After the aftershocks of the explosion subsided, a team of guards walked out of the banquet hall. The entire consulate was placed under strict lockdown, and no one was allowed to enter or leave. The soldiers on guard began to search and identify people one by one.

At this moment, Fujiwara Hirofumi was examining Ning Zhiheng's injuries. Two shards of porcelain bottles had struck Ning Zhiheng's back, one causing a large bruise and the other cutting a deep gash on his shoulder, with blood flowing freely on the ground. If it weren't for Ning Zhiheng's excellent physical condition and the toughness of his muscles far exceeding that of ordinary people, he would definitely have been seriously injured and unable to recover.

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines. Ning Zhiheng was significantly taller than Fujiwara Hirofumi. Judging from the position, without Ning Zhiheng's protection, the blow would have landed squarely on Fujiwara Hirofumi's head. If that blow had landed, Fujiwara Hirofumi would have been in serious trouble.

At this time, Uehara Junpei had already sent the wounded to receive treatment and reported to Fujiwara Hirofumi: "It should be a time bomb made by TNT. Takahashi-kun and Gao Zhiwu are seriously injured. Liu Shenghuai was cut across the neck by a piece of porcelain and has already died. As for the staff members, they died on the spot. The other representatives are fine."

As Fujiwara Hirofumi watched the medical staff treat Ning Zhiheng's injuries, his anger flared. He said in a deep voice to Uehara Junpei and Tsuchihara Keiji, "You've seen it too. I don't want to see this happen again. Today, Tomohito risked his life to save me. What about next time? We won't always be so lucky! And Takahashi-kun, they shouldn't be treated like this. Tsuchihara-kun, you're in charge of combating Chinese spies. Don't you have anything to say to me?"

At this moment, Keiji Tsuchihara wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground. His Special Higher Police and the Tsuchihara Agency had done nothing to deal with Chinese spies; in fact, they almost got into serious trouble. If something had happened to Hirofumi Fujiwara, everyone in this room would have been held accountable by the House of Peers and the Cabinet, with disastrous consequences.

"Sir, please believe me, I will immediately conduct a city-wide manhunt for the Chinese agents. This situation will never happen again. Otherwise, I will commit seppuku to atone for my sins!" Tsuchihara Keiji said solemnly.

If Fujiwara no Hirofumi were to encounter danger a second time, even if he did not commit seppuku, the Imperial General Headquarters would not spare him.

Fujiwara Hirofumi waved his hand and said, "Tsuchihara-kun, it's not that serious. I'm not being unreasonable, but the Chinese agents' arrogance is indeed a huge threat to the talks. To be honest, if it weren't for the assassination attempt that delayed us by twenty minutes, the entire negotiating team would have suffered heavy casualties, and the consequences would have been unimaginable!"

Fujiwara Hirofumi was right. The time bomb was designed to detonate during the dinner party. However, Wang Tianhai's early departure panicked the assassins stationed outside. Seeing their main target leave, they attempted to assassinate him, causing chaos and delaying everyone's arrival by twenty minutes. Otherwise, the bomb's detonation during the banquet would have resulted in numerous deaths and injuries.

The thought sent chills down everyone's spines. Fujiwara Hirofumi pondered for a moment, then said, "It seems that holding talks in Shanghai is too dangerous. Fortunately, I invited Mr. Wang to visit Japan during today's talks. Let's just wait a few days and then hold the talks back in China. This way, we can ensure the safety of the talks and you won't have to be so nervous."

As soon as Fujiwara Hirofumi spoke, Tsuchihara Keiji and Uehara Junpei both breathed a sigh of relief. If this could be achieved, it would certainly be a great thing. To be honest, as long as Fujiwara Hirofumi stayed in Shanghai, no one could relax for a single day. Now that the talks were being held in Japan, everyone could rest easy!

"Thank you for your understanding, Lord Fujiwara. We are truly ashamed. This is our dereliction of duty!" Uehara Junpei and Tsuchihara Keiji bowed and said.

At this moment, Ning Zhiheng's injuries were treated. Fujiwara Hirofumi turned around and looked at Ning Zhiheng, asking worriedly, "Zhiren, how are you feeling?"

Ning Zhiheng forced a smile and said, "It's nothing serious. I'm young and have a strong recovery ability. I'll be fine in a few days. Please don't worry, Uncle!"

Fujiwara Hirofumi nodded and said softly, "Tomohito, this time it's all thanks to you. You're young and quick-witted, otherwise this old body of mine wouldn't have been able to withstand that!"

Ning Zhiheng quickly said, "Uncle, this is what I should do. However, Chinese agents are indeed very rampant. This is the second time I have been injured in just two months. You are right, it is safer to go back to China for talks."

Fujiwara Hirofumi nodded helplessly. He knew his nephew was unlucky and had been assassinated by Chinese agents multiple times. He sighed and said, "China is a war zone after all, and its security cannot be compared with that of the home country. Such things will happen again in the future. If you choose to develop in China, you have to adapt to this kind of life."

After saying that, he turned to Uehara Junpei and said, "I will arrange to return to China immediately and inform Mr. Wang to prepare. Do not make any public appearances in the next few days. You also need to eliminate Chinese agents as soon as possible, otherwise, in this environment, the safety of the new government cannot be guaranteed at all, and everything will be just empty talk."

Keiji Tsuchihara knew that for someone as composed as Hirofumi Fujiwara, speaking in this tone was already the mildest warning he could give. He reiterated, "Please rest assured, I will definitely complete the restoration of order in Shanghai in the short term, and it will absolutely not affect the establishment of the new government."

The search of the consulate yielded no results. All personnel were checked and their identities were verified, except for one staff member named Ishii who was nowhere to be found.

Keiji Tsuchihara quickly discovered that Ishii was a foreigner recruited ten days earlier, responsible for some odd jobs. The people sent out to arrest him at the registered address ended up finding nothing.

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