Before long, Liang Deyou arrived with his men, their faces showing they had found nothing. Looking at their questioning eyes, Liang Deyou smiled wryly and said, "We didn't find the person, but we found a hidden compartment under Fu Cheng's bed in his bedroom. Inside was a radio, but there was no codebook."

Shi Hong relayed Ning Zhiheng's analysis to Liang Deyou. Liang Deyou was very pleased: "So that means he's still under control and hasn't escaped!"

"It's very possible, but we're just trying anything at this point! It's a last resort, and we need to do the work meticulously. We absolutely cannot give the target any opportunity to take advantage of us," Ning Zhiheng replied.

After thinking for a moment, he added, "I suggest we immediately mobilize more police officers from the nearby police station and simultaneously search all the households in this alley. This will prevent the target from finding any loopholes in our search operation due to the time difference, and it will also ensure that the search operation ends as quickly as possible. After all, this is Nanjing; too much commotion or too much time will be disadvantageous for us!"

Liang Deyou nodded. He also felt that Ning Zhiheng, his younger brother, had a very accurate understanding of the problem and his proposed solutions were very insightful. To be honest, the current situation was so large that it had already disrupted the normal lives of the residents in the entire area.

This is Nanjing, after all, the capital of the Republic of China. A prolonged state of martial law is unacceptable. Even though the Military Intelligence Bureau is a privileged department, it cannot act without restraint here.

He arranged for someone to summon the patrol officer in charge who was on duty, and asked him to go back and send more police officers. The officer had a bitter face and said weakly, "Sir, we patrol officers are good at patrolling the streets and maintaining order, but when it comes to actually fighting criminals, we can't help much."

Upon hearing this, Shi Hong's eyes widened, and he snarled, "Asking you to do something is giving you face, and you still dare to grumble? So many vicious criminals have come out of your jurisdiction, you should bear the primary responsibility. Now we are giving you a chance to redeem yourself. Believe me or not, I'll skin you alive right now and send you back to your hometown to farm."

Since it was a military intelligence operation, secrecy was required. When Shi Hong mobilized the patrol officers, he naturally didn't reveal that they were arresting Japanese spies; he only said that several desperate criminals were hiding near Beihua Street. The military intelligence department had the authority to mobilize nearby military and police personnel in emergencies.

The leader cursed inwardly, but dared not show the slightest disrespect on his face. Shi Hong was absolutely right; if they wanted to strip him of his black uniform, it would only take a word. They could even arrest him outright, and no one would risk offending the Military Intelligence Bureau, a notorious secret service agency, for the sake of a lowly patrolman. They'd rather get as far away as possible!

“Go back and tell your superior directly that the Military Intelligence Bureau needs the full cooperation of your police station. He knows what to do,” Liang Deyou said impatiently from the side. The Military Intelligence Bureau wields immense power, acting with impunity even within the military, let alone a small police station. He simply couldn’t be bothered with these insignificant figures.

The leader dared not utter another word and turned to gather his men. Meanwhile, the task force also redeployed personnel to tightly seal off all entrances and exits.

Ning Zhiheng reminded him from the side, "Captain, send a few more brothers to the roof to keep an eye on him and prevent him from scaling the wall and running around!"

In his moment of panic, Liang Deyou didn't notice this, but upon hearing Ning Zhiheng's reminder, he immediately understood and sent people to the highest point on the roof to keep watch.

In fact, Ning Zhiheng could have directly arranged the action team members himself, but he understood very well that one's subordinates should not be too high-profile, even if he was confident in his background and did not need to deliberately curry favor with Liang Deyou.

He was able to promptly point out the shortcomings, and Liang Deyou, upon careful reflection afterward, would understand Ning Zhiheng's intentions and would certainly appreciate the favor.

Soon the leader brought about thirty people, and Liang Deyou, too lazy to waste words, ordered that the search should first focus on the residents of the alleyway where the two houses were located. If nothing was found, the search area would be expanded.

Police officers led the way, breaking down doors to identify residents. These officers were familiar with the residents' situations and would immediately arrest anyone found to be suspicious.

Officers Ning Zhiheng and others each led a team to search the area, which contained more than fifty households in total. He kept his attention focused on the alleyway he had just emerged from.

Based on Fu Cheng's escape route, he initially judged that Fu Cheng ran straight to the alley entrance after escaping from the second house. At that time, he found that there were people setting up a checkpoint at the alley entrance. Due to the urgency, he probably hid in a house in this alley.

The alleyways were inhabited by ordinary families; the wealthy and powerful lived in Western-style houses or grand mansions, not in these narrow lanes. The commotion outside had been going on for so long that it had already alerted the residents. However, ordinary people are timid and afraid of trouble, so they all locked their doors and hid inside, too afraid to come out.

The police banged and smashed things until the residents opened their doors. The residents here were a mixed bunch, some living in one courtyard, others in several courtyards; fortunately, the local police had household registration records and were able to identify them quickly.

The whole place was in chaos and confusion. The search of the fifty-odd households was completed quickly, but Fu Cheng was still nowhere to be found. However, several unregistered residents who had come to Nanjing to stay with relatives were found and released after verification.

Ning Zhiheng was disheartened; all his hard work had been for nothing. Liang Deyou's expression was also grim; he was about to order an expanded search of the surrounding area.

Suddenly, a commotion and cries erupted. Ning Zhiheng rushed over. In a small courtyard, several policemen were brandishing batons, brutally beating a man and a woman, who screamed in agony.

Two team members were protecting a little girl who looked about six or seven years old. The little girl had tears in her eyes and was sobbing incessantly. She was trembling and looked really pitiful.

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