As evening approached, near the entrance of Chengji Hospital in Qingdao, Wang Hanmin and Zhao Kai squatted in a corner. They were wrapped in coarse cotton-padded coats, their faces completely covered by tattered felt hats, and their hands were tucked into their sleeves, looking like two homeless people.

It was already late. Zhao Kai looked around at the empty streets. Only a few pedestrians passed by, and none of them entered the hospital. He couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Director, do you think Ding Mingzhen will come? What if she hasn't received the news? What if the Ding family doesn't intend to notify Ding Mingzhen at all? Then all our efforts will have been in vain."

Wang Hanmin glanced at the entrance of Chengji Hospital out of the corner of his eye and said casually, "That's easy. If she doesn't show up, we'll make our move tonight, kill Ding Chengyun, and fake his death as if he were seriously injured. When her father passes away, the Ding family will definitely inform her. She'll have to come back for the funeral."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Kai felt relieved. He genuinely admired veteran agents like Wang Hanmin, who were meticulous and always had unexpected backup plans. He gave a thumbs up and chuckled, saying, "You really have a way with things. We don't know if Ding Mingzhen will come or not, but the Ding family will definitely notify her. We'll see where she runs off to."

This time, Li Zhiqun and Wang Hanmin's operation was very meticulous. Everything was coordinated by Major Yokota of the North China Special Higher Police Section, with the local police department cooperating, and they jointly put on this great show.

Then, the Ding family and Chengji Hospital were placed under close surveillance. Li Zhiqun and Wang Hanmin each had their own tasks: Li Zhiqun was responsible for monitoring the Ding family, while Wang Hanmin was in charge of the hospital.

They had even tapped all the phone calls at the Ding family's residence and the hospital, so they could quickly trace the destination of any calls made by the Ding family.

Qingdao was occupied for a long time, and the Japanese managed it very strictly, with no relaxation in their surveillance of telephone calls. Therefore, as long as a call was made in the city, it was not a technical problem for the Japanese to eavesdrop on it.

Wang Hanmin looked at Zhao Kai with satisfaction. Of the three people he had chosen, Zhao Kai was the only one who came purely from the Green Gang. Although he was a bit lacking in action, he was shrewd, quick-witted, and had a good eye for talent. Wang Hanmin trusted him the most at the moment.

Because the other two leaders, Xu Yongchang and Huang Shao, although also from the Green Gang, were former subordinates of Wei Minglang who had been brought over from the National Salvation Army. After all, these people had been influenced by the Kuomintang army, so Wang Hanmin did not trust them much.

However, he had no one else to rely on, so he chose these three people out of the worst of the worst. He was more hesitant to hire anyone else.

Both Li Zhiqun and Wang Hanmin valued the military talents of the officers who joined the National Salvation Army, but they lacked trust in them.

"Kai, you've been with No. 76 for quite a while now, and you've been transferred to the Second Brigade for some time now. Tell me, how are Xu Yongchang and Huang Shao doing usually?"

The people Wang Hanmin selected this time are all people he intends to keep by his side for a long time, so he needs to have a deeper understanding of them.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Kai chuckled and said, "Director, Captain Xu and Captain Huang are both my superiors. I wouldn't dare to gossip about them. The main backbone of the Second Brigade are all under Captain Wei. We gangsters can't get close to them. If we're not careful, we'll be in big trouble!"

The Second Battalion was a special case, as its main personnel were all officers of the National Salvation Army. Zhao Kai was just a squad leader, while Xu Yongchang and Huang Shao were both company commanders. Zhao Kai worked under Xu Yongchang.

Wang Hanmin said with a smile, "It's no trouble to talk to me about it. Besides, you'll soon be just like them, so there's no need to worry too much."

As soon as Wang Hanmin spoke, Zhao Kai's eyes lit up. He understood what Wang Hanmin meant. Ever since he met Wang Hanmin, he had been deliberately trying to please and flatter him, just for this reason!

His face lit up with surprise, and he quickly said, "Of course, of course, don't worry, Director, I know what I'm doing. I will tell you everything I know."

At this point, he looked around, leaned closer to Wang Hanmin, and said in a slightly mysterious low voice, "Director, actually, I was planning to tell you this even if you hadn't asked. You know, even though Xu Yongchang and Huang Shao are both from the Green Gang, they were both members of the Jiangzhe Special Operations Team. Especially Huang Shao, I heard that he has been fighting the Japanese in the army since 1937. He's a die-hard. After joining the Second Battalion, when he chatted with those officers, he often said some anti-Japanese things, saying that since they have guns in their hands, they can decide who to shoot. Director, having someone like that around is going to cause problems."

Upon hearing this, Wang Hanmin frowned. He knew about Huang Shao's situation. After all, he had personally investigated these dozen or so officers and knew their resumes and experiences very well. These people had only surrendered because they couldn't withstand the life-or-death situation.

However, he wasn't sure about Zhao Kai's performance after joining the 76th Special Agent Headquarters. Zhao Kai's words might have been exaggerated, but such things could be easily verified with a simple investigation, and Zhao Kai probably wouldn't dare to make such a fuss.

Wang Hanmin's heart tightened. He was now the target of everyone's attacks and the primary assassination target of the Military Intelligence Bureau. Security was of paramount importance. He had repeatedly changed and screened his personal personnel precisely to select reliable and capable agents to protect his safety.

It seems that Huang Shao cannot be kept by my side. I should try to minimize his involvement in this operation. Once we return to Shanghai, I will transfer him away from me immediately. Otherwise, if trouble arises within our own ranks, I will regret it.

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!