novelhk Chapter 103 Capturing the Tracker Alive
Chapter 103 Capturing the Tracker Alive
Wang Qiang nodded and followed Yan Shuo across the street. He pretended to want his shoes shined and sat down at the shoeshine stall.
Yan Shuo leaned against a utility pole, seemingly smoking leisurely, but his gaze was fixed on the main road that Meng Jia would take on her way home from get off work.
Meng Jia drives to and from get off work, and the follower definitely couldn't keep up on foot, so he would have to drive. With such a big target, it's impossible for him not to see her.
Not long after, a familiar car slowly drove up; it was Meng Jia's car.
Yan Shuo's eyes narrowed, and he held his breath. Sure enough, less than a minute later, a black sedan followed closely behind, keeping a distance.
He squinted and, with the help of Xiao Zhi's scanning function, saw the two people in the car. The red cursors above their heads were clearly visible, marking their identities: Zhang Cheng, Chinese, informant of the Mei Agency; Ichiro Ide, squad leader of the Mei Agency.
"The Mei Agency?" Yan Shuo frowned, his mind filled with doubt. "Meng Jia's identity has been well hidden, how could she have been targeted by the Mei Agency?"
Unable to figure out the reason, he could only shake his head, signaling Wang Qiang to follow, and then quietly followed behind the black sedan, intending to find out what was going on.
The black sedan followed closely behind Meng Jia's car, driving all the way to a secluded section of road on the edge of the French Concession. This was the only way for Meng Jia to get home, with low old houses on both sides and few pedestrians around dusk.
Yan Shuo's eyes sharpened, and he took out a signal device and pressed it lightly. Xu Li, who was lying in ambush at the alley entrance, immediately understood and quietly started the car parked in the shadows.
As Meng Jia's car drove past the alley entrance, the black sedan was about to follow when Xu Li's car suddenly rushed out from the side and blocked the black sedan's path.
At the same time, Yan Shuo and Wang Qiang quickly surrounded the car from both sides, their silenced pistols pointed directly at the car windows.
"Get out of the car! Hands behind your head!" Yan Shuo's voice was deep and cold, carrying an undeniable sense of oppression.
Zhang Cheng and Ideichiro's expressions changed drastically inside the car. Just as Ideichiro reached for the gun at his waist, Wang Qiang yanked open the car door and kicked him hard in the wrist. With a crisp "crack," the pistol fell to the ground.
Xu Li quickly stepped forward, pulled Zhang Cheng out of the passenger seat, and twisted his arms behind his back.
The two were pinned to the car and unable to move.
"Take him back to the usual place for interrogation," Yan Shuo ordered, glancing around to make sure there were no witnesses.
Xu Li and Wang Qiang dragged the two men into the car, while Yan Shuo drove behind them, heading towards the secret hideout.
The interrogation room at the secret hideout was dimly lit, with only a single incandescent bulb shining directly on the two men.
Zhang Cheng was tied to a chair, trembling all over, his eyes darting around.
Ichiro Ide, with his neck stiff and face full of disdain, was spouting nonsense in Japanese, including phrases like "Soldiers of the Great Japanese Empire" and "You're all dead."
Yan Shuo found a chair and sat down, tapping his fingertips on the table. He first looked at Zhang Cheng and asked, "Chinese?"
Zhang Cheng trembled and nodded hurriedly, "Yes...I am Chinese."
"An informant from the Mei Agency?" Yan Shuo continued to ask, his tone calm but carrying a chilling undertone.
Zhang Cheng's lips trembled, and he dared not answer, his eyes involuntarily glancing at Ide Ichiro beside him. Ide Ichiro immediately glared at him and snapped in Japanese, "Traitor! Don't you dare speak!"
Yan Shuo's eyes turned cold, and he gave Xu Li a wink.
Xu Li stepped forward, picked up an iron rod, and smashed it down on Ichiro Ide's knee with a loud bang.
Ichiro Ide screamed in pain, his knees buckling as cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Despite the pain, he forced himself to continue cursing, "Baka! You bunch of Chinese..."
"Say one more word and I'll break your other leg." Yan Shuo's voice was completely flat, yet it brought Ichiro Ide's cursing to an abrupt halt.
He knew that the Chinese man in front of him was truly capable of killing.
Yan Shuo turned back to Zhang Cheng, his tone softening slightly but becoming even more intimidating: "Speak, why were you following Meng Jia? Who sent you? Do you know her identity? Tell me, and I'll spare your life. Don't, and you'll suffer the same fate as him."
Zhang Chengben was already timid, and the horrific scene of Ide Ichiro had terrified him. Hearing Yan Shuo's words, he could no longer hold back and cried out, "I'll talk! I'll talk! It was Commander Matsumoto of the Mei Agency who ordered us to follow her! We don't know her real identity, we only know that she is a secretary at the Ximei Trading Company and often contacts a man named Wang Li. Commander Matsumoto suspects that she is colluding with anti-Japanese elements and ordered us to find out her whereabouts and transactions!"
"Wang Li?" Yan Shuo's fingers paused, a realization dawning on him. It turned out that Meng Jia's arms deal with Wang Li had attracted the attention of the Mei Agency. "Who is Matsumoto? What is his specific position? What other information do you have about Meng Jia?"
"Matsumoto is the head of the intelligence section of the Mei Agency!" Zhang Cheng didn't dare to hide anything and blurted it all out. "We only found out that she works at the Ximei Trading Company, lives nearby, and has had a few secret meetings with Wang Li. We haven't found anything else yet. Today is the first time we've followed her off work..."
"Liar!" Yan Shuo slammed his hand on the table, his eyes sharp as knives. "How could you be so adept at tracking someone on your first attempt? You must have been investigating for a long time!"
Zhang Cheng shuddered in fright and quickly explained, "Really, no! We only received the mission three days ago. Before that, we only observed the entrance of the foreign firm from afar. We only dared to go home with her today!"
Yan Shuo looked at Wang Qiang, who understood and took out a photo and handed it to Zhang Cheng: "Do you recognize this person?" The photo was a portrait of Matsumoto, which was information about Mei Agency personnel that Yan Shuo had previously collected.
Zhang Cheng nodded: "I know him! This is Commander Matsumoto!"
Having confirmed that Zhang Cheng was not lying, Yan Shuo turned to look at Ide Ichiro, whose face was pale but who still refused to bow his head.
"And you?" Yan Shuo asked, "Besides tracking Meng Jia, what other tasks does the Mei Agency have?"
Ichiro Ide snorted coldly, closed his eyes, and refused to answer.
Yan Shuo's lips curled into a cold smile: "Since you're unwilling to talk, there's no need to keep it to yourself."
He winked at Xu Li, "Drag him away and clean him up."
Xu Li responded and dragged Ichiro Ide out.
Ichiro Ide panicked and struggled, shouting, "You can't kill me! I'm a soldier of the Great Japanese Empire! You'll face retribution!"
Yan Shuo completely ignored his clamor. Only after Ideichiro's voice disappeared outside the door did he look at Zhang Cheng again, his eyes devoid of any warmth: "You're quite cooperative. It's a pity that you know so many of our secrets. Keeping you around will only cause trouble in the future."
Zhang Cheng's face turned deathly pale instantly, his body went limp, and he cried out in pleas for mercy, "Don't kill me! I've told you everything! I won't say a word! Please spare my life!"
"Too late." Yan Shuo's tone was flat, without a trace of pity. "From the moment you started working for the Mei Agency and tracking Meng Jia, you should have thought of this outcome."
He gestured with his chin toward Wang Qiang, who was standing to the side, and said, "Drag him away too, and clean him up with that Japanese guy. Don't leave any trace."