Ning Zhiheng gently patted Liu Tongfang on the shoulder, signaling him not to be nervous. He smiled and said, "Brother Tongfang, we're brothers, so I'll naturally take responsibility for you if anything happens. We can't hide the situation from these three people, since I need to submit the negatives of this intelligence for filing. However, I can speak to the Chief on your behalf, emphasizing your crucial role in this operation. I'm not boasting, but I do have influence with the Chief. Given this significant achievement, the Chief won't make things too difficult for you."
Afterwards, our Military Intelligence Investigation Department will definitely take major action against Japanese intelligence organizations in the Hangzhou area. As the military commander of the Hangzhou Military Intelligence Station, you will directly carry out this mission. At that time, you will capture all the Japanese spies in one fell swoop, redeem yourself, and perhaps even have a new opportunity!
Ning Zhiheng's words were indeed reasonable. If his plan was implemented, Liu Tongfang would at most escape danger this time, and if he was lucky, he might even benefit from it.
Upon hearing Ning Zhiheng's words, Liu Tongfang felt a sense of relief and said with lingering fear, "Zhiheng, thank goodness you're here, otherwise we would have had a hard time getting through this. What do you think we should do next? Should we immediately take action against the people on this list? I'll arrange manpower right away, and we can arrest them all tonight."
Ning Zhiheng waved his hand and said, "No, absolutely not. We just assassinated Kawamoto Kuraji, and now we're immediately targeting the Japanese spy organization. Wouldn't that be blatantly telling the Japanese that we were responsible for Kawamoto Kuraji's death? That goes against the original intention of the Director's handling of the mission. I need to rush back to Nanjing to personally consult with the Director about the next steps."
Upon hearing this, Liu Tongfang realized he had been too hasty and quickly said, "Then I will immediately arrange for people to monitor the spies on the list and wait for your news before taking action."
“No,” Ning Zhiheng waved his hand decisively in rejection. “Don’t move anything. It’s better to stay still than to move. How many people would you need to monitor thirty-three spy members? Would that be a small commotion? Not to mention, you have three moles under your command. I dare say that as soon as you make a move, the Japanese will immediately notice. Do as I say, and everything will be as usual. Don’t even disturb those three moles. We’ll make all the decisions after I return from Nanjing.”
"Yes, yes, I didn't think it through!" Liu Tongfang nodded repeatedly. He knew that in terms of business ability, he was far inferior to Ning Zhiheng, and his considerations were not as thorough as Ning Zhiheng's.
“During this period, the only thing you and Quan Yulong need to do is to keep things confidential. Any team members who participated in the assassination of Kawamoto Kuraji must be given a gag order. I know they are all Quan Yulong’s subordinates. Tell him to keep his men in check and not ruin the big plan. Also, there’s Yi Hua’an. Right now, only the three of us know about this spy list. You and I are fine, but we can’t completely trust Yi Hua’an. I need to keep him by my side and keep a close watch on him.”
Liu Tongfang nodded in agreement and said, "Everything will be done according to your instructions. When do you plan to return to Nanjing to report back?"
"The sooner the better. Go buy the fastest train tickets back to Nanjing right now. I'll take everyone back to Nanjing tonight," Ning Zhiheng said.
"Okay, I'll take care of it right away!" Liu Tongfang nodded and turned to leave quickly.
Ning Zhiheng summoned all his men and ordered them to pack their belongings and prepare to return to Nanjing.
That evening, Ning Zhiheng, along with Yi Huaan and his men, boarded a train back to Nanjing.
Nothing happened that night, and the next morning, Ning Zhiheng rushed back to Nanjing.
When he returned to the Military Intelligence Investigation Department with his group, it caused a sensation among all the personnel in the Action Section. Wei Liangbi was the first to come out to greet him.
"Zhiheng, you're finally back. Did everything go smoothly on your return to Hangzhou?" Wei Liangbi stepped forward, grabbed Ning Zhiheng's hand, and asked repeatedly.
Ning Zhiheng said with a smile, "Everything went smoothly. My family has all been seen off, and I can finally put my mind at ease. By the way, senior brother, when I left, Gu Wenshi already asked me how the case was progressing while I was away from Nanjing."
Ning Zhiheng had been keeping this matter on his mind in Hangzhou. He estimated that if he was lucky, the Military Intelligence Investigation Department would be able to uncover at least one or two Japanese intelligence groups. Now, half a month had passed, and he didn't know what the real situation was.
Wei Liangbi nodded and said, "We did make some progress. All the spies that Gu Wenshi confessed to being turned were captured. Based on their confessions, our action section and intelligence section joined forces and followed the trail to arrest the leader of a spy group called the Valley Spy Group. We captured all six members of the group in one fell swoop. However, there was a slight mishap during the arrest. We only managed to seize a radio, and the codebook for the radio was destroyed beforehand. But the subsequent operations did not go very smoothly. No matter how many baits we threw out, the enemy would not take the bait anymore. All the Japanese spies seemed to have suddenly stopped their activities and entered a state of hibernation."
This was roughly the same result Ning Zhiheng had guessed. However, the Japanese spy organization's influence in Nanjing had now been basically eliminated, and the few remaining Japanese spies had been forced into a state of hibernation, ceasing their espionage activities.
"So, does this mean that Gu Zhengqi from the intelligence department has escaped unscathed?" Ning Zhiheng then asked.
Wei Liangbi nodded and said, "He was lucky this time. He personally dug out the Valley Intelligence Group. The Chief didn't really want to punish him; he just wanted to give him a warning. He used this as an excuse to let him off the hook. In the end, he redeemed himself and got through this safely."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
