Agent: Intercepting Yu Manli at the start!

Chapter 109: Taking the opportunity to extract the list of "Project Celestial Music"!

Zhou Xiao stepped forward at this opportune moment, speaking in a gentle tone: "General Oshima, the Military Intelligence Bureau's interrogation methods are extremely ruthless; ordinary people can't withstand more than a few rounds."

"Look at these wounds on Honda-kun's body, old and new, showing how much effort the Military Intelligence Bureau put into getting him to talk. He was indeed fighting desperately to keep quiet, but... in the end, he couldn't withstand their brutal methods."

"Director Zhou, there's no need to defend him!" Oshima Ken was furious, his voice cracking. "A traitor is a traitor. The evidence is irrefutable and cannot be denied!"

Zhou Xiao glanced silently at the cold, lifeless body of Honda Panasonic, and said nothing more.

This little devil died a worthy death—he took a fatal blow for Zhou Xiao before he died.

Because of Honda and Panasonic's "confession," Ken Oshima has temporarily let Zhou Xiao off the hook.

But how long can this trust last? Nobody knows.

Zhou Xiao's plan seemed flawless, but it had one fatal weakness: the timing was too perfect.

He had just become the first Chinese to enter the Sugiyama organization when Honda and Panasonic were kidnapped, tortured, and forced to reveal the location of their headquarters—the two events happening so close together were truly jarring.

Although there is no direct evidence pointing to Zhou Xiao, and it is difficult to determine the cause and effect, the coincidence itself is enough to arouse suspicion.

After all, the Japanese weren't stupid.

Before Zhou Xiao arrived, the Shan Agency was as solid as a rock; the moment he stepped through the gate, the headquarters was reduced to ashes.

Was it a coincidence?

Maybe.

But it's also possible that it wasn't a coincidence at all.

At this point in time, Zhou Xiao could not avoid it.

He was pressed for time; he had to completely eliminate the Sugimoto organization before Oshima Ken launched his counterfeit money campaign. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Oshima Ken is shrewd and calculating. You might trust him now, but if Zhou Xiao shows the slightest weakness in the future, the other party will immediately piece together the timeline before and after the attack—that would be tantamount to walking into a trap.

Therefore, Ken Oshima had no choice but to die.

Before he could suspect anything, they cut off all the clues in one fell swoop, so that no one could connect Zhou Xiao with the destruction of the Shan Agency, and no one would remember that subtle time difference.

When Zhou Xiao was first brought into the Sugi Agency, only Ken Oshima, Matsushita Honda, and a few other agency staff members were involved.

As long as they all keep quiet, no one will know that Zhou Xiao once set foot in this place, and no one will notice the connection in time.

Eliminating Ken Oshima was the final link in the "Blue Lantern Project," a crucial step that truly brought the whole situation to a close.

However, it's not time to take action yet.

Zhou Xiao also needed Oshima Ken's handwritten signature to state that he was innocent and had nothing to do with the matter, and to have it stamped in the report and file for confirmation—so that the succeeding military police commander would not have any doubts.

Ken Oshima will die, but only after his value has been fully exploited.

At that moment, Kenjiro Oshima roared at the Sugimoto headquarters engulfed in flames, "What are you all standing around for? Go put out the fire! Search through the rubble and salvage even a single page of documents!"

"Go quickly!"

"Everyone, immediately begin firefighting!"

Military police, Special Higher Police personnel, and nearby garrison troops rushed to the fire, making a futile but stubborn rescue attempt.

Since all the key members involved in the research have been silenced, the remaining data is all the more precious—every piece of data is precious.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Zheng Yaoxian quietly withdrew, his figure quickly blending into the thick night.

To be honest, Zhou Xiao didn't notice him at all in the crowd—he neither looked for him nor paid any attention to him.

As long as Sixth Brother gets out safely, that's enough.

"Baka yarou!" Ken Oshima continued to curse, wishing he could drag out Matsushita Honda's corpse and whip it in his anger. "Traitor to the Empire! You caused us such heavy losses!"

Zhou Xiao stepped forward slowly, his tone calm: "General Oshima, allow me to offer a reminder—"

"As your personal adjutant, Honda knows far more secrets than the average person. Since he was able to reveal such crucial information as the address of the Sugi Agency headquarters, it's hard to guarantee that he won't leak other important information under torture."

"For the sake of the empire's overall interests, General, you must immediately conduct a thorough investigation and strictly prevent any further leaks of secrets. Otherwise, the consequences will be incalculable."

Confidential information?

A name flashed through Kenjiro Oshima's mind like lightning: the list of names for Project Celestial Music.

That was a top-secret operation, and he was the only one in the entire city who had a complete understanding of it.

All the personnel selected to carry out the plan were locked in a safe at the military police headquarters.

This list is the lifeblood of Project Celestial, and the key evidence for whether the entire operation can be successfully implemented.

The true content of Project Celestial was that the Japanese army planned to release cholera virus on a large scale into water sources in non-occupied areas, using biological means to carry out a devastating blow to all anti-Japanese forces—not only targeting anti-Japanese armed forces, but also unsuspecting civilians.

The plan has now entered a critical stage – a large number of cholera virus samples have been prepared. The next step is to distribute the toxin to agents hiding in non-enemy-occupied areas according to the list, and then let them carry out the poisoning.

Without that list, the entire "Heavenly Voice Project" would be completely paralyzed.

Ken Oshima was taken aback at first, then his anger visibly subsided, and he turned to Zhou Xiao with a grateful look: "Director Zhou, you are truly a close friend of the Empire, always thinking of the Empire's best interests!"

Zhou Xiao's words were not genuinely intended to help the Japanese invaders, but rather to extract information about the whereabouts of the "Heavenly Sound Project" list.

This is the real target he's been eyeing.

According to intelligence previously obtained by Sixth Brother Zheng Yaoxian, the list was stored at the headquarters of the military police.

But the headquarters' safes are not limited to the one in the office—secret archives, operations section, and even the adjutant's office may all have safes.

At present, Zhou Xiao has no way of knowing which cabinet the list is locked in.

If Honda and Panasonic knew the location of the list, Ken Oshima would most likely have moved the documents immediately for security reasons.

Once the transfer is complete, Zhou Xiao will have the opportunity to follow the clues, locate the new location, and then obtain this crucial list.

This is Zhou Xiao's true intention in setting up this trap step by step.

Zhou Xiao smiled faintly: "General Oshima, I simply don't want our common interests to suffer even the slightest damage."

"That's right!" Ken Oshima nodded emphatically. "Director Zhou is absolutely right. Our interests are intertwined."

"This raid by the Military Intelligence Bureau on the headquarters of the Sugi Agency has dealt us a huge blow with far-reaching consequences. It means that all of the Sugi Agency's previous research results have been rendered useless, and even the upcoming counterfeit currency war has had to be completely halted."

The fight against counterfeit currency relies on large quantities of counterfeit banknotes, a complete set of printing equipment, core technical personnel, and comprehensive process data.

Now the stronghold has been destroyed, and the banknote plates, ink, printing presses, technical manuals, experimental data, key personnel... have all been reduced to ashes.

To restart, we would have to rebuild the laboratory from scratch, rehire experts, replicate printing plates, and rebuild the production line—the whole process would take several years.

Mingtai and his men's bombing effectively severed the lifeline of the counterfeit currency war.

For at least the next three to five years, the Japanese shouldn't even think about waging a currency war again.

"What I regret most is the plight of the researchers at the Sugihara Institute. Many of them were university professors and academic authorities. This explosion caused them to die far from home. Although they did not fight on the front lines, they made outstanding contributions to the Empire."

In the eyes of the Japanese invaders, these fanatical scholars were heroes;

But to the Chinese people, they are executioners in white coats—using biological and chemical means to harm their compatriots, scum of the intellectual community, and war criminals nailed to the pillar of historical shame.

Zhou Xiao sighed softly: "All I can say is that the Military Intelligence Bureau is too ruthless; they will stop at nothing to achieve their goals."

Ken Oshima nodded silently.

He never dreamed that the mastermind behind this operation, codenamed "Operation Blue Lantern," which aimed to strike at the headquarters of the Sugimoto Agency, was right in front of him.

Although Zhou Xiao was not present at the scene, he remotely controlled the entire operation, setting up and retrieving the net, keeping the whole operation in the palm of his hand.

This is the highest level of lurking.

At this time, Japanese and puppet personnel from the military police, the Special Higher Police, and the garrison were busy putting out the fire and counting the bodies.

The people could not be saved, but at least a few intact bodies had to be salvaged to appease the families—otherwise, the bodies would truly be gone forever.

Crackling... crackling...

The fire is still raging.

Many Japanese researchers were decapitated and their limbs were torn apart in the explosion; those who were lucky enough to survive with intact bodies gradually curled up, charred, and turned to ashes in the flames.

The invaders, adrift in foreign lands, met their end in utter destruction—a fitting punishment, perhaps.

Tonight, Shanghai is destined to be restless, but also destined to be extraordinary.

That night, the situation was quietly rewritten.

Special Higher Police Section, Section Chief's Office.

Due to the sudden explosion at the Sugi Agency headquarters, almost all the Special Higher Police personnel on night duty were transferred there to provide support.

At this moment, the headquarters is short-staffed.

The door to the section chief's office was tightly shut, and no one outside knew that Hirofumi Asano had already died inside.

The newly appointed head of the Special Higher Police arrived in Shanghai late at night and went straight to headquarters. He locked his office inside and then remained silent. This unusual behavior left the Special Higher Police completely baffled.

After all, he was a stranger; no one knew his temperament or his way of doing things. Even though the room was deathly silent, no one dared to knock and ask.

Until dawn.

Special Higher Police officers gradually returned to their posts.

Hearing from the colleagues on night duty that the new section chief had taken office, everyone was curious. But when they got closer, the section chief's office door was still tightly closed and locked, making the atmosphere even more strange.

"What do you think the new section chief has been up to? He came in last night and locked himself in his room, and hasn't shown up since."

"Yes, logically speaking, the first thing to do upon taking office should be to call a meeting with everyone."

"It's almost nine o'clock now, and the door is still locked."

"I've heard that Hirofumi Asano is ruthless, so we dare not disturb him rashly—he might have slept in his office last night!"

"That makes sense, otherwise why would anyone lock themselves in?"

Outside the office, there was much discussion, with most people speculating that Hirofumi Asano was probably exhausted and taking a nap inside.

As the time passed to a little after 10 a.m., the sun was scorching, shining directly into the corridors and windows of the Special Higher Police Department, making the air in the entire building feel sweltering and oppressive.

A Special Higher Police officer from the archives department stood outside the section chief's office, clutching a document. The door remained tightly shut. He paused, took a deep breath, and raised his hand to knock on the door.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

Three short, clear knocks echoed down the corridor.

He called out loudly in Japanese, "Section Chief, are you there? I have an emergency to report to you in person!"

The room was so quiet that there wasn't a single response.

"Strange..." He hesitated for a moment, then knocked twice more forcefully, his voice becoming more urgent. "Section Chief, are you resting? I'm so sorry to disturb you, but this is extremely urgent. If you hear me, please respond!"

He knocked on the door again, raising his voice, "Section Chief, I'm so sorry to bother you, but this matter is of great importance and I must report it to you immediately!"

Despite repeated shouts and knocking, the room remained deathly silent.