Just as the Shanghai Military Intelligence Station was holding a meeting, in an office at the Special Higher Police Headquarters, intelligence team leader Yuji Imai was looking at Ding Dahai in front of him.

"Watanabe-kun, it's been many years since we last met. I never expected that we would meet under these circumstances," Imai Yuji said slowly. He had just finished dealing with Murakami Keita's matter in Hangzhou when Sagawa Taro informed him that Watanabe Daichi, the undercover agent he had placed in Nanjing, had actually returned to the Special Higher Police headquarters on his own.

They brought back extremely bad news: the arrest team that entered Nanjing had once again been completely wiped out, with all eight carefully selected operatives captured by the Military Intelligence Investigation Department.

Because this undercover agent, Watanabe Daichi, was a pawn personally placed by Imai Yuji many years ago, it was necessary for Imai Yuji to personally investigate and verify his identity to ensure that it was correct. This was a necessary procedure.

Upon hearing Yuji Imai's words, Daichi Watanabe bowed deeply and said with a look of shame, "I'm sorry, Team Leader Imai. I didn't do my job well. The members of the arrest team were arrested, their liaison had seen me, and at the arrest scene, the Chinese agents saw through my disguise, which led to me being followed. I had no choice but to withdraw. I have failed your expectations."

Yuji Imai looked at Daichi Watanabe without saying a word for a long time. He sighed deeply. Nanjing City had truly become a den of dragons and tigers. For every agent sent in, there was a loss. Even this pawn that had been lying in wait for many years had been exposed.

"Watanabe-kun, you were in charge of supporting the arrest team's operation. Do you know why they failed?" Yuji Imai asked.

Watanabe Daiji hesitated for a moment before speaking, "I don't know the specific reason. The capture team hadn't been able to find the target's whereabouts until four days ago when I delivered the target's photo to the liaison officer. The liaison officer said that the target had been found and that they were preparing to take action immediately. However, the next morning I received news that the Military Intelligence Investigation Department had raided their hideout in the early hours of that day. The intelligence indicated that the situation on the scene was extremely intense. They were heavily surrounded by the enemy and had no possibility of breaking out. In my haste, I finally revealed my presence and was targeted. Fortunately, I discovered it in time, shook off my pursuers, and withdrew from Nanjing as quickly as possible."

Upon hearing Watanabe Daichi's account, Imai Yuji couldn't help but ask, "You got the target's photo?"

"Yes, it's a group photo from two years ago. The person looks much younger and more innocent than they actually are, and their demeanor is completely different. When you meet the real target, they have a commanding presence and a strong sense of pressure!" Watanabe Taiji recalled carefully. "But time was tight at the time, and I thought that the photo would be useless after the operation, so I didn't take a copy of it."

"So, this photo has fallen into the hands of the Military Intelligence Investigation Department again?" Yuji Imai said disappointedly. "Now that Chinese agents know our intentions, they will definitely be on guard, making it even more difficult to capture this target again."

At this point, Yuji Imai slammed his fist on the table in frustration. The failure to capture Ning Zhiheng left him and Taro Sagawa feeling extremely disappointed. However, the task still had to be carried out. Without figuring out the real reason for the defeat in Nanjing, it would remain a major hidden danger.

As for whether the mole was actually Murakami Keita, neither Sagawa Taro nor Imai Yuji were sure. They hoped it really was Murakami Keita, otherwise, there would be serious accidents in their future work.

“Alright, Watanabe-kun, no one wanted to see this defeat. After all, the situation in Nanjing has been terrible for a long time, and it would be unfair to hold you responsible,” Imai Yuji said slowly.

Upon hearing Yuji Imai's words, Watanabe Daichi's worries finally subsided, and he repeatedly said, "Thank you so much, team leader! Thank you so much, team leader!"

Yuji Imai waved his hand and continued, "These past two days we have conducted a major operation against the Shanghai military intelligence station, with remarkable results. We have captured four Chinese agents. The operation team is currently lacking personnel who are proficient in Chinese. You will go to the operation team to serve as the captain and organize the interrogation of them."

Not all Japanese agents speak Chinese; those who do are a minority, and those who are fluent are even fewer. In particular, during the two investigations and arrests in Nanjing, agents fluent in Chinese were recruited from various departments, but none of them returned, leading to the current situation. Now that Watanabe Daiji has returned, he is in a very useful position.

"Yes, sir!" Watanabe Daiji nodded in agreement.

At this moment, in the conference room of the Shanghai Military Intelligence Station, Bian Ze, sitting in the main seat, was sternly reprimanding the other personnel of the station.

"The situation in Nanjing and Hangzhou is very good now. We have dismantled the Japanese intelligence network. However, in Shanghai, on the front line of fighting the Japanese, you have been lax and negligent in your defenses, which has led to the current situation."

"The commander instructed that all officers serving as department heads be reprimanded and barred from rank promotion for two years. Any recurrence of similar incidents will result in immediate legal action for dereliction of duty!" Bian Ze said coldly.

Hearing Bian Ze's words, everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief. According to the usual practice of the Military Intelligence Investigation Department and the style of the Director, this time it was definitely a lenient treatment. At least no one was detained on the spot, and no one was even dismissed from their post. This was much better than expected.

At this moment, Station Chief Zheng Hongbo quickly spoke up, saying, "Thank you for your leniency, Director and Section Chief. We at the Military Intelligence Station will be grateful and will not dare to slack off in the slightest."

The others quickly spoke up as well, expressing their determination to remember the lesson, correct their mistakes, and live up to the expectations of the department head and section chief.

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