormous centrifugal force!
Wan Tianmu's body slammed heavily against the iron fence, making a dull thud!
"Enemy attack!!!" Lin Huaixin, as expected of an experienced action team leader, was not thrown off at the moment of the explosion, but instinctively lunged towards the iron cage!
He knew exactly who the target was.
However, just as the carriage was tilted by the explosion, Wan Tianmu, who was huddled in the corner of the iron cage, suddenly changed his demeanor!
Those murky, desperate eyes instantly became as sharp and cold as a star!

Taking advantage of the moment the carriage tilted, Wan Tianmu pushed off the iron cage wall with his left leg, and his whole body shot upwards!

At the same time, his right wrist, which he had been unconsciously gripping the car floorboards, suddenly jerked!
With a soft "click," the seemingly sturdy shackles on his wrists snapped open!

At the same time, the iron chain connecting his ankle shackles also broke!
All of this happened too fast and too precisely! It seemed that Wan Tianmu knew all along that someone would come to rescue him.

All his expressions and movements were performances, designed to lower Lin Huaixin's guard.

Lin Huaixin had indeed underestimated Wan Tianmu's abilities. How could ordinary handcuffs and shackles possibly restrain a master who had worked on the intelligence front for twenty years?

Lin Huaixin was shocked: "He... he's faking it?! Impossible!!"

Wan Tianmu moved with ghostly speed; the moment he broke free of his shackles, he flipped his body outward with all his might.
The moment he landed, gunshots rang out immediately afterward.
"Da da da da da!"

"Ta-ta-ta-ta!"

A barrage of gunfire suddenly erupted from the thick fog and darkness on both sides of the hillside!

That wasn't the sound of bandits with their homemade guns! It was the combined roar of light machine guns and Type 38 rifles firing precisely in bursts!
Bullets rained down on the entire convoy with overwhelming density and precision!
"Red Fang Squad! Receive the target!" a deep, powerful voice rang out.

Upon hearing the other person's standard Japanese pronunciation, Lin Huaixin's heart sank to the bottom.

This is a professional special operations team, whose combat capabilities and weaponry are several levels higher than theirs.

Their target was clearly Wan Tianmu...

"Mr. Wan! Quick! This way!" Lieutenant Kotake, the squad leader, handed Wan Tianmu a gun while covering his retreat.

Their retreat route was clear and swift.

Without any further action or words, Wan Tianmu took the gun and left with the squad without uttering a sound.

Their goal is to save lives, not to kill everyone.

Gunfire gradually subsided, and Lin Huaixin watched as his team members, who had sustained injuries of varying degrees, punched the vehicle.

"Captain, what should we do?" Zhao Biao asked, clutching his wound.

“What can we do?” Lin Huaixin exhaled a breath of stale air, “Go back…”

Mountain City, Luojiawan No. 19, Military Intelligence Bureau Confidential Room.

On the third floor, Zheng Yaoquan barged into the office.

"Commander, we have received an urgent telegram from Mount Fuji."

Boss Dai seemed to have expected this telegram to appear, he just looked up at him and didn't say anything.

Sure enough, the next second Zheng Yaoquan said in a deep voice, "Chief, what exactly is going on with this Wan Tianmu? Why did he suddenly betray us?"

"What else could it be?" Boss Dai closed his eyes. "After Zhao Lijun left Shanghai, I sent Wan Tianmu to replace him."

"But when we asked him to kill Fu Xiao'an a while ago, he actually got kidnapped by the Japanese. The newspapers said he was tortured terribly but still refused to divulge a single secret. Yet, after being locked up for a week, this guy walked out of Tiger Bridge Central Prison unscathed..."

"A divisive tactic!" Zheng Yaoquan exclaimed without hesitation. "This is clearly a divisive tactic. What? You've fallen for it?"

"Who doesn't know that's a divisive tactic?" Boss Dai weakly opened one eye. "But in a position like mine, how dare I make any decisions so easily?"

"What if Wan Tianmu really made contact with the Japanese, or even surrendered and became a traitor? What a huge loss it would be for the Military Intelligence Bureau!"

“I only have a few capable people under me, and Wan Tianmu is one of them. He has worked in Beiping, Tianjin, Luoyang, Nanjing, Tongguan, and along the Longhai Railway. Now he is the stationmaster of the Shanghai station... How could I dare to be careless?”

"But if that's all there is to it, surely it wouldn't be enough to make him betray us?" Zheng Yaoquan still didn't understand.
"I had Wu Gengshu arrest him and interrogate him!" Boss Dai sighed in frustration. "Maybe they went a bit too far over there. This guy spent a lot of money to get Wu Gengshu to plead with me on his behalf..."

"Wu Gengshu took the money and spoke well of him, begging me to spare his life. He repeatedly assured me that he had not betrayed the country. To show his sincerity, Wan Tianmu agreed to return to Shancheng."

"This," Zheng Yaoquan, an old fox, could guess what would happen next without even thinking.

If this were a trap, Wan Tianmu would definitely be surrounded by many Japanese people, and their every move would be under Japanese surveillance.

The ambush on the road was a pre-planned scheme by the Japanese.

Therefore, Wan Tianmu was immediately taken to Shanghai by a special train arranged by Yingzuo after he was rescued.

“What I’m worried about now is the security of the various stations of the Military Intelligence Bureau.” Boss Dai looked somber. “Given Wan Tianmu’s experience, he is extremely familiar with places like Beiping, Tianjin, Shanghai, Luoyang, Nanjing, and Qingdao.”

"Since he has chosen to side with the Japanese, he will definitely leak this intelligence... Our Military Intelligence Bureau has really messed up this time."

"Then quickly notify everyone to evacuate!" Zheng Yaoquan said anxiously.

"Too late." Boss Dai wiped his face. "The moment Wan Tianmu gets in the car, the Japanese will make their move. I dare say, all the major Kuomintang stations have already been raided. Making a phone call? It's too late..."

"What did the telegram from Mount Fuji say?" After a long silence, Boss Dai leaned back again, squinting as if he had lost his mind.

For some reason, Zheng Yaoquan suddenly began to sympathize with Boss Dai. He was indeed very domineering and had made countless people dislike him.
However, it must be admitted that the pressure on Boss Dai was immense, as he had to manage such a large system and keep the real monsters and demons within it in check.

Zheng Yaoquan slowly said, "The telegram from Mount Fuji indicates that Wan Tianmu has agreed to cooperate with the Japanese and serve as a senior advisor to the Special Affairs Committee."

"Now he, Ding Cun, and Li Qun are planning to set up an intelligence agency specifically targeting the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Zhongtong), the Military Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Juntong), and the Communist Party in Shanghai."

“Mt. Fuji originally wanted to delay, but Kagesa believed that it was best not to let Mt. Fuji get involved in the intelligence work.”

"All we need is for Mount Fuji to provide the necessary supplies."

"Director, if I may be so blunt, we need to find a way to kill Wan Tianmu!"

Mr. Dai sighed deeply: "Mount Fuji is indeed very impressive."

"It's not easy for even characters like Kagesa and the chubby guy to completely trust him."

Tell him not to pay too much attention to Wan Tianmu's affairs, so as not to arouse suspicion.

"Even if I really have to take action, I will arrange for someone else to do it."

"Chief, we can discuss these matters later. Right now, the key is to find a way to protect some people," Zheng Yaoquan said in a deep voice. "If the intelligence network in Shanghai is dismantled, our painstaking plan to keep Wang there will be ruined."

"News has come from Hanoi that Wang Jingwei couldn't sit still any longer, no sooner had Chen Gongshu left than he started to make a scene."

"That Takeo Imai sent Ken Takagi to escort Wang back to Shanghai."

"According to the schedule, we should arrive in Shanghai in the next few days."

Boss Dai sighed: "I asked Wu Gengshu to arrange the assassination. He has already sent Dai Xingbing to infiltrate Shanghai."

"But we still haven't found the mole at the Shanghai station, and Wan Tianmu has already fled to Shanghai."

Before Boss Dai could finish speaking, a series of urgent knocks sounded on the door.

"Come in." Boss Dai frowned slightly, vaguely sensing that it might be related to Wan Tianmu's matter again.

Sure enough, Mao Qiwu pushed open the office door and said breathlessly, "Director, something has happened in North China."

"Pei Jisan betrayed the Japanese and sold out the thirteen liaison points at Tianjin Station."

"Zeng Che, deputy stationmaster of Tianjin Station, was unable to evacuate in time and was recognized by secret agents downstairs at the stronghold and arrested on the spot."

"This morning, the Japanese arrested Chen Ziyi, the stationmaster of Tianjin Railway Station, in the British and French concessions of Tianjin."

"Tianjin Railway Station is completely finished..."

Sure enough, what I feared most came to pass.
Boss Dai felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He had made a mistake in dealing with Wan Tianmu, but he could not admit that mistake.

"Yaoquan, come with me to the villa in Huangshan." After a long silence, Boss Dai decided to appease his superiors first.

The Military Intelligence Bureau has no shortage of money; its intelligence network can be rebuilt even if it is destroyed. But if the higher-ups investigate it thoroughly...

Boss Dai had no idea how serious the consequences would be.

On the way to the villa in Huangshan, Boss Dai looked at the scenery rushing past and suddenly said, "Yaoquan, if I can't pass this test, I plan to recommend you to take over the Military Intelligence Bureau."

“This,” Zheng Yaoquan was startled and quickly waved his hand, saying, “Director, this is not a good idea. It’s not that I’m refusing, but I think Brother Qi Wu is more suitable than me.”

"He," Boss Dai sneered, "Yaoquan, do you really think I can't see through Mao Qiwu? He's a smiling tiger."

(End of this chapter)