Agent: Intercepting Yu Manli at the start!

Chapter 42 This is practically a tailor-made talisman!

Zhou Xiao and Feng Manna responded in unison, "Thank you for your guidance, Section Chief!"

"I have high hopes for the Special Operations Headquarters." Aoki Takeshige's gaze was like a nail, fixed on Zhou Xiao's face. "You are the talents the Empire truly needs."

"Yes!" The two straightened their backs, their voices firm and resolute.

When turning to leave, the steps were light and steady.

In any case, this is the first real achievement award since the establishment of the Special Operations Headquarters.

Late at night, at Delu Apartment.

This is a secret connection point that Zhou Xiao personally planted, specifically for connecting with his superior, Zheng Yaoxian. He even remembers clearly the exact spot where the wall plaster had peeled off.

He now lives in the Special Operations Headquarters compound, where his every move is under surveillance. If he wants to send or receive coded messages, he can only do so from this isolated island.

Inside the room, the telegraph machine was emitting a fine and rapid "beep beep" sound.

The red and green indicator lights flashed on and off alternately, like a pair of eyes that refused to close.

Zhou Xiao pressed the key with his left hand and stared intently at the pocket watch with his right, his nerves taut with every tick of the hands.

He was all too familiar with the shift change rhythm of the Special Operations Headquarters' Listening Section—that brief three-minute gap was the only opportunity he could squeeze through.

The timing was precise to the millimeter, yet the telegrams came in a deluge.

This tests not only craftsmanship, but also heart and lung capacity, patience, and the synchronized rhythm between fingers and heartbeat.

For him, it was as natural as breathing.

This was a secret telegram sent personally by Zheng Yaoxian.

Beep—beep beep—beep—

His fingers flew across the paper, the pencil scratching swiftly, the characters short and powerful.

As the second hand circled, the air seemed to solidify into a gel.

After sending and receiving the data, he twisted his thumb to instantly cut off the power; turned the knob to unplug the antenna; and finally pushed the entire machine deep into the cabinet, covered it with an oilcloth, his movements so fast that they were just afterimages.

In Shanghai, he is being watched by more than one pair of eyes—the Special Operations Headquarters is full of informants, and the 76th Division has a large number of henchmen.

One wrong step and you're doomed.

As soon as the radio went silent, Zhou Xiao quickly translated the telegram: Qinglong arrives in Shanghai immediately and swiftly eliminates the traitor Bi Zhongliang.

Azure Dragon – Zheng Yaoxian's code name within the Military Intelligence Bureau.

He flicked his fingertip, and the flame licked the paper, causing the telegram to curl and turn to ash. He stared at the embers and muttered to himself, "Zheng Yaoxian returned to Shanghai, and the first thing he did was eliminate Bi Zhongliang? What kind of deadlock have they formed? Or is it that Bi Zhongliang is blocking his path to victory?"

I can't figure it out, but since it's the first order personally issued by Zheng Yaoxian, it has to be carried out cleanly and efficiently.

Bi Zhongliang is an undeniable traitor, and everyone has the right to kill him.

If Zheng Yaoxian were to truly step into this murky water, the two of them, working together, would become the sharpest double-edged sword in the Japanese puppet regime's intelligence system—one as cunning as a fox, the other as ruthless and accurate as an eagle. Just their names alone would be enough to wake those lackeys in the middle of the night, their pillows soaked with cold sweat.

Zhou Xiao knew that Bi Zhongliang, who seemed to be made of steel, had only one weakness: his wife, Liu Lanzhi.

She is gentle, kind-hearted, and soft-hearted, never getting involved in power struggles or intrigues. She is the only woman in the entire drama who truly remains an outsider. Bi Zhongliang is ruthless and cunning outside, but when he returns to her side, he is just like a fool afraid of losing a precious treasure. He once said in public that his only faith in this chaotic world is to protect Liu Lanzhi from harm.

The easiest way to bring down Bi Zhongliang is to pry open Liu Lanzhi's defenses.

But Zhou Xiao was unwilling to touch it.

Just then, a crisp "ding" sounded in my ear: "Mission triggered - Fixed-point check-in: Special Operations Headquarters Prison. Rewards to be unlocked."

You can win an award just by showing up at a jail cell?

This is a business opportunity; why not take it?

The following day, at the Special Operations Headquarters.

Feng Manna was overwhelmed with the task of purging the underground Communist Party and the Military Intelligence Bureau in Shanghai.

But a secret report this morning made her eyes light up: Bi Zhongliang had just brought an underground party member into the headquarters prison! Her heart warmed, and she immediately started to make plans—if she couldn't capture the Military Intelligence Bureau, capturing an underground party member would be a real achievement.

Office of the Chief of Intelligence.

Feng Manna pushed open the door and came in with a smile: "Director Zhou, I heard that Director Bi has imprisoned an underground party member in jail? Our intelligence department should at least find out something, right? After all, interrogation is interrogation, and intelligence is intelligence; we can't let the action team handle everything."

She called out "Third Brother" in a familiar yet slightly coquettish tone, "Don't you think so? If we can get ahead of the curve and uncover the clues, we'll get the credit."

In terms of rank, she was half a head lower than Bi Zhongliang, so she bypassed Bi Zhongliang and went straight to Zhou Xiao, calling him "Third Brother" in order to become familiar with him and thus gain entry into the prison for interrogation.

Underground party?

Those are our own people!

Zhou Xiao had already planned to sign in at the jail, but now that he heard that the person being imprisoned was one of his own comrades, he didn't hesitate for a second.

"Okay, I'll go right now." He got up and walked out the door side by side with Feng Manna.

Special Operations Headquarters Prison.

The two stopped in front of cell number 203. Behind the glass window, a man was leaning over and interrogating the other man, who was covered in blood and curled up like a shrimp on the ground.

No need to guess—it was An Liusan, the underground party member who had been arrested.

Zhou Xiao's gaze swept over, and he raised an eyebrow: Su Sansheng?

This person is ruthless and cold-hearted, yet harbors a morbid obsession; his ambition burns brightly, but his actions are remarkably steady. He appears insane, but deep down he yearns for a bit of genuine warmth.

His professional skills are among the best in the entire Shanghai intelligence system.

Bi Zhongliang entrusted An Liusan to him because he was certain that only An Liusan could pry open An Liusan's mouth.

Sure enough, after several rounds of torture and threats from his relatives, An Liusan completely broke down and vomited everything out like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

"Captain Su, he confessed!" His subordinate gleefully handed over the confession. "He's told the whole story!"

Su Sansheng glanced at the paper, a smirk playing on his lips. "Director Bi should be satisfied now that he's seen it." He then turned and walked out, bumping right into Zhou Xiao and Feng Manna.

"Captain Su, you look radiant!" Zhou Xiao greeted him. "Has the prisoner spoken?"

"It's open."

"Let me take a look at your confession."

Su Sansheng folded the paper away, not even revealing a corner, and stared at Zhou Xiao: "Director Zhou, Director Bi has given orders—this person is top secret, and no one is allowed to approach him without permission. Want to interrogate him? First, ask Director Bi for permission."

The two are of equal rank, and neither can suppress the other.

Feng Manna immediately frowned: "Captain Su, that's too distant! When our intelligence department reviews basic case information, do we expect him to approve it? It's our duty!"

Su Sansheng sneered: "Want to know? Sure—his name is An Liusan, male. That's all."

"You...!" Feng Manna's fingertips trembled with anger.

A name, a gender? What kind of intelligence is that!

But for Zhou Xiao, those six words weighed as heavy as a thousand pounds.

An Liusan?

The one who betrayed the protagonist right at the beginning of "Sparrow"!

So next—Bi Zhongliang's target is Shen Qiuxia, codenamed "Prime Minister"?

The thought flashed through my mind.

The name Su Sansheng casually uttered sounded as light as dust to others, but to Zhou Xiao it was like a thunderclap.

He stared at Su Sansheng's departing figure, his mind racing: An Liusan had already confessed, and Bi Zhongliang and Su Sansheng would surely follow the clues and head straight for the MGM Ballroom—and that night, Shen Qiuxia would most likely not be able to escape.

This time, Bi Zhongliang is determined to mobilize the entire team, sending all members of the action team forward.

Tomorrow night, the Prime Minister and the Sparrow will secretly meet at the MGM Ballroom.

Zhou Xiao's thoughts swept across the mountain ridge like a gust of wind, calculating a way to break the deadlock in a flash.

Su Sansheng, feeling smug, glanced sideways at Feng Manna, whose face was cold and sullen, and said with a smirk: "Section Chief Feng, if you're so capable, bring back an underground party member yourself; if you're not, don't try to steal credit."

"Keep a close eye on them! Without Director Bi's written order, no one is allowed to approach An Liusan even a step!"

Before leaving, he specially assigned two trusted confidants to guard the prison entrance, blocking Zhou Xiao and Feng Manna's path like two walls.

Feng Manna stared at his swaying back and scoffed, "That scoundrel Cha Deshi, he's got his tail wagging in the air."

"Third Brother, what do we do now? We can't even get a glimpse of the prisoner's clothes!"

Zhou Xiao frowned slightly and lowered his voice: "Force our way in? I'm afraid that as soon as we kick the door open, Aoki Takeshige's reprimanding telegram will arrive—Bi Zhongliang is a thorn in my side, and if things really get out of hand, we'll have to carry the blame and get out of Special Forces Headquarters."

For Zhou Xiao, whether or not An Liusan was tried was no longer important. He had already clearly laid out his next move, piece by piece.

"Fine." Feng Manna sighed, her gaze sweeping over An Liusan, who was huddled in the corner behind the iron bars. She turned and left, her skirt billowing as she walked away, decisive and swift.

The moment Zhou Xiao stepped out of the prison gate, a thought flickered in his mind, and he quietly summoned the system: "Sign in."

"Ding—The host has completed the check-in at the Special Operations Headquarters prison and unlocked the skill 'Mastery of Eight Languages ​​at a Native Level'."

Proficient in eight languages ​​at a native level: English, Japanese, German, Russian, Korean, French, Spanish, and Arabic—listening, speaking, reading, and writing all at a native level, with pure and flawless pronunciation and no accent.

Native speaker level?

This is practically a tailor-made talisman!

Zhou Xiao had been looking forward to this move for a long time—disguise is never about having a pretty face, but about making people completely convinced the moment you open your mouth.

Want to impersonate a Japanese person? If you don't speak fluent Japanese, you'll be exposed after just three sentences. Want to sneak into the embassy district? Without fluent French or German, you won't even be able to get past the doorman.

Who would have thought that a casual signing in a cold, damp prison cell would yield such a valuable piece of currency?

Back in the director's office, Zhou Xiao tapped his fingertips on the table, pondering how to deliver the message discreetly—without alerting Bi Zhongliang, while ensuring that the Prime Minister and Sparrow could close the net in time.

Hold your breath.

Concentrate.

Clues in my mind intertwined rapidly like a spider web.

Suddenly, a bright light cleaved through the fog: killing three birds with one stone!

Eliminate Bi Zhongliang, eradicate Su Sansheng, and incidentally purge the traitors—three birds, killed with a single bullet.

The key was to fit Bi Zhongliang's death perfectly into Su Sansheng's gunshot wound.

This game is too big; he can't set it up by himself alone.

He immediately got up, using the excuse of patrolling, and quickly left the Special Operations Headquarters, heading straight to the secret liaison point to personally send a coded telegram.

Bright Photo Studio.

Guo Qiyun rushed down the stairs, clutching the telegram he had just translated, his voice taut: "Operation initiated! Hades has given the order!"