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

Shimazu, of course, would not surrender without a fight and prepared to call his trusted men to try and drive Kondo away. But as soon as he uttered his call, a large hand tightly gripped his mouth. The powerful hand was like an iron clamp, firmly holding his cheek and lifting his slightly thin body off the spot. The owner of this large hand was none other than the tall man, over six feet tall—Yamamoto Hiroto.

"Hmph, I forgot to tell you, Commander Shimazu, Yamamoto-kun is the master of the Dansui-ryu karate style. He came here specifically to support me militarily. The local Special Higher Police have been languishing for too long; it's time for them to show their sharp fangs."

After Kondo finished speaking coldly, he made a gesture, and the burly Yamamoto twisted his huge hand to the side. With a "crack," Colonel Shimazu's neck was turned more than 180 degrees backward. At that moment, his eyes rolled back, and his body trembled involuntarily. A moment later, he was covered in excrement and urine, and was killed by his own people in his own office without any explanation.

“Yamamoto-kun, send a telegram to headquarters saying that Mr. Shimazu died a heroic death in the fight against the enemy. Make proper arrangements for his family and transport his body back to Japan. He deserves a grand funeral. But now, in the Special Higher Police, only I, Ryunosuke Kondo, have the final say.”

Zhou Hongyi learned of Shimazu's death several days later, because he received an order from the Special Higher Police requesting the police to assist in the investigation and arrest. This order was actually issued by Kondo, indicating that he had used forceful means to completely control the intelligence gathering work of the Special Higher Police in Shanghai.

Li Shiqun from Unit 76 also seemed to be in close contact with him. Even when Ding Mocun called him, he complained that Li Shiqun had been making extremely frequent moves lately, and that most of the agents from Unit 76 had been transferred out by him.

After Zhou Hongyi hung up the phone, he instinctively sensed that something was wrong.

Ah Gui sat on the sofa in the new director's office, repeatedly flicking his knife out and back in.

At that moment, Ah Gui keenly sensed Zhou Hongyi's change and asked softly, "Big brother, what's wrong? What happened?"

Zhou Hongyi let out a breath and said to A Gui, "Tell everyone to get their equipment ready and cooperate with the Special Higher Police and the Military Police to conduct a thorough search of Zhabei District. Everyone, be on your guard!"

This was Zhou Hongyi's first large-scale operation since being promoted to director of the Second Branch Bureau. However, deep down, he had a vague feeling that today's incident was just the beginning, and that more troubles would likely follow.

"Brothers, listen up! During this search in Zhabei District, if we encounter any underground Communist or Kuomintang agents, we should hide as soon as possible!"

Just as Zhou Hongyi was gathering police officers to go to Zhabei District to cooperate with the Special Higher Police's operation, Qingxia, carrying her child, strolled around and soon arrived at the location Zhou Hongyi had told her: No. 33, Fengwei Lane.

She was wearing a cheongsam, holding a child, and even carrying a bag of sunflower seeds, which she ate as she walked. After she finished eating, she would find a corner to toss the seeds aside, exuding a strong sense of local life.

"Hey~ isn't this Brigitte Lin? The former popular singer at the Paramount Ballroom. Whose child is that little girl in her arms? Could it be yours again?"

As Brigitte Lin crossed the street, a woman of similar age walked out and was taken aback at first, but then recognized her.

Qingxia stopped, exclaimed "Oh my!" and looked the other person up and down, saying, "Isn't this Xiaohui? Not bad, you're doing quite well now, marrying that short guy who runs ships. It seems he treats you well, keeping you plump and healthy. Have you given him a few big, healthy sons yet?"

The woman known as "Xiao Hui" was actually younger than Brigitte Lin, but because she maintained a relaxed figure, she looked like she was forty.

"Oh my~ I certainly have good taste when it comes to finding a man. My husband, Lao Wang, is so good to me. He gives me all the money he earns from his sea voyages to keep safe. We get to eat meat every few days now, and he even brings me gifts every time he comes back from a voyage~~"

"That's great, Xiaohui. I have to congratulate you on finding a good man. Sigh~ I'm not like that. I'm just not destined to be with men. I can only rely on my son to support me. But that boy is quite successful. We're not worried about food or drink now. When I have nothing to do, I hold my little girl and chat with my old girlfriends. I never expected to run into you today."

Although Xiao Hui was also wearing a cheongsam, the dress was so tight that it created three "spare tires" on her body, which was visually unappealing. However, just as Qingxia said, she was fair-skinned and plump with a good complexion, which showed that she was used to being waited on at home and never lifted a finger.

However, she immediately teased Qingxia about men, which displeased the latter. At this moment, as if she had thought of something, she asked, "By the way, has your husband been around these past few days? Has he been on the ship? Also, you have to be careful. As far as I know, several of my old friends married sailors. Sometimes those men would say they were on the ship, but in reality, they were keeping mistresses outside. They would go out and have a happy family life, leaving their wives at home like old hags. By the time they were discovered, their children were already ten years old."

Hearing Qingxia say this, the woman named Xiaohui's face immediately stiffened. "My husband wouldn't do that. You've seen how honest he is. You can't get a word out of him even if you hit him three times. How could he dare to have an affair behind my back? Okay, okay, I'm not talking to you anymore. I'm going to go play mahjong with those ladies."

"Go on, go on. Remember to let me know next time if you're short one person for mahjong~ Also, I'll teach you a way to tell. Next time your husband comes back from his boat trip, smell him to see if he smells fishy or seafood. Or, be more proactive at night. If he doesn't want to touch you, it means he really has someone else outside. Xiao Hui, you need to be more careful."

With a smile on her face, Qingxia left, carrying the child, and walked through the streets.

Xiao Hui seemed to recall that her husband had been on a ship for a month last time, and when he came back, he didn't touch her. He just said he was too tired and slept at home for three whole days. Now he was going out again. Could it be... that silly woman had guessed right? No, she had to go to the dock and ask for herself if this ship trip was really true.

With just a few words, Brigitte Lin managed to sow discord between a loving couple, which put her in a great mood. Before long, she had cracked most of the melon seeds in her hand and then simply threw them on the ground.

"Number thirty-three... Number thirty-three... This is it."

Qingxia turned into an alleyway filled with flowing sewage, naked children running around, and a foul stench. To be honest, she had never been here before, though she had passed through it. It was inhabited by the poorest, lowest-class laborers—dockworkers, rickshaw pullers, and sometimes even beggars. The area was extremely unsafe, and a beautiful woman like her would naturally stay away. But this time was different; she had come with a mission.

Qingxia found the address Zhou Hongyi had given her and discovered that the wooden door there was ajar and not closed properly.

"Is anyone home? The door's ajar, I'm coming in."

Qingxia, holding the child, slipped through the crack in the door, only to nearly faint from the stench inside. She fanned herself with her hand, then hurriedly went to the window and opened it to let some air circulate.

"Oh my goodness...you must be Lao Chang, right? Lao Chang from the second house at the entrance of Baishui Village."