Chapter Sixty-Four: The Scheme Succeeds

Wei Liangbi turned to Shao Wenguang and asked, “Can you find any of Xie Ziming’s colleagues at the school right now?”

Shao Wenguang nodded. “This afternoon I learned about his basic situation from one of his colleagues. He’s also a primary school teacher, and he rents a place near the school. I can find him quickly.”

“Take a few men and bring him here,” Wei Liangbi ordered.

Shao Wenguang nodded and led a few team members away at a brisk pace. Before long, they returned with a middle-aged man, short in stature, wearing glasses and a long gown. At a glance, he looked like someone who had never done physical labor in his life.

The man was shoved forward by several team members, his face filled with fear as he stood before Wei Liangbi and the others. Seeing the stern faces of the group, his knees nearly buckled from fright as he stammered, “Officers, what do you want with me?”

“What’s your name?” Wei Liangbi asked.

“I… I’m Zhang Quan!” Zhang Quan replied, trembling.

Wei Liangbi took out his credentials and flashed them before the man. “We’re from the Military Intelligence Bureau, and we need your cooperation in an investigation. Do exactly as I say and you’ll be fine. But if you make even the slightest mistake, I’ll throw you in jail and you’ll never get out for the rest of your life. Do you understand?”

Zhang Quan was so terrified he nearly lost his senses. He’d never heard of the Military Intelligence Bureau before, but these men were clearly dangerous—many of them carried guns and could take his life at any moment.

“Officer, I’ll cooperate, I promise! I’ll do whatever you say. Just please, spare me!”

Wei Liangbi nodded in satisfaction, pointing to a courtyard not far away. “That’s your new colleague Xie Ziming’s house. Go there now. I don’t care what excuse you use—find a way to lure him out. After that, you don’t need to worry about a thing. Get him out and you’ll be rewarded; fail, and you’ll be thrown in jail!”

Actually, when Shao Wenguang came with men to find him, Zhang Quan already guessed this had something to do with his new colleague, Xie Ziming. He blamed himself for speaking too freely—just two boxes of cigarettes, and he’d told a stranger more than he should have about Xie Ziming. Trouble had found him, just as he feared! Truly, illness comes in through the mouth, and disaster from careless speech!

But now it was too late for regret. The matter was right before his eyes, and he had to find a way to get through it. He thought for a moment, then finally said, “These days, a few of us colleagues were talking about welcoming Xie Ziming with a banquet, each chipping in. He politely declined, said he would treat us another day. I’ll use that as an excuse to call him out—he won’t suspect a thing!”

Wei Liangbi considered this and found the excuse reasonable. Since Xie Ziming already knew about the welcome dinner, Zhang Quan’s visit would seem natural and lower his guard.

“That’s a good reason—do it.”

Ning Zhiheng, seeing Zhang Quan’s nerves and fear, worried he might slip up at the crucial moment. He spoke in a gentle tone: “Mr. Zhang, as a citizen, you have a duty to help capture criminals. Rest assured, we will guarantee your safety. You must compose yourself—stay calm and natural, speak as you normally would. Don’t arouse suspicion. And when you lead him out, keep a reasonable distance—not too far, not too close. Do you understand?”

“I understand. I’ll try.” Zhang Quan knew he was too tense—his voice still quivered.

Wei Liangbi’s cold gaze fixed on him, making him even more anxious, afraid he’d fail in his task.

He did his best to steady himself, quietly rehearsing several times under his breath. At last, feeling ready, he nodded to Ning Zhiheng, signaling that he was prepared.

Ning Zhiheng, seeing Zhang Quan had regained his composure, turned to Sun Jiacheng and said, “Pick three of our best men and wait in ambush at the gate. The moment the target steps out, act immediately.

Coordinate well—control both his hands at once, move together, and subdue him as quickly as possible. Don’t give him any chance to use a weapon.

You know what happened with Cui Hai today—I don’t want any more accidents.”

Indeed, the three arrests Ning Zhiheng had experienced so far had not gone smoothly. Each time, they’d failed to control the target at the onset, giving the suspect a chance to resist. Even in the arrests of Huang Xiansheng and Cui Hai, the suspects managed to use weapons, causing great trouble and even leading to failures.

Ning Zhiheng was learning through experience, determined now to use their manpower and preparation to leave the enemy not a shred of opportunity.

Sun Jiacheng, having just experienced the failed arrest of Cui Hai himself, was well aware of how dangerous these Japanese spies could be. He treated this as a life-and-death matter, not daring to be careless. Following Ning Zhiheng’s instructions, he carefully selected his team and moved out quietly.

Once everything was ready, Zhang Quan walked steadily forward to the gate of Xie Ziming’s home and knocked softly.

At this moment, Xie Ziming—also known as Hiroshi Shimazu—had just finished his first radio contact with the Tokko headquarters.

He packed the radio equipment into a box, lifted a floorboard, and carefully hid the set beneath it, replacing the board and ensuring the seams were neat. Still dissatisfied, he thought the preparations had been too rushed—the house was newly rented, and he hadn’t yet arranged better hiding places for his things. He resolved to find a more concealed spot for the radio later.

Then, tearing up the coded message he had translated, he set it alight with a match, watching it burn to ash.

At that moment, there was a knock at the gate outside. Hiroshi Shimazu was surprised: who could be visiting so soon after he’d just moved in?

He opened the door and walked slowly toward the courtyard gate, his right hand quietly resting at his waist, his voice natural as he called, “Who is it?”

“Teacher Xie, it’s me—Zhang Quan!” came the voice of his colleague from outside.

Hearing a colleague’s voice, Hiroshi Shimazu relaxed his guard.

He stepped forward and opened the gate. “Oh, Teacher Zhang, is something the matter?”

Sure enough, standing outside was his colleague Zhang Quan.

With a smile, Zhang Quan said, “Teacher Xie, we’ve reserved a table at the restaurant on the corner to welcome you. The others are already there—they sent me to invite you. You really must join us.”

On hearing this, Hiroshi Shimazu let down his guard completely, laughing, “You’re all too kind! I said I should be the one treating everyone—how can I let you spend money on me?”

Zhang Quan, tense inside but outwardly friendly, urged, “There’s no need to stand on ceremony among colleagues! Come on, they’re waiting for you.” He took two steps forward and made a welcoming gesture.

Finding their enthusiasm hard to refuse, Hiroshi Shimazu stepped out of the gate, intending to turn and lock it behind him.

Suddenly, several figures sprang out, closing in from all sides. Both his arms were seized, his wrists tightly locked and utterly immobilized!

Hiroshi Shimazu instinctively twisted and tried to break free, but a powerful arm clamped around his neck, so strong he nearly felt his neck snap—he couldn’t breathe, suffocating at once.

At the same time, a heavy blow struck his abdomen, sending pain surging through his body and doubling him over.

Four team members forced him to the ground, pinning him so tightly he could not move.

The entire arrest happened swiftly and cleanly—Hiroshi Shimazu had no chance to resist.

Watching from the shadows, Wei Liangbi and Ning Zhiheng saw the operation succeed and hurried over with the others to help hold the captive down.

Zhang Quan, just steps away, saw the plan succeed and finally let out a sigh of relief. He had accomplished his task and wouldn’t be dragged off to jail by these fearsome men.

Hiroshi Shimazu, gasping for breath and unable to speak, was stunned by the sudden turn of events, filled with terror and confusion. He could not imagine where he had slipped up, how his identity had been exposed, or how the enemy had found him so quickly.

Sun Jiacheng stripped off his upper garments and searched him thoroughly, soon finding a small, sharp dagger hidden at the small of his back.

He presented the clothes and dagger to Ning Zhiheng, who examined them carefully. In the thick collar of the undergarment, he used the dagger to pick at the fabric and discovered a bit of white powder.

This was, without doubt, potassium cyanide—the fastest-acting poison of the era. With a dose as small as a fingernail, it could kill in seconds, earning its nickname as “lightning poison.”

In a crisis, biting through the collar and soaking the powder with saliva would kill a person almost instantly—too fast for anyone to react.

Wei Liangbi, looking at the powder Ning Zhiheng had picked up with the dagger, said, “See? These Japanese spies are utterly ruthless. When dealing with them, you must always be on guard, never letting your guard down, not even for an instant.”

Ning Zhiheng nodded, still shaken.

Next, Wei Liangbi and Ning Zhiheng led their men in a thorough search of Hiroshi Shimazu’s house. Before long, they found a brand new, compact pistol hidden behind the nightstand.

“This is a Nambu automatic pistol—the standard issue for Japanese agents. It’s very compact, just eleven point three centimeters long, with a large magazine that holds sixteen rounds. I confiscated one once and gave it to a friend—who’d have thought we’d find another today!” Wei Liangbi took the Nambu pistol, examined it with great interest, and was clearly pleased.