Chapter 107: Your Brain’s Got Some Issues
Seeing that Cao Weida was serious, Tong Mazi struggled violently and screamed miserably: “Cao Ye, Cao Ye, spare my life, spare my life! That was just blowing out the lamp, blowing out the lamp!”
“I’ll talk, I’ll talk! I’ll confess everything! A total of sixteen thousand Silver Dollars, plus twenty small gold bars and three large gold bars, hidden in three places. This really is all my family fortune. I’ve really confessed everything. Cao Ye, please spare my life!”
“As long as you spare me, I’ll definitely hand over all this money!”
“Damn it, he really wasn’t being honest! Daring to play mind games with Big Brother Cao!” Little Ear’s eyes flashed with murderous intent as he drove a knee into his stomach.
Thud~~
“Urp~~”
Little Ear was ruthless this time, nearly hammering out Tong Mazi’s meal from the night before. His waist bent into a bow shape. If he weren’t being held up by others, he probably would have collapsed on the ground and been unable to get up.
You know, Little Ear runs a wrestling gym and is a wrestling expert himself.
Don’t let his skinny, short stature fool you; he actually has tremendous strength.
Otherwise, do you really think you can gather a bunch of brothers just by relying on loyalty?
People mixing in the jianghu need real skills; without a couple of tricks up your sleeve, you won’t even get the chance to talk about loyalty with others!
Seeing him bend at the waist, Little Ear grabbed his hair and yanked him up, saying coldly:
“Tell me exactly where you hid the money, or else this old man has plenty of ways to deal with you, making you unable to live or die!”
Tong Mazi was extremely regretful at this point. He regretted why he had been so bewitched by greed, wanting to make one last score before leaving.
If he hadn’t been greedy, none of this would have happened. He could have just
Two hours later.
In the study room at Cao Weida’s home in Maozi Hutong.
“Big Brother Cao, all the stuff has been moved out. What about that Tong Mazi?” Little Ear made a slashing motion across his neck with one hand.
“No, keep him. He’s still useful.” Cao Weida leisurely smoked. How could he bear to waste such a good scapegoat? Finding someone who deserves death by a thousand cuts isn’t that easy these days. We have to learn to cut costs, save resources, and make use of waste.
“Lock him up for me and keep a close watch on him.” He glanced at the pile of sacks in the corner and pointed with his chin: “There are three thousand Silver Dollars there. Take them and divide them among the brothers. You take two thousand more, and another three hundred for Lian Hu. Consider it my wedding money as half a matchmaker. I won’t give a gift once the bride enters the door.”
“Oh, then I’ll thank you on behalf of the brothers and my little brother!” Little Ear beamed with joy. From the start, he hadn’t asked about these valuables because he believed Big Brother Cao wouldn’t shortchange them.
Sure enough, Big Brother Cao was as generous as always!
Knock knock knock~~
“Come in.”
“Master.”
“What is it.”
The old woman servant held a letter in her hand. “Master, someone just delivered this letter and told me to hand it to you personally.”
Cao Weida took the letter, opened it, and looked at it. His brows raised: “Got it. You can go now.”
“Little Ear, have Xiangzi prepare the car.”
“Big Brother Cao, are you going out?”
“Yeah, I really do need to head out.”
Inside a private room at a restaurant.
Cao Weida sat down and said discontentedly to Xu Jin’ge, who was disguised across from him: “What was so urgent? Notifying me so rashly could put me in great danger, you know!”
“Jingzhe, don’t be angry. I had no choice.” Xu Jin’ge said gravely: “Something happened at Beiping Station. We need your help.”
“Damn it…” Cao Weida really wanted to curse them out. You have your problems, what does it have to do with me? I’m just non-staff personnel, and I was dragged into this against my will.
Fine, now that something’s happened, they think of him. They’re really treating him like a workhorse.
He stewed in anger for a while but ultimately didn’t curse out loud. After all, it was a thick thigh from after the victory in the War of Resistance. He had to give some face, but his tone definitely wasn’t friendly: “Spit it out. What happened.”
Xu Jin’ge understood Cao Weida’s dissatisfaction. He gave a bitter smile in his heart. If there were any other way, he really wouldn’t want to trouble Cao Weida with everything, making even himself feel embarrassed.
“These past few days, the Japs have been conducting a major sweep. A contact point in Beiping was exposed and destroyed. That bastard Group Leader of Group One Action Team even went to Bada Hutong to spend the night, where he was caught on the spot by the Gendarmerie Headquarters. Then, just the day before yesterday, the Group Leader of Action Group Four was also caught.”
“Holy shit!” Cao Weida was about to go mad. Was this even an action? This was kids playing house!
What time was it? Knowing Beiping was under martial law, and still going whoring? That was courting death big time!!
“Do they know my identity?” That was what concerned him most. If so, he’d have to consider running.
Xu Jin’ge quickly assured him: “Don’t worry. In the Action Department, no one knows your identity except me.”
Phew, good, good. Xu Jin’ge wasn’t brain-dead like that Group One Action Team Captain. “So, what do you want me to do?”
“Group Three Group Leader knows a lot about the Action Department. He’s very familiar with the Captain of Group Three Action Team and likely holds the personnel list for Group Three Action Team. To avoid greater losses, the superior has ordered either to rescue him or eliminate this Group Three Group Leader.”
Cao Weida couldn’t help but chuckle. What a coincidence. If he’d been caught by anyone else, he really wouldn’t have a good way, but as long as it was the Gendarmerie Headquarters or Matsui Special Agency, it was much simpler.
But he also felt a bit unhappy inside. The Military Statistics Bureau really didn’t give a damn about his life.
He had only connected with Fujita and the others by sheer luck, getting on the same boat. Without that relationship, were they expecting him to carry out an assassination?
The guy was definitely locked up in the Gendarmerie Headquarters. Who had the ability to pull off an assassination there?
Did they think he had three heads and six arms?
He looked at Xu Jin’ge with an unfriendly expression. “So, what do you mean by notifying me? Didn’t you say before that Beiping’s intelligence system was heavily damaged? How do Group One and Group Three Action Teams suddenly pop up? Not only do you treat me like a thief, guarding me, but you also want to play me like a monkey?”
“Jingzhe, don’t misunderstand. There’s absolutely no intention of playing you.” Xu Jin’ge hurriedly explained, “Our intelligence system in Beiping has indeed suffered severe damage, but the Action Teams still have some structure left, though only a few remain.”
“It’s precisely because our Beiping intelligence system was so badly damaged that we’re now blind and at a complete loss.”
“Group Three Group Leader knows too many secrets of the Action Teams. If he defects, it will be a devastating blow to Beiping’s Action Teams.”
Cao Weida was amused by the anger. “So you’re shearing me as your one sheep, huh? Are you all stones? Don’t you know to pull out fast?”
Xu Jin’ge looked embarrassed. “We’ve already withdrawn, but if Group Three Group Leader defects, it means all personnel from Group One and Group Three have to withdraw completely. Rebuilding would be next to impossible, so…”
Cao Weida couldn’t help rolling his eyes. These Military Statistics Bureau guys were really damn troublesome. They could get things done, but they were also experts at stirring up trouble.
“The officer who came up with this idea must be a real genius.”
Xu Jin’ge gave an awkward laugh. He actually thought the order was too much too, but there was no choice. The boss opens his mouth, and the underlings run till their legs break. One order from the office sitters, and the executors on the ground could only risk life and limb for the country to carry it out.
As for how easy the task was or the odds of success… the superiors didn’t care.
“So, what exactly do you want me to do? Surely not to grab a Browning and go assassinate at the Gendarmerie Headquarters.”
Xu Jin’ge fell silent for a moment. Cao Weida’s eyes widened as he exclaimed in shock: “Damn it, that really is your plan!? You really think this old man’s life isn’t worth anything, huh! Fuck *****”
For a moment, it was a flurry of curses.
Although being cursed to his face by Cao Weida was humiliating and the words were harsh, fortunately no one else was here, so he at least saved some face.
He knew he wasn’t in the right, so he smiled apologetically to placate him: “Don’t take it personally. This is all a task from the superior. We have no choice.”
“In all of Beiping’s intelligence system, you’re the only one who can freely enter and exit the Gendarmerie Headquarters. If there were even the slightest other way, I wouldn’t come to you.”
“Besides, this wasn’t my decision. It’s the superior’s order. As a soldier, we must obey commands as our”
“Obey my ass! Do you think this old man is an idiot, so easy to fool?”
“Also, I’m no soldier. Don’t pin high hats on me. I don’t buy that!”
“You say it so easily. If you’ve got the guts, let those office sitters go do it?”
“Where do you think this is? This is the occupied area!! Right under their noses, going to their Gendarmerie Headquarters for an assassination. I just want to ask, are their brains filled with shit!?”
Xu Jin’ge really wanted to say he thought the superiors’ brains were a bit off too, but suspicion was suspicion, doubt was doubt. He’d cursed them out, but the tasks still had to be carried out to the letter. Who told him to be a soldier?
He felt pretty guilty inside, thinking it was he who had put Cao Weida in danger.
Xu Jin’ge looked ashamed and said gravely: “I’m sorry to you, but rest assured, from the moment I received the task, I’ve been prepared.
For this assassination action, I’ll go with you. I absolutely won’t let you fight alone!”
At these words, Cao Weida felt somewhat touched inside.
Without his connections, this assassination action would basically be a death sentence, but even so, Xu Jin’ge was still determined to go along.
As the Action Department Director, Xu Jin’ge really didn’t need to take such risks.
In that moment, Cao Weida’s urge to curse dissipated a lot. He sighed, patted his shoulder, “You field operatives all have it tough. I know this isn’t really your fault.”
“Alright then. Since you’re being straight with me, I’ll be straight too. This doesn’t need to be so troublesome. I have a way to rescue him.”
