Chapter 21: Heading to Shanghai

Shen Mingchen had thought those few Japanese spies, Chen Yongren and Zhang Haifeng, would each need two or three days of interrogation.

He never expected that in less than an hour, all those Japanese spies would crack.

Shen Mingchen was delighted—his subordinates not only strong in execution but also skilled at interrogating Japanese spies.

Despite his young age, he is actually a versatile talent.

For the Action Section, and indeed the entire Military Intelligence Bureau, this is nothing short of adding wings to a tiger.

Shen Mingchen didn't dwell on how to interrogate them; he was quickly drawn to a sentence in the confession.

"Operation Rainstorm?"

Shen Mingchen excitedly said, "A Ren, Haifeng, your discovery is extremely important—you not only uncovered the Japanese spies' operation code name, but even dug out their superiors!"

"You wait here; I'll now report this good news to the boss!"

Shen Mingchen had forgotten how many times he had knocked on the boss's office door this time.

It seems each time is related to Chen Yongren?

Boss Dai looked at the confessions of Iwata Ichiro and others, his expression slightly changed, astonished at Chen Yongren's interrogation efficiency.

In less than an hour, he extracted so many valuable clues?

In less than a day, Chen Yongren brought him too many surprises.

Chen Yongren is indeed a natural-born genius at espionage!

Speaking of Operation Rainstorm,

Boss Dai furrowed his brow slightly, his fingers lightly tapping the desk.

No matter what the Japanese intend, we must stop the Japanese spies' Operation Rainstorm and uncover the pangolin hidden in Shanghai.

After a moment's thought, Boss Dai made an internal phone call.

Not long after, Intelligence Section Chief Cui Jiangnan knocked on the door and entered the office.

Looking at the confession Chen Yongren had extracted, Cui Jiangnan's expression shifted slightly: "Boss, are the Japanese spies preparing to carry out sabotage in Shanghai?"

Boss Dai nodded slightly, musing: "Order the Shanghai district personnel to closely monitor the owner of Xianghe Bookstore, but hold off on arrests for now."

"Cast a long line to catch a big fish—follow the vine to find that pangolin, figure out what they intend, and thwart their Operation Rainstorm."

Upon hearing this, Cui Jiangnan helplessly said: "Boss, the Shanghai district has only three teams; they've repeatedly complained about insufficient manpower, hoping we can allocate more personnel to them."

"At least we can share some of the pressure on them regarding the investigation of Japanese spies."

Boss Dai lowered his head to think; this request from the Shanghai district is not excessive.

The remaining spies from Jinling have all gone to Shanghai; the manpower of those three teams in the Shanghai district is surely stretched thin.

Boss Dai immediately nodded in agreement: "Then we'll draw two teams from the Action Section and Intelligence Section to go to Shanghai for reinforcement."

After a moment's thought, Boss Dai added: "The numbers need not be large—each team five or six people, entering Shanghai in pairs in batches, so as not to alert the Japanese spies with too many people."

"Yes!" Cui Jiangnan accepted the order, just about to leave.

"Wait a moment!"

Boss Dai called out to stop Cui Jiangnan, because he suddenly thought of a person.

Chen Yongren.

A youngster like Chen Yongren—clean background, no faction, outstanding ability—is rare to find.

The confessions were all extracted by him; if he were also sent to Shanghai, perhaps the specifics of Operation Rainstorm could be uncovered more quickly.

"Jiangnan, add a name to the list first," Boss Dai said.

"Who?" Cui Jiangnan asked curiously.

"Indeed surprising—normally for such trivial matters, the boss wouldn't personally get involved."

Boss Dai's eyes flashed: "Chen Yongren."

Hearing that name, Shen Mingchen froze.

Those sent out on field missions are all elites of the Military Intelligence Bureau; they would never dispatch a newcomer.

Moreover, this time they're going to Shanghai, where the situation is even more complex, so Shen Mingchen hadn't even considered recommending Chen Yongren.

But he never imagined that the boss would proactively add Chen Yongren's name to the list.

……

"Chief!"

Seeing Shen Mingchen enter the office, Chen Yongren and Zhang Haifeng immediately stood up to greet him.

Shen Mingchen nodded, casually tossed the folder onto the desk, sat before the desk, and sized up Chen Yongren and Zhang Haifeng.

Zhang Haifeng felt uneasy under Shen Mingchen's gaze, occasionally scratching his head.

Chen Yongren showed no change; seeing Shen Mingchen silent, he subtly focused his perception on him.

"The boss really values A Ren."

"He actually appointed him to go to Shanghai for training."

"If A Ren can successfully complete his mission in Shanghai, his future will surely be limitless."

"Shanghai?"

Chen Yongren's heart stirred.

Listening to Shen Mingchen's inner thoughts, the boss seemed to want to dispatch him to Shanghai work because of Ichiro Iwata's confession?

After a moment of silence, Shen Mingchen got straight to the point: "A Ren, Haifeng, there's now a very important task to entrust to you!"

"Please, Chief, issue the order—no matter what the task, I will do my utmost to complete it!" Chen Yongren straightened.

Seeing this, Zhang Haifeng also hurriedly straightened his body.

Shen Mingchen handed the document to Chen Yongren, smiling: "Because our Shanghai station lacks manpower, the boss has decided to send you for reinforcement."

"Assist the comrades at the Shanghai station, locate the Japanese East China Special Higher Agency chief hiding in Shanghai—the pangolin."

「Find out the target of the Storm Rain Operation, and stop their actions! 」

Zhang Haifeng's face was full of excitement.

Chen Yongren, however, kept his composure, listening as Shen Mingchen continued speaking.

Calm, neither hurried nor agitated, truly worthy of being a talent valued by the boss.

After Shen Mingchen evaluated Chen Yongren in his mind, he continued: 「A Ren, I have never seen the boss value a youngster so highly before; you must not betray the boss's trust in you! 」

Chen Yongren hesitated not at all, immediately agreeing: 「I, your humble subordinate, will surely not disgrace the mission; I will serve the boss and be loyal to the nation! 」

Shen Mingchen then turned to Zhang Haifeng and said: 「Haifeng, your work is to assist A Ren's work. 」

「Yes! 」 Zhang Haifeng replied, standing straight.

「Time is pressing; I won't waste words. You and Haifeng go back to prepare first, and take the train to Shanghai at 7 a. m. tomorrow. 」

「Upon arriving in Shanghai, the Shanghai Station Brotherhood will send someone to meet you; they will also personally inform you of local precautions and your identities in Shanghai. 」

「Shanghai is not like our Gold Mausoleum, where you can act without considering consequences; you must remember, in any situation you must never act rashly. 」

「From now on, besides your real name, you also have a code name. 」

Shen Mingchen looked at Chen Yongren, speaking with deep meaning.

「Poison Scorpion. 」

「This is a code name personally selected for you by the boss. 」

「Whether you like it or not, you cannot refuse. 」

In the years since the Military Intelligence Bureau was established, the only person for whom the boss has personally devised a code name is Chen Yongren.

「The boss's code name is indeed high-quality. 」 Chen Yongren liked this code name very much, and standing straight said: 「I, your humble subordinate, will surely complete the mission satisfactorily and not let down this code name. 」

Poison Scorpion, a scorpion possessing deadly venom.

Relying on its venom can paralyze the central nervous system of its prey.

This code name truly lives up to its meaning.

「Haifeng's code name is 'Madman'; when you are out on a mission, even if you forget each other's names, you must always remember your own code name! 」 Shen Mingchen said with a solemn expression.

「Yes! 」 Chen Yongren and Zhang Haifeng again stood straight.