Chapter 64 Golden Intelligence Appears Again

Japanese Consulate in Shanghai.

Wearing a black cotton-padded jacket and a skullcap, and carrying a small cloth bag, Ye You approached the Japanese consulate under the cover of night. He tossed the bag toward the main gate, shouted, "Deliver this to Jiro Yamashita!" and then bolted across the bridge, vanishing into thin air.

The Japanese guards pursued him for dozens of meters. Realizing they could not catch him, they returned, cursing under their breath.

Such incidents were commonplace at the time.

Ye You tossing a cloth bag was nothing; there were plenty of people who threw feces or urine.

A guard picked up a long wooden pole and cautiously pried open the cloth bag.

Inside the bag were a small iron box and a letter.

Written on the envelope in Japanese were the words: "To be personally opened by Jiro Yamashita."

Fearing the envelope or the iron box might be laced with poison, the guard carefully inspected them before picking them up with peace of mind. After some hesitation, he decided to report the matter to Jiro Yamashita.

Should there be any critical matter in the letter and it be delayed because he failed to report it, the consequences would be disastrous.

"Lieutenant Colonel Yamashita, someone left a letter and an iron box for you at the consulate entrance," the guard reported.

"Leave the items down," Jiro Yamashita responded from behind his desk without even lifting his head.

"Yes!"

Long after the guard had left, Jiro Yamashita finally put down his pen and stood up.

First, he picked up the letter.

Written on the envelope was clumsy, crooked Japanese: "To be personally opened by Jiro Yamashita." The six unsightly characters looked as though they had been deliberately written that way.

Upon tearing open the envelope, two ugly lines of writing appeared before Jiro Yamashita's eyes.

"Yamashita Riko is entirely safe; do not think of her or worry. Enclosed herewith is something belonging to Riko to comfort your heart."

Upon reading these words, Jiro Yamashita knew precisely whose handiwork this letter was.

He opened the iron box, and an unexpected finger suddenly entered his field of vision.

The dark red bloodstains smeared inside the iron box made the finger appear even whiter by contrast.

"Baka!"

Veins bulged on Jiro Yamashita's forehead, and his eyes turned bloodshot.

Without a doubt, this little finger belonged to Yamashita Riko.

"Song Yingge! Song Yingge!" Jiro Yamashita muttered the name he had heard from Zhou Shun. "If I do not kill you, I am unworthy of being a father."

After venting his fury, Jiro Yamashita grabbed the telephone and roared, "Have Yamashita Keisuke crawl in here immediately!"

Zhou Shun's real name was Yamashita Keisuke.

A moment later, Zhou Shun walked into the office. Meeting Jiro Yamashita's bloodshot eyes, he could not help but shiver.

"Lieutenant Colonel Yamashita!" Zhou Shun kept his head down, not daring to look Jiro Yamashita in the eye.

Jiro Yamashita strode up to Zhou Shun and struck him hard across the face.

"Bastard! Is this what you meant by foolproof?" Jiro Yamashita pointed at the iron box, consumed by rage.

Zhou Shun raised his eyes and caught sight of the finger inside the iron box, his expression turning to one of terror. "Is this Riko's finger?"

"If you hadn't insisted on rescuing Riko, she would never have suffered any harm!" Jiro Yamashita kicked Zhou Shun to the floor. "The rescue mission has failed. Why are you completely in the dark? Didn't Vulture contact you? Was Nightingale also rooted out by the Special Services Branch?"

Cold sweat poured down Zhou Shun's back. He had thought that with Nightingale acting as an insider, the rescue mission was guaranteed to succeed. Who could have imagined it would fail?

"Useless trash! Fool! You must commit seppuku to atone for your crime!"

If Zhou Shun were not Jiro Yamashita's nephew, he would have been executed long ago when he defected back to Shanghai.

Now that the rescue plan had failed, the Special Services Branch would undoubtedly tighten its guard.

The hope of rescuing Riko was growing increasingly dim.

Knowing that Jiro Yamashita truly meant to kill him, Zhou Shun prostrated himself at Jiro Yamashita's feet. "Uncle, I have a plan. I guarantee we can rescue Riko."

Jiro Yamashita's anger subsided slightly. "Let's hear it."

"According to Nightingale, Song Yingge is a native of Yongcheng. As long as we..."

...

"Achoo..."

After sneezing twice in succession, Song Yingge rubbed his nose. Who was cursing him?

"Who opened the window? Mr. Song, you mustn't catch a chill." Feng Zi'er closed the window, walked over to the hospital bed, and looked closely at Song Yingge.

"Why are you staring at me?"

"All the doctors are talking about you. They say if that bullet had been biased one centimeter to the left, even the immortals couldn't have saved you."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. This is what you call a fortunate person having their own natural protection; escaping a major disaster means there must be great blessings ahead."

"You certainly are blessed. Many nurses in the hospital say that if they could marry you, they'd gladly shave ten years off their lifespan."

"And you?"

"Mr. Song looks like a man destined for great things; there's no room in his heart for a little woman like me."

Song Yingge smiled, let the remark pass, and changed the subject. "Any special gossip these last couple of days? Tell me."

After recruiting Feng Zi'er as an informant following his hospitalization for gunshot wounds, the intelligence she provided—though mostly valueless—had made Song Yingge well-versed in all the gossip around the Central Hospital.

Now lying in the hospital with nothing to do, chatting about gossip with Feng Zi'er was indeed a pleasant way to pass the time.

"Actually, there is one thing."

"Oh? Let's hear it."

"Not long ago, a new doctor named Dong Yang arrived at our hospital, a graduate of the Japanese Medical University. Not only is he highly skilled in medicine, but he's also gentle and cultured, making him the dream lover of many nurses in the hospital."

"The nurses in your hospital really are sentimental."

"Don't interrupt. Doctor Dong is in his early thirties, yet he's still unmarried. Do you know why?"

"Immersed in medicine, no time to marry?"

"That's how he explains it to outsiders. If I hadn't happened to catch him trysting with a man the other day, I almost would have believed his story."

Trysting with another man?

Such a niche concept left Song Yingge dumbfounded. Was the Republic era really this progressive?

"You don't believe me? The two of them were being extremely stealthy, looking back every three steps as if terrified of being discovered. If they weren't up to that sort of thing, why act like that?"

"Did you see the two of them in intimate contact with your own eyes?"

"Well, no."

"Alright then." Song Yingge admired Feng Zi'er's imagination.

"Really, trust me. The relationship between those two is definitely not normal." Feng Zi'er grew anxious.

Seeing Feng Zi'er's expression, Song Yingge recalled Dong Yang's background of studying abroad in Japan, and his heart stirred. "Do you have paper and pen?"

"Yes."

"Write down what you just said. I think it's very valuable."

"Really? Is there a bonus?"

"Your money won't be shorted. Write it down quickly."

Hearing that there was money to be made, Feng Zi'er instantly grew motivated. Picking up a pen, she brushed a line of words across the paper. "Is this alright?"

Song Yingge took the paper and raised an eyebrow.

"Doctor Dong Yang had a secret meeting with a male friend; the two are suspected of having an improper relationship."

"Intelligence Value: Golden. Of considerable value."

Feng Zi'er's feeling was correct; Dong Yang genuinely had issues.

Looking at the intelligence in his hand, a doubt arose in Song Yingge's heart. Feng Zi'er's intelligence had also been written at his instigation, so why could it trigger the golden finger while the intelligence written by Liu Dazhi could not?

After a brief reflection, Song Yingge grasped the key point.

Feng Zi'er's intelligence had been written based on what she had seen and heard herself, whereas the intelligence written by Liu Dazhi had been completed under Song Yingge's dictation.

"It seems that only when I do not interfere with the content of the intelligence written by the party concerned can the golden finger be triggered."

Song Yingge glanced at Feng Zi'er and said, "You know what organization I'm with, right?"

Feng Zi'er nodded.

"Keep your mouth shut. You are not to tell a third person about this matter concerning Dong Yang. Otherwise, I'll cut out your tongue," Song Yingge threatened.

Feng Zi'er had no filter on her mouth; without a warning, he feared this news would be common knowledge before long.

"I—I promise I won't tell anyone," Feng Zi'er stammered, clearly frightened.

Song Yingge picked up his coat from the cabinet beside the bed, took out twenty yuan, and handed it to Feng Zi'er.

Feng Zi'er carefully accepted the money and quickly left the ward, thinking to herself, "Mr. Song looks so handsome when he smiles, but he's so terrifying when he's serious."

Scarcely had he lain down for a moment when Song Yingge was disturbed.

"Section Chief?" Sun Xi and Zhang柯 knocked on the door and called out softly.

"Come in," Song Yingge said, sitting up.

"Section Chief, I heard from the doctor that the bullet missed your heart by just one centimeter?" Zhang Ke hurried anxiously to Song Yingge's side.

Sun Xi was a beat slower, but the anxiety on his face was no less than Zhang Ke's.

"Don't worry, the operation was very successful. I'll be able to leave the hospital after resting a few days."

Hearing Song Yingge say this, the expressions of the two men eased slightly.

"Why did you two come over? Have Huang Yue and the Reds been caught?" Song Yingge asked.

Sun Xi and Zhang Ke wore unsightly expressions. "No."

"What happened?" Seeing their faces, Song Yingge knew something had gone wrong at the dock.

"Section Chief Zheng led men to forcefully storm the Taikoo Sports Ground, and they clashed with the ground's security guards, spilling blood," Sun Xi said.

"Taikoo Sports Ground?"

"Section Chief Zheng previously led men to conduct a hasty search of the Taikoo Sports Ground, but found nothing. Later, the rest of the dock was searched, yet still there was no trace of the Reds. Section Chief Zheng suspected the Reds might be hiding inside the Taikoo Sports Ground. Consequently, he led men there, demanding another search, but the stadium manager refused to consent. The conflict between the two sides escalated into a brawl, and some security guards were beaten bloody. This incident alarmed the British Consulate. After they lodged representations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported it to President Chiang. The Directorate has ordered the suspension of all operations at the dock."

Sun Xi recounted the events that had taken place at the dock that afternoon to Song Yingge.

"Did our men get into the sports ground?"

"No."

"Zheng Guoen is truly useless. With so many men, he couldn't even force his way into a sports ground?" Song Yingge cursed fiercely.

Sun Xi and Zhang Ke did not dare to respond, though they thought the exact same thing in their hearts.

"Now the Special Services Branch is in a passive position. If they had broken in and ferreted out the Reds, they could have pinned the charge of harboring rebels on the foreigners. Under the current circumstances, everyone is just waiting to suffer the consequences," Song Yingge sighed.

"If the Section Chief hadn't been ambushed, we would have captured the Reds long ago."

"What about Huang Yue? Wasn't he found either?"

"No. However, the ballistic analysis results are out. The bullet that struck you was fired from Huang Yue's service pistol. It can be basically concluded that Huang Yue is the Red lurking within the Special Services Branch."

"Damn it! Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we must find Huang Yue. Not skinning him and tearing him to pieces will fail to appease the hatred in my heart."

"Don't worry, Section Chief, Huang Yue definitely won't get away," Zhang Ke patted his chest in guarantee.

Looking at the boasting Zhang Ke, if his physical condition hadn't prohibited it, Song Yingge really would have wanted to give him a kick.

"Who is guarding the dock side?"

"It's all men from Intelligence Section 3 and the Action Branch. We from Intelligence Section 4 have all withdrawn."

"It's good that you withdrew. Those left behind won't have a good end." After saying this, Song Yingge handed Feng Zi'er's written intelligence and the sketch of the man mentioned in it to Sun Xi. "This Dong Yang is a doctor at the Central Hospital. I think he's very suspicious. Take some men and keep an eye on him."

"Yes, Section Chief," Sun Xi respectfully accepted the slip of paper.

"What is the situation with Jiang Shuning and her daughter?" Song Yingge looked at Zhang Ke.

"Jiang Shuning and her daughter have been keeping a low profile these past few days, and Xiao Wei and the others haven't found an opportunity to make a move."

"Has Xiao Wei been in contact with anyone else?"

"He went to the Fish Market Street vegetable market once. It was crowded and chaotic there, so I didn't dare follow too closely and couldn't confirm whether he came into contact with anyone."

"Fish Market Street?"

Could some of the Japanese spies involved in the "Dagger" plan be hiding in the vegetable market?

"But what use is lurking in a vegetable market?"

The information was too scarce for Song Yingge to analyze anything for the moment.

"Alright, it's so late, go back and get some rest early."

After driving the two men away, Song Yingge prepared to sleep.

However, tonight was destined to be a sleepless one for him.

First Chen Meili, and then Wei Si, Zhou Weixiang, Zhao Changjing and others came in turns to visit.

Song Yingge was very curious as to where these people had learned their manners.

Who visits patients in the middle of the night?

The next day, Sun Xi brought a bombshell piece of news to Song Yingge.

The Directorate had ordered Zheng Guoen to be stripped of his post and told him to stay at home and reflect on his faults.

This punishment was very light; Dai Li still wanted to save face and had gritted his teeth to protect him before President Chiang.

With this, an explanation was given to the British, and the Taikoo Sports Ground storm was considered past.

However, the Kuomintang Bureau of Investigation and Statistics clearly did not want Dai Li to have an easy time.

They had collected evidence of Zheng Guoen's extortion and bribery from goodness knows where and lodged a formal complaint with President Chiang.

President Chiang had given Dai Li a severe dressing-down.

Zheng Guoen had caused Dai Li to lose face twice in front of President Chiang; how could Dai Li not resent him?

Consequently, Zheng Guoen was locked up in Yangpi Lane Prison, with an unknown sentence.

"I remember Section 3 doesn't have a deputy section chief either, right?" Song Yingge asked.

"No."

"Then Section 3 is currently leaderless." Song Yingge paused, looking at Sun Xi with a smile. "I recall your rank is lieutenant?"

"Yes." Sun Xi raised his head; he caught the subtext of Song Yingge's words.

"During this period, you've also achieved quite a few merits. Your seniority and merits are sufficient. Do you want to move up to a new position?"

"This subordinate only wishes to follow the Section Chief and render loyal service to you."

* *"We're family, let's not speak of two households. Do you want to or not?"*

Sun Xi gritted his teeth. "I want to."

"How much money do you have when all your family assets are added together?"

Sun Xi looked ashamed. "A little over five hundred yuan, I should suppose."

"Where has all the money gone?" Song Yingge wondered aloud.

Although the pay for personnel in the Intelligence Branch wasn't high, with monthly informant funds plus side earnings, pulling in two or three hundred yuan a month was hardly a problem.

Sun Xi's face turned beet red, and he stammered, unable to speak.

"What? Did you spend it all rescuing fallen women?" Song Yingge bantered.

"The Section Chief is brilliant," Sun Xi finally squeezed out a sentence after a long moment.

Song Yingge stretched his body. After a night of recovery, the heart-rending pain was gone. "Carry me to the car and send me back to Tianyin Lane for a trip."

"What are you going back to Tianyin Lane for?"

"To get money for you. Lots of people are eyeing that position; opportunities must not be missed, and time brooks no delay."

"Section Chief..." Sun Xi's eyes welled up, and he was struck speechless.

"After getting the money, take it immediately to Section Chief Wei. As for the Directorate side, I'll speak on your behalf."

Sun Xi dropped to one knee and cupped his fists in both hands. "From now on, I am willing to be a watchdog at the Section Chief's gate."

Song Yingge picked up a pillow and threw it at Sun Xi, angrily cursing, "What I lack aren't dogs, but brothers. Get up for crying out loud."

Sentiments rarely last long, and bonds of loyalty are easily scattered by profit.

Only by combining both can things endure.