Spy war in the Republic of China, peak undercover

The cold, rough concrete floor.

The smelly, damp air.

Overhead, a bare, flickering lightbulb cast a sickeningly dim glow.

Sakurako Matsumoto was abandoned here like a piece of broken goods.

Her body was in great pain, especially the cheek that had been hit by Matsumoto Shio, which was burning.

His wrists were locked to the wall with heavy shackles, the cold metal grinding against his flesh.

She tried to move her fingers, but found that even this tiny movement was accompanied by tearing pain.

This is her final destination.

It's not a glorious return home, nor hand in hand with the beloved, but a dark dungeon and the coming judgment.

The iron door was pushed open with a harsh friction sound.

The footsteps approached with a cold breath.

Matsumoto Shio stood at the door of the cell, looking down at her condescendingly.

He was not wearing a military uniform, just a simple shirt and trousers, but the oppressive feeling he exuded was even stronger than when he was in uniform.

"Zizi..." He lit a cigarette, and the scarlet flame danced in the dimness.

Smoke swirled up, blurring the expression on his face.

"Matsumoto Sakurako." His voice was terrifyingly calm, without a trace of emotion. "Do you know what crime you have committed?"

Sakurako Matsumoto raised her head and forced open her red and swollen eyes.

She didn't answer, just stared at him.

"Treason." Matsumoto Shio slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. "Stealing imperial secrets, aiding the enemy, and causing heavy losses to the Imperial Army."

"Do you know what this means?" He took a step forward and squatted in front of her, his eyes as cold as a knife. "According to the laws of the Empire, you should be punished with death and your entire family will be implicated."

Implicate the entire family...

This word struck Matsumoto Sakurako's heart like a bolt of lightning.

She could die, but she could not bring disaster to the only bloodline left by her father - her brother.

"I didn't steal the secrets." She said hoarsely, "The code book is from..."

"Shut up!" Matsumoto Shio interrupted her harshly, his eyes suddenly fierce. "You're still quibbling! We found the blueprints of the 'Yangtze River Defense Plan' in your hiding place! We also found the button you left behind, and the communication code comparison table with the Chinese agents we found in your room!"

Matsumoto Sakurako was trembling all over.

She did keep the button that Lu Yang dropped as a keepsake, and she compiled the password comparison table to facilitate communication with Lu Yang.

She thought those things were well hidden, but she didn't expect him to search her room.

Or maybe he had already suspected her.

She remembered her brother's vague surveillance of her before, and the words "Matsumoto Sakurako: Disposal Plan" on the file bag.

From the very beginning, she was under surveillance.

Her trust in him completely collapsed the moment she betrayed him for Lu Yang.

"You gave everything for him, but what about him?" Matsumoto Shio looked at her pale face, his voice tinged with a barely perceptible sarcasm. "When you were running for your life, he abandoned you. Even when he set off an explosion to attract attention, he left you in the most dangerous area."

He pressed the cigarette butt against the wall to put it out, stood up and straightened his collar.

"You're like a rag doll that's been used to its full potential. You're worthless."

Matsumoto Sakurako's heart was pierced by these words.

She wanted to refute, wanted to tell him how she was deceived by Lu Yang's lies, wanted to tell him the relationship between Lu Yang's father and their father, wanted to tell him how Lu Yang used her to obtain intelligence, and how he heartlessly abandoned her.

But she couldn't speak.

All explanations seem so pale and powerless in the face of reality.

She is a betrayer, a pawn, and a discarded waste.

"I'll give you a chance now." Matsumoto Shio said suddenly.

Matsumoto Sakurako looked at him puzzledly.

"Give me a list of all the Chinese agents who have contacted you, including Lu Yang's superiors and accomplices, as well as their contact information and safe house addresses." Matsumoto Shixiong walked to the cell door, his voice calm again. "If you cooperate, I can plead with the higher-ups and perhaps save your life."

Matsumoto Sakurako's pupils suddenly contracted.

sell.

This was the only way of survival her brother gave her.

Betray the man she once gave everything to love, but who pushed her into the abyss.

Lu Yang's face flashed through her mind.

His gentle eyes, soft kiss, and the resolute back at the end.

He said "this is war".

Yes, this is war.

A war without the smoke of gunpowder, but more brutal than guns and cannons.

She was a chess piece in his hands, manipulated at will and finally discarded ruthlessly.

If she betrayed him now, she could live.

But what’s the point of living?

Her glory, her love, her trust, her future, all turned to ashes in the explosion.

Perhaps her only "value" lies in the information she holds.

In exchange for a lingering life.

"What? Are you still hesitating?" Matsumoto Shio's voice was filled with impatience. "Don't forget, you have the blood of the Matsumoto family in your veins. Your actions have brought shame upon the family. This is your chance to make amends."

Matsumoto Sakurako closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

When she opened her eyes again, there was no despair or pain in them, only a clear and bright look.

She looked at Matsumoto Shio and said in a hoarse but firm voice: "I have no comment."

Matsumoto Shio's face darkened instantly.

"Do you think I can't do anything to you if you don't speak?" His voice was icy. "Don't forget, we have plenty of ways to make you speak."

"Do you think I'm afraid of death?" Matsumoto Sakurako laughed, her laughter carrying a tragic meaning. "Brother, I already have nothing. What can you take from me?"

Matsumoto Shio didn't say anything, but just looked at her deeply.

He pulled a photo from his pocket and threw it into the cell.

The photo shows Matsumoto Sakurako and Lu Yang taking a photo together in a small Western-style building on Xiafei Road.

The photo is blurry, but the intimate posture of the two people can be clearly seen.

That night, when she had just returned from the basement and he was treating her wound, Qinglan secretly took the photo.

Matsumoto Sakurako's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

That was the evidence she was most reluctant to face and the truth she was most reluctant to admit.

She poured everything into this man, but ended up like this.

Matsumoto Shio looked at her painful expression without a trace of pity in his eyes.

"Your 'lover' isn't as sentimental as you are," he said coldly. "When we were clearing out his belongings in the safe house, we found a report he had written to his superiors. It detailed how he used you to obtain the codebook, as well as your family background, including your father's secrets."

"He said, 'Matsumoto Sakurako's value to us lies solely in the intelligence itself. Once our goal is achieved, we can abandon her at any time.'"

"He also said, 'By taking advantage of his feelings for me, you can further explore the movements of the Japanese military leaders, and if necessary, use him as a pawn to attract the enemy's attention.'"