The remaining group consisted mostly of former agents from the Shanghai station of the Military Intelligence Bureau who had surrendered. They were never close to Wen Hao to begin with, and now they were completely ignored. After being deliberately recruited by Luo Xingchao, they formed their own group, with Luo Xingchao at the head. They wavered between the two factions. Fortunately, Luo Xingchao's identity as an informant for the Shadow Agency made both sides wary of him; otherwise, he would have been relegated to a branch office as a gatekeeper long ago.
Qingqing Zhengliang couldn't help but sneer, "You Chinese people love to fight amongst yourselves. This small intelligence headquarters has just started to grow, and it's already in such a mess. But as it stands, Li Zhiqun is very capable. Only if he takes control of the intelligence headquarters can we effectively curb the arrogance of Chinese intelligence agents. So you should try to maintain a good relationship with Li Zhiqun. As for Ding Mo, General Yingzuo will make arrangements for him."
Haruki Masayoshi's meaning was very clear: the Shadow Agency would fully support Li Zhiqun's rise to power. Although the No. 76 Special Agent Headquarters was now under the jurisdiction of the Wang Jingwei regime, even the Wang Jingwei regime had to obey the Shadow Agency's arrangements. After all, they still needed the power of the Japanese to form a government, so the Shadow Agency's opinion was the most important.
Luo Xingchao spread his hands and said with a wry smile, "I do want to get along well with Deputy Director Li, but he ignores me. I have reported to him several times, but he has dismissed me with just a few words. Now everyone is wary of me and avoids me in any way."
Take this major operation, for example. The news was kept extremely secret. I only found out after they brought the people back. Colonel, they did this on purpose! What are their intentions? Even you, Colonel, don't believe them! I'm just a figurehead now; it's difficult for me to track their movements or know anything important.”
Luo Xingchao's identity as a secret agent helped him gain a foothold in the No. 76 Special Agent Headquarters, but it also made others wary.
Haruki Masayoshi also shook his head helplessly. Before Tsuchihara Keiji left, he had a falling out with Kagesa Yuuki, so he did not hand over the few hidden agents he had planted in the Special Agent Headquarters to Kagesa Yuuki. Instead, Luo Xingchao, the exposed agent, became the only pawn.
Qing Qingzhengliang said irritably, "Alright, I'll take care of this. If Li Zhiqun is a smart man, he should know what to do!"
Luo Xingchao quickly nodded and bowed in agreement, and soon after left Qingqing Zhengliang's office and departed from the Yingzuo Agency.
Back at the intelligence headquarters, sitting in his office, Luo Xingchao was extremely agitated. In recent days, he had watched his comrades repeat his mistakes one by one, either falling to enemy guns, being dragged into prison, tortured to the point of near death, or finally surrendering to the enemy.
But he could do nothing and could only watch helplessly. This feeling of helplessness made Luo Xingchao feel terrible.
The Shanghai station suffered heavy losses this time, and Luo Xingchao felt extremely guilty because he had no way of knowing anything about it beforehand.
At this moment, his confidant Cui Yuanfeng knocked on the door and entered, reporting, "Section Chief, Wu Shicai is using this operation to arrest people everywhere, mostly wealthy businessmen. They all say he's a Chongqing sympathizer, and he's busy extorting money from them!"
Previously, Wu Shicai's guards had taken action one after another, arresting and killing many Shanghai station agents. Luo Xingchao had not received any advance notice. Now he was focusing his attention on Wu Shicai in order to detect any abnormalities in time, so he had Cui Yuanfeng keep a close eye on Wu Shicai's every move.
"Are these merchants connected to the Fujiwara Company?" Luo Xingchao asked.
"No, Wu Shicai isn't stupid. He doesn't want to die. These merchants were handpicked. This guy is really ruthless. He directly demands half of their wealth, threatening to kill them if they don't give it to him. He's insane! And the Japanese just let them do what they want?"
In Shanghai now, being able to establish a connection with the Fujiwara Company is like having an extra talisman; those thugs from the Special Agent Headquarters wouldn't dare to come knocking on our door.
Luo Xingchao spat dismissively and cursed, "They're all no good. Don't worry about these things. Focus on intelligence. Tell Qin San and the others to keep a close eye out. If there's a major operation, report it immediately. What's the use of waiting until they've finished before offering advice?"
Qin San and the others were Luo Xingchao's subordinates from the Green Gang during his time in the Special Investigation Department. They are now also working in the Action Brigade and are Luo Xingchao's informants.
Cui Yuanfeng nodded and accepted the order, saying, "Understood. However, the Sixth Congress is about to convene. Don't be fooled by the heavy losses suffered at the Shanghai station. They have plenty of personnel to replenish their ranks. This battle is far from over, and things won't be peaceful for a while. I will keep a close eye on Wu Shicai!"
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