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

After dealing with the three prisoners, Zhou Hongyi breathed a sigh of relief. The reason he didn't release the real liaison officer immediately was precisely to cover for him.

As for the bearded Kuomintang officer who was inexplicably released, he was just a "smokescreen" used to attract attention from the shadows.

Sure enough, as soon as the interrogation came to an end, Xu Guodong rushed to the bureau chief's office to claim credit.

"Chief, they've confessed! The Red Party liaison officer has confessed!"

When Xu Guodong rushed into the director's office, he saw their beloved Director Feng kissing a small yellow croaker.

"Huh? Cough cough... You bastard! How many times have I told you to knock before you come in!"

Director Feng's real name is Feng Jinxiong. He is in his early fifties, with a burly and overweight build. His appearance can be described as "kind and benevolent," and he always has a smiling face.

But if anyone is fooled by his appearance, they'd better be prepared to suffer a great loss. Feng Jinxiong is a cunning and scheming man who is both kind and treacherous. He can be laughing and chatting with you one second and then shooting you in the back the next. He is a typical "smiling tiger."

After glaring at Xu Guodong, he smoothly put away the "little yellow fish" (a euphemism for a small, inexpensive fish), and said with a stern face, "Close the door properly. What did you just say? You confessed to being a Red Party member? Where did this Red Party member come from?"

"Ah... Oh right! Director, the new young master Zhou is indeed capable. He tricked the Red Party liaison officer out of his identity with just a few words! You would never guess who he is!"

"Stop keeping me in suspense, just spit it out!"

Xu Guodong took another step closer and said, "Director, the real Red Party liaison officer is actually a major from the Special Higher Police!"

"what?"

Director Feng raised his voice, looking at Xu Guodong in disbelief.

"It's true, he admitted it himself. He hid it so well. If it weren't for Young Master Zhou, we would never have guessed it even if we racked our brains! But he hasn't confessed the fundamental issue yet. I'll go down and use some severe torture later. I don't believe we can't pry his mouth open!"

"hiss......"

Director Feng gestured for Xu Guodong not to rush. He leaned back slowly, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "What about the other two prisoners? Have you gotten any information from them?"

"Oh, one of the prisoners, Young Master Zhou, knew. He whispered to me that he was an informant for their 76th Division, so he was released on the spot. There's another one for whom we haven't found anything yet. Young Master Zhou said we'll interrogate him again tonight."

"The 76th's hidden network? How come we caught so many big fish this time... I feel like something's not quite right about this."

The shrewd and calculating Director Feng narrowed his eyes, and after a moment he beckoned to Xu Guodong with his finger, signaling the other party to come closer.

"Please speak, I'm listening."

Xu Guodong leaned closer, and Director Feng whispered, "Immediately send someone to follow that informant from the 76th Division and see where he's staying. As for the Red Party members... don't rush to interrogate them. I have a dinner appointment with Mr. Qu tonight. He has close ties with the Special Higher Police. Let's find out about them from the sidelines first before deciding how to handle them."

"Understood, Director! To be honest, I initially thought that young master Zhou was just coasting along, but I didn't expect him to actually be of help. My work will be much easier from now on."

Director Feng looked up at Xu Guodong, pointed at him, and said, "Young Master Zhou? Do you think Young Master Zhou came here just to be a policeman and be under your command? Don't be so naive. Think things through! Let me ask you, Director Ding of No. 76 is in a high position and has a lot of power. What kind of job can't he find? Why did he specifically assign this West Point graduate to our police station?"

Xu Guodong scratched his head and tried to answer, "Is it because... I was afraid of being criticized, so I started from the bottom?"

"..."

Director Feng rolled his eyes, looking at his subordinate as if he were an idiot.

"Your brain is useless, you should just donate it! Useless... Director Ding is afraid of what others say? Who dares to talk about his people? Don't you understand? Why did Young Master Zhou see at a glance that the Special Higher Police Major was a Red Party liaison? Is it possible that his information came from Director Ding, or... from within the Special Higher Police?"

"what?"

Director Feng, knowing his idiotic subordinate didn't understand, continued, "Don't be fooled by the fact that the Japanese occupy Shanghai now; they're not a monolithic entity. The Mei Agency, the Military Police, and the Special Higher Police—there's competition among them, and Director Ding is someone they're all trying to win over, so..."

Xu Guodong was still completely bewildered, waiting for the bureau chief to give him the result directly.

"So Young Master Zhou clearly came with a mission. First, to find out the Red Party member within the Special Higher Police; second, to use this to check his political enemies; and third... most likely, to keep an eye on our police station for Director Ding."

"Looking at our police station? We're all brother units, what are you looking at us for?"

"Looks like you're really stupid... sigh..."

Director Feng sighed, waved his hand, and said, "But it's better this way. The less you know, the safer you are... Think about it, even the Special Higher Police have been infiltrated by the Communist Party. What about our police station? Could there be Communist Party members or Kuomintang members hiding there as well?"

"Oh, Chief, I understand!"

Xu Guodong finally let out a long sigh, his face showing a sudden realization.

"Understood? If you understand, then get to work. Have someone keep a close eye on that Special Higher Police spy, and I'll deal with him when I get back."

"Yes!"

After Zhou Hongyi came out of the dungeon, he sat in his seat, glancing intentionally or unintentionally out the window.

After the effect of [Eye of Insight] wore off, he felt dizzy, nauseous, and had chest tightness, probably a side effect of using the ability.

Although the "Eye of Insight" can only last for ten minutes a day at this stage, Zhou Hongyi has fortunately memorized the important information so that the real liaison officer can believe what he says.

He knew that Captain Xu would report to the director immediately, and in his impression, the director was not so easily fooled. What to do next depended on Director Feng's plan.

Soon after Captain Xu came out of the director's office, he immediately arranged for two people to follow the direction the bearded man had gone.

Zhou Hongyi thought to himself, "As expected." Luckily, he hadn't sent out the real liaison officer immediately, otherwise he would have been "targeted."

As for what will happen to that brother from the Military Intelligence Bureau, Zhou Hongyi couldn't think about it for the time being, and could only say that he should pray for good luck.

Zhou Hongyi stayed at the police station until dark before his dizziness and chest tightness gradually subsided. By then, most people had already gone home, but he chose to go back to the dungeon once again.

"Young Master Zhou, are you going to interrogate the remaining prisoner?"

At that moment, one of the policemen guarding the dungeon was Wang Shun, who was in the same group as him.

Wang Shun is a flatterer, quick-witted, and fond of taking advantage of others.

Zhou Hongyi took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and stuffed it into the other person's hand, smiling as he said, "Yeah, no matter what, you have to finish what you start. I'll go home after I finish interrogating the last person. Thanks for your hard work, brother. Don't mind it, share it with others."

When Wang Shun saw the cigarette Zhou Hongyi handed him, his eyes lit up immediately.

Zhou Hongyi gave him "Sanpaotai," a high-end foreign cigarette. For an ordinary policeman like him, it was a luxury to smoke "Daqianmen" on a regular basis. When had he ever seen this before?

"Hehe~ Young Master Zhou is so generous. You go and interrogate him. I'll keep watch outside and make sure no one disturbs you."

Zhou Hongyi patted the other person on the shoulder and walked into the dungeon once again.

The dungeon was still dark, damp, and smelly, but no one was being tortured anymore.

The unfortunate Special Higher Police officer was still unconscious. Zhou Hongyi walked directly to the liaison officer, who had his head drooping, lowered his voice, and said quickly, "You don't need to answer any questions. Just listen to me. If what I say is correct, just nod..."

The man looked at Zhou Hongyi with a wary expression, unsure of his intentions.

"Your name is Qi Xianhe, code name 'Mingjing'. Your superior is Luo Xuesong, code name 'Bodhi'. Your contact point is at the table furthest inside by the window in the 'Florence' café. The code word is 'Blue Mountain coffee without sugar'. Use a knife and fork as the hour and minute hands to show '9:10'. If it shows '3:20', it means your identity has been exposed and you should leave as soon as possible."

"......you......"

Zhou Hongyi blurted out all the secrets hidden in the other party's heart, leaving the liaison officer at a loss for words.

"For safety reasons, I can't let you out right now. I'll take care of your mission. You just need to trust me."

Zhou Hongyi finished saying everything he wanted to say in one breath, mainly because he was afraid he would forget it. After all, he was just an ordinary person now without the system's support.

The liaison officer's expression shifted. After a moment's internal struggle, he said in a hoarse voice, "Your name is Zhou Hongyi, and you're Ding Mocun's brother-in-law. How could you possibly be us...? Why have I never heard of you before?"

The situation was critical, and time was of the essence. The liaison officer had no better option than to trust Zhou Hongyi, especially since the other party had already revealed all their secrets, leaving him no choice but to believe him.

Zhou Hongyi smiled and said, "The reason is simple: your rank is not high enough, so you haven't heard of me. Now is not the time to dwell on these things; completing the mission is the priority."

Zhou Hongyi turned around and glanced at the cell door, then raised his voice in a pretentious manner, saying, "I advise you to confess. Your companions have already spoken. I'm giving you a chance. Think about it again!"

The reason he insisted on replacing the liaison officer to deliver the message was simply that the system had already given him a second check-in task.

[Updated check-in location: Florence café.]