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

As night deepened, the consulate's reception drew to a close, and guests parted ways in twos and threes.

Peach nestled beside Chen Qing, her eyes filled with longing: "Kato-kun, come to my place."

Chen Qing looked down at her flushed cheeks and affectionate eyes, and naturally understood. He reached out and put his arm around her waist, and whispered, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

As the two were preparing to follow the crowd toward the gate, suddenly, the piercing sound of an alarm shattered the tranquility of the embassy.

The guests stopped and stared in astonishment.

Immediately afterwards, the Japanese soldiers and guards inside the consulate grabbed their guns and rushed toward the second floor.

Peach's expression changed drastically. She instinctively gripped Chen Qing's arm, her voice trembling slightly: "It's in the direction of Consul Iwai's office! Someone must have tampered with his safe!"

Chen Qing's heart sank suddenly, and he was secretly alarmed. He had clearly told Mingcheng long ago that the information in Iwai's office was fake, a bait set by the Japanese. How could someone still take the risk to steal it? Could it be that some unsuspecting force had made the move?

"Isn't the information in the safe fake?" Chen Qing asked in a low voice.

"The intelligence was false, but the locker was equipped with a linked alarm. The office power had to be cut off before the locker could be opened; otherwise, touching the lock would trigger the alarm. Clearly, this person... had no idea about this secret."

No sooner had she finished speaking than a cacophony of footsteps and shouts erupted from the second floor.

Not long after, a middle-aged man dressed in black was escorted down by several armed guards.

The man's hair was disheveled, his face showed signs of struggle, and his hands were tied behind his back. He was led out the door, it was unclear whether he was being taken to the Special Higher Police or the Military Police Headquarters.

"Do you know him?" Chen Qing asked Taozi, turning her head to the side.

Peach's eyes flickered for a moment, then she quickly looked away and pulled Chen Qing toward the door: "It's Nishiri Tatsuo, senior advisor to the Central China Expeditionary Army and chief reporter for the Japan Joint News Agency. I've seen him before at the consul's meeting. It's too chaotic here, let's leave first."

Chen Qing drove to Miss Peach's apartment. Upon entering, Miss Peach asked somewhat nervously, "Does this Sirilo know you?"

Chen Qing shook his head: "It has nothing to do with me. I'm just a businessman here to do business. How could I get involved in this kind of thing?"

"That's good." Miss Peach breathed a sigh of relief. "Darling, let's take a shower together. We've been dancing all night and we're all sweaty."

Chen Qing picked up Miss Peach and carried her towards the bathroom.

………………

The matter involving the Japanese consulate was public knowledge and could not be kept secret. Minglou quickly received the news.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, a spy who had picked the combination lock was caught; this person was from the South Manchuria Railway Company.

The South Manchuria Railway Company (Mantetsu) was a national policy company established by Japan in Northeast China and served as the core executive body for its colonial aggression.

Ostensibly a railway operating company, it actually monopolizes transportation, mining, and ports in Northeast China, and controls the administrative power of its subordinate territories.

In 1939, the South Manchuria Railway Company's "Grand Investigation Department" was established. This massive department was the core intelligence agency for Japan's invasion of China, and a branch was set up in Shanghai in the same year.

It shares intelligence with the Mei Agency, No. 76, the Japanese Military Police, the Special Higher Police, and the Iwai Agency.

The reason there are so many intelligence agencies is due to the checks and balances and distrust among the various power institutions in Japan.

The Mei Agency was directly under the General Staff of the Japanese Army. Its chief was Yoshiaki Kagesa. The agency was responsible for supporting and monitoring the Wang Jingwei regime, supervising the puppet agents and military police, and coordinating various Japanese systems.

The No. 76 Special Agent Headquarters, nominally belonging to the Wang Jingwei regime, was in reality guided by the Mei Agency and directly monitored by the Japanese military police and the Special Higher Police.

The Japanese military police were under the command of the Japanese Army. The Shanghai military police were under the command of the Expeditionary Army Military Police Headquarters, which included the Special Higher Police Section.

The Iwai Agency, also known as the Iwai Mansion, is directly under the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is an independent intelligence agency of the Ministry.

The Shanghai Office of the South Manchuria Railway Bureau's Investigation Section was the intelligence branch in Central China. It reported to the South Manchuria Railway Bureau headquarters and the Kwantung Army, and shared intelligence with the military police, the Special Higher Police, and other agencies. It had no administrative affiliation.

The "Spider Web" organization, whose core is hidden within the South Manchuria Railway Investigation Department, is a spy network that spans other intelligence agencies and runs parallel to Minglou's East China Bureau.

Today, Chen Qing told Mingcheng the information he got from Miss Peach. Mingcheng could only relay it to the Yan'an headquarters, which would then notify the Spiderweb manager, "Tarantula." This back-and-forth process would take a lot of time.

It must have been a problem with the intelligence transmission between Yan'an and Spider Web that caused "Tarantula" to not receive the instructions in time. As planned, Shiri Tatsuo still sneaked into the consulate during the party, intending to open Iwai Eiichi's safe to steal information, but was unfortunately arrested.

Thanks to the scheme devised by Eiichi Iwai and Yui Araki, the mysterious "Spider Web" organization has finally revealed a few clues about itself.

Mingcheng went to a cocktail party with Nantian Yangzi. He should have come back and reported to me as soon as possible, but he hasn't returned yet.

Minglou dared not make any rash moves and waited in his office. Mingcheng had not returned, so he had no choice but to risk contacting Uncle Li and asking him to send a telegram to Yan'an to inform "Spider Web" of Xililongfu's arrest.

After returning, they waited until dawn, but Mingcheng still hadn't come back, and they missed the best opportunity to rescue him.

After his arrest, Shirilong was immediately taken to the Investigation Section of the Military Police Headquarters.

In the underground interrogation room of the military police headquarters, the smell of blood and disinfectant mingled together, clinging to the damp walls and lingering there.

The tungsten lamp's light was stark and blinding, shining directly on Sirilongfu's sweaty forehead. He was chained to the rack, and the skin on his wrists and ankles was raw and bloody, stained with dark red scabs.

"Tell me! Who is your superior? Who else is a member of 'The Spider Web'?"

Araki Yui, wearing leather boots, cracked his riding whip with a sharp, snapping sound.

Siri Longfu lowered his head, his black hair stuck to his forehead with sweat, obscuring half of his face.

The severe torture he had just endured had exhausted his strength, the numbing sensation from the electric shocks still lingered in his nerve endings, and the excruciating pain from his broken ribs made every breath feel like swallowing razor blades.

He fainted three times, and after being revived by splashing cold water, he faced even more brutal torture. But all that came out of his throat were intermittent gasps; not a single word of confession.

"A tough nut to crack? I'd like to see if your bones are tougher, or my instruments of torture are tougher."

Araki was thoroughly enraged and raised his hand to signal the military police to hand him a syringe filled with a clear liquid.

"This is the last dose of truth serum, Mr. Siri. Don't push me to the point of making you lose all your dignity."

Sirilongfu suddenly raised his head, a hint of wariness flashing in his cloudy eyes. He tried to struggle, but the chains locked him in place.

The military police pressed down on his shoulder, and the cold needle pierced the skin of his neck, slowly injecting the medicine into his veins, spreading with a bone-chilling cold.

Araki learned his lesson this time. He first tortured the prisoner to the brink of collapse, then used a truth serum. Usually, the prisoner's will would break down, and he would confess everything.

At first, Sirilongfu was just dizzy, but then his brain felt like it was shrouded in a thick fog, and his consciousness began to float uncontrollably.

The secrets he had guarded with his life flowed out like a burst dam, surging from the tip of his tongue.

"Online... Head of the Investigation Department at the South Manchuria Railway Company's Shanghai Office... Nakamura Isao... codename 'Tarantula'..."

Araki's eyes lit up instantly. He leaned closer, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement: "You have more informants! Who are the intelligence agents you recruited?"

The effects of the drug completely overwhelmed his reason. Shiri Longfu's lips moved uncontrollably, two names echoing clearly in the interrogation room: "Special Higher Police... Shirai Yukiyuki... and... Shen Ruoyan... the proofreader for the Shanghai Shen Bao..."

As he finished speaking, a sliver of sunlight from outside the window fell on Sirilon's bloodless face.

He convulsed suddenly, his head lolled to one side, and he completely lost consciousness.

Araki Yui knew that speed was of the essence in warfare, so the military police were dispatched urgently. At 5:30 a.m., "Tarantula" Nakamura Isao was arrested by the military police in his bed.

At 5:50, Shirai Yukiyuki committed suicide by poisoning himself when he was arrested. At 6:10, Shen Ruoyan sent her last telegram at her residence. Facing the military police who broke down the door, she turned around and jumped off the building to commit suicide.

It was a truly disastrous night.

………………