Espionage: I became sworn brothers with Zheng Yaoxian at the beginning, and became the Seventh Broth

Chapter Forty-Eight: A Shocking Case Requires Consultation with Dai Yunong

Huishengtang.

A very inconspicuous hospital combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine in Nanjing.

Located at the intersection of Zhongshan North Road and Central Road, adjacent to Jinling University, it is hidden deep in the streets and alleys, yet it has its own unique features.

The three-story stilted house may look simple and ordinary on the outside, but it is actually fully equipped inside.

Traditional Chinese medicine, Western medicine, acupuncture, physiotherapy—it has all kinds of departments.

This is also a designated hospital for the Special Service.

It was eight o'clock in the morning. Just as the streets were starting to bustle, a rickshaw came running up, and as it stopped, Ye Shaohong's figure came into view.

He was carrying two bags of fruit, each with a pack of Laopaotai cigarettes stuck in it.

This is all standard practice for visiting friends; there's nothing to say about it.

But Ye Shaohong is different.

Besides the fruit and cigarettes, he was also holding a wicker basket in his other hand, on which were two plump roast geese, a large piece of pig's head meat, and bags of peanuts.

The worst part was that there were even two large bottles of baijiu (Chinese liquor).

And so, he staggered into the hospital gate, and after asking the nurse on duty, he finally found out that Xu Baichuan and Zheng Yaoxian were actually staying in the same ward.

This saved him some trouble.

Reaching the door of their hospital room, Ye Shaohong knocked first. Hearing a response, he carried his bags inside. Xu Baichuan and Zheng Yaoxian were already up.

They were sitting face to face.

On the coffee table in front of him were several dishes of pickled vegetables, two bowls of congee, and a few vegetarian steamed buns.

Judging from the frequency with which they swung their chopsticks, they seemed to be enjoying their meal quite a bit.

"Section Chief, Team Leader, did I disturb you?"

"Sorry, I got the news too late and only came over this morning. Please don't mind."

As he spoke, Ye Shaohong had already moved to Zheng Yaoxian's side. He first put down the fruit and cigarettes. Zheng Yaoxian turned his head to look at them, and when his gaze fell on the apple, you could clearly see the corner of his mouth twitch slightly.

However, things calmed down soon after.

Then Zheng Yaoxian's gaze fell on the two old cannon platforms, and he immediately smiled.

"That's great." "My food supplies just ran out, and you delivered them to me."

"I didn't hurt you in vain."

Zheng Yaoxian was a heavy smoker. When he had nothing to do, he always had a cigarette in his hand. When he encountered trouble or problems, his addiction would only intensify.

Ye Shaohong's gift was truly to his liking.

A smile also appeared on Xu Baichuan's face, and unusually, he nodded to Ye Shaohong.

And this is just the beginning.

When Ye Shaohong took out the basket behind him and saw the roast goose, pig's head meat, and liquor inside, these two high-ranking spies, who were considered mid- to high-level cadres in the Special Service Department, immediately widened their eyes.

"Haha~!"

"Roast goose, fine wine, Yaoxian, you've got a good eye for talent." "Look at that, you have such a keen eye."

“He’s different from those roughnecks in the operations department. When others come to visit us, they just bring some fruit and canned food and arrange a time for us to get together after we’re discharged from the hospital.”

"But they don't even consider that once we leave the hospital, given our status, would we really be short of food from them?"

"Shao Hong is so smart. He can see what we need right now at a glance. I, Xu Baichuan, will accept this gift."

Unlike their last meeting, after his near-death experience in Shanghai, Xu Baichuan had become more magnanimous and was much more amiable towards Zheng Yaoxian and his close associates.

From this point, Ye Shaohong also understood something.

In the original story of Kite, the story of the apple peel and the apple flesh eventually came true.

The years spent enduring hardship in the sewers had forged a deep bond between Xu Baichuan and Zheng Yaoxian. How far away was the day when the Eight Vajras would become sworn brothers?

While thinking to himself, Ye Shaohong did not reveal anything on the surface.

He remained humble and respectful.

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Baichuan immediately started tearing at the plump roast goose, and Zheng Yaoxian also pounced on it, grabbing and tearing at it without any regard for the consequences. Only then did Ye Shaohong slowly reveal the purpose of his trip.

When they heard Ye Shaohong say that he suspected there might be Japanese spies lurking at the Tangshan Hot Spring Sanatorium, Xu Baichuan and Zheng Yaoxian's expressions immediately changed.

"No way."

"Tangshan Hot Spring is a key military location. Every summer, the Chairman and his wife often go there to escape the heat and rest. If there are Japanese spies lurking there, this case will be a huge scandal."

"Shao Hong, are you confident?"

Ye Shaohong had barely begun, stating his findings and speculations, when Xu Baichuan immediately pressed him for answers.

"I'm more than 90% sure."

"Although I haven't found any concrete evidence yet, I have roughly identified the suspect."

"If my sources are correct, the Japanese spy discovered this time must be of a very high status. There is a high probability that she is the long-rumored spy queen of the Japanese intelligence agency, Takeuchi Yunko."

Although this information is important, it has little value in being hidden. As the investigation progresses, Ye Shaohong will eventually have to reveal it.

So it doesn't make much difference whether you say it sooner or later.

"Kunko Takeuchi?"

"I've heard of her. It's said that she's young and beautiful, extremely skilled at seducing men, and is a student of Kenji Doi, the head of the Special Higher Police Section of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs."

"By the way, I just received the news. A few days ago, the Japanese Cabinet held a special expanded meeting and they have decided to separate the Special Higher Police from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs, so that it will be specifically responsible for information collection, intelligence investigation and other work in China."

"From now on, our main adversary will no longer be the military police, but the Special Higher Police."

Xu Baichuan was, after all, a high-ranking official in the Special Service Department, and only he could receive information about these core secrets related to the highest levels of the Japanese government the fastest.

Even Zheng Yaoxian, who was standing to the side, was completely unaware of it.

After saying that, Xu Baichuan realized he had gone off-topic and quickly steered the conversation back on track.

Tell me about your findings.

"Yes, section chief!"

The subsequent investigation might implicate the Executive Yuan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and even the Japanese consulates, making the conflict far too high-level. Given Ye Shaohong's current position in the Special Service's Operations Section, he simply couldn't control how things developed.

He also needs the approval and support of the senior Secret Service.

So Ye Shaohong didn't hesitate.

He directly recounted his discoveries over the past few days, the relationship between Liao Yaquan and Huang Jun, and the speculations of Suma, the Japanese ambassador to Nanjing.

And the evidence they've already photographed.

As Ye Shaohong recounted the information, Xu Baichuan and Zheng Yaoxian were both stunned.

They never imagined that this case would involve such a wide range of people and that the individuals involved would have such deep backgrounds.

Executive Yuan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japanese Consulates...

Each of these departments has one or even several powerful figures behind it, figures that even the Special Service cannot easily provoke. If this case is true, it won't just be a huge scandal; it will cause a major upheaval in the entire Nationalist government.

"No, this is a very important matter, and I cannot make this decision lightly."

"We must inform the section chief."

"Yaoxian, Shaohong, let's pack up quickly and head to Villa No. 1 at Honggong Temple to meet with the Director in person and ask for his opinion!"