Upon hearing Takeshita Shinya's words, Imai Yuji also found them quite reasonable and agreed with them. If Cui Guangqi intended to defect and leave Shanghai, he really didn't need to spend this money.
As for Takeshita Shinya accepting a bribe of 5,000 yen from Choi Kwang-ki, Imai Yuji didn't seem to care. To be honest, there were many places within the jurisdiction of the Detective Agency where one could manipulate things and reap a lot of benefits.
Taro Sagawa and Yuji Imai were well aware of this; they had enough experience and knowledge to be fully aware of the tricks below.
There's an old Chinese saying, "If the water is too clear, there will be no fish." Imai Yuji understands this very well. There's no such thing as a truly clean and honest government office in this world. Not to mention the rampant corruption in Chinese officialdom, where such habits are prevalent, even the Japanese themselves can't be honest and self-disciplined. This is especially true for the high-ranking officials of the Special Higher Police. They wield enormous power and can amass vast wealth with just a slight reach. How many people can resist that?
Even Kawamoto Kuraji, the former Special Higher Police Chief whom Yuji Imai respected most and who had been instrumental in his career, was not clean in this regard. He casually threw out 11,000 US dollars without batting an eye to buy a white porcelain vase. Did they really use their own salaries? Of course not. The source of that money was something they couldn't openly admit; it was nothing more than extortion and plunder.
Therefore, Taro Sagawa tacitly approved of this. These benefits were also a means of winning over Chinese people who were willing to serve the Japanese. When Takeshita Shinya was assigned the position of liaison officer, it was considered that this was a good job. It would allow Takeshita Shinya to gain some seniority and also allow him to receive some benefits. Therefore, when Wen Hao and Cui Guangqi gave Takeshita Shinya some bribes, Imai Yuji did not feel that there was anything wrong with it.
“Takeshita-kun is right. This is indeed a basis for judgment. Well done, Takeshita-kun. You have a clear mind. Keep up the good work. Remember, the most important thing for an excellent agent is not the gun in his hand, but his mind!” Imai Yuji nodded to Takeshita Shinya with satisfaction.
This scene truly astonished Wen Hao, who couldn't help but look at Takeshita Shinya with even greater respect. He knew that Takeshita Shinya had a deep background in the Special Higher Police, but he hadn't expected that Imai Yuji, upon learning that Takeshita Shinya had accepted bribes from Choi Kwang-ki, would not only not reprimand him but would instead offer gentle encouragement and reassurance. It's worth noting that Imai Yuji's position was even higher than Takeshita Shinya's teacher, Akita Akihito, so there was absolutely no need for him to show Akita Akihito any respect. This showed that Takeshita Shinya's background was definitely not as simple as he had previously claimed, and it was very likely related to Mr. Otani Hitoshi, whom Takeshita Shinya had previously rescued. It was said that Mr. Otani was a very influential figure. It seemed that he would have to work even harder to cultivate a closer relationship with Liaison Officer Takeshita and adjust his attitude accordingly.
Imai Yuji then turned to Wen Hao and asked, "Where does Cui Guangqi live?"
Wen Hao quickly replied, "After Deputy Director Cui joined the Detective Division, I originally arranged a residence for him in the dormitory area, but he was very cautious and never went there. He rested in his own office every night, with two action teams guarding him!"
"So cautious?" Imai Yuji was somewhat surprised. He knew that Choi Kwang-ki was afraid of death, but he didn't expect him to be this careful. "Let's go to his office and take a look!"
Wen Hao quickly led the way, and the group soon arrived at Cui Guangqi's office again. The door was locked, and only Cui Guangqi had the key. His subordinates, unsure of Cui Guangqi's whereabouts, dared not enter their superior's office rashly, so they did not try to pick the lock.
Wen Hao also wanted to avoid suspicion. He and Cui Guangqi didn't get along and had a lot of grudges against each other, so he simply waited for the Japanese to come and investigate, and that's why he didn't go into the office.
"Pry open the lock!"
Upon hearing Yuji Imai's order, Wen Hao quickly gave orders to the agents behind him.
With the director's order, the door lock was quickly pried open. Imai Yuji gestured for everyone to step back, and he entered the office alone.
This was Yuji Imai's second time here. He had just inspected the place a few days ago because of the Deng Yuankai assassination case, so he still remembered the layout of the office.
Yuji Imai looked around and then began to search the office step by step. He was extremely experienced and had no problem with such a routine search. In no time, he had searched the office and found two handguns under Cui Guangqi's desk and chair.
Finally, he focused his attention on a row of bookshelves in the northeast corner of the room. He went to the bookshelves and observed them carefully for a moment. He quickly discovered the problem. With a push, the bookshelves were easily moved aside, revealing the safe behind them.
Without wasting any time, Yuji Imai turned to Wen Hao at the door and ordered him directly, "Open it immediately."
"Yes, sir!" Wen Hao quickly agreed, and soon several of his agents came forward with tools and used force to open the safe.
Waving for everyone to step back, Yuji Imai stepped forward to examine the contents carefully. Inside were some document bags, a dozen neatly stacked banknotes, and four gold bars.
Although Cui Guangqi had only been in office for a short time, the Detective Bureau had a very large jurisdiction and was extremely lucrative. In addition, Cui Guangqi was ruthless in making money, and he quickly amassed a considerable fortune.
Yuji Imai nodded secretly. It seemed that Shinya Takeshita was right. If Choi Kwang-ki was truly defecting, how could he not take so much money with him? Where could he run to without money?
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