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

Chapter 64 The Mountain City Liaison Officer Has Arrived

Hiroichi Iwai sighed softly: "Kagesa-kun, we've always mocked the Chinese for their tendency to fight amongst themselves."

"But the same is true within the empire."

"If it weren't for so much prejudice and so much infighting, our expansion plans in China would have gone much more smoothly."

Upon hearing this, Kagesa could only manage a wry smile.

The empire's discord between land and sea is no secret.

If there is anyone more eager to see the Japanese army fail than the Chinese, without a doubt, it is the Japanese navy.

These two eccentric units have been looking down on each other for quite some time now.

The earliest examples can be traced back to the struggle between the Choshu Domain and the Satsuma Domain hundreds of years ago.

This is an internal power struggle that even the most outrageous black card incidents couldn't stop. When things get out of hand, they even sent their fleet into Tokyo Bay, let alone a consul and a military affairs section chief.

After a long silence, Iwai Hiroichi looked out the window and said slowly, "Kagesa-kun, tell me, if someone could quell the conflict between the land and sea, what would the future of the empire be like?"

Kagesa chuckled: "Unless one is the reincarnation of Amaterasu, possessing supreme divine power, only they could quell the conflict between the two sides. Humans, ha, what kind of person would do that?"

Office of the Director of the Economic Department, Shanghai.

This internal investigation dragged on for two or three days, but in the end, it all fizzled out.

However, Nanjing authorities still have no intention of letting the Economic Department off the hook.

Early in the morning, Chen Yang looked at the newspaper headline in his hand and almost laughed out of anger.

The front page of the Shanghai Stock Exchange's declaration boldly proclaimed, "Frequent victories have been reported from the front lines of the anti-bandit campaign. The troops have achieved their expected objectives and are temporarily resting in Liyang."

Below is a long, detailed account of how successfully the bandits were suppressed on the front lines and how bravely the troops fought the enemy.

Finally, another paragraph was added: "The bandits are rampant. Although the troops have suffered some casualties, their morale remains high. All officers and soldiers are determined to kill the enemy and serve the country. Due to the lack of timely replenishment of supplies, they are temporarily staying in Liyang for rest and reorganization."

"Once we have rested and recuperated, we will regroup and resolutely wipe out the bandits of Taihu Lake, bringing peace and order to the world."

Damn it, I've shortchanged you by even a fraction of my supplies, and you're still blaming it on untimely replenishment? That's no way to shift the blame.

After reading the entire report, Chen Yang could only describe it with two words: "Shameless."

That's absolutely shameless...

He casually flipped to the financial section of the report, and suddenly, Chen Yang was startled. The long-lost communication signal from the mountain city had finally reappeared.

As Chen Yang looked at the financial analysis and commentary in the newspaper, the program in his mind began to decipher the information in a special way.

With the system, Chen Yang had already destroyed the codebook. Whatever information he needed, the system in his mind would naturally match it. Why would he need to keep the codebook? Was he just waiting for someone else to discover it?

The entire commentary was about three hundred words long. After deciphering the key information, a message appeared in my mind.

"7 PM, White Rose Cafe on Wutong Road, black suit, two pens in his jacket pocket, upside down."

"So many tricks!" Chen Yang put down the newspaper, picked up the teacup on the table, stood by the window, and took a small sip.
Wutong Road in Shanghai. This road was named Wutong Road because the French planted sycamore trees here in the 19th century. In summer and autumn, the trees' lush foliage shaded the entire street.

This is the narrowest road in Shanghai, only wide enough for three people to walk side by side.

The two most famous buildings on this road are the Xu family's old Catholic church and the Pan family mansion, Shichun Hall, which was known as the "half-city of Pan" in the previous dynasty.

However, neither of these places is Chen Yang's target today.

Chen Yang walked to the middle of Wutong Road and looked up at the slightly old-fashioned coffee shop sign above.

Next, he checked the position of the two pens in the upper pocket of his suit jacket. Once everything was confirmed, Chen Yang stepped forward and pushed open the door of the coffee shop.

A clear bell rang above the door.

"A gentleman?" A waitress in a dark green cheongsam approached, a white rose brooch on her chest flashing with a cold light.

"Yes, one," Chen Yang replied with a smile, his gaze quickly sweeping across the entire coffee shop.

"Please follow me." The waitress politely led Chen Yang inside, but Chen Yang declined her offer and went straight to the second booth by the window. This spot offered a good view of the entire cafe and had a solid wall behind him, making it a natural observation position.

"Sir, what would you like to drink?" The waitress didn't say much, but leaned down and politely asked Chen Yang what he needed.
Chen Yang picked up the menu, looked at it, and said, "One Blue Mountain coffee."

The waitress nodded politely and said, "Sir, please wait a moment."

Chen Yang nodded slightly and looked out the window.

The café was playing Zhou Xuan's "Night Shanghai," but the phonograph's brass horn was a bit distorted, and at crucial moments a faint crackling sound of static would appear.

He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and while lighting it, Chen Yang's eyes swept over each face, trying to determine who the target of this rendezvous was.

The man with the mustache reading the newspaper in the left corner had calluses on his knuckles from holding a gun for a long time, but he didn't look like a gunman. He had a scar on his face that ran down to the corner of his eye. Such a person was too conspicuous and was not suitable to be a liaison officer at all.

Could they be a couple flirting at the bar? The woman's handbag was always facing the door, as if she could pull out a weapon from it in the blink of an eye if anyone came in.
Uh, you're overthinking it. This woman's behavior is frivolous and wanton; her eyes keep darting around while she's talking to men, as if she's looking for her next target. She's obviously an escort.
Hmm, the most suspicious one is that waiter wiping the glasses; his gaze seems to be fixed on me the whole time. Could it be...?
"Your coffee, sir."

When the coffee was served, the waitress tapped the coaster lightly with her fingers, seemingly unintentionally.

Chen Yang's pupils contracted slightly as he looked up and carefully examined the unfamiliar face. The man was in his early twenties, with large, clear eyes beneath willow-leaf eyebrows, a straight nose, and a small mole at the corner of his mouth.

Could it be her?

"Sir, what's wrong?" The waitress blushed slightly as she looked at Chen Yang with such unabashed scrutiny.

But seeing how handsome and dashing Chen Yang was, her blush quickly turned into a fluttering heart.

Good heavens, is it finally my turn to play the role of a wealthy young man from the Republican era falling in love with a working-class girl?
Suppressing her excitement, the waitress asked in a low voice, "Sir, would you like to request a piano piece?"

"Okay." Chen Yang didn't know if the other party was confirming his identity, but he agreed without hesitation.

The waitress nodded to the waiter, who immediately lifted the handle of the phonograph, and the coffee shop returned to a brief silence.

The sound of high heels clicking on the floor gradually rose, and a graceful figure appeared before everyone's eyes.
(End of this chapter)