Espionage: I Have Photo Editing Software

Li Ximeng tightened his robe, pushed open the door, and stepped into the cold wind.

Six days have passed since the contact person was arrested.

He was carrying important documents, but he couldn't contact the organization, which made him extremely anxious.

He knew nothing about what was happening outside.

But the supplies in the safe house had run out, and he was penniless, so he had to risk going back to his residence to retrieve his household registration card and money.

"Leave Shanghai immediately after receiving the money."

As he passed a newsstand, he wanted to buy a newspaper to learn about what was happening in the outside world, but his pockets were empty.

The newsstand owner's wary look made him quite embarrassed.

But the situation forced him to bite the bullet and start flipping through the newspaper.

"Are you going to buy it or not?" the newsstand owner asked impatiently.

"Shouldn't you take a look before buying?" Li Ximeng replied, but his hands and eyes didn't stop.

He opened the application form and quickly scanned it.

There was no news of comrades being arrested in the newspapers.

This is not a good thing.

This means that the entire incident was not exposed to the public eye.

Opacity breeds darkness.

He could already imagine the torture his arrested comrades would suffer.

The newspaper vendor kept chattering beside him, distracting him from reading carefully. Just as he was about to close the newspaper, his gaze inadvertently swept over a missing person notice for a guy.

"Hmm?" He held the newspaper up to his eyes, and after seeing the photo clearly, his heart felt as if it had been squeezed tightly.

"I was secretly photographed? The location was... Nishi Honganji Temple?"

In a very short time, he thought about a lot of things.

But more questions followed.

Who took the photos? And who posted the missing person notice?

He couldn't think of an answer.

"The intelligence agency is looking for me, and the Japanese are probably looking for me too..."

The newsstand owner lost patience and started chasing people away.

Li Ximeng didn't reply, lowered his hat brim, and left with a heavy heart.

The contact had his photograph, and he knew that.

But the contact person did not know his address.

The Secret Service had virtually no influence in the concession, so finding his residence based on a photograph was almost impossible.

But now another candid photo has surfaced.

If the person who secretly photographed him was a monk from a temple, then it wouldn't have been difficult for the Japanese to find his residence by conducting a large-scale search of the concession with the photograph.

"I absolutely cannot go back to my residence! Losing money is a small matter, but losing my household registration card is a big deal. It means that if I'm questioned, I risk being exposed."

He returned to the safe house, pondered for a long time, and finally decided to fill his stomach first...

A private residence near Li Ximeng's home in the International Settlement.

Shimizu Taro frowned. "We've been waiting for three days, why hasn't he shown up yet?"

Hiroyuki Nishimura said, "If he hadn't left Shanghai, he would definitely have come back."

"Once the report is made public, there will be no point in arresting him," Shimizu Taro said worriedly.

As the two were talking, the door was suddenly pushed open, and the team member said, "Chief, something bad has happened. Someone has put up a missing person ad in the newspaper."

"So what?" Shimizu Taro asked, puzzled.

"This... take a look for yourself." The team member handed over the newspaper with trepidation.

Shimizu Taro took the newspaper and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Damn it! Who is it?!" He tore the newspaper to shreds, veins bulging on his forehead.

Nishimura Hiroyuki also caught a glimpse of the missing person notice and analyzed, "It must have been leaked because too many people had access to the photo, and it was then exploited by someone with ulterior motives."

"Are you saying my decision was wrong?" Shimizu Taro said angrily.

"No, no, that's absolutely not what I meant. Time is tight and the task is heavy. Whoever comes, this is the only way to do it," Nishimura Hiroyuki quickly explained.

"Send everyone out! Don't come back if you can't find anyone!" Shimizu Taro was already cornered.

"Chief. Once the suspect sees the newspaper, he'll definitely hide in Chinese-controlled areas. No matter how many people we send out, it won't help. I suggest we concentrate our efforts on tracing the source of the leak. If we can find the person who published the missing person notice, we'll have made amends. That way, we can give the Commissioner an explanation!"

"How do I check?"

"Since the bald monks at Nishi Honganji Temple were able to lose the report, they might also have leaked the photos. I think we should start the investigation from within their ranks." Hiroyuki Nishimura's eyes gleamed.

"Oh?" Shimizu Taro understood the implication, pondered for a moment, and said, "There's no time to lose, let's do as you say! We must get to the bottom of this! Do you understand what I mean?"

Hiroyuki Nishimura grinned, revealing an ugly smile. "I understand!"

"Go!" Shimizu Taro exhaled a breath of stale air.

As the saying goes, every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor.

Regardless of who leaked the photos, the monks must bear the blame.

So, who leaked the photos? Was it unintentional or intentional?

Framing someone was merely a temporary measure and did not prevent him from seeking the real answer.

That afternoon.

Wei Renming suddenly received a call from Shimizu Taro.

"Oh, so this busy person finally took the time to contact me?"

"Sigh... Never mind, let's call them up the mountain tonight and go out for drinks together."

Shimizu Taro did not suspect Wei Renming.

The latter only had contact with the photo for two minutes, and the whole time was right under his nose, so it was impossible for him to replicate the photo.

If he suspects Wei Renming of leaking the photos, then he must have shown the full picture.

"Okay, see you there."

……

In the evening, in a private room at the Dayi Salon.

Both Shimizu and Yamagami looked worried and sighed repeatedly.

Wei Renming looked at him with displeasure. "We come out drinking to have a good time. Are you two deliberately making me uncomfortable with those long faces?"

"You live such a comfortable life, how could you understand our suffering?" Yamagami Ryosuke said.

"As the saying goes, three cobblers are equal to one Zhuge Liang. If you encounter any problems, just tell me. Shimizu-san and I can also give you some advice," Wei Renming said.

"Yes, tell me about it," Shimizu Taro chimed in.

Ryosuke Yamagami shook his head and said, "I've taken on a task from the Cultural Affairs Department, but I don't know how to proceed."

"The task assigned by the Cultural Affairs Department shouldn't be too difficult, right?" Shimizu Taro asked curiously.

"To make a movie," Ryosuke Yamagami sighed.

"Isn't that simple? Shanghai has so many directors and actors; as long as there's funding, why worry about not finding a film to make?"

Wei Renming became interested.

There's definitely something fishy going on behind the scenes when the Ministry of Culture requires a film to be made.

"The film must be told from the perspective of Chinese women, revealing sharp social contradictions and generating a wide social impact," said Ryosuke Yamagami.

"There are no outsiders here, so just say it." Shimizu Taro was already in a bad mood and had no interest in listening to these platitudes.

"To expose the darkness of Chinese society, exacerbate internal conflicts, divide men and women, create topics, and cause social unrest. In short, it is to exacerbate internal conflicts, divert the attention of the Chinese people, and keep them from paying attention to the Empire's actions in North China and Manchukuo," Yamagami Ryosuke revealed.

"That's it? I thought it was something big?" Wei Renming laughed.

"How can Wei Sang teach me?" Yamagami Ryosuke asked hastily.