Reborn as Zhao Ruilong of Handong, I will defy fate.

The sun is setting.

Dong Baiyu hurriedly packed his things and left work.

I deliberately took a long detour before finally arriving at the Japanese restaurant.

I went upstairs familiarly and arrived at the door of private room 202.

Knock knock knock~

Dong Baiyu knocked on the door three times gently.

"Which one?"

"It's me, Hashimoto!"

The door opened, and Watanabe Kameyu smiled and gestured for them to enter.

"You've come at the perfect time! The dishes have just been served. Please have a seat!"

"Hi!"

Dong Baiyu bowed deeply.

He then took off his shoes and entered the private room, kneeling respectfully beside the dining table.

Watanabe Kameyu hung the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door and then locked it from the inside.

"I deleted all the bad photos, and now there are only about thirty left, all of which are on this USB drive!"

"Since I don't know much about military affairs or the shipbuilding industry, I can't tell what kind of warships they are building."

As he spoke, Dong Baiyu handed the USB drive to Watanabe Kameyu.

"It's alright. Once I encrypt the photo data and send it back to headquarters, professional intelligence personnel will analyze it. Then we'll know exactly what kind of warships the Chinese Navy is building."

Watanabe Kameyu put away the USB drive and picked up his chopsticks.

"Eat it while it's hot! You must be starving after a long day at work!"

"Hi!"

After bowing and scraping, Dong Baiyu picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

On the way here, he was thinking about how to ask for more funding.

In March, based on the previous National Security Law, the Dragon Kingdom drafted a counter-espionage law.

Although the law is currently in the public consultation phase, publicity and education efforts have already begun.

Furthermore, numerous warning signs and surveillance cameras have been added around key locations such as military airports, troop garrisons, military ports, and military industrial enterprises.

Such a strong counter-espionage and anti-leakage effort naturally greatly increases the cost of crime. The minimum penalty is a fine of one thousand yuan and ten days of detention. If the money is too little, no one will be willing to risk taking secret photos.

However, Watanabe Kameyu's budget for hiring someone to secretly film the Tianhai Shipyard was still too small. In order to complete the task as soon as possible, Dong Baiyu had to spend his own money, even using up all the savings he had secretly kept from his wife.

After eating slowly and carefully for a while, Dong Baiyu picked up his wine glass.

"Congratulations on becoming the Vice Consul of Sakura in Tianhai. We will be living in Tianhai from now on, so please take good care of us!"

Watanabe Kameyu quickly picked up his cup and lightly clinked it with Dong Baiyu's.

"You don't need to tell me, I'll definitely take care of you!"

After the two clinked glasses, Watanabe Kameyu immediately downed his drink in one gulp.

Dong Baiyu hesitated for a moment before drinking the wine in two gulps.

"What's wrong? You seem unhappy?"

Watanabe Kameyu picked up the sake bottle, poured sake, and asked, "Have you encountered any difficulties?"

"Uh……"

Dong Baiyu gritted his teeth, then looked up with a bitter face and said:

"After entering 2004, the pace of military reform in China accelerated significantly, and the research and production of new weapons and equipment also increased significantly. The formulation of the counter-espionage law was obviously intended to prevent the theft and leakage of secrets."

“Although this law hasn’t been officially implemented yet, it has already made this surreptitious filming mission extremely difficult. The funds you provided are simply not enough, so I’ve used all my own savings…”

"and many more!"

Watanabe Kameyu asked, feigning curiosity, "How could it not be enough?"

"That's not enough!"

Dong Baiyu said with a bitter face, "There are many warning signs posted around the shipyard, and there are surveillance cameras at intervals. If you are caught taking pictures without permission, you will be detained for at least ten days, fined 1,000 yuan, or even go to jail!"

"They weren't satisfied with the amount of money you gave them. They said they were risking jail time to do the work, and they absolutely couldn't accept less. I can't exactly go and secretly film it myself, can I? So I had to increase the money, otherwise no one would be willing to do it!"

Watanabe Kameyu remained silent.

He certainly knew the principle that a generous reward would surely attract brave men.

He also knew that while accelerating national defense construction this year, the Dragon Kingdom had simultaneously increased its counter-espionage efforts.

To develop various new weapons and equipment and to conduct various scientific research experiments, it is only natural to prevent leaks and theft of secrets.

This makes it much more difficult for foreign intelligence agencies to hire or bribe others to obtain intelligence.

If doing the same thing now involves greater risks, then the rewards should naturally increase as well.

Otherwise, who would willingly risk their life?

In the past, it might have cost a few thousand yuan to get someone to help steal a piece of information, because most Chinese people earn less than a thousand yuan a month, so a few thousand yuan was equivalent to more than half a year's income.

However, nowadays...

Several thousand dollars is indeed not a small amount for ordinary people in China, but how could ordinary people have access to classified information?

Even if it's just to take photos secretly, they'll calculate that if they get caught, they'll be fined at least a thousand yuan, detained for ten days, or even sentenced to prison, which is obviously not worth it.

Moreover, in the past two years, China has continuously improved the salaries and benefits of military personnel and soldiers. Those who work on missiles will no longer be worse off than those who sell tea eggs. What's the appeal of a few thousand yuan?

Putting aside other things, just before National Day last year, when China's domestically produced large passenger aircraft successfully completed its maiden flight, Zhao Ruilong, vice president of Huilong Group, rewarded each of the researchers involved in the project with 10,000 yuan.

Even though tens of thousands of researchers participated in the domestic large aircraft project, Huilong Group fulfilled its promise and distributed the bonuses within just two days, totaling nearly 700 million yuan.

Moreover, Huilong Group is not only financially powerful, but also particularly adept at promoting military-civilian integration. With more and more of its products selling well, it naturally leads to increased revenue for participating research institutions and military enterprises.

With revenue increasing, how could salaries and benefits not increase as well?

In the past, even with meager salaries, people were willing to contribute to national defense; now, they are naturally even more motivated.

People who were previously willing to leak secrets for money when they were dissatisfied with their income would certainly not take the risk for a small amount of money now.

Watanabe Kameyu picked up the sake bottle and filled Dong Baiyu's cup.

"You should have told me immediately if there was a funding shortage. You're working for the Empire, how could I let you pay out of your own pocket?"

Upon hearing this, Dong Baiyu immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm afraid that frequent contact with you will increase the chances of being exposed."

"That's true, we should try to reduce contact as soon as possible."

Watanabe Kameyu picked up his wine glass and asked curiously, "So how much did you pay for in advance?"

"Actually, it's not much, just 27,000 yuan. But this money is my secret savings that I kept from my family. It's an emergency fund for when things get tough!"

Dong Baiyu's implication was quite clear.

This money is very important to me. I work for the Sakura Intelligence Special Branch, so I can't let myself lose money, can I?

"Twenty-seven thousand, right? Okay, I'll apply for thirty thousand in funding for you later!"

"No, no, no, twenty-seven thousand will do."

"It's alright. You've worked so hard on this, so it's only right that you get three thousand yuan as a reward!"

"Well... okay! Thank you, Watanabe-kun!"

Dong Baiyu quickly raised his glass with both hands and clinked glasses with Watanabe Kameyu.

Watanabe Kameyu grinned.

After taking a small sip of sake, he put down the cup.

"Eat your food! Eat it while it's hot!"

"Hi!"

Dong Baiyu nodded and bowed, then picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

They ate while praising the food, as if Japanese cuisine were the best food in the world.

Watanabe Kame saw all this and smiled to himself.

I wish I could find a few more scoundrels like Dong Baiyu!

Then I can submit more projects to my superiors and try to secure more intelligence funding!

Anyway, people like Dong Baiyu have a deep admiration and longing for Japan.

They actually believed the promises that they could be arranged to immigrate and obtain citizenship, and that their children could study abroad.

You don't need to offer them any substantial benefits to make them obedient and do their jobs.

Just like Dong Baiyu right in front of me, he was overjoyed, like a grandson, when given an extra three thousand yuan as a reward for his hard work.

He didn't even consider that the original budget for this task was quite ample, but he had cut back on a lot of it, which forced him to pay out of his own pocket.

Moreover, he said he would apply for 30,000 yuan for him, but he didn't specify when he could get it. This could be used as bait to lure Dong Baiyu.

Wouldn't Dong Baiyu, who was already loyal, become even more loyal in order to get 30,000 yuan?

"Has your proposal to vigorously develop the entertainment industry not been approved yet?"

"No, but I don't think it's necessary!"

Dong Baiyu put down his chopsticks and said, quite displeased:

"I think the higher-ups are really wise. They know that the entertainment industry can't just stop developing, but they can't just let it go unchecked either. So they've formulated a series of laws and regulations to ensure its healthy and orderly development."

"Once there are clear laws and regulations, it won't be so easy for us to create a wave of entertainment to the death and get the vast number of Chinese teenagers addicted to games, idol worship, and entertainment gossip."

"For example, in many people's traditional thinking, playing games is a waste of time, a distraction from studies, and a squandering of one's precious life. But what if playing games became a professional e-sports sport?"

Watanabe Kameyu frowned and said, "That's a really good idea!"

"Instead of making parents worry and fear that their children will become addicted, it would be better to develop it into a professional competition!"

"If you have talent and drive, then play hard and try to become a professional player; otherwise, just treat it as entertainment!"

"Yes!"

Dong Baiyu picked up a piece of food, took two bites, and sighed:

"So there's no need to produce any programs or promote the development of the entertainment industry anymore. The relevant departments in China already know how to regulate its development. Our plan to poison the youth with low-level entertainment has fallen through!"

Watanabe Kameyu smiled.

"Isn't this great? You won't have to worry about making shows anymore, and after the entertainment industry in China opens up, our Sakura stars will be able to come to China for commercial performances, and the sales of records, anime, TV series, etc. should get better and better!"

Dong Baiyu awkwardly reminded him, "Watanabe-kun, have you forgotten that since the Prime Minister went to that place to pay respects on New Year's Day, relations between the two countries have taken a sharp turn for the worse? Many Chinese people hate our Japan, causing our sales of cars, home appliances, cosmetics, etc. to plummet?"

Watanabe Kameyu sneered, "Of course I know. I even know that we'll have an even more unpleasant argument over the development rights of the oil and gas fields in the eastern sea."

"..."

Dong Baiyu looked astonished, his lips trembling slightly.

He works in news media and also works at Tianhai TV.

He knew, of course, that since last year, China had been conducting oil and gas exploration and development in the eastern sea area in accordance with international law.

Logically speaking, there is no controversy about this matter. China's actions are completely legal, compliant, and in line with international practices.

However, the cherry blossoms, for their own benefit, insisted on jumping out to make unwarranted accusations and protests against the Dragon Kingdom for infringing on their maritime economic rights.

"Why? Don't the Prime Minister and the others know that angering the Chinese will seriously affect our Sakura company's business? Our Sakura car sales in China have been declining for four consecutive months. If relations between the two countries continue to deteriorate, we're afraid our sales will drop to zero!"