novelaction Chapter 1019 Who is your superior?
Chapter 1019 Who is your superior?
Xu Tian's words were like a precise scalpel, instantly dissecting Ying Zuozhenzhao's carefully maintained calm facade and piercing his most sensitive and anxious nerve center.
Although he didn't guess everything correctly, his insightful observation of the situation and his accurate assessment of his own predicament made Kagesa's heart sink!
Kagesa Tsuneaki's eye twitched almost imperceptibly, but the cold, hard mask on his face remained completely still.
He wasn't surprised much; instead, he felt a sense of confirmation that "I knew it."
Xu Tian's intelligence and keen insight were something he had already experienced years ago when he was Xu Tian's teacher, which was the reason why he both admired and deeply feared this person.
"Hehe..." A low, complex laugh escaped Yingzuo Zhenzhao's throat, a mixture of subtle self-mockery and a twisted approval: "Xu Tian, Xu Tian, you are still as... as always, so insightful."
He leaned forward again, resting his elbows on his knees, interlacing his fingers, his gaze focused on Xu Tian's face like a searchlight, not missing the slightest muscle twitch or flicker in his eyes.
His tone became unusually "sincere," even carrying an almost seductive quality: "To be honest, Mr. Xu, I admire you very much."
I've always admired it.
Your talent and ability should not be wasted on such a hopeless resistance; it is an insult to your intelligence.
"Blowing up a few of our ships and killing a few people, can that stop this overwhelming tide?"
He paused briefly, letting his words carry weight, before throwing out his carefully prepared bait: "Come and help me! Contribute to the great cause of the 'New Order in East Asia'!"
With your abilities, you could obtain a status, power, and treatment here that are a thousand times better than you could ever imagine before!
His voice was low, carrying an undeniable assurance: "Just nod right now and come over."
I, Yingzuo Zhenzhao, guarantee with my honor that everything you've done in the past, regardless of any hidden identities you may have had, even... the incident at Huishan Wharf itself, can be wiped clean and vanished without a trace!
I mean what I say!
This is blatant bribery, a natural continuation of the coercion he employed in his interrogation tactics.
He knew the value of people like Xu Tian. If he could subdue him and use him for his own purposes, the significance would far exceed simply destroying a physical body.
Xu Tian listened quietly, the bitter smile on his face not fading, but rather deepening because of the other person's words, as if he had heard some helpless yet inevitable ending.
Meeting Kagesa Teiaki's seemingly "sincere" gaze, he answered slowly, yet with exceptional clarity:
"Kagesa-sensei, since you claim to understand me, you should already know my answer." His voice was calm and unwavering: "I... don't know what bombing case you're talking about."
I'm just an ordinary Chinese person, someone who only wants to survive in this chaotic city... a mere accountant.
His denial was so calm, so firm, without the slightest hint of anger, yet it was more powerful than any fierce rebuttal, like a boulder sunk into a deep pool, silent yet incredibly heavy.
"Hmph!" Ying Zuozhenzhao let out a cold snort. His patience seemed to have finally run out, or rather, Xu Tian's expected, unyielding reaction had made him lose interest in continuing to negotiate.
His feigned sincerity froze instantly, and his gaze, like a cold searchlight, abruptly turned to Shen Suqiu, who had been trying to remain calm.
His gaze sharpened and turned colder at that moment, even surging with an undisguised desire for exploration and... a hint of excitement at discovering new prey.
“Xu Tian, you can continue with your silence, your loyalty, or your accounting rhetoric.” Yingzuo’s voice froze again: “But our ‘guests’ today are far more than just you.”
His gaze was fixed on Shen Suqiu, scrutinizing her from head to toe like a scanner, his tone filled with a suffocating interrogation:
“Miss Shen Suqiu… to be frank, my interest in you is probably far greater than my interest in Mr. Xu.”
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze sharp as a knife: "According to the intelligence we have, you have close ties with those students and intellectuals in the French Concession who advocate resistance against Japan, and you have participated in their secret meetings on many occasions, spreading radical ideas."
Furthermore, reliable intelligence indicates that you have even been spreading certain... extremely dangerous, potentially fatal, ideas in private.
Tell me, these things are all true, right?
He gave Shen Suqiu no chance to breathe or think, leaning forward abruptly, lowering his voice, and throwing out an even more explosive question, like dropping a depth charge:
"What I really want to know is, what exactly is your relationship with Nanzo Yunzi of the Tianjin Special Higher Police?"
Why did she specifically warn me through extremely secretive channels not long ago, "Absolutely, don't touch you?"
He stared intently at Shen Suqiu's rapidly changing expression. Despite her best efforts to restrain herself, her suddenly contracting pupils and uncontrollable, rapid breathing did not escape his hawk-like eyes.
Kagesa Tsuneaki felt a surge of excitement, like a hunting dog smelling blood.
It seems that this little girl's psychological defenses are much easier to break through than Xu Tian's stubborn and unyielding nature!
He seized the opportunity to continue applying pressure, speaking faster and bombarding Shen Suqiu with questions like a machine gun.
"Also, last year when you were in Tianjin, why were you able to stay in the hospital directly under the Japanese Military Police Headquarters to recuperate during the period when martial law was at its strictest, when even a rat could hardly get in?"
This is absolutely not the kind of "treatment" that ordinary Chinese citizens, or even prominent figures, can enjoy!
His gaze was sharp as a knife, as if trying to peel away her layers of disguise: "Tell me, are you secretly working for a certain department of the Empire?"
Who is your superior?
Is it within the Special Higher Police, or... directly subordinate to the higher-ranking Military Police Command system?
Your deliberate approach to those anti-Japanese groups was under orders to infiltrate them for surveillance and sabotage.
Or... do you have ulterior motives, secretly plotting something behind your Japanese masters' backs?
Kagesa Teisho's series of problems are full of traps.
Each question goes straight to the heart of the matter, attempting to unravel the mysteries surrounding Shen Suqiu's identity from different angles.
His motives for this risky arrest were complex.
While the pursuit of the truth behind the Huishan Wharf bombing was one of the reasons, the deeper and stronger driving force stemmed from his deep-seated distrust of that woman, Nanzo Yunzi, his unspeakable jealousy, and a kind of provoked anger!
He despised Nanzo Yunko from the bottom of his heart, a female spy who betrayed her old boss Kenji Doihara and was said to have risen to power through her beauty and some underhanded means.
He viewed her warning as a blatant disregard for his abilities and authority, and a brutal interference in his territory.
He insisted on doing the opposite, not only taking action but also investigating thoroughly. He wanted to see what earth-shattering secrets were hidden behind this seemingly weak Shen Suqiu that made Nanzo Yunzi so wary, even to the point of issuing a warning.
He wanted to use irrefutable facts to thoroughly humiliate Nanzo Yunko, proving his own methods and power as Kagesa Yoshiaki. Incidentally, if possible, he wanted to take control of this seemingly crucial "pawn," or... in the worst-case scenario, completely destroy her, letting Nanzo Yunko taste the bitterness of embarrassment.
However, behind this seemingly meticulous and aggressive interrogation lies a hidden anger and strategic passivity deep within Kagesa Yoshiaki's heart.
In fact, he had not initially planned to arrest Xu Tian and Shen Suqiu so hastily and directly.
His original intention was to have Hasegawa conduct a longer and more covert investigation and surveillance, to cast a long line to catch a big fish, to find out their entire network of relationships, activity patterns, and the larger goals that might exist behind them.
But the problem lies with Hasegawa, a guy who's impatient for quick success and has a volatile and reckless personality!