Chapter 51: Going Home
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“Come take me home!
You promised you would come take me home!”
Beneath the night sky, Zhao Xuan forced back the tears in his eyes. Holding his rifle at his side, he stood in the middle of the courtyard beside Su Jian’s body.
Inside the house, when Li Mingzhu saw Zhao Xuan arrive in person, she revealed a gentle smile despite her ragged breathing.
“Only one last step!”
Drawing a deep breath, Li Mingzhu suddenly rose. Clutching the documents in one hand and raising her pistol with the other, she fired repeatedly at the members of the action team in the courtyard.
As she shot, she retreated.
Fan Dingfang gave a cold laugh. This woman actually thought she could escape? She had already gotten away once at the flower shop. This time, there was no chance in hell.
Bang! Bang!
A bullet struck her thigh, and her pistol fell from her hand.
Li Mingzhu collapsed heavily to the ground. The action-team members immediately rushed forward, seized both the pistol and documents from her, and restrained her.
Fan Dingfang turned back to Zhao Xuan, his face alight with delight. Giving him a thumbs-up, he grinned.
“Brother Xuan, the sharpshooter has returned! I’m impressed, truly impressed!”
Fan Dingfang was still shaken. He had never expected Li Mingzhu to be so ruthless. The moment she was shot in the thigh, she had actually turned the muzzle toward herself and tried to commit suicide.
Fortunately, Zhao Xuan had reacted quickly and shot the pistol from her hand.
If Li Mingzhu died, they would technically have completed their mission, but its value would be greatly diminished.
A living prisoner was worth far more than a corpse.
Besides, Keiko Lan had specifically ordered them to capture the Young Tiger and his contact alive.
The Young Tiger was already dead. His contact absolutely could not be allowed to die as well.
Zhao Xuan did not answer. He merely walked forward at an unhurried pace and stared coldly for a moment at Li Mingzhu, who was being held face-down on the ground.
“Fall out.”
With that, Zhao Xuan turned and left. Seeing this, Fan Dingfang hurriedly waved for everyone to follow.
Zhao Xuan closed his eyes briefly and quickened his pace a little.
Until that very moment, Li Mingzhu’s thoughts had still been saying that she had always known the Young Tiger’s marksmanship was the most accurate, and that only by surviving could she proceed with the next step.
But Zhao Xuan had not been thinking that far ahead.
Li Mingzhu had tried to kill herself. How could he possibly have stood by and watched her die?
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If he could save the Canary, why couldn’t he save Tigress?
Only if Tigress remained alive would he have a chance to get her out.
At Headquarters 76, in the director’s office.
Director Ding Moqun beamed as he looked at Zhao Xuan and Fan Dingfang, who had returned after completing their mission. Su Bai, Dao Yan, Ma Shangcheng, and Zhou Mei were also in the office.
“You handled this matter well. Continue following up on the interrogations.”
“Axuan, work hard. Now that you’ve been promoted to deputy section chief, you and Su Bai must support each other.”
Su Bai smiled from the side. Zhao Xuan merely nodded with an indifferent expression.
Ding Moqun was helpless about it. As far as he could remember, he had barely ever seen Zhao Xuan smile.
Still, Ding Moqun was in an excellent mood tonight.
Based on the intelligence Su Bai had provided, the Special Higher Section had wiped out the newly established Magic City station. Although they had failed to capture Chen Chuyin, he had become a commander without any subordinates and posed no significant threat in the short term.
Ding Moqun regretted failing to capture Chen Chuyin, but there had been nothing they could do.
Who could have imagined that the Hurricane Team would be there as well? Under the team’s cover, Chen Chuyin had escaped. Moreover, the Military Statistics Bureau had issued a wanted notice for Su Bai.
Fan Dingfang chuckled.
“Director, you have no idea. During tonight’s operation, once the Young Tiger’s contact realized there was no hope of escape, she tried to kill herself. Fortunately, Deputy Section Chief Zhao was quick-eyed and quick-handed. His aim was perfect—one shot knocked the pistol right out of that woman’s hand.”
Ding Moqun waved a hand with a smile.
“There’s no need for you to praise Axuan’s marksmanship here. In all of Headquarters 76, the only one who can match him with a gun is Section Chief Ma.”
Ma Shangcheng grinned and raised his eyebrows at Zhao Xuan.
Zhao Xuan gave him a slight nod, then stepped forward and handed the documents to Ding Moqun.
“Director, these are the documents the Young Tiger brought to tonight’s rendezvous.”
“Oh?”
Ding Moqun accepted them and, without bothering to hide anything, opened them on the spot.
At a single glance, his fury erupted. He slammed the documents onto the desk.
The heavy bang startled Zhou Mei, who was standing not far from Zhao Xuan.
“How dare they!”
Just as Ding Moqun was about to unleash a string of curses, the telephone rang.
His expression darkening, Ding Moqun snatched up the receiver. A few seconds later, he hurriedly rose and replied respectfully.
“Yes, Chief. I’ll investigate everything thoroughly. Please rest assured. Yes!”
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Watching Ding Moqun hang up with a grim expression, Dao Yan hesitated before asking:
“Director, what happened?”
Ding Moqun had no intention of concealing it. The incident had already occurred, the Young Tiger was dead, and Tigress had been captured. There was no point in hiding anything now.
As for Phoenix Orchid, Su Bai had said he already had a plan. They would simply proceed according to it.
“A train carrying supplies along the northern line was blown up by Communist guerrillas. According to the Special Higher Section’s investigation, the intelligence was leaked from Headquarters 76. And the person who obtained that transportation intelligence was the Young Tiger!”
Dao Yan felt as though the entire world had gone mad. How could intelligence concerning the Japanese army’s transport supplies possibly have been leaked from Headquarters 76?
Even Ma Shangcheng found it utterly absurd. Su Bai rubbed his chin and said:
“Director, could the Special Higher Section be trying to shift the blame? The Japanese have always controlled the rail transport routes. How could Headquarters 76 possibly have known about intelligence concerning such an important shipment?”
Ding Moqun was suffering from a terrible headache. When he first heard about the incident, he had also wondered whether the Special Higher Section was trying to make Headquarters 76 take the fall.
But they had insisted that the intelligence had come from Headquarters 76.
There was nothing Ding Moqun could do except promise to investigate thoroughly.
“What use is there in speculating? Time is pressing. Begin the interrogation.”
At Ding Moqun’s order, everyone in the office followed him to the interrogation room.
Inside, Adjutant Li Xiao had already prepared the instruments of torture.
Bound to the interrogation chair, Li Mingzhu watched Ding Moqun enter with his people. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, and she let out a derisive snort.
As Ding Moqun and the others took their seats, Li Xiao removed a barbed needle from his case and stood to one side with an ingratiating smile, waiting only for Ding Moqun’s command.
“You and Captain Fan captured her, Axuan. The two of you will lead this interrogation.”
Zhao Xuan did not reply. He merely nodded.
Fan Dingfang, however, eagerly acknowledged the order. He rose, selected a leather whip dipped in chili water, and strode excitedly toward Li Mingzhu.
Zhao Xuan, seated in the chief interrogator’s chair, raised a hand and stopped Fan Dingfang before he could act further.
Li Xiao likewise stood obediently to one side, his face filled with disappointment.
With the intelligence Su Bai had provided, everyone now knew that the Young Tiger’s contact was named Li Mingzhu, codename Tigress.
“Cooperate properly, and perhaps you can avoid unnecessary suffering.”
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