Chapter 22: Securing Another Victory – Part One

Chapter 22: Another Victory

1

“Honestly, there are a few big spenders at the well-known casinos and dance halls in Xinjing who seem to treat money like it’s nothing. People like Peng Maolin and Cheng Yankun from the Public Security Department—we patrol around those areas every day, so we know these guys inside out!” Xu Ruiyang said, prompting Tang Rongcai to recall a few names.

Helping the Security Bureau to investigate suspicious individuals was like stumbling upon a stroke of luck; they were more than willing to get involved. The best part was that it wasn’t dangerous, and the pay was quite generous.

Besides, the police station was obligated to assist the Security Bureau, so their superiors wouldn’t hold them accountable for such actions—in fact, they’d welcome these opportunities every day.

“Meet me outside the Security Bureau tomorrow. I’ll bring cameras and film. You’ll change into plain clothes and ride bicycles to secretly surveil Peng Maolin and Cheng Yankun from the Public Security Department. Don’t follow too closely. We’ll meet back here in the evening,” he instructed.

“Each of you take fifty yuan as an advance for expenses. Use it to buy some fabric so your wife and kids can have a few new sets of clothes, and get some meat so the elders at home can have a good meal,” Xu Ruiyang added.

The reason for recruiting two patrol officers was that he had received startling news from Wilson: the Italian named Chris operating in Xinjing wasn’t really a spy—in fact, he was a decoy released by the Italian consulate to mislead the Japanese.

No matter how intensively the Japanese monitored him, they couldn’t find any evidence, wasting their energy on futile investigations.

Naturally, Xu Ruiyang had to take action as well. His target was to surveil the Italian consulate in Xinjing, but he wasn’t in a hurry to stake out. Waiting patiently might not yield results in the short term.

In truth, the Security Bureau had always assigned people to keep watch on the consulate—they were an official intelligence-gathering agency and had to be vigilant.

“Xu, have you found anything on your side?” Kimura Masaru asked.

“Nothing concrete yet. Even the Empire’s agents haven’t found anything after all this time. I’m just trying my luck. They can’t be flawless every single time they meet,” Xu Ruiyang said.

He spread out a pile of surveillance records on the table, hoping to continue searching for patterns to solve the case. On the surface, this was a typical clumsy approach, a sign of desperation. The records had been reviewed countless times, yet no one had discovered anything.

Because of this, one Japanese agent mocked Xu Ruiyang’s efforts.

“Team leader, we’ve set up tight surveillance on these four targets for a long time without any new findings. He’s just a rookie patrolman dabbling in investigations—it’s a waste of time and funds. He’d be better off back in the department handling wiretaps,” Agent Matsuo said from the side.

2

“Bastard!”

“Haai!”

Kimura Masaru immediately slapped Matsuo twice. The man didn’t even dodge, standing stiffly with two red handprints on his face.

“You, an agent trained by the Empire for years, still haven’t made any meaningful discoveries? And you have the nerve to mock others? You’ve lost all sense of shame. You don’t deserve to be an agent—get out and carry out your mission!” Kimura Masaru roared.

“Haai!” Matsuo bowed and slipped away.

Among the Japanese, especially within the military, slapping and being slapped were commonplace. Superiors slapped subordinates; veterans slapped rookies—it was nothing unusual.

“Don’t be discouraged. Investigation skills are important, but careful observation and patience are key. The pressure on the Foreign Affairs Counterintelligence Department is mounting. Both the headquarters of the Ice City spy agency and the Kwantung Army Military Police Command have sent people to supervise regularly. I heard they, too, were sternly reprimanded by the Kwantung Army Commander,” Kimura Masaru said with a bitter smile.

“The Kwantung Army might be planning a major operation, so they’re closely monitoring counterintelligence. As you know, their military maneuvers require cooperation from the Manchukuo army, making secrecy difficult. Lord Shibuya himself will come to the Central Security Bureau in a few days to oversee operations personally,” he added.

For Xu Ruiyang, the greater the pressure on the Foreign Affairs Counterintelligence Department or the Security Bureau, the more benefits he could reap—the more pressure, the better.

“Peng Maolin hasn’t shown any movement, but Cheng Yankun came out at noon today. Here’s a photo I took. I heard the Public Security Department’s canteen is quite good, but he went to a restaurant and ordered several meat dishes, eating comfortably. After the meal, he returned to work as usual,” Zhang Tianshun said.

That evening, the three met again at a restaurant, ordering a large plate of lamb and a jar of sorghum wine, thoroughly enjoying the meal and drinks.

Xu Ruiyang spent the day reviewing surveillance records, organizing and extracting key information but hadn’t yet begun detailed analysis.

He took the freshly developed photos and looked closely—Cheng Yankun was quite the dandy, wearing a military uniform adorned with the rank of major. He was a major clerk in the General Affairs Section, a position known for its perks, indicating considerable backing.

In the photo, Cheng Yankun sat proudly in a rickshaw, seemingly pondering something pleasant.

“Take it slow. It’s not easy to find incriminating evidence all at once. Wait a minute—doesn’t that rickshaw driver look familiar?” Xu Ruiyang felt he had seen the rickshaw puller before.

3

Yes, it was him!

While organizing materials, Xu Ruiyang had seen many photos of Foreign Affairs Counterintelligence Department surveillance of personnel at the Italian consulate in Xinjing. One photo of a clerk leaving had this very rickshaw driver.

The key was a conspicuous scar on the driver’s right cheek, making him easy to recognize—no wonder he looked familiar.

Was it a mere coincidence?

Xu Ruiyang didn’t think so. Most coincidences have underlying reasons.

The next day at work, Xu Ruiyang created a summary table from the surveillance records. The clerk’s outings followed a pattern.

Italy and Japan weren’t at war, so the urgency for intelligence wasn’t high. There must have been prearranged times—that was the most reasonable explanation.

Information was passed every two days, always around noon. Calculating the distance between the Public Security Department and the Italian consulate, half an hour was about right.

Two days later at noon, Xu Ruiyang stood near the Italian consulate and indeed caught a photo of the clerk with the rickshaw driver. He confirmed that the driver was the intelligence courier—the clerk would come out to take his rickshaw at a specific time after spotting him from the window.

He hadn’t expected these Italians to be so cunning, using a rickshaw driver to relay intelligence—no wonder the Japanese hadn’t discovered it!

This also explained why the Japanese agents in the Foreign Affairs Counterintelligence Department had fallen into a mental trap, stubbornly tracking the Italian businessman Chris without suspecting this alternative channel.

Following the pattern, Xu Ruiyang waited outside the Public Security Department for two days but saw no activity—Cheng Yankun didn’t come out for lunch this time. However, the rickshaw driver waited near the main entrance for a while, then left pulling a passenger.

(End of chapter)