cicada

Chapter 1298 It gradually becomes clear
Three days after Ishii Takako came to clean the house, Sorge appeared on a tram on the streets of Tokyo. He looked behind him vigilantly, ready to get off the tram at any time to shake off his stalker.

The reason for being so cautious was that he was going to meet his deputy Miyagi and radio operator Clausen, which was very dangerous, but he had his reasons for going.

He had to inform Miyagi and Clausen that Ishii Takako's residence had been searched, and also receive the latest orders from his superiors through Clausen.

The tram slowly stopped. Sorge got off, walked a few steps, and suddenly turned around. He crossed the road amid the sounds of honking horns and cursing, and came to the door of a magnificent dance hall.

When the doorman of the ballroom saw him, he immediately pushed open the spring door enthusiastically: "Sir, welcome."

Sorgen nodded, handed over a tip, and strode in. He greeted passers-by from time to time while walking, and there was no sign of anxiety in his heart.

This is a standard Western-style dance hall with a dance floor in the middle of the hall and a large number of scattered seats around the dance floor. At this time, the scattered seats are already full of guests, many of whom are familiar with Sorge.

After chatting with a Japanese Foreign Ministry official for a few words, Sorge said goodbye with a smile. His eyes quickly swept across the audience and locked onto a few old friends.

When Miyagi and Clausen saw him, they stood up and waved along with the others. The two sides soon sat together and started chatting, and there was laughter and joy everywhere.

After chatting for a while, melodious music started playing and one after another people entered the dance floor with their female companions, leaving Sorge and the other two alone in their seats.

Clausen looked around to make sure no one was looking at him, then he pushed the cigarette box to Sorge and whispered, "Mosk's latest secret message."

Sorge took the cigarette box but did not check it immediately until a dance ended and some dancers went to the toilet. Then he took action.

He followed the dancers in groups of three or four, quietly slipped into the toilet cubicle, and began to decipher the secret code in the cigarette box.

According to the discipline of the Red Russian military intelligence department, the "Ramza" group used several sets of codes, and the decryption methods were only known to individual intelligence officers such as Sorge and Mosk.

The radio operator Clausen sent and received all encrypted information, so that even if the other party was arrested, not too many secrets would be leaked.

Outside the restroom, Miyagi and Clausen were drinking and watching the guests coming and going. The two chatted with each other casually, and the beer in their glasses was getting less and less.

After an unknown amount of time, Sorge appeared again. He looked a little dazed. Miyagi and Clausen couldn't help but wonder what the secret message said that made the other party so depressed.

You know, even when he was arrested and thrown into a cell by the Shanghai Police Station a few years ago, Sorge did not show a trace of fear. What happened to the other party today?

"What happened?" Miyagi asked in a low voice amid the noisy music.

Sorge picked up the wine glass and drank it all, wiped the corner of his mouth and replied in a low voice: "Shelikov has defected, and our superiors asked us to find a way to get rid of this traitor."

Miyagi's hands trembled and he almost dropped the wine glass on the ground, his eyes full of disbelief.

Clausen was from the underground party international and had never heard of Shelikov's name. Seeing their big reaction, he immediately asked, "Who is Shelikov?"

"He is the head of the NK┴VD in the Far East. He has the list of all intelligence personnel in the Far East, their call codes, and code books." Sorge replied coldly.

Clausen opened his mouth wide, not knowing what to say. Why would such an important person defect, and succeed in doing so?
After a long silence, Sorge spoke again: "Takako has been targeted by the General Staff, and I am also at risk of being exposed. This incident may be related to Shelikov's defection."

"Wait." Clausen was even more confused. He frowned and asked, "We are affiliated with the military. People from the NK┴VD shouldn't know about the existence of the Ramza group, right?"

Sorge and Miyagi smiled bitterly. According to organizational discipline, Clausen was right, but the "Ramza" team had sent too many intelligence reports to the Far East intelligence system. God knew how much information Shelikov had.

The three of them looked at each other in silence, and the atmosphere became increasingly solemn. Sorge thought about it and suggested finding Shelikov's location first and discussing other matters later. Miyagi and Clausen agreed.

Although they should not seek intelligence under the current circumstances, Shelikov must be eliminated, not only because of orders, but also for the safety of the "Ramza" team.

After discussing the business, Miyagi left first, followed by Clausen. Sorge looked uncertain, stood up and walked out of the ballroom silently.

After a while, a female customer from the next table quietly left with her purse. She walked around the street for a few circles and finally came to a kimono shop.

In the backyard of the store, Kiyofuku Okamoto looked up at the sky with his hands behind his back, and asked the woman, "Did you record the conversation between suspect No. 1 and Miyagi?"

The woman took out a miniature recorder from her purse, plugged in headphones, listened for a long time, and shook her head: "Sorry, Minister, the sound in the ballroom is too noisy, and the recording effect is not good."

Intelligence personnel are not gods. Without the help of accurate intelligence, they will make wrong decisions. This time, Sorge made a fatal mistake. He did not expect that the Japanese would first lock on Miyagi, which resulted in his anti-tracking action being ineffective.

Okamoto Kiyohuke was not angry when he heard that the recording was invalid. He said calmly, "Then give up. Our opponents are very professional and will not make mistakes so easily. By the way, who is more suspicious among the people who just came into contact with suspect No. 1?" The woman thought for a moment and replied, "Canadian businessman Clauson, he opened a photo printing company with branches in Tokyo, Manchuria, and Shanghai. His clients include the Kwantung Army Headquarters and the General Staff Headquarters."

"idiot!"

Kiyohsu Okamoto cursed. It was so ironic that they were working so hard on counter-espionage at the front, but their colleagues were handing the intelligence over to the enemy. After thinking about it, he muttered to himself again.

"Miyagi, Sorge, Clausen, we have found three rats. How many spies are there in the upper echelons of the empire? The locust army inside the pass is so passive. Is there really something wrong with the Prime Minister of the Guards?"

The woman took a few steps back in fear and hid in the corner, trembling. These words were not something an ordinary agent should hear, and hearing them too much could easily cost her life.

Just as Okamoto classified Konoe Fumiya as a non-citizen, colorful flags were flying near Ginza. A newly opened department store attracted countless citizens, and the streets and store fronts were crowded with people.

Fu Ling, the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau in Japan, walked among the crowd. She constantly changed her direction and speed with the help of passers-by. This is also an anti-tracking method suitable for places with a large number of people.

As she was walking, a man quickly passed by Fu Ling. The moment the two met, the other person whispered something in a codeword. Fu Ling did not hesitate and followed the man.

Last night she received the highest level of emergency contact order. The person who spoke was obviously the contact person or courier. The other party gave her a very familiar feeling, maybe an old friend came to visit.

The visitor and Fu Ling left the crowd one after another. The former walked through several alleys and entered a shrine, and Fu Ling also walked in.

The two turned left and right in the shrine and came to a small mound where a man was standing. Fu Ling looked at the man's back with her mouth wide open. At this time, the figure slowly turned around to reveal a disguised face.

"Long time no see, Fu Ling."

"Co-pilot!"

Fu Ling never dreamed that she would see the deputy director in Tokyo. With his status, there was no need for him to go to the front line in person, let alone the dangerous Japanese mainland.

However, as soon as she said the word "co-pilot", she immediately closed her mouth and looked around vigilantly, fearing that the conversation was overheard by someone.

"Don't worry, this is the new safe house set up by the bureau. The palace officers and staff are all our own people. You can retreat through here when necessary." Zuo Zhong said to Fu Ling with a smile.

Fu Ling was relieved then, and she also found that the person who led the way was He Yijun. The two had not seen each other for many years, and they were extremely happy to meet each other this time.

But the reunion was just an interlude. The next moment, Fu Ling began to report to Zuo Chong on the development of the Military Control Commission's intelligence network in Japan, with both good and bad news.

The good news is that the Military Intelligence Bureau has already taken root in major cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagasaki. The bad news is that intelligence personnel are unable to infiltrate the Japanese military and political institutions and can only collect general intelligence.

Zuo Chong was very satisfied with Fu Ling's work. It was not easy for her to lead people to take root in Japan. As for the high-level intelligence, there were Hase and Lin Fuichiro.

After reporting on the work, Fu Ling reported another matter: "Deputy Commander, the headquarters sent a secret telegram yesterday that Lieutenant General Shelikov, the head of the Far East region of the Red Russian NK┴VD, defected to Japan."

This sudden news made Zuo Chong frown. A lieutenant general-level intelligence officer defected, and then Sorge was exposed. There is no such coincidence in the world. These two events must be intrinsically linked.

After going over the many recent events in his mind, Zuo Zhong suddenly stopped moving forward and the expression on his face changed again and again in an instant.

After a long while, he came to his senses and asked Fu Ling: "Help me find this ID, I want to go..."

Zuo Zhong's voice became lower and lower. Fu Ling thought about it and nodded. It was not difficult for her to make ordinary certificates, but the place the deputy director was going to was a little special, so she had to prepare carefully.

Somewhere outside of Tokyo.

Kiyofuko Okamoto was in the living room of a luxurious manor. He was holding a cup of coffee and curiously admiring the Western artworks around him, when a burst of laughter came from the stairs.

"Haha, my friend, what's the matter with you today? Don't forget the deal between us. You can ask questions, but you need to bring enough cash."

Under the gaze of Kiyohisa Okamoto, a middle-aged white man slowly walked to the sofa opposite and sat down, speaking extremely fluent Japanese.

Okamoto didn't want to say more to this traitor who sold out his country for money, so he directly stated his purpose: "Mr. Shelikov, I would like to ask you to tell me again about the Red Russian military deployment in the Far East."

①Shrine Manager