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

Kiko Hirata stood up and paced back and forth in her office. After a moment's thought, she said, "You, from Unit 76, are to closely monitor anyone acting suspiciously."

Especially those who have recently appeared in Shanghai or exhibited unusual behavior should be arrested and interrogated immediately upon discovery.

Li Moqun quickly replied, "Understood! We'll go back and arrange manpower to strengthen the investigation."

Hirata Kiko waved her hand: "Go ahead. Report to me immediately if anything happens."

Li Moqun and Bi Zhongliang bowed again before hurriedly leaving the office.

After receiving the news of the victory from Shanghai, Dai Li made up his mind that he had to find a way to win Zhao Heng over to his side no matter what.

Late at night, a biting wind howled through the streets and alleys of Shanghai. The streets were deserted, with only the streetlights standing alone, their dim yellow glow swaying gently in the wind.

In stark contrast to the chilly night, the Special Higher Police office area was brightly lit, and all the Japanese agents dared not relax for a moment, not even daring to hope for a moment's rest.

Suddenly, a sharp, urgent telephone ring shattered the silence, jolting Hirata Kiko awake from her light sleep.

On the other end of the phone, Li Moqun, director of the 76th Special Agent Headquarters, spoke with intense anxiety and panic: "Commander Hirata, something terrible has happened! The First Brigade of the Loyal and Patriotic Army has been suddenly attacked by the Military Intelligence Bureau!"

"The First Brigade had no time to prepare; they lost an entire battalion, more than six hundred men—a devastating loss!"

"Bang!"

Upon hearing the devastating news, Section Chief Hirata Kiko was enraged and immediately shouted, "You bastards! You Chinese are all useless trash!"

"And you, Li Moqun, you're just as useless! The entire 76th Division, from top to bottom, is full of useless cowards, a bunch of good-for-nothings who only know how to loaf around and wait to die!"

Filled with resentment and anger with nowhere to vent, Hirata Kiko suddenly smashed the teacup in her hand to the ground, shards of porcelain scattering everywhere, just like her irritable and out-of-control state of mind at that moment.

The night grew darker, and the biting wind lashed against my skin, causing a piercing pain like a sharp knife cutting through me.

Li Moqun, on the other end of the phone, remained silent, not daring to utter a single word of rebuttal, only respectfully replying, "Yes, Commander Hirata, we are all useless."

Everyone knew perfectly well that the 76th Special Agent Headquarters was a direct subordinate agency of the Special Higher Police, shouldering important tasks assigned by the Japanese side.

In other words, Hirata Kiko was the undisputed highest-ranking officer of No. 76. Her anger at this moment stemmed not only from the disastrous failure of this operation, but also from her utter disappointment with the entire Japanese puppet regime's intelligence system.

"Araki Yui has wasted his time raising you bunch of useless trash!"

With her anger subsiding and her pent-up emotions calming down, Hirata Kiko immediately issued the battle orders:

"I understand about this. Immediately notify the Loyal and Patriotic Army and have them launch a surprise attack on the Military Intelligence Bureau's Qingpu liaison station."

Her eyes were icy, and her tone left no room for argument: "Director Li, this operation must succeed in one fell swoop. We must not give the Military Intelligence Bureau any chance to breathe."

"Better to kill a thousand innocent people than let one Kuomintang agent go free!"

Kiko Hirata's words were ruthless and chillingly resolute.

Li Moqun, on the other end of the phone, felt a heavy burden on his shoulders and replied in a somber tone, "Yes, Commander Hirata."

The cold wind still howled outside the window, and the night was as thick as rubbed ink.

Li Moqun hung up the phone, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He knew that this operation concerned the situation of the Japanese puppet regime in Shanghai; it was a matter of life and death, and there could be no mistakes whatsoever.

He dared not delay and immediately summoned all the agents of No. 76 to work intensively on the action plan, determined to completely eliminate the Kuomintang's Qingpu liaison station.

Inside the headquarters of Agent 76, the atmosphere was extremely tense. Everyone knew that this time, they had to fight to the death.

Meanwhile, in the abandoned Wang Mansion in the French Concession of Shanghai, Zhao Heng was taking out a miniature radio modified by the Military Intelligence Bureau from the system space and slowly pulling out the antenna.

He bent down to adjust the equipment, his fingers deftly turning the radio knob. As the adjustment progressed, the radio signal gradually became clearer and more stable.

Zhao Heng turned on the radio and began sending messages towards Chongqing.

Drip-drop! Tick-tock!

The sound of the key being pressed was exceptionally clear in the silent mansion, and Zhao Heng's brows furrowed.

The contents of this telegram were crucial to the entire operation behind enemy lines. Every tick of the clock seemed to affect the lives and deaths of countless people.

In the dim night, the faint light from the radio screen illuminated his face, making his resolute face seem to be lit by a faint but unwavering light in the boundless darkness.

Thousands of miles away in Chongqing, a scene of decadent indulgence unfolds.

The streets and alleys are brightly lit and bustling with activity, and many people are indulging in extravagance and pleasure.

Inside Dai Li's mansion in Shenxiandong, Dai Li himself was wearing a radio headset, copying word by word a telegram sent by an agent codenamed "King of Hell".

The telegram was quickly translated.

[Boss, Chen Moqun has been killed by me. I stole a Japanese mortar and used it to bombard the Japanese military police headquarters, causing heavy losses to the Japanese. Yama, the King of Hell.]

Upon hearing this good news, Dai Li immediately burst into laughter, repeatedly praising, "What a brilliant Yama! He has truly lived up to my expectations!"

His eyes gleamed with excitement, as if he could already see the dawn of victory in the War of Resistance against Japan shining ahead.

This good news was like a shot in the arm, instantly easing Dai Li's tense nerves.

He knew in his heart that Yan Wang Zhao Heng's operation was a great success, not only dealing a heavy blow to the Japanese army, but also greatly enhancing the prestige of the Military Intelligence Bureau in the enemy's rear battlefield.

Dai Li immediately picked up a pen and quickly wrote on the telegram: "Well done, King Yama!"

He continued to infiltrate Shanghai, waiting for an opportunity to assassinate Li Moqun, the director of the 76th Special Agent Headquarters, thus making new contributions to the war of resistance.

After issuing the instruction, he immediately ordered the telegraph operator to encrypt the instruction and send it back to Yama, who was in Shanghai.

At the same time, Dai Li began to consider how to better win over Zhao Heng, this rare talent, so that the Military Intelligence Bureau could gain greater benefits in this complex situation.

Everyone knew that Dai Li had long been completely disappointed with the abilities of Wang Shi'an, the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Shanghai station, and held no expectations for him.

That is why he issued orders to the national military intelligence system to implement the Fengye Plan and punish Chen Moqun, who had defected.

Moreover, Zhao Heng is also a man of Zheng Yaoxian, the sixth brother.

Dai Li always believed in the doctrine of the mean, and his criteria for employing people were almost identical to those of Chiang Kai-shek—only those from the Whampoa Military Academy and from Zhejiang Province could be promoted and given important positions by him.

Dai Li murmured to himself, "Zhao Heng is indeed a rare talent."

I must completely separate him from Lao Liu (Zheng Yaoxian) and make him work for me.

He already had a plan in mind, as the Military Intelligence Bureau was currently short of a deputy director.

If Zhao Heng can successfully assassinate Li Moqun, the director of the 76th Special Agent Headquarters, and return to Chongqing safely this time, he will have performed an extraordinary feat.

This would not only add glory to the Military Intelligence Bureau, but also give Dai Li a legitimate excuse to promote Zhao Heng to the position of deputy director of a division.