Chapter 49

Daisuke Oishi was born into a fallen samurai family in Akita Prefecture and was the third son. Due to his ugly appearance and short stature, he was never favored by his parents. He gave up his studies after only two years and returned home to farm.

Unable to endure the hard labor, he spent his days hanging around with a group of ruffians, engaging in all sorts of deceitful and thieving activities.

Originally, someone like him, who was both ugly and short and had no education, would not even be considered by the Japanese Army, which was mockingly referred to as horse manure by the Japanese Navy.

However, a person's fate can unexpectedly change at any moment. Daisuke Oishi, who was beaten half to death and locked up in the police station for stealing half a bag of rice, received a recruitment notice from the Japanese Navy while in his cell.

It turned out that it was 1905! Daisuke Oishi's two older brothers were serving on the flagship Mikasa of the Japanese Combined Fleet. During the Battle of Tsushima on May 27, 1905, they performed with great distinction and were personally commended by Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō.

The two brothers, who were riding high, were both killed in the sudden explosion of the Mikasa's ammunition depot on September 11, in which 339 people died. In recognition of their significant contributions to the country, Daisuke Oishi, their only younger brother, was specially recruited into the Navy by Akashi Masaharu.

Thus, Daisuke Oishi left his hometown in Akita, where he had lived for nearly twenty years, and came to Sasebo. The first thing Akashi Masaharu said to him was, "Do you still want to go back to Akita?" Daisuke Oishi shook his head, and Akashi Masaharu continued, "Then work hard."

Later, when Akashi went to teach at the Naval Academy, he took Daisuke Oishi along as an auditor. In the Naval Academy, Daisuke Oishi, who had spent the previous twenty years living a muddled life, experienced a sudden enlightenment!

During the time he spent with Akashi Masaharu, Daisuke Oishi, like a sponge, studied day and night, neglecting sleep and meals, with an attitude as serious as that of a student who would pierce his own thigh with a needle to stay awake.

Daisuke Oishi's performance won the praise and admiration of Akashi Masaharu, who introduced him to Meisho Genjiro to learn espionage.

Akashi Masaharu had long seen that although Daisuke Oishi studied very hard, he was still far behind. He could only reach the rank of a junior officer in the Navy. However, this young man was smart and smooth, and following Meisho Genjiro in espionage might make him a capable agent. Indeed, Daisuke Oishi quickly stood out and quickly became a rising star in the Japanese espionage world.

The first thing Daisuke Oishi did upon arriving in the Devil's City was to rent a house on Xuefei Road in the French Concession, not far from the SC Trade office building. For five consecutive days, he stayed in the house, spying on SC Trade.

After several days of careful observation of the SC Trade office building, Daisuke Oishi concluded that a direct attack was impossible. Therefore, he formulated a plan to lure the snake out of its hole. The first step was to provoke a war between Lu Yongxiang and Gao Yang, to create chaos. After all, only in chaos would there be an opportunity to fish in troubled waters.

Lu Yongxiang firmly rejected the Japanese demands, not because he valued his sworn brotherhood with Gao Yang, but because he was very clear that he could not defeat Gao Yang! He scoffed at the many promises made by the Japanese. As an old hand, he was not so easily deceived by the Japanese! Daisuke Oishi decided to eliminate Lu Yongxiang, prop up his useless son Lu Xiaojia as a puppet, and at the same time, frame Gao Yang, achieving two goals with one action.

Gao Yang sat on the sofa, lit a cigarette, and smoked silently. Although he knew the Japanese plan, how could he break the deadlock? The Devil's City court was about to hold a trial for the Japanese spy. If he were found guilty, it would greatly damage Gao Yang's reputation! In this era, reputation was a very important resource! When Mr. Sun had no troops and no money, he could still be elected as the provisional president, wasn't it because of his great prestige?

"Origin?" Gao Yang had no choice but to seek help from Origin.

Origin showed Gao Yang the information of an item. "Truth Serum?" Gao Yang shook his head, a bit puzzled.

"Yes, this is used in the timeline where I was created to interrogate natural human prisoners. It is not a real drug but is composed of nanobots that can force memory neurons to respond correctly. In simple terms, you ask a question, and he answers it," Origin explained.

"Hmm? Is there such a good thing?" Gao Yang asked, eyes wide with surprise.

"Yes, you should need it now. However, it consumes a lot of energy points."

"...... How much?"

"8000 points."

"Are you kidding me?"

"One pill."

"...... Damn."

After a fierce internal struggle, Gao Yang decided to manufacture a Truth Serum. Looking at the light blue capsule in his hand, Gao Yang asked, "Does this thing have any side effects?"

"Because it forcibly changes the response of neurons, it can cause severe damage to brain cells. After 24 hours of use, the person usually becomes a vegetable, and in special cases, they may die," Origin explained.

"Oh......" Gao Yang leaned back on the sofa, his left hand resting on the armrest, supporting his head, and his right hand holding the pill, examining it from all angles. After a while, Gao Yang, bored, looked at the clock on the wall and suddenly jumped up from the sofa, "Oh no, oh no, I always felt like I forgot something. It's already past ten, and I haven't called Little Crystal yet. This is bad."

In a hurry, he activated the time travel and returned to the modern era, where he immediately received several text messages from Zheng Xiujing. He quickly called her back. After the call was connected, Zheng Xiujing complained and cooed, while Gao Yang comforted her and made multiple promises to please her. They talked for nearly an hour before ending the call with Zheng Xiujing's concern for his health. "Phew." Lying in bed, Gao Yang sighed with relief, a smile on his face, and murmured, "Having a girlfriend feels so good."

Two days later, in the 1925 timeline, the Devil's City court began the trial of the assassination attempt on Lu Yongxiang. The case received significant attention from all sectors of society, and on the day of the trial, over 200 people from various fields, including Chinese and foreign journalists and representatives from various countries, attended as spectators. The presiding judge was Judge Yan Xuesong, who had come from the capital and arrived in the Devil's City the night before, where he was invited by Gao Feng for a private discussion lasting over half an hour.

Gao Feng, representing Gao Yang, also appeared in the audience. Judge Yan Xuesong sat in the presiding position, picked up the gavel on the table, and struck it three times, announcing the start of the trial.

The suspect, Liu Jinxin, who was caught on the spot, was brought to the defendant's stand by the bailiffs, wearing a striped prison uniform and shackles. He had no obvious physical injuries but looked mentally exhausted and had a somewhat vacant gaze.

For Gao Yang, who liked to handle things with money, it was not difficult to bribe the prison guards to give Liu Jinxin the Truth Serum. The bribed guard had already forced Liu Jinxin to take the Truth Serum the night before.

In most cases, witnesses who accuse important figures are eliminated, but this time, Gao Yang used the Truth Serum. The forces capable of doing such a thing either wanted to see Gao Yang in trouble, like Lu's son, or were indifferent to the matter. Therefore, Liu Jinxin was able to stand in the courtroom alive.

After everything was ready, Judge Yan Xuesong sat up straight, looking serious, and began to question Liu Jinxin, "What is your name?" "My name is Matsuda Kōji."

"Wow." The entire courtroom was in an uproar. The suspect had previously admitted to being Liu Jinxin!

"Silence, silence!" Judge Yan Xuesong struck the gavel repeatedly. After a while, the courtroom finally quieted down, but people still whispered to each other. Daisuke Oishi, sitting in the last row, was not thinking about why Matsuda Kōji did not follow the plan but rather, "Danger!!"

An almost instinctive reaction made Daisuke Oishi acutely feel that he was in danger. People like him, who lived on the edge of life and death, could sense subtle changes around them. However, Daisuke Oishi remained calm and continued to pretend to be a newspaper reporter in the audience.

At this point, Judge Yan Xuesong had also realized that there was a major problem with the case. He composed himself and continued to question Matsuda Kōji, "Did you participate in the assassination of General Lu Yongxiang?" "Yes."

Judge Yan Xuesong paused and asked very seriously, "Who ordered you to do it?" Although he had been instructed to clear Gao Yang's name, as a judge, he had to uphold the dignity of the law!

The night before, when he met Gao Feng privately, the other party did not make any excessive demands, only requesting that Judge Yan Xuesong ask the suspect a few questions at the beginning. Yan Xuesong had reviewed the questions and found nothing special, so he agreed.

Deep down, he did not want this to be something Gao Yang had done. After all, a suspect's accusation alone could not prove that Gao Yang was the mastermind. However, it would provide a pretext, a pretext to drag several provinces in East China into war!

Matsuda Kōji's lips twitched slightly, the veins on his temples began to bulge, and a look of struggle flashed in his eyes. At this moment, everyone in the courtroom was silent, waiting for the name to come out of his mouth!

Gao Yang, watching the live broadcast through a simulation robot in the SC Trade office building, smiled and took a sip of whiskey, "Indeed, a well-trained excellent agent, still holding on."

In the end, Matsuda Kōji could not withstand the powerful effects of the Truth Serum and said a name, "Daisuke Oishi."

The courtroom was in an uproar again. Judge Yan Xuesong let out a long sigh and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He had been truly, truly worried that the suspect would say Gao Yang's name, and he had to continuously strike the gavel to maintain order. When the courtroom finally quieted down again, Judge Yan Xuesong continued, "Who is Daisuke Oishi?" The previous questions were what Gao Feng had asked him to ask. Now, he began the normal questioning.

"The head of the Special High Police of the Empire of Japan." This time, Matsuda Kōji answered without hesitation, but his pupils were already slightly dilated.

At this moment, the Japanese consul in the Devil's City, Kōtō Yūkai, had already jumped up and shouted loudly, "This is a slander, this is a slander!" The expressions of the people in the courtroom varied, but the journalists were frantically taking photos. They were not just photographing Matsuda Kōji but more so Kōtō Yūkai, as this was big news!

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