Espionage: You're tasked with spying, but you'll blow up the Special Higher Police?

155. Cooperate with the investigation

"Breaking news! Breaking news! A fierce gunfight has broken out in Shanghai's bustling metropolis. Multiple casualties have been reported against the 76th Division and the Special Higher Police. The gunman is suspected to be a top-tier assassin from the Communist Party! Breaking news! Breaking news!"

"Little boy, give me a newspaper."

Zhou Hongyi called over the newsboy from afar. The newsboy, all smiles, handed him a newspaper and then, while collecting the money, whispered, "Mr. Zhou, the area around the antique shop is now swarming with spies. The door has been sealed off, and there are people checking every block in the vicinity, going door to door."

Zhou Hongyi grunted in agreement, patted the clever little guy on the head, and left as if nothing had happened.

As soon as he stepped out of the private room at the Paramount, he was informed by secret agents that his movements would be temporarily monitored because he needed to cooperate with the investigation into the incident at the antique shop.

Zhou Hongyi had already made up his mind. As the saying goes, "catch the thief red-handed." Since he hadn't caught him at the scene, he would rather die than admit to having any connection with the person they were looking for. Let's see what they can do about it.

After leaving the Paramount Ballroom, Zhou Hongyi went home, changed into clean clothes, and then took a car to the Special Higher Police Department to be interrogated by the enemy.

When Zhou Hongyi once again ventured into the tiger's den alone, this time, besides Kondo and the blind Sasaki, there was also Yosuke Saotome, whom he had met the previous night, sitting in front of him.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm so sorry to have asked you to come so early, but it's really urgent."

With a fake smile on his face, Kondo gestured for Zhou Hongyi to sit on the sofa.

"Of course, I just heard that those bastards actually hid in my shop. So, Commander Kondo, have you caught them? If you have, please hand them over to me. I want to teach those bastards a lesson."

Kondo looked at Zhou Hongyi, unsure whether he meant what he said or not, while Saotome Yosuke smiled and kept staring at Zhou Hongyi, making the latter feel very uncomfortable.

"The eye of insight, the master of deception."

Zhou Hongyi activated two skills simultaneously. He discovered that Saotome, who was like a smiling tiger, had a different color for the words above her head than others. All the words that appeared were dark red, indicating that her thoughts were quite dangerous and could already threaten him.

"That son of a bitch is got something."

Zhou Hongyi calmed himself down, preparing to deal with whatever came his way. Given his current status, unless there was solid evidence, Kondo couldn't simply imprison and execute him. After all, he had his own network of connections, and even though his mentor, Colonel Shimazu, was dead, he still wielded considerable influence.

"Sasuke-kun, we've invited you here to ask about your antique shop. Why are the rebel gunmen hiding inside? How many employees do you have, and what do they do? We need you to provide the specific identification information of all the employees in your shop."

Zhou Hongyi waved his hand and said, "No, my guys are all brothers from our branch. They keep an eye on things when they're not busy. I stayed overnight at the Paramount last night, and they were with me at first, so I didn't have time to commit a crime. By the way, Officer Kondo, I just remembered something."

Seeing Zhou Hongyi's expression suddenly turn serious, Kondo quickly asked, "What is it?"

"Now that you mention it, I remember seeing a suspicious-looking man loitering around the neighborhood outside my shop these past few days, but he never comes in to buy anything. He doesn't seem like a good person."

"A suspicious stranger? What does he look like? What are he wearing?"

"He was wearing a brown jacket, a baseball cap, and a greyish-white cap. He always had a cigarette in his mouth and was carrying a box, but I didn't know what was inside."

Brown jacket... greyish-white baseball cap...could it be him?

Kondo frowned, deep in thought, while Zhou Hongyi found it amusing. The image he described was simply from the entry above Kondo's head—a Kuomintang agent who had clashed with the Japanese army in Shanghai the previous night. Left with no other option, Zhou Hongyi had to find a scapegoat on the spot to extricate himself.

Kondo clearly believed Zhou Hongyi's words. He was pondering when Yosuke Saotome suddenly spoke up: "Mr. Zhou, do you know if there is an alley in Shanghai called Phoenix Tail Alley?"

Zhou Hongyi didn't understand why he asked this, and shook his head with a confused expression, saying, "There are hundreds or even thousands of alleys in Shanghai, who can remember all their names?"

Unexpectedly, Yosuke Saotome suddenly asked, "So, Mr. Zhou, do you know Brigitte Lin?"

"Brigitte Lin?" Zhou Hongyi's expression froze for a moment, then he waved his hand and said, "Of course I know her. She used to be the top singer at the Paramount Ballroom, and she still helps me out at the shop. Even though she's a mother of two, she still retains her charm, hehehe~"

As Zhou Hongyi spoke, he revealed a lecherous expression, while Saotome Yosuke quickly followed up, saying, "The residents of Phoenix Tail Lane have identified that Qingxia had prolonged contact with the wanted weapons expert half a month ago and is suspected of helping him escape. Please provide her address, Mr. Zhou. We must find Qingxia now and find out the weapons expert's whereabouts."

"What? What weapons expert?" Zhou Hongyi feigned ignorance. "Qingxia is such a gossip, she's got more rumors than two people could warn, but you're saying she knows any weapons expert? Sigh~ Absolutely impossible, absolutely impossible. Commander Saotome, are you sure you're not mistaken?"

“Whether there’s a mistake or not, we’ll only know after we arrest them and question them. Mr. Zhou, I’m also afraid that you’ve been used by someone with ulterior motives and are still in the dark. We’ve arrested all the residents of Fengwei Lane, regardless of age or gender. Please pass this message on to Qingxia and ask her to come to the Special Higher Police as soon as possible to turn herself in and cooperate with our investigation. If she behaves well and confesses honestly, we can provide her with shelter.”

Zhou Hongyi's heart stirred. He had already figured it out. Fengwei Lane was the alley where Qingxia had helped Professor Wang treat his injuries and escape. He hadn't expected that the Japanese devils would eventually find their way here.

Just as Zhou Hongyi entered the Special Higher Police to cooperate with the investigation, several people gathered in the safe house to discuss their next steps.

"No, we can't let them keep Brother Zhou trapped inside like this. Those Japanese devils will use any means necessary. We have to think of a way!"

As he spoke, Ah Gui pulled out a knife and slammed it into the table, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "If all else fails, bring the brothers from the Second Precinct and storm in to rescue Brother Zhou!"

The blind man hurriedly advised, "No, no, the Special High Command is not something we can take down with just a few people. Brother Zhou is incredibly brave and resourceful. Since he dared to go in on his own, he must be confident that he can escape unscathed. We should not act rashly and wait and see."

"Wait until? Yesterday, he single-handedly held off so many enemies to cover our escape. Didn't you hear the Japanese say that the mysterious man who fought them last night was shot? We still don't know where Brother Zhou's gunshot wound is or how serious it is. If the Japanese find out about his gunshot wound, how will we explain it?"

The blind man grimaced at the question and could only offer words of comfort: "We can't just act recklessly. We should try to find out more about the situation from a different angle. Didn't Director Ding, Brother Zhou's brother-in-law, already know the details? Let's also go find Director Feng in the Finance Office. He seems to have a good relationship with Brother Zhou."

"Are you talking about Feng Jinxiong? It's all about interests. He didn't even show up last night when he heard about the gunfight, assassination, and rebels. Do you think he'll go and run into the line of fire today? If something really happens to Brother Zhou, I bet that guy surnamed Feng will be the first to distance himself. You can't count on him at all."

"Pah, pah, pah~~~ What are you two saying here? Don't curse your Brother Zhou!"