Ning Zhiheng had long had such an idea, but it was not simple to put into practice. It required many conditions. Simply finding someone to be a scapegoat would only make Li Zhiqun more vigilant if it revealed something. Therefore, Muyu's close cooperation was needed so that he could select the most suitable target based on the actual situation.
His orders were quickly relayed to Luo Xingchao. The next day, the news came back that the person Luo Xingchao had chosen was none other than Hu Yunhe, the director of the Second Division of the Special Agent Headquarters. At the same time, a personnel file was also submitted, which introduced Hu Yunhe in detail.
Ning Zhiheng immediately ordered that Hu Yunhe be closely monitored to ascertain his movements and patterns in order to carry out the next step.
Two days later, on a street in the eastern part of the city, Luo Xingchao and Cui Yuanfeng, dressed in different clothes, arrived at the entrance of an alley and stepped inside.
This is a typical five-bay lane house in the Shanghai Shikumen style. Upon entering, there is a long courtyard with side rooms on both sides. Directly opposite is the living room with floor-to-ceiling windows. Behind the living room is a wooden staircase leading to the second floor. The entire residence has entrances at the front and back, connecting with the adjacent lanes to form a complex network of passageways. Being in it gives one a feeling of being in a secluded courtyard with high walls, a quiet oasis amidst the hustle and bustle.
Luo Xingchao and Cui Yuanfeng surveyed the terrain and houses around them, nodding to themselves. The terrain here was crisscrossed with passageways, making it a good place to set up a hiding spot. They could evacuate at any moment if there was any movement.
As they walked, Cui Yuanfeng whispered to Luo Xingchao, "The rooftops around here are all platforms. Once we evacuate through the outer windows and get onto the roof, we can enter the alleyways next to it every few steps. There are many branching paths inside, and the network of alleyways is like a spider web. Even non-locals can get lost. If we want to control the people inside, we need to deploy a large number of people."
Luo Xingchao nodded in satisfaction. According to the idea proposed by his superior, the whole plan would be as follows: During the investigation of the Shanghai Station, Luo Xingchao found a contact point of the Shanghai Station's intelligence personnel. In the process of setting up surveillance, he accidentally discovered that Hu Yunhe, the director of the Second Division, was there. He then took a photo as evidence. When Luo Xingchao made the arrest, the person had already escaped, and the identity of the leaker could naturally be pointed to Hu Yunhe.
The plan was simple yet effective and not difficult to implement. These so-called Shanghai station personnel could be disguised by Shanghai intelligence officers who had been hiding in the concession. All that was needed was to find some excuses to lure Hu Yunhe here, take a few photos as evidence, and then, when it came time to make the arrest, let the personnel go and evacuate. At that point, Hu Yunhe would be unable to explain himself, and given Li Zhiqun's suspicious and distrustful nature, Hu Yunhe would definitely not be able to escape.
Next came the severe interrogation. Once a person entered interrogation room number 76, Luo Xingchao, as the presiding officer, would conduct the interrogation. Given Hu Yunhe's character, it was impossible for him not to talk, whether the information was true or false.
Of course, some minor processing and meticulous handling are required during this process. This will be handled by other personnel in the intelligence department. Luo Xingchao only needs to coordinate in terms of timing, and there will be no major problems.
Just as Luo Xingchao and his group were making preparations, a middle-aged man was walking briskly on the street less than two blocks away from them.
It was mid-February 1940. Although winter in Shanghai wasn't too cold, it was still damp and chilly. Yet, the man was wearing a thin long gown, with several books tucked under his arm and a stack of Chinese medicine packets in his other hand.
He was walking hurriedly, his face full of anxiety. Just as he was about to turn the corner, he suddenly remembered something, touched his pocket with one hand, shook his head helplessly, looked around, and then walked towards a department store.
Just as he was about to reach them, several customers came out of the shop, and the shopkeeper was loudly seeing them off: "Take care, everyone, come again next time..."
The middle-aged man paused abruptly, then turned to the side and walked past the department store without stopping. He walked quite a distance before turning the corner and leaning against the wall. His expression relaxed, though his heart was pounding with tension and cold sweat was beading on his forehead. He glanced around out of the corner of his eye before continuing his journey home.
His home was in a nearby alley. After walking through the narrow lane and through a small doorway, he arrived at his door and pushed it open.
"Shi Nian, is that you back?" A woman's voice came from the inner bedroom.
"Oh, you're back. I finished class early and just went to Chenghetang to get you some medicine!" The middle-aged man's voice softened and his tone became gentle as he stepped into the bedroom.
This man was Feng Shinian, a former intelligence agent of the Shanghai station of the Military Intelligence Bureau. After being betrayed by Wang Hanmin and captured by the No. 76 Special Agent Headquarters, he and three other intelligence agents were forced to surrender to the enemy due to torture and became members of the First Division of the Special Agent Headquarters.
However, Director Luo Xingchao ignored them completely, dismissing them with a single sentence and leaving them to fend for themselves.
This approach left Feng Shinian somewhat bewildered, unsure of Luo Xingchao's true intentions.
But one thing is certain: they have become traitors to the Military Intelligence Bureau, and according to the Bureau's internal rules, they will definitely be purged.
If they were hiding in the headquarters of Agent 76, they might still have a chance to survive. But if they were isolated outside and the assassination squad came looking for them, it would definitely be a dead end.
So as soon as Feng Shinian returned home, he quickly moved to a residence in the eastern part of the city to hide. This was the area most strictly controlled by the Japanese, and the Kuomintang agents generally did not operate here.
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