Spy game? Stop guessing, I really am an undercover agent!

Chapter 281 How could someone make such a huge mess?

In the warehouse of the Sixteen Factories Wharf, the ticking of the second hand of the wall clock was exceptionally clear in the cramped space.

Lin Xueyi sat behind a huge desk in the warehouse of the Sixteen Factories Wharf, playing with a pair of lion head sculptures in his hand.

A stack of this month's account books lay in front of him, the densely packed numbers making him almost dizzy.

No matter how you look at it, he's not cut out for accounting!

"Mr. Du," Lin Xueyi called out as he pushed the ledger aside.
"Boss!" Du Xinrong, the local accountant, hurried in!

"Get these things sorted out as soon as possible!" Lin Xueyi pushed the ledger in front of Du Xinrong!

"Boss, this isn't a good idea!" Du Xinrong hesitated.

These are not the main accounts of the Sixteen Factories Wharf, but rather the main accounts of the wharf and warehouses under Minister Chen's control.

These things are not things he can access. I don't know what Lin Xueyi was thinking, actually entrusting him with these secret accounts!
"It's alright. I might be away for a few days. Use these days to quickly sort out the accounts of the major docks and warehouses."

"I'm still waiting to pay the bill!"

"You'll be gone for a few days? Your position... Alright, I'll do it as soon as possible!" Du Xinrong was puzzled, but dared not ask any more questions, so he could only agree in a low voice!

"Oh, right, I'm reminding you, the accounts can't leave this house. While I'm away, Brother Liao will be overseeing things!" Lin Xueyi patted Du Xinrong on the shoulder: "Mr. Du, if things go well, everyone will benefit!"

"But if you mess it up, you'll have to consider the consequences yourself!"

"Yes, yes, boss, don't worry, I'll handle it perfectly!" Du Xinrong patted his chest and assured him, though there was something slightly off about his voice...

Lin Xueyi waved his hand, giving his seat to Du Xinrong, and slowly strolled to the side to gaze into the distance through the window!

Outside the window, steam turbines on the Huangpu River spewed thick white smoke and emitted ear-piercing hissing noises as they traversed the river.

Amidst this most ordinary and chaotic noise, the green-painted iron door on the second floor was suddenly pulled open from the outside, the scraping sound sharp and piercing.

The three men standing at the door were dressed in cold, hard dark blue uniforms, with the words "South Manchuria Railway Survey Section" on their armbands like branding marks, scorching the eyes.

Leading the group was Arita Naruto, the head of the Intelligence and Investigation Department. His face was as cold as ever, his jawline was sharp as if carved by a knife, and his eyes were devoid of any warmth. He scanned the room as if he were inspecting goods.

The two men behind him were burly and expressionless, like two stone statues standing at the doorway, blocking all possible escape routes.

Downstairs, a group of thugs and several security guards jumped up from their seats in shock.

Du Xinrong, who was doing the accounting, was so frightened that he dropped his pen and notebook on the ground. He instinctively stepped back, pressed himself against the cold metal filing cabinet, and his eyes darted back and forth between the cold, hard uniforms and Lin Xueyi.

Lin Xueyi's hand froze in mid-air, trembling slightly.

He slowly raised his head, his face showing just the right amount of bewilderment and surprise, mixed with a hint of displeasure at being interrupted from his work.

"Minister Arita, Team Leader Otani? What... what's going on? What's wrong with you?"

The man behind Arita is Hisao Otani, the leader of the first investigation team. Lin Xueyi is familiar with them and has dealt with them before. After all, he is a big shot in Shanghai. Even if he is just a puppet, there are some things that he has to do himself!
The South Manchuria Railway's investigation department has more than one team!
The second group is led by Nakayama Toshio, who took Xiang Fang away!

Otani's sharp gaze pierced Du Xinrong's side, where a black leather briefcase was leaning against the armrest of a swivel chair. Just now, Du Xinrong had accidentally knocked over his paper and pen, and Otani had seen him hurriedly stuff the documents into the briefcase!

“Mr. Lin, we’re old friends,” Otani said in a low voice, “Don’t make things difficult for me!”

“We need you to come with us for a case.” His gaze finally fell on Lin Xueyi’s face, which had instantly lost all color, like two nails. “Do you know Xiang Fang? In early July, around the time of Vice Minister Yoshida’s murder, did you contact him?”

“Xiang Fang? I remember now!” Lin Xueyi’s voice became a little high-pitched. “He…he took leave to go back to his hometown to visit relatives, didn’t he? He told me that a few days ago! This has to do with Yoshida…”

Lin Xueyi spoke very quickly, and Da Gu interrupted him immediately, a very slight twitch at the corner of his lips, like mockery or pure impatience, "Back to his hometown?? Then who gave him the things he put in locker number seven at 'Fengyu Goods Store'?"

"I...I..." Lin Xueyi's body trembled at just the right moment, and his face tightened as if he had been hit by something. He stammered, "Otani...Team Leader Otani, this...I didn't know anything about this!"

"You didn't know? If you didn't know, why did you bribe Xiang Fang with thirty large yellow croakers?"

"Lin Sang, don't insult my intelligence,"

"Take him away." Otani stopped looking at Lin Xueyi's face, which had instantly collapsed. At this moment, apart from Arita and Otani, the investigator immediately stepped forward and, with practiced and powerful movements, grabbed Lin Xueyi's arms on the left and right, arresting him without any room for resistance.

Lin Xueyi's silk robe was torn and deformed, and one of his leather shoes was knocked off as he stumbled, lying forlornly beside the cold swivel chair.

"No, no, no!" Lin Xueyi struggled as he said to Arita Shigeaki, "Minister Arita, don't you remember? I even treated you to a meal!"

Arita's face stiffened, and he flicked his sleeve, saying, "What are you waiting for? Take him back."

The South Manchuria Railway Bureau of Investigation, underground interrogation room.

The cold light shone down, flattening the lonely iron chair in the center of the interrogation room and the huddled shadow of Lin Xueyi imprisoned within it.

The walls were bare and eerily white. Lin Xueyi's robes were covered in dust and suspicious dark stains, and there was a noticeable, glaring purplish-blue swelling on his forehead.

Sweat and tears mingled on his contorted face, leaving sticky marks.

"The time... I remember... it should be July 1st, around 9 o'clock..." His voice was hoarse and cracked, as if there was sand stuck in his throat, or like a desperate wail, "in that dead-end alley behind the 'Fuxinghe' inn... in complete darkness..."

“I prepared fifteen, but Xiang Fang said the price was too low and I had to pay more.”

"Later, we...we reached an agreement: he would sell thirty large yellow croakers!"

The interrogator, sitting in the shadows opposite him, remained silent, the only sound the soft scratching of a pen across paper.

However, the rustling sound was more oppressive than any interrogation, making Lin Xueyi tremble even more violently.

He rambled on incoherently, like beans pouring from a bamboo tube!

A deep, slow, yet powerful voice came from the shadows. It wasn't an interrogation, but a cold confirmation: "You gave Xiang Fang thirty large yellow croakers and asked him to kill a transport officer from the South Manchuria Railway. As far as I know, you two have no grudges against each other. Is this what you call 'teaching him a lesson'?"

"Mr. Lin, I don't like people who are full of lies."

The figure slowly emerged from the shadows, wearing a well-fitting suit, with a lean face and a bright ruby ​​ring on his finger!
This man was none other than Shinichi Nakajima, the director of the South Manchuria Railway Bureau of Investigation!

“Mr. Lin, I don’t have much patience. I want to hear the truth from you. Since you have no reason to kill, then someone must have asked you to do it.”

"Mr. Lin, you now face a choice between life and death!"

"Knowing you as I do, you wouldn't be so stupid as to choose death, would you?"

Lin Xueyi was so frightened by these cold words that he completely broke down, tears streaming down his face: "I'll talk, I'll tell you everything!"

"It was Chen Yang, the Vice Minister of Transport, who told me to do this."

"He said Yoshida absolutely cannot be allowed to stay, and he suspected that Yoshida was behind some of the mischief."

"But Yoshida is with the South Manchuria Railway Company; without evidence, he can't be touched!"

"Yoshida now controls the transportation, he must die!"

He spoke incoherently, like a drowning man grasping at driftwood, desperately piling all his vague suspicions onto the current Vice Minister of Transport in an attempt to lessen his own guilt. Shinichi Nakajima seemed to simply listen, letting him pour out his incoherent ramblings, accusations, and cries.

Until Lin Xueyi's strength was exhausted, he collapsed on the iron chair, only heavy, desperate breathing and sobbing remaining.

The door opened silently.

An investigator walked in and whispered a few words in Shinichi Nakajima's ear.

Nakajima nodded, his gaze returning to the nearly exhausted Lin Xueyi: "You're lying, but it doesn't matter. Based on those testimonies, Xiang Fang's identification, and the parts you didn't lie about, that's enough for us to go and have a chat with Vice Minister Chen."

He turned his head and instructed the man who had come in, "Notify Minister Arita to invite Minister Chen over for a chat!"

In Shanghai, the detached building of the Southern Transportation Department appeared particularly quiet under the hazy sky.

Just after 3 p.m., the sky grew increasingly gloomy, as if a heavy rain was about to fall at any moment!

In the courtyard of the Ministry of Transport, there are several sycamore trees with lush branches. The deep green at the top stretches ethereally towards the lead-gray sky, casting crooked shadows on the blue brick ground.

Three black sedans, like silent sharks, quietly slid into the tightly closed wrought iron gates of the transportation department, came to a steady stop, and the sound of their engines went out.

The car doors opened in unison, and a group of figures in dark blue uniforms stepped out.

Hisao Otani remained at the front. He slightly raised his hand, and the crowd behind him scattered in a flash, moving as swiftly as leopards, instantly controlling the possible blind spots on both sides of the gate and the courtyard wall.

Someone inside noticed the commotion outside. The thick curtains on a third-floor window trembled slightly, a small gap was opened, and then quickly closed again.

Otani squinted at the window he had just seen, and with a gentle wave of his hand, the group of South Manchuria Railway agents walked straight up to him without knocking!

The heavy military boots pounded on the intricately carved iron gate, producing a startling, dull thud.

"The South Manchuria Railway Survey Section is on official business!" His voice, like thunder rumbling beneath the frozen ground, pierced through every corner of the Western-style building.

A few seconds of suffocating silence, followed by a flurry of footsteps.

A security guard from the Ministry of Transport stepped forward and bowed slightly: "Excuse me, do you have an official letter?"

"A letter of assistance issued by the South Manchuria Railway Bureau of Investigation!" Otani handed the letter to the man, then led a group of people in single file, leaving two people to watch the door warily.

"Which floor is Minister Chen's office on?" Otani asked a transportation department employee who was walking towards him.
"Third, third floor, to the left!" The man paused for a moment, then replied instinctively.
Otani nodded and hurriedly went up to the third floor!

Upon reaching the third floor, Otani immediately spotted the sign for the deputy minister's office!

At that moment, he didn't care about anything else and pushed the door open to go inside!
The luxurious scene before his eyes left him somewhat dazed!
Warm air, carrying a certain scent of sandalwood, enveloped us, creating a stark contrast with the outside world.

Walking from the entrance all the way in, a dark carpet was laid out, making no sound when you stepped on it.

Exquisite furniture was arranged around the office, with bookshelves made of rosewood displaying many valuable cultural relics, and an enamel clock ticking regularly in the corner.

This isn't an office; it's clearly a big shot's private study!
"Is there anything you need?" A voice came from the back of the crowd at that moment!
Chen Yang, the Vice Minister of Transport, wore a well-pressed dark gray cotton robe with a loosely draped thin jacket of the same material over it, and comfortable cloth shoes. He walked steadily and silently across the carpeted ground.

His face showed no extra emotion, only a hint of displeasure at being disturbed lingered between his brows.

Otani looked him up and down!
Judging from his appearance, he seemed to have gone out to take care of something and had just returned. He was accompanied by a woman, who, judging from her attire, was probably his secretary!
Chen Yang calmly looked down at the group of uninvited guests downstairs, as if he were looking at some impolite intruders.

"Hello, Minister Chen!" Otani stepped forward and bowed slightly. "Minister Chen, we are from the South Manchuria Railway Bureau's Investigation Department. We have found some things that require your assistance in the investigation!"

“Team Leader Otani,” Chen Yang began, his voice neither loud nor soft, “this is the busiest time for the transportation department. We have a lot of work to do. What urgent matter do you have that requires such a commotion?”

Otani stood in the center of the office, meeting Chen Yang's gaze with a blank expression.

He did not answer Chen Yang's question, nor did he show any of the restraint or courtesy one would expect when facing a high-ranking official.

He took out a folded piece of paper from his inner pocket, unfolded it with one hand, and the movement carried a concise and sharp sense of power.

"Minister Chen," Otani's voice was somewhat low, "By special instructions from Arita, Director of the South Manchuria Railway Bureau's Investigation Department, and with the personal approval of Director Nakajima, you are suspected of plotting to murder Yoshida Ryozo and related job-related crimes. You are hereby detained and summoned for questioning in accordance with the law. Please cooperate."

Time seemed to freeze at that moment, completely still!

Chen Yang's usually expressionless face suddenly stiffened, and the tiny blood vessels beneath his skin seemed to stop flowing instantly.

Deep within the pupils behind the lenses, beneath the cold reflection, a fleeting yet profound shock flashed by.

"Oh, so it's about Yoshida's case?"

Chen Yang's voice remained calm as always!
"I am the Vice Minister of Transport, and Yoshida-kun is my colleague,"

"Well, Team Leader Otani, according to the rules, someone of your rank doesn't have the authority to summon an official of my rank."

"If it were up to my usual temper, I would have charged you with overstepping my bounds and insubordination!"

"However, out of respect for the late Yoshida-kun, I'll let it slide for now!"

"I still have a few important documents to review. Please wait for me for ten minutes. I'll be leaving in ten minutes!"

Although he was there to summon the other party, Otani Hisao felt a chill run down his spine after hearing just a few words from Chen Yang!

Having barely managed to suppress the turmoil in his eyes, Otani slightly opened his mouth, seemingly trying to maintain his self-assured and composed tone, to ask another harsh question, or to say something like "immediately" or "right away," but his throat felt as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, and in the end, no sound came out.

His chest rose and fell with an extremely slight movement, more like a breath that had been caught in its own tension and had not yet been properly adjusted.

"I...I understand," Otani stammered. "Please, we'll be here waiting for you!"

“Then I’ll trouble you all to wait outside,” Chen Yang said, sitting back down at his desk. “If Team Leader Otani is worried, he can also stand at the door and keep watch!”

Otani instinctively bowed and stood obediently to the side of the office. The hands of the enamel clock next to him made a soft "click" sound in the suffocating silence, as clear as if bones were cracking.

Several South Manchuria Railway Survey Division personnel no longer hesitated and strode to the outside of the office. The soles of their boots made only a dull rustling sound as they stepped on the carpet, but it was more unsettling than the sound of any military boots on the ground.

They stopped at the doorway, forming two rows on the left and right, their movements not rough, but rather like a group of guards protecting the office.

The pen scratched on the paper. Chen Yang would occasionally look up, glance at Otani, and then quickly lower his head to continue writing!
"Alright," Chen Yang said, standing up after writing the last comment on the document. "That's about it, Team Leader Otani, let's go!"

Otani was immediately relieved and quickly ordered someone to take Chen Yang away!

Three cars left the Ministry of Transportation gate one after another. On the third floor, Secretary Li Ningyu picked up the phone: "Qingqi, they took Minister Chen away!"

"Yes, Minister Chen said he wants to see everyone in front of the South Manchuria Railway Building within thirty minutes!"

"Yes, yes, the squadron from the supply warehouse will also be taken there. Minister Chen said that we should not be afraid of making a big fuss. Since the South Manchuria Railway is going to play tricks, then we must have the courage to bear the consequences!"

"Okay, please take care of it, Haruki-kun!"

Li Ningyu gently put down the phone, watched the departing South Manchuria Railway Bureau convoy, and sighed softly.
"How could someone make such a huge mess?"

(End of this chapter)