Ning Zhiheng mingled in the crowd and followed the crowd's example, bowing to Kuroki Yueyi and then pretending to look for books on the bookshelf.
Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Kuroki Gakuichi slowly walked back to his office on the second floor.
Ning Zhiheng looked at the staff member carefully. He remembered that Mr. Kuroki called the staff member Fukaya, and he made a mental note of it.
After a while, Ning Zhiheng did not linger for long. He put the book back on the shelf and then turned to leave Nanwu Bookstore.
After leaving the library, Ning Zhiheng gradually explored the surrounding area. By then, it was already past five o'clock in the afternoon when he finally entered the Huimin Grain Store on Songhu Street.
When the grain store owner, Rong Xingchang, saw that it was Ning Zhiheng who came in, he nodded and gestured for Ning Zhiheng to follow him into a room in the back hall and sit down.
"Wait a moment, the young master will be back soon," Rong Xingchang said. He had already received instructions from Ji Hongyi and knew that Ning Zhiming had come to see Ji Hongyi.
Ning Zhiheng nodded without saying anything. Rong Xingchang went out to inform Ji Hongyi, and after a short while, Ji Hongyi hurriedly walked in from outside.
He plopped down, poured himself a pot of iced tea, downed it in one gulp, and then asked Ning Zhiheng, "How is it? Have you settled in yet?"
“I’ve been settled,” Ning Zhiheng said, giving Ji Hongyi the address. “The landlord is Japanese, and he’s very shrewd. Don’t go looking for me there unless it’s an emergency!”
Ji Hongyi nodded and said, "I understand. I just wanted to let you know that there has been some progress today. I just went to verify the situation."
Upon hearing this, Ning Zhiheng's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "What's the progress? Tell me the situation!"
Ji Hongyi took out a photo from his pocket and said to Ning Zhiheng, "This is the man. Today, our people discovered that he appeared at Wangyue Tower with Japanese plainclothes agents. After I received the news, I went to check and it was indeed true. They booked a private room at Wangyue Tower. I was just about to tell you when you came here first."
Ning Zhiheng took the photo and saw that it was the same photo from the materials he had given to Ji Hongyi. The person in the photo was one of the four captured people, named Qi Jingwu.
They're finally showing themselves. Ning Zhiheng then asked, "Where is Wangyue Tower located?"
Ji Hongyi said, "It's near the head of the Baidu Bridge. I checked the location of their private room, and it faces the head of the Baidu Bridge. From there, you only need a pair of binoculars to see the face of every passerby clearly. They're looking for someone!"
Baidu Bridge is one of the five bridges still in operation across the Suzhou Creek. When Ning Zhiheng was surveying the terrain, he remembered that there was a two-story restaurant diagonally opposite the head of Baidu Bridge, which should be Wangyuelou.
Ning Zhiheng slammed his fist on the table and cursed coldly, "Traitor! He must have defected to the enemy! He was identifying our intelligence personnel near the checkpoint. With him around, if our people enter the Japanese-occupied territory, they'll be walking into a trap! That bastard!"
As everyone expected, the emergence of traitors was inevitable, which was precisely the biggest headache for the Shanghai Military Intelligence Station. These traitors were all too familiar with the personnel of the Shanghai Military Intelligence Station.
Ning Zhiheng spoke again, saying, "Six days have passed since the failed rescue operation. The interrogation and torture should be over. Those who did not betray us should have been killed, while the cowardly traitors should be monitoring and identifying our agents near the various entrance checkpoints."
At this point, Ning Zhiheng thought for a moment and said again, "You need to focus on searching near the checkpoints at the entrances and exits of each Japanese-occupied area to see how many people show up. We need to determine how many people have defected before we can formulate an action plan."
Ji Hongyi nodded and said, "Don't worry, I will arrange for my men. There are only seven checkpoints in total, and we can get through them quickly."
At this moment, he frowned again, glanced at Ning Zhiheng, and said again, "But Zhiheng, let me remind you, with so many targets to eliminate, the operation will be too difficult. If you eliminate just one, the entire Japanese-occupied territory will be searched like a hornet's nest has been stirred up. The other targets will definitely not be able to hide, and it will be even more difficult for us to find them!"
Ning Zhiheng frowned and said helplessly, "I've thought of that too. So we must find out the whereabouts and locations of all the targets we've eliminated, then formulate a foolproof plan, and strike with absolute certainty. We only have one chance, and this is indeed too difficult!"
Despite having been mentally prepared, Ning Zhiheng was still somewhat worried about the difficulty of the assassination mission.
Ning Zhiheng continued, "Forget about that for now. There's always a way. Let's find out where these people are and where they are. Also, you need to investigate something else."
"What's up?"
"I need to find a female entertainer named Wen Qiyu. She was specially invited back from Beiping by the Japanese to lure Yu Li as bait. I'm wondering if she still has contact with Yu Li. I must find her whereabouts. Following this line might lead me to Yu Li's hiding place."
"There are three large theaters in the Japanese-occupied area, especially the Mengyuan Theater, which is where Wen Qiyu registered her business. I am currently a Japanese citizen, so it's inconvenient for me to investigate myself. I'll leave it to you," Ning Zhiheng said.
Ji Hongyi nodded in agreement, saying, "This matter is easy to investigate. I will give you an answer soon. Not to mention the Japanese-occupied areas, even in all the major theaters in Shanghai, it would be easy for our Green Gang to find a female actor."
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