Chapter Seventy-Five: All Captured

After Zhang Pei left the private room, his gaze swept over the four young men sitting in the hall. They were operatives that Ma Hong had arranged to be stationed here long ago. Zhang Pei hesitated for a moment, then quickly strode out of the restaurant.

Outside, he deliberately paused, pondered for a while, then slowly raised his right hand to smooth his hair a few times, before briskly heading toward the hotel across the street.

Lu Ming and Zhang Pei had worked together for many years and knew each other well. In that fleeting moment as he stepped out the door, Zhang Pei could genuinely sense the faint vigilance in Lu Ming’s demeanor.

Even if Lu Ming did not suspect him, Zhang Pei had no intention of following Ma Hong’s instructions to infiltrate the underground party. Lu Ming had demanded that Zhang Pei detail his seven-year experience in a thorough report, with people assigned to investigate and verify every aspect.

There was no need to elaborate: Zhang Pei had been arrested in a mountain village, witnessed by many villagers. Anyone with the intention to investigate would immediately uncover the truth. As for fabricating his background, it was not so simple. In life, there are always people around who see you, interact with you, and can vouch for your experiences. Where could Zhang Pei suddenly find people to testify to a fabricated past? Any invented story would be riddled with flaws and could not withstand scrutiny.

He had not expected the underground organization’s vetting to be so strict! His previous credentials were far from sufficient.

Since the primary objective was unattainable, only the second plan remained.

“Damn it! This guy doesn’t trust Zhang Pei. Execute the second plan—arrest the contact!” Ma Hong, who had been watching intently from the window, saw Zhang Pei’s gesture of combing his hair. His heart burned with anger as he flung his half-smoked cigarette to the ground and crushed it underfoot.

With six team members, Ma Hong burst out of the room, hurried downstairs, and entered the hotel lobby, moving quickly toward the exit.

Suddenly, more than ten figures sprang from every corner, their guns trained on Ma Hong’s group as several voices shouted, “Don’t move! Get on the ground or we’ll open fire!”

“Military Intelligence Investigation Office in action! Anyone who resists will be shot on the spot!”

“Don’t move! Hands up! You there—don’t you dare!”

The sudden turn of events left Ma Hong and his six men stunned. When had the enemy gotten so close without their knowledge? Outnumbered by more than two to one, with gun barrels pressed to their heads, resistance was futile.

Too careless! Used to being the hunter, they always saw others as prey, neglecting the dangers lurking nearby.

“Don’t misunderstand! We’re on the same side—we’re from the Central Party Affairs Investigation Office, carrying out a critical assignment. Brothers, don’t let your guns go off!” Ma Hong responded immediately. This was Nanjing, the tightly controlled capital of the Nationalist government. With so many armed men here, it was certainly not the underground party.

Ning Zhiheng stepped forward, producing his officer’s credentials and displaying them to Ma Hong’s group. His intention was to calm Ma Hong; if Ma Hong mistook them for underground agents and resisted desperately, things could turn disastrous. If Ma Hong were killed in the chaos, it would be hard to explain afterward.

The Central Party Affairs Investigation Office and the underground party were mortal enemies—falling into the hands of the underground party meant fighting to the death. But with the Military Intelligence Investigation Office, it was different. Though the two departments often clashed, both belonged to the Nationalist intelligence apparatus. Past misunderstandings and disputes had been resolved by higher-ups; there was no need for brothers to risk their lives.

“Enough talk. Disarm them!” Ning Zhiheng commanded sharply.

Immediately, everyone rushed forward, pinning the six men to the ground and efficiently searching them for firearms, knives, and steel needles. The operatives were skilled and thorough, missing nothing.

Ma Hong, in particular, was tightly restrained, his hands and feet bound securely. A wad of cloth was stuffed into his mouth, muffling any protest. Though he possessed formidable skills, he was powerless to use them, unaware that his identity as a Japanese spy had already been exposed. He assumed this was merely departmental friction, not worth dying for, and resigned himself to capture.

Just then, Zhang Pei hurried in from outside. Seeing Ma Hong and the others bound and bewildered, he quickly turned to leave, but before he could escape, two operatives outside pressed their gun barrels to his back and shoved him inside, binding him with the others.

As everyone completed the arrest and breathed a sigh of relief, a burst of crisp gunfire suddenly rang out from the direction of the restaurant.

“Something’s wrong, sir! The underground party is in the restaurant across the street—we were just about to arrest him, and our men are still inside. We need to support them, or the underground party will escape!” Old Four shouted to Ning Zhiheng.

It turned out that after Zhang Pei left, Lu Ming sensed an ambush. He steadied himself, surveyed the surroundings—there were no windows in the private room, only the door as an exit. It seemed he had no choice but to fight his way out.

He drew a pistol from his waist, carefully checked the magazine, loaded it, and released the safety, concealing the weapon beneath his long sleeves.

He opened the door and walked out as if nothing was amiss. Sure enough, there were now four young customers in the hall—people he hadn’t seen when he arrived, likely sent in while he was talking with Zhang Pei. Their demeanor gave nothing away, but Lu Ming’s sharp eyes missed nothing.

Seeing Lu Ming exit early, the leader among the young men grew anxious. He had noticed Zhang Pei’s gesture at the restaurant entrance—combing his hair—and understood its significance.

Yet, with Zhang Pei gone and Lu Ming out of the private room ahead of schedule, Ma Hong had not arrived with reinforcements. He had no idea that Ma Hong was at that moment held at gunpoint elsewhere.

Regardless, he couldn’t let the target leave the restaurant. The leader quickly signaled his team, who understood immediately.

As they closed in on Lu Ming, he suddenly raised his pistol and fired at the man directly in front of him, then pivoted to shoot at the other three.

Outnumbered, Lu Ming had to strike first.

The first man was caught off guard and shot through the chest, collapsing instantly. Unfortunately, the others had positioned themselves well, blocking Lu Ming’s escape routes. He could only surprise the man in front. As the gunshot rang out, the remaining three responded quickly—they were well-trained operatives, rolling aside to evade Lu Ming’s shots. One was not quick enough and took a bullet in the shoulder, but it was not fatal; he remained capable.

Realizing capture was impossible, the three drew their guns and returned fire. Shots exploded in the restaurant; Lu Ming was caught in a crossfire. Though he dodged and weaved, he was struck in the back, pain causing him to grunt and nearly drop his weapon.

Yet his aim was true—he managed to kill another operative with a shot to the head.

With a bullet lodged in his back, breathing became difficult. Damn it—it must have hit his lung.

He pressed himself behind a pillar, struggling to control his breath and steady his weapon, ready to take as many enemies with him as possible.

The enemy was certainly not limited to these few; he sensed there would be little chance to escape this time.

The surviving leader, seeing two dead and one wounded among his men, was furious. Cursing Ma Hong for failing to support them, he glanced at his fallen comrades, his eyes reddening. He signaled the wounded operative, who nodded in agreement. The two moved to flank Lu Ming behind the pillar, determined to avenge their fallen brothers, even at the cost of their own lives.

As both sides prepared for a desperate, doomed struggle, a voice called from outside the restaurant, “Listen up inside! We are the Military Intelligence Investigation Office. Drop your weapons immediately or you’ll be shot without mercy!”

Ning Zhiheng arrived as the gunfire inside continued. He had no intention of barging in and risking his life—regardless of whether those inside were from the Party Affairs Investigation Office or the underground party, he did not wish to harm anyone.

The Party Affairs Investigation Office was not to be trifled with; arresting people was one thing, but killing them would be troublesome. As for the underground party, they were his own people—he certainly did not want to hurt them.

“We’re from the Party Affairs Investigation Office. We’re all on the same side. There’s an underground party member here—wounded but still resisting!” the leader shouted in reply.

He didn’t understand why Ma Hong hadn’t brought reinforcements and why the Military Intelligence Investigation Office had arrived instead. But he had no time to dwell on it—capturing the underground party member was all that mattered.

Hearing this, Ning Zhiheng’s heart tightened. The underground party member was wounded and trapped inside. With so many of his men outside, offering direct help was impossible; the priority was to save the man’s life.

He had plenty of operatives at his disposal but had not intended to personally enter the fray. Now, he decided to lead the team himself inside, hoping to preserve the underground party member’s life.

He kicked the door open and, with several operatives, rolled in together. Hearing the arrival of reinforcements, Lu Ming abandoned hope of escape.

Gathering his strength, he twisted from behind the pillar, raising his gun to fire, but a shot from Ning Zhiheng struck his wrist—pain flared, and his pistol fell to the ground.

A figure immediately pounced on him, pinning him firmly. Lu Ming, knowing he could not delay, tried to bite at the collar of his undershirt, but a powerful hand gripped his neck, rendering him helpless.

The entire capture lasted only a few seconds. Ning Zhiheng moved with lightning speed—swift, decisive, and efficient—in subduing Lu Ming alive.

The young men nearby and the operatives who followed were left utterly astonished by the display.