Spy war in the Republic of China, peak undercover

There was no response from the back seat, and Lu Yang didn't continue talking. He was waiting. He knew that whether he could achieve his goal depended on the attractiveness of the money.

If the officer wasn't tempted—not to mention the gold bars and fiat currency—a hundred thousand dollars alone would be a significant sum. If Lu Yang didn't reveal the location of the hidden treasury, the officer would be forced to mobilize a large force to search for it. After the treasury was found, while the power to distribute the funds remained with the officer, it was already public knowledge. After turning in a portion and deducting the share for equal distribution, the officer would ultimately hold very little. Of course, if the hundred thousand dollars in the cabinet and the gold bars and fiat currency couldn't sway the officer, then anything Lu Yang said would be meaningless.

There was a suffocating silence in the carriage. After a while, a voice finally rang out from behind Lu Yang.

"Have you ever thought about staying in the mountain city?"

Lu Yang could tell they were trying to recruit him as a confidant. However, for him, who was desperately trying to get to Shanghai, this wasn't good news; it was a nightmare. He was somewhat disappointed that he didn't receive a positive response from his superiors.

Even so, he did not refuse immediately, but waited a moment, just as he would wait for his superior to ask him questions. When the time was almost up, he said, "Thank you for your kindness, sir, but I think a place like Shanghai would be more suitable for me."

"As you wish. Where is the little treasury?"

The voice behind him asked. Lu Yang didn't hide it anymore and answered frankly, "It's on the ceiling of the room where Liu Yiguang lived, in the wall, with the radio, code book, and gun."

"What do you think of these two radios and two code books at Liu Yiguang's place?"

The voice behind him changed his tone and asked. Lu Yang was not used to the way the person in the back seat jumped around and kept his mouth shut.

After a moment's thought, Lu Yang suspected that the commander's question about Liu Yiguang was fake, but rather a test of his ability to be a lone eagle. Thinking of this, Lu Yang replied, "Sir, I personally believe that the two radios and two code books in Liu Yiguang's possession were intended for two separate intelligence teams."

"Two intelligence teams... Tell me, what are these two intelligence teams used for?"

"Sir, I believe these two intelligence teams were formed to assist the Japanese bombing of the mountain city. Their future operations should be outside the city, as evidenced by the two hand-cranked generators. For a short period, batteries will suffice; there's no need for a hand-cranked generator."

"If you were asked to take over Liu Yiguang's case, what would you do?"

"Sir, I will bring Liu Yiguang and everyone in the house back for interrogation, and extract a confession from him as soon as possible. Oh, and also Liu Yiguang's neighbors on both sides and the families across the street."

"The families across the street..."

A pondering voice came from the back seat. Liu Yiguang, a statistician in charge of surveys for the Shancheng municipal government, was often away from home. If no one had kept an eye on him, his meager belongings would have been emptied long ago. The best way to prevent burglary in your home isn't to add a big lock to the door or to station another person in the house, but to place a pair of eyes across the street. If a thief breaks into your house, no matter where they enter, the person across the street will definitely be the first to know.

Lu Yang didn't explain. As long as his superior didn't ask, he wouldn't try to explain himself. This wasn't some brilliant idea, just a momentary oversight. People make mistakes, and horses stumble. A deputy director of the headquarters' intelligence department couldn't possibly be so preoccupied with such a trivial matter. If he were in a different position, perhaps just a team leader like him, he believed his superior would never make such a surprised sound again.

At this moment, a knock on the car window sounded. The knock came from behind him. Lu Yang didn't turn around. He only heard the sound of the car window being rolled down and felt the cold night air coming from behind. Wait a moment, the commander's voice sounded behind Lu Yang.

"Is it done?"

A voice outside the car window replied, "Yes, sir, your order has been fulfilled. We have brought out all the people inside and the neighbors on both sides without alerting anyone. As per your instructions, we have not yet searched the area."

"I was wondering why this guy was sitting so calmly and still had the mood to chat with me. It turns out that he had already sent people to do it. He is really an old fox!" Lu Yang cursed inwardly.

"Well, very good. Go again and arrest the people from the few households opposite the house. Just like over there, don't alarm anyone. Don't bring these people back to the police station. Find another place to detain them." This was an affirmation of Lu Yang's previous suggestion.

"Sir, how many households do you want to recruit?" asked the person outside the car window.

"...Commander Lu, how many households would be appropriate?"

After waiting for a while, a voice finally rang out from the back seat. Lu Yang was stunned for a moment, not expecting his superior to ask about this so suddenly.

"receive……"

Thinking that the perpetrators didn't know who they were anyway, whether it was one household or two, Lu Yang gritted his teeth and replied, "Three households to the left and right of the one facing the main gate, seven in total!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a voice rang out behind him.

"Add about two more households, a total of eleven households, hurry up and do it!"

"Yes, sir. I'll do it right away."

The footsteps faded away. After a while, a sound came from the back seat.

"Someone, drive."

As the voice fell, a plainclothes man walked out from the shadows on the roadside, walked around the front of the car, came to the driver's side, opened the door and got in.

"Go to Sky Lantern Alley."

"Yes, sir."

The car started and drove towards the entrance of Tiandeng Lane, less than two hundred meters away, in the blink of an eye.