If you had to choose an identity to go undercover, you'd choose a gynecologist.

In the dead of night, the tailor shop was closed.

Yu Manli's sharp gaze swept over Xiao Zhengguo, Chen He, and Yu Zheng, and she began to assign tasks: "Xiao Zhengguo and Yu Zheng, you two will infiltrate the Japanese concession tonight and make sure you get a car in good condition. After you succeed, don't come back here. Find a secluded place to spend the night to avoid being discovered. Be on standby near those two abandoned buildings by the Suzhou Creek before 4 PM tomorrow."

"Remember, if you hear gunshots and confirm that Xu Yan has been killed, immediately drive to the entrance of the French Concession to meet us; if you don't hear gunshots, or if there's still no movement after 5:40, it means that Chen He and I are in trouble. At that time, you rush up and finish him off. No matter what, you must kill Xu Yan. After completing the mission, drive away immediately. Do not linger in the fight."

"Yes!" Xiao Zhengguo and Yu Zheng responded in unison.

Chen He took out a weapon wrapped in oiled paper from a wooden box in the corner and placed it on the table.

He picked up two pistols and four magazines, and handed them to Xiao Zhengguo and Yu Zheng respectively: "One pistol, two spare magazines, and two grenades for each of you."

The three men checked their weapons, the "click" of the bolts being pulled back being particularly clear in the quiet room.

Xiao Zhengguo tucked the gun into his waistband and covered it with his shirt; Yu Zheng stuffed the spare magazine into a hidden pocket in his trouser leg.

After the inspection, the two exchanged a glance, nodded to Yu Manli and Chen He, turned around, pulled the latch on the back door, and disappeared silently into the night, heading towards the Japanese concession.

"I'm going back to the clinic to get the sniper rifle. You stay here and keep watch. We'll meet at the abandoned building at 10:30 tomorrow morning."

Chen He nodded: "Don't worry, I'll be there on time."

Yu Manli said no more, turned around, opened the front door, and quickly disappeared into the shadows beside the street.

When they returned to the gynecology clinic, it was already late at night. The lights on the first floor were all off, and Chen Xia was still fast asleep on the medical bed, while Chen Qing had already gone upstairs to sleep.

She tiptoed into the basement, where the air still carried the lingering scent of mugwort and alcohol.

She walked to the storage cabinet in the corner, opened the hidden compartment, and took out the Mauser 98k sniper rifle from the wooden box.

Uncovering the black cloth, the silver-gray gun body gleamed coldly in the dim light. She skillfully pulled back the bolt, inspected the barrel, and then took out the prepared bullets, loading them one by one into the magazine.

After confirming that the weapon was in good condition, she wrapped it up again, slung it over her shoulder, and prepared to go upstairs to rest.

But just as he turned around, he caught a glimpse of the radio in the corner of his eye.

At this moment, it lies quietly in the corner, covered with a thin layer of dust.

Yu Manli stopped in her tracks and, as if possessed, walked back.

This was a habit she developed during her training in Chongqing: any action must be reported to her superiors and approved before it can be carried out; unauthorized actions were absolutely forbidden.

Even though the mission was urgent, and even though she and Chen Qing had made meticulous plans, her ingrained discipline still made her decide to send a telegram to Wang Tianfeng.

She turned on the radio, adjusted the frequency, and rapidly tapped the buttons, sending Wang Tianfeng the plan, time, and location for the assassination attempt on Xu Yan.

After sending the message, she carefully checked it again to make sure nothing was missing before turning off the radio, unplugging the power, and restoring the device to its original state.

After doing all this, she breathed a sigh of relief, unaware of how deadly this damned habit would be.

She didn't linger any longer. Picking up her gun, she left the basement, closed the clinic door, and went back to rest.

...............

The Shanghai Special Higher Police Office building was brightly lit.

The head of the telecommunications monitoring section, clutching a piece of paper, hurried down the corridor and pushed open the door to Yoko Minamida's office.

"Reporting to Section Chief Nantian! We just intercepted an encrypted telegram. The signal lasted for a full ten minutes, and just as our listening equipment was about to pinpoint the exact location, the signal suddenly dropped!"

Yoko Minamida, who was sitting behind her desk reviewing documents, looked up at the question, her weariness instantly vanishing: "Have you detected the source of the signal?"

"The initial assessment is that the signal originated from the Triangle Area of ​​the French Concession. However, we can only pinpoint the area within two kilometers, and cannot pinpoint the specific building."

Yoko Minami took the record sheet, her brows gradually furrowing.

She got up and walked to the map of the French Concession hanging on the wall, gesturing for the section chief to come forward: "Draw the area."

The section chief immediately picked up a pencil and circled an area on the map.

There are four streets and six old residential areas scattered throughout the area, with houses scattered and a diverse population. Trying to check them one by one would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"Understood. Tell the decryption team to hurry and decipher the telegram as quickly as possible."

"Yes! All the codebreakers are already at work. The initial assessment is that the telegram's encryption level is not low, and it needs to be deciphered using a second-generation Enigma machine. The results are expected to be available by tomorrow morning."

Yoko Nanada waved her hand, signaling the section chief to step down, while she stood in front of the map, her gaze fixed on the circle.

"The French Concession Triangle Area... this place is a melting pot of people, with activities from both the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. Who exactly is sending this message at this time?"

Four streets and six residential areas make the investigation extremely difficult. Unless the other party sends another telegram, there is simply no way to proceed.

"We'll have to wait for the next report to pinpoint the specific street."

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the head of the decryption team strode into Yoko Nanada's office with the deciphered telegram in hand: "Section Chief, the telegram is deciphered!"

Yoko Nanada immediately took the telegram, her eyes quickly scanning its contents. Her brows furrowed more and more, and her expression gradually darkened.

The telegram was concise and clear: it was an assassination plot, and the target was Xu Yan, the operations staff officer of the Military Police Headquarters.

"Why would they assassinate a operations staff officer? What secrets does Xu Yan possess that would make them risk such a huge deal to assassinate him?"

She stood up and paced back and forth, her mind racing through various possibilities. Could it be related to Project Cuckoo? Or did Xu Yan possess other core secrets?

She stopped and called her secretary: "Send this telegram to the Military Police Headquarters immediately and hand it over to General Saburo Miura for processing. Do it as soon as possible!"

.....................

Xiao Zhengguo and Yu Zheng woke up from their sleep. They had stolen a car last night and parked it in the parking lot in front of the Xingxing Cinema.

I didn't dare sleep in a hotel, so I slept in my car instead.

"It's still early, let's have breakfast and go see a movie," Yu Zheng suggested.

Xiao Zhengguo yawned and said, "Well, it's still early in the afternoon anyway. I never thought I'd be watching a movie with someone like you one day."

Yu Zheng leaned closer, a mischievous grin on his face: "What, you and Xiao Wan haven't watched a movie together? Of course not. Every time she goes to the Red Romantic Ballroom, she goes alone. She's never brought you. Xiao Wan and I are the best duo at the Red Romantic Ballroom. We have excellent chemistry. When Xiao Wan wears that red dress, she looks like a delicate and beautiful rose..."

"Shut up!" Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Zhengguo's gun was already pointed at Yu Zheng's crotch. He stared at him through gritted teeth. "Xiao Wan is my wife. If you say another word, I'll smash your thing."

Yu Zheng turned pale with fright: "Okay, okay, I won't say anything more. Quickly put the gun away, and make sure it doesn't go off accidentally."

………………