Tanikawa Chiemi's words immediately shocked Ning Zhiheng. His thoughts raced through his mind, and some long-forgotten things resurfaced before his eyes.
When he first joined the Military Intelligence Bureau, the first major espionage case he handled was cracking down on the Shadow Squad, arresting the important spy Huang Xiansheng, and uncovering Lin Mucheng from there.
However, because of Lin Mucheng's powerful background, he had not dared to make a move against him and had only used him as bait. The matter had been dragged on until now. He never expected that the instigator would be right in front of him today!
"Lin Mucheng? I never imagined that this was also your doing, Miss Tanikawa!"
Ning Zhiheng's words surprised Tanikawa Chiemei. Lin Mucheng was not a big shot in the entire National Army, not even a general. He was not well-known at the moment. Ning Zhiheng, on the other hand, was a high-ranking official in the Military Intelligence Bureau, with great power and influence. He was far above Lin Mucheng and should not have reacted immediately upon hearing his name.
Ning Zhiheng noticed the surprise in Tanikawa Chiemi's eyes and explained, "Don't be surprised. Lin Mucheng is a veteran of the military and the eldest son of Lin Zhen, a bigwig in the Baoding clique. We are not unfamiliar with him."
Upon hearing this, Chiemi Tanikawa understood. She knew Ning Zhiheng's background; he also came from the Baoding clique and was a key member of the Baoding clique planted in the Military Intelligence Bureau. She nodded and said, "That's right. That's why we chose Lin Mucheng. In fact, he is indeed very promising. Since the outbreak of the full-scale war between China and Japan, he has risen step by step and his status has risen rapidly. Now he is the military commander of a major force of the Central Army stationed in a region. Moreover, because of his father, his future achievements will be far more than this. The value of such a person is far beyond that of the likes of Fei Zhengzhi. Director, my offering of such an important figure is enough to show my sincerity, isn't it?"
Ning Zhiheng immediately nodded. He knew that Tanikawa Chiemei had more than just Fei Zhengzhi and Lin Mucheng in her hands. No one knew how many other important pawns she had hidden in her mind. She was only throwing them out to sell for a higher price to protect herself, and at the same time, she was showing him her value so that he could weigh her options and stop having murderous thoughts.
In fact, Tanikawa Chiemi's actions did shake Ning Zhiheng's original intentions. He also realized that there was still more intelligence value in Tanikawa Chiemi that had not been explored, and he might really have to consider how to make this woman play a greater role.
“Ms. Tanikawa, I have never doubted your sincerity. However, as you said, Lin Mucheng’s background is too powerful. His father, Lin Zhen, has a great influence in the high-level military government. If I want to arrest this person, your testimony alone is far from enough. Besides, I don’t want to expose the cooperation between you and me. Do you have any other ways to find other solid evidence to accuse him?”
Ning Zhiheng said this, but of course he wouldn't actually arrest Lin Mucheng. Lin Zhen was a big shot in the Baoding Clique. If he were to uncover this matter himself, it would be an act of insubordination and internal strife. Even if the evidence was conclusive and Lin Mucheng was arrested, the entire Baoding Clique would turn against him. It would be a thankless and arduous task.
It's important to understand that Lin Mucheng is not like Xue Jianmu before, a mere pawn who could be silenced if trouble arose. Lin Mucheng is Lin Zhen's most beloved eldest son. Even if Lin Mucheng is indeed a Japanese spy, Lin Zhen would not easily give in. With his influence, and through his full efforts to maneuver, the final outcome is uncertain.
Furthermore, as far as he knew, Lin Mucheng had already severed ties with the Japanese spy organization and was performing exceptionally well in the war against Japan; so far, he had not shown any danger.
More importantly, the marriage between his senior brother Wei Liangbi and Lin Mucheng's second sister Lin Shulan has been stalled due to Lin Zhen's strong opposition. If he were to arrest Lin Mucheng for espionage at this time, wouldn't the in-laws become enemies, making it even more impossible for them to be together in the future?
Therefore, Ning Zhiheng had already considered that the best outcome would be to seize Lin Mucheng's weakness and ultimately threaten him into helping Wei Liangbi and Lin Shulan get married. As for the matter of the Japanese spy, it should also be made clear to Lin Mucheng, so as to prevent him from harboring any illusions or making any further changes in the future.
Now is a good time. Tanikawa Chiemi has provided more detailed information. He needs to know what kind of leverage he can use to force Lin Mucheng to comply.
However, Chiemi Tanikawa shook her head, a troubled look on her face, and explained, "This is not easy. After I turned Lin Mucheng to the side, he wrote a letter of loyalty and a few photos, which are now kept at the Shanghai Special Higher Police Headquarters. This should be the most powerful evidence, but we can't get it now."
Furthermore, he did provide us with intelligence a few times afterward, but none of it was of any value. In fact, these were just some of the methods we used to better control him and force him to not turn back. The intelligence itself was not important, and the original documents should still be kept at the Shanghai Special Higher Police Headquarters, so we couldn't get them.
Furthermore, there's another crucial point: Lin Mucheng's situation is quite unusual. From what I later learned, Lin Mucheng inexplicably severed contact with the Special Higher Police (THD) afterward, and the THD never contacted him again. It seems he went into hiding, not participating in any intelligence activities, making it impossible to find evidence of his espionage.
"Don't you know why he cut off contact with the Special Higher Police headquarters?" Ning Zhiheng asked curiously.
Chiemi Tanikawa shook her head again and said, "I am only responsible for turning him to another intelligence organization. After the success, I will transfer him to another intelligence organization. I do not participate in the specific intelligence work, so I do not know the reason. I have asked the high-ranking officials of the Special Higher Police, but there was no result."
So that's how it is. Tanikawa Chiemi didn't fully understand Lin Mucheng's situation either, so she didn't know that the Shadow Group was wiped out by Ning Zhiheng. The Snow Wolf sent to awaken Lin Mucheng also died at Ning Zhiheng's hands. In the end, the Special Higher Police couldn't determine whether Lin Mucheng's identity had been exposed, so they simply suspended Lin Mucheng and would decide what to do later depending on the situation.
Ning Zhiheng didn't bring it up, and asked again, "Does the Wuhan headquarters know about Lin Mucheng's existence?"
Chiemi Tanikawa thought for a moment and replied uncertainly, "I don't know about that, but I think Lin Mucheng's situation is special. The Shanghai Special Higher Police might not hand over such a pawn to Wuhan. But these are just my guesses. I don't know the specifics."
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