PDLP 107. Blow up the Special Higher Police Department
107. Blow up the Special Higher Police Department
Having already escaped the basement, Zhou Hongyi didn't want the big guy to hinder his "masterpiece," so he grabbed a passing Japanese soldier, snapped his neck, snatched the grenade from his waist, and tossed it to the Japanese soldier he had just fought.
After throwing the grenade, Zhou Hongyi took a few steps, smashed the glass leading to the outside, and ran away like a madman.
Just minutes before he threw the grenade, two trucks with their headlights flashing drove up from the other side of the road; it was the military police reinforcements arriving.
Zhou Hongyi didn't care about any of that. Feeling the explosion behind him, he shouted, "Commander Kondo is dead!" Creating panic and chaos, he tore off his fake beard and Japanese military uniform, took advantage of the chaos to climb back into the courtyard, grabbed his own clothes, and made a quick getaway.
Seeing the increasingly chaotic scene caused by the explosions and fire, and the growing number of enemy reinforcements, Li Boyang's squad, who were engaged in battle with the Japanese army, immediately decided to retreat. If they waited any longer, none of them would be able to escape.
"Captain Li, quick! This way, follow me!"
Zhou Hongyi, who was originally on lookout duty, suddenly appeared behind him, grabbed him, and ran. Li Boyang didn't have time to ask questions and hurriedly issued an order for his squad to retreat.
At the same time, Zhou Hongyi activated the [Master of Deception] skill. However, he didn't have any tricks to construct. What he needed was to identify and utilize the surrounding terrain and hidden routes.
This was something he had just thought of on a whim; he felt that the [Master of Deception] skill could not only be used to plan murders, but also as a good skill for escaping in busy urban areas.
Under the cover of darkness, Li Boyang's team began to retreat amidst the chaos and firelight. However, they had not run far when another earth-shattering explosion rang out behind them.
This violent explosion was vastly different from the initial one; it resembled an underwater volcanic eruption, originating from the basement of the Special Higher Police headquarters. The flames and immense force shattered all the windows of buildings throughout the entire block, including those belonging to the Special Higher Police headquarters. The ground shook violently, as if an earthworm were turning over, with dust billowing everywhere. But that wasn't all. Less than two seconds after the earth-shattering explosion, several more explosions followed. It was unclear what the Special Higher Police had placed underground, but these chain explosions shattered the building, causing it to collapse completely.
Two military police troop carriers that were coming from the other side happened to be driving right in front of the Special Higher Police office building when the sudden explosion hit them. Countless bricks and tiles rained down from the sky and smashed onto the troop carriers. The Japanese soldiers didn't even have time to react before they were all bleeding from their heads and ears, clutching their heads and screaming incoherently.
Li Boyang was also startled by the thunderous roar, shrinking back and covering his ears. Zhou Hongyi hadn't expected the commotion to be so loud either, but he still patted Li on the shoulder and said, "Captain Li, what do you think of tonight's 'fireworks'? An explosion of this magnitude, even if it doesn't kill Kondo, will surely keep him up at night. The operation was a huge success!"
Li Boyang released his ear, stared at Zhou Hongyi with wide eyes, and after a long while, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "You...you did this? I only told you to keep watch and act as lookouts, who told you to blow up the Special Higher Police!?"
"We were just trying to teach them a lesson today, weren't we? If we're going to teach them a lesson, let's teach them a lesson completely. I didn't do anything special, I just added some fuel to the fire. Who told them to keep so many flammable and explosive materials in their basement? Alright, Captain Li, now is not the time to dwell on this. Tell the brothers to get out of here quickly. If the Japanese react in time, they'll probably launch a frenzied search and counterattack."
Li Boyang was dumbfounded. This young man named Zhou Hongyi must be insane. His high-profile bombing of the Special Higher Police had driven all the Japanese in Shanghai crazy, leading to a frenzied crackdown on their Military Intelligence Bureau's hidden strongholds. They only wanted to assassinate Kondo, the leader, but they hadn't intended to stir up a hornet's nest!
Li Boyang stared at Zhou Hongyi's retreating figure as if he were a madman, and could only grit his teeth and follow.
However, the explosion and mushroom cloud from the Special Higher Police were visible throughout most of Shanghai. Chen Gong and his team, who were in the distance feinting an attack to draw the enemy's attention, were also shocked by the commotion.
"Wow, Li Boyang and his gang are really going all out! Brothers, let's get out of here!"
After the explosion, the once imposing building of the Special Higher Police was reduced to ruins. Thick smoke still billowed from the rubble, and charred beams and pillars lay askew, some of them pinning down staff members who couldn't escape. Broken filing cabinets, twisted and deformed tables and chairs, and other debris were scattered all over the ground.
The surrounding streets were also affected, with the ground riddled with potholes of all sizes. The once smooth stone pavement was blasted into pieces, and many streetlights were knocked down, their glass shades shattered on the ground. After flickering a few times, they went out completely, plunging the area into an eerie and chaotic gloom.
Some shops facing the street had their windows and doors shattered. Some of the goods inside were blown out by the blast wave and scattered haphazardly on the street. The original signs were blown away and no one knew where they were. Only bare walls remained, with black marks left by the explosion, like shocking scars left by the disaster.
Just as the headquarters of the Special High Police was being destroyed in the explosion, at a secret dock on the riverbank, Ryunosuke Kondo stood gazing into the distance.
"Baka! Who is it? At this time, in this direction, at this distance... are they targeting me?"
The cunning Kondo changed his mind an hour before leaving. He set off very discreetly in a car, leaving half an hour early, and the one who came out later was the bait.
His caution proved to be well-founded; the terrifying power of the explosion could be clearly felt even from the dock.
"Kondo-kun, how have you been? I didn't expect to receive such a warm welcome as soon as I disembarked."
At the dock, a warship slowly moored, and surrounded by a group of soldiers, a middle-aged man in a suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and sporting a signature mustache slowly stepped off.
Kondo stood with his legs together and bowed his head, saying, "Teacher, the situation in Shanghai has been quite complicated lately. I'm sorry to have startled you. I will do my best to catch the rats hiding in the shadows and put them all into the laboratory to become your test subjects."
The visitor was named Hiramasa Kotaro, a renowned military doctor and biochemical expert in the Japanese army, and also the teacher of Kondo Ryunosuke.
"Hehehe, Kondo-kun, I know your abilities quite well. You are meticulous in your work, decisive and adaptable. The fact that we are all quiet here is the best proof of that. Alright, let's go straight to the laboratory in the suburbs. Let's skip the welcoming ceremony and just have a simple meal together. I want to get started as soon as possible."
Kondo lowered his head even further and said, "Teacher, I understand. The laboratory is very safe. To the outside world it's a prison, but inside it's your private laboratory. The first batch of goods and raw materials from Hasegawa has arrived. He has integrated many large business associations in Shanghai, so he can transport more experimental supplies in the next shipment. You should get some rest tonight."
After saying this, Kondo hurriedly took two steps to open the car door for his teacher. After the teacher was seated, he respectfully closed the door and then signaled to the accompanying guards to escort this important figure to a safe destination.
Once his teacher's car had driven far away, Kondo slowly straightened up, his eyes filled with murderous intent. He gritted his teeth and shouted, "Men! Go back immediately and have all the Special Higher Police and the agents of Unit 76 mobilized. I want to know who was behind tonight's events!"
"Yes, sir!"