LRAB Chapter 111 is crucial to the overall situation and carries immense weight!
Chapter 111 is crucial to the overall situation and carries immense weight!
Zhou Xiao continued, "Therefore, to prevent such incidents from happening again, the most urgent task is to find this mole."
Ken Oshima nodded, then changed the subject: "Director Zhou, think about it again—could there be a connection between the attack on the Sugimoto Agency headquarters and the assassination of Hirofumi Asano?"
"It's really hard to say for sure." Zhou Xiao paused briefly before replying, "It's certain that the attack on the Sugi Agency was carried out by the Military Intelligence Bureau; but it's still impossible to confirm whether the assassin of Section Chief Asano was also from the Military Intelligence Bureau."
"It's also possible that the timing of the two sides' actions just happened to overlap, or that the whole thing was planned by the Military Intelligence Bureau with the aim of forcing the Special Higher Police and the Military Police Headquarters to be overwhelmed and exhausted."
Ken Oshima listened quietly to Zhou Xiao's deduction, his lips tightly closed, neither interrupting nor expressing his opinion.
The journey was smooth and uneventful, and the car quickly entered the Special Higher Police station.
The entrance to the Special Higher Police Chief's office has been cordoned off.
The scene remained untouched—from the moment the body was discovered, the Special Higher Police had strictly ordered no one to touch any objects, waiting only for Ken Oshima to arrive in person.
Not touching the scene is to leave a possible clue in order to track down the real culprit: if the culprit is an intelligence agent who has infiltrated the organization, there will always be some clues left behind.
Ken Oshima and Xiao Zhou entered the office, first bowing deeply to Hirofumi Asano's body, before bending down to examine the scene closely.
Two major incidents occurred in one night, which was a heavy blow to the entire intelligence system in Shanghai.
Inside the office of the Special Higher Police Chief.
Hirofumi Asano slumped in his office chair, blood still seeping from the gunshot wound in his chest. Dark red blood trickled down his clothes, pooling on the floor in a glaring stain.
The doors and windows were tightly shut, and the afternoon sun shone directly through the glass, making the room unbearably hot and stuffy, filled with a strong smell of blood that made one's throat tighten.
The smell was pungent and metallic, like rust, and it went straight into my nostrils.
Ken Oshima lowered his voice and asked, "Has no one moved anything?"
Only by preserving the original state can the crime be reconstructed—was it an inside job by someone known to the victim, or a surprise attack by an outsider? This is the starting point of the entire investigation.
Hirata Koichiro replied, "No."
Ken Oshima pressed further, "Who discovered it first? When? Explain everything clearly from beginning to end."
"Yes!" Hirata Koichiro then briefly recounted the events leading up to the discovery of Asano Hirofumi's murder.
At this moment, Zhou Xiao was slowly examining the corpse.
The shot was clean and swift, hitting him right between the eyebrows—fast, accurate, and ruthless. Asano Hirofumi didn't even have a chance to raise his hand to react; he was clearly killed instantly by a sudden attack from his own men.
After listening to Hirata Koichiro's account, Oshima Ken turned to Zhou Xiao and asked, "Director Zhou, what did you discover?"
Zhou Xiao said in a deep voice, "This case is very likely to have originated from within the Special Higher Police."
"Section Chief Asano was shot directly in the face; the assailant fired right in front of him. He was completely unprepared, which suggests that the assailant's identity is credible and that they may even be a frequent visitor to this office."
"Furthermore, the gunshots barely traveled outside, so it was most likely that a miniature silenced pistol was used—these types of firearms have a short range, but when fired at close range, they can be fatal with a single shot."
"Right now, only the Military Intelligence Bureau (MIB) can get their hands on this kind of equipment and dare to do it."
"The attack on the headquarters of the Sugimoto Agency and the assassination of Section Chief Asano are likely part of a coordinated attack, and the timing is by no means accidental."
These judgments are all true.
After all, he was the mastermind behind the "Green Lamp Project".
However, these inferences will not implicate Mingtai, Zheng Yaoxian, or others in the slightest.
Kenjiro Oshima nodded slightly, his voice low and deep: "This time, the Military Intelligence Bureau must pay for its blood debt."
The destruction of the Sugimoto headquarters, coupled with the beheading of Asano Hirofumi, dealt a double blow to the Japanese military's intelligence network in Shanghai.
The Sugi Agency headquarters is a top-secret unit specializing in unconventional warfare research—insidious methods such as biological warfare and counterfeit currency warfare are all incubated here.
The dismantling of the organization is tantamount to severing the Japanese army's reach into the financial and biological fields; the severity of the blow is self-evident.
The death of Hirofumi Asano was a blatant slap in the face to the Special Higher Police.
Takeshige Aoki, the first head of the Special Higher Police in Shanghai, has held his position for many years.
The second Immortal Feng, although assassinated less than half a month after taking office, at least secured his position for more than ten days.
However, the third Asano Hirofumi died suddenly in his section chief's office on the very day he arrived in Shanghai—he didn't even have time to warm up his chair before becoming a "one-day section chief."
Before taking office, this man was full of fighting spirit, his mind filled with how to use iron-fisted methods to suppress the anti-Japanese forces, vowing to stir up a bloody storm in Shanghai.
Before the wind even picked up, he collapsed in front of his desk.
On his first day in office, the new official was killed in front of his own office—this wasn't just a slap in the face, it was like having his face slapped to the ground and rubbed repeatedly!
That's more than just arrogant; it's downright provocative!
The person under the most pressure right now is Ken Oshima.
The three Special Higher Police chiefs who partnered with him all died tragically one after another—either he was just unlucky, or the position itself was a death sentence.
He raised his hand to press his temples, rubbed them hard, shook his head and sighed, "My head hurts, it really hurts terribly."
Previously, Japan was eagerly awaiting a victory to boost morale, so Ken Oshima began preparing for a counterfeit money war—a difficult but potentially devastating event if successful, capable of shaking the lifeline of China's financial system and severely damaging the logistical foundation of the anti-Japanese armed forces.
But now, the fight against counterfeit money has been completely stalled.
Worse still, the top-secret Sugimoto Agency was completely wiped out by the Military Intelligence Bureau. The loss was not only of blueprints and documents, but also of several top experts and core researchers, severely damaging the agency's strength.
Unfortunately, on the very day he took office, the newly appointed head of the Special Higher Police, Hirofumi Asano, was assassinated.
A series of heavy blows came crashing down, making Oshima Ken feel as if a thousand pounds were pressing down on his shoulder.
"There are too many things to do tonight, and they're too complicated. We need to sort them out one by one." He looked up at Zhou Xiao and said, "Director Zhou, you've worked hard. Go back and rest first."
"I also have to rush back to the military police headquarters; there's a ton of things waiting to be decided."
Right now, he hasn't even figured out how to report to Kenji Doihara, the head of the intelligence agency.
But this matter couldn't be kept secret at all—besides the intelligence agencies, Shanghai also has military units, consulates, and other forces, and the news would spread sooner or later.
Furthermore, the French Concession, the British Concession, and the International Settlement—areas effectively controlled by Western powers—have always been gray areas frequented by spies from various countries. Such a significant change was simply impossible to conceal.
Zhou Xiao nodded: "Alright, then I'll take my leave now, nephew."
Before he finished speaking, he turned and left.
At this point, "Operation Blue Lantern" has basically come to an end, with only the final step remaining—eliminating Ken Oshima.
The overall operation progressed smoothly with almost no major mishaps.
After leaving the Special Higher Police Department, Zhou Xiao went straight back to the Zhou Mansion.
After staying up all night, I was exhausted and desperately needed rest.
We can't go see Sixth Brother Zheng Yaoxian right now, since the Japanese intelligence agency reacted strongly and our identities could be exposed if we're not careful.
Zhou Xiao could catch up on his sleep without worry, but Oshima Ken was destined to have a sleepless night.
Military Police Headquarters.
Ken Oshima was overwhelmed with problems and under immense pressure.
Overnight, the Shanghai Sugimoto Agency and the Special Higher Police suffered heavy blows one after another. The situation was so serious that he didn't know how to explain it to Doihara and the Army General Staff.
The most important thing right now is to preserve the list of participants in the "Heavenly Voice Project".
This list is of great importance and has a significant impact on the overall situation.
"We must move it immediately!" He knew that if he kept the list, he might be able to atone for his sins; if it was leaked, he would surely die—he would not be allowed to enter the shrine after his death, and his family would lose all compensation and honor.
The list of participants for the "Heavenly Voices Project" must not be lost!
He had originally planned to send his adjutant Yasuda to handle the matter, but then he remembered the fate of Honda and Matsushita and changed his mind: it would be safer to take matters into his own hands.
Thinking of this, he immediately turned around, opened the safe in the headquarters office, took out the list from the hidden compartment, and then quickly walked out the door.
Confidential archives.
This is the core data storage location of the Military Police Headquarters, containing a large number of top-secret files, original intelligence documents, and operational archives.
There is a specially made safe inside.
Unlike ordinary models, it has an extremely sophisticated structure and a very high level of security. The box is also equipped with a trigger alarm device—if it is forcibly opened without a key and without entering the correct password, the alarm will immediately sound throughout the entire building.
After careful consideration, Ken Oshima concluded that this was the safest hiding place.
He pushed open the heavy iron door of the archives room and went inside.
The crucial safe was embedded behind the file shelf against the wall.
He reached out and pushed aside the shelf, revealing the box. He took out the key, inserted it into the lock, and then dialed the combination lock in sequence. With a soft "click," the box door opened.
He quickly stuffed the list into a hidden compartment inside the box—the compartment was hidden on the back of the box, separated by a partition, and could not be noticed unless you looked closely.
With the list under such tight protection, Ken Oshima finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that everything was foolproof.
After all, once the "Heavenly Voice Project" is officially launched, this list will automatically become invalid.
Back in his office, he immediately summoned his adjutant, Yasuda.
With a steady gaze, he ordered, "Yasuda-kun, immediately assign two people to guard the area outside the classified archives room in shifts, 24 hours a day, without the slightest slackening!"
"Hai!" Yasuda responded.
With the list finalized, he now had to figure out how to explain things to Doihara and the Army General Staff—after all, the Sugimoto headquarters had been destroyed, and the newly appointed Special Higher Police Chief, Asano Hirofumi, was already dead in his office.
Japanese Consulate.
The Japanese invaders launched a war of aggression against China, and the flames of war swept across the land, causing the people to be displaced and suffering.
But this war has also become a quagmire for them, leaving them in a dilemma.
To consolidate its rule over the occupied territories, Japan adopted a policy of "using Chinese to control Chinese," supporting multiple puppet regimes and establishing diplomatic relations with them under the guise of diplomacy, while in reality controlling the overall situation.
The Wang Jingwei regime was one of them.
It has a consulate in Shanghai, with Consul General Muto Yoshio.
Muto Yoshio was both the head of the consulate and in charge of some intelligence affairs, but he was not a front-line intelligence officer.
Inside the Consul General's office.
Xiao Tu stood in front of Mutō Zhixiong.
Muto Yoshio began, "Mr. Xiao, I have an important task for you. You need to manage your current work while also preparing for visa-related matters in advance."
Xiao Tu replied, "Understood, no problem, Mr. Mutō."