Agent: Intercepting Yu Manli at the start!

Chapter 21 Without anyone noticing!

The mountain city was in an uproar.

This powerful blow not only shattered the Japanese intelligence lifeline, but also severed a portion of the roots they had established in the southwest.

In a pile of collapsed bricks and tiles in the west of the city, Zheng Yaoxian and Lu Hanqing were squatting behind a broken wall, meeting up.

"Old Lu, did you read this morning's paper?"

Zheng Yaoxian took out his cigarette case, and just as he shook out a cigarette, before he could even bring it to his mouth, Lu Hanqing snatched it away: "Smoking too much will rust your lungs."

"Ha, I can't quit." Zheng Yaoxian smiled bitterly.

The days spent in hiding were like a taut bowstring, requiring me to keep one eye open even in my dreams—afraid that a single murmur would reveal my secret, afraid that a turn in the bed would expose my cover. The swirling smoke, at least, allowed me to deceive myself into a moment of relaxation.

Lu Hanqing nodded: "The newspaper said that the Military Intelligence Bureau destroyed the Japanese intelligence outposts and also eliminated Araki."

Zheng Yaoxian slammed his cigarette pack shut: "Guess who did it?"

"You?" Lu Hanqing was taken aback, then shook his head. "Oh...it's Zhou Xiao?"

"Yes." Zheng Yaoxian's gaze was calm. "He single-handedly sneaked into the Shang Mansion, caused chaos, killed Araki, and ruined the entire operation."

Lu Hanqing gasped, "This kid... he really dares to go all out, he's got some guts."

Zheng Yaoxian looked at him: "Has the organization made any progress in investigating Zhou Xiao's background?"

"It's still stuck." Lu Hanqing lowered his voice. "Since you think he's useful, you might as well try to win him over. But remember—you have to keep it a secret, not a single glimpse can be revealed."

"Understood." Zheng Yaoxian nodded.

Zhou Xiao is indeed a man of substance.

Even with ample supplies, it all depends on whether the fire is hot enough—whether it can burn like firewood in your own stove remains an open question.

……

The second branch of the Military Intelligence Bureau was just beginning to climb the blue brick wall at dawn.

Zhou Xiao stepped through the door without stopping. With Sakura and Araki's tails just trimmed, it was Zhou Haichao's turn next.

He had no mortal feud with Zhou Haichao, but the problem lay in the man's sinister nature—if he could stab Xiao Zhengguo in the back, he might just shoot Zhou Xiao in the back one day.

Who knows, one time when you're deep behind enemy lines, climbing up a telephone pole to copy codes, you might suddenly get a blow to the back of the head.

These dud bombs, which could explode at any moment, are a death sentence if left unexploded ordnance.

Besides, murderers should pay with their lives; it's an outrage against humanity.

Zhou Haichao broke the ironclad rules of the Military Intelligence Bureau and betrayed the oath of his comrades. If he doesn't die, the rules will die.

Just as I turned the corner past the gatehouse, I bumped into Li Bojun.

The other person was carrying a brown paper package out of the gatehouse, their knuckles still covered in dust.

Zhou Xiao's heart skipped a beat: That package? Wasn't it the evidence that could pin Zhou Haichao down?

Following the course of the Awakening of Insects, Li Bojun became suspicious after unpacking the package, concluding that Xiao Zhengguo was a fake. He turned around to confront Chen Shan, but was intercepted by an assassin halfway there and lost his life.

Just when Zhou Xiao was worried about not being able to get Zhou Haichao to talk, fate handed him the key.

"Bojun!" he called out.

The two had met during the last raid on the Shang Mansion, so they were somewhat acquainted.

Hearing the voice, Li Bojun turned around and grinned, "Yo, Brother Zhou Xiao! What's up?"

"What treasure is in that bag?" Zhou Xiao asked with a smile.

Li Bojun glanced down and frowned: "I don't know either, it was sent from Shanghai."

"Shall we open it and take a look?" Zhou Xiao leaned forward. "Just in case it's a secret document from the Japanese puppet regime, I'll take a look for you."

"Okay." Li Bojun tore open the seal—inside lay an old pocket watch and a letter.

Just as the paper package tore open, Zhou Xiao heard a soft sound: "Ding—Designated sign-in task triggered: Examine the pocket watch in Li Bojun's hand, reward to be opened."

Is checking a watch considered signing in?

This job is easier than dusting.

Zhou Xiao accepted the answer without even blinking.

As soon as the envelope was opened, Li Bojun scanned a few lines of text, his Adam's apple bobbed, his face tightened, and he grabbed Zhou Xiao's arm, pulling him to the corner of the corridor. He lowered his voice and said, "Brother Zhou Xiao, something terrible has happened!"

"This was sent by a fellow villager from the Shanghai Hurricane Team through a third party—the letter said he personally witnessed someone shoot and kill Xiao Zhengguo, the head of the operations section. He recognized the man's face, but couldn't figure out his identity, only that he seemed to be one of our own. More importantly, he found this watch next to the body and asked me to find out the whole story."

Before he finished speaking, Li Bojun had already taken out a brass pocket watch from his cloth bag. The watch cover was slightly rusty, but it gleamed with a cold, hard light, and handed it to Zhou Xiao.

Everything is progressing at a pace that is subtly influencing the situation.

Zhou Xiao took the watch, tapped the edge of the case lightly with his fingertips, then lifted the cover to examine the movement closely. After a moment, he looked up and said, "This watch was a custom-made piece personally awarded by Director Wei to a meritorious official at the commendation ceremony. Each one has a unique serial number; a quick check of the records will reveal its owner."

Just then, a crisp system notification rang in my ears: "Ding—Check-in task completed! Reward: One miniature eavesdropping device."

This thing is only the length of a little finger joint, and it's all matte black. It can be embedded in an old-fashioned tape recorder to play back recordings, and it can be hidden in a button, cigarette case, or even the compartment of a pen without anyone noticing.

Truly top-notch agents never rely on brute force, but on the right tools.

Just like 007 can always turn the tables with a little gadget.

It might be commonplace in the 21st century, but in these days—it's genuine cutting-edge technology.

"Good stuff!" Zhou Xiao's heart warmed.

He had expected the physical reward to come sooner or later, having been rewarded with ten small gold bars by the system earlier. This time, the bugging device was not only useful, but also perfectly timed.

He reached his fingertip into his pocket and, sure enough, felt a small, cool, flat module—perfect.

"According to the letter, Xiao Zhengguo has been silenced?" Li Bojun gasped, beads of sweat instantly forming on his forehead. "Then... isn't the person sitting in the section chief position now an imposter? No, I have to ask him directly right now!"

If he were to rush in recklessly like that, he would probably lose his life before even stepping through the door.

"Don't rush." ​​Zhou Xiao's tone was calm, his gaze sharp. "Brother Bojun, could you please go over it again—who accompanied Xiao Zhengguo on his mission to Shanghai last time?"

He knew the answer, but remained calm and waited for the other party to utter the name.

After a moment's thought, Li Bojun blurted out, "The three traveling together: Xiao Zhengguo, Zhou Haichao, and Jiang Yuanbao."

"Now that Jiang Yuanbao is in prison and Xiao Zhengguo has 'returned safely'—if the letter is true, then there is probably only one real culprit left."

"Brother Bojun has a keen eye." Zhou Xiao nodded in agreement, but then changed the subject, "However, this watch alone is not enough to draw a conclusion."

"Then what do you think, Brother Zhou?" Li Bojun was now completely convinced.

Zhou Xiao's lips curled slightly as he uttered two words: "Setting up a trap."

……

Deputy Section Chief's Office.

Boom, boom, boom.

The knock had barely finished when Zhou Haichao's slightly languid reply came from inside: "Come in!"

Zhou Xiao pushed open the door and entered, closing it behind him. His steps were unhurried, and his gaze fell directly on the man behind the desk: "Deputy Section Chief Zhou, I've heard so much about you."

Zhou Haichao was visibly taken aback, then grinned, though the smile didn't reach his eyes: "Oh, Captain Zhou, what an honor to have you grace my humble abode! Please, have a seat!"

The two sat down, with the coffee table a foot apart.

Zhou Xiao leaned forward and got straight to the point: "Deputy Section Chief Zhou, I've never liked beating around the bush—I'm here today to discuss a business deal with you."

"A deal?" Zhou Haichao's eyelids twitched, his smile freezing for half a second. "What kind of deal?"

"There's no need for pretense between us." Zhou Xiao flipped his wrist, revealing the letter and pocket watch side by side on the table. "You should recognize this watch, shouldn't you?"

Zhou Haichao's gaze swept over the watch case, his pupils suddenly contracting, but only a hint of astonishment appeared on his face: "What do you mean? I don't understand."

They're putting on quite a show.

Zhou Xiao, however, did not expose him, and said slowly, "You might as well take a look at Liu Chengxiao's letter yourself."

He pushed the letter over.

Zhou Haichao quickly finished scanning, his fingers unconsciously tapping twice on the edge of the table, his eyes darting around, his breathing slightly catching—that moment of panic was more real than any confession.

He forced a smile: "Captain Zhou, where did this letter come from? And what does it prove?"

Zhou Xiao stared at him, almost laughing out loud inside, but his face remained calm: "The letter was sent to Li Bojun by Liu Chengxiao of the Shanghai Hurricane Team. I intercepted it halfway. You know Liu Cheng very well—he was right next to the three of you during the mission back then."

"When you killed Xiao Zhengguo, he was hiding in the corner of the second-floor private room and saw everything clearly. He also picked up the pocket watch you dropped in your panic... Don't deny it, the serial number is irrefutable."

"Let me string the whole story together for you: The three of you went to Shanghai, the intelligence was leaked, and you were surrounded by the Japanese and their collaborators, forcing you to break out separately. You bumped into the wounded Xiao Zhengguo in the back alley of the Cathay Cinema—you'd disliked him for a long time and coveted his section chief position. So you approached him, raised your hand, and shot him dead with two shots. You thought you had covered your tracks perfectly, but you overlooked the watch and the person."

"Should we verify its authenticity? It's simple—transfer Liu Chengxiao from Shanghai back to Chongqing for a face-to-face confrontation."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Xiao's gaze sharpened like a knife, piercing straight at Zhou Haichao: "Deputy Section Chief Zhou, do you think your words hold water?"

The color drained from Zhou Haichao's face in an instant, his Adam's apple bobbed, the veins on his forehead throbbed slightly, and large beads of sweat rolled down his face, leaving dark water stains on his suit collar.

As expected, Zhou Xiao exposed the truth in one sentence.

"Who told you that?" His voice was strained, as if it had been sanded, his fingertips unconsciously digging into the armrest. "What exactly do you want?"

Zhou Xiao leaned back, his back sinking into the sofa, his fingers interlaced on his lower abdomen: "Deputy Section Chief Zhou, don't panic—if they really wanted to bring you down, this evidence would have been on Director Guan's desk or in Boss Dai's drawer long ago."

"To be honest, after the incident where the intelligence station in the mountain city was destroyed, I suspected that there was something wrong with Xiao Zhengguo. But without any evidence, I could only keep quiet about it."

"If Xiao Zhengguo is really dead, then the person sitting in the second office right now is most likely a spy planted by the Japanese. This kind of person must be removed."

"I'm here today to get some definite information: Is Xiao Zhengguo really dead or not? If he is, we can talk—ten small yellow croakers in exchange for these two things, plus me helping you deal with that imposter."