radicalducati Chapter 34 The Game Under the Three-Way Standoff
Chapter 34 The Game Under the Three-Way Standoff
Although the plainclothes officers of the Special Higher Police couldn't understand English, upon seeing that the two men were British and were carrying British Army standard Webley revolvers, they immediately pulled out their Nambu Type 14 pistols and aimed them at the two British soldiers, becoming hesitant to act rashly.
The leader, steeling himself, stepped forward: "We are from the Special Higher Police of the Imperial Japanese Empire, ordered to arrest the wanted criminal Lin Xiaowen! Please do not obstruct our official duties!"
"Special Higher Police? This is the British Concession! You have no right to arrest people here! Especially since this young lady is our friend!" Han Zhenhua got up from the ground, showed his British passport, and spoke in a tough tone.
Both sides, armed with guns, immediately confronted each other at the entrance of another school, creating a tense atmosphere. Some students leaving school were excited, some were afraid, and some quickly ran far away.
Five plainclothes officers from the Special Higher Police had the upper hand, but they were wary of the British officer's identity and the sailor's pistol. Han Zhenhua, on the other hand, was secretly anxious; he knew he couldn't let them take Lin Xiaowen away.
Both sides started calling for help almost simultaneously.
Han Zhenhua called Captain Wayne directly: "Wayne, I'm in trouble! The Japanese Special Higher Police want to arrest my girlfriend, Lin Xiaowen, you know her! I need your support! ...Yes, right at the school gate! What? My superiors told me not to confront the Japanese directly, and I'm powerless to do anything?"
Wayne, we're friends, and friends need your help... and I suddenly have a 'feeling' that an investment opportunity will soon arise, guaranteeing you and the brothers another fortune!
Captain Wayne had been hesitant about getting involved in this direct conflict, but upon hearing "I had a gut feeling again," his eyes lit up, and he immediately made up his mind: "Cole! We're dear friends. How can we not help when a friend is in trouble? I'll bring men over right away!"
Meanwhile, plainclothes officers from the Special Higher Police also called for support from the military police.
A moment later, a piercing alarm sounded. Captain Wayne himself arrived with more than thirty fully armed British sailors in military trucks.
Almost simultaneously, several motorcycles and trucks belonging to the Japanese military police roared in.
Large numbers of people from both sides confronted each other at the school gate, guns pointed at each other, and the situation was about to break out! British police and Indian police from nearby areas also rushed to the scene and quickly reported to the Municipal Council.
The air at the school gate seemed to freeze, thick with the smell of gunpowder.
British sailors confronted plainclothes officers from the Japanese Special Higher Police, as well as Japanese military police who arrived later, with guns drawn, while students, both frightened and curious, and onlookers watched from a distance.
Despite the pain, Han Zhenhua quickly pulled the terrified Lin Xiaowen behind him and shielded her with his body.
Lin Xiaowen gripped his clothes tightly, her face pale, but looking at Han Zhenhua's not-so-broad but unusually firm back, her eyes were filled with dependence and emotion, and her love surged like never before at this moment.
Her best friend Feng Chengcheng was also stunned by this sudden change, but her gaze toward Han Zhenhua held a strange glint in it!
This young lecturer, who usually looks even younger than himself, is ridiculed by his students as a slacker who frequently skips classes and has Principal Albert Cole as his backer!
At a critical moment, he displayed such strong masculine courage, not hesitating to confront the ruthless Japanese spies head-on for the sake of his beloved girl. This act stirred up ripples in the lake of her young heart.
"Baka! Hand over Lin Xiaowen immediately! Otherwise you'll be making an enemy of the Great Japanese Empire!" A sergeant from the military police shouted arrogantly in broken Chinese, his rifle barrel slightly raised.
"This is the British concession! Protected by the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Commerce and Navigation! You have no right to enforce the law here! You have even less right to take away female students protected by the British Empire!" Captain Wayne stood in front of the sailors, his face ashen and his tone forceful.
Although he came for Han Zhenhua's "intuition" and friendship, the situation developed into an armed standoff between the two countries, and he had to protect the face of the British Empire.
"She's a relative of one of our key criminals! She must be investigated!" a junior officer from the Special Higher Police retorted defiantly.
"Where's the evidence? Where's the arrest warrant? Where's the document approving the arrest from the British Concession Municipal Council?" Han Zhenhua demanded sharply, gripping Lin Xiaowen's trembling hand tightly, his gaze meeting the Japanese man's without fear.
Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate and on the verge of exchanging fire, a series of urgent car horn blared.
Several black sedans drove up, the doors opened, and the first to get out were a group of Green Gang members dressed in short clothes with sharp eyes, who quickly formed another circle around the perimeter.
A middle-aged man in a long gown and mandarin jacket, with a calm demeanor, stepped out of one of the cars. He was Feng Jingyao, a Chinese director of the British Concession Municipal Council and a leader of the Green Gang.
"Chengcheng!" Feng Jingyao breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that his daughter was safe and sound. Then his sharp gaze swept across the scene of the standoff. "What's going on? Fighting with knives and guns in the British Concession, what kind of behavior is this!" His voice was not loud, but it had its own authority.
"Dad!" Feng Chengcheng ran over immediately and called her father right away. Seeing that her father had arrived, she felt relieved and thought that with her father's influence, there would be no problem protecting her best friend.
Feng Jingyao walked between the two sides, first nodding to Captain Wayne and Han Zhenhua, then turning to the Japanese side: "So it's friends from the Special Higher Police and the Military Police."
My name is Feng Jingyao, and I am a Chinese Director of the Municipal Council. This place is the British Concession, not the Chinese or Japanese Concession. Your actions here are likely illegal and could easily lead to international disputes.
"Why don't we all put our guns away first? We can sit down and talk things over. Perhaps I, Feng, can act as a mediator."
His intervention temporarily eased the tense atmosphere at the scene.
Soon, a British official from the Shanghai Municipal Council and a counselor from the Japanese Consulate in Shanghai arrived by car. The scene turned into a diplomatic negotiation.
British officials made it clear: "Without solid evidence and permission from the Municipal Council, the Japanese have no right to arrest anyone in the British Concession, especially a friend of someone holding a British passport. This seriously infringes upon the autonomy of the Concession and the interests of British expatriates."
The Japanese counselor insisted: "Lin Xiaowen's elder brother, Lin Wuyai, is an extremely dangerous anti-Japanese spy known as 'Crow'! The Empire has conclusive evidence! As a direct relative, Lin Xiaowen is highly likely to have known or even participated in the investigation, and must be brought back to assist in the investigation! This matter concerns the security of the Empire, and we request your understanding and cooperation!"
"A crow?!" The word exploded like a thunderclap at the scene.
Han Zhenhua was dumbfounded, and a huge wave of emotions surged in his heart.
Lin Wuyai? Lin Xiaowen's brother? He's the one whose name and achievements I "borrowed"... the real Crow!
The information he had inadvertently passed on was now being attributed to his brother-in-law, whom he had never met? This misunderstanding was truly... absurd! But at this moment, he was more worried about Lin Xiaowen and her family.
Lin Xiaowen was also stunned. She grabbed Han Zhenhua's arm tightly, her voice trembling, "My brother... he... he's Crow?"
Shock, fear, disbelief—but then, an indescribable sense of pride overcame the fear. Her brother, who had doted on her since childhood, studied abroad, and whom she hadn't heard from in so long, was actually a great hero feared by the Japanese! Her idol was her own brother!