The two found a secluded corner, and Takasugi Hitoshi lowered his voice and asked urgently, "What exactly happened? Someone is following and monitoring me, but I don't know when it started, or who it is?"
“It’s the Special Higher Police, don’t worry, it’ll be over in the next day or two.” Lu Chengfeng replied in a low voice, glancing around before quickly telling Takasugi Hitoshi what he knew.
Takasugi Hitoshi was taken aback upon hearing this. He had previously thought that his intelligence activities in Nanjing had aroused the suspicion of the Japanese intelligence agencies, but he did not expect that the problem actually originated in Japan.
He couldn't help but ask in bewilderment, "Agents from the Special Higher Police in Japan? This is too unexpected. I haven't been involved in intelligence work in Japan, so I shouldn't have been discovered by the Special Higher Police. Besides, I've been abroad for three years now, and they've actually tracked me down from Japan?"
Takasugi Jinki's identity within the Japanese Red Organization is also a secret; unless you are a high-ranking member of the group, no one knows his exact identity.
In China, he was a key member of the eight-person group of the Nanjing underground party organization's covert operations. He was fully aware of the Nanjing underground party organization's intelligence capabilities. The underground party might have discovered that someone was monitoring them, but it was absolutely impossible for them to know clearly that there was a problem with the domestic organization. This must have been due to a notification from the Japanese side.
He quickly asked, "Was it a problem with the team in Japan that then notified the organization? What were the losses?"
Lu Chengfeng shook his head and said, "It wasn't the Japanese side that passed on the message. It was our comrades in Shanghai who discovered the problem and then notified Kuquan."
So Lü Chengfeng briefly recounted the origin of the intelligence, and finally said, "That's how it happened. Shadow got the news and suddenly contacted Bitter Spring. To be on the safe side, Bitter Spring canceled the meeting an hour before you were supposed to report. Later, they also discovered that someone was indeed following you, so they asked me to inform you of all the details."
"Shadow? Where did this person come from? How come he was able to find the Bitter Spring directly? I've never heard of this person before!" Takasugi Jinki asked in surprise.
“Shadow is an old comrade who was active in Nanjing before the war. After Nanjing fell, he left Nanjing and is now working under the leadership of the Shanghai authorities. It was he who discovered the Nanjing Special Higher Police’s activities in time. Time was of the essence, so he risked his life to inform Kuquan. Otherwise, Kuquan and Panshi would have been exposed yesterday. It was too dangerous!” Lu Chengfeng couldn’t help but feel a little scared. “We have confirmed his identity with the Shanghai authorities and will have news soon. However, we all believe that his identity is correct.”
Takasugi Hitoshi slowly nodded. It turned out that the information about the shadow was true and that he could directly find the Bitter Spring. There was no problem with the identity of such a person.
"By the way, Bitter Spring asked me to ask you whether we need to evacuate from our posts? What's the plan for the intelligence team you're in charge of?"
Takasugi Hitoshi also controlled an important intelligence force, which was newly formed and consisted entirely of underground party members fluent in Japanese. This force had just been deployed to various departments in Nanjing, and if it were to withdraw now, all previous efforts would be in vain.
"We cannot evacuate!" Takasugi Hitoshi said decisively. What he feared most was that the higher-ups of the United News Agency would monitor him, making it difficult for him to escape. Now that he understood the whole story—that it was a problem with the Special Higher Police—there was a chance for things to turn around.
Takasugi Hitoshi was well aware of the complex relationships between Japan's various intelligence agencies in China. There was no subordinate relationship between them. Although the Special Higher Police had a high level of authority, it did not have the right to directly intervene in the investigation of intelligence personnel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This was one of the reasons why the other party could only monitor him secretly. Of course, if the other party had confirmed his identity and intended to pursue the matter to the end, there were still ways to deal with him.
As long as the arrest is carried out covertly, and someone confesses first, confirming their identity as a communist, then arresting communists is simply the Special Higher Police's job. With this as an explanation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will have no choice but to grit its teeth and admit it.
However, the Special Higher Police have not arrested him yet, which must be because they are worried about the reaction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is his only chance, and he still has time to save himself.
Takasugi Jinki was confident about this, for a simple reason: the main reason he was able to become the chief reporter of the United Daily News was because he and the president of the United Daily News, Ihara Taichi, were close friends. The two were classmates at the East Asia Dobun Academy in their youth, with Ihara Taichi being his senior. Later, after Ihara Taichi took on an important position, he specially transferred Takasugi Jinki from Japan to work in China, regarding him as a confidant. It can be said that Ihara Taichi trusted Takasugi Jinki immensely.
Since the Special Higher Police haven't taken direct action to make arrests, it means they don't have conclusive evidence. Under these circumstances, Takasugi Hitoshi decided to seek help from Ihara Taichi. Based on their long-standing friendship and by exploiting the discord between the intelligence agencies, they have a good chance of escaping this crisis.
Seeing that Takasugi Hitoshi had resolutely rejected his proposal, Lü Chengfeng asked with some concern, "I'm worried that the Special Higher Police will take action against you. Kuzumi's idea is that if we're not confident, we should evacuate as soon as possible and not make unnecessary sacrifices."
Takasugi Hitoshi shook his head and said, "Things haven't gotten to the point yet, so it's too early to evacuate. I will try to save myself through various connections, but this time the future is uncertain. Even if I manage to escape this calamity, I'm afraid I'll fall into the sights of those with ulterior motives. It's not suitable for me to continue intelligence activities, so I must go into hiding."
From now on, all my contact with the organization is severed. The intelligence network I just established will also be handed over to you for leadership. Besides me, Kuquan also knows the specific personnel information. Go and hand over the reins to Kuquan.
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