Anti-Japanese War Espionage: I Have an Omniscient Perspective

Three more people arrived later.

Station Chief Zhou looked at everyone present and said in a deep voice, "Everyone is here. All of you here are the heads of the Shanghai Station's dispatch teams and action teams. From now on, everything here is top secret. Not a single word may be leaked. Anyone who violates this rule will be dealt with according to military law."

Everyone nodded in unison, and the atmosphere became even more solemn. The conference room was completely silent, and even breathing was extremely quiet.

Finally, Station Chief Zhou spoke slowly, his voice hoarse and trembling uncontrollably:

"Ladies and gentlemen, there is some news I must tell you."

He paused, closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, tears were welling up in them.

"Nanjing has fallen."

These five short words were like five thunderbolts, striking hard into everyone's hearts.

The conference room fell into a deathly silence. Everyone froze in place, their faces filled with shock and disbelief, before being overwhelmed by overwhelming grief and indignation.

Some people clenched their fists tightly, their knuckles turning white and their nails digging deep into their palms; some people's eyes reddened, and tears silently streamed down their faces; some people trembled all over, biting their lips hard to keep themselves from making a sound.

Nanjing! That's the capital! The capital of the Nationalist government!

First came the fall of the old capital, Beiping, then Shanghai, and now it's Nanjing's turn!

The news is heavy, and the pressure is immense.

This means that these spies who were lurking behind enemy lines have lost their rear support and their strongest backing!

Station Chief Zhou took a deep breath, suppressing his grief, and his tone grew increasingly heavy: "After the Japanese army entered Nanjing, they burned, killed, looted, and committed countless atrocities. Specific details are still coming in intermittently, but it is certain that Nanjing has become a living hell."

His voice grew increasingly agitated: "With the fall of Nanjing, the Shanghai concessions have become a true island. We have no rear support, no supplies, and no military backing. The French Concession is our only foothold, and also our most dangerous hell."

The Kuomintang (KMT) cadres present were all pale-faced, their emotions shifting from grief and indignation to worry about their own safety.

They infiltrated Shanghai, dealing with the Japanese army and traitors every day, all for the sake of protecting their homeland and waiting for a counterattack from the rear. But now, the capital has fallen and their country is in turmoil. Their beliefs have been dealt a heavy blow.

Lin Rui also showed an expression of pain and indignation.

He came from the future and knew better than anyone present what a horrific catastrophe would ensue after the fall of Nanjing—a wound that would forever remain in the hearts of the Chinese people, a shame etched into their very bones.

Station Chief Zhou raised his hand, signaling everyone to calm down, his tone suddenly turning stern: "From today onwards, Shanghai Station is on maximum alert! All dispatched personnel and undercover teams must strictly follow all orders from the station; not a single step can be wrong!"

"First, all identities must be kept completely confidential. Only the station knows, and within the station, only Team Leader Li and I know. You are not allowed to act without authorization, and you are not allowed to contact each other privately!"

"Secondly, minimize going out and unnecessary contact, especially with strangers and suspicious individuals within the concession. Stay away from them all. The police station, the concession authorities, and various gangs may all have Japanese informants. Be extremely cautious in your every word and action!"

"Third, intelligence gathering should shift its focus to Japanese troop movements, collaborating organizations, and espionage activities within the concessions. All intelligence must be transmitted in encrypted form, without the use of plain language or leaving any trace of written communication. It is better to interrupt the process than to take unnecessary risks!"

At this point, Station Chief Zhou's tone grew increasingly serious, revealing a piece of news that sent a chill down everyone's spine:

"There is one more thing I must inform everyone. Some time ago, our action team assassinated Lu Dahong, which greatly angered the commander of the Japanese military police."

"Now, the Japanese army has pressured the French Concession Municipal Council, demanding complete control over the news censorship of all newspapers, periodicals, and radio stations within the concession. In other words, any public opinion, news, or speech within the concession will henceforth be subject to Japanese censorship, and any anti-Japanese dissent will be completely suppressed!"

Gasps of shock filled the conference room.

The right to censor news meant that the Japanese wanted to completely block public opinion in the concessions, cut off the spread of anti-Japanese news, and control everyone's mouths!

"Not only that," Station Chief Zhou continued, his tone icy. "The Japanese army has begun to send a large number of agents into the concession, while also bribing and recruiting a large number of traitors, thugs, and gangsters to infiltrate every corner of the concession: docks, factories, theaters, teahouses, refugee areas, and even the shops and factories where you are hiding. There may be their people there."

"Their goal is clear: to find us, to find all anti-Japanese dissidents, and to exterminate them all. With Nanjing fallen, they are arrogant and will inevitably launch a massive purge and roundup within the foreign concessions. Our situation will be a hundred times, a thousand times more dangerous than ever before!"

Lin Rui's heart sank.

Lu Dahong's assassination was an operation he orchestrated himself.

But he did not expect that the Japanese army's retaliation would come so quickly and so ruthlessly, directly using political pressure and espionage to turn the entire French Concession into a giant prison.

The identity of Lianhua Film Studio is not safe. If problems arise at the Shanghai station, the probability of being exposed is very high.

Historically, Shanghai Station was destroyed by Japanese spies several times, which greatly increases the possibility of this.

The new identity he has prepared will help him escape danger in future crises.

Baylor Street, the Loyal and Righteous Gang, the Du Family, Zhang Xiaolin... It seems we need to speed up our planning.

At this time.

Station Chief Zhou's piercing gaze swept over everyone, his voice resolute: "I know the situation is dire, and life and death are uncertain. But I tell you, the more our nation faces peril, the less we can retreat! We are soldiers, and defending our country is our sacred duty! We must remember the hatred of Nanjing, the blood of our compatriots, and we will avenge it all from the Japanese, bit by bit!"

"From this day forward, anyone who is negligent, leaks secrets, deserts in the face of battle, or defectes to the enemy, regardless of rank, shall be executed on the spot!"

"Did you all understand?"

"clear!"

Everyone stood up abruptly and responded in unison, their voices hoarse but firm, to express their agreement.

Lin Rui also stood up, straightened his back, and the grief and indignation in his eyes gradually turned into a calm sharpness.

With Nanjing fallen and the island in peril, a massive Japanese manhunt is about to begin.

His path of infiltration will be even more perilous; his plans will be even more difficult.

But he will never back down.

The meeting lasted a full hour. The station chief issued and detailed the alert plan, intelligence transmission methods, and emergency evacuation plan. Every regulation was extremely strict, and every detail was designed for survival in dire circumstances.

As the meeting adjourned, Team Leader Li stopped Lin Rui, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a serious tone, "Lin Rui, your undercover team is located on Belle Street, near gangs and the refugee area, a melting pot of all sorts of people, making it the easiest place for the Japanese to infiltrate. You must keep a close eye on your men and manage the film studio well; absolutely nothing can go wrong. You are the most capable undercover team leader in the station, and I have high hopes for you."

Lin Rui stood up straight, his tone firm: "Please rest assured, team leader, I will definitely protect my identity, protect the team, and complete the mission."

Team Leader Li nodded, said no more, and indicated that he could leave.

Station Chief Zhou originally wanted to call Lin Rui over for a talk, but seeing Team Leader Li's attitude, he had no choice but to give up. Instead, he patted Lin Rui on the shoulder and said in a meaningful tone, "Take care."