After hearing these words, Yuji Imai remained silent for a long time. In fact, he had considered this aspect beforehand. As an excellent agent, he was suspicious of any possible factors.
The fact that each intelligence group in Nanjing had no contact with each other, yet suddenly they were all arrested and captured within a short period of six months, can only be explained by one thing: the Chinese intelligence agencies found an effective means or method to deal with Japanese spies, and one of the most likely explanations is that something went wrong at the headquarters of the Special Higher Police.
However, the idea flashed through my mind and was immediately dismissed, because for a long time, Chinese agents had not been able to steal intelligence from Japanese intelligence agencies, since they were both Japanese and therefore more reliable.
Because China's intelligence agencies started late, they lacked the time and capability to infiltrate the core intelligence departments of the Japanese, which led to the Japanese intelligence agencies placing a great deal of trust in their own agents.
Especially at the Special Higher Police Headquarters, where senior agents possess top-secret information, these are all seasoned veterans with extensive experience and proven track records, so in theory there shouldn't be any problems.
Therefore, although the two section chiefs of the Shanghai Special High School Headquarters and Yuji Imai had considered this possibility, they all rejected it in the end and did not look for problems from within. Now that Kuraji Kawamoto has brought up this conjecture again, Yuji Imai has no choice but to take it seriously.
Yes! There's an old Chinese saying, nothing in this world is absolute! Perhaps it was my oversight, and my long-standing habitual thinking has affected me. It seems I must report this matter to the section chief and start an internal investigation. At the very least, I must rule out this possibility and not be careless.
Thinking of this, he said in a deep voice to Sakita Katsutake, "That possibility exists. Chinese agents have rapidly improved their professional skills and are now formidable adversaries. Perhaps they really are capable of finding loopholes within our ranks. However, this is only a possibility. By the way, have you made any progress in your investigation these past few days?"
Sakita Katsutake couldn't help but smile wryly, "The time was too short, and I still didn't get enough information. However, our insider found out some news, and I don't know if it's related to our investigation."
"What news?"
“One afternoon about two weeks ago, all the high-ranking officers of the Hangzhou Military Intelligence Station went to the Hangzhou train station to welcome a big shot. However, because the accompanying guards were all members of the Hangzhou Intelligence Station’s action team, and my informant Crocodile was an officer in the intelligence department, the two rarely interacted due to their different factions. In addition, the head of the intelligence department, Yuan Sibao, was imprisoned because he lost an internal factional struggle. Therefore, Crocodile had not been able to find out who this big shot was,” Sakita Katsutake continued.
This insider, Crocodile, was still too low in rank and had too little access to classified information. In addition, Ning Zhiheng's operations in Hangzhou were kept strictly confidential, and he only contacted Station Chief Liu Tongfang and Operations Captain Quan Yulong. That's why the Japanese didn't notice him.
"A big shot? This news is very important. You need to continue to follow up on the investigation. If you don't have a way, you have to find one. In China, as long as you have money, you can always find a way. I will give you this funding through special approval." Yuji Imai waved his hand decisively. He didn't care how much money it cost; all he wanted was the result.
"As for Ning Zhiheng, I will report to the head of the department and mobilize all resources to investigate him. We must track his whereabouts and seize the opportunity to arrest him."
"Well done, Sakita-kun! Having a goal is good; it's much better than the blind men and the elephant, completely clueless. I believe we'll find the truth soon!"
This meeting between the two was a great treasure to Yuji Imai. He now had to report to his section chief, Taro Sagawa, as soon as possible and explain the situation clearly. The problem that had been troubling the Special Higher Police for so long was about to be resolved.
After parting ways with Sakita Katsutake, Imai Yuji immediately returned to the Japanese consulate and used the highest-level telecommunications channel to call Sagawa Taro and report the results of the investigation.
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