Spy war in the Republic of China, peak undercover

"Maybe he has never trusted you." Qinglan's voice suddenly sounded behind Lu Yang.

Lu Yang turned around and looked at Qinglan. He knew that Qinglan, like himself, was deeply hurt by Matsumoto Ichiro's betrayal.

"Maybe." Lu Yang smiled bitterly, "Maybe we were all deceived by him."

"Lu Yang, don't be too sad." Qing Lan walked to Lu Yang and hugged him gently. "I know you feel bad, but you are not alone. You still have us. We will all be with you."

Lu Yang felt Qinglan's warmth, and the sadness in his heart eased a little. "Thank you, Qinglan," he said softly.

"We are friends, aren't we?" Qinglan said.

Lu Yang nodded without saying anything. He knew that Qing Lan was right. They were friends and they would always support each other until the final victory.

"By the way," Qinglan said, "what are you going to do next? 'Crow' is dead, and we have to start looking for clues all over again."

"No," Lu Yang shook his head, "We no longer need to look for it."

"Why?" Qinglan was puzzled.

"Because, the 'spark' is right here." Lu Yang said, then he took out a button from his pocket and gently placed it on the table.

"Buttons?" Qinglan was stunned. "What does this mean?"

"This is what I found on Crow today," Lu Yang said. "He is the Spark."

"What?!" Qinglan exclaimed, "'Crow' is 'Spark'? How is this possible?"

"There's nothing impossible about this," Lu Yang said. "The 'Spark' has always been with us, but we just haven't discovered it."

"But..." Qinglan was still a little unconvinced, "Isn't 'Crow' Japanese? How can he be 'Spark'?"

"He is not Japanese," Lu Yang said, "He is just a pawn used by the Japanese."

"What is his real identity?" Qinglan asked.

"He is... a Chinese agent." Lu Yang said.

"What?" Qinglan was even more shocked. "Chinese agents? This...what on earth is going on?"

"This is a long story," Lu Yang said. "But I can tell you that 'Crow's' true identity is a high-ranking agent of the Kuomintang intelligence organization."

"A member of the Kuomintang?" Qinglan frowned. "Why would he do these things?"

"Because they want to overthrow the current government and establish a new society," said Lu Yang.

"Overthrow the government?" Qing Lan was stunned. "Why would they do this?"

"Because they believe the current government is rotten and beyond redemption," Lu Yang said. "They believe that only by overthrowing this government can this country and this nation stand up again."

"This..." Qinglan was silent. She didn't know what to say.

"Qinglan, I know you're confused right now," Lu Yang said, "but you have to believe me, everything we do is right."

"I believe you." Qing Lan raised her head and looked at Lu Yang, her eyes full of trust. "I believe you can change the fate of this country and this nation."

"Thank you, Qinglan." Lu Yang said.

"What should we do next?" Qinglan asked.

"Next," Lu Yang said, "we are going to meet someone."

"Who?" Qinglan asked.

"Someone...who can help us complete our final plan." Lu Yang said.

"Who?" Qinglan asked.

"Someone you never expected." Lu Yang smiled mysteriously.

"You're keeping us in suspense again." Qinglan said helplessly.

"You'll know when we meet him." Lu Yang said with a smile.

"Okay." Qinglan nodded. She knew that Lu Yang would not harm her, so she just needed to trust him.

"Now, let's take a break," Lu Yang said, "Tomorrow, we will begin our final operation."

"Yeah." Qinglan nodded, and then she and Lu Yang left the study together.

What they didn't notice was that a figure quietly appeared behind them.

That person was the "mole" - Wu Dashan.

"'Fire'..." Wu Dashan muttered to himself as he watched Lu Yang's departing figure, "Who are you?"

After leaving the safe house, Lu Yang and his group didn't rush to their next destination. Instead, they skillfully navigated Shanghai's maze of alleyways, eventually stopping in front of a teahouse called "Tongfu." This teahouse wasn't particularly impressive, but it was one of Shanghai's most well-informed places, a hodgepodge of all kinds. With enough patience and money, one could get any information one wanted here.

Lu Yang walked into the teahouse and casually found a table by the window to sit down. Qing Lan took Xiao He and Xiao Jiang to a corner not far away, where they could protect Lu Yang while avoiding attracting attention.

"Give me a pot of the best Longjing tea and two baskets of xiaolongbao." Lu Yang said to the waiter in a casual tone, as if he was just an ordinary tea drinker.

"Okay, please wait a moment." The waiter responded and quickly went to prepare.

Lu Yang picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and observed everyone in the teahouse with sharp eyes. He found that most of the people here were small-time people from the bottom of society. Some were coolies in shabby clothes, some were prostitutes dressed in seductive clothes, and some were secret agents wearing various masks and disguises.

They gather here, exchanging all kinds of information and hiding their own secrets.

"Mr. Lu, your guests have arrived." A familiar voice sounded in Lu Yang's ears.

Lu Yang looked up and saw a man in a gray gown and black-framed glasses approaching. He was the owner of the teahouse and Lu Yang's contact, codenamed "Scholar."

"Are you here? Sit down." Lu Yang pointed to the seat opposite.

"Mr. Lu, you are really smart. I just got the news that 'Crow' is dead." The scholar said in a low voice after sitting down.

"Okay, I understand." Lu Yang nodded without showing too much surprise.

"So what are you going to do next?" asked the scholar.

"I need someone I can trust, someone who can help me complete my final plan." Lu Yang said.

"What you are saying is..." The scholar seemed to understand something and did not continue.

"That's right," Lu Yang nodded, "I need his help."

"But he has already..." The scholar hesitated for a moment, then said, "He has left Shanghai and gone to Nanjing."

"I know." Lu Yang said, "But I can find him."

"Then what do you need me to do?" asked the scholar.

"It's very simple," Lu Yang said, "I need you to help me find this person, and then contact him and tell him that I, Lu Yang, want to see him."

"I understand." The scholar nodded. He knew that Lu Yang's plan had reached the final stage and he had to go all out to help Lu Yang complete the plan.

"There's one more thing," Lu Yang said, "I've locked up 'Mole' in a safe house. He should already know my plan, so I need to move him to a safe place as soon as possible."

"Leave this matter to me," the scholar said. "I guarantee that no one will find him."

"Okay." Lu Yang nodded, "Then I'll leave it to you."

"Mr. Lu, you're so polite." The scholar smiled and stood up to say goodbye. "Please sit here for a moment. I'll make arrangements for you."

Lu Yang looked at the scholar's departing back with deep eyes. He knew that what he was about to face would be a more dangerous and more difficult challenge.

"Uncle Lu, who are we waiting for now?" Xiao He and Xiao Jiang walked up to Lu Yang and asked curiously.

"Waiting for a very important person." Lu Yang said, then he glanced at his watch, "He should be here soon."

Sure enough, not long after, a figure appeared at the door of the teahouse.

The man was wearing a neat suit, a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, and holding a newspaper in his hand. He looked like an ordinary office worker.

However, Lu Yang recognized him at a glance. He was the person he wanted to see.

"Lu Yang, long time no see." The man walked up to Lu Yang and said with a smile.

Lu Yang raised his head and looked at the familiar face in front of him, feeling a mixture of emotions. "Zhang...Zhang Hannian?"

The person who came was Zhang Hannian, the head of the administrative department of Ning'an County Police Department!

"It seems that you still remember me." Zhang Hannian smiled slightly, took off his glasses, revealing a pair of shrewd eyes.

Lu Yang looked him up and down. He never expected that Zhang Hannian would appear here and find him.

"Chief Zhang, why are you here?" Lu Yang asked with a hint of vigilance in his tone.

"I came here, of course, to find you." Zhang Hannian said, "Lu Yang, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

"Looking for me?" Lu Yang frowned. "What do you want to see me for?"

"Of course I'm here to help you." Zhang Hannian said, "I know you really need my help right now."

"I need your help?" Lu Yang sneered, "Do you think I will believe you?"

"Believe it or not," Zhang Hannian shrugged, "but I still have to tell you that everything you are doing now is playing with fire. Sooner or later, you will burn yourself to death."

"You don't need to meddle in my affairs." Lu Yang said coldly.

"Really?" Zhang Hannian said with a smile, "Then tell me, why do you want to catch the 'mole' and why do you want to kill the 'crow'? What do you want to do?"

"You don't need to know about my affairs." Lu Yang said.

"Alright," Zhang Hannian shrugged. "Since you don't want to talk about it, forget it. However, I still want to remind you that your plan is very dangerous. If you're not careful, you'll be doomed."

"I know." Lu Yang said.

"Since you know, why do you continue?" Zhang Hannian asked.

"Because I have to do this." Lu Yang said.

"Why?" Zhang Hannian asked, "What are you doing this for?"

Lu Yang was silent. He did not answer because he didn't know what he was doing.

"Okay," Zhang Hannian sighed, "Since you don't want to say it, I won't force you. But I want to tell you that I'm here to help you. If you need my help, you can come to me anytime."

"Why should I believe you?" Lu Yang asked.

"Because," Zhang Hannian smiled, "we have a common enemy."

"A common enemy?" Lu Yang was stunned. "Who?"

"Japanese." Zhang Hannian said.

"..." Lu Yang was silent, and he began to think about what Zhang Hannian said.

"Lu Yang, you are a smart man," Zhang Hannian said, "You should know that in this era, only by uniting all forces that can be united can we fight against the invaders."

"I know." Lu Yang said.

"Since you know this, you should trust me," Zhang Hannian said. "We can cooperate and fight the Japanese together."

Lu Yang didn't say anything. He didn't completely trust Zhang Hannian, but he knew that Zhang Hannian was right. The current situation was very complicated, and he needed more allies to complete his plan.

"Okay," Lu Yang said, "I can cooperate with you. But I have one condition."

"What are the conditions?" Zhang Hannian asked.

"I want to know your true identity." Lu Yang said, "Who are you?"

"My true identity?" Zhang Hannian smiled. "My true identity is just an ordinary businessman."

"I don't need to listen to this nonsense." Lu Yang's tone turned cold.

Zhang Hannian looked at Lu Yang's cold eyes, knowing that he was not joking. He sighed and whispered, "Okay, I'll tell you. My true identity is..." Zhang Hannian lowered his voice and said a few words in his ear.

After listening to this, Lu Yang's eyes became a little shocked.

He could never have imagined that the person before him would be...

……

"How about it? Do you believe me now?" Zhang Hannian looked at the shocked Lu Yang with a smile on his face.

Lu Yang took a deep breath and calmed down his shock. "I need some time to think about it."

"No problem," Zhang Hannian nodded, "I'll wait for you here until you make a decision."

Lu Yang looked at Zhang Hannian with mixed feelings. He knew that Zhang Hannian was right. They had a common enemy and they needed to cooperate.

However, he still could not fully trust Zhang Hannian. He had to be more careful and cautious in order not to fall into the enemy's trap.

"Lu Yang, what are you thinking about?" Qinglan's voice suddenly came.

Lu Yang turned around and looked at Qinglan. She was standing at the door, looking at him worriedly.

"Nothing." Lu Yang shook his head.

"Let's go," Lu Yang said, "It's time for us to go see 'Crow'."

Qinglan nodded. She knew that Lu Yang had made his decision and all she needed to do was support him.

Lu Yang took Qinglan, Xiaohe and Xiaojiang out of the teahouse and walked towards No. 18 Xiafei Road.

Just after they left, Zhang Hannian also stood up, walked to the window, and looked at Lu Yang's back with deep eyes.

"Lu Yang," he muttered to himself, "Who are you? What do you want to do?"

……