Chapter 205: The Dangtong Bureau's Scapegoat

"Go notify Captain Qi quickly."

Xiao Guohua turned his head and instructed Jiang Zhi.

"I know your blade is very fast."

"But I also crawled out of a pile of corpses; do not doubt the speed at which I pull the trigger."

Xiao Guohua's eyes were as deep as water, and his gun hand was as steady as a statue.

Old Sun knew the other party was no ordinary person.

The blade in his hand spun, as he wanted to make a desperate final struggle.

"Move, and you are dead."

"Don't move, and someone will save you."

Xiao Guohua said indifferently.

He had always held a key position in the Security Section, witnessing everything in the station from the shadows.

In the station.

Not to mention Yu Zecheng, whom Section Chief Liu was biting onto.

At the very least, Hong Zhiyou had a deep connection with the Reds.

Xiao Guohua knew this.

The Station Chief knew it too.

But why did Wu Jingzhong turn a blind eye?

Aside from making money, it was nothing more than seeking a way out.

He did not want to burn all his bridges.

Xiao Guohua knew well that this man was from the Red elimination squad.

The higher-ups were all ambiguous with the Reds, and since he had a wife and children, he naturally didn't need to forge a deep blood feud.

Old Sun slowly lowered his hand and dropped the knife.

"Section Chief Xiao, what happened?"

Qi Physician had just captured four soldier-thugs and walked in, looking smug.

The moment the words left his mouth.

He saw the masked Old Sun and the bloody cloth bundle on the floor.

"Ah!"

A chill struck Qi Physician's heart, and he roared as he rushed toward the bed.

A man and a woman lay dead on the bed.

"I'll curse your eighteen generations of ancestors."

"Who told you to kill him?"

"Who told you to kill him?"

He turned around, grabbed Old Sun by the collar, and roared.

"Traitors all deserve to die!"

Old Sun smiled proudly.

Since he had succeeded, he could protect other comrades in the Central Plains and Pingjin areas.

Trading the lives of a few of them for their safety was a worthwhile deal.

Old Sun had no regrets in his heart.

"You bastard!"

Qi Physician, in a fit of rage, knocked Old Sun over with a punch, mounted him, and began beating him relentlessly.

Xiao Guohua lit a cigarette and watched indifferently from the side.

A moment later.

Old Sun was beaten until his face was bruised and swollen, covered in blood, before Qi Physician hatefully stopped.

Xiao Guohua picked up the cloth bundle and spread it out on the table.

Under the dim light, that bloody head.

Slicked-back hair...

Old Sun, who had been standing proudly with his head held high, saw his pupils shrink, and his heartbeat accelerated sharply.

It was a young man.

It was not Yuan Peilin.

He, he had failed!

In an instant, Old Sun's face turned ashen, and the pride in his eyes vanished.

Seeing Xiao Guohua's cold, stern eyes.

He finally understood the meaning of "I've been waiting for you for a long time."

From the very beginning, this was a trap.

Wu Jingzhong, Li Ya, and even Qiao Jiecai were all cooperating in the act.

The goal was to lure out his elimination squad, which had never failed before.

Shopkeeper Luo and Sun Chuanzhi had both fallen for the ruse.

"Captain Qi, hurry and report to Captain Li," Xiao Guohua reminded him.

Qi Physician finally came to his senses, pointed at Old Sun, and stormed out.

With trembling fingers, he dialed the phone in a state of panic:

"Hello, Captain Li?"

"Yes, I have, I have good news."

"We caught the Red elimination squad."

"But, but Guo Liang was killed."

"You need to come over here immediately."

Meanwhile, Xiao Guohua went downstairs and found a public phone booth.

He immediately dialed Wu Jingzhong's number:

"Station Chief, that person at the Embroidery Building is dead."

"Yes, his head was cut off."

"It wasn't Yuan Peilin; it was his assistant, Guo Liang."

"Two groups were caught at the scene: one was Sun Chuanzhi's, and the other was the Red elimination squad."

"The elimination squad did the killing."

"Qi Physician was watching very closely and wouldn't let Jiang Zhi or me get close, and his attitude was very firm, so I didn't mention the assassination to Jiang Zhi."

"I guarantee he definitely doesn't know."

"Alright, I understand."

He hung up the phone.

Xiao Guohua walked quickly back into the building.

Before long, Li Ya arrived, and everyone went to Guo Liang's room together.

Looking at the head on the table.

Li Ya's face turned livid, his gaze falling on the bloody words on the table:

"Traitors must die!"

This was a blatant slap in his face.

He loosened his tight collar and turned to look at Qi Physician:

"Dozens of men couldn't watch one living person."

"Is this what you called 'don't worry'?"

"Captain Li, I..." Qi Physician started to explain.

Li Ya backhanded him with a powerful slap, knocking him over:

"Go explain that to the Station Chief."

After saying this, he stared coldly at the crowd:

"Take everyone back."

"Suspend the Embroidery Building's business for a few days; no one is allowed to leave the building."

"If anyone dares to run out and wag their tongue, I'll shoot them dead."

After giving his orders, Li Ya walked away quickly.

Guo Liang was dead.

For him, it was indeed a loss.

As long as Guo Liang was alive, he could act as Yuan Peilin's shadow, reducing the risk of Yuan being exposed.

But since he was dead, catching the elimination squad and putting the Dangtong Bureau on the spot.

It wasn't a total loss.

After all, the one who truly held the intelligence clues was Yuan Peilin.

From the day Guo Liang betrayed them and captured Yuan, he had already lost his utility.

Keeping him around was just a waste of food.

Let him die, then.

The reason he was annoyed was simple.

It was purely because such a large deployment of manpower cost quite a bit in daily expenses.

By padding the expense reports, he could pocket a good amount of money.

Now that Guo Liang was dead, it was equivalent to cutting off one of his own financial paths.

Qi Physician, that damn idiot.

The Xiuchun Pavilion was cleared out quickly.

Inside a car across the street.

Wei Jin witnessed two of his subordinates being shoved into a vehicle.

"It's over!"

With a livid face, he instructed the driver:

"Go back."

"Section Chief Wei, should we notify Director Sun?" the driver asked.

"Notify my ass.

"Go home and sleep first; we'll talk about tomorrow's business tomorrow."

Wei Jin was momentarily flustered and simply gave the order.

Inside the bookstore.

Luo Bing pushed open the door and walked into the back room: "Shopkeeper, something has happened."

"Did, did we fail?" Luo Anping asked, his expression changing drastically.

"I'm not sure.

"The Xiuchun Pavilion has been sealed off, and our people, including Old Sun, have all been arrested.

"But there were bodies carried out.

"It's uncertain whether Yuan Peilin is among them."

Luo Bing reported.

"People died.

"If Yuan Peilin was eliminated, the plan cannot be considered a failure.

"Tomorrow, we must quickly find Comrade Yu Zecheng to verify who died and arrange a rescue operation."

Luo Anping still held onto a glimmer of hope.

"Understood." Luo Bing nodded.

The small courtyard.

Yu Zecheng and Cui Ping sat on the bed, each hugging their knees; both were filled with worry and had no desire to sleep.

"Old Yu, do you think Old Luo and the Anti-Traitor Squad will really take action tonight?" Cui Ping asked.

"It's very likely.

"They have been made very tense by Yuan Peilin.

"The organization has also issued a kill order.

"My opinions couldn't be relayed to the organization's superiors, so I couldn't stop them at all."

Yu Zecheng nodded and said.

"Logically speaking, it's almost two o'clock; shots should have been fired by now."

"It's possible the operation was delayed.

"It's also possible other circumstances caused it to be canceled."

He glanced at his watch and added.

"Not necessarily; it's also possible they used blades.

"Back in our brigade, there was a butcher who would slaughter Japanese soldiers in the middle of the night with a knife.

"One strike, and the neck would be severed."

Cui Ping said.

"Hmm, it's also possible they used a silenced pistol.

"Sleep now."

Yu Zecheng set down his coffee cup, preparing to sleep.

"A silenced pistol?

"Do those exist?"

Cui Ping clearly had never heard of one.

"They do; that kind of advanced American pistol has a silencer attached to the front, so the sound is very faint when fired," Yu Zecheng explained.

"Then are there silenced machine guns?" Cui Ping's eyes lit up, and she asked with pleasant surprise.

Yu Zecheng leaned into her ear and said with a straight face:

"There are silenced grenades; do you want one?"

"You're annoying!"

Cui Ping knew she was being teased and was so angry her teeth itched.

Yu Zecheng smiled.

Yet, a foreboding premonition welled up in his heart.

Intuition told him that even if Old Luo succeeded, it likely wouldn't be Yuan Peilin.

If it was a trap, the comrades in the Anti-Traitor Squad were likely already...

Thinking of this, Yu Zecheng walked to the telephone and dialed the police station's number:

"Hello, is this Inspector Li? This is Yu Zecheng.

"Things seem quite chaotic over at the Xiuchun Pavilion; did something happen?

"Is that so?

"Alright, I understand, thank you."

Hanging up the phone, Yu Zecheng looked at Cui Ping, his expression serious:

"Something happened at the Xiuchun Pavilion just now; Li Ya arrested quite a few people.

"It's possible they are our people."

"Ah, what do we do? If they confess about Old Luo, you'll be in danger." Cui Ping frowned nervously.

"Don't panic.

"I'll go to the station tomorrow to take a look.

"Sleep for now."

Yu Zecheng pulled back the quilt and lay down to sleep.

The next day.

Hong Zhiyou arrived at the station early to get to work.

He had received a call from Xiao Guohua in the middle of the night regarding the incident at the Xiuchun Pavilion.

He had anticipated it, so there were no major ripples.

Eight-thirty.

Wu Jingzhong arrived at the office.

Li Ya followed right behind him.

"Secretary Hong, you go out first; I have something to discuss with Captain Li," Wu Jingzhong ordered.

Hong Zhiyou bowed slightly and retreated.

"Station Chief, Guo Liang was killed by the Red Ticket's Anti-Traitor Squad," Li Ya said, gritting his teeth with some frustration.

"Are you sure it was the Red Ticket's Anti-Traitor Squad?" Wu Jingzhong asked.

"It should be.

"They left a note written in blood: 'The fate of a traitor.'

"Since it's a traitor, could it be anyone but the Red Ticket?"

Li Ya said.

"Where is the note?" Wu Jingzhong asked.

"Here."

Li Ya took out a cloth bundle containing the blood-stained note.

Wu Jingzhong picked up the note and lit it with a match.

"Station Chief, what are you doing?" Li Ya asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"Such an important person was killed by the Red Ticket; are you planning to build up their prestige and give them publicity?" Wu Jingzhong asked with a frown.

"Station Chief, what do you mean?" Li Ya's eyes darted, as if he had realized something.

"I suspect some people didn't sleep a wink last night."

"Scared, trembling under their covers all night long."

"Did those Red agents you mentioned start talking?"

Wu Jingzhong asked with a smile.

"No."

"The Anti-Communist Squad members are fanatics; even under torture, they won't say a single word, dead or alive," Li Ya said.

"Very good."

"Remember, they are not the Anti-Communist Squad."

"They are assassins sent by the Dangtong Bureau."

"Ye Xiufeng is putting personal grudges above public duty, deliberately sabotaging the grand anti-Red operation of Jianfeng and Bureau Chief Mao, with Sun Chuanzhi as the executor in Jinhai."

"Isn't this a fitting hat to put on them?"

Wu Jingzhong looked at Li Ya with a beaming smile.

Li Ya thought for a moment, nodded, and said happily, "Absolutely brilliant."

"Master, this way, we can pin the death of this Guo Liang on Ye Xiufeng."

"And let Bureau Chief Mao corner him once more before the Generalissimo."

"You are wrong again." Wu Jingzhong pointed at him.

"Wrong again? Where did I go wrong?" Li Ya was confused.

"It is not Guo Liang who is dead."

"It is Yuan Peilin who is dead."

"I believe with your intelligence, the Xiuchun Pavilion must be under martial law by now, right?"

Wu Jingzhong asked.

"Yes."

"No one is allowed to step out of the building; there are people specifically guarding it," Li Ya said.

"Then Yuan Peilin is dead."

"Dispose of the body as soon as possible."

"This way, we can protect Yuan while also confusing the Red agents."

"More importantly, who at headquarters cares about a person with no value?"

"Ye Xiufeng assassinated one of the founders of the Central Plains intelligence network, the Beiping dual-leader Yuan Peilin—that is the real felony."

Wu Jingzhong pointed at him, smiling craftily.

"Station Chief, they say ginger gets spicier with age; a master is a master. I am completely convinced." Li Ya was filled with admiration.

"I don't have many years left."

"You are still young; the student should always surpass the master."

"That Qi Physician, you must discard him."

"On the surface, someone must take responsibility for this, and it must be a heavy sentence."

"Only then will the people on the outside take it seriously."

Wu Jingzhong instructed.

"The problem is, we definitely have to report this to headquarters."

"Will they cooperate with us?"

Li Ya was still somewhat worried.

Yuan is Yuan, and Guo is Guo.

Making a mistake in Jinhai is fine, but dealing with a big shot like Ye Xiufeng, if headquarters hides the report, there will be trouble.

"They will cooperate."

"Yuan was always a hidden piece."

"As long as you can get valuable information out of this person's mouth to earn merit, whether he is alive or dead makes no difference to headquarters."

"The grievances between the Zhongtong and the Juntong have long existed."

"We have always been harsher toward them than toward the Red agents."

"Mao Renfeng is of the old guard; he will not let this opportunity pass."

"Of course, don't be in a rush to report it."

"Wait and see what their attitude is first."

"Perhaps it will bring you unexpected gains."

Wu Jingzhong laughed with deep, calculating intent.

"Understood."

"I will follow your arrangements, Master." Li Ya nodded happily.

"Go, call the heads of each department to the conference room. Since Yuan is dead, the more noise and accountability we stir up, the better," Wu Jingzhong ordered.

"Yes." Li Ya accepted the order and left.

After the notifications were finished.

Hong Zhiyou tucked his fountain pen into his pocket and walked toward the conference room.

Lu Qiaoshan and Yu Zecheng quickened their pace to catch up.

Head-on, they saw the security department personnel escorting a resentful and unwilling Qi Physician toward the interrogation room.

"Yo, isn't this Captain Qi?"

"Weren't you full of prestige just yesterday?"

"What's wrong? Your face looks like a frost-bitten eggplant. Where did your spirit go?"

Lu Qiaoshan naturally wouldn't miss such a good opportunity to mock him.

Qi Physician curled his lip, turned his head away, and didn't dare to talk back.

"Tell Old Wu, don't hold back; this guy has major problems."

"At one glance, I can tell he's a traitor who bites the hand that feeds him."

Lu Qiaoshan first pinned a crime on Qi Physician.

"You!" Qi Physician was so angry he nearly vomited blood.

"No, Old Lu."

"Arresting people and holding meetings so early in the morning—did something happen?"

Yu Zecheng asked, feigning ignorance.

"Something happened at the Xiuchun Pavilion."

"Yuan was likely..."

Lu Qiaoshan made a beheading gesture with a gloating expression.

"No way."

"That was the precious treasure of Captain Li and the Station Chief; they drained the entire station's strength, and he still got killed?"

"This, this is also..."

"Let's go, I reckon the Station Chief will be furious today."

Hong Zhiyou urged quickly.

Upon arriving at the conference room, Wu Jingzhong sat expressionless.

"Everyone, have you heard?" Wu Jingzhong said.

"Heard what?" Lu Qiaoshan asked with a smile.

"Yuan Peilin was killed last night."

"The people from the Dangtong Bureau did it."

Wu Jingzhong tapped his fingers on the table, his voice filled with grim anger.

"What a pity."

"This Yuan could have become a sharp sword for us."

"I didn't expect him to be consumed by internal party strife."

"Having said that, as the Intelligence Chief, I actually had no idea this Yuan had come to Jinhai."

"Station Chief, this intelligence work is done a bit too well even against our own, isn't it?"

Lu Qiaoshan shook his head, his light smile not masking a look of disdain.

"Chief Lu, it's not that I don't trust you."

"It's just that your subordinates are numerous and eyes are everywhere; I was afraid that if something went wrong, it would implicate you."

Li Ya said flatly.

"Even if you told me, I wouldn't necessarily tell everyone."

"If there's any place that needs cover, I could help you too."

Lu Qiaoshan said with a look of deep concern.

As he spoke, he looked at the Station Chief: "Station Chief, if this person had been in the hands of my Intelligence Department, he wouldn't necessarily have ended up like this, would he?"

"Alright, alright."

"Now, how to handle Qi Physician? Lu Qiao, why don't I leave the interrogation of this case to you."

"Remember, the key is whether or not there was collusion with the Dangtong Bureau."

"According to Section Chief Xiao's testimony, Qi Physician once sternly refused to let Section Chief Xiao enter to ensure Yuan's safety."

"Even the so-called riot by the soldiers was directed and acted out by Qi Physician himself."

"The purpose was to let the Dangtong Bureau's assassins inside."

"That is your focus."

Wu Jingzhong instructed solemnly.

"Yes, Station Chief."

"I will certainly interrogate him clearly."

Lu Qiao had been wanting to toy with Qi Physician, so naturally, this was exactly what he wanted.

"Good, then let's leave it at that for now, everyone go get busy." Wu Jingzhong waved his hand and said.

Returning to the office.

Wu Jingzhong said in a deep voice:

"The Red Ticket killed a scapegoat last night."

"I still have to play along with this Li Ya."

"By now, the outside world should know that Yuan Peilin is dead; next, I will have Zheng Jiemin 'urge' Li Ya to perform meritorious service."

"Whether or not we can dig out Yuan Peilin depends on this one move."

Hong Zhiyou smiled: "Teacher, as long as people are involved, they will leave traces; Li Ya and Yuan Peilin will eventually show their flaws."

"By now, Ye Xiufeng should have received wind of it."

"He will definitely pressure Sun Chuanzhi to resolve it internally before this stench drifts all the way to Jingling."

"Sun Chuanzhi is a classic miser."

"Do you remember Director Kou from the Public Opinion Committee?"

"Sun Chuanzhi is the same type of person as him, specifically fond of keeping mistresses and hiding money."

"You have worked so hard playing this long game with Li Ya, you should earn some hardship pay."

"You and I think alike; the reason I am suppressing this matter is precisely for that reason." Wu Jingzhong smiled knowingly.

Just as they were speaking, the phone rang.

Wu Jingzhong pointed at the phone and said: "Do you believe it? It's Sun Chuanzhi calling."

"I believe it."

"He is probably as anxious as an ant on a hot pan right now."

"If you really want to corner him, he might even lose his head."

Hong Zhiyou laughed.

"Let him hang for a bit." Wu Jingzhong didn't pick up.

It wasn't until the third call that he finally answered:

"It's me."

"The good work your subordinates have done—there must be an explanation for the Yuan Peilin affair."

"Go tell these empty words to Ye Xiufeng and the Minister of National Defense."

"Once I get to the bottom of this interrogation, we'll see each other at the Jingling Military Tribunal!"

"Clack!"

Wu Jingzhong hung up the phone.

"Just wait, he will find someone to come over soon, and it is bound to be you, this expert on Jinmen." He smiled and said.

"Understood."

"When the time comes, I will take Director Yu along to talk."

"He drives a harder bargain than I do."

Hong Zhiyou did not forget to bring Yu Zecheng along for a piece of the action.

"Mm."

"Zecheng performed well this time; he didn't wade into the muddy water and didn't ask unnecessary questions."

"That is how it should be."

"Look at how Lu Qiao is jumping up and down for the position of Deputy Station Chief; he thinks he has gained an advantage, but in my view, he will sooner or later fall into Li Ya's hands."

Wu Jingzhong commented, leaning back on the sofa:

"Sigh, I didn't sleep a wink last night."

"There is a meeting at the City Defense Bureau today; you tell Lu Qiao to go, I need to nap for a while."

"Very well, Teacher." Hong Zhiyou accepted the order.

Hong Zhiyou returned to the office.

Yu Zecheng came up to greet him.

During the meeting just now, he had not said a word.

Partly out of prudence, not speaking much.

And partly to secretly observe the expressions of Wu Jingzhong, Li Ya, and the others.

Unfortunately, he could not find any suspicious points on the old fox.

This left him somewhat dazed for a moment.

Old Luo had really succeeded.

"Zhiyou, is Yuan really dead?" He asked impatiently.

"The one who died was his assistant, Guo Liang." Hong Zhiyou did not want to hide it from him.

"The interrogation rooms are all full; they aren't all people from the Dangtong Bureau, are they?" Yu Zecheng frowned.

"Nonsense."

"It is very clear that the Station Chief does not want any Red Tickets involved in this."

"Wouldn't that be boosting your prestige? Besides slapping his own face, what benefit would that bring him?"

Hong Zhiyou whispered.

"Is it possible that these people are from the Anti-Traitor Squad?" Yu Zecheng asked.

"No need to ask, they definitely are."

"Prepare the money."

"Since the Station Chief has classified them as Dangtong Bureau, we should still be able to fish them out."

"It is nothing more than a matter of the price."

"Sun Chuanzhi's blood is definitely not enough to suck dry; can you find someone to bleed a little?"

"I will be the one to pass the message."

Hong Zhiyou patted his shoulder and turned to walk toward his office.

Old Luo had truly fallen into a pit.

Yu Zecheng stood frozen in place, unsure for a moment whether to feel sorrow or relief.

……

(End of chapter)