Finally, it was the last night of 1939. Even in the midst of war, as the new year approached, there were some celebratory and joyful scenes in the city. Ordinary people decorated their homes with lanterns and wore new clothes that they rarely tried on. The streets were brightly lit at night, adding a touch of festivity to this largest city in the Far East.
The eastern part of the city is the most prosperous area in Shanghai. Centered around Hongkou District, it is home to a large number of Japanese expatriates and is also a gathering place for various Japanese departments in China, the Shanghai Municipal Government, puppet government agencies, and high-ranking officials and dignitaries from all walks of life.
Tonight, the Jiuguo Hotel in the eastern part of the city is brightly lit. As dusk settles, a huge fountain in the center of the spacious courtyard sprays clear, sparkling water droplets in all directions, like a giant, shimmering flower. Colorful lights hang from the branches of trees lining the streets, illuminating the night sky and making the entire hotel look like a magnificent crystal palace—dazzling and breathtaking!
The banquet hadn't started yet, but the hotel entrance was already bustling with traffic. A long line of luxury cars stretched out, and high-ranking officials and dignitaries, dressed in finery, stepped out of their cars, nodded to each other, whispered among themselves, and walked into the hotel in groups.
Meanwhile, heavily armed guards were stationed all around the hotel, with patrols every three steps and sentries every five steps, spreading outwards from the Jiuguo Hotel to make the entire block completely secure.
These personnel were all handpicked by Li Zhiqun from the five action teams, and were led by the team leaders, with Li Zhiqun and Wang Hanmin personally overseeing the operations.
Furthermore, to ensure the smooth running of the banquet, Hiroki Kagesa even mobilized the military police forces of the Japanese Military Police Headquarters to impose martial law on several nearby blocks. On the wide streets, no unauthorized personnel were allowed to pass except for the motorcades heading to the banquet, not even Japanese residents. It can be said that the security for this banquet was taken to the extreme.
In a small hotel in the nearby neighborhood, Chen Hongchi frowned as he looked out the window at the deserted streets. Soon, the door opened, and Lu Jian slipped in, quickly approaching Chen Hongchi and whispering, "Things are bad. The streets are under curfew, and we're trapped here!"
Yang Wenbo, the action team leader standing nearby, also said urgently, "What's going on! We just came in, and these blocks have already been placed under martial law. Could it be that someone has noticed us?"
Chen Hongchi remained calm and said in a deep voice, "Don't panic! They've only imposed martial law, they haven't conducted any searches. I think it's just a simple security operation. We haven't been exposed yet, but the sudden deployment of the Japanese military police has disrupted our plans. Our operation today is going to be a bit tricky."
Lu Jian said with a wry smile, "It's more than just troublesome! I just received news that all the service staff at the Nine Nations Hotel were suddenly notified to stay home and rest today. The entire hotel's service staff has been replaced by people from No. 76. Our personnel have no chance to sneak in at all."
"What?"
"how so?"
Chen Hongchi and Yang Wenbo were both stunned. Their previous plan was to disguise themselves as hotel staff, smuggle the time bomb into the Nine Nations Hotel, activate it, and then leave. As for how successful they would be, that was entirely up to luck.
However, just as they selected replacement service personnel and were preparing to sneak in, they were notified that all personnel were prohibited from entering, and their previous operation plan was ruined.
Chen Hongchi quickly asked, "Have our people been evacuated?"
"We've managed to evacuate. Luckily, we did it a step ahead of time. Number 76 suddenly ordered a concentration of service personnel for verification, and we almost wouldn't have been able to get out."
Upon hearing this, Chen Hongchi breathed a sigh of relief and said with some surprise, "That was really close! We almost got trapped here! How come the people from Number 76 are so difficult to deal with?"
Lu Jian explained, “The security level this time is very high. The surrounding streets are under martial law by the military police. Station Chief, I think we should evacuate as soon as possible. I’m worried that there will be a large-scale search soon. We can’t just wait here. We must take the initiative to break out. Otherwise, when they search this area, we’ll be helpless!”
Chen Hongchi nodded in agreement. Lu Jian's concerns were not unfounded. The fact that there was no search now did not mean that there would be no search later. By taking the initiative to break out in advance, they could choose a weak point in the defense and still have a chance of success. However, if things were really as Lu Jian said, and they were trapped here by the Japanese military police, they would have no hope of survival.
Yang Wenbo nodded and said, "Go east. There's an alley ahead, but it's a dead end. If we climb over that wall, we can get to North Fourth Road. There shouldn't be any curfew there, but we have to hurry, or we might get blocked off!"
Seeing that everyone's opinion was to evacuate in advance for safety, Chen Hongchi immediately said, "The sooner the better, let's get going. Damn it, let's spare these bastards this time, and come back for more trouble next time!"
Once the decision was made, everyone quickly sprang into action. Soon, the group slipped out of the room and made a swift escape under the cover of night. The first attack operation planned by the Shanghai station thus came to a hasty end.
At the same time, a long convoy of cars arrived at the entrance of the Nine Nations Hotel. All the guards glanced at it, and someone immediately rushed into the hotel to report.
Under the escort of a squad of guards led by Kimura Maki, Ning Zhiheng stepped out of the car.
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