socalfunplaces Chapter 38 This is no small sum!
Chapter 38 This is no small sum!
Aoki Takeshige jumped out of the car, his brows furrowed, and strode in with his deputy Watanabe Ichiro.
Feng Manna's face turned pale—even Qingmu had been alerted; this matter had probably caused a huge uproar.
Zhou Xiao stood by his side, hands at his sides, remaining calm and collected, observing the entire scene unfold.
He had been waiting for this door for a long time.
Now, it all depends on how Feng Manna pushes things.
She hesitated for two seconds, then turned to look at Zhou Xiao: "Zhou Xiao, come with me to see someone."
"Okay," he replied readily.
The two had just stepped out of the hotel when they turned back.
By this time, the hotel was completely surrounded – the military police had sealed off the front entrance, the special operations headquarters had blocked the back alley, and people from No. 76 were pacing back and forth at the stairwell, with no one allowed to enter or leave.
As soon as they approached the gate, two agents immediately blocked their way.
"Halt! No unauthorized personnel allowed!"
Feng Manna pulled out her ID and flashed it, her tone neither humble nor arrogant: "Feng Manna, Special Higher Police Intelligence Section."
The other person's eyes narrowed, and they immediately stepped aside.
The two walked through the hall without any hindrance.
Chen Jialun hurried over: "Section Chief Feng, you've come at the perfect time!"
"Captain Chen, what serious incident has occurred?" Feng Manna asked rapidly.
"Li Moqun—is dead!" Chen Jialun lowered his voice, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Right on the fourth floor, in room 406, shot in the head!"
With Li Moqun down, tomorrow's front pages of all the newspapers in Shanghai will probably be covered in blood.
"What?!" Feng Manna's pupils contracted sharply, and her voice suddenly rose. "I'll go up and check!"
"Third Brother, let's go!"
She dragged Zhou Xiao along and headed straight for the fourth floor.
Upstairs, everyone was on high alert, with military police standing at attention with guns, and the corridor was so quiet that only the echo of footsteps could be heard.
Feng Manna pushed open the door to room 406 and immediately saw Aoki Takeshige standing by the window with his hands behind his back, his profile as cold and hard as iron.
"Section Chief Aoki!" She strode forward, her voice tense. "I heard that Committee Member Lee... was murdered?"
It was undeniable. And the murderer was standing beside her, breathing steadily, his gaze calm.
Aoki Takeshige turned around at the sound, his gaze sweeping over Feng Manna and landing on Zhou Xiao's face—a very faint hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
Aoki Takeshige's expression was solemn, and his tone was low: "That's right, I came here as soon as the news reached me—the body is still in the same place, untouched."
Before he could finish speaking, his gaze suddenly shifted to Zhou Xiao beside Feng Manna, and he raised an eyebrow slightly: "Manna, who is this?"
Feng Manna remained calm: "He is the sharpest blade under my father's command—codename 'Shadow.' He previously infiltrated the Nanjing Military and Political Council and provided you with a large amount of crucial intelligence; his number, rank, and official appointment letter are in the Special Higher Police's files."
shadow?
Aoki Takeshige had certainly heard of this name—it was legendary—yet he had never met it.
Zhou Xiao met the scrutinizing gaze, neither humble nor arrogant: "Section Chief Aoki, I've heard so much about you."
"Nice to meet you." Aoki Takeshige's gaze was sharp, lingering on Zhou Xiao's face for two seconds before he reached out to shake hands, his grip firm and steady: "Welcome back to the team."
He was the youngest section chief in the Special Higher Police, taking charge of key positions in his early thirties. He was skilled in manipulating people's hearts and minds, adept at accurately unraveling clues in chaotic situations, and considered himself a web-weaver in the dark.
And Feng Manna was a sharp blade he had personally trained.
She was originally a pampered young lady, but through his guidance, tempering, and tempering, she transformed into a sharp, deadly blade.
What's even more remarkable is that Feng Manna's almost cold meticulousness and composure often gave him a sense of admiration, as if he had met his match.
Zhou Xiao nodded, his voice calm: "Thank you."
"Zhou Xiao, you and Manna will report to the Special Higher Police together first thing tomorrow morning." Aoki Takeshige glanced at the two of them, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "Right now, go and inspect the scene where Commissioner Li is located."
"Yes, ma'am!" the two replied in unison.
The three then entered the room where the incident occurred.
Zhou Xiao had just set foot in this place half an hour ago.
Watanabe Ichiro had already completed the initial inspection. He quickly stepped forward, stood at attention, and reported: "Section Chief, the preliminary inspection of the site has been completed."
"There were no signs of a struggle, the doors and windows were intact, and even the dust on the window frames was undisturbed—the killer sneaked in silently like a ghost and killed him with a single shot."
"Commissioner Li's entourage and bodyguards have all been questioned. They neither heard a gunshot nor noticed any unusual figures approaching room 406. It wasn't until a routine patrol a dozen minutes ago that they saw Commissioner Li lying motionless on the bed and assumed he was fast asleep; upon closer inspection, they discovered a blackened bullet hole in his forehead, and that he was already dead."
"This is too abnormal." Aoki Takeshi tapped his palm lightly with his knuckles, pondered for a moment, and decisively ordered: "Watanabe-kun, immediately detain all of Commissioner Li's entourage and bring them back to the headquarters for interrogation; at the same time, conduct a thorough search of the entire building's perimeter—the rooftop, ventilation shafts, fire escape staircases, and adjacent guest rooms—leave no blind spot."
"We will then retrieve all the hotel's check-in records for the past 48 hours and compare them one by one; we will thoroughly investigate the employee roster, shift schedule, and surveillance records."
"Commissioner Li is our staunchest ally. His death must not be ignored."
"Hai!" Watanabe Ichiro bowed and accepted the order, then turned and strode away.
On the other side, Feng Manna did not stay in the room. Instead, she slowly walked around the 406 suites, opening each door to check them one by one. She then opened the window, leaned out to look down at the building structure and the pipes on the exterior walls, her eyes like needles, carefully examining every possible flaw.
Murder in a locked room? Absolutely impossible.
She turned back to Zhou Xiao, her voice barely audible: "Third Brother, is there any sign of trouble?"
Zhou Xiao shook his head: "It's unbelievably clean. Professional, shrewd, flawless—I guess it's the work of a top expert. But... how did he get in? And how did he leave? Nobody saw him, nobody heard him, not even a whisper was disturbed."
Feng Manna's eyes narrowed slightly: "This is the most troublesome part—this assassination attempt was like a perfect curtain call."
Before long, the entire Special Higher Police (TPC) Investigation Section arrived at the scene and searched the place three times, but still found nothing. Due to the special identity of the deceased—a high-ranking official in the core of the Japanese puppet regime—the case was under the full supervision of the TPC, which also strictly ordered the Special Operations Headquarters and the 76th Division to cooperate unconditionally.
Because of the complicated circumstances surrounding Li Moqun's assassination attempt, by the time Zhou Xiao and Feng Manna arrived at the Special Forces Headquarters, the sky outside was already turning light.
The Special Operations Headquarters was originally the Feng Mansion—Feng Manna's former residence.
After the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Feng Zixiong, the house was left vacant and deserted for a time; when the Special Operations Headquarters was established, it was requisitioned as an office.
Today, the Special Higher Police have established three major suppression centers in Shanghai: Shang Mansion, the headquarters of Special Agent No. 76, and the Special Operations Headquarters.
Among them, the Shang Mansion was directly under the Special Higher Police Department and the Special Operations Headquarters; No. 76 was under the Special Affairs Committee of the puppet government, nominally independent, but actually controlled by Aoki Takeshige.
Shang Mansion is where Chen Shan lies in hiding.
The Special Operations Headquarters is an intelligence hub that Aoki Takeshige specifically created for Feng Manna, who now serves as the head of both the Intelligence Section and the Confidential Section.
Zhou Xiao said softly, "Manna, it's almost dawn, let's rest for a while."
Feng Manna nodded: "Yes, I have to report to the Special Higher Police tomorrow morning. I wonder what position Chief Aoki plans to assign you?"
The name "Shadow" was no secret within the Special Higher Police—back in the day, every piece of intelligence he delivered to the Military and Political Council had influenced the course of the war.
If Aoki Takeshige is truly willing to entrust his trust to someone, the position he holds will certainly be extraordinary.
Zhou Xiao smiled calmly: "I don't care about rank or position."
Feng Manna said confidently, "You have made great contributions, he will not treat you poorly."
"Go to sleep, we'll see tomorrow." Zhou Xiao said, then turned and pushed open the door to his room.
This night marked a crucial step in his infiltration strategy. But whether Aoki Takeshige truly accepted him, and whether trust could take root, remained an unresolved mystery.
The covert war has begun.
Zhou Xiao closed the door, and suddenly a crisp sound rang in his ears: "Ding—Congratulations to the host for completing the first day of check-in. The reward package has been issued. Please check it."
"Activate immediately."
As soon as Zhou Xiao finished speaking, a crisp electronic notification sounded in his ear: "Ding—Congratulations to the host for unlocking the 'Panoramic Atlas of Trace Evidence,' the 'Divine Craftsmanship' forgery specialization, five large yellow croakers, and five thousand points!"
This gift from the system is truly generous and substantial.
"The Complete Atlas of Trace Evidence": To put it simply, it is a hardcore discipline that "unearths the truth from the smallest clues"—how to distinguish the authenticity of handprints, how footprints indicate height and gait, what tool type is hidden in the scratches left by picking locks, which gun can be identified by the firing pin marks on bullet casings, how the depth of tire tracks indicates the vehicle type and load, and even the direction of the break when shattered glass is pieced together can reconstruct the moment of the crime... It not only teaches you how to find traces, but also how to make the traces speak.
Holding this map tightly is like carrying a pair of eyes that can see through appearances. No matter how hidden the clues are, they cannot escape his deduction and review.
"Master Craftsman" forgery specialists: mastering this skill allows them to stamp with ink that penetrates the texture of the paper, and to perfectly replicate the watermarks, fluorescent codes, and microtext on documents using the original factory process. Even veteran inspectors can't find any flaws even after examining the document three times with a magnifying glass—the fakes look more like the real thing than the real thing itself.
Five large yellow croakers?
This is no small amount.
During the Republic of China era, the "large yellow croaker" commonly found in the market contained as much as ten taels of gold. At that time, sixteen taels equaled one catty, and one catty was equivalent to 500 grams today. Therefore, one tael was 31.25 grams, and one large yellow croaker contained 312.5 grams of pure gold.
Based on the current gold price, one bar is worth more than 3,000 yuan; five bars together are worth a solid 15,000 yuan in cash—enough for a middle-class family in Shanghai to live comfortably for a year and a half.
In the world of espionage, money isn't everything, but without it, even basic tasks like bribing the doorman, slipping cigarettes to elicit information, and renting secret rooms for wiring become impossible.
Five thousand points?
It's a real hard currency, used to exchange for equipment, intelligence, and access privileges, and can be a lifesaver in critical moments.
It must be said that the rewards for assassinating the notorious traitor Li Moqun far exceeded expectations. In particular, the "Panoramic Atlas of Trace Evidence" and the "Divine Craftsmanship" expertise are precisely the two sharpest knives on the underground front—one cutting through the fog of mystery, the other reshaping identities.
"Done!" Zhou Xiao felt a surge of warmth in his heart, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
Although the Special Higher Police had taken over the case, he knew perfectly well that this clean and efficient assassination was destined to be lost forever, impossible to trace.