My years of espionage

Chapter 1478: Trying to cover up the obvious
"It was my fault." Kikuchi Shintaka bowed to Nishimura Ozo and apologized respectfully.

He personally interrogated the anti-Japanese element captured by Nishimura's squad last night. This person was very stubborn. Kikuchi Shintaka used all kinds of torture but still failed to make him speak.

Kikuchi Shintaka, who had been tortured for a whole night, was also very tired. In addition, the torture had yielded no results, so he felt depressed. He went to an izakaya early in the morning to have some drinks, and then called a geisha to have some fun.

When he woke up again, it was already an hour ago. He was awakened in the apartment by his anxious subordinates, who immediately reported to him the sudden incident that occurred in Yu Guanming's home in Xingpingli.

Only then did Kikuchi Shintaka quickly find Nishimura Ozo and report the situation to him.

"Tell me, what's the situation?" Nishimura Ozo snorted coldly and said, "How did the French Concession Police Station characterize this matter?"

"According to the information provided by our intelligence personnel in the French Concession Police Station," said Kikuchi Shintaka, "because the family massacre occurred during the Chinese New Year, the French Police Station took it very seriously. Cheng Qianfan from the Central Police Station is personally supervising the case."

"What did they find out?" asked Nishimura Ozo.

"The police initially suspected that it was a home invasion robbery," said Shintaka Kikuchi. "We already have a preliminary suspect."

"Who did it?" Nishimura Ozo asked immediately.

"Some people inside the Central Patrol Office of the French Police Department believe that the murder was committed by the Jiang Mule gang." said Kikuchi Shintaka.

"Ginger mule?" Nishimura Ozo frowned, "Tell me what you think."

"The Jiang Mule Gang has been a threat to Shanghai for many years. They are indeed cruel and have committed many major crimes." Kikuchi Shintaka said, "However, according to the information obtained by the Empire, there are actually many unsolved cases that are difficult to solve in the French Police Department, and they are all attributed to the Jiang Mule Gang to cover up their incompetence."

"What you mean is that Yu Guanming was murdered in his home in Xingpingli, and it is very likely that Jiang Mule was not the culprit, but the police realized that the case was difficult to solve, so they had leaked the news in advance, preparing to put the blame on Jiang Mule if the case could not be solved?" Nishimura Ozo said thoughtfully.

"We can't rule out this possibility." Kikuchi Shintaka said, frowning. "The Jiang Mule Gang has committed countless crimes. However, according to the information the Empire has, the Jiang Mule Gang's targets are all wealthy people. Yu Guanming obviously doesn't quite fit the Jiang Mule Gang's target profile."

Nishimura Ozo nodded slightly, "Your analysis is correct."

……

The nature and characteristics of the Xicun class and Yu Guanming's identity determined that Yu Guanming's entire family was exterminated. The first thing they suspected was whether Yu Guanming was exposed and silenced by Chongqing.

"Kikuchi," Nishimura Ozo said, "What do you think is the possibility that Yu Guanming's identity will be exposed?"

"Yu Guanming is a very cautious person. This is the key to how a senior agent of the Lixingshe Secret Service like him could lurk in Shanghai for several years and even continue to operate under our noses." Kikuchi Shintaka said, "Yu Guanming is very clear about how Chongqing will treat him and his family once they know that he has defected to the empire."

He thought for a moment and said, "From an objective point of view, for such an experienced and senior agent, unless something unexpected happens, the possibility of Yu Guanming being exposed is not high."

Nishimura Ozo fell into deep thought.

What Kikuchi Shintaka said makes sense, but if Yu Guanming had not been exposed, then why was he killed, and his entire family wiped out?

Nishimura Ozo did not support the possibility that Yu Guanming's entire family might have been killed by bandits and gangsters.

It's nothing, it's just a coincidence.

The Xicun class had just successfully captured this senior secret agent of the Military Control Commission, and then something happened to Yu Guanming's family. How could it be such a coincidence?

Therefore, Nishimura Ozo's intuition told him that the murder of Yu Guanming's entire family must be related to Yu Guanming's defection to the empire.

But the question now is to find the evidence.

Nishimura Ozo looked at Kikuchi Shintaka with a puzzled look on his face. "We assume that Yu Guanming was exposed, but why was he exposed?"

He frowned and said, "What exactly has stimulated our opponent and made him suspicious?"

Suddenly, Nishimura Ozo looked at Kikuchi Shintaka with a serious expression, "Has Yu Guanming done anything recently?"

"What I mean is, have you given him any orders?" Nishimura Ozo asked in a deep voice.

Then, he saw Kikuchi Shintaka fell into thought, and then Kikuchi Shintaka's expression changed.

"Bad Duck Drop!" Nishimura Ozo said angrily, "Kikuchi, what did you do? Didn't I tell you to be extra cautious when using Yu Guanming? He's very important, very important, right?"

"Yu Guanming came to me and said he didn't want to be so nervous anymore." In the cold weather, beads of sweat began to appear on Kikuchi Shintaka's forehead. He looked grim and continued, "He said his greatest value is his superior."

Kikuchi Shintaka said, "Yu Guanming said that he would find a way to get the top-secret information of his direct superior and hand it over to the empire. Then, he hoped that we would give him a sum of money, and he would take his wife and children and leave Shanghai, and he would seek refuge in Southeast Asia."

……

"Bad Duck Drop!" Nishimura Ozo was furious. He went up and slapped Kikuchi Shintaka hard. "Such an important situation, why didn't you report it to me in advance?!"

"I didn't agree to Yu Guanming's request." Kikuchi Shintaka, who was beaten, quickly defended himself, "My subordinates stopped Yu Guanming and ordered him not to move."

He said to Nishimura Ozo, "According to what Yu Guanming said before, his direct superior is a very vigilant person. It is precisely because of this that we have not set up surveillance in Xingpingli. I am worried that Yu Guanming's actions will alert this person, so I did not agree."

When Nishimura Ozo heard this, his expression eased slightly and he nodded.

When they learned and confirmed that Yu Guanming was actually a member of the Shanghai Special Intelligence Group, Nishimura Ozo and Kikuchi Shintaka were both overjoyed.

Today, Xiao Mian's Shanghai Special Intelligence Group has surpassed the Shanghai District of the Military Control Commission, the Red Party underground party, and the Su-Shanghai District of the Central Control Commission, becoming the number one enemy of the empire's spy work in Shanghai.

However, the Shanghai Special Intelligence Group and their team leader Xiao Mian are so mysterious that multiple units including the Xicun Squad, Shanghai Special High Section, Inoue Mansion, Police Station, and Military Police have not been able to obtain any further intelligence about the Shanghai Special Intelligence Group after two years of searching and investigation.

In short, for the empire, Xiao Mian and the Shanghai Special Intelligence Group remain a big mystery to this day.

Under such circumstances, the capture and surrender of Yu Guanming, an intelligence officer of the Shanghai Special Intelligence Group, immediately made Nishimura Ozo overjoyed. He saw an opportunity to track down Xiao Mian and the Shanghai Special Intelligence Group and catch them in one fell swoop.

Nishimura Ozo knew that this opportunity was hard to come by, so although he was anxious in his heart, he was not in a hurry in his actions. He was very patient:

Knowing that Yu Guanming's direct superior was very vigilant, Nishimura Ozo even directly ordered that Yu Guanming's residence, shop and living environment should not be monitored, so as not to alert the enemy.

Nishimura Ozo directly gave up the option of arresting his superior through Yu Guanming.

Because according to Yu Guanming's explanation, his superior should be the kind of person who is extremely hostile to the empire. Even if such a person is arrested secretly, if he is an extremely stubborn element who cannot be conquered by torture, then the clues and opportunities that have been hard to obtain will be lost.

His plan is to play the long game and catch the big fish.

Nishimura Ozo has even decided not to rule out sacrificing some of the empire's interests and providing some intelligence to further enhance Yu Guanming's position and importance in the Shanghai Special Intelligence Group.

Then it was natural to include Yu Guanming's superiors in the secret surveillance targets.

Then they would lock onto this person for a long time, and through him further grasp the higher-level relationships of the Shanghai Special Intelligence Group, with their target directly targeting the mysterious leader of the Shanghai Special Intelligence Group, Xiao Mian.

This plan is reactive and predictably not quick, and requires time and patience.

Kikuchi Shintaka holds a different opinion on this. He believes that they should follow the clues, arrest his superior through Yu Guanming, and then quickly interrogate him to pry open his mouth. Then, they should continue to follow the clues until they obtain more top-secret intelligence and catch Xiao Mian and the Shanghai Special Intelligence Group in one fell swoop!
Nishimura Ozo had previously severely criticized Kikuchi Shintaka. He believed that Kikuchi Shintaka's ideas were eager for quick success and it seemed that the results could be achieved quickly, but in fact it was just like playing chess. If a certain chess piece became ineffective, all the efforts would be in vain.

In view of this, in Nishimura Ozo's mind, Kikuchi Masataka was a possible precedent of someone who was eager for quick success and instant benefits.

Now, hearing Kikuchi Shintaka say that he rejected Yu Guanming's suggestion, Nishimura Ozo felt slightly relieved and satisfied. However, Nishimura Ozo's face soon became even gloomier.

He realized something, or rather a very bad possibility.

Kikuchi Shintaka's face also changed, he thought of it too.

……

"Does the commander also think that Yu Guanming might act on his own?" Kikuchi Shintaka said with a gloomy face.

"Bag duck fall!" Nishimura Ozo's face was as gloomy as water, and his eyes swept towards Kikuchi Shintaka sinisterly, "Tell me honestly, did you do anything to provoke Yu Guanming?"

It is intriguing that Yu Guanming suddenly finds Kikuchi Shintaka and offers to provide information about his superior in exchange for escaping from Shanghai.

A veteran agent like Yu Guanming is a very smart and cunning guy. Doesn't he know that his greatest value is his superiors?

In addition, this online position is not only the capital for Yu Guanming to get promoted and make money, but it may also be his death warrant.

For Yu Guanming, this meticulous, cautious and peaceful life is actually the safest.

And you have to know that according to Nishimura Ozo's plan, there is a chance to catch the Shanghai Special Intelligence Group in one fell swoop.

Only by catching the Shanghai Special Intelligence Group in one fell swoop can Yu Guanming and his wife and children be guaranteed maximum safety.

So, in this situation, Nishimura Ozo did not think that Yu Guanming, a seasoned and cunning veteran agent, would take such extreme and unsafe behavior for no reason.

This is a stress response in an impulsive situation.

"Absolutely not!" Kikuchi Shintaka cursed and swore to Nishimura Ozo. He strictly implemented Nishimura Ozo's safe plan and did not make any changes.

Seeing Kikuchi Masataka's firm attitude, Nishimura Ozo chose to believe him. Kikuchi Masataka did not dare to lie to him.

"There are two possibilities now." Nishimura Ozo said in a deep voice.

"First, Yu Guanming did not follow your orders. He took the initiative to collect information and even entrap his superiors."

"It was this risky move that may have directly led to Yu Guanming's exposure, and then he suffered the so-called family punishment from Chongqing."

"There is another possibility, that is, Yu Guanming obeyed your orders and was very honest, and did not do anything unusual." Nishimura Ozo glanced at Kikuchi Shintaka, "Therefore, the murder of Yu Guanming's family was actually just an accident, an ordinary criminal case, and has nothing to do with the Shanghai Special Intelligence Group and other departments in Chongqing."

"So, which of these two possibilities do you prefer?" Nishimura Ozo asked Kikuchi Shintaka with a gloomy look.

……

"The second possibility is the most likely." Cao Yu said with a serious expression.

He handed a cigarette to Comrade Red-crowned Crane.

Bao Rengui took the cigarette but did not light it. Instead, he held it in his hand and sniffed it. His brows were furrowed and he was thinking.

"Tell me the basis for your support for this judgment," Bao Rengui said.

The organization asked Comrade "Second Cousin" to help find the missing New Fourth Army procurement team coming to Shanghai. After a period of secret investigation, the intelligence feedback given by "Second Cousin" was:

I have not heard that the enemy has captured any comrades of the New Fourth Army.

At least no relevant information has leaked from within No. 76 or from Zhang Xiaolin's Xingya Peace Promotion Association, which has close ties with No. 76.

Then, Comrade "Second Cousin" gave his own analysis and judgment on this matter.

First, nothing happened to the New Fourth Army comrades who came to Shanghai to purchase supplies. Their disappearance may have been just an accident or a sudden situation.

Maybe it was because of some delay, or being trapped, or because of an unexpected situation.

However, these comrades did not fall into the hands of the enemy.

The second is that these comrades did encounter something and most likely fell into the hands of the enemy, but the news was blocked by the enemy, so no intelligence was gained.

"It is precisely because we have not found out any information about the relevant comrades that it shows that the problem is very serious." Cao Yu scratched the half ear and said.

The injured remaining half of the ear would be more prone to frostbite every winter, and then it would itch unbearably. When the weather got warmer, especially in the hot summer, that half of the ear would also feel very uncomfortable.

For some reason, mosquitoes seemed to be particularly fond of that half of his ear.

"The enemy's intelligence capabilities are very strong, especially No. 76. They have now become the biggest threat to our underground work and anti-Japanese work behind enemy lines." Cao Yu said with a serious expression, "Someone in our team is going to Shanghai to purchase supplies. I don't think the enemy has not received any news about this."

Looking at Comrade Red-crowned Crane's shocked expression, Cao Yu nodded and said calmly, "Yes, the enemy must have some information. This is my fundamental judgment of our enemy's capabilities. Or, you can also understand this as my intuition."

"Under such circumstances, I have not been able to find out any information about the team coming to Shanghai to purchase. This is extremely abnormal." Cao Yu said in a deep voice. He spoke neither fast nor slow, and snorted coldly, "The more you try to hide something, the more obvious it becomes!"

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