Cicada Moving

Chapter 467: Inquire about information

 Gu Qi moved quickly, and an hour later a detailed report appeared on Zuo Zhong's desk, which recorded the information of the Aries and everything that happened after entering the port.

Aries, affiliated to the British-funded enterprise Taikoo Trading Co., Ltd., has a displacement of 1,500 tons and is an inland river transport cargo ship with an average speed of 10 knots and a maximum speed of 15 knots. It departed from Shanghai Taikoo Pier one day ago.

This ship sails between Shanghai and Jinling all year round, transporting machinery, cloth, dyes and other supplies. Most of the crew are British, and only the second mate and a few engine room members are Chinese.

According to the Jinling Police Department, the ship was engaged in smuggling activities behind the scenes and often carried various controlled commodities. Because its background was relatively sensitive, the police did not launch an investigation into it.

As soon as the ship docked today, the other party refused to allow the porters at the dock to unload the cargo. Instead, it was handled by Taikoo Trading Company's own personnel. At the same time, the vehicles transporting the supplies were not inspected when leaving the port.

After dark, 10 to 15 mysterious men carrying luggage got off the boat, and then took a truck towards the city. The eyes were too far away to see the faces of these people clearly.

Zuo Zhong withdrew his gaze from the document and looked at Gu Qi opposite: "Lao Gu, what do you think after reading this? Why did the British secretly send people to Aurous Hill and what is their purpose."

Gu Qi thought for a while and shook his head: "I don't understand. It's understandable not to let the porters get close to the goods. There may be contraband or dangerous goods hidden in the goods, and they don't want others to discover it.

It's amazing. Whether they are Chinese or British, there will be no restrictions on their movements in the port, and there will be no police inspections. Their whereabouts are so secretive. It seems that the other party is coming with bad intentions. "

"good."

Zuo Zhong patted the table: "Your thoughts coincide with mine. These people sneaking into Aurous Hill are definitely not planning to do anything good. Otherwise, there is no need to be so secretive, and they are very anxious."

 “Afraid?” Gu Qi was a little confused.

 “Yes, just anxious.”

Zuo Zhong explained patiently: "Normally it takes a day and a half for a ship to go from Shanghai to Jinling. The Aries used to be at this speed, but this time it only took one day. Why.

This is probably because the mysterious people needed to arrive as soon as possible, so the freighter continued to sail at high speed for a day and night. This was very incredible to businessmen, and few people would do this.

 Firstly, because of economy, high speed consumes more fuel; secondly, because of safety, the bearings and other parts of the ship are severely worn at high speed, which can easily cause the ship to crash and kill people. "

He threw a cigarette to Gu Qi and asked a question: "So who can let a group of businessmen risk heavy losses and force their way just to send a dozen people to Jinling."

Gu Qi seemed to have thought of something and said uncertainly: "No matter who it is, it must be an existence that Swire Pacific cannot refuse, but Swire Pacific is the largest British-owned enterprise in China, so"

When he said this, his eyes lit up: "Country, only the British government can order Taikoo Company. Those people are British officials. They came to Jinling to complete a time-limited task."

Zuo Zhong smiled and nodded. Maybe this mission was related to the Secret Service. Who asked the Intelligence Division to kill Saluxun and so many moles from MI2? It is normal for the British to want revenge.

He suddenly raised his head and asked: "How have you been in Formosa these past two days? Have you contacted any unknown person and asked the new person to keep an eye on this guy? Everything the other person said and did must be recorded."

"Everything is normal. Apart from questioning a few witnesses, I am resting in the consulate and occasionally going out to meet Meng Ting. Section Chief, do you think the arrival of these people is related to him, is it impossible?"

Gucci may feel that his statement is a bit subjective, and gave a specific reason: "Formosa is a policeman, and the mysterious man's performance has a typical intelligence and military operational style.

 Using commercial organizations as cover to secretly infiltrate deep into other countries to perform tasks. People from Scotland Yard cannot do these things unless the other party cooperates with military intelligence and the British military. "

 “Why not.”

Zuo Zhong interrupted him: "The one we are fighting against is MI2. They send a detective to solve the case on the surface and take charge of the action themselves. This is a logical thing.

You go back and ask the security personnel of Division C to keep an eye on them. God knows whether those British gangs will attack the dormitory area. If they really hurt the brothers' families, we can't explain it to the big guys. "

Cold sweat broke out on Gu Qi's head. The British didn't talk about harming their wives and children. What they did in China during the previous dynasty was no better than the Japanese. They really had to beware of this.

He quickly stood up and said: "I'm really worried after you said that, section chief. I'm going to make arrangements now to increase the number of guards and firepower to make sure the British don't succeed."

 “Well, let’s go.”

Zuo Zhong said nothing more. This was just a precaution. Unless the British wanted to fight to the death, they would not take action against their families. Their expatriates were spread all over the world, and the security pressure was even greater.

If an intelligence agency is determined to randomly murder ordinary people, the police and the army will not be able to prevent it. Scotland Yard and England Yard will not work, and they can only wait to die.

Besides, the military dangerous goods left over from the war are on sale, almost buy one, get one free. Even if you blow up all the British military bases and diplomatic institutions, it won't cost much. Generally speaking, the danger is there, but not great. The most urgent task at the moment is to figure out the origin and purpose of the mysterious person. You must find someone to ask about the situation and know yourself and the enemy.

The other party had better have some status, have business dealings with the British intelligence agency and the military, and be relatively knowledgeable about current affairs. As soon as these three conditions appeared in his mind, he immediately thought of a person.

Bai Longdu.

Although in order for this person to use diplomatic channels to rescue Miyamoto Hideaki's mother, he promised not to threaten the other party with the matter of the Six Nations Hotel, is there any spy who can keep his word? Of course not.

Zuo Zhong has no psychological burden on this. In the adult world, either I lie to you, or you are lied to me. As a dignified consul of the British Empire in the Republic of China, he should have this awareness.

With a smile on his face, he left the office and went to the monitoring room. Calls made using the secure line there were not easily monitored. Of course, this was only in a relative sense, not absolutely.

If there are other people around Bai Longdu, or someone is monitoring the internal line of the phone, there will be no way. The current level of technology is not enough to achieve completely confidential communication.

 “You guys go out first.”

 “Yes, section chief.”

As soon as Zuo Zhong arrived, he drove all the monitoring personnel out, checked again whether there were monitoring devices in the room, and then connected the number in his memory, waiting for another call with his old friend.

At this time, in the British Consulate, Bailondu frowned and looked at the account book in front of him, feeling a little regretful. It was a pity that Formosa did not need more witnesses, otherwise he could still make another fortune.

He told the other party that finding witnesses would require some funds, such as paying some well-informed person some reward. This fool actually believed him. What a simple person he was, he still had to continue to lie.

 3,000 pounds is just the beginning. The other party is under the direct leadership of London. This small amount of money is nothing. The problem is how to put the money safely into your own pocket. You must think of a foolproof strategy.

 Don't lose a small amount for a small sum. The position of Consul General is still quite valuable. This gold refers to real gold and silver. This naturally does not refer to salary. Bribery from British-owned companies is the major factor.

Those big businessmen who want to evade taxes, transport contraband, obtain a larger market, or obtain monopoly rights in a certain area all need the approval of the British Consul General.

 Less than a year after taking office, his wife has already purchased three villas in the suburbs of London, and his children have also entered aristocratic public schools from ordinary schools, all of which are based on his position as consul general.

Blondo lit a cigar with a smile, and twisted his fat body in the chair. As long as he works for a few more years, he can comfortably return to England and live the life of a nobleman.

You can also buy the title of governor of an imperial colony and use it as a stepping stone to enter the upper class and become a true noble. A happy life seems to be right in front of you, and you can get it by just stretching out your hand.

 “Dingling bell~dinging bell.”

Suddenly, a ringing phone interrupted his thoughts about the future. Mr. Consul was a little unhappy and decided to teach the caller a lesson. No matter who he was, he was the biggest here.

But after only ten seconds, he stood up directly, unable to do anything but keep nodding. After hanging up the phone, he directly hugged his head, looking quite shocked.

 Damn masked man.

 He ​​clearly promised not to threaten him with the Six Nations Hotel incident, and the other party did so. Then the threat was changed to the Shanghai stock market crash. The consequences of this exposure were more serious than the previous one.

There were too many speculators who lost everything in the stock market crash. If they knew that he had gained huge benefits from it, the Consul General would not be able to continue his job.

 Should we fight to the death?

 Bailongdu put down his hand, a trace of ferocity flashed in his eyes, but then he thought about the masked man saying that he wanted to use money to buy information, and the determination he finally mustered up suddenly disappeared. Money, what a good thing.

He hesitated again and again, took out a piece of white paper from the drawer, looked at the pen on the table, and finally stretched out his left hand to pick up the pen and started writing. He loved Britain, but he loved banknotes even more.

After finishing writing, Bailongdu put on his coat and drove away from the consulate alone. He did not come back until late at night, but at this time, Mr. Consul's expression changed, and his face was full of happiness.

Although I did not see the masked man in person, the 1,000 pounds was not fake. A few names and an address were exchanged for so much money. There is no business more cost-effective than this. Praise God.

 As for the life and death of others.

 It’s none of his business.

 (End of this chapter)