The very next day, Ning Zhiheng led Zuo Gang into the International Settlement and returned to the Tan Mansion, the headquarters of the Shanghai Intelligence Bureau.
After returning to the Tan Mansion, Ning Zhiheng summoned Huo Yueze, handed him the film of the secret tripartite agreement, and instructed him to arrange for someone to send it back to Chongqing after the Spring Festival.
The reason for doing this is that the agreement is not time-limited. Ning Zhiheng had previously been exposed in Qingdao because he provided intelligence too promptly, which led to the Military Intelligence Bureau headquarters reacting too quickly. Fortunately, he had a strong background and was able to escape the crisis.
However, intelligence work behind enemy lines is fraught with danger, and one cannot always be so lucky. Ning Zhiheng learned from his mistakes and decided that in the future, when reporting intelligence work to headquarters, he would deliberately delay reporting non-urgent intelligence for a period of time.
For example, this time, he could have easily claimed that the secret tripartite agreement was something he had spent time collecting and paying a high price for in the intelligence market. This way, he could avoid the headquarters becoming suspicious of him and save himself some unnecessary trouble.
Over the next two days, Ning Zhiheng completely relaxed his tense mind and spent his days quietly reading and writing in the Tan Mansion.
Zuo Rou was delighted to see Ning Zhiheng staying at the Tan Mansion, a rare occurrence. She called on everyone to run around, hanging lanterns and colorful lights, decorating the Tan Mansion in a festive atmosphere, filling it with a festive feel inside and out.
Finally, New Year's Eve arrived. Zuo Rou, a skilled cook, prepared a table full of delicious dishes. Several senior officers from the intelligence department gathered together in a lively atmosphere.
Ning Zhiheng sat upright among them and first raised his glass in a toast. Everyone laughed and drank heartily.
The sound of firecrackers outside was deafening and incessant. Several guards also set up a large number of fireworks in the yard and lit the fireworks tubes. The fireworks rose into the air and exploded with a loud "boom". The exploding fireworks were like beautiful flowers blooming in the air, dazzling and spectacular!
Everyone was in high spirits and rushed forward to light the fireworks. Even Ning Zhiheng couldn't resist joining in.
With a series of crisp explosions, the sky lit up instantly, dazzling and spectacular, with colorful fireworks vying for attention, transforming the festive night sky into a beautiful garden.
Ning Zhiheng looked around at everyone who was all smiles and laughing, feeling as if he were in a dream.
Time flies, and this is the third Spring Festival he has spent in Shanghai. During the holidays, people miss their loved ones even more. At this moment, his relatives in Chongqing must also be thinking of him with great longing.
Happy times always fly by. Ning Zhiheng spent a pleasant Spring Festival at the Tan Mansion and quietly returned to the city a few days later.
In the past few days, He Siming, through his friend Major Yamamoto from the military attaché's office, quickly investigated the search and rescue situation at the time of the plane crash.
Although the North China Special Higher Police and the Kagesa Agency had blocked the news, they were unable to impose any restrictions on the Navy for various reasons. In addition, there were many people involved in the search and rescue at the time, so it did not take much effort for Major Yamamoto to find out the specific situation.
"According to Yamamoto, one survivor was indeed found at the time, who was the passenger plane pilot Kawamoto. Seven other passengers' bodies were also found, but the whereabouts of the other passengers are unknown."
"Only one survivor? The Japanese pilot?" Ning Zhiheng was puzzled. It wasn't surprising that one pilot escaped, but what was strange was how this pilot knew that Xu Yongchang was the one who carried out the plane crash.
He Siming continued, "The Navy's investigators questioned Kawamoto, but he didn't know the specifics. He only said that when the accident happened, there were multiple shots fired inside the cabin, resulting in the deaths of several passengers. The situation was very chaotic at the time, and the plane caught fire, so the passengers jumped into the sea. In the end, he also abandoned the plane and parachuted to safety."
How could there have been a shooting? Did Xu Yongchang stab Wang Hanmin and Fu Shengyuan with a gun on the plane?
Ning Zhiheng had no idea. He couldn't help but rub his temples, thinking as he asked, "Can you confirm the identities of those seven corpses?"
He Siming shook his head and said, "No, Kawamoto was just carrying out a flight mission. He didn't know which department these people belonged to. Later, the Navy handed over Kawamoto and the seven bodies to the North China Special Higher Police."
Ning Zhiheng pondered carefully. Since the pilots didn't know the specifics, how did the Japanese know that Xu Yongchang was the executor? The problem must lie with those seven corpses. If he wasn't mistaken, one of those seven corpses must be Xu Yongchang's remains!
Yes! That must be it!
Ning Zhiheng thought about it more and more and felt that his guess was correct. Since a shooting incident had occurred, perhaps Xu Yongchang's body had left clues and evidence for the Japanese, which is why the Kagesa Agency was able to confirm that Xu Yongchang was the executor of the incident.
What clues could a corpse leave for the Japanese? Considering the shooting the pilot mentioned earlier, it's likely a gunshot wound Xu Yongchang sustained during the fighting, and…
Indeed, Xu Yongchang always carried the half banknote he used for the rendezvous. It seems that this half banknote also fell into the hands of the Kagesa Agency. Such a token could not be hidden from the Japanese.
Everything made sense. Based on the pilot Kawamoto's account, the Kagesa Agency found Xu Yongchang's body, examined the gunshot wounds on his body, and found the half banknote, thus confirming that Xu Yongchang was the person responsible for the plane crash. Only then did they order the release of the suspects. Li Zhiqun's investigation into Xu Yongchang as soon as he returned to Shanghai further proved everything.
Connecting all the clues, Ning Zhiheng became even more certain of his judgment!
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