Agent: Intercepting Yu Manli at the start!

Chapter 95: For every gain, there is a loss!

Ultimately, once her anti-Japanese identity is exposed, Zhou Xiao will inevitably be implicated.

Even if he manages to protect himself and escape, the collapse of trust and the deterioration of his situation are inevitable. And this is precisely the most fatal risk she faces after becoming lovers with Zhou Xiao—if one is exposed, the other will inevitably be affected.

There is no perfect solution in the world. For every gain, there is a loss.

Li Xiaonan is still making her final decision in silence.

"Give me your hands! Now!" The military police drew closer, their voices hoarse. "If you want to live, don't try anything funny!"

Once inside the Special Higher Police or the Military Police, torture would be unavoidable. But these weren't her biggest concerns right now. Her only worry was how to protect Zhou Xiao.

She slowly withdrew her hand from the porcelain bottle—she didn't take the gun, nor did she resist.

There are only two ways to protect Zhou Xiao:

First, escape unscathed. Tonight, she had put on makeup and disguised herself as an ordinary customer to sneak into the restaurant, her face completely concealed. As long as she escaped successfully, no one would suspect that the person who assassinated Oshima Ken was actually the unknown actress Li Xiaonan. In that case, Zhou Xiao would be unharmed.

Secondly, there was no trace of her remains. She was blown to pieces, not even a single piece of flesh could be pieced together—back then, without DNA technology, even if the Japanese had the greatest abilities, they couldn't find out who she was.

She didn't resist, not because she was afraid of death, but because she didn't want to die under the guns of the military police—that way, her body would be intact, her identity would be exposed immediately, and she would only harm Zhou Xiao.

Her death must serve a purpose; it cannot be in vain, nor can it be a burden to him.

She was willing to give everything for Zhou Xiao, including her life.

Because Zhou Xiao was not only the underground party comrade she was protecting, but also the person she truly loved.

She may appear delicate, but she is fiercely independent and courageous, daring to love and die for love. Her brows reveal a boldness and determination that rivals even the most valiant men.

So before she set off, she strapped explosives to her body!

Explosives!!!

She had long anticipated this moment, carrying explosives on an assassination mission.

She had promised to protect Zhou Xiao for life, and she never broke her promise.

Detonate the explosives—the amount was enough to blast her to smithereens, leaving her blood, flesh, and unrecognizable as a corpse.

By then, the Japanese wouldn't even be able to find out her name.

This is the safest way to protect Zhou Xiao.

Li Xiaonan was left with only two paths.

"Okay, I won't move." She raised her hands, a relaxed smile on her face, and met the gaze of the two approaching Japanese military police with composure. "Officers, please don't rush, I'll cooperate."

Of course, detonating the explosives—that's the last resort, a last-ditch effort.

She is still looking for a way to escape.

She couldn't bear to leave this world, and she couldn't bear to leave Zhou Xiao even more!

Boom, boom, boom...

A series of hurried footsteps approached from the first floor and rushed straight to the third floor.

It was the Japanese military police downstairs who arrived after hearing the news.

Once they block the exit, Li Xiaonan will have no way out.

If we can't escape, we can't be captured alive; we'd rather die in battle than be slaughtered by others.

If it really came to an end, she would rather detonate the explosives and die a violent death.

Strapped with high explosives, she carried out the mission with a death wish—to cause Zhou Xiao no trouble whatsoever and to protect him from harm.

This is not just faith, it is love.

A love that transcends life and death.

A true demonstration of facing death without fear.

The situation left no room for hesitation. She resolved to detonate the explosives on her person, silently bidding Zhou Xiao a final farewell: "Zhou Xiao, goodbye. I love you. I fear I'll never have the chance to tell you these words in person again..."

It can only be buried deep in my heart, never to be mentioned again.

She raised her hand, ready to pull off the fuse and die together with the two Japanese soldiers in front of her—even if she died, she would take two of them down with her; it would be worth it.

In that split second, two crisp gunshots suddenly rang out—

boom!

boom!

The two approaching military policemen fell to the ground with a thud, blood blooming between their eyebrows, and died on the spot.

Li Xiaonan turned her head and saw a man in a Zhongshan suit standing at the entrance of the toilet.

She recognized the face.

He was sitting at the table next to me, completely unmoved, when the military police were checking him at the entrance to the private room.

In other words, this person appears to be on the Japanese side.

In reality, they are most likely undercover agents from the Military Intelligence Bureau, the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, or the underground Communist Party—secret agents lurking deep within the enemy camp.

Although she didn't know which side the shooter belonged to, her intuition told her that it was one of Zhou Xiao's men.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have stepped in to help at this critical juncture.

What she didn't know was that Zhou Xiao had long ago engraved her safety in his bones and vowed to protect her for the rest of his life.

I still have a free monthly pass, so I'll just cast one.

It was not Zhou Xiao who shot and killed the two military police officers, but Chen Shan.

Zhou Xiao had placed Chen Shan in the Shang Mansion long ago, but had not yet put him into use.

Now, Chen Shan is the captain of the Shang Mansion Action Team.

Li Xiaonan recognized Chen Shan at a glance, and her heart skipped a beat—she had never expected such a dramatic turn of events.

Just moments before, she had prepared herself to die, waiting for the military police to rush up so she could detonate the explosives.

At that moment, footsteps grew closer in the hallway. Chen Shan stood outside the restroom door, silent, but mouthed a single word to her: "Go!"

Li Xiaonan instantly understood, quickly pulled a pistol from the vase and held it in her hand. Then, in front of Chen Shan, she closed the toilet door tightly, turned around and jumped out of the window, quickly sliding down the rope that had been lowered beforehand!

Upon landing, she did not hesitate and, before the Japanese could complete their encirclement, quickly retreated according to the original plan, her figure soon disappearing into the vast night.

At that moment, outside the third-floor restroom, Chen Shan heard the military police's footsteps reaching the end of the corridor and immediately kicked the restroom door hard—

boom!

boom!

After several kicks, the lock broke, and the wooden door burst open.

He was the first to rush into the bathroom, headed straight for the window, spotted the hanging rope, and immediately fired several shots randomly downstairs—

boom! boom! boom!

All the guns were unloaded, just for cover.

The military police downstairs had also arrived and rushed into the toilet, only to find it in a mess, but Li Xiaonan was nowhere to be seen.

Chen Shan frowned and shook his head: "They've escaped."

Inside the private room, Zhou Xiao bravely tackled Oshima Ken, shielding him from a fatal blow and snatching him back from the jaws of a gun.

As soon as Li Xiaonan escaped, Shen Fang and Sakurada Kaoru rushed over and bent down to check on Zhou Xiao and Oshima Ken, who were lying on the ground: "Are you alright?"

Zhou Xiao waved his hand, his tone calm: "It's nothing, I just reacted quickly. Nobody expected that waitress to be an assassin."

The most excited person was none other than Ken Oshima.

He grabbed Zhou Xiao's hand, his voice trembling, "Director Zhou, thank you so much! If it weren't for you, I would be dead!"

"This is outrageous! Anti-Japanese elements dare to attempt an assassination in broad daylight!"

"I will remember your life-saving grace forever! That was truly a close call!"

If he weren't a general, he probably would have knelt down and thanked him on the spot.

Only those who have escaped death truly understand how precious life is.

Seeing his agitated state, Zhou Xiao quickly said, "General Oshima, you flatter me. This is my duty. We are friends."

"Anyone else would have done the same."

Ken Oshima nodded vigorously: "Director Zhou is right! You are our empire's most trusted friend. You risked your life to save me again tonight. I won't say anything more—from now on, in Shanghai, I, Ken Oshima, will only recognize you as my friend!"

Zhou Xiao bowed slightly: "Thank you for your kindness, General Oshima."

Seeing the undisguised trust and enthusiasm in Ken Oshima's eyes, Zhou Xiao, who was adept at reading people, knew in his heart that this trust had truly taken root.

Although Ken Oshima had previously relied on him to some extent, he had always left room for maneuver.

Tonight's assassination attempt, orchestrated by Zhou Xiao himself, allowed Ken Oshima to witness firsthand his "loyalty and bravery" and his "selfless protection."

The debt of gratitude for saving my life is not just empty words; it is a bond forged with my life.

Trust built on this foundation naturally reaches a whole new level.

Ken Oshima must die.

but not now.

Zhou Xiao saved his life only to uncover the secrets behind him—the location of the counterfeit money printing den and the complete list of personnel in "Project Heavenly Music".

It seems that the first step has already worked: Ken Oshima's trust in Zhou Xiao is now solid enough.

The gunfire outside had long since ceased, leaving only a deathly echo in the air.

Zhou Xiao said, "Let's go to the scene and see if the assassin has been caught."

To be honest, he had a heavy weight on his mind—Li Xiaonan's safety was constantly weighing on him.

But he couldn't show even the slightest bit of his anxiety.

"Let's go!" Ken Oshima gritted his teeth, a vein throbbing on his forehead, his face contorted with anger at being offended. "I want to see with my own eyes who has the audacity to lay a hand on me! If I catch him, I won't let him leave Shanghai alive!"

Shen Fang echoed in a deep voice, "The waters of Shanghai are even muddier than I expected..."

At this moment, the military police downstairs swarmed up, and the four of them immediately left the private room and walked outside.

As soon as they reached the door, Zhou Xiao bent down, picked up the palm-sized Leopard miniature pistol, and handed it to Oshima Ken: "General Oshima, look—a Browning M1906, a gadget used by special agents, extremely rare on the market."

"Nine out of ten people who can afford this gun are members of the Military Intelligence Bureau; the underground party is short of funds and simply cannot afford such equipment."

This pistol was deliberately left behind by Li Xiaonan.

The act of dropping the gun, seemingly casual, was actually a precise and deliberate action—intended to steadily shift suspicion toward the Military Intelligence Bureau.

Browning M1906 is indeed rare, and ordinary underground organizations would indeed find it difficult to continue, but the Military Intelligence Bureau is different; they have channels, budgets, and motives.

Pointing the finger at the Military Intelligence Bureau was not a deception, but rather a prelude to subsequent actions.

This was also a crucial move in Zhou Xiao's entire game.

Ken Oshima's face turned ashen. He snatched the pistol, glanced at it briefly, and then turned and strode into the corridor.

Six or seven military police corpses lay scattered on the corridor floor, the smell of blood still lingering, mixed with gunpowder smoke, forming a heavy, pungent odor in the air.

By this time, the entire building had been sealed off by the military police, and everyone eventually gathered at the entrance to the toilet on the third floor.

Chen Shan strode out from the restroom and stood at attention to report: "Reporting to General Oshima and Section Chief Sakurada, the assassin has escaped!"

They escaped?

Zhou Xiao felt a sense of relief, and the breath he had been holding in finally settled down—Li Xiaonan was safe and sound, which was all the better.

"She escaped? With so many people surrounding her, she still got away?" He frowned, his tone full of displeasure. "What have you all been doing all this time?"

He scolded her verbally, but secretly felt relieved.

Such a nuanced portrayal of the contradiction between appearance and reality is something only Zhou Xiao could pull off flawlessly.