r18novel Chapter 127 Following the clues, we'll catch them one by one!
Chapter 127 Following the clues, we'll catch them one by one!
Zhou Xiao had played many spy-themed games in his early years and knew Asano Hirofumi's background very well.
If such a character were alive, he would be a ticking time bomb.
Li Xiaonan nodded slightly: "This kind of beast deserved to die."
Zhou Xiao continued, "As for Ken Oshima—that bald old devil—he's quick-witted, ruthless, and extremely suspicious. The destruction of the Sugi Agency and the murder of Hirofumi Asano happened so close together; he would never have turned a blind eye."
"The Japanese aren't stupid. Once they become suspicious, they'll stick to it like a nail. So, for the long term, this old fox must be eliminated."
Li Xiaonan then asked, "Were the recent troubles in Shanghai also orchestrated by you?"
"Of course," Zhou Xiao answered readily. "With the Special Higher Police and the Military Police's commanders all gone, it's a golden opportunity. Wouldn't it be a waste not to seize it and cause some trouble?"
"I didn't contact the underground party this time because I was afraid of exposing my identity. After all, every operation was 'coincidentally' successful, which would inevitably arouse suspicion from the Military Intelligence Bureau—especially since 'Ghost Six' Zheng Yaoxian was still lurking in Shanghai."
The Kuomintang secret police were all shrewd and cunning; none of them were easy to deal with.
One wrong step and the whole game is lost.
Li Xiaonan nodded: "Zhou Xiao, the organization trusts you."
"By the way, I'm here today mainly to give you two important things."
"The first thing, and the most important, is that both the difficulty of its implementation and the breadth of its implications far exceed the currency war being waged by the Japanese army."
Zhou Xiao immediately sat up straight and listened intently.
"According to our latest intelligence, the Japanese military is secretly preparing a top-secret operation codenamed 'Operation Celestial,' targeting all non-occupied areas. The core of the operation is to have Special Higher Police agents, who are lurking in various locations, simultaneously poison public water sources to spread Vibrio cholerae on a large scale."
The Celestial Music Project? ??
The underground party's intelligence was ultimately a step behind that of the Kuomintang's Military Intelligence Bureau.
The Military Intelligence Bureau had already figured out the full picture of "Operation Celestial" more than half a month ago, and quickly dispatched Zheng Yaoxian (codename "Ghost Six") to Shanghai to cooperate with Zhou Xiao in setting up defenses.
But the underground party has only just obtained a clue.
Without a doubt, the task Li Xiaonan will assign next is most likely to be finding that list of special agents.
Coincidentally, Zhou Xiao had already obtained the list two days ago.
But he didn't interrupt; he just listened quietly.
"Cholera is an acute intestinal infectious disease caused by ingesting water or food contaminated with Vibrio cholerae. It has a rapid onset and spreads quickly, and severe cases can be fatal within hours. It is extremely contagious, and if it gets out of control, the consequences are unimaginable."
"If the Japanese army were to actually implement 'Operation Celestial,' the military and civilians in non-occupied areas would be the first to suffer—all drinking water sources would be completely rendered useless, the epidemic would spread rapidly, and frontline supplies, rear stability, and morale would all collapse."
"Cholera has ravaged the world many times throughout history, claiming a total of 50 million lives, a truly devastating tragedy."
"If an outbreak occurs here, the virus will quickly spread throughout Asia and even the world via the flow of people and goods. The tide of the war could be turned, and we would be depleted of our resources to resist. The survival of the nation would hang by a thread."
As Li Xiaonan spoke, her brows furrowed, her voice trembled slightly, and her anger was barely concealed.
This is not war; this is a massacre against humanity.
She paused, then continued, "Right now, the only way to stop 'Project Celestial' is to capture all the undercover agents before they can poison the drugs. And the key lies in that list of agents."
"We have confirmed that the list is hidden inside the Japanese military police headquarters, but we have not yet found out which room or safe it is in."
"The task assigned to you by the organization is very clear: find this list, copy down the entire contents, and then hand it over to us—so that our comrades in non-enemy-occupied areas can use this list to track down and apprehend them one by one!"
Li Xiaonan spoke each word with absolute certainty.
Zhou Xiao simply replied, "That's it?"
That's it?
Li Xiaonan was stunned for a moment, not expecting Zhou Xiao to react so calmly, as if he had not received a life-or-death order concerning the survival of the nation, but an ordinary note.
Brother... this is a crucial battle that could determine the lives of millions.
Isn't it heavy enough?
"That's it? That's all?" Li Xiaonan suddenly snapped out of her daze and asked urgently, "Isn't this enough?"
"If the Japanese devils' 'Project Heavenly Sound' were to succeed, the consequences would be extremely serious—our anti-Japanese armed forces would not only lose their ability to resist, but their fighting strength would also be completely disintegrated; what's even more terrifying is that this disaster would not only affect China, but the whole of Asia, and even all of humanity."
"Therefore, we must stop the 'Heavenly Sound Project' and obtain that list of core personnel."
Li Xiaonan was visibly tense.
She was afraid that Zhou Xiao would underestimate the significance of this task.
Seeing her anxious expression, Zhou Xiao immediately comforted her, "Xiao Nan, don't worry... don't worry, I know better than anyone how dangerous the 'Heavenly Sound Project' is."
Li Xiaonan nodded: "Zhou Xiao, the organization understands how tricky this task is. You just won the currency war brilliantly, and now such a heavy burden has been placed on your shoulders. The pressure is indeed considerable."
"But there's really no one more suitable right now—in the entire Japanese puppet regime's intelligence system, only you have the ability to infiltrate the most core secret areas. This job is indispensable to you."
"It involves the survival of the nation, the fate of the people, and even the safety of humanity. Zhou Xiao, we must not take this matter lightly."
"I know," Zhou Xiao said calmly but confidently. "I've already got the list."
"Huh? What? You already got it?" Li Xiaonan was initially stunned and didn't react, but her eyes suddenly lit up and her voice trembled: "Zhou Xiao, say it again? You got the list for 'Project Celestial'?"
His voice trembled, and his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of his chest.
This is shocking—if this plan were to be implemented, it would be a catastrophe.
So when Zhou Xiao casually said, "I got it," her first reaction was shock, and her second reaction was disbelief.
Zhou Xiao smiled and said, "Xiao Nan, don't get excited. The list is indeed in my hands."
"I stirred up trouble in Shanghai over the past two days in order to take advantage of the chaos and find this list. My efforts paid off, and I finally found it in the top-secret archives of the Military Police Headquarters."
"The main reason I came to see you this time is to personally hand over the list to you."
Li Xiaonan was stunned and couldn't respond for a moment.
Such a tough nut to crack, yet Zhou Xiao handled it as easily as taking a notebook from his own drawer? It's simply unbelievable.
When she received the order from the organization, she was worried for Zhou Xiao, fearing that he wouldn't be able to withstand the immense pressure.
And what happened? They had already taken care of it quietly long ago.
How can you say it so casually, like it's just a sip of water?
She snapped out of her daze, turned her head to look at Zhou Xiao's profile as he focused on driving, and exclaimed sincerely, "Zhou Xiao, you're amazing! You even managed to provide me with intelligence on the level of 'Project Celestial'!"
It was completely beyond her expectations.
That's absolutely amazing.
In the 21st century, there's a buzzword: "god-like boyfriend"—referring to a man who is thoughtful, incredibly proactive, and always manages to save his girlfriend from danger when she needs him most. They're called "god-like" because, firstly, they seem omnipotent, able to handle even the most difficult situations; and secondly, such men are extremely rare, almost legendary.
The term "divine agent" is the most fitting description for Zhou Xiao today—top-notch, rare, and always successful.