Chapter 16: Zhang Anping's Whisper-Agentes Especiais de Elite nas Séries e Filmes(General Dragão)

After the expansion of the Party Affairs Investigation Division, the Special Agent Headquarters and the Secret Service Office merged into the JSWYH Investigation and Statistics Bureau. Director Chen was eager to take control of the Second Division because gaining control would mean becoming the greatest intelligence overseer in the Republic of China.

But the Second Division simply ignored him.

This infuriated Director Chen, who constantly thought about teaching the Second Division a lesson, about making them behave.

Yet the opportunity came swiftly and unexpectedly.

Director Chen could hardly believe it. "Are you saying... the Second Division blatantly brought in a Communist?"

The good fortune was so sudden that he couldn’t believe it.

"Look at this—such an obvious gap in the record, yet they deliberately ignored it and personally signed him in. Look at the photo, does he look around thirty? But it’s all makeup—he’s at most twenty-two or twenty-three! Chunfeng is no novice," said Director Xu with certainty.

"Communist? Excellent!" Director Chen laughed. "This medicine is perfectly administered! Regardless of whether he can deny the connection, this time... the Second Division will have to open their doors to us!"

...

Zhang Anping’s maternal uncle rushed back from Guangdong upon receiving urgent news.

The night Zhang Anping was captured, his uncle arrived at the Second Division headquarters.

The impatient senior officers of the Secret Service, upon seeing the division chief, eagerly reported everything. The First and Second Divisions had always overlapped in operations, and the First Division hadn’t deliberately concealed the news: the rumor that Zhang Anping was a Communist was already rampant within the Secret Service.

Suddenly, someone shouted, "Chunfeng!"

Deputy Section Chief Zhang Guanfu pushed through the crowd. Seeing this, the division chief hurried over. "Brother-in-law!"

Zhang Guanfu’s eyes were red, his voice filled with grief: "Chunfeng, An—"

"Guanfu!" the division chief interrupted sharply, and Zhang Guanfu swallowed the words on his lips.

"You all leave first!" the division chief gestured to clear the room. The senior officers looked incredulously at the division chief—at a time like this, was he still concerned about family?

Zhang Guanfu showed no tact.

Once the others left, Zhang Guanfu could no longer hold back: "Chunfeng, Anping can’t possibly be a Communist!"

"I know! Brother-in-law, rest assured, Anping will be fine. Those bastards at the Party Affairs Division are reckless fools!" The division chief’s face darkened ominously.

He had already learned the details on the way back from the airport to headquarters.

Zhang Guanfu was at a loss. "Chunfeng, you must save Anping; he really is not a Communist."

"Brother-in-law, trust me—Anping grew up under my watch. I won’t let him suffer unjustly." After some comforting, the division chief sent Zhang Guanfu away and called the others back in.

Once the senior officers reassembled, they began chattering noisily until the division chief slammed his palm on the table, silencing everyone instantly.

"What’s the panic?"

Faced with the division chief’s question, the room fell silent.

Some secretly thought: if they didn’t pretend to panic now, how would they explain it later?

Everyone understood that even if Zhang Shihao really was a Communist, it wouldn’t implicate the division chief—especially since Zhang Shihao hadn’t said a word yet.

And even if he did, what then?

The Secret Service had countless ways to cover it up—just claim he was a Communist deliberately planted in the division.

Ultimately, this was just a setup to blindfold the division chief.

But everyone had to feign concern. If they appeared too calm, the division chief might take note.

"Since you’re all so anxious, discuss here and now about how to deal with the Gui Army!" The division chief said this, then fell silent and feigned sleep.

The others shuddered inside.

The division chief was clearly... preparing a counterstrike.

...

At the Party Affairs Division.

Director Xu asked his subordinate, "Has he arrived?"

"He has. He flew in from Guangzhou this afternoon and went straight to the Second Division headquarters. According to our informants, the meeting is still ongoing."

"Heh, our Chunfeng division chief is truly panicking," Director Xu laughed. If that man hadn’t rushed over anxiously, Xu would have worried he’d completely washed his hands of the matter. But now, it seemed Chunfeng couldn’t escape this.

"Tell Director Chen—the medicine can be administered."

For spies, the most precious asset was trust from above. After this incident, the upper echelons’ trust in him would surely diminish.

If they pressed the advantage, they might crack open a door in the otherwise impenetrable Second Division.

...

At the Secret Service Office.

The secretary approached the division chief and whispered, "Sir, there’s a call. That person has entered the antechamber."

The division chief, who had been feigning sleep, suddenly opened his eyes. "They’ve gone in? Good."

...

The once expressionless division chief now smiled broadly, silencing the officers discussing how to infiltrate and bribe the Gui Army. He exchanged puzzled glances with a familiar colleague—what was the division chief up to?

He said, "Continue your discussion. I’m going to see the principal."

Meeting with the Principal

...

Director Chen glared at the Second Division chief, who showed utmost respect before him, wishing he could tear a piece off him.

He had been played—fooled like a naive deer.

The Second Division chief was courteous, noticing Chen’s sour expression. "Director Chen, are you alright?"

Chen gritted his teeth and spat out, "I’m fine."

He now loathed the fools of the First Division.

Looking at the Second Division chief’s face, Chen recalled their recent conversation.

"Yunong, you hurried back from Guangdong—is it to explain?"

"Explain? Principal, I do not understand."

"Hmm? Aren’t you here to explain letting a Communist in?"

"Let a Communist in? Principal, you know well I am loyal only to you and will never side with the Communists! How could I betray you?"

"Director Dai, what about Zhang Shihao? Don’t you want to explain?"

"Zhang Shihao? Oh, that’s my nephew’s alias. In ’32, he went to America to study at XX school. He just returned recently. Perhaps influenced by Western ideas, he refused to sit in an office! He insisted on using an alias to enter the Secret Service. I didn’t indulge him; when he arrived, I had him guard the gate. Later, he uncovered a Japanese spy photographing our personnel. I saw his potential and assigned him to the new training class as a teacher."

"Director Chen, you suddenly mention my nephew. Do you mean he’s a Communist? Impossible! Before going abroad in ’32, he even reported Communists at his school, leading to many arrests in Shanghai!"

Director Chen, recalling the innocent expression of the Second Division chief, felt a surge of nameless fury.

What made it worse was his feigned innocence and loyalty: "Principal, I returned this time because there has been significant progress in the Two Guangs..."

Remembering the scene in the antechamber, Chen felt like vomiting blood.

He had been made a scapegoat, and this man’s show of loyalty only pleased the principal more.

"This is true loyalty to the party and country! Always thinking about what to do if war breaks out! Unlike some people who shout anti-Japanese slogans but stab backs in secret!"

Thinking of how the principal wasn’t angry but instead used the opportunity to criticize the Two Guangs, Chen’s bitterness deepened.

This time, he had lost both the woman and the soldiers.

"Director Chen, if you’re alright, could you accompany me to the First Division? Director Xu is strict and impartial. If I go to request a prisoner, I doubt Xu will release him."

The Second Division chief flattered his sworn enemy, but Chen heard otherwise.

Looking at that hateful face, Chen took several deep breaths and almost refused. But seeing the attendant standing beside him, he finally said, "Alright."

Enduring the blow in attention—since an overseer had been assigned, he had no choice but to admit defeat.

Yet... the bitterness was hard to swallow.

...

Zhang Anping remained silent.

The torturers, fearing to kill him, had stopped whipping. But they alternated pouring cold and hot water over the suspended Zhang Anping.

It was a cruel method, yet Zhang Anping remained immune.

Was he not in pain?

Of course he was—agonizing pain tearing through his heart and lungs. The Party Affairs Division bastards had added salt to the water, intensifying the burning on his battered body.

Yet he uttered not a sound.

He was preparing a grand move—the knife had been passed to his uncle, who would surely strike hard.

He only needed to gather strength and, when his uncle arrived, play the martyr.

Suddenly, he heard a noise.

Had they come?

Zhang Anping now had two options:

1. Let out a heart-wrenching scream—too theatrical.

2. Whisper weakly and strike back at the Party Affairs Division.

His lips moved.

The torturers immediately leaned in to listen.

"I swear my uncle is loyal to the leader. Don’t make me slander him!"

The torturers heard it twice before understanding, sneering, "Slander? You’re wrong! This isn’t slander. When we say he’s black, he’s black! Haha, even if you don’t speak, we can make him—"

Realizing that Zhang Shihao spoke of his uncle, they stiffened, about to question the relation when the interrogation room door was kicked open.

"What—" the torturers instinctively shouted, but before they could finish, Director Chen, Director Dai, and a senior officer unknown to them entered.

Director Dai’s gaze first fell on the suspended Zhang Anping.

Honestly, he had seen many torture scenes and was largely immune.

But what if the one hanging there was his nephew?

His face darkened. He turned to the torturer who had spoken. "What do you want from me?"

"What do you want from me?!"

"Coerced confession that he’s a Communist? To have him point me out as a Communist? Or that his whole family is Communist?!"

Director Dai’s anger was only about thirty percent genuine; the rest was theatrics. What a coincidence—they’d just arrived when they heard the torturer’s words. Could Director Dai not seize the chance to make a scene? Especially with a principal’s envoy present.

The torturers panicked. They’d only been following standard psychological torture methods, with no other intention.

"Dir-Dir-Director Dai..." the torturer stammered to explain.

But under such preconceived notions, explanation was useless.

Smack.

The refined Director Chen stepped forward and slapped the torturer’s face.

He wanted nothing more than to kill this bastard—this blackened pot had been pinned on him, and by his own men, no less.

"Director Chen, don’t vent your anger on your subordinates. They’re only following orders," Director Dai said coldly, then strode to Zhang Anping.

Some torturers cautiously approached to assist but were booted away by Director Dai.

He personally began untying Zhang Anping, overhearing his constant whisper: "I swear my uncle is loyal to the leader. Don’t make me slander him!"

"I swear my uncle is loyal to the leader. Don’t make me slander him!"

Director Dai’s eyes moistened. How much was true or false only he knew. At this moment, however, he was furious and shouted:

"Director Chen, the First Division has gone too far!"

"If you want to ruin me, come at me directly! But attacking my nephew? What is that?"

Seeing Director Dai rage as if ready to draw his gun, the attendant rushed over to calm him. Approaching, the attendant understood the cause of his outburst—Zhang Anping, beaten nearly beyond recognition, kept repeating:

"I swear my uncle is loyal to the leader. Don’t make me slander him!"

The attendant, wearing only glasses, finally couldn’t hold it back: "Director Chen, the Party Affairs Division really went too far."

The Party Affairs Division’s excuse was that Zhang Shihao never confessed.

But the attendant had seen with his own eyes the beaten man repeatedly muttering, "I swear my uncle is loyal to the leader. Don’t make me slander him!" This clearly indicated that the tortured Zhang Shihao had already declared his identity, but the Party Affairs Division, caught in a dilemma, sought to force a confession and use it as leverage.

People want to believe what they see, and this attendant was no exception.

Upon hearing this, Director Chen’s vision darkened.

He believed what he saw—he believed the Party Affairs Division had done this deliberately to suppress the Second Division and frame him.

He wanted to kill someone.

"Director Chen, this matter... is not over!"

Director Dai felt the time was right and carefully freed Zhang Anping from suspension. The secretary tried to assist but was glared away.

Cradling Zhang Anping carefully, Director Dai gritted his teeth: "Party Affairs Division! I, Dai, have taken note of this great debt!"

As Director Dai carried his nephew out, he encountered the hastily arriving Director Xu. Dai did not utter harsh words but gave Xu a look full of menace.

Director Xu was bewildered.

How had the Communist been taken away?

Seeing his own brother-in-law come out, Xu hurried over. "What’s going on? How could he take the man away?"

Seeing the culprit who would bring him trouble, Director Chen’s anger surged uncontrollably. If not for his usual insistence on restraint, he would have punched his cousin’s face several times.

"Kejun, the Party Affairs Division really needs to be controlled! Lawless! Absolutely lawless!"