Agent: Intercepting Yu Manli at the start!

Chapter 153 Liu Ke was assassinated?

To be honest, even she herself was puzzled: where did this emotion come from?

It came so suddenly and unexpectedly that she had no control over it at all.

Zhou Xiao had already seen through her little mood, but instead of explaining, he asked, "Guess why Fujita Yoshimasa made us go back to the banquet hall?"

Lan Yanzhi's mind raced, and she immediately realized: "Someone died in that fire?"

Zhou Xiao nodded: "A major traitor has died—Liu Ke, the director of the Political and Economic Committee."

Liu Ke, a notorious traitor, is infamous.

Lan Yanzhi was well aware of his importance.

The shock of such a person dying on the spot is far greater than imagined—enough to make even the biggest and smallest traitors cower and live their lives in fear, never daring to act recklessly again.

"Liu Ke collapsed at the banquet, with only a tiny bullet hole in his temple. The method was clean and efficient, definitely the work of a top agent."

"There are no clues right now, and nobody knows who did it."

Lan Yanzhi was silent for a moment, then suddenly turned her head sharply and stared directly at Zhou Xiao: "Did you do this?"

Zhou Xiao nodded: "When I went to rescue Wu Teng Chunzi, I originally planned to use her as a cover to make a move against Wang Fuyao."

"As fate would have it, Liu Ke ended up getting caught in the crossfire. It was all worth it, though."

Lan Yanzhi pressed further: "You used rescuing her as a pretext to actually carry out an anti-traitor mission amidst the chaos?"

Zhou Xiao raised an eyebrow: "What else did you think? What were you thinking?"

Upon hearing these words, Lan Yanzhi's heart suddenly brightened, her gloom instantly dissipated, and she felt as if she had been bathed in sunlight, so light that she almost floated away.

She paused, then asked, "Then why did you accept Wu Teng Chunzi's invitation to have dinner just now?"

Zhou Xiao laughed: "Silly girl, her father is Muto Yoshio, the Consul General of Japan."

"A lot of important intelligence is right there on the consulate's desk. If we get closer to this father and daughter, we can have more cover when entering and leaving the consulate, and it will be easier to gather information."

"This relationship itself is the best passport."

This is true.

Consulates hold far more than just diplomatic documents.

Lan Yanzhi responded softly, "Oh... I see."

Hearing him say that, all the grievances I felt vanished, leaving only a clear and bright mind.

The slight awkwardness and unease in my heart dissipated without me even realizing it.

Lan Yanzhi's lips curled up slightly, revealing a hint of a smile.

There was a hint of smugness hidden in that smile.

Zhou Xiao took in every single change in her expression.

Zhou Xiao smiled slightly: Lan Yanzhi is still a bit short of being a top-notch agent—she can't hide or control her emotions.

However, her sullen demeanor when she was sulking was actually quite endearing, unlike what one would expect from a well-trained female agent.

Perhaps this is her most authentic self.

Lan Yanzhi seemed to realize she had revealed too much emotion, and quickly changed the subject: "Zhou Xiao, did you really orchestrate the sabotage of Wang Manchun's 'fishing operation'?"

His tone had returned to normal, even lighthearted, with no trace of the frustration he had just felt.

Zhou Xiao nodded: "Absolutely true."

"I only pointed out the risks and potential consequences of this plan to Yoko Minamida and Yoshimasa Fujita, and they immediately ordered it to be stopped."

"I also got information out of Wang Manchun that the anti-Japanese patriot who was arrested had already died for his country; he was a comrade of the underground party."

Lan Yanzhi nodded: "In any case, Wang Manchun's 'fishing operation' has been shelved, and Shanghai can finally breathe a sigh of relief. The safety of the Military Intelligence Bureau and various anti-Japanese forces has also been further guaranteed."

"Zhou Xiao, you're truly brilliant! You took down Wang Manchun without firing a single shot. I'm impressed!"

Zhou Xiao smiled.

Why must infiltrators resort to violence to achieve their goals?

The greater the commotion, the faster the exposure.

He handled this thwarting of Wang Manchun's actions perfectly.

Lan Yanzhi had initially harbored resentment because of Wu Teng Chunzi, but after hearing Zhou Xiao's explanation, her resentment immediately vanished, and she became cheerful, chatting and laughing with him.

Women's minds change so quickly.

At this moment, a car is moving at a steady speed on the streets of Shanghai.

Minglou and Mingcheng were sitting in the car.

Ming Lou sat in the back seat, silent the whole way. After a long while, he finally looked up at Ming Cheng, who was driving, and said, "Send a message to Hades. I want to see him!"

Minglou wants to see Hades!

Hades was his superior and also his direct contact.

Even today, he still doesn't know the other party's true identity.

Mingcheng focused on driving, looking straight ahead, his hands firmly on the steering wheel.

Since Minglou got into the car, he hadn't said a word, and Mingcheng didn't dare to speak rashly either.

Unexpectedly, the eldest brother's first words were directed at Hades.

He was slightly taken aback: "Brother, why the sudden need to see Hades?"

Ming Lou's voice was low and deep: "The situation in Shanghai is much more troublesome than I expected."

"At the banquet just now, Liu Ke, the director of the Political and Economic Committee, was assassinated."

"The timing and method of the crime are still unclear, but the traces at the scene clearly point to the use of a gun by the special agents."

"With such tight security tonight, the murderer still managed to succeed—this means there must be agents of the Military Intelligence Bureau among the guests. The situation is more complicated than we anticipated, so I must meet with Hades."

Liu Ke's death made Minglou truly smell the stench of undercurrents in Shanghai.

The struggle is far more intense than it appears on the surface, and the waters run much deeper.

He wanted to see Hades, not to ask for instructions, but to learn more about his trump cards.

Mingcheng was shocked: "Liu Ke was assassinated?"

"No wonder the Special Higher Police have lost three section chiefs in a row—they could even carry out such an operation and escape unscathed. It seems our comrades have already penetrated deep into enemy territory."

The fact that they could kill Liu Ke but couldn't catch him is the most alarming and thought-provoking aspect.

Minglou nodded: "Therefore, the situation is not optimistic."

"Go back and immediately send a telegram saying that 'The Serpent' requests an audience with Hades."

Mingcheng replied, "Understood."

Minglou paused for a moment, then continued, "Mr. Wang is going to convene a 'Peace Conference,' which is a signal to the whole country that he wants to 'legalize' the puppet regime and upgrade it to the so-called 'new government.' This conference is of great significance."

"Those who traveled from Shanghai to Nanjing for the meeting were all core traitors, including many Japanese military officers. Whether it was the Military Intelligence Bureau or the underground Communist Party, they would definitely keep a close eye on these people."

"The most important thing right now is to find out what mode of transportation they used to get to Nanjing."

The conference was scheduled to be held in Nanjing.

There are only three ways to get from Shanghai to Nanjing: train, ship, or plane.

Minglou has no idea which path to choose.

Mingcheng responded with a "Mm".

Minglou remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Mingcheng, tonight's banquet is filled with high-ranking officials, dignitaries, and social elites. What are your thoughts?"

This statement was intended to test – among so many faces, who can be manipulated, and who can be exploited?

After a moment's thought, Mingcheng replied, "Liang Zhongchun from the 76th Special Agent Headquarters is worth considering. He's greedy, keeps a concubine outside, and is afraid of his wife at home; however, he's loyal and extremely devoted to his wife and children. As long as we find his weakness, we can influence him."

Ming Lou nodded slightly: "Anything else?"

Mingcheng shook his head: "We haven't had much contact with others, so I'm not sure yet."

Minglou paused briefly, then suddenly asked, "What do you think of Zhou Xiao, the head of the intelligence department at the Special Operations Headquarters?"

"Zhou Xiao?" Mingcheng was taken aback, not expecting his elder brother to suddenly bring up this person. After a moment's recollection, he said, "I don't know him very well. But according to the available intelligence, he did a lot of things for the Japanese and destroyed several liaison points of the Military Intelligence Bureau."

"The Special Higher Police and the Military Police have a high opinion of him, saying that he is efficient and reliable."

"Big brother, what's wrong with him?"

Minglou narrowed his eyes, his voice deepening slightly: "Nothing, just a casual question. He's been approaching me a few times lately, like he's offering me a way out."

"When the fire broke out, he even risked his life to rescue the daughter of the Japanese consul general in Shanghai, Chunzi Muteng. Judging from my intuition, this Zhou Xiao has a powerful background and is definitely not an ordinary traitor."

Mingcheng's heart skipped a beat: "You don't actually suspect he's Hades, do you?"