Chapter 187: Danger Averted
A fine drizzle enveloped Chongqing in a veil of damp, cold mist.
At ten in the morning, the parade had already passed Guanyin Bridge, less than twenty minutes from the explosion point at Minzhu Lane.
Japanese secret agents ambushing near Minzhu Lane split into two groups: one responsible for sniping, the other for detonating the explosives.
Sniper team leader Nan Jirou lay prone on the rooftop of a building, his camouflage cloth blending his body perfectly with the surroundings.
Beside him were spotter Akita Jirou and assistant shooter Morishita Yoshiki.
Suddenly, the roar of motorcycles approached, and four or five bikes burst into the sniper rifle’s scope.
The leader wore a military uniform and sunglasses, exuding an arrogant and domineering air.
“Team leader, something seems off,” spotter Akita Jirou said softly. “These people aren’t here to sabotage the action, are they?”
“Don’t rush, observe first. If their target is to disarm the bomb,” Nan Jirou said in a low voice, “kill them immediately.”
“Team leader, but that will expose us,” Akita said worriedly.
“Soldiers prioritize obeying orders. Mr. Akita, remember your duty,” Nan Jirou scolded, his gaze fixed on the leading figure.
The leading officer stopped his motorcycle and suddenly looked around; Nan Jirou saw it clearly through the scope.
The man’s gaze turned into his scope, as if staring him down across hundreds of meters.
Then, the corner of his mouth curved slightly upward. His right hand, gloved in white gloves, slowly rose, forming a pistol shape, and aimed a shooting gesture at Nan Jirou’s position.
“Baka, is he provoking us?” Akita had clearly seen everything through the binoculars.
Before Nan Jirou could speak, the balcony door behind them was suddenly kicked open.
“Bang bang bang.” A group of soldiers burst into the ambush site, guns raised and firing.
The change was too sudden; in an instant, the three on the balcony were riddled with bullets.
As the gunfire subsided, the leading officer stepped forward to inspect the three bodies closely, confirmed no vital signs, and waved a red signal flag downward, issuing the all-clear instruction.
Seeing the red flag waving, the officer smiled faintly, waved lightly, and his soldiers fanned out. Following orders from above, they quickly searched for Japanese agents ambushing near Minzhu Lane.
Deep in the back alley, several shadows clung to the damp brick walls like geckos, moving silently with nimble actions.
Leading them was Gao Lei, company commander of the engineer platoon, 1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment, 38th Division, stationed in Chongqing.
He signaled to the two mine-disposal specialists behind him from the engineer platoon; their gazes locked on the alley’s end, a corner piled with discarded wooden boxes and trash.
According to top secret intelligence delivered at great risk by an inside contact, Nantian Yangzi’s “Bloody Sacrifice” was set here; the bomb was timed to detonate when the student parade passed Minzhu Lane’s main road that morning.
Gao Lei held his breath and gently moved the top few rotten wooden boxes. Below was a suitcase-sized object tightly wrapped in oilcloth!
A nearly imperceptible thin wire led from the package to a detonator disguised as a shabby meter box. The tiny clock hands on the device silently approached the preset time; though not yet activated, the structure was connected.
“Damn, it’s really here,” Gao Lei cursed under his breath, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead.
Nantian Yangzi’s madness exceeded their expectations; this bomb’s yield was enough to shatter everything within a dozen meters.
Plus the layer of steel balls scattered outside the box, the lethality extended to a hundred meters—what a disaster if it exploded.
“Captain, it’s a hybrid device. Judging by the wiring, it could have tripwire and timer triggers,” Lao Chen said in a hushed voice. His fingers steady as a surgeon’s, he carefully cut the thin wire serving as the tripwire, eliminating the first threat.
The other team member, Xiao Wu, blocked possible light with his body and shone a flashlight carefully on the disguised meter box.
“Complex internal structure, anti-tamper device connected to detonator and at least eight kilos of TNT… and… wait!” His voice suddenly tautened. “There’s a pressure sensitive device below! The weight of this trash pile is one of the triggers!”
Everyone’s hearts leaped to their throats! This meant their earlier movement of the wooden boxes had nearly sent them to the gates of hell! Any slight weight shift could trigger an instant explosion!
“Steady!” Gao Lei’s voice was low and powerful, forcibly suppressing the team’s panic. “Lao Chen, tackle the timer and anti-tamper. Xiao Wu, hold the current position—don’t let the pressure below change at all! Hurry!”
Time seemed to freeze. Cold raindrops fell on their necks, but no one noticed.
Veins bulged on Lao Chen’s forehead as he probed the meter box’s internals bit by bit with the finest tools, relying on feel and experience.
Xiao Wu braced the surrounding debris with his shoulder and arms in an awkward, exhausting pose, ensuring constant weight on the pressure sensor. Every second dragged like a century.
From afar came faint, rapid footsteps unlike those of a patrol!
Gao Lei startled and signaled everyone to freeze. He quietly drew his dagger from his waist, eyes sharply scanning the alley mouth. Enemy reinforcements? Or Nantian Yangzi checking personally?
The footsteps paused at the alley mouth, as if observing, then gradually receded. A false alarm, but enough to soak everyone’s backs in cold sweat.
“Done!” Lao Chen squeezed the words through gritted teeth. He had successfully severed the timer and anti-tamper connections, then carefully cut the main fuse to the detonator.
“Pressure device is temporarily safe, but we need to slowly remove the weight above to fully disarm it,” Xiao Wu said, his voice trembling with exhaustion.
Gao Lei exhaled a long-held breath. “Well done.”
Lao Chen slowly lifted the device underneath, gradually reducing the weight of debris on the bomb until the deadly pressure sensitive device was fully exposed and safely removed.
When the entire bomb was fully disassembled and the heavy TNT block extracted, the three slumped against the wet, cold wall, gasping for air as if pulled from water.
“Take it away and dispose of it immediately. Clean the site, leave no traces.”
Gao Lei gave the order, and they quickly restored the debris to its original position, confirmed everything looked untouched, then carried the explosives and withdrew rapidly from the back alley.
By now, the parade’s chants were clearly audible.
They approached the officer and saluted. “Sir, the explosive device has been successfully disarmed.”
38th Division Major Battalion Commander Jiang Kejian removed his sunglasses, revealing a handsome face. “Good. Looks like Military Statistics Bureau intelligence was reliable this time.”
“Gao, take them back. The rest is for Zhou to handle.”
“Yes, sir,” Gao Lei saluted.
“Down with corrupt elements, Song XX step down”
“Down with…”
Chants echoed through the heavens as the parade quickly passed Minzhu Lane. Jiang Kejian sat on his motorcycle, shaking his head slightly at the passionate university students—they had no idea they’d brushed death’s door ten minutes earlier.
Chongqing, teahouse.
In the teahouse’s second floor private room, Nantian Yangzi kept checking her watch.
The preset explosion time had passed by ten minutes—why no blast?
“Nanta Major, you seem anxious,” said the courier sent by Dohihara in the room with Nantian Yangzi: Nakamura Saki.
Nantian Yangzi stared at Nakamura Saki. “Your Excellency Nakamura, I’m puzzled. You didn’t want me to execute the Bloody Sacrifice plan—why wait here for the result?”
“Heh,” Nakamura Saki just sneered coldly, offering no explanation.
Knock knock knock—rapid knocking sounded.
Nantian Yangzi opened the private room door to find a short middle-aged man whispering a few words to her.
Nantian Yangzi’s face changed instantly. The plan had failed.
How? Nantian Yangzi knew her agents were Empire elites, handpicked and flawless in their long undercover stint in Chongqing.
This major plan failed, and the enemy’s targets were precise: they eliminated the sniper team and captured the demolition team before they could detonate.
Such an accurate raid—if not for an intelligence leak, Nantian Yangzi wouldn’t believe it.
Chongqing had no surveillance; how could they track Akainu Squad’s every move?
Instantly, an icy, chilling thought slithered into her mind like a viper: this Nakamura Saki was suspicious—all actions were designed after his arrival.
As Dohihara’s courier, he had access to all operational details.
But if this Nakamura Saki was fake…
Nantian Yangzi had a bold suspicion: the real Nakamura Saki was likely arrested by Military Statistics Bureau en route or upon arrival! This man was a Military Statistics Bureau agent posing as Nakamura Saki.
What vicious scheming! What masterful disguise!
In a flash, Nantian Yangzi made a judgment.
The man wanted to speak more, but Nantian Yangzi raised her hand in a stop gesture.
Glancing at Nakamura Saki in the room, Nantian Yangzi signaled the newcomer to wait outside.
“Mr. Nakamura,” she suddenly said in an unusually calm tone, “the plan failed.”
“Such a pity—we failed to throw Chongqing into chaos.”
“By the way, on this trip, did Colonel Matsumoto from Special Higher Police Affairs Intelligence Investigation Section have any other instructions?”
“Like a plan to escort Mr. Wang, for instance.”
Nakamura Saki replied casually, “Nanta Major, I was only ordered here by General Dohihara; I haven’t met Colonel Matsumoto.”
“Oh, really?” Nantian Yangzi’s mouth corner lifted slightly as she suddenly drew her pistol, aiming at Nakamura Saki’s head. “Mr. Nakamura, you’re good at disguise, but you probably don’t know—Special Higher Police Affairs has no Colonel Matsumoto.”
“Who are you exactly? Who sent you?”
