Chapter 14: Operations in the Shanghai District

The night in Xujiahui was extremely noisy.

However, this bustle had nothing to do with the walkers in the dark. At this very moment, they were only looking forward to one thing:

Go the hell to sleep, all of you! I need to get to work!

Compared to his eager subordinates, Chen Moqun appeared very composed.

As a secret agent, one always had to have this bit of patience!

The noise finally faded, everything sank into stillness, and the East Asia Tōbun的书院 also entered a silent state.

A subordinate, unable to suppress himself any longer, whispered, "Station Chief?"

Chen Moqun was eager to use a major achievement to secure his current position, but he possessed immense patience. Facing his subordinates' eagerness for action, he waved his hand and said, "Wait a little longer!"

This wait lasted for a full three hours.

Meanwhile, two other groups of people were lurking in the shadows.

The first group naturally consisted of the members of the Special Unit.

These rookies refused to accept that their plan had been thoroughly torn to shreds by Zhang Anping, and having heard that the Shanghai Station might make a move within the next day or two, they naturally crawled over to observe.

They wanted to see whether the plan they had devised made sense or whether Zhang Anping's criticisms were justified—students, after all, always hope to prove themselves.

Xu Zhongyi tightened his jacket and complained, "It's so late, why is there still no movement?"

Li Bohan glanced at his teacher's primary disciple and squeezed two words from between his teeth:

"Still early."

Xu Zhongyi grumbled, "It's already past one o'clock, and it's still early? I bet they're going to make a move tomorrow!"

Li Bohan couldn't be bothered to explain.

The others seemed to share Xu Zhongyi's worries, but seeing that Li Bohan remained so calm, they didn't want to lose face and extinguished the thought of voicing their complaints.

At the worst, they would just waste a night staying awake!

In the darkness, yet another group of people was gazing at the East Asia Tōbun Academy in the night.

"Director, the Shanghai Station has indeed grasped the relevant intelligence. According to our investigation, they only obtained this intelligence in the past few days, and the exact source is unknown."

Director Dai could not help but sneer.

Unknown?

Humph! Even with his eyes closed, he knew the Shanghai Station had obtained the intelligence from the Special Unit!

After Zeng Moyi traveled thousands of kilometers to the capital to report to him, Director Dai had realized that his greenhorn nephew's credit was likely to be stolen!

He had this thought because he knew the Special Unit had just arrived in Shanghai and was unfamiliar with the place. Although they had acquired intelligence regarding the travel report thanks to his nephew's sharpness, any attempt to investigate further would surely rely on the resources of the Shanghai Station.

The seven students would inevitably be deployed by his nephew—and since Li Ya was currently under Chen Moqun's command, he had every reason to share this intelligence with Chen Moqun.

His greenhorn nephew's achievements would undoubtedly be stolen by the Shanghai Station!

That was why he had come.

First, he needed to ensure that the operation to burn the travel reports went off without a hitch. This period was too sensitive; if he couldn't guarantee absolute perfection, it could easily become an excuse for the Japanese side to make things difficult for the Nationalist Government.

Second, was it easy for his nephew to earn even a sliver of merit?

Having discovered such valuable intelligence right upon arriving in Shanghai, such a reliable and capable nephew was actually going to have his credit stolen?

He simply had to show up and back his nephew!

Based on inquiries made to intelligence operatives directly under the Shanghai Station, he learned that the Station was suspected of planning an operation in Xujiahui tonight. Knowing they were going to strike tonight, he had brought his entourage to the outside of the East Asia Tōbun Academy, intending to witness the Shanghai Station's operation with his own eyes.

Having accomplished nothing for years and only ever catching small fish and shrimp, he wanted to see what kind of execution capability the Shanghai Station truly possessed!

Were the higher-ups incompetent, or was the entire Shanghai Station useless?

A subordinate whispered, "Director, it's already three o'clock."

The implication was that since it was so late and the Shanghai Station still hadn't made a move, had the operation been canceled?

"Wait a little longer!"

Director Dai's reaction was astonishingly consistent with Chen Moqun's.

...

Four-fifteen in the morning.

At this hour, those who had to hustle for their daily livelihood had already woken up and started running about for survival.

Yet the vast majority of people were still fast asleep.

In the darkness, four figures quietly emerged, creeping toward the heavily guarded building during the daytime.

They were the First Action Team sent by the Shanghai Station to burn the travel reports.

Carrying gasoline for ignition, the four men approached the building, but when they tried to open a window, they were dumbfounded—the window couldn't be opened?

The team member responsible for picking locks among the four checked it and said helplessly:

"This kind of window can only be opened from the inside. Opening it from the outside makes too much noise."

The team leader ordered, "Go through the front door—eliminate the guards directly!"

Abandoning the plan to infiltrate through the window, the four of them quietly made their way to the front entrance.

The lock-picking specialist stepped forward, pulled out a thin piece of iron, and set to work.

Clack.

With a soft click, the inner latch disengaged, and the heavy door was pushed open.

The four of them pushed the door open and stepped inside, intending to kill the guard, but the moment the door swung wide, their pupils shrank sharply.

Their final image was frozen on pitch-black gun barrels.

Bang, bang, bang!

Gunshots rang out.

Chen Moqun's mouth twitched.

He knew something had gone wrong; the First Action Team had failed!

This was the worst-case scenario he had anticipated—if he had been given enough time, he would have meticulously planned everything, and this situation never would have arisen.

Yet right now, he was racing against time with the Special Unit!

He didn't have enough time to prepare and could only take a desperate gamble!

The First Action Team, upon which he had pinned his hopes, had ultimately repeated the tragedy of his bad calculations.

Though the first team had failed, Chen Moqun did not give up. Instead, he issued a command:

"Second Team! Third Team! Fourth Team! Storm the building! Fifth and Sixth Teams! Intercept reinforcements!"

"Take the building and set the fire within five minutes! Withdraw immediately after the fire is set!"

"Yes!"

The operatives lurking in the shadows began to move, quickly closing in on the building with handguns and submachine guns.

Fearing complications, Chen Moqun had made dual preparations when planning the operation—if the first team failed to set the fire, they would storm the building, set the fire, and retreat.

A backup plan was actually a major taboo in covert operations.

Yet, to reiterate, he was racing against time with the Special Unit.

Lacking sufficient time, in pursuit of merit, he had no other choice!

As long as the Japanese failed to retrieve the documents, the Shanghai Station could sit securely in the fishing boat and would not be dragged into the mire.

Six teams—virtually the entire combat strength of the Shanghai Station—showed just how deeply Chen Moqun had been driven into a corner.

Agents carrying rifles and pistols charged toward the building, but before they could even get close, bullets rained down upon them from behind.

The gunfire originated from several nearby teaching buildings—precisely the firing points Zhang Anping had marked for the rookies, a detail the Shanghai Station had failed to scout.

You couldn't entirely blame them for their carelessness; who the hell would have guessed that this wasn't the foreign concessions, and that the damned Japanese were actually operating the place like a military fortress?

The sudden firepower hindered the charging action team. Fortunately, the two teams tasked with intercepting reinforcements immediately provided suppressive fire, allowing the charging action teams to close in on the building and attempt a breakthrough from the front entrance.

However, the defense at the front entrance was devilishly tricky. The failed cover fire cost the action team three corpses, and just as the agents in charge were about to organize a second assault, someone suddenly shouted:

"Idiots! Blow up the windows and set the fire!"

The agents finally snapped out of it; their mission wasn't to storm the building, but to burn it down.

They hurriedly adjusted their plan, dispatching personnel to sabotage the windows.

The guards inside panicked, attempting to charge out and repel these "saboteurs," but bolt-action rifles were no match for submachine guns, and they were pinned down inside the building by several agents, unable to push through.

Other agents seized the opportunity to blast open the windows, hurling the gasoline they carried inside. After a few matches were tossed in, the fire roared to life in an explosive flash.

Despite the building's decent fire prevention measures, against deliberate arson with gasoline, such defenses were practically nonexistent.

Seeing the fire spread, the team leader gave the order:

"Fall back!"

Yet at that moment, the campus security force had arrived.

...

Li Bohan angrily kicked Xu Zhongyi.

"If you want to die, don't drag us down with you!"

He rebuked Xu Zhongyi in a furious, low hiss.

The reason for his anger was purely because of Xu Zhongyi's suicidal stunt just moments ago—after the Shanghai Station's initial assault failed, seeing them organize a second wave, Xu Zhongyi had broken away from his concealed position, rushed out, and yelled:

"Idiots! Blow up the windows and set the fire!"

That shout had indeed reminded the Shanghai Station agents, but it had also exposed himself. If Chen Ming hadn't risked his life to run out and drag Xu Zhongyi back, Xu Zhongyi would likely have been shot dead by the Japanese on the nearby roof.

That was why Li Bohan was flying into a rage.

Xu Zhongyi felt aggrieved as well; after all, he had taken risks for his own people—he couldn't even understand why he had been so brave just now!

Having barely escaped death only to receive a kick, Xu Zhongyi grew annoyed too:

"I couldn't just stand by and watch them march to their deaths, could I?"

"What does it matter to us whether they live or die? They're stealing our credit!" Li Bohan was even angrier.

This was clearly the story of the farmer and the snake!

Seeing that the two were about to quarrel, Yu Xiuning intervened, "Shut up, both of you! The Japanese campus guard is coming, let's retreat quickly!"

Just as they intended to pull back, they saw the retreating Shanghai Station agents intercepted halfway by the campus guard.

Zuo Qiuming said, "They're trapped! If we don't leave now, it'll be even harder later!"

Li Bohan couldn't care less about the life or death of the Shanghai Station agents, snapping, "What do their deaths have to do with us?"

Chen Ming weakly offered, "We're all our own people, let's help out. We can't just let the Japanese capture them, right? Otherwise, our Secret Service won't hear the end of it!"

Yu Xiuning gritted her teeth. "Help them! Open fire, draw their fire, and pull back immediately after!"

Everyone was surprised by Yu Xiuning's decision. Wasn't this woman supposed to hate the Shanghai Station for stealing their peaches the most?

Yet, on second thought, if a woman from Group C could decide to lend a hand, would it be too petty of them, as grown men, to hold grudges?

Li Bohan muttered a curse: "Useless hypocrites!"

Despite his dissatisfaction, he ultimately chose to help.

...

Chen Moqun's hands involuntarily gripped his trousers tightly.

The campus guard had trapped his subordinates!

This was bad!

Chen Moqun took a deep breath, making a difficult choice.

Should he risk leading his remaining men out to rescue them, or let them die for their country?

Rescue...

He might not even be able to save them!

Chen Moqun made his decision:

"Send the signal! Tell them to fight to the death! For the sake of their families, they must not fall into Japanese hands!"

His subordinates were shocked by Chen Moqun's cold-bloodedness, but they had no choice left but to execute the order, firing two flare rockets into the air.

Pinned down by the campus guard's firepower, the group of agents saw the suddenly rising flares and plunged into despair.

They were actually being ordered to die for their country!!

Some couldn't help but curse Chen Moqun bitterly.

They were seasoned agents and knew how rushed tonight's operation was. It wasn't as if they hadn't suggested to Chen Moqun that they postpone the timing—not only had Chen Moqun ignored them, but he had also sworn with absolute certainty that tonight's mission would be a guaranteed success!

Now, success it was, but they had been treated as disposable pawns!!

How heartbreaking!

The team leader felt even more heartbroken.

For such an order meant they had no choice but to die—if they didn't, their families would suffer the consequences!

He raised his hand, which felt as heavy as a thousand jun, aimed his gun at his own head, and was just about to pull the trigger when a fierce burst of gunfire suddenly erupted from further away.

A desperate subordinate shouted excitedly:

"Captain! The campus guard's fire has been suppressed!"

The team leader was ecstatic: "Break through!"

They scrambled up instantly, sprinting outward regardless of everything else.

The suppression lasted for only a dozen seconds before ending, as the campus guard recovered and swung their barrels back to return fire.

Yet those dozen seconds were enough for a large portion of the action team members to charge out.

Still, several men failed to break through in time and were gunned down by the campus guard.

However, the agents were too busy looking after themselves to spare any time for rescue.