Matsuno Tomohiro walked briskly without stopping, clearly familiar with the area. He glanced around but didn't notice anything unusual. Soon he arrived at a restaurant and stepped inside without hesitation.
He didn't notice that just as he entered the restaurant, a figure flashed past him not far behind—it was none other than the action team leader, Leng Qing.
Leng Qing watched Matsuno Tomohiro's retreating figure, then turned to the person beside him and instructed, "It seems we need to make contact. The situation inside is unclear, and we have too few people. Quickly inform the director to bring his men over."
As soon as Matsuno Tomoyo appeared at the newsstand, he was spotted by Leng Qing, who had been hiding nearby. However, this time, to be on the safe side, the net was cast too wide, with manpower allocated to newsstands and newspaper stands in the surrounding blocks. Leng Qing brought three team members and a rickshaw driver who knew Wei San. Therefore, to ensure the arrest went smoothly, he had to report to Ning Zhiheng and gather enough manpower.
After giving instructions to his subordinates, Leng Qing quickly followed the remaining two members of the operation into the restaurant.
This restaurant also serves breakfast. There were already quite a few customers in the lobby. Matsuno Tomohiro walked straight through the lobby to a private booth, gently pushed it open, and went inside, closing the door behind him.
When she turned around again, she was taken aback to find that the person sitting in the room was not the familiar Chiemi Tanikawa.
The man was a young man from Sichuan wearing a light blue short jacket and a white cloth wrapped around his head. He had a slightly dark complexion, slender eyebrows and eyes, and a rather handsome face.
"What's wrong? Why are you dressed like this?" Matsuno Tomohiro asked, somewhat puzzled. He had spent a lot of time with Tanikawa Chiemi and was very familiar with her appearance. He recognized her in just a moment.
Then he suddenly noticed a blue cloth bundle on the seat next to him, and his brows furrowed. He asked again, "Is something wrong? Should we leave?"
Disguised as a young man from Sichuan, Chiemi Tanikawa nodded slightly and said, "This morning I heard the couple who run the teahouse downstairs arguing. They said that some unfamiliar customers had been sitting at their table all afternoon yesterday, drinking tea. I felt something was off, so I thought about it and realized that Yuzhong is not a safe place. Chinese agents may have already noticed. I'll move to that house in Yuanjiagang today. Please make the arrangements. Don't come here anymore."
Matsuno Tomohiro knew that Tanikawa Chiemi had arranged many identities in Chongqing, including a safe house in Yuanjiagang, western Chongqing, under the identity of a widow of a Nationalist Army officer, where she was to be transferred.
Matsuno Tomohiro hesitated. He wondered if Tanikawa Chiemi was being too sensitive. Was she really going to give up this safety spot that had been set up for so long just because of a gossip from the downstairs resident?
But before she could say it, she changed her mind and said, "Okay, you go first, I'll go back and pack up and then turn around."
He knew that Chiemi Tanikawa had been working on the front lines of intelligence for many years, possessing exceptional intelligence capabilities and an extraordinary sense of danger that was beyond the reach of ordinary people. She was always able to escape calmly when danger was about to strike, and this time would be no exception.
He handed the newspaper to Chiemi Tanikawa, who took it, quickly glanced through it, and nodded, saying, "It's alright, there's nothing wrong."
He sighed again, handed the newspaper back to Matsuno Tomoyo, and continued, "I don't know why, but I've been feeling uneasy these past two days. I just don't feel right. The Rose Group was suddenly wiped out, and dozens of people were arrested without any warning. I suspect the other side followed the trail of the Wind Group. Headquarters sent a message confirming my judgment. The Military Intelligence Bureau's counter-espionage operation has a new commander, supposedly the same Operations Director known as the King of Hell. This guy acted too quickly; as soon as he took over, he dealt a heavy blow to our intelligence network. I don't think the losses this time will be small. I've already notified the other four groups to go into hiding and abandon all intelligence activities. We'll also leave Yuzhong to avoid the storm."
Chiemi Tanikawa had already received a notification from the Wuhan headquarters, confirming the reason for the previous mistake. She quickly realized that she had encountered an extremely formidable opponent. This was Chongqing, and the opponent had the home advantage. If she made the slightest mistake, it would be utterly disastrous. She had to avoid their sharp edge and lie low. This was an experience she had accumulated over the years. She must never go against the tide and take any risks without any principles.
Matsuno Tomohiro picked up the newspaper on the table, nodded and agreed, "Alright, I'll leave first. Let's meet at Luoyue Bookstore in Yuanjiagang at this time tomorrow."
After saying that, he didn't linger any longer, got up, opened the door, and went out.
Their meeting this time was just a brief exchange of words. It was very short. When Matsuno Tomoyo came out of the cubicle, Leng Qing and the others had just sat down. They had just ordered three bowls of spicy noodles, which hadn't been served yet, when they saw Matsuno Tomoyo come out of the cubicle.
Leng Qing stared at the door of the cubicle, knowing that the person they were looking for must be inside. He was overjoyed and determined to capture Silver Fox, this important figure, himself.
However, he is now in a dilemma because the rendezvous time with the other party is too short. The target is about to leave, and it is too late for him to send people to gather manpower.
When they came in to choose seats, they deliberately chose the seats near the entrance to guard the door and block people from coming out, but now only one target has appeared.
The two team members exchanged glances with Leng Qing, who pondered for a moment but still felt that Silver Fox in the cubicle was more important. As for Wei San, he was just Silver Fox's assistant, and if he made a move in public now, it would alert Silver Fox, and it would be a pity if the arrest went wrong.
He whispered to one of his team members, "You go and follow him. We'll stay here and deal with Silver Fox."
The operative nodded, and after Matsuno Tomohiro walked past them, he also stood up and walked towards the door.
But unexpectedly, a waiter came by carrying a tray with three steaming bowls of spicy noodles, calling out, "Three bowls of spicy noodles are here! Hey! Sir, the noodles are here, but you don't want them..."
The waiter watched the team members get up and walk out the door, shouted loudly at their backs, and looked somewhat lost while carrying the three bowls of spicy noodles.
Leng Qing quickly grabbed the waiter and said, "Yes, yes, I want all three bowls!"
The waiter then smiled, placed the three bowls of spicy noodles on the table, and turned to leave.
However, they did not realize that the waiter's shout had caught the attention of Matsuno Tomohiro.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
