The door hinge creaked slightly, and Zhou Lin stepped aside to let a tall figure in.
The man's black top hat was pulled down very low, and the shadow cast by the brim covered most of his face. The hem of his gray woolen coat was stained with dark traces of dew.
Xie Yun frowned slightly: "Mr. Liu?"
As soon as the door closed, the man took off his hat, revealing a thin and pale face. The dark circles under his eyes were even darker than Xie Yun's, as if he hadn't slept for a long time: "Xie, Marshal."
Xie Yun motioned for him to sit down and personally poured a cup of hot tea and pushed it over to him.
Liu Shizheng did not touch the cup of tea and went straight to the point: "The editorial of Awakening has angered the Japanese consulate. I heard that Marshal Liu has ordered the arrest of someone?"
"Mr. Qiu and the others were moved to a safe place last night." Xie Yun's fingertips gently stroked the rim of the cup, and the tea reflected his calm eyes.
"I received news that Sato arrived in Tianjin the next day." Liu Shizheng lowered his voice even more.
"Japan lost face in the League of Nations, and Tokyo can't sit still." Xie Yun sneered, "Sato's trip must be to kill the chicken to scare the monkey." He raised his eyes and looked at Liu Shizheng, "There is no time to waste, I plan to send Mr. Qiu away as soon as possible."
Liu Shizheng leaned forward and said, "It will be night in two days... What does the young commander mean?"
"That night," Xie Yun's voice was light but clear, "the British-owned Swire Shipping Line had a sailing to Shanghai."
Liu Shizheng's cracked lips touched the teacup, but he didn't even notice that the tea had burned his lips.
He was silent for a long time, and finally nodded heavily: "Thank you for your hard work, Marshal."
In the Japanese military general staff, Colonel Ichiro Sato slammed his sword heavily on the table, and the scabbard made a dull sound when it hit the solid wood.
Kneeling in front of him were Ming Qu and three plainclothes agents, their foreheads pressed against the tatami, and they even tried to lighten their breathing.
"A bunch of good-for-nothings!" Sato's Hokkien Mandarin was mixed with a strong Osaka accent, and the sound was particularly harsh in the quiet Japanese-style room.
He slowly walked up to Natori and said, "Section Chief Natori, I messed up even a small experiment in the southern suburbs. Just now at the Consulate General, the military attachés looked at me as if I were a joke."
"Please forgive me, sir!" Natori's back was already soaked with cold sweat, and his military uniform was stuck to his skin, but he didn't dare to move.
"I think it's time to replace your position as the head of the Special High Section." Sato said as he suddenly picked up the tea set on the table and smashed it at Natori.
Natori didn't dare to dodge, allowing the teacup to shatter on his forehead, and the scalding tea mixed with blood flowed down his cheeks.
"I am willing to guarantee it with my life!" Natori endured the pain, his voice trembling, "I will definitely catch the criminals who have damaged the dignity of the empire. Please give me another chance!"
Sato ignored him, slowly wiped his fingers with a white handkerchief, and turned to the other three agents: "What did you find out?"
The plainclothes leader dared to look up: "Report to the colonel, the patrol team has thoroughly checked all areas of the concession. Since Xie Yun closed down "Awakening", the target's whereabouts are unknown. According to the tip-off, he may have already..."
"Baka!" Sato suddenly flew into a rage, his saber unsheathed, "Will that old fox Xie Yun let people out of Tianjin so quickly? Is this your first day dealing with him? Keep an eye on all the docks and stations!"
Under the reflection of the knife, Sato turned his sinister eyes to Natori: "Where is Marshal Liu?"
"Reporting to the commander, the martial law order has been signed." Natori replied hastily, not daring to wipe the blood dripping on the tatami, "After midnight, Tianjin will implement a curfew."
Sato slowly sheathed his sword, a cold smile on his face: "Tokyo has lost its patience. I want to see the result before the Lantern Festival." He leaned over to Natori's ear and said in a voice as soft as a venomous snake: "This is your last chance, Natori...-kun."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
