The return voyage to Shanghai went smoothly. The next day, the passenger ship entered the Wusongkou Customs and continued to the concession wharf. Ning Zhiheng and others disembarked, where Huo Yueze was already waiting to greet them. After making arrangements, Ning Zhiheng entered the Tan Mansion.
All of Ning Zhiheng's subordinates were waiting there. Although the trip to Hong Kong was only nine days long, Zuo Rou, Huo Yueze, and others who stayed in Shanghai were constantly worried about Ning Zhiheng's safety. After all, this operation was too big. Facing the surging forces and the complex intelligence battlefield, this operation was like pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth. Ning Zhiheng personally took the risk, which made everyone nervous. Only when Ning Zhiheng entered the Tan Mansion did everyone feel at ease.
After everyone had a meal together, Ning Zhiheng called Huo Yueze to his study to make further work arrangements.
"This trip to Hong Kong went very smoothly. I brought back both sets of drawings, but I can't hand them over to headquarters right away. I'll wait a week before informing headquarters and having Zuo Qiang take them back to Chongqing."
After saying that, he handed two microfilm rolls to Huo Yueze and then instructed, "The telegram says that you personally purchased them from the intelligence market, and the seller was an Englishman."
Although Huo Yueze didn't quite understand Ning Zhiheng's meaning, he had clearly explained before that the operation to find the blueprints in Hong Kong was top secret and no one was allowed to leak it. Moreover, all participants had been given a gag order, and even though he was the head of the intelligence department, he was not allowed to ask for details.
He immediately nodded and accepted the order, saying, "Understood. Send it back to headquarters in a week."
Ning Zhiheng did this, of course, to conceal the origin of the blueprints. First of all, these two blueprints, as bargaining chips, would eventually be handed over to the British, so he absolutely could not give the British any grounds for complaint. If they knew that he had intercepted the blueprints from British agents, then the bargaining chip would be meaningless, and it would be troublesome for the British to investigate. Therefore, he could only push it onto the intelligence market, saying that he had bought it with real money and then gave it to the British. They would have to be grateful for this favor!
Secondly, a copy of the blueprints should also be sent to the Party organization. In case the news leaks out and the headquarters finds out that other copies have been leaked, he can blame everything on the intelligence market or even on Scott. After all, only he knows the truth about Scott's death, and no one can verify where Scott went after his disappearance. Even if Scott sold the blueprints and film to the Soviets, there is no way to verify it, and there is no conclusive evidence pointing to him.
At this point, he was actually glad he had made that decision. As soon as he got the blueprints and film, he silenced Scott. Looking back now, it had many benefits, and he hadn't wronged the mole at all.
After explaining everything, he asked, "By the way, during my absence, have any major changes occurred in Shanghai?"
"Everything is fine, nothing serious," Huo Yueze replied, then suddenly seemed to remember something, "Oh, right, something happened in the city two days ago."
"What is it?"
"It's not a major incident, just that Chen Jinbao, the leader of the Green Gang, was assassinated. It's probably done by the Shanghai station."
"This old woman?" Ning Zhiheng was taken aback. He knew who Chen Jinbao was. She was the wife of the notorious traitor Li Yunqing, and also the teacher's wife of Li Zhiqun and Wu Shicai. Since Li Yunqing was assassinated by him, this old woman had become the current leader of the Shanghai Green Gang. She was an important figure in Shanghai. He never expected that the Shanghai station would target her.
Ning Zhiheng frowned and asked, "Is the Shanghai station so active now? Why would they target Chen Jinbao?"
Huo Yueze quickly explained, "They have indeed been quite active lately. Just three days ago, the Shanghai Railway Bureau launched two assassination attempts in the International Settlement, targeting Shanghai government officials who had entered the Settlement. Then, the very next day, Chen Jinbao was assassinated in the city."
"What was the Green Gang's reaction?"
Huo Yueze replied, "This time the commotion is quite significant. Li Zhiqun and Wu Shicai are extremely anxious. All personnel from No. 76 have been mobilized, causing chaos in the city. They even threatened to enter the concession to arrest the criminals. Currently, relations between them and the concession are becoming tense again."
Ning Zhiheng, however, sensed something unusual. The situation in Shanghai was relatively stable at the moment. Although the intelligence capabilities of the Shanghai station had always been poor, its operational capabilities remained. Station Chief Chen Hongchi was also a skilled operator, so it was not surprising that they frequently assassinated officials of the puppet government and businessmen who colluded with them.
However, ever since they were almost caught by No. 76 last time, and were only able to escape thanks to the warning from the intelligence department, they have become much more cautious in their actions. In the past few months, they have been operating almost entirely within the concession. Although they have assassinated some targets, they have not yet entered the city to carry out any more assassinations.
But why this time? Could it be that this old woman, Chen Jinbao, has done something to threaten the Shanghai station?
Ning Zhiheng keenly sensed that something was amiss, but he decided to put the matter aside for now and investigate it after returning to the city.
He is always meticulous and conscientious in his work, never overlooking any suspicious details. Sometimes, even the slightest clue can lead to important people and events, so he can never be careless.
The next day, Ning Zhiheng rushed back to the city and returned to the Fujiwara Company. He immediately called Yi Hua'an over and asked him about Chen Jinbao's assassination attempt.
Upon hearing this, Yi Hua'an quickly explained, "This matter is indeed strange. According to Mu Yu's report, the assassination was very successful and carried out swiftly. The assassin took advantage of Chen Jinbao's time in the theater. By the time they discovered it, she and her bodyguards were already dead in the box. They didn't even have time to resist or cry for help. They were only discovered later when the waiter brought fruit. However, Mu Yu believes that this assassination was not carried out by the Shanghai station. He suspects that Li Zhiqun was behind it."
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