Yuji Imai is cautious and considers things very carefully. One reason he came to Hangzhou in a hurry was to find out the cause of Kawamoto Kuraji's death, but another important reason was to check on the progress of the investigation.
It wasn't until 7 p.m. that Sakita Katsutake, the leader of the Twilight Squad, who had been notified, finished his makeup and arrived on time at a house in the Japanese concession.
Yuji Imai was extremely cautious. He still thought the Japanese consulate was too conspicuous. The Japanese concession area was very large, making it difficult for Chinese agents to monitor it. Therefore, he decided to meet Sakita Katsutake in a secluded place within the Japanese concession.
Sakita Katsutake arrived at the door and knocked on it with the agreed signal. He then went inside and met Imai Yuji.
The two sat facing each other. Imai Yuji looked at the unassuming man opposite him and asked calmly, "Sakita-kun, the reason I notified you to come here today is to ask what you reported when you met with Mr. Kawamoto three days ago?"
Sakita Katsutake glanced at Imai Yuji across from him and pondered for a long time. His communication channels were through messages, which only contained the time, place, and person. In other words, he only knew what time, what place, and who he was meeting, but nothing else. Therefore, he did not know the reason why Imai Yuji had summoned him.
He hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "The only notification I received was that I was here to meet with the special envoy from Shanghai. However, without orders from my superior, Mr. Kawamoto, I cannot discuss work-related matters with anyone. So I'm sorry, I cannot answer your question!"
Although Yuji Imai was the head of the intelligence group at the Shanghai Special Higher Police Headquarters, Katsutoshi Sakida did not know him. Moreover, since the conversation involved his superior, Kuraji Kawamoto, he decided to remain silent.
“Sakita-kun,” Yuji Imai said, his voice clearly tinged with sorrow, “I have come to inform you of some sad news. My former boss, Mr. Kawamoto Kuraji, passed away in his room late the night before last due to a sudden heart attack. I came all the way from Shanghai specifically to investigate the cause of his death and to handle his funeral arrangements.”
"What?" Sakita Katsutake was shocked to hear Imai Yuji's words; he had never expected this to be the case.
Now that his superior had suddenly died, what did the envoy want to talk to him about? Was he just asking about the contents of his intelligence report? What was the connection between this and his superior, Kawamoto Kuraji?
Sakita Katsutake was extremely uneasy. He gritted his teeth and said, "I met with Mr. Kawamoto to report to him. He had previously instructed me to investigate why the Nanjing headquarters' operation to arrest us had suddenly become so efficient."
Yuji Imai's eyes lit up, and he straightened up immediately, asking urgently, "So you already have results and have reported to Mr. Kawamoto? But why didn't Mr. Kawamoto report back to headquarters about such a big matter?"
Indeed, this matter is the most important task for the Hangzhou intelligence organization in recent times. If there are any investigation results, Kawamoto Kuraji must report to headquarters immediately and will not hide them.
Sensing Yuji Imai's doubts, Katsutake Sakita decided to tell him everything. He said softly, "Actually, the investigation is only halfway done and there is no final result yet, so Mr. Kawamoto ordered me to continue investigating this lead."
"What clue is it? Please tell me in detail, Sakita-kun," Imai Yuji pressed.
Katsutake Sakita nodded and said, "Among the members of the Twilight Group, there is a defection agent from the Hangzhou Military Intelligence Station. He learned from his superior, the head of the intelligence department, Yuan Sibo, that the Nanjing Military Intelligence Investigation Department headquarters' main operations against us in the past six months have been led by a young officer named Ning Zhiheng."
This person has a powerful background, ruthless methods, and is a very troublesome individual. Moreover, he graduated from the Chinese Military Academy, also known as the Whampoa Military Academy in Chinese military parlance, just six months ago.
Mr. Kawamoto believes this person is the key figure in this investigation. As the executor of multiple operations, he must know the real reasons behind them, so he ordered me to conduct a more detailed investigation into this person.
“Ning Zhiheng?” Imai Yuji said slowly, “According to you, he is just a very young military officer. Could he be the reason why the Chinese intelligence department has suddenly become so sharp? That doesn’t make sense.”
Katsutake Sakita nodded in agreement, adding, "Mr. Kawamoto thinks so too, because it makes no sense."
Then he looked at Yuji Imai with a hesitant gaze.
"What? Is there something you can't say?" Imai Yuji's sharp eyes immediately noticed Sakida Katsutake's hesitant expression and quickly pressed for an answer.
When Sakita Katsutake heard Imai Yuji's questioning, he finally spoke up and said, "Actually, Mr. Kawamoto suspects that there is a high-ranking Chinese spy hidden in our Shanghai Special Higher Police Headquarters."
"What did you say?" Yuji Imai's voice suddenly rose. "What exactly did Mr. Kawamoto say?"
Katsutake Sakita replied directly: "Mr. Kawamoto said that an excellent agent's courage, insight, and experience must be acquired through practice. Therefore, he believes that Ning Zhiheng is not the real threat to us, but rather that there is a mole within our organization. Moreover, this mole must be of a very high rank, otherwise it would be impossible to explain why intelligence teams that have been undercover for many years have been exposed one after another, because there is no horizontal communication between them. Mr. Kawamoto believes that Ning Zhiheng, as the person in charge, must have been in contact with this mole, or even know the mole's identity. Therefore, he ordered me to continue investigating Ning Zhiheng, or to find an opportunity to arrest him directly, force him to reveal the mole's identity, and eradicate this cancer hidden within us."
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