Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

Chapter 1115 Do they even consider you a brother?

The main house in the backyard, however, exuded a tranquility completely different from that in the front hall, even carrying a hint of secret tension.

In the center of the main room, next to the eight-immortal table, Chen Ming sat with his legs crossed, comfortably nestled in a grand master's chair covered with thick cotton cushions.

He held a dark purple-black, translucent teapot in his hand. The teapot's body was smooth and warm from being worn, and it looked like it had been used for many years.

He slowly lifted the lid of the teapot, took a small sip of hot tea, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. Then he picked up the melon seed dish on the table, pinched a melon seed, cracked it open with a snap, and spat out the shell, which fell to his feet. His movements were practiced yet exuded a sense of leisure.

At this moment, Chen Ming was wearing a dark-colored cotton robe with a subtle pattern. The robe was made of thick and sturdy material, clearly not a cheap item. He also wore a silk vest of the same color over it, with simple intertwined vine patterns embroidered in silver thread, understated yet dignified.

His hair was slicked back and polished. If you ignored the lingering weariness in his eyes and the shrewdness hidden between his brows, he really looked like a pampered, wealthy old man who didn't care about worldly affairs.

Looking up, he saw Xu Zhongyi enter the backyard through the window and immediately spoke to the person outside.

"Hey bro, you've been to the military police headquarters for quite a while now," Chen Ming's voice rang out slowly, his thick Northeastern accent mixed with a touch of Tianjin's unique banter, sounding both friendly and teasing: "Did that kid Xiao Cang drag you out for drinks again?"

Let me tell you, that Japanese sake is so bland, it tastes like horse piss, it's totally unpalatable.

Don't hold back with him, drink him to death, get him passed out, then we can get some information out of him and see what kind of mischief he's been plotting lately."

As he spoke, he popped another sunflower seed into his mouth and ate it with relish.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of hurried footsteps came from the courtyard gate, followed by a creak as the door was pushed open.

Xu Zhongyi walked in, bringing with him a chill. The collar of his expensive mink coat was open, and there were still a few specks of soot clinging to the fluffy fur.

His face was anxious, and a fine layer of cold sweat even appeared on his forehead. As soon as he entered the room, he shouted urgently, "Station Chief! Something's happened!"

Chen Ming was holding the purple clay teapot, about to take another sip, when he heard this. Without even looking up, he slowly blew on the hot air from the spout of the teapot, his tone a little impatient. His Northeastern accent mixed with the crispness of Tianjin dialect left Xu Zhongyi speechless: "What are you yelling about?"

Didn't you see your sister sewing shoe soles here? You scared my wife, I'll teach you a lesson!

"Come, sit next to your brother and tell me what happened." As he spoke, he pointed to the stool next to him, where there were a few more sunflower seed shells. It was clear that although he complained about Xu Zhongyi's noise, he knew in his heart that Xu Zhongyi was not a loud and boisterous person.

Yu Xiuning was sitting on the sofa, sewing shoe soles.

As Xu Zhongyi entered, she paused in her needlework, the silver needle hovering in mid-air, and glanced up at Chen Ming.

Her eyes were clear and sharp, with a calm composure that came from years of experience, unlike those of an ordinary housewife: "Zhongyi is a steady person, he wouldn't be in such a hurry if there was nothing wrong."

Yu Xiuning wore a moon-white cloth shirt, her hair was tied into a neat bun and secured with an ebony hairpin, with two wisps of hair hanging down by her ears. She looked simple and unadorned, like an ordinary woman who took care of household chores.

But only those who know her well know that this appearance is all a disguise; the shrewdness in her eyes is unmistakable.

After all, he had followed Chen Ming through thick and thin in Shenyang amidst gunfire and bullets, and had seen many storms in the military intelligence station behind enemy lines. He had long since developed the ability to remain calm in the face of danger.

Xu Zhongyi rubbed his hands, which were numb from the cold, and strode over to the octagonal table. He plopped down on a stool, leaned forward, and deliberately lowered his voice, his tone full of urgency.

"Today, while I was discussing matters with Ogura Daichi at the Military Police Headquarters, I ran into Nanzo Yunko from the Special Higher Police."

She specifically tipped me off that several people had been arrested at the Maochuan Mansion, one of whom was a courier from our Military Intelligence Bureau's Tianjin station.

He paused, swallowed, and continued, "That courier couldn't withstand the beating. Before the Japanese had even finished their torture, he confessed in no time."

They named a grocery store owner in the French Concession as their direct supplier.

"The general store owner?" Chen Ming finally stopped eating sunflower seeds and put the purple clay teapot on the table with a soft "thump".

His brows furrowed instantly, making the frown lines on his forehead particularly prominent, and his Tianjin accent became even stronger: "Which street in the concession is the grocery store? Our Tianjin Station has a liaison point over there? I don't remember."

He had been in charge of Tianjin Station for some time now and thought he knew all the contact points and people in the station well, but he had never heard of this grocery store owner.

"You forgot?" Yu Xiuning put down the shoe soles and needle and thread in her hands, picked up the handkerchief on the table to wipe her hands, glared at her husband beside her, and reminded him: "It was Chen Gongshu who laid the line in the French Concession when he was the stationmaster!"

When we took over Tianjin Station, Boss Dai said there might be problems with the people Chen Gongshu left behind. Didn't you hand over all the leads he left behind to Old Liu in the intelligence section to be in charge of?

As she spoke, Yu Xiuning turned to look at Xu Zhongyi, her tone calm: "Zhongyi, don't rush, speak slowly, and explain all the details clearly."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhongyi pursed his lips, sighed heavily, and said with a helpless expression, "The grocery store owner couldn't hold out either. He was interrogated by the Japanese and confessed again."

He also revealed something even more damaging: he said he overheard his superior mentioning that there was an undercover agent from our side inside the Japanese consulate.

"What the hell? A spy from the Japanese consulate!" Chen Ming's eyes widened instantly. He blinked rapidly, his face full of confusion and shock. He turned sharply to Yu Xiuning, his voice rising several decibels: "Honey, do we have someone like that in our station? Aren't you in charge of the confidential office?!"

Infiltrating the Japanese consulate? I have absolutely no recollection of that.

Hey, how did I become the station manager?

The contact point is unknown, and neither is the undercover agent! Is Chen Gongshu deliberately hiding things from me?

Yu Xiuning picked up the needle and thread again, but did not start immediately. Instead, she lowered her head and pondered for a moment, her brows furrowing slightly: "Chen Gongshu did mention it to me back then, saying that he had planted a few spies in some places in Tianjin."

But at that time he was being scolded by Boss Dai and was in a terrible state, so he didn't tell me about these spies in detail. He only said that these spies were useless and that he hadn't passed on any intelligence after being undercover for several years.

I handed over the rendezvous code and contact information to the intelligence department. Anyway, the people Chen Gongshu left behind were all under Lao Liu's care. This way, our two lines of communication are separate, which is safer.”

She looked up at Chen Ming, her tone tinged with reproach: "Back then, you had just taken over as station chief, and you were acting like brothers with Chen Gongshu, all very close!"

But do they consider you a brother?

He handed over his work in a piecemeal fashion, only mentioning unimportant trifles and revealing no important information whatsoever.

So, such a big undercover agent was just left hanging in the Japanese consulate?

If anything goes wrong, it'll be no laughing matter!