Agent: Intercepting Yu Manli at the start!

Chapter 79 A Cunning Plan!

What I fear most is that the other side will remain inactive.

Its tail is visible as soon as it moves.

Lan Yanzhi nodded. This idea suited her perfectly—the enemy was in the dark while she was in the light; the only way was to lure them out.

"We'll change the date, time, and location of the meeting. Feng Manna will definitely find it empty-handed, and we'll take advantage of that to set a trap—we'll lure Xian Daofeng into this scheme too!"

On the surface, Xian Daofeng is flamboyant, but upon closer inspection, his eyes are sinister and his methods are ruthless. Keeping such a person around is a recipe for disaster.

Eliminating him would paralyze the Special Higher Police again; Ken Oshima would be in a terrible predicament and would have no choice but to rely on Zhou Xiao; and Zhou Xiao would then be able to take the opportunity to infiltrate the core of the currency war—this is the real killing move in the whole game.

Lan Yanzhi understood immediately and quickly pieced together the plan: first, find the mole, then use the mole to lure Feng Manna, and finally use Feng Manna to draw out Xian Daofeng, so that the Military Intelligence Bureau could close the net and kill him in one fell swoop.

The steps are all interconnected and leave no room for error.

Will count.

After a moment's thought, she asked, "Does Xian Daofeng believe it? That man is very shrewd. His feigned madness is just an act; his true nature is as deep as the sea."

"I'll deal with him," Zhou Xiao said confidently. "I have my own ways of making him walk right into the trap."

"Once he comes—" he paused, his voice as heavy as ice, "he won't be able to leave alive."

His killing intent was palpable, yet he concealed his true strength.

The plan had already been rehearsed a thousand times in his mind.

Lan Yanzhi looked at him, then suddenly remembered something and blurted out, "Zhou Xiao... Could it be that you orchestrated Aoki Takeshi's death as well?"

The sudden death of that former section chief remains an unsolved case.

Zhou Xiao smiled, a gentle and harmless smile: "Guess?"

No need to guess. The answer was already written in his mind.

Lan Yanzhi's heart tightened inexplicably, and she blurted out, "Zhou Xiao, do you know what I'm thinking right now?"

"Um?"

"Luckily, we're comrades, not adversaries." Her Adam's apple bobbed slightly. "Otherwise, one day I'd be handing you a knife, smiling as I cleaned the blade for you—and then you'd be gone, and we wouldn't even be able to find your body."

This scheme is too ruthless.

No wonder they were able to hide so well in such a dangerous place.

He can kill without leaving a trace and still rise through the ranks.

Seriously, that's too ruthless.

Zhou Xiao laughed loudly and patted her shoulder: "We're not just friends, we're brothers who fight side by side."

"Right now, you're the only one in the entire Special Operations Headquarters who knows my true identity—we have a long road ahead of us charging side-by-side and working together to break through challenges!"

Lan Yanzhi nodded and smiled, her fingertips slightly lifting as they landed in Zhou Xiao's palm, her voice gentle yet decisive: "Pleasure doing business with you."

Zhou Xiao returned the handshake, his grip firm and steady: "Pleasure doing business with you..."

Elock Church in Shanghai.

This old Gothic building is a hidden bloodline between Lan Yanzhi and the Military Intelligence Bureau.

In a small prayer room on the third floor of the church, candlelight flickered.

Lan Yanzhi looked directly at Song Mian and spoke crisply: "Captain Song, tomorrow's rendezvous is canceled. There's a traitor within our ranks—someone is feeding Feng Manna our whereabouts in detail."

Song Mian's brows furrowed sharply: "Nail? Where is he?"

Lan Yanzhi shook her head: "There's no indication yet."

"But the fact that he was able to accurately intercept tomorrow's time and location shows that this person has a long reach and is close enough that he cannot be bypassed in the information chain."

"So, we'll reschedule, change the location, and lay a trap—to make that venomous snake unable to resist taking another bite out of Feng Manna's hook."

"You just need to keep an eye on a few key positions, see where he delivers letters and who he meets with, and his true colors will naturally come out."

Song Mian's gaze sharpened, and he nodded emphatically: "Understood, I will set up controls immediately."

Lan Yanzhi added, "Once you've identified the person, have my dad pass the message to me. We already have plans for how to close the net."

Song Mian: "Okay, I understand."

She paused, then lowered her voice even further: "You're fighting alone at Special Operations Headquarters, so you must stay on your toes—especially wary of the two people closest to you: Feng Manna, and Zhou Xiao, the head of the intelligence department."

Going it alone?

Perhaps it was true before. But now, the sword is drawn, the formation is set.

Beware of Zhou Xiao?

He's clearly one of us!

Lan Yanzhi simply replied softly, "Yes, I'll be careful."

He didn't say a word more.

She knew very well that Zhou Xiao was a very well-hidden pawn, and the fewer people who knew about him, the stronger his fate would be.

Intelligence, like the wind, silently swept through the Military Intelligence Bureau's Shanghai station. Wan Zhichao and Song Mian quickly surrounded them, deducing, laying plans, setting ambushes—every step was perfectly timed according to Zhou Xiao's plan.

The core objective of this game has always been clear: to eliminate Sendoh Kaede and solidify Oshima Ken's trust.

Sixth Brother Zheng Yaoxian's secret telegram had already arrived—he would be in Shanghai in two days.

To be honest, Zhou Xiao did have a glimmer of hope. He wondered what kind of sharpness those eagle eyes would reveal when they met again.

Everything proceeded as planned.

Following the clues provided by Lan Yanzhi, the Military Intelligence Bureau traced the source and, in less than three days, unearthed the deeply buried traitor.

Xu Tao!

It really is Xu Tao!

Song Mian didn't rush to close the net. He held back, letting his spies keep a close watch on Xu Tao's every move, waiting for Lan Yanzhi's order before pulling in the line and cutting his throat.

Special Operations Headquarters, Office of the Chief of the Intelligence Department.

Zhou Xiao leaned back in his leather chair, glancing up at Feng Manna who had entered to report: "Manna, have there been any unusual developments lately? Any new developments from the Military Intelligence Bureau?"

Feng Manna shook her head: "Not at the moment."

"They all retreated into their shells. We raided three contact points, only to find them all empty—they'd all vanished without a trace."

Zhou Xiao tapped the armrest lightly with his fingertips and said slowly, "It's not surprising that a cunning rabbit has three burrows. If you want to catch it by the tail, you have to be patient and dig inch by inch."

"Go ahead and get busy, don't overwork yourself, your health is the most important thing."

Feng Manna responded with an "Mm" and turned to leave.

The moment the door closed, Zhou Xiao leaned back in his chair, his gaze darkening—Feng Manna's words were impeccable, but the top-secret operation report clearly hadn't been handed to him yet.

Want to intervene? No rush.

If the timing isn't right, even a slight gesture could arouse suspicion.

By this time, Lan Yanzhi's meeting with the high-ranking military intelligence officers had been moved to a different time and place; the mole had also surfaced, and the operation was just waiting to be completed.

As night fell, Zhou Xiao drove towards the west of the city.

He's going to see Li Xiaonan tonight.

Before midnight, Shanghai is like a jar of strong liquor, its surface covered with gold dust while its bottom is churning with turbid waves.

The streets were bustling: car horns pierced the air, rickshaw pullers sped along, sweat beading on their hands, and vendors' shouts cleaved through the crowd; the Paramount's neon lights were dazzling, the MGM dance floor spun, skirts fluttered at the entrance of the XenBee, and well-dressed men and women went in and out, their laughter both ostentatious and hollow.

This is Shanghai.

Half of it is glamorous and dazzling, while the other half is turbulent and treacherous.

Zhou Xiao turned the steering wheel and merged into the traffic.

The car that Lan Yanzhi promised to give him is still on its way. The one he has now is an older model Ford, the one provided by the Special Operations Headquarters.

Beep—beep—beep—

In front of the Shanghai Grand Theatre, a long line of cars was moving, with horns blaring incessantly.

He slowed down and caught a glimpse of a little girl with pigtails holding a flower basket, standing on tiptoe and peering down the theater steps.

Zhou Xiao turned off the engine and got out of the car. He bought a bunch of white roses—the petals were still damp with dew—intending to take them to cheer up Li Xiaonan.

In the shadow of the theater archway stood a young man in a navy blue trench coat, his fingers unconsciously fiddling with his cuffs, his eyes frequently glancing toward the intersection.

That person was Mingtai.

To conceal his presence, he wore thin-rimmed glasses and deliberately kept his hair down.

He invited Yu Manli to see a movie.

During this period, he did not return to the Ming Mansion, but remained in seclusion at the Mingliang Photo Studio. He was ready to grab his gun and head out at any time, as soon as "Pluto" gave the order.

stuffy.

So boring.

Yu Manli was also bored.

The walls of the photo studio were yellowed, and the smell of film was musty. She often sat by the window in a daze. Occasionally, when she thought of Zhou Xiao, her heart would feel as if it had been pricked by a fine needle, both sour and bitter.

Seeing that she was getting more and more tired, Mingtai reluctantly invited her out for some fresh air.

He wasn't sure if Yu Manli would come.

Time ticked across the clock face, one notch at a time.

Mingtai glanced down at his watch, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. "Manli... is she coming or not?"

In this world, he did have some concern for her;

But in her heart, not even a ripple of emotion stirred for him.

Between the two, there was only a nod when handing over a mission, the unspoken understanding of guns brushing past each other's shoulders, and a comradeship as thin as paper.

That's why he hesitated to be sure whether she would attend this seemingly ordinary date.

About two minutes later, a beautiful and refined young woman gracefully entered Mingtai's field of vision.

Yu Manli has arrived.

She had no relatives or friends in Shanghai, no acquaintances to meet, and no need to disguise herself—going out unpretentious was the safest option.

Mingtai stepped forward, his voice brimming with a mix of excitement and teasing: "Manli, you've finally arrived! I was really afraid you'd stand me up!"

Yu Manli chuckled lightly: "Someone's inviting me to a movie, it's free fun, only a fool wouldn't come."

"The photo studio was so quiet you could hear dust falling. If I stayed there any longer, I was afraid I'd get moldy."

To be honest, if Zhou Xiao hadn't suddenly appeared, Yu Manli might have actually fallen for him.

Mingtai is a handsome man who is generous and witty. He can charm girls like a gentle spring breeze—he was born to win their hearts.

But as soon as Zhou Xiao arrived, he immediately took over her mind.

Now, all that remains in her eyes and heart is a silhouette, a name, and an unspoken longing.

Mingtai chimed in, "I only asked you out to cheer you up because I saw you looked bored."

"The opening bell is about to ring, let's hurry inside."

Yu Manli suddenly stopped, her gaze sweeping over the bustling crowd and vendors at the cinema entrance: "Wait a moment, I'm going to buy some snacks."

She walked straight to the steaming roasted nuts and seeds stall on the street corner, her paper bag filled with golden, crispy popcorn and glistening, fragrant roasted chestnuts—intending to look and chew as she pleased to while away two hours.

"Boss, here's your money!"

"Okay, thank you, miss!"

Just as she reached out to take the paper bag, her peripheral vision flashed across the throng of heads—

A tall, upright figure was walking through the crowd toward a black sedan parked by the roadside.

Just a side profile, halfway down the road, a glimpse of his back!

The cinema entrance was bustling with cars and people, and waves of noise rose and fell.

But Yu Manli was instantly captivated by him—like a magnet attracting iron, like an instinctive recognition of its master.

She couldn't see his face clearly, but she was certain in her heart: it was almost certainly Zhou Xiao!

"Zhou Xiao?!"

She instinctively pushed aside the wall of people in front of her and took off after them.

When she bumped into him in Shanghai, her heart skipped a beat.