Chapter 18: Field Assignment, Part Four

Chapter 18: Field Duty, Part Four

“This is damn unbelievable. How did the Special Higher Police know this guy’s identity? We had a perfect fishing operation lined up, about to succeed, and then they completely ruined it!” Xu Ruiyang arrived at the tea house’s second floor, where the stakeout agents were venting their frustrations to Katsumi Kimura.

He simply couldn’t find the leak’s source. Watching the hard-earned credit slip away, his frustration was beyond words.

Since the man had been taken by the Special Higher Police, the stationery shop stakeout was effectively useless. The underground party would soon catch wind of what happened, and the agents no longer hid the truth. Xu Ruiyang learned the full story.

The stationery store owner was exposed and arrested because, two nights ago, the Security Bureau unexpectedly stumbled upon him while investigating another case. They moved quickly and conducted a secret capture.

After hours of threats and persuasion, including being subjected to the electric chair twice, he finally broke and agreed to become an informant for the Security Bureau. He was immediately sent back to the stationery shop.

“The man is in the hands of the Special Higher Police, and he’s not coming out anytime soon. Those guys are tougher than ghosts. We must quickly apprehend his contacts. If the Special Higher Police nab them, the Security Bureau will be the laughingstock!” Katsumi Kimura said grimly.

He was unaware that the Investigation Section had already fixed their sights on a key courier. There was no need to reveal such secrets to the Foreign Affairs Counter-Espionage Department—keeping the circle small ensured secrecy.

The Security Bureau was a secret service under the control of the Kwantung Army’s Harbin intelligence headquarters. Because of this, the Military Police Command, which held supervisory authority, was perpetually dissatisfied and frequently caused trouble for the Security Bureau.

Now that the Special Higher Police had taken the man, the Security Bureau didn’t even dare to demand his return. They hadn’t reported this incident to the Special Higher Police, which meant more scolding was likely ahead.

Fortunately, the value of the stationery store owner had been fully extracted. The pressing issue now was to prevent the Special Higher Police from getting hold of the underground party’s courier network—losing that line would be a total disaster.

Since the Security Bureau dared not reclaim the man, the Special Higher Police wouldn’t voluntarily disclose information about the telephone either. Yet, Xu Ruiyang still found himself under suspicion.

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“Section Chief, when we were surveilling the stationery shop yesterday, Katsumi Kimura from Foreign Affairs Counter-Espionage and that new officer were also on duty at the tea house,” the stakeout agent reported.

“The tea house is a known surveillance point for the Foreign Affairs Counter-Espionage Department. That’s not a secret within the Security Bureau. If you have something to say, just say it—stop hiding!” the Section Chief snapped.

“You don’t mean to suggest this leak is connected to those two, do you? Are you out of your mind?” the Investigation Section Chief retorted impatiently.

They had hoped to use this traitor to catch the entire underground party cell in one sweep. But they had no idea where the slip-up occurred, and the Military Police had gotten wind of the information.

Even though they had the courier under watch, with the stationery shop owner compromised, the enemy would be on high alert. The situation was growing more complicated.

“Katsumi Kimura is Japanese, so no chance of him leaking information. But this is too suspicious. That new officer used to be a patrol cop; could he have noticed something and leaked it to the underground party?” The stakeout agent’s words were cut short.

“Did he feed your kid to the dogs? Or steal your ugly wife? This traitor from the underground party was caught, turned, and then released—all within seven or eight hours. Even we in the Investigation Section don’t all know about it. How did this new officer Xu Ruiyang find out?” the Section Chief spat.

“Even if he suspected we were watching the stationery shop and assumed the man was underground, why would he then inform the Military Police? Have you ever seen a non-traitor voluntarily hand over his comrades to the Military Police? Are you or he the fool here?”

“It’s understandable to make excuses after failure, but at least be logical! Xu Ruiyang has only been with the Security Bureau for a month. If he had such strong analytical and insight skills, then all of us in the Investigation Section would be useless. If you’re going to say it, others must believe it too.”

“I’m telling you, Xu Ruiyang has connections. To be transferred directly from patrol cop to the Security Bureau isn’t something just anyone can achieve. If you stir trouble and get caught by the Japanese in Foreign Affairs Counter-Espionage, I can’t save you. They’ve been on edge lately and are in no mood to be lenient!” the Section Chief said harshly.

He was now more worried about handling the Special Higher Police’s interrogation, possibly facing a slap in the face. Hearing his subordinate’s suspicion, he spat back in frustration.

Everything had unfolded so quickly—in just over a day—the Section Chief never considered the possibility that Xu Ruiyang was the leak.

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A patrol cop who got in through connections, still unfamiliar with Foreign Affairs Counter-Espionage’s operations, suddenly turned into a genius detective?

Those words left the stakeout agent completely lost and they abandoned any thought of targeting Xu Ruiyang. Thus, the matter faded away in confusion.

“Xu, starting tomorrow, you will be assigned solo missions. Lord Shibuya has inquired again about our progress. The Section Chief has decided that all hands must be mobilized—more investigators mean more hope. This is your opportunity,” Kimura said.

“Study these materials carefully, but do not remove them from the Security Bureau. The four targets listed are all permanent residents of Xinjing. You may select one or two to begin surveillance and investigation.”

“Agents on missions have operational funds. You can apply to the Section Chief first, then request an advance from the General Affairs Department. As for the standards, they will provide detailed guidelines—meal expenses, lodging, and informant fees.”

“Binoculars, cameras, lockpicking tools, and other surveillance equipment must be applied for in advance. For missions within the city, return and settle accounts the same night to avoid trouble.”

“Don’t rush. Be patient. If you make progress, report it promptly to the Section Chief. Some targets are highly valuable and require reverse exploitation. Catching them too quickly could cause significant losses.” Kimura handed Xu Ruiyang a stack of files.

“Team Leader Kimura, I’ve only been learning from you for less than a month. I’ve only scratched the surface of imperial agent skills. I hope to continue training under you,” Xu Ruiyang said earnestly.

“Xu, your learning speed far exceeds my expectations. I have little left to teach you. Whether it’s setting up surveillance, tailing and counter-tail techniques, or on-site reconstruction, you’ve reached an excellent level. Your meticulousness and observation rival that of professional imperial agents.”

“Your next task is to gain experience through practice. You have exceptional talent, especially in logical reasoning. You’re destined to become an outstanding agent. I look forward to seeing you shine brightly in the Security Bureau soon,” Kimura said with a smile.

(End of Chapter)