Espionage: You're tasked with spying, but you'll blow up the Special Higher Police?

"Who...are you?"

The man drank too fast and almost choked on the alcohol. He coughed a few times before grabbing Zhou Hongyi and asking in a low voice.

While patting the other person's back, Zhou Hongyi whispered, "You don't need to know who I am. You're not qualified. You just need to know that the mission you're currently carrying out conflicts with mine. I order you to suspend it and await further instructions."

"You're ordering me around? Who are you anyway?"

"I told you, at your rank, you're not qualified to know who I am. All you need to know is that we're all serving the Party and the country!"

Zhou Hongyi used a combination of coaxing and intimidation, not giving the other person a chance to continue asking questions, and pushed the person.

"Brother Yulin, how come you can't hold your liquor? The next song is about to start, have you found a female partner to dance with?"

The Kuomintang agent had no interest in dancing. After his mission was interrupted by a stranger, he was filled with questions and had no choice but to temporarily abandon the mission, because Manyu had already gone backstage and he had missed the best opportunity to assassinate her.

"Leave here first, and I'll tell you who I am at this time tomorrow."

Although the man was full of doubt, since the mission opportunity had been lost, there was no need for him to stay any longer, lest he expose himself. So he made an excuse that he had drunk a little too much and left the Paramount early.

Zhou Hongyi only breathed a sigh of relief after watching the other person walk out, thinking to himself, "Damn it, the dance hall really is no good place. Since I have to come back tomorrow anyway, I might as well get all these people together and figure out a way to resolve this together."

The music started again, this time with a light and cheerful melody and a tight drumbeat. The men and women around them once again went onto the dance floor and began to dance.

Zhou Hongyi circled around again, then left the ballroom before the [Eye of Insight] completely wore off and its side effects kicked in. Of course, he left a note for Manyu before leaving, thanking her for her hospitality and expressing his anticipation for their next meeting.

As he stepped out of the dance hall, the hustle and bustle gradually faded away. The music, laughter, and singing around him were replaced by the sounds of car horns, the distant whistles of ferries, and the cries of vendors.

"Phew~~~ Finally back to a down-to-earth place. I still prefer this kind of everyday life. Even just listening to white noise can make me feel happy."

As Zhou Hongyi felt the evening breeze and a slight dizziness, he stumbled into a rickshaw, told the driver where he wanted to go, and then leaned back and closed his eyes to rest.

As he walked, the rickshaw stopped at some point. Zhou Hongyi opened his eyes with difficulty and looked around, but felt somewhat unfamiliar. This did not seem to be the road next to his house.

"Hello, where is this...?"

He was about to ask the rickshaw driver where he had been taken, but before he could finish his sentence, a dark gun barrel was already pressed against his head.

The disheveled driver looked up, revealing a rugged face with a large beard. He chuckled and said, "Finally caught you, friend. I hope you'll tell me honestly who you are and who you work for."

Zhou Hongyi wisely raised his hands. His gun was still in the holster under his arm. Even if he activated [Gunfire Mode] now, the other party was too close to him. If they drew their guns and exchanged fire, he would be in danger of being shot.

Due to the side effects of the [Eye of Insight], he was unable to carefully observe the driver's appearance before getting into the carriage. This driver was none other than the captain of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Special Operations Team in disguise; it seemed he had been watching him for some time.

"Friend, is that you? You scared me! I thought you were a spy."

Zhou Hongyi saw the other person's face clearly and pretended to relax as he leaned back against the rickshaw.

The bearded man with the gun stared at him without moving and asked, "I've been looking for an opportunity to think about you, and it just so happens that we've run into each other today. Please don't take offense, my friend, but I just want to know who you really are? Who is the power you represent? And why did you save me in the prison cell last time?"

Zhou Hongyi leaned back with his eyes half-closed, appearing relaxed on the surface, but in reality, he was extremely panicked inside.

"Phew~~ Captain Chen, I only did this because I respected you as a man and didn't want to see you die in the prison of those puppet soldiers and traitors. I don't represent anyone behind me, only myself."

That bearded man was none other than Chen Gong, Chen Fenglie, the top secret agent of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Special Operations Team, who had infiltrated Shanghai.

"Hmph~ Kid, do you think you can fool me like this? Tell me, are you working for the Little People? I've been secretly observing you these past few days. It seems like the Special Higher Police and 76 are getting very close to you."

Zhou Hongyi thought for a moment and said, "Hmm... Shimazu, he was kind of my teacher. He taught me Japanese before the war started. But you have to believe me, I can still distinguish between national righteousness and justice, otherwise I wouldn't have put on that act with you in the prison cell."

The bearded man didn't relax at all, keeping the gun firmly pointed at Zhou Hongyi, and continued to ask: "But I remember back in the cell, you dug out a Communist Party member who had infiltrated the Special Higher Police. You even said you could distinguish between national righteousness and justice?"

Zhou Hongyi shrugged and said, “Okay, I admit that was a complete frame-up. He was indeed a major in the Special Higher Police, but he wasn’t a member of the Communist Party at all. He was sent by Colonel Shimazu’s rival to get close to you, and I helped Colonel Shimazu use this person to indirectly transfer his political enemy. You know, even among the Japanese, there are internal struggles.”

"You mean... he wasn't a Red Party underground liaison at all, and you made it all up?"

"It's not all made up. He did have an older brother whom he personally punished. I seized on this point and forced out his deepest secret."

The bearded man narrowed his eyes, slightly lowered the muzzle of his gun, but then immediately raised it again.

"If you're so good at acting and interrogating, how can I believe you're telling the truth now?"

Zhou Hongyi rolled his eyes and cursed the bearded man in his heart for repaying kindness with enmity.

"Believe it or not, it's up to you. If you believe me, you'll believe me even without me saying a word. If you don't believe me, no matter how much I talk, it won't make a difference, right?"

The bearded man stared into Zhou Hongyi's eyes for a few seconds, then suddenly flipped his wrist, tucked the gun into his back waistband, and pulled Zhou Hongyi off the rickshaw, wrapping his strong arm around his shoulder.

"Hehehe~~~ Little brother, don't be afraid. I'm just thinking about safety. I, Chen Fenglie, have my own judgment. Whether it was the tone of your voice or the way you looked at me, there was no hesitation or evasion. That proves that what you said is basically true. As for what you're hiding, that's not important. What's important is that we all have one goal, which is to fuck those damn Japanese devils!"

Zhou Hongyi didn't like having his shoulder put on someone's arm, so he pushed the other person away and said, "Now that it's confirmed I'm not one of the Japanese, can I go home now? I'm very tired after a long day."

With a sly smile on his face, the bearded man leaned closer and said, "Young man, don't be in such a hurry~ I came to see you today specifically to thank you."

"Thank me?" Zhou Hongyi scoffed. "I've never seen anyone thank someone by pointing a gun at them. This kind of gratitude is better left unsaid."

"Look, look, you're really angry~~ Men should be more magnanimous, like me~ By the way, young man, do you know what I, Old Chen, do?"

"What does he do? Isn't he just the captain of the Military Intelligence Bureau's special operations team?"

Zhou Hongyi mentally scoffed, but he couldn't say it aloud. Instead, he looked the other person up and down and said, "What are you doing? What else can you do looking like that? Join a gang, huh?"

The bearded man smiled, neither confirming nor denying.

"Hehehe~~~ Little brother, no, Young Master Zhou, since you are also dedicated to resisting the Japanese and have a close relationship with the director of No. 76, you must have some channels to get inside information, right? Why don't you join forces with me and do him a job!"

"Join forces with you? What for?"

The bearded man looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then moved a little closer. His hot breath as he spoke hit Zhou Hongyi's face, which disgusted the latter, who quickly moved aside.

"How about we team up to take down the Shimazu, or take down your brother-in-law? If we succeed in either of those things, we'll both be national heroes!"