radicalducati Chapter 44 was too careless!
Chapter 44 was too careless!
But he would never have the chance to know the truth.
Now, only Jiangsu province remains.
That "scapegoat" who was destined to take the blame for others.
At the sound of gunfire from next door, Su Sansheng tensed and immediately growled, "Form ranks! Be on alert!"
Yu Manli, who was running at the front, stopped when she heard the sound, turned around, drew her gun, and fired three shots in quick succession. The bullets flew past Su Sansheng's ear, sending brick fragments flying.
She was actually impersonating the prime minister's daughter, and her sole purpose from beginning to end was to lead Bi Zhongliang and Su Sansheng step by step into this dead end.
boom! boom! boom!
The exchange of fire lasted only ten seconds or so before Mingtai had circled around to the rear, raised his gun, and opened fire—a pincer attack from both sides. In the blink of an eye, the five or six spies in the alley all collapsed to the ground, twitched a couple of times, and then remained still.
That was too careless!
Bi Zhongliang was careless, but Su Sansheng was even more so.
How can you expect to climb out alive after stepping into a pit that someone else has dug?
One by one, Su Sansheng's men fell, leaving him all alone at the end of the alley. With nowhere to retreat, he could only kick open the wooden door of a roadside house and slip inside.
The door had barely closed halfway when a cold gun barrel was pressed firmly against his forehead, a low, husky voice whispering in his ear: "Move, and your head will explode."
The one holding the gun is Guo Qiyun.
After Mingtai dealt with Bi Zhongliang, the two immediately split up: Mingtai rushed to meet Yu Manli; Guo Qiyun sneaked into the house in advance, squatted behind the door, and waited for Su Sansheng to walk in on his own.
Every step was planned.
Yu Manli and Mingtai knew very well that if they didn't force Su Sansheng into the house, they wouldn't be able to capture him alive; and if they couldn't capture him alive, no one would be willing to take the blame.
The situation unfolded perfectly, without the slightest discrepancy.
"Who are you?" Su Sansheng's face was ashen, and he spat out the words through gritted teeth, "You dare to mess with the Special Forces Headquarters? You've got a death wish?"
"Shut up." Guo Qiyun was too lazy to listen to his taunts. He snatched the pistol from the man's waist and fired a shot at close range—his left shoulder!
Bang!
The gunshots were muffled, like hitting a quilt, but the pain was excruciating. Su Sansheng gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his neck, cold sweat streaming down his temples, but he didn't utter a sound, only biting his lower lip until it bled.
"Oh, you've got some tough bones?" Guo Qiyun grinned, and before he finished speaking, he had already chopped him in the neck with a chop!
Bang!
He collapsed limply, his eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness completely.
After tidying up, Guo Qiyun pushed open the door and stepped out, just in time to see Mingtai and Yu Manli quickly cleaning up the traces in the alley.
To ensure the blame is firmly placed, the performance must be convincing—the bloodstains must be drawn out, the bullet casings must be scattered at an angle, and the angle of the gunshot wound must be altered to be more "reasonable."
Mingtai looked up at him: "Did you capture him?"
Guo Qiyun nodded: "Clean and efficient."
A few minutes later, the three men put away their guns, covered up the evidence, and retreated, their movements as swift as a passing gust of wind.
Meanwhile, the MGM cabaret, just a hundred paces from the alley, was already packed with people from the Operations Department. Chen Shen sat in a booth, his fingers paused, his gaze sweeping over the dark mass of people at the entrance, and his brow twitched slightly.
The people from Special Operations Headquarters wouldn't be blocking this place for no reason—they must have received a secret tip. Most likely, they're here for him, this "sparrow," and his pre-arranged superior, the "Prime Minister."
He had arranged to meet the prime minister here tonight, but after waiting and waiting, no one showed up. Instead, the search team from the operations department arrived first.
That's fine. We've lost on both sides, so we're safe now.
He didn't know that if Zhou Xiao hadn't secretly interfered, Bi Zhongliang's men would probably have already pinned him down on the spot.
"Erbao, what happened?" Chen Shen strolled to the door and saw Liu Erbao leading his men to set up a stakeout. He casually asked, "Is the Action Department making such a big fuss to arrest underground Communists, or spies from the Military Intelligence Bureau or the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics?"
Liu Erbao answered decisively: "Underground Party."
"The underground Communist Party?" Chen Shen's heart sank, but his face remained expressionless. "I come to MGM often, how come I've never heard of any underground Communist Party activities?"
Liu Erbao glanced at him sideways and smiled meaningfully: "Captain Chen, only you and Director Bi have such a close relationship that you dare to work during the day and dance at night. Director Bi was still looking for you before he left—I really didn't expect you to be holed up here listening to music."
Bi Zhongliang had indeed mentioned that "big moves were going to be made," but Chen Shen thought it was just a routine sweep. He never expected that the net had already been quietly laid out for him.
As for An Liusan, the underground party member who was arrested? Chen Shen had no idea who he was.
He secretly breathed a sigh of relief—thankfully, the prime minister hadn't shown up. Otherwise, tonight's whole affair would have been a complete rout.
Erbao, where is Director Bi?
Chen Shen glanced around but didn't see Bi Zhongliang. His heart tightened, and his tone revealed a hint of suspicion: "Where did he go?"
Liu Erbao answered readily: "Director Bi and Captain Su just saw someone jump out of a second-floor window of the MGM Grand Ballroom, and immediately led their men to chase after him into the alley."
Before he could finish speaking, several sharp "bangs" rang out in the alley, like hailstones hitting a tin roof.
"Damn it, they've started fighting!" Chen Shen looked up sharply, his gaze piercing the depths of the dark alley, his voice taut. "Erbao, aren't you going to bring reinforcements?"
"Before leaving, Director Bi said, 'I have to stay here, I can't leave for a second.'" Liu Erbao glanced sideways at the direction from which the gunshot came, his expression surprisingly relaxed, and the corners of his mouth even turned up slightly. "Besides, Director Bi and Captain Su are personally leading the team, with more than a dozen elite brothers going along. The opponent is just a little girl, what trouble can she cause?"
Chen Shen nodded slightly, his voice lowered: "That's true. When Lao Bi makes a move, he's always absolutely certain of success."
But though he said that, his heart felt like it was being tightened by a thin thread—the safety of the prime minister above him made his breathing become heavier.
We haven't even met the person yet...
Does this mean that our first meeting will be a handcuffed standoff in an interrogation room?
The gunfire stopped abruptly, as short as if someone had choked someone.
Liu Erbao grinned: "Captain Chen, listen, things have quieted down! Doesn't that mean—Director Bi and Captain Su have that underground party member pinned down on the spot!"
Chen Shen simply nodded without replying.
But just two minutes later, another burst of gunfire erupted in the alley, a continuous barrage of shots, more urgent, chaotic, and eerie than before.
Before long, silence returned.
Chen Shen frowned, his eyes suddenly sharpening: "Something's not right. Erbao, I'll take two people over to check it out!"
"Ah? Okay!" Liu Erbao agreed readily. "I'll guard this place."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Shen turned and strode out, followed closely by his two subordinates, their figures quickly disappearing into the night.
A few minutes later, the three rushed into the alley.
The sight before my eyes was suffocating—the people from the action unit lay scattered on the ground, like straw swept away by a storm.
Many men still had their hands on their gun handles, their magazines full, and hadn't even had a chance to pull the trigger.
"Old Bi!"
Chen Shen recognized the body leaning against the brick wall at a glance. He lunged forward, his fingers reaching for the side of the neck, his fingertips touching something cold and stiff—no pulse. His throat tightened, and he blurted out that long-forgotten name, his voice hoarse like sandpaper rubbing against wood.
He had long expected that Lao Bi would eventually fall on this path, but seeing him actually fall here still gave him a heavy sigh. After all, the bond they had formed in the trenches, sharing water bottles and shielding each other from bullets, couldn't be erased so easily.
"Captain Chen!" A henchman stumbled in, panting heavily. "Captain Su... we found him at the corner of the alley! He's still breathing!"
Chen Shen's eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was extremely low, yet every word struck like a hammer: "Immediately contact the Special Higher Police and Special Operations Headquarters; call an ambulance and get Su Sansheng to the hospital right away; also—assign him double guards, keep a 24-hour watch on him, and don't allow anyone to get close!"
"Yes, sir!" The subordinate stood at attention, accepted the order, and ran off.
In an instant, the entire city seemed to be on high alert—the streetlights dimmed, the wind died down, and even the barking of dogs subsided.
Liu Erbao was originally leading his men to set up a stakeout outside the dance hall when he heard that Bi Zhongliang was in trouble. He immediately turned his men around and rushed into the alley, quickly sealing off all the exits, not even sparing the rat holes.
Special Operations Headquarters, just past eight o'clock.
Zhou Xiao paced back and forth in his office, his knuckles tapping unconsciously on the table, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
The best chance of winning this game is to "kill three birds with one stone," and at the very least, to eliminate Bi Zhongliang completely.
bang-
The door was flung open, and Feng Manna rushed in, her face pale: "Third Brother, something terrible has happened! Bi Zhongliang... has been killed!"
"What?!" Zhou Xiao suddenly stood up, as if struck by lightning. His pupils shrank, his lips parted slightly, and his face was filled with shock and disbelief, looking exactly like someone who had just heard terrible news.
If the Oscars were to be awarded, he would undoubtedly win Best Actor for this performance.
"The details are still unclear." Feng Manna spoke quickly. "The brother who called to report the incident only said that the man was killed in an ambush, and the news has already reached the Special Higher Police."
Zhou Xiao grabbed his coat and strode out: "Let's go! Notify the entire intelligence department, get to the scene immediately!"
"Yes!" Feng Manna responded and followed.
One after another, black cars drove out of the headquarters gate, their headlights piercing the night, all rushing toward the blood-soaked alley.
Bi Zhongliang's death was tantamount to inserting a dagger into the heart of the Japanese puppet regime's intelligence system.
Moreover, given his high-ranking position, even late at night, top officials from the Special Higher Police, such as Takeshi Aoki and Ichiro Watanabe, would rush to the scene.
Tonight, Shanghai is destined to be shrouded in blood.
Zhou Xiao and Feng Manna arrived first.
"Captain Chen, what's the situation?" Zhou Xiao strode forward, his gaze sweeping over the mess on the ground. "Any clues at the scene?"
Chen Shen hung his head, his eyes were red and glistening with tears, and he looked exhausted and sorrowful, as if all his strength had been drained away overnight.
Whether it was real or not, at this moment, his performance was just right—his grief was believable, and his haggard appearance was reasonable.
"Director Zhou... you can see for yourself." His voice was hoarse, and his shoulders slumped slightly. "My brother Lao Bi... is gone. Right now, I really don't have the mind to investigate anything else."
Zhou Xiao reached out and placed a firm hand on his shoulder: "Captain Chen, please accept my condolences. But as long as the murderer remains at large, Director Bi will not be able to rest in peace."
Feng Manna had already bent down to investigate.
The alley was too dark, so the special operations headquarters urgently dispatched several high-powered searchlights. The bright beams of light pierced the darkness, illuminating every brick and every drop of blood in detail, making it easier to collect evidence.
All the bodies were left untouched, in order to recreate the true scene of the crime.
Not long ago, Li Moqun, one of the founders of No. 76, died mysteriously in a secret room, and the case remains unsolved to this day; now Bi Zhongliang has also been found dead in a slum. These two high-level murders are like two heavy hammer blows to the temples of every intelligence chief, making everyone feel insecure, fearing that they will be the next one lying there.