Ning Zhiheng was certainly not satisfied with Dai Anhe's introduction. His intuition told him that figuring out the true situation of these "opiums" was the key to finding the Japanese spy organization.
Ning Zhiheng stared coldly at Dai Anhe, trying to discern the truth from his reaction, but ultimately found nothing unusual.
"It seems you still have a glimmer of hope. I never show mercy to stubborn elements."
Ning Zhiheng was unwilling to say anything more and waved his hand to signal the interrogators to stop. They did not dare to delay and stepped forward again to subject Dai Anhe to severe torture. The room was once again filled with the smell of blood, and Dai Anhe's pitiful pleas could be heard.
Despite Ning Zhiheng's repeated pressure, and despite Dai Anhe being tortured into unconsciousness several times, Dai Anhe still insisted that he did not know what opium was. Seeing Dai Anhe, who had lost consciousness and was covered in blood, Ning Zhiheng finally ended the interrogation. It seemed that he had gained nothing from Dai Anhe.
Next, Ning Zhiheng spent two hours re-interrogating the main members of the Xinfeng Group. The screams in the interrogation room were incessant until he was about to lose his patience, when this time a turning point finally appeared.
Zhang Xingya's subordinate, Lou Shaoguang, the owner of the silk shop, finally succumbed to torture after being subjected to further brutality and revealed a new detail.
"What was transported was indeed opium, but it was very different from the ordinary opium on the market," Lou Shaoguang said in a low, hoarse voice.
As expected, he had found something. Ning Zhiheng's spirits lifted, and he straightened up immediately, asking in a deep voice, "How did you know?"
Lou Shaoguang replied weakly, "I was in charge of every opium distribution. I only knew that these wooden boxes contained opium, but I never opened them."
After delivering it a few times, I became very curious. There are so many opium dens in the area, why would they need to transport this opium from so far away? I suspected that there was something wrong with the opium.
Actually, I'm a heavy smoker, but I usually only smoke a few puffs at home, so no one knows.
Finally, unable to resist my curiosity, two months ago, after unloading the wooden crate at the delivery point, I finally opened it and took a look. Inside were dark red, rectangular, paste-like substances that smelled like opium, quite different from ordinary opium. So I took a piece, put the packaging back as it was, and left the delivery point.
"You stole one, did you use it? Where is it now?" Ning Zhiheng quickly pressed for answers.
Lou Shaoguang's eyes flashed with a strange light as he carefully recalled, "After I got home, I tried smoking some, and it was indeed opium."
"Is that really the case?"
Upon hearing this, Ning Zhiheng realized that the matter was indeed as he had suspected. He had previously judged that these opium smuggled materials were not simple, and now Lou Shaoguang's words finally confirmed his suspicions.
"You smoked all that red opium? Is there none left?" Ning Zhiheng pressed, needing to find out exactly what kind of new drug it was.
Lou Shaoguang saw Ning Zhiheng staring intently at him and knew that if his answer didn't satisfy the other party, he might not be able to get past this hurdle. He nodded and replied, "I only smoked for a week before I couldn't control my craving. On the 5th of last month, when I delivered cigarettes again, I couldn't resist the craving and smoked two more. I've been saving little by little and I still have some left."
Where are you now?
"It was hidden in the closet in my house, wrapped in a piece of black oilcloth."
Ning Zhiheng immediately ended the interrogation, strode out of the interrogation room, and ordered Zhao Jiang, "Go and call Leng Qing here."
Zhao Jiang quickly left and soon brought over Leng Qing, the action team leader he had taken over.
Ning Zhiheng asked, "When you arrested Lou Shaoguang and searched his home, did you see an item wrapped in black oilcloth in the closet?"
Leng Qing thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "There was such a piece of oilcloth. The stuff inside was soft and looked like a plaster. It smelled a bit like soapberry and looked a bit like opium. I thought it was something to eat, so I didn't pay any attention to it."
The team members searched the target's house, mainly looking for weapons, radios, and valuables, paying little attention to these miscellaneous items.
"Go right now and bring this tarpaulin back!"
"yes!"
Leng Qing was startled. The director had just come out of the interrogation room and was already questioning about this item. It was obviously a very important item, but she had neglected it during the search. Seeing that Ning Zhiheng did not seem to blame her, she felt a little relieved and immediately accepted the order to leave.
Just then, Shao Wenguang rushed back and reported the preliminary findings of the investigation to Ning Zhiheng.
"Chief, I investigated No. 46 Zouma Street. It is an independent courtyard in a relatively remote location. I checked with the municipal government and the owner's name is Chai Ren. However, after inquiring with the surrounding neighbors, several of them said that they had never seen this person before. The courtyard has always been vacant. I have set up surveillance points, but I estimate that he will not show up unless there is a delivery mission."
"Chai Ren?"
Ning Zhiheng thought about it and concluded that this person was so careful and discreet that he must be a member of the Japanese intelligence organization. Shao Wenguang was right; unless the Wuhan headquarters gave a notice, the Japanese spy team would not easily show up.
“Now we have discovered new information. I have re-interrogated the members of the Xinfeng Group. Their deliveryman, Lou Shaoguang, confessed that the opium was indeed not ordinary opium. Its quality far exceeded that of ordinary opium, and it should be a new type of drug.”
As for whether it's the 'Da Tu' and 'Yinan Tu' you mentioned, I'm not sure either. But luckily we have samples. Once Leng Qing brings the samples back, you can have an expert take a look."
Upon hearing this, Shao Wenguang hurriedly said, "This means that our previous judgment was correct. The Japanese were not transporting this special opium for profit; they were likely developing and controlling new spies."
“You’re right!” Ning Zhiheng slammed his hand on the table and said, “So we need to take a two-pronged approach and start from two aspects.”
First, they monitored No. 46 Zouma Street and searched for Chai Ren to find the Japanese spy organization through him.
Secondly, we need to find traces of this red opium, checking the market to see if it exists. Finding anyone in possession of red opium would mean finding a Japanese spy organization.
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