Two days later, Shao Wenguang, dressed as a rickshaw puller, was squatting by the street, watching the gate of Shulan Residence not far away, observing everyone who came in and out, trying to find a suspicious target.
He had several real rickshaw pullers around him as cover, all specially arranged by Liu Datong's men to cooperate with Shao Wenguang in monitoring him.
Just then, Zhen Guangxi, who had walked out of Shulan Residence with a swagger, walked towards Shao Wenguang with a grin.
Shao Wenguang quickly got up, pulled his rickshaw, and went to greet Zhen Guangxi with a smile. Without saying a word, Zhen Guangxi sat down on the rickshaw, waved, and Shao Wenguang pulled the rickshaw away from the gate of the inn.
Not long after, Shao Wenguang turned two street corners and stopped in a corner. He put down the handlebars, turned around and squatted down, and said to Zhen Guangxi with an annoyance: "You're having a good time, kid. You've been spending money like water these past two days. You spent a thousand yuan on a banquet. What, you didn't see anything of value?"
Zhen Guangxi simply stayed in the rickshaw without getting off, shook his head helplessly, and said, "Section Chief, I really can't see anything. I've tried to probe them so many times these past two days, but they haven't responded to my questions. And after staying in the residence for so long, I haven't smelled anyone burning opium. Section Chief, I guess I've come to the wrong person."
Are you sure?
"Of course!" Zhen Guangxi answered confidently, patting his chest. "I can smell it from far away as long as someone is burning smoke."
Shao Wenguang sighed in disappointment and said with concern, "Shulan Residence is not big, and there are not many guests. We investigated and found that most of them are businessmen. Although such people have some money, they do not have access to any confidential information. They should not be the Japanese's target. It seems that it is not them."
Zhen Guangxi asked in a low voice, "Section Chief, then let's go and take a look at Jingfu Club. They should be the right ones."
Shao Wenguang glanced at him and said irritably, "You make it sound so easy. That's a private club. You can't get in without an introduction. Besides, who am I supposed to introduce you to? If the person who introduces you is unreliable and is a spy themselves, wouldn't that just alert them?"
Shao Wenguang was quite wary of Jingfu Club and dared not send anyone in easily. The situation inside the club was unknown, and he might accidentally alert someone. If the operation was ruined, he would suffer the consequences.
He also hoped to use this drug case as an opportunity to promote himself from major to lieutenant colonel, so he dared not be careless at all.
Zhen Guangxi's eyes darted around, and he said, "Section Chief, since we don't dare to easily enter the club to investigate, let's not bother investigating the club. Let's change our approach and investigate the people who come and go from the Jingfu Club."
I know opium smokers best. When the addiction isn't strong at first, one puff can last for several days, and the amount smoked isn't large. But as the smoking time increases, the amount smoked increases, and the frequency of use increases. This is similar for most drugs, and I think the same applies to red opium.
"Think about it, if this club really is run by the Japanese, it's been around for about six months now. That's quite an addiction, and they must be smoking very frequently. I know how painful nicotine cravings are. They can't possibly go to the club every time they have a craving; that's inconvenient. I suspect they probably have some stock at home, just in case. Could we start by checking if they have any of this red opium at home? If we can find red opium, the case will be solved."
Zhen Guangxi's words made Shao Wenguang's eyes light up. This was a good idea. Instead of investigating the clubs, they could target a single entity, which would make things much easier.
Shao Wenguang stood up, patted Zhen Guangxi on the shoulder, and said happily, "You're a smart kid, you're really cut out for this line of work."
Zhen Guangxi almost slipped off the rickshaw when Shao Wenguang slapped him, and he winced in pain, nearly crying out.
"It's because your health is too poor, you're like a sickly devil. If you don't quit smoking, don't even think about getting a government job in the Second Division!"
Shao Wenguang acted quickly, rushing to the surveillance point near Jingfu Club without stopping.
"Section Chief, what brings you here?"
Bai Mingcheng was Shao Wenguang's confidant and one of the people who were promoted this time. It was Shao Wenguang who spoke up for him, and Ning Zhiheng praised him for his achievements. This time, he was in charge of monitoring the Jingfu Club.
Upon meeting, Shao Wenguang immediately instructed, "Mingcheng, give me the list of people who have entered the Jingfu Club in the past few days."
Bai Mingcheng picked up the list from the table: "We have recorded all the people who have entered and exited the Jingfu Club in the past two days and verified their identities one by one. They are all mid-level cadres from various government departments. They have the opportunity to access some important intelligence. Section Chief, I think the Jingfu Club is the target we are looking for, or at least there is a high probability of it."
Shao Wenguang glanced at him sideways and said irritably, "Jingfu Club is backed by the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. Do you think the people they associate with are ordinary people? Naturally, they are all people from government departments. Based on that alone, we can't do anything to them. Without finding real evidence, everything we say is just empty talk!"
After saying that, he pointed to three names on the list and instructed again: "These are the three people. These three are all cadres from important government departments. They just came to Jingfu Club today. If they are taking opium, they should take more than they need, just in case. I will take some people to their homes to see if we can find this opium."
Therefore, all members of Shao Wenguang's intelligence department were mobilized and, in accordance with the targets Shao Wenguang had identified, placed their residences under close surveillance.
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