Espionage: Mastering the Ten Cruelest Tortures of the Military Intelligence Bureau from the Start

The military is going to audit the accounts!

Moreover, a special task force was sent to investigate!

This news was like a bolt from the blue for Naoki Hase!

He knew that the so-called "Giant Ship Project" was a complete mess from start to finish!

The Shanghai-Nanjing area is no longer within his sphere of influence; once he's gone, he's forgotten.

If a problem is found, let alone a lieutenant general, it would be a miracle if Naoki Hase were to survive and not be sent to a military court!

Naoki Hase felt that his life had hit rock bottom.

"Your Excellency! Your Excellency, please pull yourself together!" Su Mingzhe helped the slumped-to-the-ground Naoki Hasegawa to his feet, his face also feigning extreme anxiety.

"Cheer up? Tianping-kun, how can I cheer up?" Hasegawa Naoki, with snot and tears streaming down his face, grabbed Su Mingzhe's arm, his voice filled with despair. "The military is going to audit the accounts! They started investigating us after we left!"

His panicked state was a stark contrast to his usual arrogant demeanor.

"Your Excellency!" Su Mingzhe's voice suddenly rose, "Things haven't gotten to the worst yet! We still have a chance!"

"Opportunity? What opportunities do we have left?" Naoki Hase raised his tear-streaked face and looked at him blankly.

"Your Excellency, have you forgotten? I handled all the accounts for 'Project Giant Ship'!" A powerful confidence gleamed in Su Mingzhe's eyes. "From the raising of every penny to the purchase of every steel plate, and the payment of every worker's salary, I made sure all the accounts were flawless! I guarantee that even the most outstanding accounting experts would not be able to find any problems!"

Su Mingzhe spoke these words with absolute certainty.

His accounting was indeed flawless.

On the surface, all the flow of funds is clear and transparent, and every expenditure is traceable.

But the real trickery lies hidden in the countless shell companies he controls, scattered throughout Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.

It would take at least one or two years to find out the truth.

"Yes, yes! The ledger!" Naoki Hase, like a drowning child, finally grasped at a straw. "Tahira-kun, I trust the accounts you keep! But... but gossip is a fearsome thing! If the army is determined to frame me, they can easily find a few workers, a few suppliers, and force a confession out of me..."

"So, go back and handle it, go back immediately!" Naoki Hasegawa blurted out without thinking.

In his view, Su Mingzhe was his only savior. Only when Su Mingzhe returned could he finally put his mind at ease.

“No need to go back, I guarantee there won’t be any problems.” Su Mingzhe shook his head. Now was the crucial moment for him to execute his plan, how could he possibly leave this ship?

"No, you must go back now!" Naoki Hasegawa panicked even more when he saw that Su Mingzhe was unwilling to leave. He felt that Yubu Tanahira must be feeling guilty because there was something wrong with the accounts he had made, and that was why he didn't dare to go back and face the investigation team.

The moment this thought crossed his mind, the way he looked at Su Mingzhe changed.

"Tanahira-kun, my future and the fate of dozens of officers on our ship are now in your hands! This matter is more important than anything else! You must go back and deal with this matter first, find the relevant personnel to unify the story, and then carefully check the accounts to ensure that nothing goes wrong!" Naoki Hasegawa's tone had taken on a commanding tone.

"I can't leave," Su Mingzhe insisted, offering a perfect excuse. "Don't you remember? The military and His Highness Prince Yong specifically instructed me that I must travel to Tokyo with you on the same ship. If I go back now, it won't be easy for you to explain!"

"None of that matters!" Naoki Hase was jumping up and down anxiously. "Now is the time of crisis! I will personally explain to His Highness the Prince! He will understand!"

Seeing that Su Mingzhe was still hesitating, he simply used his trump card.

"I order Lieutenant Commander Yubu Tahei to immediately return to Shanghai by shipborne helicopter and take full charge of the audit of the 'Giant Ship Project' accounts! There must be no delay!"

Military order!

Naoki Hase actually issued him a military order!

In the captain's cabin, under the watchful eyes of dozens of senior naval officers, Su Mingzhe knew that he could not refuse under any circumstances.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.

The plan was completely disrupted.

This ship was the final resting place he had chosen for himself.

But now...

His gaze, almost unconsciously, swept around the room.

Finally, the task fell to the orderly who was carrying a tray and refilling the officers' drinks.

Xu Feng.

Their eyes met briefly in the air.

Xu Feng's eyes were very calm.

He nodded almost imperceptibly at Su Mingzhe.

Su Mingzhe understood.

A warm feeling welled up in his heart, but also a bittersweet feeling.

That silly boy.

In the end, he still had to walk this final stretch of the road for himself.

"Hayi!"

Su Mingzhe withdrew his gaze and did not argue further.

Under the watchful eyes of all the generals, he straightened his uniform and then walked steadily toward the shipborne helicopter parked on the deck.

His silhouette was stretched long in the afterglow of the setting sun.

As he passed Xu Feng, he paused for half a second. "Take care of yourself," he whispered, in a voice only the two of them could hear.

Xu Feng didn't look up, but answered in the same deep voice:

"Don't worry, I'm here!"

Su Mingzhe did not linger and boarded the helicopter.

The propellers began to spin, emitting a loud roar.

The helicopter slowly took off, circled once above the "Amaterasu" ship, and then sped off towards Songhu.

On the deck, Naoki Hase and all the officers looked up, watching the helicopter disappear into the distance.

They all wore expressions of relief.

In their view, as long as Yubu Tahira returned, all the problems would be solved.

However, none of them knew.

Just after Su Mingzhe's plane took off, a Special Higher Police agent planted within the Navy sent the news of his departure to the Special Higher Police headquarters.

What surprised everyone even more was that less than half an hour after Su Mingzhe left...

In the communications room of the Amaterasu, the urgent Morse code sounded again.

A communications officer rushed into the captain's cabin, carrying a newly translated top-secret telegram.

"General! General! An urgent telegram from Tokyo... from the Tokyo Military Headquarters!"

Naoki Hase had just picked up a glass of whiskey when he heard this, so he snatched the telegram and looked down at it.

With just one glance, his mind went completely blank.

He froze on the spot, as if struck by lightning.

The telegram contained only one short line of text.

But every word was like a red-hot branding iron, burning his eyes hard.

"Upon investigation, Tian Pingyoubu has been confirmed as a double agent for both the Military Intelligence Bureau and the Communist Party, codenamed 'Great Snow' and 'Pine and Cypress.' The evidence is irrefutable, and his crimes are heinous. Your unit is hereby ordered to arrest him immediately! Without delay!"