Chapter 236: You’re Truly My Good Uncle
To be loyal to the country, the meaning of these representatives is self-evident.
The Magician frowned slightly, “I’ll think of a way to save the person, you pay attention to your own safety.”
After speaking, the “Magician,” just as silently as he had arrived, melted into the darkness of the back door, as if he had never appeared.
Shanghai, Baima Road, Huarong Cotton Mill, Lin Zonghan’s private office.
The office was spacious and luxurious, with dark, gleaming rosewood furniture and a calligraphy on the wall that read “Sino-Japanese Friendship,” highlighting the owner’s “prominent” traitorous identity.
In early April, with the implementation of the Japanese blockade plan, the cotton mill had long been shut down, and the outside was also silent, with only the occasional distant barking of dogs.
Lin Zonghan, a well-known “pro-Japanese businessman” on the Shanghai Bund, sat alone behind his massive desk, a nearly burnt-out cigar held between his fingers, his expression grave.
A soft knock sounded on the door, and his trusted accountant whispered from outside, “Boss Lin, Minister Chen is here.”
“Please let him in,” Lin Zonghan extinguished the cigar and took a deep breath.
Chen Yang, dressed in casual clothes, walked in with a slightly weary expression.
“Uncle, why did you ask me to come to the cotton mill for no reason? I see the machines are all stopped? Did something happen at the factory?” Chen Yang sat opposite him and asked casually.
Lin Zonghan didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he got up, personally went to the door to check, and then locked it.
This action instantly made Chen Yang’s nerves taut.
Lin Zonghan returned to his seat and looked directly at Chen Yang, “Chen Yang, have you suspected that my identity was problematic for a long time?”
“Uncle, what’s wrong with you? What nonsense are you talking about?” Chen Yang denied it vehemently.
Lin Zonghan waved his hand, “There’s no one else here, you don’t have to be afraid of being monitored.”
“Actually, I know you’ve been suspicious of me. Even your elder brother, with his blockhead, could sense something was wrong with my identity, used it as an excuse to fall out with me, and separated himself from the family.”
“As the Minister Chen of the Special Agent Headquarters, haven’t you suspected it? I watched you grow up, and your intelligence far surpasses his, so you naturally could have sensed something was amiss.”
“Am I right?”
Wow, the head of the French Concession intelligence group of the Communist Party, Qing Hu, was considered a blockhead by Lin Zonghan.
Chen Yang suddenly didn’t know why Lin Zonghan was saying these things. He took a breath and said, “Uncle, some things cannot be said.”
“Once they are spoken, neither of us can back down.”
“As expected of a smart person. If your elder and second brothers had half your intelligence, I wouldn’t have had to hide it from them.” Lin Zonghan sighed deeply, “Chen Yang, Uncle asks you one question, tell me the truth. Who do you think will rule Shanghai, and this Land of China, in the future?”
Chen Yang’s heart skipped a beat, and his brows furrowed, “Uncle, what do you mean by this? Of course, it’s… the Imperial Army and the New Government…”
“I want to hear your true thoughts!” Lin Zonghan interrupted him with an unusually stern tone, “I watched you grow up, and I know exactly what you think.”
Chen Yang’s expression turned grim, “Uncle, be careful with your words! Walls have ears! Everything you have now, doesn’t it rely on this identity?”
Lin Zonghan suddenly smiled, a smile filled with bitterness and mockery.
He slowly took his briefcase from the hanger, opened it, and took out an inconspicuous tin box.
Inside the tin box were not gold or jewels, but a slightly old Baoding badge and several yellowed documents stamped with the seal of the “Sanmin Zhuyi Youth League.”
“Take a look at this,” Lin Zonghan pushed the badge towards Chen Yang.
Chen Yang only glanced at it, his pupils contracting, and he looked up sharply at Lin Zonghan, “This is…”
“Half of the money from my cotton mill, after paying off the Japanese and the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce each year, ultimately flows here.”
Lin Zonghan pointed at the badge, his voice lowered to a whisper, yet each word was clear, “In the Republic of China, year twenty-two, at the very beginning of the Li Xing Society’s establishment, I was commissioned by Kang Zhaoming, the Secretary of the Li Xing Society, to go undercover in Shanghai and raise funds for the Li Xing Society under the guise of establishing a cotton mill.”
“So, you weren’t mistaken. I am a Military Statistics Bureau agent, codenamed Magician.”
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, when Lin Zonghan personally revealed his identity completely to him, Chen Yang still felt a sense of disbelief.
This “traitor,” who was cursed behind his back, was actually from the Chongqing side, and belonged to the Sanqing Tuan system, which had both cooperation and competition with the Military Statistics Bureau!
Of course, ever since Shen Xing Shan and Shen Qingyao visited last time, and Lin Zonghan said that not just any woman could enter his Lin family.
Chen Yang had already suspected that Lin Zonghan’s identity was not simple. An ordinary businessman would not know who managed Moonlight Sand.
Only intelligence agencies would go to such lengths to investigate special places.
However, Chen Yang had no desire to investigate further because he knew very well that some things could not withstand scrutiny.
If he were to intervene, it could easily attract the attention of the Japanese and possibly even endanger Lin Zonghan.
When no problems arise, maintaining the status quo is the best solution.
“Uncle, so you’re a hook…” Chen Yang feigned surprise.
“A hook? I’m also a slip… Is that how you talk to your uncle?” Lin Zonghan chided gently, then said calmly, “Although I’m not in the intelligence line, my goal is the same as everyone fighting on the front lines, which is to revitalize China.”
Chen Yang frowned slightly, “Uncle, why are you telling me all this out of the blue today? What do you want?”
Lin Zonghan saw that the time was ripe and said slowly, “Seventy-Six arrested a Military Statistics Bureau agent a few days ago, do you know about it?”
Chen Yang immediately understood his uncle’s intention for suddenly confessing his identity. “Liu Geqing? You want me to save him? Uncle, you think too highly of me! Seventy-Six is a dragon’s den and a tiger’s lair now. Wan Tianmu has set a net, waiting for people to rescue him, so he can catch them all in one sweep.”
“It’s basically impossible for you to attempt a forceful rescue.”
“I know the risk is huge, otherwise I wouldn’t have asked you.” Lin Zonghan leaned forward, his eyes blazing, “If you refuse to help, Uncle will risk this old body and storm Seventy-Six’s dragon’s den and tiger’s lair.”
“If the mission fails, please trouble Minister Chen to help collect Uncle’s body.”
“Stop, stop.” Chen Yang said with a wry face, “I’ll help you find a way, okay?”
“However, my opinion is that breaking in to save him is basically impossible.”
“But if we can get him out, and make a move halfway, perhaps there’s a chance.”
“You’re right, getting him out is also an opportunity.” Lin Zonghan nodded, “Although they will have superior numbers at that time, Uncle is not a coward who fears death.”
“At my age, I’ve enjoyed all the food and drink I could. The only thing I can’t let go of is you. Look, you’re still not married. When I go down to the underworld and meet your mother Haitang and my short-lived brother-in-law.”
“I don’t know how to explain it to them.”
“For so many years, I have endured hardship…”
“Alright, alright, I don’t need you.” Chen Yang quickly raised his hand to stop Lin Zonghan from continuing, “I’ll do it, I’ll do it. I’ll send people to help you hijack the person and deliver them to the designated location.”
“Can you just wait here with peace of mind?”
Lin Zonghan asked with concern, “Won’t this be difficult for you?”
“Yes, you are the Head of the Land Transport Section and concurrently the Minister of Special Agents. They shouldn’t suspect anything is wrong with you.”
“By the way, I went to Shen Xing Shan’s mansion a few days ago. This Miss Shen…”
“It’s not difficult, not difficult at all.” Chen Yang quickly patted his chest, “Don’t worry, I will definitely help you rescue the person.”
“I have only one request: make sure Liu Geqing has an accident. No matter what method you use, whether it’s poisoning or assassination, as long as Liu Geqing has a reason to leave Seventy-Six and be sent to the hospital for treatment.”
“I will arrange the rest. This is my only request. If you can’t even do this, I can’t help you.”
“I can’t risk myself to save Liu Geqing.”
Lin Zonghan pondered for a moment, “Alright, I’ll handle this matter.”
“Uncle, I need to remind you of one thing. According to the usual practice of the Jinling Special Agent Headquarters, once interrogation begins, if they don’t get the desired confession within forty-eight hours, the consequences are unpredictable.”
“So, you don’t have much time left. Call me after you’ve made arrangements. I don’t need to teach you how to say it, do I…” After a pause, Chen Yang stood up to leave. “It’s getting late, I should go.”
Lin Zonghan said, “Chen Yang, aren’t you going to consider Miss Shen? I think she’s very suitable for you.”
Chen Yang said with a wry smile, “Uncle, you are truly my good uncle. Please don’t worry about Miss Shen.”
“I already have my own woman, so you don’t need to worry about this.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Yang fled the office as if escaping.
“Ah,” Lin Zonghan was briefly stunned, then quickly chased out, “Who is it? What does her family do?”
“Bring her back for a meal when you have time.”
******
Shanghai, Seventy-Six Interrogation Room.
With the extremely rhythmic sound of a leather whip, a strong scent of blood permeated the air.
The pure white light of the incandescent lamp shone on Liu Geqing, and bloody marks were already densely covering his entire body.
In just one day and one night, Liu Geqing’s body had hardly any intact flesh left. From head to toe, almost every part bore the marks of torture.
At this moment, the one supervising the torture was no longer Wan Tianmu, but Lin Zhijiang, the leader of the First Action Team of Seventy-Six.
This man was also a traitor who had defected from the Military Statistics Bureau.
Last year, the Director of the Jinling Special Agent Committee, Zuo Mingquan, who was severely burned during an operation and was still hospitalized, had bought some traitors within the Military Statistics Bureau, and Lin Zhijiang was one of them.
He had previously served as the leader of the Second Action Team of the Military Statistics Bureau. After defecting, he was not highly regarded by Zuo Mingquan.
It wasn’t until Seventy-Six was established and he climbed onto Li Qun that he was promoted and reused again, serving as the leader of the First Action Team.
“Teng deng, teng deng.” A not too light nor too heavy footsteps sounded, and Bing Yaozong appeared in the interrogation room.
“Oh, Commissioner Bing, what brings you here?” Lin Zhijiang saw Bing Yaozong and quickly stood up to salute.
“Team Leader Lin, this person still refuses to talk?” Bing Yaozong asked casually.
“Yes, he’s a hard-liner. We’ve used almost all the torture methods here, and he still refuses to say anything.” Lin Zhijiang’s tone also conveyed a sense of admiration.
Seventy-Six had thirty-eight types of torture. A normal person couldn’t endure even three. Yet, this Liu Geqing managed to endure a round.
Such willpower was hard not to admire, even for his enemies.
Bing Yaozong said slowly, “Sir is about to return to the country. If we cannot guarantee his complete safety, it will be difficult for us to account to the government.”
Saying this, Bing Yaozong slowly walked up to Liu Geqing. The executioner beside him quickly retreated to the side.
Bing Yaozong lifted Liu Geqing’s chin, “Mr. Liu, why are you going through all this trouble?”
“As long as you cooperate and tell us what we want, you will immediately receive the best hospitality.”
“As men, what we seek in this life is nothing more than fast cars, beautiful women, gold, and silver treasures.”
“As long as you are willing to speak, all of this is not a problem.”
“Pah, traitor!” Liu Geqing spat a mouthful of bloody spit onto the other person.
Bing Yaozong did not get angry. Instead, he straightened up, turned his back completely to everyone, and casually pointed towards his collar with his right hand while wiping off the spit.
Liu Geqing’s gaze slightly narrowed, and he saw the other person make a strange move. As his right hand swept across his collar, he casually pulled off the button.
Immediately after, Bing Yaozong used his thumb and forefinger to clamp the button, patted the other person’s cheek, and his tone immediately became fierce, “Mr. Liu, don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!”
Liu Geqing seemed to understand the other person’s intention, and suddenly bit down on the thumb and forefinger of his right hand, holding the button clamped between them under his tongue.
“Ah, ah.” Bing Yaozong yelped in pain as he was bitten, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.
Liu Geqing, while everyone’s attention was drawn to Bing Yaozong’s cries, swallowed the button that was clamped between the other person’s thumb and forefinger.
Although he didn’t know what Bing Yaozong’s plan was, Liu Geqing instinctively felt that everything he was doing now had a purpose and was not happening for no reason.
Bing Yaozong, shaking his right hand with the bloody bite marks from Liu Geqing, jumped up and down in pain.
“Beat him, beat him hard!” Bing Yaozong yelled in exasperation.
Lin Zhijiang, standing beside him, was also helpless. This was all his own doing.
But he dared not say that.
“Old Ma, take Commissioner Bing to get bandaged.”
“Liu Wu, continue.”
Bing Yaozong, holding his bloody right hand, left the interrogation room with the help of an agent.
Executioner Liu Wu continued to whip Liu Geqing with the small leather whip, lash after lash.
However, after less than three minutes, Liu Geqing suddenly rolled his eyes, and his whole body began to convulse.
“What’s going on?” Even the experienced Lin Zhijiang was startled by Liu Geqing’s reaction.
“Quick, quick, quick, send him to the hospital immediately! He still hasn’t said anything, he can’t die so soon.”
“Yes, yes.” Liu Wu quickly called out to people, and in a flurry, they put Liu Geqing down, and several people lifted Liu Geqing out.
Near Beidaihe Road in the French Concession, sunlight was cut into fragments by tall French plane trees, scattering onto the bustling yet somewhat tense street.
A black prisoner transport vehicle with a special “76” pass, escorted by two motorcycles in front and back, drove at a moderate speed towards the French Hospital （ Guangci Hospital ）.
Inside the vehicle, Liu Geqing, who was in a coma, was still secured to the seat with special shackles. His face was as pale as paper, and even through his newly changed prisoner uniform, traces of blood could be faintly seen.
Several action team members from Seventy-Six looked on coldly, as if facing a great enemy. The escort was Yang Jie, the leader of the Third Action Team of Seventy-Six.
At the same time, not far from the intersection that the prisoner transport vehicle had to pass, a middle-aged man wearing a black hat put down his newspaper, his gaze casually swept over the approaching prisoner transport vehicle, and the corner of his mouth curved into a faint smile.
The prisoner transport vehicle was still fifty meters away from the intersection.
Suddenly, a piercing tire screech echoed! It wasn’t from the direction of the prisoner transport vehicle!
A coal truck, overloaded and seemingly out of control, suddenly shot out from a side road at an angle, hitting directly towards the motorcycle behind the escort team!
The truck driver jumped out and rolled before the impact!
“Bang! Clatter—!”
The sound of a violent collision, scattered motorcycle parts, and flying coal instantly tore through the street’s tranquility! Pedestrians screamed and fled! Chaos erupted!
The incident was extremely sudden. The motorcycle escorting the prisoner transport vehicle instinctively slowed down to check the situation behind.
It was during this vacuum of chaos, less than ten seconds!
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Several short gunshots, processed by a precision silencer, sounded like muffled drumbeats, instantly from the second-floor window of a fabric shop on the street corner, from behind a newsstand at the intersection, and even from under a rickshaw parked by the roadside!
The targets were incredibly precise! The driver of the prisoner transport vehicle’s head exploded!
The shoulder of the escort in the co-pilot seat burst with blood!
The three Seventy-Six action team members following the car were, almost in the same second, precisely shot in the head or vital areas by bullets from different angles, not even having time to draw their guns!
The actions were so clean and swift they were suffocating!
A parked Dodge panel van, seemingly broken down and waiting for repair, suddenly slid open its rear door!
Four figures in rough cloth work clothes, moving as swiftly as cheetahs, leaped out. Two rushed towards the prisoner transport vehicle’s cabin, one used a special key to quickly unlock the rear door lock of the prisoner transport vehicle!
Another, holding a Thompson submachine gun, known as a battlefield killer, scanned the surroundings with hawk-like eyes, vigilant for any remaining threats or reinforcements!
Inside the vehicle, Liu Geqing felt the vehicle suddenly stop, and then heard gunshots, immediately understanding that these were people coming to save him.
*Creak*, the rear door of the compartment was opened, and two men jumped into the car. They glanced at Liu Geqing, who cooperatively bent over, allowing the two rescuers to lift him and drag him towards the open-doored panel van at astonishing speed!
The entire surprise rescue operation was fluid and coordinated to the extreme!
From creating chaos, to suppressing fire, eliminating key targets, opening the door, and rescuing the person into the vehicle, it was all done in one go!
Total time taken, precisely within three minutes!
Shanghai, entrance of Seventy-Six.
A black sedan drove into Seventy-Six with impunity, but no one dared to stop it.
The car stopped at the foot of the Seventy-Six office building. As soon as it stopped, Li Qun, who was waiting at the entrance, quickly stepped forward to open the car door.
“Minister Chen, be careful.”
Chen Yang got out of the car with a livid face. He glanced at Li Qun, and then at Wan Tianmu, Lin Zhijiang, and the others behind him.
With a heavy snort, he looked up and entered the office building.
Seeing Chen Yang walk in, the remaining people quickly followed.
The group arrived at the office, and Chen Yang unceremoniously sat down behind the desk.
“Heh, brilliant! Seventy-Six has truly put on a good show for me to ‘bring glory’ to myself! Your Excellency Kagesa has high hopes for you, but your ability to ‘maintain public order’…” Chen Yang deliberately didn’t finish, leaving only a meaningful trailing sound and a slight shaking of his head.
Li Qun and the others lowered their heads, not daring to argue.
After a moment of silence, Chen Yang said sinisterly, “Director Li, I want to know why this happened.”
“How could a prisoner escorted by the esteemed Seventy-Six be so easily rescued in broad daylight, under everyone’s eyes.”
“I want to ask you, how should I write this report? How am I supposed to explain it to Your Excellency Kagesa?”
“Minister Chen, please listen to my explanation.” Li Qun broke out in a cold sweat.
“This incident happened too suddenly. We had just cleared the Military Statistics Bureau’s forces in Shanghai, and we didn’t expect them to still have hidden action teams.”
“Military Statistics Bureau??” Chen Yang’s expression hardened. “Director Li, didn’t your previous report state that you had completely grasped all Military Statistics Bureau organizations in Shanghai and eliminated all enemies?”
“And now you’re telling me there are still people who haven’t been caught?”
“Are you slapping yourself in the face? Also, how are you so sure it was the Military Statistics Bureau?”
Wan Tianmu bowed slightly, “Minister, I am all too familiar with these methods!”
“High-speed obstruction, pinpoint elimination, creating chaos to escape… these methods, even some details, bear the shadow of the ‘Elimination of Traitors’ group!”
“I used to be the Station Chief of the Military Statistics Bureau Shanghai Station. I am very familiar with their operational patterns.”
“According to my memory, there is indeed no undercover group in Shanghai. However, Boss Dai has other forces in the south besides the Military Statistics Bureau.”
Chen Yang was slightly taken aback and looked at Wan Tianmu, “Director Wan, are you suggesting the Loyal Salvation Army?”
“You believe that the Loyal Salvation Army was responsible for this operation?”
Wan Tianmu stated confidently, “Minister, although I was not at the scene, based on the feedback from the scene, it is highly likely that the Loyal Salvation Army carried out the operation.”
“Good, good, good.” Chen Yang’s tone changed, “I will tentatively assume your judgment is correct.”
“However, I want to know how the Loyal Salvation Army managed to grasp all of Seventy-Six’s movements?”
“In other words, how did they know that Liu Geqing would appear at that location at that time?”
“Judging from their efficiency and methods, it was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but a premeditated ambush.”
“If this inference holds true, it means that Seventy-Six is harboring a mole.”
“Director Li, you don’t even know there’s a mole in your own organization. How can you be the Director of Seventy-Six?”
Li Qun wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead, “Minister, please calm your anger. I beg you to give me a chance. I will investigate the origin of this matter as soon as possible.”
Chen Yang heard this and stood up, “Director Li, we are colleagues. I won’t say I won’t give you a chance.”
“I’ll give you three days to submit a reasonable report.”
“If you can’t do it, take off your uniform and go home to farm.”
