Both sides' agents were afraid of revealing their presence, so they deliberately kept their distance from Tan Jinhui. This created a strange phenomenon: they kept exchanging personnel to track and monitor him from a distance. By the time Tan Jinhui arrived at Jianzhen Bookstore, the agents behind him had been changed several times. Both sides were highly professional and did not notice the other's presence.
Tan Jinhui strolled into Jianzhen Bookstore. Jianzhen Bookstore was a large store, with books for sale on the first floor and a reading area on the second floor. It was a well-known bookstore in the vicinity.
By this time, there were already quite a few customers in the library, among whom Sun Jiacheng had brought several team members disguised and waiting.
Zhao Jiang and the others, who had been following Tan Jinhui, watched him enter the library and knew that someone must have been lying in ambush inside. So they stopped following him and dispersed, stopping at three intersections around the area.
At this moment, three Japanese agents followed Tan Jinhui from a distance, including Matsui Ichiro, the leader of the arrest team.
He gestured for his two assistants to stop, while he continued into Jianzhen Bookstore, glancing at Tan Jinhui's figure from time to time. After a short while, he turned and left the bookstore.
Matsui Ichiro approached Kawaguchi Ryosuke and whispered, "This place isn't suitable for making a move. Continue following him and see where he's headed next."
The three agents immediately dispersed and ceased all movement. It must be said that these members of the arrest team were all carefully selected and highly trained personnel, experts in tracking, which prevented the action team's agents from noticing them.
So at noon, Tan Jinhui went back to Hongyun Teahouse for lunch, then went home to rest. In the afternoon, he went to Jiuhua Theater to watch a play, and finally went to Ning Zhiheng's residence to rest when it got dark.
He completed the day's journey according to the route designed by Ning Zhiheng without incident.
The contest between Chinese and Japanese agents only came to an end when he entered Ning Zhiheng's residence.
In a two-story room near Ning Zhiheng's residence, a Japanese agent was observing through binoculars. After a moment, he turned to his companions and said, "We've been inside for an hour, and there's been no movement around. According to intelligence, he stays at home at night. Should we make our move here?"
Takuya Onuma, who was standing nearby, spoke up: "Team leader, I actually think that the time at the Jiuhua Theater this afternoon was an opportunity. The environment there is very suitable for taking action, but why didn't we do it?"
The arrest team consisted of eight members, four of whom were in the house at the time, one of whom was the team leader, Matsui Ichiro.
Matsui Ichiro gently rubbed his temples, somewhat suspicious of his target's performance today. He said with a puzzled look, "I just have some doubts. When I was tracking the target today, I felt as if someone was secretly following him."
His words resonated with Ryosuke Kawaguchi, who said, "I also noticed something was off. When we were watching a play at the Jiuhua Theater, Ning Zhiheng seemed a bit distracted. I didn't hear him say a word to anyone else the whole time. He was very calm. A few times when the play was going well, many people around us were cheering, but he didn't say a word. Could this be a trap?"
"Kawaguchi-kun is overthinking it. This doesn't prove anything. It's probably related to each person's personality. I never make a sound when I watch performances either." Onuma Takuya disagreed, retorting, "Besides, as a powerful figure in the military intelligence department, it's not impossible that Ning Zhiheng would have several attendants secretly protecting him when he goes out. Aren't we being too tense!"
Hearing this, Kawaguchi Ryosuke hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Didn't the intelligence officer say that Ning Zhiheng usually keeps to himself and rarely goes out? But this morning he went to the library to read books and this afternoon he went to the theater to watch a play. What was the reason for that?"
Matsui Ichiro said, "There are some problems, but intelligence investigations aren't absolute. Everyone needs some hobbies for leisure. Although Ning Zhiheng is an excellent agent, he's still just a young man in his early twenties. It's impossible for him to have no hobbies at all. Besides, I deliberately got close to him and observed him from about five meters away. I found that he didn't notice me, so he probably wasn't on guard. If I had suddenly drawn my gun at that distance, even if he had someone protecting him, he wouldn't have had time to react and I would have killed him."
“Team leader, do you mean that Ning Zhiheng and his possible entourage are not maintaining a high level of vigilance?” Takuya Onuma interjected.
"Yes, he should have someone following him, but the level of vigilance is not high enough. If I really wanted to assassinate him, they wouldn't be able to react in time. I don't think they would take Ning Zhiheng's life lightly. So I think this is just a normal precaution, not a trap for us, unless they don't care about Ning Zhiheng's life and are using him as bait."
"Besides, our operation is absolutely confidential. Only Section Chief Sagawa and Group Leader Imai know about this operation. It's impossible for Chinese agents to have foresight and set up an ambush in advance," Matsui Ichiro analyzed carefully.
At this point, he suddenly remembered something and turned to Ryosuke Kawaguchi, asking, "Kawaguchi-kun, are you sure it's Ning Zhiheng himself? After all, none of us have ever seen Ning Zhiheng in person."
Ryosuke Kawaguchi hurriedly said, "It shouldn't be wrong. The physical description matches. Hongyun Teahouse is Ning Zhiheng's regular dining place. He's been eating there for all three meals today. The waiter has always called him Commander Ning. In China, ordinary civilians call military officers Commander Ning. It can't be wrong!"
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