Courtyard House: Reborn in the 1940s, Starting with Killing Japanese Devils

Not long after, a slight noise came from outside the door, followed by Zheng Yaoxian's voice.

He was holding a clean towel and a change of clothes: "Zhao Heng, I've left the clothes by the door."

"Old Zheng, what's up?" Zhao Heng poked his head out of the bathtub and asked, snapping out of his daze.

Zheng Yaoxian took a deep breath and slowly said, "That's right, Lao Lu has successfully evacuated and safely arrived at the Southern Bureau."

Secretary Dong had a long talk with me. The Southern Bureau has already been informed of our true identities by those in northern Shaanxi.

"What? So, the leaders of the Southern Bureau all know about this?"

Zhao Heng was shocked. Water droplets slid down his face. He immediately got up, wrapped himself in a bath towel, and walked quickly to the door, carefully opening it a crack.

"Old Zheng, doesn't this mean we're constantly at risk of being exposed?" he pressed urgently. "What were Secretary Dong's instructions?"

"Secretary Dong sent his trusted confidant Mingtai to secretly infiltrate the mountain city," Zheng Yaoxian replied.

"Mingtai?" Upon hearing this name, Zhao Heng's expression changed drastically.

Could it be that within this world, which blends the storylines of multiple films and television series, there is a hidden storyline from "The Disguiser"?

Zheng Yaoxian nodded, looking directly at Zhao Heng: "That's right. Secretary Dong told me that Mingtai is a local of Shanghai. He was kidnapped by Wang Tianfeng, the head of the Shanghai station of the Military Intelligence Bureau... His older sister was killed by the Japanese army."

Zheng Yaoxian slowly recounted Mingtai's past, and the plot was almost identical to the scenes in "The Disguiser".

"Mingtai now runs a barbershop in the working-class area of ​​the east of the city. The shop is called Chunqiu Barbershop."

Zhao Heng pondered for a moment, a resolute glint in his eyes: "It seems I need to get in touch with Mingtai as soon as possible."

"But Dai Li's suspicions about me haven't completely disappeared yet." He looked worried again.

"The Second Division's action team has been keeping an eye on you. Zhao Jianzhi reported this to me," Zheng Yaoxian said slowly, offering his reminder.

Zhao Heng frowned and said in a deep voice, "Then we must be even more careful. In our line of work, the most indispensable thing is patience."

"Secretary Dong personally came to me and solemnly instructed me in a low voice that the code for this rendezvous was of utmost importance and that I must remember it well," Zheng Yaoxian added.

He explained the secret code to Zhao Heng clearly, word by word: "Mingtai will ask, 'Sir, where are you from?' You should answer, 'I am from Yimeng Mountain.'"

He then asked, "Judging from your accent, you're not from this area," and you replied, "When I was five years old, I went to Hunan with my father."

Finally, he asked, "Sir, do you like spicy food?" You should reply, "I'm allergic to spicy food."

Zhao Heng nodded solemnly and replied, "Old Zheng, I've got it."

A moment later, Zhao Heng changed his clothes, walked out of the bathroom, and came to the living room.

Zheng Yaoxian immediately noticed that his hair had grown very long, with the roots touching his neck.

"Look at your hair, it's covering your neck. It's perfectly reasonable for you to go to the barbershop for a haircut, and no one will suspect anything."

Zheng Yaoxian pointed to his hairline, his eyes filled with a deeper meaning, "This trip is not only for rendezvous, but also an excellent opportunity to cover our tracks."

Zhao Heng smiled after hearing this and said self-deprecatingly, "That's right, I haven't had a haircut in almost three months."

"From the moment we met in the sewers until now, we've evaded countless Japanese checks and overcome numerous dangers."

Each time was fraught with danger, but we always made it through.

Zhao Heng took a deep breath and looked at Zheng Yaoxian with eyes full of admiration.

……

The next day, Zhao Heng walked out of the Military Intelligence Bureau's interrogation room with a cold and indifferent expression.

He walked up to Dai Li, stood at attention, saluted, and reported in a deep voice, "Director, this Communist Party member couldn't hold on any longer; he's gone."

Dai Li nodded slightly and offered a few words of comfort: "I have seen your performance, Zhao Heng. Your loyalty to our Party is evident to all. This is your achievement."

After saying that, he turned and ordered, "Mao Renfeng, pass on my order to reward Zhao Heng with one hundred silver dollars."

Just now, Dai Li stood outside the interrogation room and witnessed Zhao Heng using the tiger bench and pepper spray on the Communist who had betrayed the party. The fierce manner he displayed towards Zhao Heng, as if he were dealing with his father's killer, completely dispelled any remaining doubts in Dai Li's mind.

Zhao Heng's true thought was that he wished he could tear this traitor who betrayed his comrades to pieces.

Mao Renfeng, though plain-looking, wore a bright smile and replied:

"Yes, Director."

He then turned to Zhao Heng and said with a smile, "Brother Zhao Heng, you've worked hard."

"Chairman Mao, we are all serving the Party and the country. Your subordinates are willing to go through fire and water for you without hesitation."

Zhao Heng suppressed his disgust and tried his best to control the subtle expressions on his face, uttering insincere flattering words.

Upon hearing this, Mao Renfeng immediately burst into laughter.

After leaving the interrogation room, Zhao Heng followed Mao Renfeng to the director's office.

"Zhao Heng, Boss Dai asked me to bring you a reward of one hundred silver dollars. It's all here."

Mao Renfeng opened the safe and took out two hundred silver dollars, clearly intending to use this opportunity to win over Zhao Heng.

"Mao Zuo, what's this?" Zhao Heng glanced at the silver dollars on the table, but didn't take them immediately. He simply placed his hands on his knees and sat up straight.

Mao Renfeng, still smiling, said earnestly, "Zhao Heng, as you know, the Military Intelligence Bureau is full of factions. People like Zheng Jiemin and Tang Zong have always been at odds with Boss Dai."

Zhao Heng's mind worked quickly. He immediately stood up, saluted Mao Renfeng, and then pretended to be greedy for money.

He grabbed the two hundred silver dollars from the table: "Thank you so much, Chairman Mao! From now on, my life belongs to Boss Dai!"

He knew perfectly well that the rampant corruption within the Military Intelligence Bureau stemmed from a corrupt leadership that led to widespread instability within the organization.

Dai Li and Mao Renfeng had amassed a fortune, and Dai Li even kept a female celebrity from the Republic of China era as his mistress.

If one appears too honest and upright, one might be suspected of being a communist. Only by pretending to be greedy can one dispel the suspicions of others.

Seeing Zhao Heng's expression, Mao Renfeng couldn't stop smiling, clearly very satisfied with his performance.

During the midday break, Zhao Heng drove a military jeep straight out of the gate of the Military Intelligence Bureau headquarters.

A moment later, Zhou Haichao from the Second Bureau of the Military Intelligence Bureau led a team of black-clad agents in three cars and sped off in pursuit.

Zheng Yaoxian stood in his office, watching everything through the blinds, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Zhou Haichao, this man must not be allowed to live.

He made up his mind to find the right opportunity to frame Zhou Haichao for the code name "Lone Shadow".

As Zhou Haichao's convoy gradually disappeared from sight, Zheng Yaoxian withdrew his gaze.

He picked up the file on the table and carefully flipped through it, secretly pondering how to set up a meticulous trap to lure Zhou Haichao step by step into the net.

He was keenly aware that the factional struggles within the Military Intelligence Bureau were always tense, and the slightest carelessness could lead to utter defeat.

So he made up his mind to set a trap by taking advantage of Zhou Haichao's ambition. All he needed was a forged piece of intelligence to lure him into the trap.

While Zheng Yaoxian was making intensive plans, half an hour passed in the blink of an eye on the other side.