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Chapter 1220 Long Distance Tracking

At the end of January 1941, Baisha Town in Jiangjin County was bustling with people, mountain people and passing tourists coming in an endless stream, making it very lively.

This small town, 73 kilometers away from the main city of Shancheng, was named after the white sand on the nearby river. The town has a long history and has been inhabited as early as the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. After the national government moved westward, it became the new site of many schools.

Shancheng Women's Normal School is located here. It is the highest institution of women's normal school in the Kuomintang-controlled area. It adopts a four-year system, has several majors, and has thousands of students. It is quite famous in the academic circles of the Republic of China.

Contrary to its reputation, the architecture of the Women's Normal School is extremely simple. The school building is just a few newly built earthen-walled buildings in a piece of farmland. There is not even a wall, which greatly facilitates the investigation work.

On a hillside outside Baisha Town, Wu Chunyang, disguised as a local resident, walked into a small courtyard carrying a backpack. From here, he could clearly see the Women's Normal School at the foot of the mountain, and even the girls' dormitory was in full view.

In the yard, Wu Chunyang put down his backpack and walked to the surveillance personnel. He took the telescope from the other party, looked down the mountain through the surveillance hole on the wall, and asked softly.

"The target's current location and whereabouts today."

"The person is in the leftmost classroom on the second floor of Teaching Building A."

After answering, the surveillance officer flipped through the surveillance records and said, "At 7:15 this morning, the target got up and washed up. He had verbal and physical contact with three people. The names of these three people have been given to the brothers in the Second Division.

At 7:30, the target went to a corner of the garden for morning reading for half an hour. After he left, the investigators lurking in the school as school workers checked and found no suspicious items.

From 7:40 to 8:00, she went to the cafeteria to have breakfast, from 8:05 to 11:00, she was in class, and from 11:05 to 11:35, she had lunch.

From then on until 4:30, the target was either resting in the dormitory or attending classes. During this period, all people who had contact with her were handed over to the Second Division for background checks.

By the way, at 1:45 pm, the target went to the teacher's office and made a phone call to her mother. We recorded the call and analysts are working hard to analyze it. "

Listening to his subordinates' reports, Wu Chunyang pointed the telescope at a classroom and quickly found Zhong Xiao among more than 20 students.

It has to be said that Zhong Xiao's appearance is very outstanding, and she can be considered one of the best even in a normal school with only female students.

In the telescope, she was wearing a plain school uniform, her long hair was combed into a long braid. When she turned her head, a pair of bright eyes were inadvertently revealed. She had fair skin, a tall figure, and was full of energy.

Wu Chunyang's suspicion grew even stronger. With Zhong Xiao's looks and family background, she could find any kind of man she wanted. So why would she fall for the plain-looking Bian Jichao?

To be able to become the leader's guard, Bian Jichao's appearance and height are not bad, but they are not good either. At most, he is of average appearance.

It is so strange that a lieutenant with an average family background, average future and average appearance could win the favor of a lady from a noble family.

Looking at the smiling Zhong Xiao, Wu Chunyang handed the telescope to the others and asked a question: "What was the target's reaction after seeing Bian Jichao's note?"

"There was no reaction. We delivered the note to her as Bian Jichao's comrade. She thanked us after reading it but did not ask for any details." The surveillance officer answered truthfully.

Wu Chunyang lowered his head and thought for a while, then went into the house, put on headphones, and listened to the phone recording.

In the recording, Zhong Xiao asked about the health of his mother and father, and about the recent situation of his brother and sister. Finally, he said that he would return home tomorrow to celebrate the Lunar New Year with his family.

Even though the New Life Movement advocated celebrating New Year's Day instead of the Lunar New Year, thousands of years of tradition cannot be eliminated so easily. The Lunar New Year was still one of the most important festivals for the people of the Republic of China, so Zhong Xiao's behavior was normal.

Putting down the headphones, Wu Chunyang narrowed his eyes. Judging from the existing investigation results, there was no suspicion of the target in the school, so could the problem lie outside the school?

If he was an enemy, he would not choose to conduct espionage activities in school. The school hours are not flexible and there are too many people, making it difficult to ensure safety.

After thinking it over again and again, Wu Chunyang picked up the phone and called the headquarters, reported the situation to Zuo Zhongzhong, and requested additional manpower. He would track and monitor Zhong Xiao throughout his journey home.

It is more than 70 kilometers from Baisha Town to Shancheng City. Such a long route passes through many towns along the way. The operation will inevitably require a large number of manpower and vehicles, which is beyond his authority as the director.

Zuo Zhong did not hesitate. Not only did he agree to his request, he also sent Gui Youguang's special operations team to cooperate with the operation of the First Division.

That night, Wu Chunyang and Gui Youguang drove back and forth several times on the main highway between Shancheng and Baisha Town to survey the route and develop an emergency plan.

To ensure that nothing goes wrong, hundreds of agents are ambushed in groups along the way. Once Zhong Xiao suddenly changes his route, the nearest group can be activated at any time to ensure that the target is not lost.

Eight o'clock the next morning.

The gate of the Women's Normal School was crowded with people. Local female students or those who lived close to home walked out of the school and returned home on sedan chairs or on foot. Zhong Xiao was among them.

Unlike other students, the Zhong family sent a brand new Buick sedan to pick him up. After getting in the car, Zhong Xiao took out a camera, leaned out of the window and pressed the shutter at the surroundings.

The agent in charge of tracking did not dodge, but naturally avoided the front and only faced the other party with his side face, avoiding leaving a frontal photo and not arousing the target's suspicion.

Normal schools in the Republic of China all provided free food and accommodation. Most of the students were from ordinary families, but there were also children from wealthy families. Therefore, it was not conspicuous for the target to carry a camera. But why did he take pictures at this time? Wu Chunyang, who was on the top of the mountain in the distance, had a solemn expression on his face.

"Chun Yang, this little girl is quite interesting. Is she exploring the way, or has she already found the detective?"

Gui Youguang, who was standing next to Wu Chunyang, wiped his head and asked, speaking in jargon and with a face full of flesh, he looked like a mountain king.

Wu Chunyang ignored him and watched the Buick drive eastward. He said to follow suit, then he took the little spy down to the road and got in the car, hanging far behind the Zhong family's car.

Along the way, the brand new Buick did not stop for a moment, and Zhong Xiao and the driver did not throw away any items outside the car, and drove straight to the mountain city. After following for a few miles, Wu Chunyang's car turned into a fork in the road, and Gui Youguang's car continued to follow.

Over the next dozens of kilometers, the agents used cars, trucks, and even rode bicycles on sections with poor road conditions and slower car speeds to monitor the target's every move.

Not only were there cars following behind, but there were also spies secretly observing at roadside tea stalls and in private houses, with pairs of sharp eyes fixed on the road at all times.

Some spies even drove in front of the Buick, turned or stopped after arriving at the designated location, and handed over the tracking task to the next wave of operatives. The whole process was as smooth as flowing water.

On the dusty road, the agents constantly made subtle adjustments to their actions based on the situation at the scene. Plans are plans, and there are always various problems at the scene. The agents in the surveillance vehicles issued orders to the drivers from time to time.

"It's three kilometers. This road is too straight. It's a bit conspicuous to follow it. Let's get off at the next intersection."

"Close the distance, don't follow too far, that will easily arouse suspicion."

"There is a fork in the road ahead. Reduce speed and put the target vehicle behind you to prevent it from turning suddenly, making it easier for other brothers to catch up."

"150 meters away, at the 3 o'clock position, passers-by next to the stone raised their hands, took photos, and sent signals to people to keep an eye on it."

The driver of the Zhong family knew nothing about this. The road from Baisha Town to the city center is part of the Chengdu-Chongqing Highway. There is a lot of traffic and a lot of people. It is difficult for the strictly trained spies hiding there to be detected.

At noon, the Buick entered the city, turned left and right and came to the back alley of a large house covering several acres. A middle-aged couple had been waiting in the alley for a long time.

At the entrance of the alley, on the second floor of a red shop, Wu Chunyang, who had changed his clothes, leaned against the window, staring at Zhong Xiao, and the files of the middle-aged man and woman appeared in his mind.

These two people are Zhong Xiao's parents. One is the head of the Zhong family, and the other is the eldest daughter of another wealthy family in Shancheng. Both of them have clear life experiences and clean backgrounds.

According to the investigation, Mr. and Mrs. Zhong have been living around the mountain city since they were born. They have never disappeared for a long time, and their social relations have never been interrupted.

After thinking about it, Wu Chunyang called his men: "Tell the brothers downstairs to disguise themselves and don't contact the local police station. The Zhong family is a local tyrant and is well-informed."

"Yes, Director, the owner of this popular store is one of our peripheral members and is very reliable." The little spy added after replying.

The so-called "Hongdian" refers to a shop that paints white porcelain. The craftsmen who paint porcelain are called "Hongdianlao" and the skill of painting porcelain is called "Huahong". There are many such shops in Shancheng.

We chose to set up a surveillance point here, firstly because of the background of the shop owner, and secondly because Hongdian has the habit of working at night. There is a saying in the southwest that "Hongdian workers have no quilts and sleep in the ashes all day long."

With this cover, the spies can operate here and come in and out at night without arousing suspicion, which is very important.

Just as Wu Chunyang said, the Zhong family has deep roots in the mountain city. The most difficult part of monitoring the Zhong family is not the technology, but how to avoid the countless eyes around them.

Never underestimate a wealthy and prominent family that has been deeply rooted in the local area for hundreds of years. As long as the spies reveal the slightest flaw, the police station or the servants of the Zhong family will come to "visit" tomorrow.

Hearing Wu Chunyang's instructions, Gui Youguang, who was watching from the sidelines, patted his jacket nonchalantly and answered in a thick Jingzhen accent from Jiangxi Province.

"Don't worry, Chunyang. No matter who comes to check, we are all genuine Hongdianmen. We have all the necessary IDs and travel permits."

Jingzhen was the largest ceramic production center in the Republic of China. There were many people from Jingzhen engaged in red painting in various places, so it was very appropriate for spies to disguise themselves as people from Jingzhen.

Wu Chunyang was still a little worried, and personally checked the credentials, clothing and other details of the personnel at the surveillance point. He did not return to the surveillance window until he was sure that everything was correct.

At this time, Zhong Xiao and his parents had already walked into the house through a small door. This also shows that the Zhong family has strict family education. Although female family members can go out, they can only come back through the back door.

As for entering through the main gate, a girl from a big family like this only has two chances in her life: one is when she gets married, and the other is when she becomes the main wife and enters her husband's family.

But the more such families are, the more they value matching. Bian Jichao is not qualified, so the Zhong family is more suspicious.

Looking at the slowly closing back door, Wu Chunyang suddenly had an idea and thought of another possibility. He immediately rushed to the phone and called the headquarters.

In the Military Control Commission's guesthouse, Bian Jichao sat on the edge of the bed with a painful expression, clutching a pendant in his hand, muttering Zhong Xiao's name.

Just as he was feeling sorry for himself, the door was opened with a bang, and Gu Qi and Song Minghao walked into the room together. Without waiting for Bian Jichao to say anything, they took out a photo and asked loudly.

"Do you know this person?"

Looking at the unfamiliar male face in the photo, Bian Jichao shook his head in confusion. He had never seen this person before.

Gu Qi and Song Minghao's eyes lit up, they finally caught the fox's tail. Song Minghao sneered at the silly Bian Jichao.

"Lieutenant Bian, this is Miss Zhong's father. How come you don't even recognize your father-in-law?"

"what?!"

Bian Jichao was horrified and stood up all of a sudden. The pendant fell to the ground. In the photo embedded in the middle of the pendant, Zhong Xiao, dressed in white, was smiling like a flower...

(6.1, happy friends, both adults and children, I wish all the readers who are about to take the college entrance examination a bright future - read on after the exam)