chsdbacks Chapter 23 Rebirth Mission Completed: Yan Shuo Lays the Bait
Chapter 23 Rebirth Mission Completed: Yan Shuo Lays the Bait
"It's finally here." Yan Shuo finished reading the telegram, a cold glint in his eyes. In his previous life, it was this very mission that led to his tragic death at the hands of the Japanese army while trying to retrieve the documents, which then fell into enemy hands. Now, reborn with the support of a system, he would never allow such a tragedy to repeat itself.
He turned to Wang Xiaohong, who was tidying up the courtyard, and said, "I'm going to the concession on business. I'll be back later. Keep an eye on things at home for me." Wang Xiaohong immediately understood and nodded, replying, "Don't worry, I'll let you know immediately if there's any movement."
Yan Shuo changed into a faded short-sleeved shirt and mingled in the crowd. Using a previously obtained pass, he forged it and successfully entered the Japanese concession.
At the entrance of Baifu Road alley, two Japanese soldiers patrolled back and forth with rifles in hand, their eyes scanning passersby warily.
Yan Shuo slowed down, pretending to be a casual peddler, and figured out the gaps in the sentry's patrol, as well as the location of the Shimosaka Izakaya.
As the sentry turned to walk towards the alley entrance, Yan Shuo swiftly slipped into a side alley next to the lane, leaped up, and silently scaled the low back wall of the izakaya. Several bundles of firewood were piled up in the backyard, which conveniently blocked the view.
He tiptoed to the kitchen window and saw through the crack a chef busy at the stove. There were no guards at the door.
Yan Shuo held his breath, went around to the kitchen door, and took advantage of the chef turning around to serve soup. He suddenly pushed the door open, covered the chef's mouth, pressed him against the wall, and struck the back of his neck with his elbow. The chef instantly fainted.
He quickly changed into a chef's uniform, picked up a tray from the side, placed two bowls of sushi that hadn't been served yet on the table, and pretended to be delivering food as he walked into the izakaya's front hall.
The front hall was dimly lit, and several tables were filled with Japanese officers, their noise rising and falling.
Yan Shuo's gaze swept quickly across the room and soon locked onto the private room by the window—a Japanese colonel with an open collar and disheveled hair was clinking glasses with his colleagues; it was Takahashi Nobuhiko.
The door to the private room was ajar, and the two people could be clearly heard talking.
"Excuse me." Yan Shuo lowered his eyes and said to the passing waiter in broken Japanese, then walked straight to the private room and gently knocked on the door.
"Come in." Nobuhiko Takahashi's muffled voice came from inside the private room.
Yan Shuo pushed open the door, lowered his head, and placed the tray on the table. Just as Takahashi Nobuhiko looked up at him, Yan Shuo swiftly drew a silent pistol from his waist, aimed it at Takahashi's temple, and pulled the trigger. With a soft "thud," the bullet pierced through Takahashi Nobuhiko precisely, his eyes wide open, and he died instantly.
The colleague next to him was so shocked that he was about to get up when Yan Shuo fired another shot with his backhand, and the other person fell back into the chair.
The whole process took no more than two seconds and was completely silent; the noise in the lobby continued unabated.
Yan Shuo bent down and pulled a file bag marked "Top Secret" in red from the inner pocket of Takahashi Nobuhiko's military uniform. Two flashes of blue light appeared, and the two corpses in the private room instantly disappeared into his spatial ring. He then took out the cleaning fluid he carried with him and quickly wiped away the remaining bloodstains on the table. After confirming that no traces were left at the scene, he picked up the empty tray and walked out of the private room with his head down.
Passing by the front hall, he pretended to have finished delivering the dishes and went into the back kitchen, changed out of his chef's uniform, climbed over the low wall in the backyard, and blended into the crowd in the alley.
At this moment, the sentries at the alley entrance were still patrolling, and the izakaya was still noisy. No one realized that a deadly assassination had been quietly carried out.
After a long and winding journey, Yan Shuo successfully left the Japanese concession and returned to his residence.
He closed the doors and windows, took out a file bag from his pocket, and quickly flipped through it under the light—inside were indeed Japanese military deployment maps of the Third and Ninth War Zones, as well as detailed personnel dispatch lists, marked with unit numbers, assembly times, and garrison locations.
He immediately went to the radio station and, using the newly changed password, encrypted the contents of the document word by word and sent it to the mountain city.
After sending the telegram, he breathed a sigh of relief and soon received a commendation telegram from Dai Li: "Mission accomplished excellently, reward 2000 legal tender."
Yan Shuo looked at the reply and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
At the French Concession Municipal Council, Yan Shuo registered a movie star company called Fengming Records and Film Company, with a registered capital of 5000 French dollars. Yan Shuo chose a nice storefront on Avenue Joffre, with a small courtyard, for a monthly rent of 800 French dollars.
Yan Shuo planned to place all the substitute dolls inside. Those who could speak Japanese would be fabricated as foreign Japanese residents, and the others would be fabricated as foreign Chinese residents. After the system Xiao Zhi optimized the information, these identities were basically confirmed to be real, and no problems could be found.
After the store opened, Yan Shuo hired some staff to handle positions such as artist assistants, makeup artists, equipment maintenance workers, drivers, agents, security guards, receptionists, kitchen staff, etc. The monthly salary was about 3000 yuan, which was quite a complete setup.
Yan Shuo sent out talent scouts and arranged for several stand-ins to wander the streets. The talent scouts brought them in for interviews, and naturally, they were successfully signed as artists.
Kiyokazu Sato, whose Chinese name is Zhao Qinghe, was 19 years old. Born in Tokyo, Japan, she settled in Shanghai's HK district in 1937. Due to her love of music, she voluntarily applied for the Phoenix Music Company's artist training program. She publicly stated that she "hoped to learn Chinese pop music and promote cultural exchange between China and Japan." Her strengths included: traditional Japanese folk songs and piano accompaniment.
Nao Suzuki, whose Chinese name is Huang Xiaonai, is 20 years old and from Osaka, Japan. Her grandfather once ran a restaurant in Shanghai (on Avenue Joffre in the French Concession). She learned Chinese from her grandfather from a young age. After her grandfather passed away in 1939, she joined the Fengming Company to carry on his wish for "Sino-Japanese friendship." She holds a residence certificate issued by the Japanese Consulate in Shanghai. Her strengths include: pop song singing and dance (Japanese modern dance).
Ami Yamaguchi, 18 years old, from Kobe, Japan. Her father was a crew member on an ocean-going freighter, frequently traveling between China and Japan. In 1938, after her father's ship docked in Shanghai, she was attracted by the cultural atmosphere of the French Concession and joined the Fengming Company through a friend of her father. She claims to have "used performing arts as an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Chinese culture." Her strengths include: low-pitched singing and accordion playing.
First, we'll design a contract with three people, all Japanese. The first two will try to disguise themselves by having Chinese names, pretending to be Chinese. However, their backgrounds won't stand up to scrutiny; the Japanese will easily find out they're from Japan. As for Yamaguchi Ami, we won't change her name; she'll be openly Japanese. That's it. We'll just keep playing along, waiting for the fish to take the bait.
These dolls have all been upgraded by Xiao Zhi. They can serve drinks, sing, sleep with the emperor, and engage in daily conversations—no problem at all. They even know a bit about artistic allusions. Even if you suspect, investigate, or torture them, Yan Shuo isn't afraid at all. If they're damaged, just shut them down. The bodies will always be thrown out eventually. At worst, Xiao Zhi can retrieve them, repair them, give them a new face, and throw them out for continued use. They're all your Japanese people, so go ahead and attack them, haha! As long as you make contact with your officers, have friendly exchanges, and well, those who know, know, you can easily obtain some intelligence. Yan Shuo will immediately know that he has an implanted transmitting device in his brain, directly connected to the equipment given to him by the system Xiao Zhi. He won't even leave you any evidence.
First, set up a stage at the company entrance and sing for free, one hour per person per day, to build up brand awareness. Then, gradually plan to find large dance halls and theaters to perform and charge admission fees. This will quickly reduce costs and start making a profit. What a worthwhile business! If Japanese military officers or some big shots from the 76th Division take a liking to it, even better, hahaha!
Yan Shuo was having a great time, his tongue lolling out as he laughed. The employees outside the office were all looking at their boss's office with blank expressions. What could make someone so happy, laughing so strangely?