Shadow of Spies

Propelled headlong into the relentless currents of history, Ji Yu finds himself transplanted to the tumultuous prelude to WWII.

Once an ordinary civil servant in his modern existence, Ji Yu i...

Chapter 1177 Setting a Trap in Secret

That evening, at the same place they had met before, Ning Zhiheng and Ji Hongyi once again arrived at the George Hotel, entered the agreed-upon room, and secretly met with Yong Feng to discuss the specifics.

After exchanging pleasantries, Ning Zhiheng got straight to the point and asked, "Miss Yong, as you've probably heard, there's quite a commotion outside. We're unfamiliar with the area and our resources are limited, so we're all counting on you, Miss Yong. I wonder how the progress on the blueprints is?"

Hearing Ning Zhiheng's words, Yong Feng shook her head helplessly. The situation had changed drastically, and she had lost all confidence, so she naturally dared not make any guarantees for him anymore.

"Mr. Lin, I'm sorry, I was too optimistic about the situation before. As for the engine blueprints, I'm afraid I can't do anything about it."

"What?" Ning Zhiheng's expression changed, and he hurriedly asked, "Miss Yong, you were so confident when we met last time. What's wrong? Are you not satisfied with my offer?"

Seeing the displeasure on Ning Zhiheng's face, Yong Feng felt helpless. The other party was eager to get the engine blueprints and was determined to obtain them. He even agreed to her offer when trading the aviation torpedo blueprints and made an exception by paying all the money in one lump sum, which was enough to show his sincerity.

She quickly explained, "No, no, Mr. Lin, please don't misunderstand. We are old friends, and I have absolutely no doubt about your reputation and strength."

She paused, feeling she should explain, and said, "To be honest, it's my mole who's in trouble. He made a mistake during the operation, and I can't contact him anymore."

Ning Zhiheng naturally understood that his current act was merely for Yong Feng's benefit.

In fact, when he first took action, he did intend to spare Scott's life. He only wanted to take the blueprints and film. After all, Scott was a British intelligence officer, and killing him to steal the blueprints would definitely have consequences. So, at first, he planned to let Scott go.

However, Ning Zhiheng immediately changed his mind after Scott revealed Yong Feng's true identity.

Scott lost the original film of the engine, which would be impossible for him to explain. His identity had been exposed. Even if I spared his life, the British intelligence would not let him off the hook. He would no longer be of any use to me.

However, as long as the interrogation continues, Yong Feng's true identity will be hard to hide. You must know that Yong Feng is Ning Zhiheng's next target to be recruited, and she is also an important piece in his plan to build an intelligence network in South China. Protecting her would be of great benefit to Ning Zhiheng, so she must not be ruined by Scott.

Moreover, doing this had another benefit: killing Scott cut off all clues. Scott, along with his car, was pushed off a cliff into the deep water, his body destroyed, and he vanished from the face of the earth.

As long as Scott doesn't show up, the British and Japanese, despite their suspicions, will never be able to confirm the true whereabouts of the blueprints. Their focus will remain on finding Scott, which gives Ning Zhiheng time to shift his attention and prepare for a timely escape.

Furthermore, killing Scott indirectly protected Liao Chengren, since he was essentially working for Ning Zhiheng. Although it was for money, Ning Zhiheng didn't want anything to happen to him, so Ning Zhiheng ultimately took drastic measures against Scott.

At this moment, Ning Zhiheng's brows furrowed even more. He took a deep breath, seemingly suppressing his anxiety, and said in a deep voice, "I naturally understand that Miss Yong is in trouble, but the higher-ups attach great importance to this blueprint. I would appreciate it if Miss Yong would take the trouble to help. I, Lin, will definitely remember this favor."

Ning Zhiheng spoke with conviction and sincerity, leaving Yong Feng no choice but to nod and agree, "Alright, I will do my best!"

However, she clearly didn't want to talk about the blueprints anymore, so she quickly changed the subject and asked, "Mr. Lin, you said you have important intelligence to trade with me this time. I wonder, what is it about? Is it also related to the blueprints?"

"No, it has nothing to do with the blueprints," Ning Zhiheng said, waving his hand. This meeting with Yong Feng was a crucial part of his plan; otherwise, he would have left Hong Kong as soon as he got the blueprints.

At this point, he glanced at Nie Xin beside Yong Feng, then said to Yong Feng, "Miss Yong, would you mind if we talked alone?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Hongyi immediately stood up, nodded to Yong Feng, and turned to leave.

Upon seeing this, Yong Feng understood Ning Zhiheng's meaning. This intelligence transaction must be extraordinary, as the other party wanted to keep the information to a minimum. Without hesitation, she turned and nodded to Nie Xin.

Seeing that Yong Feng agreed, Nie Xin was not worried that Ning Zhiheng would harm Yong Feng. The two had been dealing with each other for many years and were quite trustworthy. Besides, he had already arranged enough people nearby, so he was not afraid that the other party had other intentions. So he stood up to indicate that he was okay and bowed as he left the room.

"Now you can speak!"

Ning Zhiheng's expression turned serious, and he said, "We have obtained a very important piece of information, which I think Miss Yong might be interested in."

"Oh, I'd like to hear more!" Yong Feng was also curious. She collected intelligence from a wide range of sources, not just military intelligence, but also political and economic intelligence. As long as the intelligence itself was valuable, it could be very profitable if she found the right buyer.

"That's right. Miss Yong is probably aware of the current situation. The two sides are deadlocked, and the Japanese have lost patience and are eager to withdraw from the Chinese battlefield and prepare to advance into Southeast Asia. We have found that in the past few months, the Japanese have contacted the Chongqing government many times, trying to facilitate peace talks between the two sides. I wonder if Miss Yong has received any news about this?"

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