The next morning, Ning Zhiheng got up early, washed up and went out. Today he was not wearing his military uniform, but a student uniform, dressed like a young student.
His task today was to follow the route map provided by Huang Taoguang, along the route that Yanagida Yuki usually took to and from work, and carefully search for the house in his mind that had flowers on the windowsill.
When they arrived at the house where Yanagida Yuki lived on Beihua Street, the gate was still closed. The surrounding residents and neighbors kept a safe distance, afraid of getting into trouble.
Across the street, the gate to a courtyard was half-open, and a young man dressed in ordinary clothes was emptying his washing water. A seemingly casual glance swept over him.
Ning Zhiheng immediately recognized the man as the intelligence officer who had been responsible for monitoring and reporting to Huang Taoguang when Yanagida Yuki was arrested four days ago.
It seemed the intelligence department hadn't completely given up; the surveillance personnel hadn't been withdrawn. Ning Zhiheng ignored the gaze directed at him, and without lingering, began patrolling the pre-arranged route.
The man sensed Ning Zhiheng's suspicion. They had met briefly four days prior, and Ning Zhiheng was now dressed differently, so he only vaguely remembered him. However, he couldn't let go of even the slightest suspicion, and with that thought, he prepared to follow him.
Just then, a whisper came from behind: "No need to follow, it's one of our own from the action team. He personally arrested Fu Cheng that day. Heh, looks like the action section hasn't given up after all!"
Upon hearing this, the young man showed no sign of distress. He poured the wash water at the doorway, turned around, and leisurely returned to his own courtyard. It was as if nothing had happened.
Ning Zhiheng walked slowly, his eyes scanning the surroundings as he carefully observed the houses and scenery on both sides of the street.
Nanjing is a very bustling metropolis, with many residences and shops lining both sides of the road. Two-story buildings are everywhere. Many two-story houses also have flowers on their windowsills. Many of them are very similar to the house in my mind.
After all, the brief moment in one's mind is limited in scope and does not show the scenery around the house, so it is quite difficult to discern it carefully.
However, Ning Zhiheng is a very patient person, and since the distance is not very far, he is confident that he can achieve something.
Slowly and carefully searching forward, making marks on the paper as I walked, I unknowingly arrived at the place where Yuki Yanagida works.
I carefully noted down the names of seven houses along the way, all of which were very similar to the house in my mind. Three of the houses had fresh flowers on their windowsills.
He walked back and forth three more times, and added two more houses to the paper. In total, the windowsills and styles of the nine houses were very similar to those in his memory.
His remaining task was to sift through these nine houses. The three houses containing flowers would be the focus of his investigation.
The remaining work was tedious and demanding. He couldn't complete it alone in a short time. He decided to use Liu Datong to do the initial screening. Datong was much more suitable for this task than he was.
Time is of the essence. It has been four days since Fu Cheng was arrested. If his accomplices sense something is wrong, they will abandon this communication location. At that point, even if they find the house, it will be of no use.
This is the last clue and hope in this case, and he will do his best to complete it.
Around noon, he arrived at the police station near Beihua Street. Nanjing is a very large city, with more than twenty police stations of varying sizes under the Police Headquarters, each responsible for different areas within the city.
Liu Datong was just about to go home for lunch when he saw Ning Zhiheng coming towards him as soon as he stepped out of the police station.
Ning Zhiheng waved, and Liu Datou quickly followed behind. The two turned and went into a nearby restaurant, finding a secluded private room. Ning Zhiheng casually ordered a few dishes, and Liu Datong eagerly poured tea: "What can I do for you? Just tell me, and I'll take care of it perfectly."
Ning Zhiheng took out a marked map from his pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Liu Datong, saying, "I have a case involving the capture of a Japanese spy. We have some leads now. However, I'm not very familiar with the streets of Nanjing. What I need you to do is to carefully check each of the nine houses marked on my map, one by one. Find out who the owners of these nine houses are, their family situation, and their background. Pay special attention to the houses with potted roses; make sure you find out everything. The important thing is that this must be done discreetly; you absolutely cannot alert them. Can you do that?"
Liu Datong reached out and took the blueprint, carefully examined its contents, and said, "Don't worry, these houses are all within our jurisdiction. Even if you're looking for a cat or dog, I can catch it for you, and I guarantee it won't be noticed."
"Alright, remember, this needs to be done as quickly as possible. The longer it takes, the greater the chance the spy will escape."
Ning Zhiheng was very satisfied. In this area, Liu Datong was the local tyrant. They could retrieve detailed information on every household in the area from the police station, and they knew the situation in their jurisdiction like the back of their hand.
Using Liu Datong to investigate residents' information and identities is the best approach. It's far more efficient than using members of the Military Intelligence Bureau's intelligence and operations departments.
This is precisely one of the major reasons why every intelligence organization in history had to expand. They all needed to absorb local forces familiar with the local situation as peripheral organizations to enhance their control over the region.
"How long can you complete the investigation at the fastest?" Ning Zhiheng was still a little worried. After all, Yanagida Yuki had been captured for quite some time, and his accomplices might have already abandoned the communication location.
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