Chapter 245: Naoyi Group Special
“Haruki-kun, what happened?” Chen Yang waved his hand signaling Li Ningyu to leave, then frowned and asked.
Haruki Keiin reached out and took out a copy of the Shanghai Evening News《》, placing it in front of Chen Yang.
Chen Yang picked up the newspaper and quickly scanned the text on it, his gaze immediately sharpening.
“Rebellion, rebellion. What do they think they’re doing?”
Haruki Keiin said worriedly: “Mr. Chen, rumors are flying in Shanghai, targeting straight at the Transportation Department. I see ill intentions.”
“They’re planning to take us all down in one fell swoop.”
“Take us all down, just based on these fabricated charges.” Chen Yang slammed the table with a bang.
“I can guarantee that the things written here have no evidence to support them.”
“The medical supplies dealings mentioned in the newspaper are just their personal speculations.”
Haruki Keiin smiled bitterly: “Rumors, what evidence do they need to support them.”
“As soon as this newspaper came out, Your Excellency Kagesa Shinzhao called from Nanjing to inquire.”
“Asking if we had any weaknesses caught by the other side.”
“I firmly replied to him that nothing happened, just some rumors.”
“But Your Excellency Kagesa solemnly reminded that this matter has already drawn the attention of the Inspection Department, hoping we can suppress the rumors before they ferment.”
Chen Yang chuckled lightly: “Think they can deal with me using these low-class means?”
“They probably don’t know how many eyes Lord Ma has.”
“Haruki-kun, send people to control this newspaper office, from the president to the editors, leave none, grab them all for me.”
“Must interrogate to find out who the mastermind behind the scenes is.”
“Actually, no need to interrogate, I can guess who’s behind the mischief. Originally thought he went to the material warehouse to honestly be his dispatcher, and I could let him off.”
“Didn’t expect he took me for a fool.”
“Since he doesn’t want face, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
“You mean, this matter was done by Yasuda Nobuo.” Haruki Keiin frowned and said: “What’s the benefit for him in doing this.”
“Materials Transportation also involves the South Manchuria Railway, if something happens on our side, the South Manchuria Railway will be implicated too.”
“If he was afraid of implication, he wouldn’t have done this.” Chen Yang sneered: “Want to tear open my net, just with these small fry, it’s wishful thinking.”
“So many nameless corpses in the Huangpu River every year, one more Yasuda wouldn’t be strange.”
“But since he wants to play, I’ll give him a chance, let him stir a bit first. I want to know if others will jump out too?”
Haruki Keiin’s pupils suddenly contracted, looking at Chen Yang’s sinister smile, ultimately saying nothing, slightly bowing and retreating.
The bean-like lamplight at the Mai Gen Road Warehouse seemed to truly become the spark igniting the wilderness.
At first, just whispers in the alleys, rumors continuously “fed” details by Yasuda Nobuo behind the scenes, precisely released through multiple secret channels by Nantian Yangzi, unexpectedly snowballing larger and larger, ultimately exploding into a storm of public opinion in Shanghai.
Initially, just vague guesses about the “overly close” cooperation between the Kwantung Army Logistics Department and the South Manchuria Railway Transportation System.
But soon, more impactful “solid evidence” began appearing one after another.
First the《Shanghai Evening News》, a small paper known for boldness and complex background, published an analysis article in an inconspicuous corner, title cryptic:《On the Efficiency and Transparency of Wartime Materials Circulation》.
The article didn’t directly accuse, but cleverly listed some material types and quantities from the “Yamamoto Special Approval List” provided by Yasuda, and compared them with the sudden appearance of similar scarce goods on the black market at the same time in terms of timing and quantity “coincidences”.
Sharp writing, cited data seemingly objective, yet everywhere guiding readers’ associations.
But after this newspaper issued the report, the entire newspaper office suddenly went silent.
From the president to the janitors, disappeared overnight.
But things didn’t stop because of this.
Immediately after, a fragment suspected to be “South Manchuria Railway internal dispatch anomaly record” was anonymously delivered to multiple newspaper offices.
It clearly showed several “Special A-grade” train cars signed off by Adjutant Onodera Ken, with obvious discrepancies between the reported destination and the actual recorded transit point.
Although the Southern Transportation Department immediately came forward to refute, claiming the record was fake and strictly investigating the leak source, the seeds of doubt had already been sown.
The real bombshell came from an unmarked mimeographed pamphlet printed at an underground printing factory in the French Concession.
This pamphlet named《Parasite》 used extremely inflammatory language to detail the countless suspicious fund transfers between Sunshine Trading boss Lin Yongren and a distant relative of Director Tanaka of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce who ran a trading firm in Yokohama.
The pamphlet even attached processed photocopies of remittance vouchers, directly pointing to all this as “malignant abscesses on the Empire’s body”, calling for “thorough liquidation”.
One stone stirred a thousand waves!
Newspapers in the concessions, like sharks smelling blood, began reporting, reprinting, and commenting endlessly.
Although Japanese-controlled newspapers strongly refuted, calling it “hostile forces’ malicious smear, sabotaging Holy War rear stability”, the rumors, with their “partially true” details and logic fitting people’s imaginings of bureaucratic corruption, spread like a virus through streets, alleys, teahouses, and taverns.
Even some foreign news agencies began paying attention, issuing telegrams asking Tokyo’s view on the matter.
Pressure, like the low pressure in plum rain season, heavily enveloped from Shanghai all the way to Xinjing, straight to Kwantung Army Headquarters and Tokyo General Headquarters.
Kagesa Shinzhao raged in the Ume Agency office, slamming a stack of newspapers on the table, roaring at Haruki Keiin: “Incompetent! Idiots! Can’t even wipe your own ass clean! Making the Empire lose face worldwide!”
Li Qun in front of him and Haruki Keiin who had just been urgently summoned both kept their heads down, not daring to speak.
“Investigate! Investigate to the bottom for me!” Kagesa’s gaze like a knife first swept over Li Qun, “Director Li, No. 76 is responsible for internal screening, all personnel with close contacts to the Logistics Department and South Manchuria Railway Transportation Department, screen them all! Better to kill wrongly than let one slip!”
“Yes!” Li Qun was drenched in cold sweat, he knew the fire had finally burned to his side, internal purges always offended the most people and were easiest to backfire.
Kagesa’s gaze turned to Haruki Keiin, tone slightly easing but still icy: “Haruki-kun, you were once the agency’s best investigator.”
“Also the most relied-upon assistant of Your Excellency Kujo.”
“This matter concerns the Empire’s reputation and front-line paths, extremely bad impact.”
“I order you to mobilize all resources of the Ume Agency to handle external evidence collection and verification.”
“These so-called ‘evidences’ in the newspapers, true or false, I want to see the most professional analysis report!”
“I want to know where exactly these messages came from! Chongqing Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics? Or Red Party underground transportation station? Or did we really have a traitor inside?”
“Yes! Subordinate understands!” Haruki Keiin stood at attention and bowed, tone steady and firm, like a general re-granted heavy responsibility.
However, under his lowered eyelids flashed a complex, hard-to-discern light.
All this was exactly the situation Yasuda Nobuo expected to see, the bigger the disturbance, the stronger the pressure, the more those high-up big shots would feel the pain.
After receiving orders, Haruki Keiin immediately took action. He showed the efficiency and meticulousness of his former ace investigator days.
The Ume Agency’s technical investigation department began full operation, trying to track the sources of those anonymous letters and prints; …
Analysis experts scrutinized word by word the data published in the newspapers and the “evidence” in that pamphlet, searching for forgery traces or possible leak sources…
Field agents were sent out, secretly contacting reporters who reported the matter, printing factory workers, even black market intelligence peddlers, using threats and bribes to pry open information gaps.
Haruki Keiin himself sat in command, carefully reviewing every incoming report…
Seeing those “evidences” perfected by Yasuda judged by experts as “highly authentic”, “extremely high detail match”, “hard for non-insiders to obtain”, Haruki Keiin suddenly felt a chill in his heart.
Yasuda Nobuo understood that system too deeply, he cleverly used real processes and those fragmented evidences to depict a complete picture.
If following Kagesa’s orders, faithfully compiling these “investigation progresses” and reporting up, it would definitely further intensify the upper levels’ suspicions and panic.
By then if someone really couldn’t hold and jumped out, the consequences would be unimaginable…
If Chen Yang got into trouble, pulling out the radish brings out the mud, that would be deadly, a whole bunch of southern logistics officers and transportation officers would fall too.
Looking at the case report in hand, Haruki Keiin pondered for a long time, then picked up the telephone receiver: “Please connect to the Section Chief of Land Transportation office.”
Beep beep beep, after a busy tone, Chen Yang’s voice came from the other end, “Moshi moshi, Land Transport Section, may I ask who it is?”
“Section Chief Chen, this is Haruki Keiin.”
“Oh, Deputy Head of Agency Haruki, what instructions do you have.”
“Section Chief Chen, on the rumor source of Logistics Department colluding with Transportation Department to embezzle materials, the Ume Agency already has a preliminary report, why don’t you come over and take a look.”
“Okay, I’ll come right away.”
For several days straight, after grabbing the《Shanghai Evening News》 people, the rumor storm of Logistics corruption in Shanghai not only didn’t subside,
But intensified because a few small papers ignored the ban and republished even more “solid” fragments of fund transfer records!
These new “evidences” like continuously added firewood to the stove, making Kagesa Shinzhao’s anger burn even fiercer.
Pressure like a tightening noose began strangling towards those officials named in the rumors.
Chen Yang sat in his office, outside the window a gray hazy sky.
He had just received an encrypted inquiry telegram from Xinjing, tone severe, demanding he quickly produce investigation results, whether finding the source or a scapegoat, must give the Military Department an explanation.
At the same time, No. 76’s investigation into the rumors seemed to have new progress, Li Qun like a hound sniffing scent, began focusing on those marginalized former officials who might harbor grudges.
Yasuda Nobuo’s name unsurprisingly appeared in Chen Yang’s view…
“Yasuda Nobuo… Nantian Yangzi… rumors…” Chen Yang muttered to himself, fingers unconsciously tapping on the desktop.
Originally planned to use this rumor storm to complete some other layouts.
But at this moment, the situation was spiraling out of control.
Yasuda Nobuo’s vengeful obsession and Nantian Yangzi’s fanning the flames had exceeded his controllable “reasonable chaos” scope.
If letting them continue, not only he himself might be dragged into the abyss, the entire transportation network in Shanghai and even Manchuria could be implicated, suffering destructive blows.
Chen Yang had never underestimated the power of rumors and public opinion warfare.
But he still underestimated Yasuda’s madness, this Japanese seemed to have resolved to die, continuously expanding the public opinion impact.
At this point, no choice, must cut off the source.
Chen Yang walked to the window, looking at the bustling crowds on the street below, his gaze ultimately falling on the distant winding, turbid Suzhou River flowing through the city.
That night, the Mai Gen Road Warehouse District was even more silent than usual.
Even the patrolling watchman’s lantern light seemed dimmer.
Yasuda Nobuo still huddled in his shabby room, under the kerosene lamp, excitedly reading the latest intelligence sent by Nantian Yangzi’s people, a briefing on the Special Higher Police Affairs increasing attention to the rumors.
At this time, Yasuda’s pale face flushed with sickly red: “Almost, almost… they’re about to hold out no longer…”
At that moment, a slight knock came from the door. Knock, knock knock, knock knock knock.
The sounds chaotic and rapid.
Yasuda instantly became alert, blew out the kerosene lamp, reached for his waist, where he had a Nambu pistol for self-defense.
Slowly moving to behind the door, Yasuda asked in a low voice: “Who?”
A muffled and anxious male voice came from outside, with a heavy North Jiangsu accent: “Mr. Yasuda? Miss Nantian sent me! Emergency situation, open the door quick!”
Yasuda’s heart jolted, Nantian Yangzi had never mentioned sending anyone else.
But the words “emergency situation” made him panic.
He hesitated, ultimately desire for survival and latest info prevailed.
He carefully cracked the door open a slit.
The instant the door opened, a black shadow like a ghost fiercely crashed in!
The force so great it directly knocked Yasuda staggering back.
Before he could react to call for help or draw his gun, another black shadow covered his mouth and nose from the side, a pungent chemical agent smell instantly flooding his nostrils.
Yasuda only felt the world spinning, limbs rapidly weakening, consciousness ebbing like receding tide.
The intruder looking at Yasuda collapsed unconscious on the ground frowned, “Elder Brother Liao, what next?”
“What what next?” The man’s corner of the mouth slightly raised, revealing a cold smile.
“Boss instructed, Nai Group special…”
【First, congratulate yourself, heaven rewards the diligent, finally waited for kidney source. Secondly, take a few days off, there’s still one chapter on the 7th, then wait for the author to recover a few days before updating, the debt during these days will be made up later!】
