Agent: Intercepting Yu Manli at the start!

Although Boss Dai was nominally the deputy director, he was actually the true head of the Military Intelligence Bureau and the de facto supreme decision-maker. However, he was elusive and rarely stayed at headquarters, with most of the daily affairs being handled by his subordinates.

But today they made an exception and came.

dong dong dong...

A knock came at the door.

"Come in."

A female officer in military uniform pushed open the door and entered, her gaze falling on Boss Dai: "Boss Dai, we just received a secret telegram from Shanghai—the newly appointed head of the Special Higher Police Section, Xian Daofeng, has been successfully eliminated by our Military Intelligence Bureau."

The female officer's name was Jiang Xin. She was the head of the secretariat and served by Boss Dai's side year-round. She was one of his most trusted and frequently interacted assistants.

Her other identity was that of a secret member of the underground Communist Party, infiltrating deep within the Kuomintang's intelligence network. She was rational and clear-headed, yet she also possessed a distinct warmth and emotion.

After scanning the telegram, Boss Dai smiled and laughed loudly, "Hahaha, what great news!"

Yesterday, the Japanese army bombed our mountain city. What's even more exciting is that their newly appointed head of the Special Higher Police in Shanghai was also killed by our military intelligence agents on the same day! Hahaha, well done, Lao Liu!

This secret telegram details the key roles played by Hades and Zheng Yaoxian in this operation.

To ensure security, the entire telegram used the code name "Pluto" to refer to Zhou Xiao, without revealing his real name.

"Jiang Xin, have the Secretariat accurately record the merits of Hades and Lao Liu, and immediately issue a commendation order to the Military Intelligence Bureau's Shanghai station!"

"yes!"

As a secretary in the secretariat, Jiang Xin had many opportunities to come into contact with classified information.

In this telegram, she learned for the first time that there was a top agent within the Military Intelligence Bureau codenamed "Pluto"—but there were no clues about his true identity, background, or experience.

Upon receiving the good news, Boss Dai was overjoyed and immediately went to the director's office to report the latest developments in the intelligence war in Shanghai.

Inside the principal's office.

Boss Dai systematically reviewed Zhou Xiao's achievements after arriving in Shanghai: he successively eliminated important Japanese and puppet officials such as Li Moqun, Chen Mingfu, Bi Zhongliang, Su Sansheng, Aoki Takeshige, and Xiandao Feng; he assisted the Military Intelligence Bureau in successfully transferring printing equipment and resolved several imminent crises.

Previously, he had not given a comprehensive report on the situation in Shanghai; this was the first time he had compiled and presented such a report.

Upon hearing this, Director Wei was both pleasantly surprised and astonished—how long had Zhou Xiao been in Shanghai? Yet he had already achieved such remarkable accomplishments!

"Good! Hahaha! It's a blessing for the War of Resistance that the Military Intelligence Bureau can produce such a top-notch agent. We've taken another big step closer to victory!" Director Wei said solemnly. "Intelligence warfare is a silent but crucial war. Shanghai is not only Asia's intelligence hub but also a key node in the global intelligence network. We must firmly establish ourselves and strengthen our network."

"Talents like Zhou Xiao should be rewarded and given important responsibilities so that he can continue to make contributions to the country."

Boss Dai nodded in agreement, "That's exactly right, that's what I'm planning to do too."

"This time, Lao Liu personally went to Shanghai and promoted Zhou Xiao's military rank and position on the spot, and awarded him a fourth-class Baoding Medal. It can be considered a significant affirmation and praise."

The head of the garden nodded: "This reward is perfectly reasonable."

"By the way, I heard that Zhou Xiao was personally trained by Lao Liu?"

"That's right. Earlier, when Lao Liu was assisting in the investigation of Japanese agents planted in the Military and Political Association in Nanjing, he discovered that Zhou Xiao was sharp-minded, courageous, and had great potential as a special agent, so he decisively transferred him to the Military Intelligence Bureau."

"At the time, several veteran generals of the Nanjing Military and Political Association were quite reluctant to part with him—Zhou Xiao was an outstanding figure in the General Staff and a rare talent among generals."

Director Wei said in a deep voice, "Yu Nong, we must guard against Zhou Xiao's identity at all costs. He is very likely the deepest and most secretive pawn we have planted in the enemy's intelligence system, and the strategic value he can leverage is immeasurable."

If one can truly establish a foothold in the enemy's rear intelligence system, one can continuously obtain core intelligence, dismantle the Japanese army's offensive deployment, and even take the initiative to launch counterattacks and break the deadlock based on the intelligence obtained.

Intelligence has always been the sharpest weapon.

When used well, it can turn the tide of a battle and rewrite the outcome of an entire war.

Mr. Dai replied solemnly, "Director Wei, I am fully aware of that."

"Modern warfare is not only about gunnery, but also about information control. I will do everything in my power to ensure 'Pluto's' safety and will not allow his true identity to be exposed in the slightest."

Zhou Xiao's performance in Shanghai not only won high praise from Boss Dai, but also shocked Director Wei Yuan—it was truly rare for him to fight such a tough battle in such a short period of time.

Such talent would naturally be protected and given priority by the Military Intelligence Bureau.

St. Mary's Hospital, Shanghai.

On his hospital bed, Zhou Xiao was flipping through the day's newspaper. The front page prominently featured the news of Xian Daofeng's assassination attempt. A faint smile appeared on his lips.

The entire layout is watertight.

The death of Sendou Feng was not a matter of chance.

Given Zhou Xiao's physical condition, and the fact that his penetrating wound wasn't fatal, he could have been discharged yesterday after simple bandaging. But he chose to stay in the hospital, solely to completely distance himself from the situation—the further away from the scene, the better for him to strategize behind the scenes and remain calm and collected; that was the best policy.

Just then, a system notification sounded in my mind: "Ding-dong, St. Mary's Hospital has been designated as a check-in point for the system. Do you wish to complete the check-in?"

Uh... even this hospital is a popular spot for taking photos?

It was a pleasant surprise, not too big, not too small.

Zhou Xiao silently read, "Sign in."

The system responded: "Ding dong, congratulations to the host for obtaining the skill 'Mastery of Explosives Principles'."

Proficient in explosives principles: Can quickly master the formulas and blasting mechanisms of various explosives, understand the assembly logic of explosives in different scenarios, and have the ability to efficiently prepare explosive devices using common materials available locally.

Zhou Xiao was slightly surprised: "Proficient in the principles of explosives? This skill is indeed very useful."

During the training at the Military Intelligence Bureau, the instructors also taught the basics of blasting, but only the conventional explosive ratios and basic blasting techniques.

In fact, demolition is an extremely sophisticated practical technique: how to mix, how to load, how to detonate, when to detonate, and where to detonate—every step is interconnected.

To achieve a precise, powerful, and perfectly executed explosion, it's far more complex than simply piling up a bunch of explosives. Choosing the wrong location, timing the wrong move, or having an unbalanced amount of explosives can result in drastically different effects.

Therefore, this skill is extremely important for agents like Zhou Xiao who have infiltrated deep behind enemy lines.

"Indeed, this skill is rare and truly an unexpected bonus." Zhou Xiao felt a surge of excitement and quickly confirmed with the system using his mind: "Activate immediately."

As soon as he finished speaking, a flood of professional knowledge about the construction principles, proportioning points, and assembly process of explosives rushed into his mind... This content is highly specialized and difficult for ordinary people to grasp.

For example, many people have heard that flour can explode when it comes into contact with fire, but few people know why it explodes or under what conditions it will explode.

The reason flour can explode is that it is ground extremely finely, forming a large number of suspended particles. When there are 9.7 grams of such dust floating in the air per cubic meter, as long as it encounters a spark, an electric spark, or even a slightly higher temperature, the entire dust cloud will ignite instantly, causing a violent explosion with a power no less than that of conventional explosives.

The essence of this is that dust particles have a large surface area, allowing for more thorough contact with oxygen and an extremely rapid oxidation reaction; once one particle is ignited, the heat will spread rapidly, igniting surrounding particles and triggering a chain reaction—thus, deflagration occurs.

This kind of knowledge is crucial for Zhou Xiao. If he lacks readily available explosive materials in the future, he can easily substitute them with everyday materials, such as flour.

Just as the system connection was completed, a young woman walked into the ward.

Blue Rouge!

"Are you alright? Are you alright?" Lan Yanzhi stood by the bed, her gaze falling on Zhou Xiao's face. "Your complexion looks quite stable; you shouldn't have suffered any vital injuries."

She then quietly mouthed: Are there any listening devices in the house?

Zhou Xiao waved his hand lightly to indicate that he was safe, and then replied, "I won't die, I just took a bullet, it went right through my chest."

Lan Yanzhi sat down on the edge of his bed and said in a calm tone, "Zhou Xiao, this operation has been successfully completed."

Zhou Xiao asked, "What about Feng Manna?"

Lan Yanzhi replied, "It went exactly as you planned—Oshima Ken has already concluded that she was secretly colluding with the Military Intelligence Bureau and plotted to eliminate Sendoh Kaede. She has now been imprisoned in the Special Higher Police prison."

"By the way, Zhou Xiao, do you think Oshima Ken might just kill her?"

Zhou Xiao shook his head: "No. But once she's in the Special Higher Police's cell, she definitely won't be able to escape interrogation."

"I just hope that this time, she can really see things clearly and not go down the wrong path again."

This elaborate scheme, which turned the tables on the enemy, had its first half primarily targeting Sendou Feng, with the aim of eliminating him.

The result was swift and decisive—Sendoh Kaede died on the spot.

The latter half of the text then shifts the focus to Feng Manna.

Zhou Xiao meticulously laid the groundwork, leading all clues to her collusion with the Kuomintang's intelligence agency and her plot to assassinate someone, ultimately forcing her into prison.

Sending her to prison is not the ultimate goal; the real aim is to make her realize her mistakes.

The entire plan was actually finalized by Zhou Xiao and Zheng Yaoxian.

The steps were all interconnected and flawless.

Zhou Xiao and Lan Yanzhi both wanted to leave her a way back.

Feng Manna joined the Special Higher Police and established the Special Operations Headquarters out of necessity.

Now, it's up to her to choose.

The question is whether to continue serving the Japanese or to turn to serve the country.

She is indeed a rare talent, with a sharp mind and sophisticated methods. If she could defect to the light, not only would the intelligence front gain a capable member, but it would also greatly benefit infiltration behind enemy lines.

This is also why Zhou Xiao deliberately avoided vital areas when he made his move—Feng Manna still had value.

Otherwise, she would never have been able to leave Shitai Department Store alive.

Lan Yanzhi and Feng Manna were close friends and had a deep friendship.

If Feng Manna's father, Feng Zixiong, hadn't betrayed his country and become a traitor, the two would still be inseparable best friends to this day.

"I hope so." Lan Yanzhi sighed softly. "This time, Oshima Ken turned his back on her without even investigating before throwing her in jail. I hope she can see the true colors of the Japanese and truly wake up."

Zhou Xiao nodded silently.

The two chatted casually.

At this moment, only Lan Yanzhi in the entire special operations headquarters knew Zhou Xiao's true identity.

During their conversation, Lan Yanzhi suddenly stared at Zhou Xiao with a strange look in her eyes.

Noticing that gaze, Zhou Xiao smiled and asked, "Rouge, why are you staring at me like that? Is something wrong?"