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

149. Single-handedly covering the rear

"Go back quickly!"

Helpless, Ah Gui led everyone back into the antique shop. At this moment, Zhou Hongyi had already activated [Eye of Insight], [Master of Deception], as well as [Gunfire Mode] and [Melee Domain]. His mind was racing, and suspicious shadows and faint footsteps came from all directions, making him realize the seriousness of the situation—the "onepiece" antique shop was completely surrounded, a 360-degree encirclement.

"When was it exposed? Why was there no warning? Was it Kondo or Number 76? That shouldn't be the case, I didn't give anything away..."

Zhou Hongyi's mind raced, and he quickly reviewed everything he had done recently. He was certain that the problem did not lie with him.

Fu Sheng, Ah Gui, and the Blind Man often followed him, so the problem shouldn't lie with them. Although Xiao Bei performed at the Paramount Ballroom every week, she maintained her aloof princess image on weekdays, so there shouldn't be a problem. Therefore, the problem must lie with Qing Xia.

Zhou Hongyi's mind raced like a sophisticated machine, and ultimately, all possibilities pointed to the time when Qingxia risked her life to contact the weapons expert.

"Damn it, just once, and they found out already?"

Zhou Hongyi cursed fiercely, while A Gui and the others had already retreated and whispered, "Big brother, there are enemies all behind us too, what do we do?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Hongyi said in a deep voice, "It seems that this place has been exposed. Sister Qingxia, it's all my fault. I made you risk contacting Professor Wang. They must have come here following that lead. Agui, lead everyone through the tunnel. I'll hold them off."

As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows, and Zhou Hongyi, having designed the safe house here, couldn't possibly have only the back door and the roof as escape routes. Indeed, he had also dug a tunnel connecting to an underground water channel. Crawling into the tunnel and following the intricate network of waterways, he was confident he could shake off his pursuers.

Qingxia's expression changed, and she asked urgently, "You mean, the spies I encountered in Phoenix Tail Alley have already been discovered? If that's the case... No, I can't leave. You all leave, I'll stay. If I'm the only one exposed, let the trail end with me. We don't need everyone to be exposed together. As long as you leave and don't catch them in the act, you can put all the blame on me. I'll leave Blind Man and Nannan to you."

As she spoke, Qingxia placed the child in her arms into the blind man's arms, her face resolute.

"Mom, what did you say?"

"Sister Qingxia, what are you doing? You are all my people, Zhou Hongyi's people, and your safety is my responsibility. They are just some low-level spies, I don't even care about them. Let's leave first, and stay here to kill them to our hearts' content."

Qingxia reached out and grasped Zhou Hongyi's arm, saying, "My good brother, it's not time for you to expose yourself yet. You still have many tasks to complete. Only if your identity is not exposed can we keep track of the Japanese's movements. Although I'm just a woman, I still understand these principles. I know we're supplying the Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Forces, and that expert's identity was also very important last time. Only if you stay here can you play your greatest role. Blind man, listen to your mother, follow your brother Zhou, kill more Japanese devils, and drive them out of our country."

"Sister Qingxia..."

"What are you talking about?"

Everyone was stunned by Qingxia's words. In their minds, this singer from the Paramount Ballroom was a genuinely warm-hearted, gossipy, and socially awkward woman—the epitome of a shrew from the alleyways. Despite her increasingly plump and out-of-shape figure, she still constantly talked about "back in the day..." Yet, this same person, when faced with a greater cause, resolutely decided to sacrifice herself for the greater good. Her life was elevated at that moment. Zhou Hongyi seemed to feel that Qingxia was now radiating a dazzling light.

“Sister Qingxia, it’s not to the point where you have to sacrifice yourself. Listen to me, get out of the tunnel quickly. I can hold them off and prevent them from seeing me. As long as they can’t catch me and don’t have concrete evidence, I will deny everything. The Japanese can’t do anything to me.”

"But I..."

"Sister Qingxia, listen to me. I'm in charge here. Ah Gui and Blind Man, what are you waiting for? Get out of the tunnel now."

Zhou Hongyi sensed the approaching footsteps, while the blind man and A Gui hurriedly moved a complete set of medieval European armor in the corner of the antique shop, and pried open a piece of floor beneath it, revealing an entrance to an underground passage.

Ah Gui was the first to crawl in, took the child, and then helped Xiao Bei and Qing Xia in. Next was the blind man, and Fu Sheng was responsible for bringing up the rear. When he crawled down, he stuck his head out and shouted, "Brother, hurry up and come too. There are so many of them, you can't beat them."

Zhou Hongyi calmly put on his coat, buttoned his hat, and winked at Fusheng, saying, "Fusheng, who do you think your brother is? They won't be able to catch me. You guys go quickly. I'll buy you some time. Remember to go to our safe house number two, settle everyone down, and then go to the police station to get the brothers to help me out."

"Ok!"

Fu Sheng nodded heavily before shrinking into the hole and covering the floor with his hand. Zhou Hongyi then moved closer and pushed the armor back into place. He even found a rag to wipe away the traces of the moved armor before revealing a ferocious smile.

The approaching enemy had reached the front and back doors of "onepiece." The two agents exchanged a glance, preparing for one of them to kick down the door while the other quickly entered with a gun.

Just as the first man mustered all his strength to kick the door, it suddenly opened inward. He kicked at empty air, lost his balance, and fell inside. At that moment, an arm reached out from inside the room, grabbed the agent, and with a crack, the man's neck slumped to the side, his eyes wide open. He died without ever seeing how the other person had done it.

"Those inside, there's no need to resist anymore. Surrender now and you might save your life. Once we capture you, we'll make you experience all the tortures of our Unit 76!"

Zhou Hongyi snorted coldly, thinking: As expected, they are agents of No. 76, but it's not just them, because he could smell the stench on the Japanese soldiers from a distance. It seems that the Special Higher Police and No. 76 are working together, and they are taking it very seriously.

As Zhou Hongyi thought about it, he kicked the agent with the broken neck out the door. The agent guarding outside saw a figure rush out and instinctively raised his gun to fire. Only after firing did he realize that it was his own comrade.

While they were still stunned, Zhou Hongyi stepped forward with his gun raised, half-crouched, and fired two shots at the torso and one at the head, instantly sending all the agents surrounding the doorway to meet their maker.

After firing, he flicked his wrist, throwing away the empty magazine. Almost simultaneously, another fully loaded magazine was pushed in.

Zhou Hongyi rolled away, dodging the enemy's dense fire. Bullets shattered the antique shop's glass, hitting the goods inside and scattering debris all over the ground. Without thinking, Zhou Hongyi leaped up and rushed towards the back door.

As soon as the spies walked in through the back door, a kettle full of boiling water flew towards them. The boiling water scalded the spies, causing them to scream in pain. Zhou Hongyi immediately appeared, and with a series of hip thrusts, he knocked down the spies blocking his way, and then kicked them backward out of the back door.

Just as Zhou Hongyi stepped out the back door and into the alley by the river, a dark figure suddenly descended from the sky.

He tilted his neck slightly and felt a sliver of cold light brush against his hair, cutting off half of the brim of his top hat.

"Old man, it's you again."

Zhou Hongyi grinned, his white teeth reflecting the moonlight. The dark figure leaping down from the roof was none other than the blind swordsman, Sasaki.