3. The Unfinished Task

After dealing with the three prisoners, Zhou Hongyi finally breathed a temporary sigh of relief. The reason he hadn’t released the real liaison immediately was precisely to provide cover for him.

As for the inexplicably freed bearded man from the Military Intelligence Bureau, he was nothing more than a “smokescreen,” intended to draw attention from the shadows.

Sure enough, as soon as the interrogation concluded, Xu Guodong rushed straight to the director’s office to report his success.

“Director, we’ve got him—the Red Party liaison!”

When Xu Guodong burst into the director’s office at a brisk pace, he saw their revered Director Feng holding a small yellow fish-shaped object affectionately.

“Huh? Ahem… Damn it! How many times have I told you, knock before entering!”

Director Feng Jin Xiong, in his early fifties, was a burly and somewhat corpulent man with a kindly-looking face that always seemed to wear a smile.

But anyone fooled by his appearance was bound to suffer a great loss. Feng Jin Xiong was cunning and shrewd, with a subtle and treacherous mind. He could be chatting and joking with you one moment and then stab you in the back the next—a classic “smiling tiger.”

After glaring fiercely at Xu Guodong, he smoothly put away the little yellow fish and fixed a stern expression.

“Close the door properly. What did you just say? You caught a Red Party member? Where did this Red Party member come from?”

“Ah… oh yes! Director, the new young master Zhou really is capable. In just a few words, he exposed the identity of the Red Party liaison! You definitely won’t guess who he is!”

“Stop beating around the bush. Spit it out!”

Xu Guodong stepped closer and said, “Director, the real Red Party liaison turns out to be a major in the Tokkō (Special Higher Police)!”

“What?” Director Feng raised his voice in disbelief, staring at Xu Guodong.

“Really, he admitted it himself. He hid so deeply—if not for young master Zhou, we wouldn’t have guessed it no matter how hard we tried! But he hasn’t confessed the key issues yet. I’ll go back later and use some harsher methods. I refuse to believe I can’t crack him!”

“Hiss…”

Director Feng signaled Xu Guodong to calm down. Leaning back slowly, he pondered for a moment.

“What about the other two prisoners? Did you get anything from them?”

“Oh, one prisoner is someone young master Zhou knows. Quietly, he told me he’s their 76th Division’s secret contact, so we released him on the spot. The other one hasn’t shown any problems yet; young master Zhou said he’ll interrogate him again tonight.”

“The 76th Division’s secret contact? Why did we catch so many big fish this time… Something about this feels off.”

The shrewd Director Feng narrowed his eyes, then beckoned Xu Guodong to come closer.

“Speak, I’m listening.”

Xu Guodong leaned in, and Director Feng whispered, “Send someone to tail that 76th Division contact immediately. Find out where he’s hiding. As for the Red Party member… don’t rush the interrogation. I’ve arranged to have dinner with Mr. Qu tonight. He’s quite close to Tokkō. We’ll gather some intel from him first and then decide how to proceed.”

“Understood, Director! That young master Zhou… at first, I thought he was just coasting along, but turns out he really is helpful. My job will be much easier from now on.”

Director Feng looked up at Xu Guodong, tapping his finger.

“You think young master Zhou came here just to be a policeman under your command? Don’t be so naive. Use your brain! Tell me, the 76th Division’s Director Ding is powerful and influential. With all the jobs available, why did he assign this West Point graduate to our police bureau?”

Xu Guodong scratched his head and tried to answer, “Is it because… he wanted to keep him low-profile by starting from the grassroots?”

“…” Director Feng rolled his eyes as if looking at an idiot.

“If you don’t use that brain of yours, just donate it! Fool… Does Director Ding fear gossip? Who dares to gossip about him? Haven’t you figured it out? Why young master Zhou immediately saw that the Tokkō major was the Red Party liaison? Could it be that this info came from Director Ding himself, or even from inside Tokkō?”

“Ah?”

Seeing his clueless subordinate, Director Feng continued, “Don’t think the Japanese occupiers here in Magic City are united. The Mei Agency, the Military Police, Tokkō—they all compete fiercely. Director Ding is someone they all try to court. So…”

Xu Guodong was still confused, waiting for the director to spell it out.

“So young master Zhou obviously came with a mission: first, to root out the Red Party mole inside Tokkō; second, to use this to counter political enemies; and thirdly… probably to watch over our police bureau on Director Ding’s behalf.”

“Watch over our police bureau? We’re brother units—why would he watch us?”

“You really are dumb… sigh…”

Director Feng sighed and waved his hand.

“But maybe it’s better you don’t know too much. Sometimes ignorance is safety. Just think about it—even Tokkō is infiltrated by the Red Party. Could there be Red Party or Kuomintang agents hiding inside our police bureau?”

“Oh~~~ Director, I get it now!”

Xu Guodong finally exhaled deeply, his face brightening with sudden understanding.

“Got it? Then get to work. Have someone keep a close eye on that Tokkō spy. I’ll handle things when I get back.”

“Yes!”

After Zhou Hongyi left the dungeon, he sat at his desk, his eyes occasionally glancing out the window.

Once the “Insightful Eye” effect faded, his head spun, nausea surged, and chest tightness set in—a side effect of using his abilities.

Although the “Insightful Eye” could only last ten minutes each day for now, Zhou Hongyi had already memorized the crucial information to convince the real liaison.

He knew Captain Xu had reported to the director immediately, and from his impression, Director Feng wasn’t easily fooled. What happened next depended on Feng’s plans.

Soon after Captain Xu exited the director’s office, he immediately dispatched two men to follow the direction the bearded man had left.

Zhou Hongyi thought, “Just as expected.” Fortunately, he hadn’t released the real liaison right away, or he might have drawn unwanted attention.

As for the Military Intelligence Bureau brother, Zhou Hongyi had no time to worry about his fate—only wishing him good luck.

Zhou Hongyi stayed at the police station until nightfall, the dizziness and chest tightness gradually subsiding. Most people had gone home by then, but he chose to return once more to the dungeon.

“Young master Zhou, are you going to interrogate the last prisoner?”

One of the guards on duty, Wang Shun, who happened to be in the same team, asked.

Wang Shun was a sycophant, quick-witted and fond of taking small advantages.

Zhou Hongyi pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed it to him with a smile.

“Yes, after all, every task should be finished properly. I’ll interrogate the last one and then call it a day. Thanks for your hard work, brother. Don’t mind this—split it however you like.”

Wang Shun’s eyes lit up upon seeing the pack.

Zhou Hongyi gave him “Sanpaotai,” a high-end foreign brand. For an ordinary cop like Wang Shun, usually smoking “Da Qianmen” was already good enough—when had he ever seen this?

“Hehe, young master Zhou is so generous. You go interrogate; I’ll guard outside. No one will disturb you.”

Zhou Hongyi patted him on the shoulder and entered the dungeon again.

The dungeon remained dim, damp, and foul-smelling, but no one was being tortured anymore.

The unlucky Tokkō man was still unconscious. Zhou Hongyi walked straight to the liaison who hung his head low and lowered his voice to speak swiftly.

“You don’t need to answer any questions. Just listen to me. If I’m right, nod.”

The man looked at Zhou Hongyi warily, unsure of his intentions.

“Your name is Qi Xianhe, codename ‘Bright Mirror.’ Your handler is Luo Xuesong, codename ‘Bodhi.’ Your contact point is at the ‘Florence’ café, at the innermost table by the window. The signal is ‘Blue Mountain coffee without sugar,’ using knife and fork as hour and minute hands to show ‘9:10.’ If it’s ‘3:20,’ it means exposure—evacuate immediately.”

“...You…”

Zhou Hongyi had laid bare all the secrets buried deep in the man’s heart, leaving the liaison speechless.

“For safety, I can’t release you now. I will complete your mission. You only need to trust me.”

He spoke all at once, mainly to avoid forgetting anything. Without system support, he was just an ordinary man.

The liaison’s expression changed as he struggled inwardly, then hoarsely said, “Your name is Zhou Hongyi, Ding Mucun’s brother-in-law. How could you be one of us…? Why have I never heard of you?”

The situation was urgent, and time was running out. The liaison had no better choice but to trust Zhou Hongyi, especially since he had revealed their secrets.

Zhou Hongyi smiled and said, “Simple reason: your rank isn’t high enough, so you’ve never heard of me. Now is not the time to argue. The mission matters most.”

Turning to glance at the cell door, he called out theatrically, “I advise you to confess. Your comrades have already spoken. I’m giving you a chance—think it over!”

The reason Zhou Hongyi insisted on delivering the message himself was simple: the system had already updated the second checkpoint task.

[Checkpoint updated: Florence Café.]