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

Araki looked at Xu Yan's corpse and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

He had everything arranged. He could have had the soldiers surround Xu Yan earlier, but he deliberately delayed it by ten minutes, just to give the assassin time to kill Xu Yan.

He didn't care about a few assassins; they were all suicide squads. Whether they died or not didn't matter. He only wanted Xu Yan to die.

In his view, the Chinese in the military police headquarters were the biggest threat.

Soon the pursuing soldiers returned and reported: "Reporting to the Colonel, we caught up with the Suzhou River and wounded one of the murderers. Suddenly, the other murderer opened fire on his accomplice, killing him. The body fell into the river, and our men have already gone in to retrieve it."

Araki said, "These people are not afraid of death. His accomplice is already injured and will drag him down, so he can't escape either. These Chinese people always believe in the idea of ​​sacrificing oneself for a cause."

Soon, Xiao Zhengguo's body was brought before Araki.

He saw the corpse and his eyes widened: "Chen Shan? How is this possible?"

Araki was filled with doubt. Chen Shan was a pawn he had carefully cultivated, preparing to infiltrate Chongqing. His death here was hard for him to accept.

"Take the body back to report," Araki ordered.

The soldiers quickly cleaned up the mess, photographed the bodies, and then loaded them into a vehicle and drove them back.

………………

The morgue of the military police headquarters was cold and chilly. Xu Yan's body lay on the morgue table covered with a white sheet, his Zhongshan suit still stained with blood, and his face still showing the bewilderment he had before his death.

Saburo Miura, dressed in a crisp military uniform, stood beside the corpse, his eyes brimming with unconcealed sorrow, and bowed deeply.

"It seems we wronged Xu Sang. He's not an undercover agent at all."

If it weren't for that meticulously designed loyalty test, if he hadn't harbored doubts about him, perhaps Xu Yan wouldn't have suffered this misfortune. This guilt weighed on his heart like a boulder.

Araki, standing to the side, bowed slightly, his face full of self-reproach, and said with his head down, "I'm sorry, General. The murderer acted too quickly, and the deployed troops failed to arrive in time. I failed to protect Xu Sang."

"Never mind." Saburo Miura waved his hand and sighed deeply. "If he hadn't died, my doubts would have remained. But he was killed just like that. How can I not feel guilty? I actually doubted my best friend, the brother who had risked his life with me."

"General, please accept my condolences," Araki Yui said softly.

Saburo Miura took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Take good care of Xu Sang's body and send it back to her family. Double the compensation to ensure her family has enough to eat and wear. Apologize to her family for me, and tell them that I, Saburo Miura, have wronged Xu Sang. Also, Xu Sang has a son named Xu Tian, ​​who I heard studied intelligence-related knowledge in Japan. Take good care of him for me. If he is willing to serve the Imperial Army, arrange a suitable position for him and do not mistreat him."

"Yes, I will handle it personally and will certainly not fail the general's trust." Araki Yui bowed and accepted the order before slowly retreating.

Araki returned to his office, whereupon a subordinate entered carrying an investigation report, bowing and saying, "Colonel, this is the preliminary report of the on-site investigation."

Araki took the report and quickly began to read it.

"The car involved in the case was stolen last night in the Japanese concession, and the owner reported it to the police this morning. The bullets found at the scene were identified as 7.65 caliber bullets from Browning pistols commonly used by the Military Intelligence Bureau. A pocket watch was found on the shore, which should have been dropped by another murderer. In addition, it has been confirmed that the deceased is not Chen Shan. Chen Shan is currently still receiving training at the training base and has not gone out."

Araki's lips curled into a cold smile: "Interesting. It's a pleasant surprise that there are people in the world who look so alike. If he really is someone sent from Chongqing, then I have a great idea. We can use this face, which is exactly the same as Chen Shan's, to do something big. However, this means we'll have to keep his death a secret. We'll send the photo directly to Chongqing and use our informant there to secretly investigate the deceased's true identity. Also, we'll follow the trail of that pocket watch and see if we can find any clues."

………………

As night fell, Yu Manli and Chen He returned safely.

Finally, Yu Zheng returned, covered in mud, but Xiao Zhengguo did not.

On the second floor of the clinic, Chen Qing's face was terribly gloomy.

Yu Zheng sat in his chair, his voice choked with emotion: "Team leader... I'm sorry, I couldn't bring Zheng Guo back... We successfully killed Xu Yan, but we hadn't driven far when we were surrounded by a large number of Japanese troops. We broke through to the Suzhou River, jumped onto a sampan, and rowed to the other side. When we got ashore, Zheng Guo was shot in the leg, and before I could pull him up, he was shot in the back and fell straight into the river... He died..."

Seeing his grief-stricken appearance, Chen He reached out and patted him on the shoulder: "The situation was indeed critical at the time. The Japanese army came too suddenly. It was lucky that we were able to complete the mission. It's a pity about Zheng Guo. He was a good comrade."

Yu Manli, who was standing to the side, kept her head down and stared blankly at the ground, without saying a word from beginning to end.

Although Chen Qing had doubts, he had no evidence and said nothing.

He abruptly threw the cigarette in his hand on the ground, stomped on it, and then slammed his hand on the table: "Are you done talking? I just want to ask one question: how did the Japanese know about the assassination plan? The time, the place, the ambush—it was all perfectly planned. Someone among you must have leaked the information!"

These words were like a thunderclap, instantly silencing the room.

Yu Manli shuddered, abruptly standing up, her face as pale as paper: "I'm sorry, team leader... it's my responsibility. Last night when I went back to the clinic to get the gun, I used the radio to send a telegram to the teacher, reporting the action plan."

Chen Qing flew into a rage, abruptly standing up and pointing his finger at Yu Manli, shouting, "Who gave you permission to send a telegram? Did you get my permission before you started the radio? Do you think this is Chongqing? That you can report openly and honestly? This is behind enemy lines! Right under the noses of the Japanese! Their telecommunications monitoring equipment can pinpoint the location of the transmission at any time. You're pushing everyone's lives into a fire pit, do you know that?!"

"I'm sorry..." Yu Manli's voice was even lower, but it still carried a hint of stubbornness. "These are regulations. We must get permission from our superiors before we can take any action. I'm just strictly following the rules."

"Regulations?" Chen Qing laughed angrily, his eyes filled with disdain. "With your rigid mind, you call yourself a top assassin? I think even a pig is better than you! Let me tell you, you're the one who killed Xiao Zhengguo, just because you followed some stupid regulations. I could shoot you right now for leaking secrets!"

Enraged, Chen Qing pulled out a gun and pointed it at Yu Manli.

Chen He and Yu Zheng quickly pulled Chen Qing back: "Team leader, calm down, calm down."

Chen Qing threw the gun on the table, pointed it at Yu Manli's nose, and said, "I don't need someone like you who's disorganized, undisciplined, and acts on his own initiative. Tomorrow morning, pack your things and get back to Chongqing!"

Chen He quickly said, "Team leader, calm down! If she goes back now, she'll definitely face a military court-martial, and that would be the end of her!"

"She deserved to die!" Chen Qing roared, his tone still sharp. "She's always so arrogant, looking down on everyone, but when it really comes down to it, she doesn't even know the most basic things about enemy territory! She sent a telegram on her own initiative, almost causing everyone to be killed. I can't afford to keep someone like that, and I dare not keep her!"

After saying that, he took his gun, turned around, and left.

Yu Manli stood there, her face turning pale and then red, her lips pressed tightly together, tears welling up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

………………