usatvline Chapter 1977 Western Shanghai
Chapter 1977 Western Shanghai
Chapter 1977 Western Shanghai
“It’s very likely a person!” Oda Hideto said. “Pan Qingyu deliberately exposed himself to lure us into capturing him, his purpose being to protect someone’s evacuation.”
"In other words, there was another person nearby at the time," Hijikata Juichiro said.
“Let me deduce this now.” Oda Hideto said in a serious voice, “At that time, Pan Qingyu made a secret meeting with someone as arranged. It was at that time that you and your men were discovered by Pan Qingyu for following Xi Shun. He was worried that the danger would involve the contact person, so he used himself as bait to focus attention on himself and protect the contact person.”
……
"That warehouse?" Hijikata Juichiro asked thoughtfully.
“Unlikely,” said Hideto Oda. “If that person was in the warehouse, then it should be Pan Qingyu who went into the warehouse, and Xi Shun who stayed outside.”
“That’s where Pan Qingyu is going to meet someone after leaving the warehouse,” Hijikata Juro said.
"The reason we didn't choose this warehouse is because the location is too obvious, and the fact that we can enter the warehouse through Kishun means that Kishun has the key to the warehouse. Therefore, the warehouse is not a truly safe place," Hijikata Juichiro analyzed.
……
“I’m more inclined to believe that their meeting place was near the warehouse,” he continued. “This is within Pan Qingyu’s normal area of activity, and his presence here wouldn’t attract attention.”
“It’s in the warehouse,” Hideto Oda said, shaking his head.
Hijikata Juichiro looked confused. Hadn't Oda Hideto just cleared out the warehouse?
“When you arrested Pan Qingyu, the contact person wasn’t in the warehouse,” Oda Hideto said. “However, I strongly suspect that the contact person had already arrived or was about to arrive, and that the meeting place was in the warehouse.”
“I understand. Pan Qingyu brought Xishun to the warehouse to retrieve something, which is a way to create a plausible reason for their presence in the warehouse,” Hijikata Juro said.
……
“Not only that,” Oda Hideto said. “He brought Xi Shun to the warehouse to get something, so this ensures that Xi Shun won’t suddenly appear just because he’s coming to get something, thus preventing the contact person from being exposed to other people’s sight.”
He said to Hijikata Juichiro, "After Kishun takes the things and leaves, Pan Qingyu, the shopkeeper, can find any excuse to stay in the warehouse and wait for the contact to arrive."
"So, Pan Qingyu secretly discarded the pen to attract our attention and prevent us from searching the warehouse?" Hijikata Juro said.
“No.” Hideto Oda shook his head and said, “I thought so before, but now I understand his true purpose.”
……
“The contact is about to arrive, or he has already arrived,” said Oda Hideto. “Pan Qingyu deliberately dropped the pen to attract your attention. Then you checked the area around where he dropped the pen. When you did all this, there was a place we had previously overlooked.”
“I don’t understand,” Hijikata Juichiro said, shaking his head.
“Outdoors,” Oda Hideto said. “To be precise, Pan Qingyu did all this to expose his capture to the public, so that his contact would know he had been arrested and could turn back and leave in time, avoiding being caught in a trap.”
"Is it possible that the person who made the contact hasn't gone far yet?" Hijikata Jujuro asked Oda Hideto.
“Impossible.” Oda Hideto shook his head. “Even if the person hasn’t gone far, as long as Pan Qingyu pretends not to have noticed you, you won’t make a move. He can temporarily get through this situation.”
“I see.” Hijikata Juichiro thought for a moment, then nodded in sudden understanding. He looked at Oda Hideto with admiration. “Captain Oda, you are amazing. Listening to your analysis is like watching a movie, completely reproducing the enemy’s movement trajectory.”
……
“This is just our analysis,” Hideto Oda said. “However, it’s not that difficult to confirm our guess.”
He looked at Hijikata Juichiro and said, "Secretly arrest Kishun, and arrange for someone to conduct a secret investigation near the warehouse, focusing on the person who appeared in the vicinity when you arrested Pan Qingyu, and who left the area quickly."
"Understood." Hijikata Juichiro nodded.
"The person Pan Qingyu would sacrifice himself to protect must be extremely important." Oda Hideto's expression was serious, tinged with a hint of ruthlessness. "Find this person!"
"Hayi!"
……
No. 22 Xuehuali Road.
Special Police Division, Shanghai No. 1 Police Bureau.
Office of the Special Police Division Chief.
As usual, Cheng Qianfan called Lao Huang to massage his muscles and bones.
"The 'Abacus' met with the 'Flying Fish'," Old Huang said.
"What's up?" Cheng Qianfan sat in the chair, raising one arm high as Lao Huang massaged it.
"Boss Lou needs our help with something, and he asked 'Abacus' to pass on the message," Old Huang said.
"Boss Lou" and Comrade Yi Jun was a special code name given to Comrade Yi Jun within the French Concession Party branch.
"Something's happened?!" Cheng Qianfan's expression immediately turned serious. Strictly speaking, this should be considered the first time Comrade Yi Jun had explicitly asked them for help.
"Yes." Old Huang nodded and reported to Comrade 'Fire Seed' what Lu Dazhang had learned from Zhao Shuli.
……
"A small tea shop?" Cheng Qianfan frowned.
"Have you heard of it?" Old Huang asked.
“I remember now, I passed by this teahouse,” Cheng Qianfan said. He then asked Lao Huang, “Did they say over there that they suspect which part of the enemy attacked Zhang Yingzhuo?”
Old Huang shook his head.
"It could be No. 76, the Special Higher Police, or the Military Police," Cheng Qianfan pondered. "Of course, the police station, or even the Mitsui Club, are also possibilities."
As he spoke, he shook his head, "There are too many enemies, it's hard to say for sure in a short time."
“There’s another possibility, which is that the police station might also be involved,” Old Huang said. Although the police station had been reorganized into the Wang Jingwei regime’s police department, he still habitually referred to it as the police station. “Don’t forget, No. 76 and the Japanese secretly arranged for quite a few people to infiltrate the police station.”
"Inside the police station, convey my message: have 'Flying Fish' secretly gather information," Cheng Qianfan said.
"it is good."
……
"I'll leave the intelligence gathering to 'Abacus' at Number 76. I'll take care of the Japanese." Cheng Qianfan continued, "I'll handle things with the Japanese."
"That makes sense." Old Huang nodded.
Cheng Qianfan thought for a moment and said to Lao Huang, "The fact that Boss Lou is so nervous shows that the seriousness of this matter is beyond our imagination. It is also enough to show that the enemy may attach unprecedented importance to this matter. Tell everyone to pay attention to safety."
"I'll pass on the message," Old Huang nodded and said.
……
“The Xiaofang Tea Shop is in western Shanghai, and the person disappeared there as well,” Cheng Qianfan said, a thought striking him.
"You suspect it's related to Yokoyama Akima's military police branch in western Shanghai?" Old Huang immediately understood Cheng Qianfan's meaning and said.
“I do have that suspicion,” Cheng Qianfan said, frowning as he addressed Lao Huang. “I haven’t paid much attention to Yokoyama Akima before, but I’ve been focusing on him these past few days.”
He walked over to the sofa, lay down on it, and let Lao Huang massage his shoulders and back, saying, "I have a bad feeling about this Yokoyama Akima. He's a rather difficult old Japanese devil to deal with."
"I heard that Kobe Shinji's attitude towards you is not good," Old Huang said with a smile. "As Yokoyama Akima's subordinate, I think you need to have a word with Yokoyama."
“That’s right, that’s indeed an excuse we can use.” Cheng Qianfan’s eyes lit up as he said.
He had thought of this too.
……
The next day.
"According to our secret investigation and inquiries with nearby residents," Hijikata Juichiro reported to Oda Hideto, "a total of fifteen people appeared or lingered near the warehouse within five minutes before and after our arrest of Pan Qingyu."
“Eight of them live nearby or usually work or live in the area, and after investigation, nothing unusual was found,” Hijikata Juichiro said. “Therefore, we will temporarily rule them out as suspects.”
“The other seven people were probably just passing by,” Hijikata Juichiro said. “And these seven are the people we need to investigate further.”
“No.” Hideto Oda shook his head and said, “Among these seven people, there should be one who has appeared in that area more than once.”
"Does Captain Oda suspect that the warehouse is a regular rendezvous point?" Hijikata Juichiro asked.
"Take a look at this." Hideto Oda handed a statement to Juichiro Hijikata.
……
"Xi Shun has spoken up?" Hijikata Juro was overjoyed and said, "I thought the Red Party members were all like rocks in a latrine."
“This guy is tough. Although we only used torture for half a day, I ordered to use heavy torture to get him to talk as quickly as possible,” said Hideto Oda. He shook his head. “Of course, most importantly, this guy is a local.”
Xi Shun was a local. To be precise, Xi Shun had a wife, children, and an elderly mother. When Oda Hideto brought Xi Shun's mother, wife, and children to him, and had the military police hold their swords to the neck of Xi Shun's five-year-old son, and had several military police pretend to forcibly tear off the clothes of Xi Shun's mother and wife, this Red Party member finally broke down.
……
Xi Shun confessed that his employer, Pan Qingyu, had taken him to the warehouse to retrieve items twice before arranging for him to leave, while Pan Qingyu remained alone near the warehouse.
"In other words, these two times were also secret meetings between Pan Qingyu and others," Hijikata Juro said. "However, this is just our speculation, and there is no evidence. Kishun also doesn't know what Pan Qingyu is doing at the warehouse."
“No, there was at least one rendezvous,” said Oda Hideto, a confident smile on his face. “Look here, Xi Shun confessed that four months ago, the tea shop wasn’t too short of stock, so it was optional to go or not to pick up the goods. It was raining that day, but Pan Qingyu still took him to the warehouse to pick up the goods.”
……
“I understand. This is an emergency contact; he has to go to the warehouse.” Hijikata Juichiro understood.
“So, we can now be pretty sure that Pan Qingyu met with the mysterious person in that warehouse,” said Oda Hideto. “Moreover, we can be sure that this mysterious contact person appeared near the warehouse at least twice, the last time being four months ago, when it was drizzling.”
“I understand.” Hijikata Juichiro nodded. “I’ll go and investigate further.”
Then he saw Hideto Oda standing at the window, looking out with a slight frown.
……
A black Citroën car drove into the compound of the Huxi branch. Outside the compound gate, another car could be seen waiting by the roadside.
“It’s Cheng Qianfan, ‘Little Cheng’ from the Central Police Station of the French Concession.” Hijikata Juro leaned to the window, watching someone get out of a car, and said to Oda Hideto.
"Is that Cheng Qianfan, the director of the Special Police Department?" Oda Hideto asked.
“It is indeed this person,” Hijikata Juichiro said.
"What is he doing in western Shanghai?" asked Oda Hideto.
"The major also serves as the Imperial Advisor to the Special Police Department. Strictly speaking, Cheng Qianfan is the major's subordinate," Hijikata Ichiro said. "The French Concession is finished, and the former 'Little Boss Cheng' is now at our beck and call."
Hideto Oda shook his head.
Although he had never met Cheng Qianfan before, he had heard a lot about the man. Given his good relationship with many people within the Empire, he did not believe that Major Yokoyama could suppress Cheng Qianfan without any scruples simply because he was an Imperial advisor.
……
"Director Cheng, my name is Sota Uchimura." Sota Uchimura came out to greet him. "Please come with me, the Major is already waiting for you."
"Thank you." Cheng Qianfan nodded slightly.
He glanced around seemingly subconsciously, then followed Uchimura Sota into the three-story building.
……
"Cheng-san is a rare guest." Yokoyama Akima's expression was indifferent when he saw Cheng Qianfan enter, and he remained seated in his chair. "Please sit down, Cheng-san."
"Thank you." Cheng Qianfan plopped down in his seat. He looked around the office and noticed a metal cabinet in the corner, which gave him a look of surprise and curiosity.
"This metal cabinet looks like a tin of biscuits," Yokoyama Akima remarked, noticing Cheng Qianfan's expression.
"I see." Cheng Qianfan looked enlightened.
“This used to be the office building of a food factory, owned by a Chinese businessman. The empire requisitioned it,” said Akima Yokoyama. “Cheng-san should have heard of this man. His food factory later moved to the French Concession.”
"A food factory?" Cheng Qianfan looked at Yokoyama Akima.
“Guohua Food Factory,” Yokoyama Akima said.
"So that's what Fang Guohua's food factory is like." Cheng Qianfan nodded.
He was naturally familiar with this place. Guohua Food Factory was established a long time ago, and he had visited it many times when he was a child. He was quite familiar with every plant and tree here.
That's why he just now acted as if he was looking at the environment and furnishings of this place with unfamiliarity.
Kentaro Miyazaki is not familiar with this place.
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(End of this chapter)