Zhang Jingyao said with a smile, "Then I'll take your liberty. Xingchao, is there something you need my help with today? If you need my help, just say the word!"
Zhang Jingyao feigned composure, chatting casually with Luo Xingchao, but inwardly he was trembling. After all, he was a former member of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Zhongtong), and he had little confidence in front of Luo Xingchao.
Luo Xingchao picked up his teacup, took a small sip, chuckled, and said, "See, you, Old Zhang, are really perceptive. I do have something to ask you."
After saying that, he coughed lightly, his expression turned serious, and he spoke again: "Old Zhang, you are a high-ranking cadre in our Special Agent Headquarters, so you must know all about this. To be honest, I have no choice but to take on this task. This is a matter that will offend people, but if some things are investigated and clarified, it will be a good thing for everyone, and it will save us from being suspicious in the future. What do you think?"
Luo Xingchao's words had already made his intentions clear, so Zhang Jingyao certainly didn't dare to be negligent. He immediately patted his chest and said, "Of course, I understand your difficulties, Xingchao. You can ask me anything; I will answer everything I know!"
"Good! Old Zhang is the most straightforward!"
Luo Xingchao laughed and stopped being polite, asking directly, "As far as I know, on the night of the 29th of last month, the night before the great upheaval, Lao Zhang, you didn't go home, but rested in the office building all night. Is that true?"
Zhang Jingyao nodded and replied, "That's right. I had some work to finish that day, and it was raining heavily outside. The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and I was too lazy to get wet, so I simply stayed in the office to work overtime instead of going home."
Luo Xingchao's eyes flashed, and he said with a half-smile, "Old Zhang, you are the director of the Third Division, and your residence is in our headquarters apartment. It's just a few steps away after you go downstairs and through the small gate. Just because of a rain, you're not going back? Isn't that a bit unreasonable?"
Luo Xingchao's words startled Zhang Jingyao, who quickly explained, "Xingchao, don't misunderstand. As you know, I'm a defector here. I'm all alone in Shanghai, and going back would just mean an empty house. It's meaningless, so I often work overtime. If you don't believe me, go and ask him."
Seeing Zhang Jingyao's anxious expression, Luo Xingchao quickly waved his hand to reassure him, saying, "Alright, Lao Zhang, I was just asking casually. Don't be too sensitive. To be honest, I carefully questioned Chen Zhaohua's statement. The day before the incident, he was on duty at the clinic and administered medication to people. At that time, his medication was still safe, so the poisoning must have happened that night. However, there were many people at headquarters that night, so I could only investigate one by one. It's the same problem for everyone. It's definitely not targeting you, so please don't worry about it!"
Luo Xingchao's amiable attitude reassured Zhang Jingyao considerably. He said helplessly, "Xingchao, I know the seriousness of the matter. I dare not get involved in this kind of thing. If I'm not careful, I could lose my life here. I have to be cautious!"
Luo Xingchao's conversation this time was not actually aimed at Zhang Jingyao. Ning Zhiheng had previously instructed that everything should be investigated thoroughly and in a proper manner, so that everyone would see that Luo Xingchao was not just going through the motions. Therefore, he asked very detailed questions during the investigation, which made many people tremble with fear, afraid of being implicated in this matter.
Luo Xingchao continued, "I understand how you feel. Don't worry, the director and I both trust you. Now, let me ask you one more question."
"Okay, okay, go ahead and ask!"
"What specific tasks did you perform that night? Was anyone working with you or providing corroboration?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingyao hesitated for a moment. Luo Xingchao immediately raised an eyebrow, his tone becoming somewhat harsh, and asked, "What? Old Zhang, if you don't have any solid proof, I can't be lenient with you!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingyao quickly explained, "Actually, it's nothing. I was just processing some documents, and the specific content is somewhat sensitive."
Just as he finished speaking, seeing the unfriendly look on Luo Xingchao's face, he quickly changed his words and said, "Of course, Xingchao, there's no need to hide these things from you. In this Special Agent Headquarters, if you can't be trusted, then there's no one else who can be trusted!"
In fact, everyone knows that the person the Japanese trust most in the No. 76 Special Agent Headquarters is probably this Director Luo. Even Director Li Zhiqun is under his surveillance. Therefore, it is indeed a consensus that Luo Xingchao is the least likely person to cause trouble.
But Luo Xingchao remained unmoved and insisted on asking, "Old Zhang, you'd better answer my question clearly, or you won't get past this hurdle!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingyao had no choice but to say, "It's like this. After Deputy Director Wang surrendered, he revealed the two National Salvation Army units under his command. You know about this, right?"
Luo Xingchao said, "I know that, it's not exactly a secret!"
Zhang Jingyao nodded and continued, "The Japanese army wiped out this force in Jingze and captured about three hundred prisoners. As you know, our Third Division is specifically responsible for gathering intelligence on the National Salvation Army and the New Fourth Army in southern Jiangsu. So during the training of these prisoners, I investigated and interrogated some important personnel in an attempt to find out some intelligence about the National Salvation Army and the New Fourth Army."
Luo Xingchao's heart tightened immediately, but he asked calmly, "It seems you've gained something!"
"There wasn't much to say about. Among these prisoners, there were about a dozen officers. After interrogating them one by one, they weren't very cooperative, but some of them did talk. I obtained some valuable intelligence from them, so that night, I was organizing this information and preparing to formulate an action plan."
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