Downstairs at the headquarters of Shanghai No. 76 Special Agents, Li Zhiqun and Wang Hanmin were carefully examining two brand-new black sedans.
Li Zhiqun looked much better than before. His injuries were not serious, and he recovered quickly after resting for a period of time.
He gently patted the car's exterior and said to Wang Hanmin with a smile, "Brother Hanmin, these are bulletproof cars that the new government bought at great expense to deal with assassination attempts by Chongqing elements. Several important officials have been equipped with them. Our special agent headquarters, being on the front lines of the struggle, specially approved two for us, one for you and one for me. Your work and travel will be much safer from now on."
Wang Hanmin was naturally delighted to hear this. Since taking office, he had never dared to leave the Special Agent Headquarters, fearing that the Shanghai Intelligence Section would target him. Now that he had this bulletproof car, at least he was no longer worried about being killed halfway through his journey like Wu Zhenming and Pan Gongya.
Wang Hanmin also looked at the car beside him with affection, walked around it a few times, and said gratefully to Li Zhiqun, "With this, my safety is much less of a worry. Thank you for your trouble, Director!"
Li Zhiqun laughed and walked up to Wang Hanmin, saying gently, "I know your situation is dangerous. Chongqing won't give up, which is why they specially applied for this for you. It's a precaution, but you can't let your guard down. You need to have capable personnel! You need to make the arrangements yourself. I heard that Wei Minglang has agreed to switch sides, and the work is progressing smoothly."
Wang Hanmin smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "Wei Minglang is a pragmatic person. I have tried to persuade him in many ways these past few days, using both soft and hard tactics, and he finally agreed to come over. His hometown is in Tianjin, so he has no concerns in the Kuomintang-controlled areas. He should be reliable."
"That's good. The reconstruction of the Second Brigade has been delayed. I have high hopes for this brigade, so you need to speed up your work."
"Don't worry, after Wei Minglang's efforts, the other fourteen officers have also agreed to defect. After all, no one wants to lose their life in vain. The new government's peace movement has won the hearts of the people, and they will know how to choose."
In recent days, Wang Hanmin has used every means at his disposal to coerce and entice these officers. Finally, he got to the point that all the officers signed their names, had their photos taken, and left behind their case files, thus becoming members of the puppet government.
Li Zhiqun nodded, and said softly with a hint of emotion, "After the great upheaval, our strength was greatly weakened. However, there is one advantage: the police department was also crippled. The bureaucrats of the new government have no choice but to rely on us more. In a few days it will be New Year's Day. Mr. Wang is preparing to hold a large banquet, inviting people from all walks of life in Shanghai to create momentum for the new government. All security work will be handled by our Special Agent Headquarters. You and I will have a clear division of labor, and there can be no mistakes in this matter!"
Wang Hanmin had heard about this from his brother-in-law, Ren Manshan, and nodded, saying, "I've heard about it too, and I will do my best."
At this point, he hesitated for a moment and said, "In Shanghai, only the Shanghai Intelligence Bureau still has the power to cause sabotage. I heard that they killed Luo Zidong in the concession a few days ago. It was a big operation that caused a great uproar in the concession. I'm worried that these people will come to the city center to cause trouble again. You know their capabilities; they are really hard to guard against!"
Mentioning the Shanghai Intelligence Section, Li Zhiqun sighed helplessly. He rubbed his temples and nodded, saying, "It's a pity about Luo Zidong. He was incredibly shrewd and capable, a rare talent among the Green Gang members. I originally planned to recruit him as a good assistant, but he still couldn't escape this predicament. The Shanghai Intelligence Section is indeed too troublesome, which is why we have to do everything we can to ensure its security. We can't afford to take responsibility if anything happens!"
Wang Hanmin frowned and asked, "Is there still no result in the investigation of Luo Xingchao? It's been quite a while, it's time for an explanation."
What Wang Hanmin feared most was this intelligence mole lurking in the Special Agent Headquarters. This person directly threatened his life, like a lurking venomous snake, always watching his every move in the dark. He couldn't feel at ease until he got rid of this person.
Li Zhiqun shook his head and said, "The progress is not going smoothly. Luo Xingchao has put in a lot of effort and has narrowed down the suspects to four people. I asked him to make the arrests secretly. They are currently being tortured, but judging from his tone, he himself is not very confident."
Wang Hanmin thought for a moment and finally spoke up: "Director, we in the Military Intelligence Bureau have a saying: 'Better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free.' If we really can't identify the guilty, we can't be lenient in dealing with those who should be dealt with!"
Upon hearing this, Li Zhiqun nodded repeatedly, agreeing wholeheartedly, and said, "That's what I meant too. I've already told Luo Xingchao that if they can't find anything out, they should all be dealt with to prevent future troubles."
Both were ruthless veteran agents, one a veteran of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Zhongtong) and the other a veteran of the Military Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Juntong). They were greatly influenced by the ideology of the Kuomintang and would not hesitate to do things.
Wang Hanmin then asked, "I mentioned before that the Shanghai Intelligence Section used connections to release Shanghai Station personnel at the Jingshui Bridge. Has there been any progress in that investigation after all this time?"
Li Zhiqun shook his head and said, "No, matters concerning the military are handled by the Military Police Headquarters. However, the matter has been raised for so long, and the Military Police Headquarters has not responded at all. I heard that the liaison officer of the Shadow Agency went there many times, but was sent back with the excuse that there was no evidence. The Shadow Agency could not continue to investigate. In short, this time, they didn't even get a glimpse of the Shanghai Intelligence Section!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Hanmin was speechless for a moment, and couldn't help but sigh, "For so long, although the Shanghai intelligence department has been undercover in the same city as me, I have never had the opportunity to contact them. The limited two encounters I had were not enough to investigate further, and it will be even more difficult to find them in the future!"
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