Ning Zhiheng explained the task clearly, and Liu Datong wrote it all down.
Suddenly, Ning Zhiheng remembered something and said to Liu Datong, "Has Lin Mucheng been behaving himself all this time?"
Lin Mucheng is the only remaining member of the Shadow Spy Group, and also a pawn that Ning Zhiheng has deliberately protected.
The first reason, of course, is that Ning Zhiheng didn't want to offend him, much less the power behind him. The second reason was that he wanted to use him as a beacon, drawing other Japanese spies in like moths to a flame, lest they be captured again!
So for the past two months, he had been arranging for Liu Datong to keep an eye on Lin Mucheng's whereabouts, but he rarely heard Liu Datong report on him, and he almost forgot about the person until he suddenly remembered him.
Upon hearing this, Liu Datong quickly replied, "There has been nothing unusual. I have been assigning Xiong Hongda to be in charge of this matter for some time, but there has been nothing unusual. We have people monitoring him all the time."
"Have you considered arranging for someone to get close to him, like his maid? Cause some trouble, have her replaced. Lin Mucheng is a very important target; there might be unexpected gains!" Ning Zhiheng instructed. Lin Mucheng hadn't received specialized spy training, his counter-surveillance abilities were weak, and he might be negligent in his vigilance. If close surveillance could ensure that no one dared to approach him, Ning Zhiheng needed to know immediately!
Liu Datong understood and would immediately begin making arrangements!
Ning Zhiheng took them back to the police station, then rushed back to the Military Intelligence Investigation Department to take pictures of Dong Chengjie's portrait. By the time the photos were developed, it was already past six o'clock in the evening, and he finally went home after get off work.
He opened the safe, took out several portraits stored inside, found the portrait of Lu Ming's introducer to the Party, carefully compared the facial features, and confirmed Fang Boyi's identity once again! This was the biggest gain of the day; he never expected that a professor from Jinling University would actually be a member of the underground Communist Party!
After confirming it again, he took the iron basin, threw Fang Boyi's portrait into it, lit it with a lighter, and watched it burn to ashes.
Then, after opening the iron box, the twenty gold bars, jade ornaments, and gold-inlaid jade noble family crest seal were all placed into the safe.
These twenty gold bars must have been Dong Chengjie's operating funds. Japanese spies always had ample funds for their operations, given Japan's strong national power at the time, especially its significant investment in intelligence work.
For example, when arresting Huang Xiansheng, Ning Zhiheng took a whole box full of banknotes and gold. This box likely contained Huang Xiansheng's savings accumulated over many years, but it must also have been used for operational expenses.
Looking at the many gold bars and banknotes in his safe, Ning Zhiheng couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed that robbing Japanese spies would be enough to make him rich!
Early the next morning, Ning Zhiheng brought the photos to Hongyun Teahouse, ordered some breakfast and waited while eating. After a while, he saw Liu Datong and Liu Yong rush over.
Ning Zhiheng handed it to Liu Datong, then said to Liu Yong, "Datou has explained everything to you, right?"
“Everything has been explained. I found Cheng Guang yesterday and told him to keep quiet about Cui Er’s matter,” Liu Yong quickly replied.
Liu Datong, who was standing nearby, quickly chimed in, "I've also instructed my men to keep quiet about Cui Er's theft. They should also spread the word that Cui Er injured someone during a robbery and was taken away by the police!"
Ning Zhiheng nodded. That was the only way. The news of Cui Er's arrest for theft was kept secret to avoid alerting those with ulterior motives, but the effectiveness of that remained to be seen.
"These are portrait photos of Dong Chengjie. Distribute them among your men and gather as much information as possible about him," Ning Zhiheng said. He handed the document bag to Liu Yong, then looked at Liu Datong. "Remember, if anyone inquires about the whereabouts of the two jade artifacts, or about habitual thieves in the area, you must inform me immediately. Alright, get to work. I'll be waiting for your news!"
The two men took the photos and readily agreed.
Meanwhile, in a small courtyard in the north of the city, Takeda Kaede was sitting under the eaves, picking up a tree branch and breaking it off piece by piece before throwing it on the ground in frustration, feeling extremely dejected!
Just ten days ago, when he returned to his specially arranged lodging, he was shocked to find that the house had been burgled. The house was ransacked and in complete disarray. Not only was the cash stolen, but even the most hidden gold bars, his treasured jade magatama, and the Takeda family crest seal, which were hidden in the wall of the bedroom, were also missing!
It was like a bolt from the blue! Those damned thieves! The cash and gold bars were one thing—money is just material possessions—but that jade jewel was a coming-of-age gift from his father! More importantly, it was the family crest seal, a treasure passed down through generations of the Takeda family, one of the three most important tokens of the Takeda family, and of utmost importance to him!
This was a family heirloom that his father entrusted to him before he came to China. It was an encouragement to him and a promise to him!
Originally, he thought he would come to China, make meritorious contributions on the battlefield, and become the pride of his family. However, he never expected that he would enter the Special Higher Police of the Ministry of Home Affairs and be selected to go to Nanjing, the capital of China, to carry out intelligence work and become an intelligence agent of the Blackwater Group.
As one of the most elite noble families in Japanese society, the Takeda family wielded considerable influence in both the political and military spheres. It was inconceivable that someone who was a strong contender for the position of the family's future head would be chosen to carry out the most dangerous intelligence mission in Nanjing.
Takeda Kaede knew exactly why this was happening; he had fallen victim to a scheme by other members of the Takeda family! They wanted Takeda Kaede to die in China so they could install another successor as the head of the family!
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