Agent: Intercepting Yu Manli at the start!

What Zhou Xiao has mastered at this moment is precisely such a complete, practical, and easy-to-use memory toolbox.

This skill is truly invaluable.

Just after I collected my points and the guide, the system notification sounded again: "Check-in task triggered: Silently obtain the list of personnel for the 'Celestial Music Project'. Task reward is pending and will be dynamically distributed based on the quality of completion."

Have they obtained the "Heavenly Voice Project" list?

Isn't this exactly Zhou Xiao's next action plan?

The system actively distributes them, which is equivalent to giving away a free loot.

It would be foolish not to take advantage of such a good opportunity.

After washing up, breakfast was ready.

Lin Yiyi has long since transformed into a gentle and virtuous woman who knows how to manage a household, setting the table for him every morning without fail.

After finishing breakfast, Zhou Xiao got up to leave. Lin Yiyi, watching his retreating figure, suddenly called out, "Brother Zhou!"

He stopped and turned back to look at her: "Yiyi, is something wrong?"

She gently shook her head: "It's nothing, I just wanted to remind you—make sure you come back safely."

The atmosphere in Shanghai is tense and fraught with undercurrents.

Zhou Xiao nodded: "Yes, I'll be careful."

They then drove to the Special Operations Headquarters.

At this moment, newsboys' shouts echoed throughout the streets and alleys of Shanghai, with the headline on the front page proclaiming: "Asano Hirofumi, head of the Special Higher Police, was assassinated in his office last night."

"Breaking news! Breaking news! Newly appointed Special Higher Police Chief Hirofumi Asano has been assassinated!"

"Breaking news! Breaking news! In the early hours of last night, a newly appointed section chief was assassinated in his office. The Japanese authorities have issued a stern statement condemning the anti-Japanese forces for deliberate provocation!"

"Front-page headline! Hirofumi Asano, the newly appointed head of the Special Higher Police, died in his office on his first day in office!"

Newsboys ran along the street, shouting their calls in quick succession.

Normally, this kind of news would never be published.

The Japanese army had long since firmly controlled most of the newspapers and printing houses in Shanghai, thereby controlling public opinion and firmly grasping the power of discourse.

However, the newspapers that published the news this time were all located within the concession area—no matter how far the Japanese army's reach was, it couldn't extend even an inch into that area.

Without a doubt, Hirofumi Asano had barely stepped into Shanghai and hadn't even settled into his chair when he collapsed in his office, an event that instantly ignited the entire city... That's really ruthless.

Although the Japanese army controlled most of the newspapers in the city and used information blockade to whitewash the situation and suppress dissenting opinions, they were helpless against the media in the foreign concessions.

It was these newspapers in the foreign concessions that leaked the news of Asano Hirofumi's assassination.

Their purpose in doing this was clear: to create obstacles and put pressure on the Japanese army.

As for the bombing of the Sugi Agency, it was a highly classified matter, and outsiders had no idea of ​​the internal situation. If the newspapers had dared to publish anything like "the Sugi Agency is secretly developing biological weapons," the Japanese army would have vehemently denied it; and the concession authorities could not produce any conclusive evidence—all the data and files, along with the entire building, had been destroyed.

Insisting on a complete breakdown in relations will only lead to a public confrontation between the two sides.

The concession authorities would never do something so thankless and potentially harmful.

They excel at adding fuel to the fire; they avoid self-immolation for amusement like the plague.

That's why Asano Hirofumi's death became the most sensational headline in Shanghai.

It's not surprising that the head of the Special Higher Police was killed—those who commit many evils will eventually get their comeuppance.

But Asano Hirofumi was different. He was a newly appointed official who was parachuted in. On the very first day of his new post, he was found dead in front of his desk. The speed of his death was astonishing, and the whole city was shocked. The streets and alleys were buzzing with discussion.

"The newly arrived head of the Special Higher Police, Asano Hirofumi, was shot dead in his own office! This is a slap in the face to the Japanese!"

"That's right! It's clearly written in the newspapers. He just took office this morning and was gone by nightfall. The Military Intelligence Bureau's efficiency is truly accurate and ruthless!"

"Shh—keep your voice down, the walls have ears!"

"In less than two months, three section chiefs have died in succession. It's truly gratifying!"

"The Military Intelligence Bureau is too tough; they take down anyone who comes, they're very reliable!"

"That's outrageous! He died right after getting off the train. The Japanese must be furious, slamming their fists on the table! Hahaha!"

"Asano Hirofumi has stumbled again. Who will be the next to take on this hot potato? Is there anyone else willing to come to Shanghai to become the head of the Special Higher Police?"

The case has become the talk of the town, generating a huge uproar. Unsurprisingly, it has dominated all the conversations in Shanghai.

Ordinary people and patriots applauded; while those traitors and lackeys were all on tenterhooks, unable to eat or sleep—fearing that one day the Kuomintang's guns would be quietly pointed at the back of their heads!

When Zhou Xiao returned to the Special Operations Headquarters, Lan Yanzhi was already waiting at the office door.

She had to thank him in person. It was Zhou Xiao's decisive action in dismantling the Shan Agency and completely thwarting the enemy's currency war plot that saved the entire Lan family's lives.

It is as if I have been given a second life.

Lan Yanzhi asked bluntly, "The destruction of the Sugimoto Agency and the assassination of Asano Hirofumi... were you responsible for both of these?"

Zhou Xiao nodded.

Two major events were accomplished in one night.

Even the usually arrogant agent Lan Yanzhi was stunned into silence for a moment.

But what really made her heart tremble was how Zhou Xiao would clear his name.

She couldn't help but press, "Didn't Oshima Ken suspect anything?"

Zhou Xiao replied, "Not yet."

"With the timing so close together, he'll eventually piece it together." Lan Yanzhi's mind worked incredibly fast; she knew perfectly well that the Japanese were no fools.

She knew in her heart that to accomplish an operation of this scale, it was impossible for one person to do it alone; there must be a Kuomintang (KMT) action team working in coordination behind the scenes. But Zhou Xiao did not use Song Mian's team—which meant that there were more KMT elites hiding in the shadows of Shanghai.

Zhou Xiao chuckled lightly: "It's alright, he doesn't have that chance anymore."

Once the whereabouts of the "Project Celestial" list are obtained, Ken Oshima's death is a foregone conclusion.

This person must be eliminated!

Lan Yanzhi shuddered and gasped, "So... you had him planned from the very beginning."

This game of chess was truly brilliant.

Zhou Xiao's schemes were never limited to the Sugimoto Agency; Asano Hirofumi, and even the cunning Japanese general Oshima Ken, were all part of his plan.

If both of them were to perish, the Japanese military intelligence system in Shanghai would be completely disrupted—the highest command chain would collapse on the spot, and the entire intelligence system would inevitably have to be overhauled.

The world is really about to change.

The entire city of Shanghai is about to undergo a transformation.

Zhou Xiao simply smiled faintly and said no more.

In his eyes, Ken Oshima was already a corpse waiting to be buried.

Ring ring—

The phone rang suddenly.

Zhou Xiao reached for the receiver: "Hello, this is Zhou Xiao, the head of the intelligence department at the Special Operations Headquarters."

From the other end of the microphone came Ken Oshima's calm yet slightly authoritative voice: "This is Ken Oshima. Director Zhou, if it's convenient, please come to the Military Police Headquarters immediately."

"Okay, I'll be right there." Zhou Xiao hung up the phone, looked up at Lan Yanzhi, and smiled slightly: "It's time to close the net."

As soon as she hung up the phone, Lan Yanzhi asked urgently, "Zhou Xiao, why did Oshima Ken want to see you?"

Zhou Xiao replied, "Naturally, it's for today's headline."

"The death of Asano Hirofumi has been widely reported in the newspapers of the concession, and it is now the focus of the whole city. The Japanese army has lost face and the Special Higher Police has lost all prestige—they can't swallow this insult no matter what."

"Someone has to come forward and 'explain'."

Lan Yanzhi nodded, then pressed on, "You just said 'closing the net'... what exactly did you mean?"