Espionage: You're tasked with spying, but you'll blow up the Special Higher Police?

113. Just what I wanted

Zhou Hongyi's shout came at just the right time, because Fusheng was about to pull the fuse. Agui, who was standing nearby, was also startled and rushed over to grab Fusheng's arm.

Fusheng's mouth was stuffed full of steamed bun wrappers, and he was spitting out crumbs as he spoke. He looked at Liu Yaqiao and said, "I... I don't care what kind of Axe Gang leader you are. If you dare to bully my brother, I'll blow you up!"

Liu Yaqiao's mouth was half open. As the boss of the Axe Gang, he had seen all kinds of dangerous scenes, but this was the first time he had ever seen a hand grenade hidden in the filling of a steamed bun. This silly fat man looked simple and honest, but he was no slouch when it came to fighting.

Liu Yaqiao knew that you could never joke with someone who wasn't very bright, so he immediately put away his serious face, raised his hands and said, "Brother, you've misunderstood. That was just a joke. It's a misunderstanding, really a misunderstanding. I apologize to you. Put that thing down quickly, don't hurt yourself."

Liu Yaqiao knew all too well that if you dared to provoke this kind of dimwitted fool, he might actually try to take you down with him. If he were to blow himself up for that reason, he would truly become the laughingstock of the entire city of Shanghai.

Zhou Hongyi hurriedly tried to persuade him, "That's right, Fusheng, put it down. Mr. Liu was just joking with us to ease the tension. If he really wanted to harm us, why would he invite us to hot pot? Listen to me, be good."

Zhou Hongyi gave Agui a wink, and the latter quickly snatched the grenade from Fusheng's hand, checked it, and stuffed it into his pocket. After doing all this, Agui suddenly seemed to remember something, and snatched another bun from Fusheng's pocket as well, before letting out a long sigh of relief.

Liu Yaqiao glared at Chen Xiaodao, who was also covered in sweat. His eyes clearly asked, "How did you conduct the inspection? How could you let the other party bring in two hand grenades?"

To be fair, Chen Xiaodao was indeed careless. First of all, Fusheng's appearance was too deceptive, and secondly, who would have thought that he would hide a grenade in a steamed bun?

After Fusheng's commotion, Liu Yaqiao stopped putting on airs and chuckled, saying, "Oh dear, I'm really sorry for causing such a misunderstanding. Young Master Zhou, please let these two brothers sit down and eat with us. Especially this Brother Fusheng, he is brave and resourceful, truly admirable. Xiaodao, hurry up and get these two brothers a chair."

Well, thanks to Fusheng's commotion, he can finally sit down and eat.

Zhou Hongyi chuckled and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Mr. Liu, you're too kind. Fusheng, thank Mr. Liu. There's plenty of beef and mutton here, it's free. Please eat more. Mr. Liu and I have some serious business to discuss now."

Fusheng gave another deceptively silly grin, picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a large chunk of meat and threw it into the pot. He even stood up and brought a plate of shrimp balls from the side closest to Liu Yaqiao to himself, and happily began to eat.

The people around him fell silent again. Liu Yaqiao coughed and chose to ignore them, changing the subject to the important matter at hand.

"Young Master Zhou, you called me, Liu, a hero before, but in my opinion, you are the real hero. You do all sorts of earth-shattering things without making a sound. To be honest, before you came, I only heard from rumors that the assassins who made the move that night were from the Military Intelligence Bureau. They were retaliating against the Japanese for their recent sweep. I originally just wanted to bluff them, but I didn't expect you to admit it so readily. You have guts. Indeed, heroes emerge from among the young."

Zhou Hongyi waved his hand modestly and said, "Mr. Liu, please don't praise me. We were all living on the edge, facing death at the last minute. I was just lucky to survive."

Taking advantage of the pleasant atmosphere, Zhou Hongyi took the initiative to speak, "I asked Brother Xiaodao to help me make an appointment with you before because I wanted to do some business with Chief Liu."

Liu Yaqiao leaned forward and said, "I know, Xiao Dao has already told me and said a lot of good things about you, Young Master Zhou. You should know that the business I, Liu, am currently doing is all underworld business. I can't do business in the legitimate world, and I'm not used to it."

Zhou Hongyi hurriedly replied, "I know that, Mr. Liu. Don't worry, when doing business with me, I, Zhou Hongyi, will be fully responsible for the business aspects. Mr. Liu and the brothers in the gang will only be responsible for the action, while I will handle the brains."

"Hehehe~ Young Master Zhou's words are exactly what I wanted to say. Then I, Liu, am all ears. What kind of business does Young Master Zhou want to do with me?"

Zhou Hongyi decisively uttered two words: "dance hall, arms."

Liu Yaqiao's eyes lit up. She said "Oh" and asked, "Dance halls and arms? Young Master Zhou has quite the appetite. I just wonder which venue you're targeting, and where you'll buy the arms and sell them?"

Zhou Hongyi said, "I've got my eye on the Paramount Ballroom. As for weapons, I absolutely won't buy them. We'll just rob them. We'll sell some of the weapons we rob to those warlords who are ruling the mountains, and give the rest to our brothers in the Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Force. I wonder if Chief Liu is willing to do this losing business with me, Zhou Hongyi?"

Upon hearing Zhou Hongyi's words, Liu Yaqiao was slightly startled at first, then slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed, "Good! What a losing deal! Young Master Zhou is indeed no ordinary man. Every word you say hits the nail on the head. You are courageous, resourceful, and decisive. I, Liu, agree to your terms. Our Axe Gang is determined to do this business!"

Zhou Hongyi clapped his hands and said, "Good! Mr. Liu is a man of few words. I, Zhou Hongyi, have found the right person. Of course, just robbing isn't enough. We also need to collect from deserters in the surrounding areas, buy from those corrupt Kuomintang officers, and swindle from those foreign arms dealers who profit from the war. In short, the principle is to avoid spending money if possible."

Furthermore, after taking over the Paramount Ballroom, it can serve as our base, allowing us to operate in both the legitimate and underworld circles. I wonder if Mr. Liu has any connections to contact the owner there. If we can reach an agreement, that would be ideal; I, Zhou Hongyi, am willing to spend the money. If we can't reach an agreement... then I'm sorry, but I will acquire it by any means necessary. However, whether I'll still be willing to spend money is another matter entirely.

Liu Yaqiao felt a sense of regret for not having met Zhou Hongyi sooner. Every word Zhou Hongyi said resonated with him, making the Axe Gang boss go from initial caution and probing to beaming with joy. Even Chen Xiaodao was somewhat surprised, as he had never seen his boss smile so happily in all the years he had followed him.

"Hahaha~~~~ Don't worry, Young Master Zhou, I know all the owners of those entertainment venues. The owner of the Paramount... You've chosen a good target. The interest groups behind her are all businessmen. Businessmen are profit-driven and avoid harm. As long as I appeal to their emotions and reason with them, I'm not afraid they won't agree. Leave this matter to me, Liu. But you have to promise me another thing."

Zhou Hongyi adopted a listening posture, and Liu Yaqiao said word by word, "You have to promise me that our first deal must be with the Japanese. I have received news that the Japanese Suzhou-Shanghai branch has a batch of weapons to be transported from the north to the front line of the war zone. To be honest, I have been eyeing it for a long time. However, there are still a few uncertainties. I am unsure whether the Japanese transportation route is real or not, and I am unsure how many troops they are responsible for escorting it."

Zhou Hongyi clapped his hands and said, "Alright, it's settled then, Mr. Liu. I'll handle the detailed intelligence, and you can have the ownership of the Paramount Ballroom. It'll be a pleasure working together."

Zhou Hongyi stood up, walked around the table, and extended his right hand. Liu Yaqiao also stood up and shook hands tightly with the young man.