Agent: Intercepting Yu Manli at the start!

Chapter 98 Counterfeit Banknotes!

Fortunately, Zhou Xiao was quick-witted and had excellent observation skills, so he saw through these ambushes in advance; otherwise, if he had acted according to the original plan, he would probably have been captured on the spot as soon as he made a move.

However, this little trick couldn't stop Zhou Xiao.

How could he let such a good opportunity slip by?

quiet!

The office of the military police commander was so quiet you could hear someone breathing.

So that those hidden listening devices could pick up every possible anomaly—

For example, the paper flips, the drawer slides out, the cabinet door opens...

These sounds are subtle, but they still can't escape being listened to when they're close by.

If one is unaware of the situation, a moment's carelessness while searching for intelligence could lead to a significant disturbance and a sharp increase in risk.

But Zhou Xiao had already figured out the details, so he was naturally very careful.

Oshima Kenjiro, Zhou Xiao isn't stupid either.

He even wondered: Could this be a test from the other party?

Regardless of whether it is true or not, he will not back down.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: ①⓪①ⓚⓚⓢ.ⓒⓞⓜ]

Now that we know where the bugging device is, we have a countermeasure.

He moved quietly, quickly scanned the room, and soon found the safe under the row of cabinets behind the desk.

Once the cabinet door was opened, the safe was revealed.

But right next to the safe, there was a bugging device.

This means that the unlocking process must be done silently.

Zhou Xiao first carefully inspected the cabinet to make sure there were no traps like fluorescent powder scattered on its exterior before he began to work.

Since there are eyes and ears around, the movements must be steady, accurate, and slow.

To prevent the "click" sound of the cabinet door opening from leaking out, he directly covered the sound pickup port of the bugging device with his left hand, sealing off all possible sounds.

Squeak—squeak—squeak—

The knob turned slowly.

With his amazing hearing and nimble fingers, he quickly figured out the code.

Click!

The cabinet door popped open with a loud bang.

Fortunately, the microphone was tightly covered, and not a single sound of the crackling rang into the bugging device.

call……

Zhou Xiao quietly exhaled and his gaze fell into the cabinet.

Inside, documents, cash, gold bars, etc., were neatly stacked.

A telegram was placed on top of it.

He pulled it out and saw that it was the official transfer order for Hirofumi Asano to be transferred to Shanghai and take over the Special Higher Police, clearly stating the arrival time, route, meeting place and other details.

Fortunately, he is fluent in eight languages ​​and can read Japanese without any problems.

Another new course length?

Asano Hirobumi?

This name sounds like the head of the Special Higher Police in a spy drama script.

Are they here to die?

After reading the telegram, he was preparing to continue searching for the personnel list of "Project Celestial Music" when...

The sound of footsteps suddenly grew louder and louder as they approached.

The office was too quiet, so his hearing was exceptionally sharp—the footsteps were heading towards the door.

Ken Oshima is back!

Time is running out.

Zhou Xiao immediately stopped, put the telegram back in its original place, gently closed the cabinet door, turned around and quickly returned to the waiting area to sit down.

No sooner had he sat down than Ken Oshima pushed open the door and entered.

Time was too tight; he only received information about Asano Hirofumi's transfer and didn't have time to check the "Project Celestial" list.

But this wasn't a wasted trip.

They at least figured out the location of the safe and the layout of the listening devices—paving the way for the next operation.

If it were anyone else, they would probably have fallen into the eavesdropping trap set by Kenjiro Oshima, but Zhou Xiao is the top agent of the Military Intelligence Bureau. How could he be so easily trapped?

The office door remained open—closing it, especially with him alone inside, would easily arouse suspicion; but if he didn't stop in time, his actions would be immediately exposed if someone passed by. Because this room was located at the very end of the corridor, rarely visited by anyone, Zhou Xiao was able to operate with ease and without incident.

"Director Zhou is here? Haha!" Kenichi Oshima saw Zhou Xiao sitting there leisurely drinking tea and immediately rushed forward to greet him. "I had to go out for a while, sorry to have kept you waiting."

Ever since the assassination attempt at the Shanghai Grand Hotel, Ken Oshima had placed his complete trust in Zhou Xiao. This time, he genuinely had a reason for leaving the office; it wasn't a setup to test him.

Zhou Xiao smiled calmly: "I just arrived not long ago either."

Ken Oshima nodded: "Please have a seat. I'll give my men a few instructions, and then I'll take you somewhere!"

Where should we go?

Nine times out of ten, it's a counterfeit money printing base.

Zhou Xiao remained calm and simply nodded slightly: "Please go ahead with your work."

Ken Oshima smiled, turned around, and went straight to the secret room next door.

Push the door open and enter—

With a whoosh, the three spies inside the room snapped to attention and shouted in unison, "General!"

Ken Oshima asked directly, "Was Director Zhou alone in his office just now?"

The spy replied, "Yes."

He gestured for everyone to sit down, then walked into a small cubicle deep within the secret room. As soon as the door opened, several operating eavesdropping devices came into view. The signals from the eavesdropping devices in the office were being received here.

In those days, eavesdropping devices still relied on wired transmission. If the listening room was set up too far away, not only would the wiring be troublesome, but the sound would also be easily distorted—especially if you wanted to capture subtle movements, you had to set it up closer to home.

Ken Oshima glanced at the head of the wiretapping team: "Was anything unusual in my office just now?"

The team leader straightened his back: "Reporting to the general, everything is normal."

Although he trusted Zhou Xiao, the place he was about to visit was the lifeline of the currency war, and he couldn't afford to be careless. This bald old Japanese man had never relied on luck to secure his position as the head of the Sugi Agency.

Upon hearing the reply, his tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and he nodded slightly: "Keep a close watch, don't let your guard down." After saying that, he turned and left.

Knowing that Zhou Xiao hadn't acted strangely when alone, Ken Oshima's last bit of concern disappeared, and his trust in him increased even more.

He returned to his office and extended his hand to Zhou Xiao: "Director Zhou, please—I'll take you somewhere."

Zhou Xiao feigned ignorance: "Oh? Where to?"

Ken Oshima smiled but did not answer: "You'll understand when the time comes."

The two then left the military police headquarters by car.

Before getting on the bus, Zhou Xiao was blindfolded.

The place that dares to lead people away with their eyes covered must be a top secret.

In the car, Ken Oshima suddenly spoke up: "Director Zhou, how much do you know about currency wars?"

Zhou Xiao said calmly, "Section Chief Aoki had previously explained the general plan and key points to me. However, Section Chief Aoki and Section Chief Sendo were killed in action one after another, and the entire plan had to be suspended. At present, I have not received any instructions related to the currency war."

Originally, this operation was spearheaded by the Special Higher Police, with other intelligence agencies cooperating. However, the successive deaths of the two commanding officers completely stalled the currency war. It was during this lull that the Military Intelligence Bureau was able to successfully smuggle the printing plates out of Shanghai.

If Japan wants to reignite the currency war, there is only one way left: counterfeit banknotes.

Ken Oshima nodded: "That's right. But those are just appearances. Today, I'm taking you to the heart of the Sugimoto organization, the true core of this currency war!"

really!

Zhou Xiao felt a surge of warmth and secret joy—Oshima Ken truly considered him one of his own this time.

The risk of infiltrating that night was worth it.

He remained calm and casually added a playful remark: "General Oshima, is it really appropriate for me to know about such an important place? The fewer people who know about this, the better, right? What if I accidentally let it slip one day..."

Kenjiro Oshima laughed heartily, "Director Zhou, you're too modest! Since I'm taking you along, it means I trust you!"

"You are a friend of the Empire, and even more so, a trusted partner of mine."

Zhou Xiao said solemnly, "Thank you for your trust, General Oshima."

Despite professing trust, their guard remained high. The car wound its way through the streets for quite some time before finally heading towards the true secret hideout of the Sugi Agency.

While echoing Oshima Ken's words, Zhou Xiao listened carefully to every turn, every pause, and every engine change.

About half an hour later, the car stopped.

The driver spoke to the guards at the gate in Japanese: "I am General Oshima's driver, and the General himself is in the car."

The guard responded, "Routine check, sorry."

Then came a rustling sound. Although Zhou Xiao was blind, he could clearly perceive the rhythm around him: footsteps, the clanging of metal, and the long, piercing creak of the iron door as it slowly opened.

The car started again, drove into the yard, and finally came to a smooth stop.

Ken Oshima said, "Director Zhou, we've arrived."

Zhou Xiao got out of the car and followed him into the house. Only then was the blindfold removed.

Before me was a straight, narrow passage. Above the entrance hung a wooden sign with a large Japanese character written on it: Sugi!

Without a doubt, this is the headquarters of the Sugimoto Corporation—its most central and secretive location.

Zhou Xiao slowly spoke, "This should be the Shanji Agency, right?"

Kenichi Oshima nodded slightly: "That's right, it's the Sugimoto Agency."

"It also has another name, the Sakata Agency, which is directly under the Ninth Research Institute of the Imperial Army and is responsible only to the Army General Staff. It is a top-secret research unit with the highest level of authority—established with the personal authorization of Prime Minister Tojo."

"You are the first Chinese person to step into such a secluded place."

The headquarters of the "Sugi Agency" was located in Shanghai, while its branches were widely distributed in the enemy-occupied commercial hubs and intelligence gathering places. Its core mission was to disrupt the enemy's economic order: to use counterfeit money as real currency to purchase military supplies and daily necessities.

It was called the "Sakata Agency" because its first head was Sakata Masamori—who originally came from the Kwantung Army General Staff and was later transferred to the Army General Staff.

In 1939, he registered "Chengda Company" in Shanghai with a nominal capital of 100 million yen. The company set up 53 stores in the occupied areas, ostensibly for business, but in reality, it was dedicated to the economic infiltration and sabotage of China.

The person currently in charge of the Sugimoto Agency in Shanghai is none other than Ken Oshima.

This organization is affiliated with the Ninth Research Institute.

Those infamous germ warfare and virus warfare projects originated from this institute.

Of course, currency warfare was also a key focus: counterfeiting banknotes, disrupting the financial order, undermining monetary credibility, and ultimately paralyzing the economic foundation of the war effort.

To maintain secrecy, the perimeter of the agency is heavily guarded by military police, and unauthorized personnel are not allowed to approach. All internal staff must sign a confidentiality agreement, strictly prohibiting them from disclosing any work-related information to outsiders.

This can be described as the most heavily guarded and central intelligence hub in Shanghai.

That is why Kenjiro Oshima said that Zhou Xiao was the first Chinese person to set foot in this place.

Zhou Xiao smiled faintly: "Then I am truly fortunate."