My years of espionage

Chapter 2013 Attendant's Room

It's on Fairman Street!
Masato Nagashima was very surprised, and then extremely annoyed.

If they had known earlier that the enemy would be hiding on Fairman Street, Zhou Changliu and Tao Peipei would have been captured long ago.

Fährmann Street is home to many Europeans, but more specifically, a large number of Germans.

For this reason, the previous search did not involve this area where German expatriates lived, but unexpectedly it gave the Military Intelligence Bureau a hiding place.

“The person is no longer on Fährmann Street,” Takagi Ryota said. “The house was rented out by a German, and the landlord said he was unaware of it. The house was rented out by a middleman who only collected the money. As for who the tenant was, he didn’t know.”

"Bag-yaloo!" Long Island Masato cursed angrily.

"Immediately launch an investigation into areas like Fairman Street where Westerners reside," said Nagashima Masato in a deep voice. "As long as Zhou Changliu and Tao Peipei are still in Nanjing, they must be brought to justice."

"Hai." Takagi Ryota wanted to ask what to do if someone had already fled Nanjing, but after thinking about it, he realized that if he asked that question, he would most likely be scolded, and might even get slapped a few times, so he simply kept quiet.

……

76 Jessfield Road.

"Director, Cheng Qianfan has returned to Shanghai," Cao Yu reported to Li Cuiqun.

"Oh? When did you get back?" Li Cuiqun glanced at Cao Yu and asked.

“This morning,” Cao Yu said.

He looked at Li Cuiqun and asked cautiously, "Do you want to...?"

"What do you want?" Li Cuiqun glared at Cao Yu. "He's back, so he's back. He can continue to cause trouble in his little corner of the French Concession. We'll keep to ourselves."

"Understood." Cao Yu nodded. He understood what Li Cuiqun meant. This was a plan to handle things discreetly, to wipe the slate clean of the previous grievances between the two sides, and for the Special Agent Headquarters not to continue to cause trouble for Cheng Qianfan, nor for Cheng Qianfan to provoke him.

"Then shall I take some time to pay a visit to Cheng Qianfan?" He looked at Li Cuiqun and asked cautiously.

Li Cuiqun did not speak, but simply nodded slightly.

……

No. 22 Xuehuali Road.

“While you were away, activities on Jessfield Road were rampant,” Lao Huang told Cheng Qianfan. “A transportation station on Terrace Road was broken up, and someone was arrested and defected, which directly led to the enemy breaking up a secret transportation line of the Shanghai Party organization, resulting in considerable losses.”

"Who is in charge?" Cheng Qianfan asked.

“Zhao Xiaoqian,” Old Huang said, “This man used to be a member of the Nanjing Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. After defecting to the enemy, he has recently been highly valued by Li Cuiqun.”

"Those bastards from the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Zhongtong) were utterly useless against the Japanese, but after becoming traitors, they turned on us like mad dogs," Cheng Qianfan said with a cold snort.

“Those guys know us too well.” Old Huang sighed and shook his head. “Of course, there’s also a problem with the transit station on the Tel Aviv Road. It’s said that when they were recruiting advanced anti-Japanese elements, the enemy planted spies in.”

"The Yanzhou headquarters had already issued a document instructing that while developing and expanding the anti-Japanese forces, we must resolutely guard against rash actions and pay attention to identifying spies," Cheng Qianfan said in a deep voice. "This is a lesson learned in blood."

"Will you be going back to Nanjing soon after you return to Shanghai this time?" Old Huang asked.

With Cheng Qianfan in charge of the Special Police Department, the situation will be much better. Given Comrade "Fire Seed's" public identity, he will be able to obtain a lot of classified information first.

……

“What I mean is to stay in Shanghai a little longer for now,” Cheng Qianfan said, handing a cigarette to Lao Huang. “However, before I returned to Shanghai, Chu Mingyu talked to me, saying that I should finish up my official business in Shanghai as soon as possible and return to Nanjing.”

"Is something wrong in Nanjing?" Old Huang asked immediately.

"It's not clear yet. Chu Mingyu didn't reveal any more details, but I reckon he has some work for me to do," Cheng Qianfan said.

He told Lao Huang, "Contact Detective Zhao through Lao Lu and tell him to make progress quickly. While I'm not in Shanghai, he needs to take over the work in Shanghai as soon as possible."

"You mean you'll be focusing more on Nanjing in the future?" Lao Huang asked.

“That should be the case,” Cheng Qianfan said. “Chu Mingyu has urged me many times to shift my work focus to Nanjing, and I can’t put this off any longer.”

He said to Lao Huang, "After all, I am an outstanding officer of the Jiangwan Officer Training Corps. Chu Mingyu doesn't have many trustworthy military personnel. I guess he intends to train me in Nanjing."

"That's great!" Old Huang laughed heartily and said.

“The situation in Nanjing is extremely serious.” Cheng Qianfan smiled, then said with a serious expression, “Take the incident at the Nanjing station of the Special Intelligence Bureau as an example. The Nanjing Special Higher Police poses a great threat, especially that Nagashima Masato. He is quite capable and a formidable enemy.”

"Be extra careful," Old Huang said. "I just heard your detailed account of this person. This kind of cunning old spy is definitely someone we have to be wary of."

“My biggest protection right now is my Japanese identity,” Cheng Qianfan said. “As long as the enemy remains stuck in this mindset and doesn’t suddenly suspect my Japanese identity, my safety can still be guaranteed.”

……

"Looking at it this way, the file that Eiichi Kageyama made for you back then deserves a lot of credit," Old Huang said with a smile.

“That’s true.” Cheng Qianfan nodded.

Without Eiichi Kagesa's file, he would face a more complex and severe situation. Even the Japanese investigation of him has now stopped at the file left by Eiichi Kagesa, which has a natural recognition of his identity and provides him with great protection.

"I need to keep a low profile for a while and focus on making money," Cheng Qianfan said. "Although the Nanjing station incident has been handled relatively well, that's precisely why I need to be even more careful."

"That makes sense," Old Huang nodded.

……

Two months passed quickly.

A cold wind suddenly rose.

Lafayette Road.

"Master is back." The maid took Cheng Qianfan's coat and carefully hung it up.

"How are you feeling today?" Cheng Qianfan came into the living room, picked up Xiaozhima, and asked Bai Ruolan with concern.

Previously, on the ship from Nanjing back to Shanghai, Bai Ruolan kept vomiting. At first, she thought it was seasickness. After returning to Shanghai, she still vomited from time to time. After consulting a doctor, it was confirmed that she was pregnant.

Bai Ruolan has been suffering from severe morning sickness lately.

"I'm feeling a little better." Bai Ruolan popped a preserved plum into her mouth, and then playfully popped one into her husband's mouth as well.

In the past two or three months, her husband has been single-mindedly focused on making money, and he often comes home drunk, smelling of rouge. This leads to arguments between the two, but Bai Ruolan feels much more at ease.

"Haozi is playing with Xiaobao in the backyard. He seems to want to talk to you about something," Bai Ruolan said.

"Alright, I'll go take a look," Cheng Qianfan said with a smile.

……

I handed the candied hawthorn berries I brought back from outside to Xiaobao, and Xiaobao obediently left.

"Brother Fan, Xiaoru received a call from Chongqing this afternoon," Li Hao said to Cheng Qianfan. "Taozi and her husband have arrived in Chongqing safely."

"That's great!" Cheng Qianfan said happily upon hearing the news.

After Taozi and her companion landed in Zhenjiang, they were escorted to Chongqing by Jiang Luozi's special operations team. The journey was quite arduous, and there was no news for a long time. Now that there is finally feedback that they have arrived safely, he can finally rest assured.

"We have news about Xiao Ma from Nanjing," Li Hao said.

“After Xiao Ma was saved by the enemy in the hospital, they tried to coerce and entice him, but to no avail. They then subjected him to continuous torture, but Xiao Ma remained steadfast and unyielding.” Li Hao said with a heavy expression, “After two months of continuous torture, Xiao Ma’s condition is now very bad.”

Cheng Qianfan didn't speak; he was thinking.

Li Hao didn't disturb Fan Ge's thinking. He hoped that Fan Ge could find a way to rescue Xiao Ma, but Li Hao also knew that this was basically impossible.

In the hands of the Nanjing Special Higher Police, ordinary methods were useless for Xiao Ma, unless he could be rescued by force, but that was even more impossible.

……

"Have all the people Xiao Ma could contact been successfully evacuated?" Cheng Qianfan asked.

"Following your orders, Brother Fan, we evacuated long ago." Li Hao nodded.

After thinking for a while, he finally couldn't help but ask Fan Ge, "Fan Ge, I think we can try to contact Xiao Ma and have him feign surrender."

Cheng Qianfan didn't speak; he had been thinking about this possibility as well.

“We can try,” Cheng Qianfan said. “However, the problem now is that he is in the hands of the Special Higher Police, and ordinary people have no way to contact him.”

Li Hao fell silent. Fan Ge was right.

"I'll figure something out about Xiao Ma's situation," Cheng Qianfan said.

"I just don't know how much longer Xiao Ma can hold on," Li Hao suddenly sighed.

Cheng Qianfan fell silent. He understood that when Haozi said "how long can it last," he didn't mean whether Xiao Ma would be tortured to death and betray them, but rather that Xiao Ma was very likely to be tortured to death by the enemy's cruel interrogation.

……

The next day.

No. 22 Xuehuali Road.

Office of the Special Police Division Chief.

A melodious tune played from the gramophone. Cheng Qianfan leaned back in his swivel chair, holding a snuff bottle in his hand, admiring it with great interest.

Just then, there was a knock on the office door.

"Go in," Cheng Qianfan said without looking up.

The door opened.

There were footsteps.

"What is it?" Cheng Qianfan asked casually without looking up.

"People are so busy in Nanjing they barely have time to breathe, but you, Fan Di, are having a great time in Shanghai," a voice rang out.

Cheng Qianfan subconsciously looked up, then his face lit up with joy, and he quickly stood up, "Sister Xia, what brings you here?"

"Northwest wind," Liu Xia said, rolling her eyes at Cheng Qianfan.

"Please sit down." Cheng Qianfan walked around the desk and quickly invited Liu Xia to sit down and rest, then personally made tea for her.

"Sister Xia came without warning, is she here to check up on me?" Cheng Qianfan said with a smile. "I swear to God, I am devoted to Sister Xia and have always remained chaste."

“Yes, he’s chaste and pure.” Liu Xia chuckled and pointed at Cheng Qianfan, saying, “He’s going to be a father who’s chaste and pure.”

As she spoke, she took out a small jewelry box from her handbag, "It's for my niece whom I haven't met yet."

"How did you know it was a girl?" Cheng Qianfan took it without any politeness, opened it, and found it was a yellow jade amulet.

“Having sons and daughters, isn’t that good?” Liu Xia rolled her eyes at Cheng Qianfan.

"Okay, okay, okay," Cheng Qianfan said happily. "Then I'll accept Sister Xia's kind words."

……

"Pack your things, you'll be coming to the airport with me in a bit," Liu Xia suddenly said seriously.

"To the airport?" Cheng Qianfan was taken aback. "Now?"

“Now.” Liu Xia nodded.

"Go to Nanjing?" Cheng Qianfan asked in astonishment.

“The minister ordered me to pick you up.” Liu Xia nodded and said, “I’m destined to be a busybody. The minister said that once I get to Shanghai and pick you up, I’ll return to Nanjing immediately.”

"Why so suddenly?" Cheng Qianfan frowned, then asked with concern, "Did something happen to Uncle Chu?"

“Minister, you are doing well.” Liu Xia shook her head. “My orders are to come and take you back to Nanjing.”

“Sister Xia, if you send a telegram from Nanjing, I’ll rush back to Nanjing without stopping. How could I trouble you to make this trip?” Cheng Qianfan took out a pack of women’s cigarettes from his desk drawer, opened it, and handed one to Liu Xia.

"How would I know?" Liu Xia yawned. "I was completely baffled. I was suddenly summoned by the minister and told to come to Nanjing immediately to personally pick you up and take you back to the city."

“Okay.” Cheng Qianfan nodded. “Then I’ll arrange my work and go home to pack my things.”

……

“There’s no time.” Liu Xia shook her head. “My orders are to take you back to Nanjing immediately after I see you.”

"So urgent?" Cheng Qianfan's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained normal as he looked at Liu Xia with a puzzled expression.

"There's no other way," Liu Xia said in a low voice. "There are two gatekeepers watching outside. Otherwise, do you think I wouldn't want to relax comfortably in Shanghai?"

"Hmm?" Cheng Qianfan subconsciously looked towards the door, which was tightly closed.

“The people in the Chairman’s office,” Liu Xia said in a low voice. “I can’t say more about the others, and actually I don’t know any more.”

Cheng Qianfan's expression suddenly turned serious, and he nodded silently.

Wang Tianhai's personal office was officially called the "Presidential Office of the National Government," and it was modeled after Chiang Kai-shek's personal office in Chongqing, but it was completely different in nature from Chiang Kai-shek's personal office.

This is because Wang Tianhai's organization was more like a puppet tool controlled by Japanese advisors. Although the head of the executive office was Chinese, the chief of guards in the executive office was Japanese.

Furthermore, although the head of the adjutant's office was Chinese, according to the intelligence Cheng Qianfan possessed, the head of the adjutant's office, Cheng Zi'ang, graduated from Waseda University in Japan, and his wife was of Japanese descent. This person was very likely a spy planted by the Japanese secret service in Nanjing to surround Wang Tianhai.

At this moment, Cheng Qianfan's heart was in turmoil. Liu Xia suddenly came to Shanghai to see him and asked him to return to Nanjing immediately, and under the supervision of the staff in the attendant's office. This could almost be interpreted as her wanting to escort him back to Nanjing.

He looked at Liu Xia, trying to glean some clue from her eyes.

……

"Don't look at me like that." Liu Xia said innocently, but irritably, "Of course I know this is unreasonable, but this is the order I received."

"How could I blame Sister Xia? It's just too sudden." Cheng Qianfan gave a wry smile. He looked at Liu Xia and tentatively said, "Then I'll call your sister-in-law and tell her. That should be alright, otherwise she might think I've been seduced by some vixen and disappeared."

"Stop making veiled accusations." Liu Xia pointed at Cheng Qianfan. "Who are you calling a vixen?"

She chuckled, "Go ahead and call, go ahead and call. I can still make the decision to give you the right to make the call."

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(End of this chapter)