Chapter 1: The Capture of the Japanese Spy

At the beginning of 1936, the willows had just sprouted, and the central plains were filled with the vibrant atmosphere of spring. Inside the office of the Military Intelligence Bureau on Pingyue Road in Wuhan, two men were sitting on a sofa, engaged in conversation.

"Lingyun, how are you recovering?" The man sitting on the right side of the sofa was in his thirties, dressed in a serious military uniform with the rank of a lieutenant colonel, but his tone was gentle.

Chu Lingyun, the man in civilian clothes sitting beside him, was young and vigorous. Upon hearing the question, he respectfully replied, "Commander, I have fully recovered and am ready to work at any time."

"Young people are full of energy. Your ambition is something I am well aware of."

Wang Yaomin smiled and nodded, then continued, "You were chosen from thousands of soldiers in my unit. Your capabilities are beyond doubt, but you must act with caution. Don't be so rash in the future."

"It's my fault, Commander. I have let you down." Chu Lingyun immediately stood up and saluted.

His humble attitude, standard military salute, and determined expression pleased Wang Yaomin even more.

Wang Yaomin waved his hand, signaling Chu Lingyun to sit down. "Sit down, sit down. I'm not blaming you. Your dedication to the public good and your desire to achieve are not wrong."

He then got up, took a file from his desk, and placed it in front of Chu Lingyun.

"Tomorrow, the intelligence group will have an operation to capture a Japanese spy. I have secured this mission for you. Go home and prepare well. Make sure to do a good job."

The file was not thick. Chu Lingyun did not open it in front of Wang Yaomin. Instead, he stood up, saluted again, and then left with the file.

As he walked out of the office, a hint of confusion appeared on Chu Lingyun's face.

Chu Lingyun was only twenty-two years old, from Zhejiang Province. After graduating from high school, moved by the turmoil in the country, he defied his family's opposition and enrolled in the Nanjing Central Army Officer School, which was later known as the Whampoa Military Academy.

Last year, he graduated with excellent grades and was assigned to a unit as a second lieutenant platoon leader.

Chu Lingyun, who had always wanted to achieve on the battlefield, found himself only training in the unit for several months without any combat.

At the end of last year, he was noticed by Wang Yaomin, the deputy commander of the Wuhan station of the Military Intelligence Bureau, and was transferred to the Wuhan station to serve as the captain of the third squad of the action group.

The Military Intelligence Bureau was established in 1932. Besides ensuring the intelligence security of military, police, and other military organizations, it also collected foreign intelligence and combated foreign spies. At this time, the main enemy of the Military Intelligence Bureau was the Japanese.

Chu Lingyun, eager to achieve, discovered a young Japanese expatriate who was different from others five days ago. He followed the Japanese expatriate alone to the outskirts of the city, where he was discovered by the expatriate, leading to a struggle.

As a result, Chu Lingyun was slightly injured, and the Japanese expatriate was killed by him.

After composing himself, Chu Lingyun walked briskly to his office.

Chu Lingyun was just a squad leader in the action group of the Wuhan station of the Military Intelligence Bureau and did not have his own office. He shared a large office with his fourteen subordinates.

"Captain, you're back."

As soon as he entered the office, Niu Yu, a member of the third squad, immediately came over. After Chu Lingyun sat down, Niu Yu quickly filled his teacup.

Chu Lingyun waved his hand, signaling Niu Yu to go about his business, and then opened the file.

His eyes were on the documents, but his mind wandered to the distant future.

In his previous life, he was an unremarkable makeup artist who used his exceptional makeup skills to mimic celebrities, accumulating over a million followers on a short video platform. He never imagined that after a night's sleep, he would wake up in the year 1936, possessing the body of a military man named Chu Lingyun, who would later become a famous member of the Military Intelligence Bureau.

Knowing history, he was clear that the future would be dominated by the Communist Party.

Fortunately, the owner of this body had not participated in the war against the Communists after graduation. With his knowledge of history, he could give himself a reliable position in the future.

Chu Lingyun had fully integrated the memories of this body over the past few days. Besides being physically strong and highly combat-capable, Chu Lingyun's greatest strength was his exceptional memory.

It was precisely because of this strength that he was valued by Wang Yaomin and directly recruited to the Wuhan station of the Military Intelligence Bureau.

The station commander of the Wuhan station was an old hand from the Nanchang Office, while Deputy Commander Wang Yaomin was a direct subordinate of the chief of the headquarters, wielding significant influence in the Wuhan station.

Except for the communications group, the general affairs group, and the action group led by Liao Wenwu, all other members of the Wuhan station were Wang Yaomin's confidants.

The head of the interrogation group was previously Wang Yaomin's secretary, and although the head of the action group was not his subordinate, all three squad leaders under the action group were appointed by Wang Yaomin, placing the entire action group under his control.

The most important intelligence group leader, Wang Jialiang, was Wang Yaomin's cousin.

With the two largest and most important departments of the Wuhan station under his control, Wang Yaomin had great ambition, eager to achieve something to impress the chief in Nanjing.

Unfortunately, although the Military Intelligence Bureau had indeed achieved many successes in the previous warlord conflicts and received praise and recognition from the principal, it had not achieved any significant results against foreign spies, especially Japanese spies.

Even the headquarters' communications department, which had long desired to obtain the Japanese intelligence organization's codebook, had not managed to capture one.

The higher-ups wanted results, and as a subordinate, Chu Lingyun was no exception. This was why he had followed the Japanese expatriate alone, resulting in his injury and the possession of his body by a makeup artist from the future.

Chu Lingyun refocused his thoughts and carefully read the documents in front of him.

The intelligence group had identified a Japanese spy. The spy worked at the Bixi Bank in the French Concession and was scheduled to meet his superior the next day.

Chu Lingyun's third squad's task was to assist the intelligence group in capturing the spy during the meeting.

The mission was not complex, and it was clear that Wang Yaomin had given him special consideration. Such a mission was easy to complete, and capturing a real Japanese spy would be a significant achievement.

If they could follow the lead and achieve greater results, Chu Lingyun's rank of second lieutenant might even advance further.

The information was detailed, and the meeting was not within the concession, making the capture relatively easy. For Chu Lingyun, the key was to ensure his own safety, as Wang Yaomin had instructed.

The next morning, Chu Lingyun came to the office, gathered all his subordinates, checked their firearms and ammunition, and prepared for the mission.

Although the Military Intelligence Bureau had been established for a short time, it was a direct subordinate of the principal, and the treatment was very good. All the members of the Wuhan station's action group were equipped with new Browning pistols.

"Wang Group Leader."

Just as the third squad had finished gathering, Chu Lingyun saw Wang Jialiang rushing over. Wang Jialiang was three years younger than Wang Yaomin, currently thirty-one years old.

He had achieved his position as the lieutenant colonel intelligence group leader of the Wuhan station with significant effort from Wang Yaomin.

"Chu Lingyun, the success of today's mission depends on you. You must do your best, and we will make a good impression together."

Wang Jialiang immediately smiled upon seeing Chu Lingyun.

In the Wuhan station, Wang Jialiang was undoubtedly Wang Yaomin's top confidant, and the second was Chu Lingyun.

Despite being the newest arrival, Wang Yaomin placed great importance on Chu Lingyun.

The reason was simple: Chu Lingyun had a good background, being a graduate of the Whampoa Military Academy and a fellow Zhejiang native.

The other two squad leaders of the action group, although also Wang Yaomin's subordinates, were not Whampoa graduates and thus held a slightly lower status in Wang Yaomin's mind.

"Please rest assured, Group Leader. Chu Lingyun guarantees the completion of the mission."

Chu Lingyun stood up straight, a habit he had developed during his military service.

Even with a new soul, Chu Lingyun still maintained his previous habits.

"You can count on me. Let's go."

Wang Jialiang smiled and got into a small car, while Chu Lingyun sat in the passenger seat of a truck. His subordinates were all in the truck, and the two vehicles quickly drove out.

The vehicles stopped outside Taigu Street, and everyone got out and walked to Changtang Street nearby.

Chu Lingyun arranged his subordinates and entered a teahouse on the second floor of Changtang Street with Wang Jialiang. From a room there, they could clearly see the entrance of a noodle shop across the street.

It was 8:00 AM.

"Group Leader, you're here."

There were two intelligence group members in the room. Upon seeing Wang Jialiang, they immediately stood up to greet him, nodding to Chu Lingyun behind him.

"How is the situation?"

After entering the room, Wang Jialiang took the best observation position and looked out the window, asking his subordinate.

"Everything is normal. The second squad has been following the target. He will meet his superior at the noodle shop in an hour. I just received a call that the target has left the French Concession."

The subordinate quickly reported, and Wang Jialiang did not ask further, drinking tea at a table with Chu Lingyun.

"Group Leader, since we have confirmed that the target is a spy, why not follow him for a few more days to find more of his accomplices before making a move?"

Holding his teacup, Chu Lingyun asked his question. Capturing a Japanese spy was not easy, and finding one naturally led to the desire to capture all of his superiors and eliminate any potential threats.

"I would like to do that, but this Shallow Blue Koyama has been active in the French Concession. Our people can only tail him there, and sometimes they lose him. To prevent him from slipping away, the commander and I decided to act early, capture him, and then interrogate him to strike at their other intelligence networks."

Wang Jialiang's explanation satisfied Chu Lingyun. Compared to letting the target slip away, it was more important to secure the immediate capture.

Moreover, since the intelligence was gathered by the intelligence group, and the action group was only assisting, Wang Jialiang's explanation was already very considerate. They just needed to follow Wang Jialiang's instructions. As long as the mission was successful, even if the intelligence group got the credit, the action group would still benefit.