Chapter 159: Enforcing Family Law
Shanghai, Paramount Ballroom.
This ballroom is the most brilliant entertainment landmark on the Shanghai Bund, known as the “Oriental First Music Hall.”
It was built in 1932 by businessman Gu Liancheng with an investment of 700,000 silver taels, located at 218 Yuyuan Road, Jing’an Temple, and its appearance filled the “noble district” of Shanghai!
This place can be called a gathering spot for Shanghai’s celebrities. It was initially operated by French people, but due to poor management, such as forcing customers to bring dance partners to spend money and other reasons, it eventually went bankrupt.
The businessman who took over switched to local dance girls as companions, opened an afternoon session, hired a famous band to reside, and business immediately improved greatly.
At the Paramount Ballroom, a dance girl with good looks can generally get sixty silver dollars in tips per day for accompanying dances, and even up to over a hundred yuan on busy days.
At that time, an ordinary employee of a Shanghai foreign firm earned only five silver dollars a day.
And a dance girl’s tips for one day were ten or even twenty times their salary.
No wonder Shanghai has always had the saying “laugh at the poor but not at prostitutes.”
The night was cut into bizarre fragments by the huge neon sign of the Paramount Ballroom.
Jazz music faintly seeped out from the tightly closed doors and windows, forming a harsh contrast with the cold darkness at the street corner.
Lu Tao was like a stone blending into the shadows, pressed against the cold brick wall, his breathing suppressed to the extreme.
He wore a dark trench coat with the collar turned up, covering most of his face, his eyes deadlocked on the side door of the Paramount Ballroom that was about to open.
According to the intelligence provided by Zhao Lijun, that was the passage reserved by Tang Shaoyi.
This “Thunderbolt Action” targeting the assassination of Tang Shaoyi, he brought a total of six subordinates, two of whom were disguised as temporary waiters, and one mixed in the kitchen to provide support.
The other three were with him, occupying different positions around the Paramount Ballroom.
If no assassination opportunity was found on the periphery, they could only risk infiltrating the Paramount Ballroom to complete the action.
Fortunately, they had planned an escape route early on: the freight elevator in the direction of the Paramount Ballroom’s back kitchen.
Once the action succeeded, they would use the elevator to go down to the basement and leave from the back door there.
In the shadows not far away, Action Team Leader Xie Zhipan was equally silent as an abyss.
But his eyes were unusually calm, even carrying a barely perceptible scrutiny.
His task tonight was not only to assist the second group in monitoring the Paramount Ballroom’s movements.
Zhao Lijun’s order to him was to keep an eye on Lu Tao.
Xie Zhipan’s fingertips unconsciously rubbed on the gun holster at his waist, where a pistol was hidden.
He knew better than anyone that the seemingly focused Military Statistics Bureau capable officer “Team Leader Lu” had actually defected to the Japanese.
The order Zhao Lijun gave him was to utilize, monitor, and eliminate when necessary.
Utilize meant using Lu Tao’s identity to confirm if there were any more of his accomplices in the second group.
If it was confirmed there were none, then execute family law on the spot.
Time passed second by second, the air seeming to solidify.
The clamor inside the Paramount Ballroom seemed isolated by an invisible barrier, leaving only the deathly silence of waiting at the street corner and the man’s heavy breathing.
Lu Tao checked his watch; there were still ten minutes until the agreed time with Ling Jing, which meant that within this period, Tang Shaoyi’s convoy could appear at any time.
He didn’t know how Ling Jing would handle tonight’s assassination action; it was very likely that the Tang Shaoyi coming this time was not the real person, nor was Yuantian Xiongji.
Even more likely, the Nanjing Special Affairs Committee had already formulated a detailed action, just waiting for Lu Tao and his group to make their move, to catch them all in one net.
But these were not for him to consider; his task was to see the convoy and then open fire.
Xie Zhipan was equally tense as he observed the changes around him. Earthworm had caught evidence of Lu Tao meeting with Ling Jing; now he wanted to know if Lu Tao had anyone else below him.
At this moment, a rapid and suppressed sound of footsteps came from the alley behind, breaking the dead silence.
Xie Zhipan abruptly turned his head and saw a black shadow rushing up panting, his face pale white, forehead covered in sweat.
He clutched a note soaked with sweat in his hand.
“Captain! Station Chief’s urgent order: ‘Thunderbolt’ canceled! Immediately! Right now!” The courier’s voice was hoarse and distorted from extreme tension and running, every word squeezed out from his throat.
“What’s going on?” Xie Zhipan’s eyes suddenly sharpened as he snatched the note. There was only one line of scrawled code on it, which translated to: “Thunderbolt Action, terminate immediately.”
“Nanjing Special Affairs Committee has formulated Chopping Wood Action, target is to catch all personnel participating in today’s Tang assassination action in one net, all members evacuate immediately, do not expose.”
“Additionally, superior instruction: eliminate Lu Tao.”
Xie Zhipan pursed his lips, already understanding in his heart. It seemed the Nanjing Special Affairs Committee had a Military Statistics Bureau undercover inside; otherwise, Zhao Lijun couldn’t know about such a plan.
Thinking of Zhao Lijun’s calm and composed performance after learning Lu Tao was a traitor, he finally understood that Zhao Lijun was very confident in that undercover, knowing he could grasp the Nanjing Special Affairs Committee’s every move.
Therefore, he didn’t rush to abandon the Jinbei Road stronghold, but stayed to deal with Lu Tao, to avoid arousing his suspicion.
After destroying the intelligence, Xie Zhipan asked in a deep voice: “Did the Station Chief give any other instructions?”
The courier said gravely: “The Station Chief told you to act carefully, handle the body cleanly.”
Xie Zhipan nodded, took out the pre-prepared flashlight from his pocket, and sent a short-short-long signal toward the Gray Pigeons’ lurking position: “Action terminated, remind team members to evacuate urgently.”
Immediately after, he glanced at Lu Tao’s lurking position and silently approached.
“Team Leader Lu, Station Chief’s order, action terminated, all evacuate.” Arriving at Lu Tao’s hiding place, Xie Zhipan quietly conveyed Zhao Lijun’s order.
A trace of surprise appeared in Lu Tao’s eyes, but he didn’t think much of it and disassembled the sniper rifle in his hand.
At that moment, Xie Zhipan lunged forward, the dagger stabbing directly from the chest into the opponent’s heart.
Lu Tao’s body jerked violently, the expression on his face instantly replaced by shock and disbelief.
He had never thought Xie Zhipan would suddenly strike at him; waves of heart-wrenching pain came from his heart, his mouth firmly held by Xie Zhipan’s large hand, unable to make any cry for help.
In just a few seconds, the world in his eyes rapidly faded and spun, the Paramount Ballroom’s glaring neon lights blurring into a hazy blood red.
In his last bit of consciousness, he seemed to hear Xie Zhipan’s cold voice: “Traitorous dog, you deserve to die.”
With a “thud,” Lu Tao pitched forward, his body slamming heavily to the ground, blood rapidly spreading beneath him like a red flower suddenly blooming in the darkness…
“Captain,” at some point, Gray Pigeons had completed the notification and come before Xie Zhipan.
The scene before him puzzled him greatly, but he didn’t ask anything.
“Take the body away,” Xie Zhipan didn’t explain, just calmly issued a simple order.
“Yes,” Gray Pigeons acknowledged, and the two quickly disappeared from the Paramount Ballroom entrance with Lu Tao’s body.
In the distance, the Paramount Ballroom’s music continued to clamor, covering the bloody scent in this corner.
Only a puddle of blood left on the ground told of what had once happened…
Chongqing, Hunan Guild Hall, Military Statistics Bureau Office.
Late at night, the light in Boss Dai’s office was still on; Boss Dai sat behind the desk, his expression somewhat dazed.
Shortly after, a knock sounded…
