Holding the original shares, they fought all the way to the Korean War!

Chapter 218 Scouting

Is anyone on duty on the rooftop?

Zhou Tianyang asked the last crucial question.

"no."

"When I walked around to the side of that building, I looked up and saw that the rooftop was completely empty, there was nothing there."

"Moreover, that building is significantly taller than the surrounding buildings."

"The view from the rooftop is indeed very expansive."

After listening, Zhou Tianyang remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

This result exceeded his expectations.

An accessible building, a rooftop with a stunning view, an unattended vantage point.

There is only one problem left: timing.

But he didn't rush to make a decision.

"Ma Yong, you've worked hard. Go and rest."

That afternoon, Liu Ping returned from outside.

As soon as he entered, he sensed that the atmosphere in the courtyard was different from yesterday.

Zhou Tianyang sat on the stone bench with the map in front of him and a pencil beside him.

Ma Yong leaned against the backyard gate, wiping a dagger.

The soldiers were all busy with their own tasks, but there was a subtle sense of vigilance in their eyes.

Liu Ping walked to the stone table and sat down, his gaze falling on the map, then looking up at Zhou Tianyang.

"Commander Zhou, what are you thinking about?"

His tone was somewhat tentative, but not urgent.

Zhou Tianyang did not answer directly, but instead asked a question in return:

"How's it going on your end?"

Liu Ping didn't press further and continued along with what he was saying.

"I went to Lao Shen's place today and finished handing over some more specific things."

"His situation is more stable than I thought. He still has some old connections, which are worth rebuilding slowly."

"However, the new line will need a few more days of preparation before it can truly be operational."

"That means you'll be spending the next few days in the city."

Zhou Tianyang's tone was neither loud nor soft.

"Yes, I go out once a day and come back before dark."

Liu Ping stopped there.

His gaze lingered on the two marks on the map for a moment, then he put down his teacup and his tone became more serious.

"Commander Zhou, do you have some kind of plan?"

The courtyard was quiet for a moment.

Zhou Tianyang did not evade the question; he turned his gaze from the map to Liu Ping.

"I do have an idea, but I haven't decided whether to take action yet."

"Before that, I need to confirm one thing."

"What is it?"

"Will your job be affected by any sudden commotion in the city?"

Zhou Tianyang asked very directly.

After listening, Liu Ping remained silent for a few seconds.

Having worked underground for so many years, he certainly understood what those words meant.

If a major incident suddenly occurs in the city, the Japanese will immediately raise their alert level, conduct stricter checks, and increase the number of plainclothes officers on the streets.

The new line he just set up may be crushed by pressure before it is even stable.

"That depends on how big of a commotion you're talking about."

Liu Ping spoke, his tone carrying the caution typical of someone who has spent years conducting risk assessments.

"If it's a major event that shakes the entire city of Shanghai, with a huge impact, my side will definitely be affected."

"But if something only happened in the Japanese concession, the impact would be limited to that area."

"My area is not close to the Japanese concession, so the new railway line will not be affected."

After listening, Zhou Tianyang did not immediately express his opinion.

He lowered his head and lightly tapped the rooftop marker on the map with his finger, as if making a final confirmation.

Liu Ping noticed the action and followed his gaze to look at the map.

The location of that marker was easy to spot; it was just a few streets away, directly opposite the headquarters of the East China Expeditionary Army.

Liu Ping didn't press further; he had already figured it out.

Zhou Tianyang already had a plan in mind, but he was just one step away from completing it.

That night.

Zhou Tianyang walked around the room a few times.

I went over that infiltration route in my mind several times.

The next day, Ma Yong returned from outside.

They brought back more information about that area.

Zhou Tianyang sat in the courtyard, digesting the intelligence that Ma Yong had brought back, piece by piece.

He's waiting for a window of opportunity.

A sufficiently long window of opportunity, allowing him time to complete everything and then withdraw.

This window of opportunity may occur in the next few days.

That morning, he decided to go there himself.

Zhou Tianyang left home before dawn.

Instead of taking yesterday's route, he took a much more remote and circuitous path.

We cut through the area from the south side of the Japanese concession, avoiding the crowds that might have already started moving around on the main street.

He was wearing a straw hat and looked like an ordinary laborer who went out to work early in the morning.

This kind of attire is inconspicuous on the streets in the early morning.

He blended into the crowd of people pushing carts and carrying loads, and no one would give him a second glance.

He first went around to the side of the six-story building.

There were several pieces of discarded wooden planks piled up at the entrance of the alley, and they looked like they had been there for quite some time.

He slowed his pace as he passed the alley entrance, glancing out of the corner of his eye towards the back door.

Just as Ma Yong described, there was an iron lock hanging on the door.

The window next to the back door did have a broken pane, though the gap wasn't large.

But there's more than enough room to fit one hand inside.

He didn't stop to check, but continued walking forward, going around to the front of the building.

The photo studio across the street wasn't open yet.

He quickly glanced across the street at the direction of the main entrance, then turned into another alley next to it, and from there circled around to the back of the building.

He didn't linger, stood up and continued walking, mentally reviewing the road network of the area once more.

On his way back, he sat for a while longer at the breakfast stall at the alley entrance.

After eating a bowl of wontons, he slowly got up and started walking back.

He didn't go out for the next two days.

He spent all his time waiting.

Waiting for that window of opportunity to appear.

On the evening of the third day.

Ma Yong returned from outside, bringing Zhou Tianyang a piece of intelligence that cheered him up.

"Commander, I obtained some information from the Japanese concession today."

Ma Yong lowered his voice.

"The East China Expeditionary Army Headquarters has been preparing to receive an inspection team from the Japanese headquarters these past two days."

"I heard it was a high-ranking officer sent by the Army Ministry."