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

After Princess Elizabeth removed her mask, it seemed that the Miss Rose pageant had come to a close, elevating this otherwise unremarkable competition to an unparalleled level.

Ultimately, based on comprehensive evaluation, Princess Elizabeth was crowned Miss Rose and received a prize from the organizers. Maggie Cheung won the Best Glamour Award, while another contestant won both the Best Performance Award and the Best Newcomer Award.

In short, all the contestants who make it to the Miss Rose finals will receive a consolation prize; they will never go home empty-handed.

"Let's welcome our special guest to crown our champion, Miss Rose!"

As the host finished speaking, a figure walked up from backstage, holding a glittering platinum crown.

Upon seeing the person presenting the award, both Elizabeth and Zhou Hongyi, who was sitting below, narrowed their eyes simultaneously.

Isn't this what they're after tonight? He finally showed up.

However, there was another person beside Mr. Su. He had a faint smile on his face, an ordinary appearance, and was not tall. He was wearing a Zhongshan suit with a stand-up collar, like an old cadre from a government department.

Zhou Hongyi recognized the man at a glance, because this man was the actual person in charge of the No. 76 Special Agent Headquarters, and the person who introduced him to his traitorous brother-in-law Ding Mocun—Deputy Director Li Shiqun.

"This guy's here too? A hidden rival. These bastards have really brought out their best today." Zhou Hongyi cursed inwardly, then suddenly became excited.

While in "Master of Deception" mode, Zhou Hongyi quickly devised a complete plan to assassinate his opponent, which startled even himself.

"Quiet, quiet. We'll have plenty of time to deal with this guy. There's no need to rush."

Zhou Hongyi reminded himself to calm down, put his hand in his mouth, whistled loudly, and led the applause.

Elizabeth maintained her icy demeanor, bowing her head slightly as Mr. Sue placed the laurel wreath on her head.

"Hehehe, Miss Elizabeth, you are so beautiful. Tonight, even the stars in the sky would pale in comparison to you. My surname is Su, and it's a pleasure to meet you."

After Mr. Sue placed the laurel wreath on Elizabeth's head, he gently shook her hand, but at the moment their fingers touched, he somewhat lost his composure and flicked her wrist.

After receiving special training from Qingxia, Xiao Bei immediately sensed the other party's hidden meaning. Although his expression did not change, he still cursed inwardly.

"Thank you, Mr. Su. Elizabeth will personally pour you a drink tonight. Thank you for your kindness."

No matter how anxious Mr. Su was, he couldn't possibly do anything in front of so many people. After wearing the crown and awarding the prize money, he stepped down amidst cheers.

Afterwards, several bigwigs came up to present prizes to the other contestants, and Zhou Hongyi's eyes followed his target, Mr. Su, to the second floor.

Although the Miss Rose finale had come to a perfect end, the audience in the Grand World lingered, reluctant to leave. As the music began, everyone danced and sang with abandon, inviting their partners to join them, much like peacocks displaying their plumage to woo mates. In Zhou Hongyi's words, it was a scene of utter disgrace and chaotic revelry.

They deliberately let Mr. Su go down and parade him around in public, but they didn't catch a single "fish," which greatly disappointed Colonel Shimazu and Li Shiqun.

But Li Shiqun went up to comfort them, saying, "It seems that the people hiding in the shadows do not want to disturb this beautiful night. Besides, today is not over yet. Let's invite those award-winning beauties to have a celebration banquet together."

After watching the spectacle, the Japanese major general left first. He had military duties to attend to and couldn't stay with these people for long, but before leaving, he still left behind a 20-man elite force, just in case.

As Zhou Hongyi watched the group of bigwigs leave the private room, skipping the part where the beauties toasted him, he spat inwardly and gestured to the blind man to take the half-bottle of wine with him.

"The upcoming celebration banquet will be held at the Huizhong Hotel, so we still have a chance."

The Grand Central Hotel is considered one of Shanghai's iconic buildings. Built in 1903 by the British firm Grand Central, it features typical Renaissance architectural style and even has an elevator. It primarily served expatriates, wealthy businessmen, social elites, and foreign dignitaries.

This place not only provides guests with high-quality accommodation, dining and entertainment services, but is also one of the important venues for local social activities in Shanghai. Many important banquets, dances and business meetings are held here.

Zhou Hongyi and several other judges arrived at the hotel in a car shortly afterward.

Qiao Si and his group had booked a large private room in advance, which contained three round tables that could seat more than thirty people.

Local businessmen, warlords, and gang leaders sat at two tables, while Zhou Hongyi sat at another table with his teacher, Colonel Shimazu, Mr. Su, Li Shiqun, and Kondo Ryunosuke.

After a while, the beautiful young women, having changed their clothes again, gracefully emerged and took their seats among the guests. Elizabeth and Manyu sat at Zhou Hongyi's table.

“Miss Elizabeth, welcome, welcome. Please have a seat here. Miss Manyu, please sit here.”

Colonel Shimazu enthusiastically arranged for Elizabeth to sit next to Mr. Su, while Manyu sat to Zhou Hongyi's left.

Zhou Hongyi sneered as he looked at Mr. Su, whose eyes were practically reaching out. He glanced at the door of the private room out of the corner of his eye. Chen Gong and his group were being kept outside, and their bodyguards and attendants were not allowed to enter. The security of the private room was entirely handled by the Special Higher Police and the agents of No. 76.

As Elizabeth sat down, her gaze drifted intentionally or unintentionally towards Zhou Hongyi, who deliberately avoided her and didn't engage in much conversation. This made Xiao Bei realize that the situation might have changed. However, they had already anticipated this possibility when they ate hotpot at the antique shop. Zhou Hongyi had said that everything should be based on actual circumstances and that one should be flexible. Now, she could only suppress her nervousness and try her best to maintain her icy princess persona, sitting next to the traitor and collaborator who disgusted her.

While Zhou Hongyi and his comrades were facing a volatile situation, the underground party workers, including "Bodhi," had already begun to take advantage of the enemy's high-profile attempt to trap them, as they had agreed beforehand, to transport a batch of supplies.

From Zhou Hongyi's perspective, this wave of supplies was a pledge of allegiance to Gu Tianbo and Qiao Si, but in reality, it was something he himself wanted to do.

With the help of Boss Gu and Boss Qiao, he collected some food, medicine, and clothing for the upcoming winter. He disguised it as a funeral procession, hid it in a coffin, and walked out with gongs and drums.

Bodhi was thinking about Zhou Hongyi and his plan. The Red Party comrades did not need to participate in the assassination of the traitor. They only needed to cooperate from the outside. If the assassination on his side went smoothly, Bodhi would leave as soon as he finished transporting the supplies. If the assassination changed and the signal agreed upon by the two of them was not given, then Bodhi and the other Red Party underground workers would quietly make some noise after transporting the supplies to cooperate with Zhou Hongyi's operation.

As "Bodhi" led the funeral procession further and further away, he glanced in the direction of the bustling Shanghai Bund and a look of worry appeared on his face.

"Damn it, Comrade Four-Faced Buddha's signal didn't come through in time. This means the assassination situation has changed. We must provide him with some support from the outside."