In Li Zhiqun's office at the Shanghai No. 76 Special Agent Headquarters, Li Zhiqun slammed the telegram in his hand onto the desk and cursed, "That idiot Wen Hao! I entrusted him with such an important operation, and he confidently told me to wait for good news, but what happened in the end? Gu Jinlong and several key cadres from the Nanjing station all escaped, the codebook was never found, and the intelligence network that Gu Jinlong controlled yielded nothing. And he still has the nerve to ask me for credit?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Xiangde, the director of the Second Division, quickly advised, "Director, please calm down. Actually, this result isn't so bad. The Nanjing branch has wiped out the entire Military Intelligence Bureau's Nanjing station. A few who escaped are unlikely to amount to much. This is enough to explain to the Japanese and Mr. Wang."

Besides, Gu Jinlong and his men have already revealed their true colors; they definitely can't stay in Nanjing any longer. Given the Military Intelligence Bureau's style, once they return, they'll either be killed or imprisoned—they won't fare well!

Li Zhiqun was indeed unwilling to accept this. Such a perfect opportunity had been wasted, and he had missed out on several of the most crucial spoils of war, which greatly diminished the success of this great undertaking. Naturally, he was not happy about it.

Sun Xiangde continued, "Director, we still need to hurry up and ask for credit from the higher-ups! Wen Hao will definitely write a lot about it, so we can't let him steal the spotlight."

"He wouldn't dare!" Li Zhiqun said disdainfully. "If it weren't for the time crunch, would I have let him off so easily? This time, with such a huge blunder, I should be laughing all the way to the bank if I don't hold him accountable for his dereliction of duty. How dare he try to steal credit from me?"

Li Zhiqun has always looked down on Wen Hao. Back then, Wen Hao was suppressed to the point of being unable to work at the Special Agent Headquarters. In the end, he had no choice but to start his own business in Nanjing. What capital does he have to compete with him now?

Sun Xiangde stepped forward and whispered, "Director, we can't be careless! My friend over there said that Wen Hao has now gotten close to Imai Yuzhi, the head of the Nanjing Special Higher Police Section. I heard that Wen Hao worked under Imai Yuzhi in Shanghai and was one of his former subordinates. Now the two are very close. Ever since Wen Hao wiped out the Nanjing Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics's undercover agents, Imai Yuzhi has given him many privileges, as well as money and manpower. The 21st Bureau is developing very rapidly now. It's not what it used to be. We can't underestimate it!"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhiqun was immediately shocked. When he arrived in Shanghai, Imai Yuji had already been transferred to Nanjing. There were many things he didn't know. He never expected that Wen Hao would have this relationship with Imai Yuji. He secretly thought that things were not good. If this happened, the Nanjing branch might become too big to handle.

Thinking of this, he quickly picked up the telegram on the table, walked a few steps to the door, took down the coat hanging there, and turned back to say, "I'm going to report to Colonel Qingqing now, and then I'll go see Mr. Wang. This time, I'm going to try and get some benefits out of him!"

Meanwhile, in Luo Xingchao's intelligence department, Luo Xingchao sat upright in his seat, holding a document in his hand, casually reading out names, "Ding Yimin, Sun An, Feng Shinian, Chang Yunxiang!"

After he finished speaking, he looked up at the four people who had come to report. He saw that their faces and hands were bandaged with white gauze, and one of them even had difficulty standing. It was clear that these four people had been severely tortured.

Luo Xingchao stood up, walked to their side, and slowly said, "Alright, it's not too late for you all to abandon the darkness and embrace the light. Our new government will only use talent and will never treat you unfairly."

The four men exchanged glances but remained silent. After their arrest, they were forced to defect to the enemy, which they were naturally unwilling to do. They were assigned to this intelligence department and were unsure how to deal with their new superior.

Seeing the four men's low spirits, Luo Xingchao didn't take it to heart. Having been through similar experiences, he knew they were going through a difficult period. He continued, "Your original identities were quite good—police chiefs, health bureau directors, shop owners… well, all very good. It would be a shame to give them up. Here's what we'll do: you don't need to be on duty here. Go back to your original jobs. However, if any Military Intelligence Bureau personnel contact you, you must report to me as soon as possible. Also, gather as much information as possible and report it to me. In short, just do what you're supposed to do, everything as usual, understand?"

Luo Xingchao's words immediately surprised the four men. His superior's meaning was clear: he wanted them to go back and act as bait to lure and capture more Kuomintang agents.

But their arrest couldn't be kept secret. The Chongqing headquarters would definitely know about the station chief Wang Hanmin's defection. These people were already exposed. Who would dare to contact them? They would probably be met not by a liaison officer, but by an anti-traitor squad.

Ding Yimin, disguised as a shop owner, couldn't help but say, "Section Chief, we've lost our intelligence value. No one from the Military Intelligence Bureau will contact us anymore. They might even send people to eliminate us. In that case, we can only wait to die!"

Chang Yunxiang also spoke up, saying, "Section Chief, this arrangement is useless. Can we change our identities? Otherwise, I'm afraid it will be difficult to guarantee our safety!"

Luo Xingchao couldn't help but sneer, glared at him, and said sternly, "Do whatever I tell you to do, and you dare to bargain with me? No. 76 doesn't keep idle people! Besides, you're getting two salaries, you have to be of some use!"

Before they could say anything more, Luo Xingchao waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, don't get in my way. Remember to come back at the beginning of each month to collect your salary. Don't come back unless it's absolutely necessary, so that others don't see you!"

Seeing Luo Xingchao's impatient look, the four of them had no choice but to turn around and leave.

"They just let us go like that? What's going on?"

"They're clearly using us as bait. If the anti-traitor squad actually shows up at our door, we'll be helpless!"

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!