Chapter 206: The Plan Succeeds

When Song Fuguo joked that Cheng Qianfan was putting on airs and acting mysterious, it was not only because Cheng Qianfan carried himself like a master strategist with everything under control, but also because of his appearance.

At present, Cheng Qianfan looked much older, like a middle-aged man of thirty-five or thirty-six.

Moreover, after applying makeup, both his complexion and facial features differed noticeably from his real appearance.

In addition, Cheng Qianfan had been wearing a sun hat that shaded his brows and eyes.

A pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested on the bridge of his nose, and a beard had been attached to his chin.

Most importantly, Cheng Qianfan’s mannerisms closely imitated those of a middle-aged man.

Had Song Fuguo not known Cheng Qianfan’s true appearance, even he would almost certainly have assumed this was a middle-aged man engaged in a profession such as teaching.

“The fact that Eguchi Hideya was nearly executed by us may indeed have made him extremely angry and caused him to distrust our promises.

“However, for the current Eguchi Hideya, every display of anger is merely a means of securing greater benefits for himself in this cooperation. A man like Eguchi is the most practical sort.”

Playing with a matchstick in his hand, Cheng Qianfan said, “Or, to be more precise, he is striving to maximize his own chances of survival.”

Hearing this, Song Fuguo nodded in satisfaction.

“Not bad. Your analysis of Eguchi’s personality and psychological reactions is quite thorough. It seems your training trip to Hangzhou was highly rewarding.”

“I must thank Section Chief Song for your support.” Cheng Qianfan added tea to Song Fuguo’s cup and said with a smile.

“Mr. Eguchi, first of all, I would like to express my regret and apologies for the fright you experienced at the execution ground.” Haozai gave a slight bow and spoke sincerely. “However, I believe it is necessary to explain that matter.”

“The executions at the execution ground were both real and fake,” Haozai said. “Some people were genuinely meant to be executed. Others were being subjected to a life-and-death test in the hope that they would abandon darkness and embrace the light. As for Mr. Eguchi, you were actually the safest of all. You simply accompanied them through the process without being informed.”

Seeing the disbelief on Eguchi Hideya’s face, Haozai continued, “Among all those people, why was Mr. Eguchi Hideya the only one able to escape? That alone proves everything. Even when you suddenly chose to flee, we still honored our promise and did not shoot at you.”

Although Eguchi Hideya had brought up the matter merely to pressure the Nationalist agents, and did not actually care what explanation they provided, hearing such a response still left him annoyed.

So according to you, you did nothing wrong, and instead the fault lay with the Inoue Residence for rescuing me, and with me for escaping amid the chaos?

“All right, Mr. Eguchi Hideya, that matter is already in the past. Determining who was right or wrong is no longer important. We should not dwell on a minor misunderstanding.” Haozai’s expression was serious. “What’s important is looking forward. Don’t you agree?”

Eguchi Hideya remained silent for quite some time before finally looking up and saying:

“First, I want your promise that my life will be protected.”

“Second, I want money.”

“And third, I want to know how you intend to arrange things for me afterward.”

“Mr. Eguchi, I’ll answer your questions one by one,” Haozai said. “Regarding the first point, we cannot guarantee your safety. If I claimed we absolutely could, you wouldn’t believe me anyway. All we can say is that we will do everything possible to protect you.”

Upon hearing this, Eguchi Hideya felt neither anger nor opposition.

Instead, he felt relieved.

“As for your second and third questions, I can answer them together.”

“Our superiors specifically instructed us regarding your arrangements. We have two plans. One is to provide Mr. Eguchi with a substantial reward. As for where you go and what you do afterward, we will not concern ourselves with it. The second arrangement is a modest bonus and a ticket to Brazil.”

Eguchi Hideya pondered.

The first option, a large sum of money followed by freedom, was something he did not believe in at all.

The second option, a symbolic bonus and a steamship ticket, sounded far more credible.

Furthermore, they had offered a ticket to Brazil rather than Britain, France, or the United States.

That actually suggested a certain degree of sincerity.

In the twenty-eighth year of the Meiji era, the year after the Empire’s victory over Qing China, Japan and Brazil signed the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation, formally establishing diplomatic relations.

Afterward, the governments of both countries negotiated and began planning organized immigration to Brazil.

Brazil possessed vast lands and a sparse population. In order to develop its economy, it recruited immigrants from many countries.

As a result, many Japanese families crossed the oceans and settled there.

One of Eguchi Hideya’s childhood friends had emigrated to Brazil.

Returning to Japan was impossible.

As for Britain, France, and the United States, he was unfamiliar with all of them.

Brazil, on the other hand, already had many Japanese residents. It was far from Asia, and he could change his name and hide there.

Going to Brazil was indeed an excellent choice.

After only a brief period of consideration, Eguchi Hideya made his decision.

“I like Brazil,” he said.

Then he paused, his tone serious and his eyes shining with apparent sincerity.

“What is our plan?”

An hour later.

Haozai looked at Eguchi Hideya.

“That’s the plan. Do you have anything you’d like to add?”

The Special Service Office had not simply issued orders to Eguchi Hideya.

Instead, they allowed him to participate in the discussions and refine the original plan.

This had also been Cheng Qianfan’s suggestion to Song Fuguo.

In this operation, Eguchi Hideya was the most important executor.

He was also the person most familiar with the internal circumstances.

His suggestions were therefore extremely valuable.

Moreover, as Cheng Qianfan had previously instructed Haozai:

“Eguchi fears death. He wants to survive this operation. He will pay even more attention to the reasonableness of every detail than we will.”

“You must ensure that the people assigned to extract me arrive exactly on time,” Eguchi Hideya said. “That is my only request.”

“We can guarantee that.” Haozai nodded. “However, we cannot rule out unexpected circumstances. Our superiors asked me to convey a message to you.”

“Please go ahead.”

“In the worst-case scenario, after killing Yingzuo Eiichi, you fail to withdraw in time. If that happens and you are confronted with arrest, do not resist,” Haozai said. “But you must immediately make sure everyone knows that you killed Yingzuo Eiichi because he stole your fiancée.”

“Yingzuo Eiichi is your superior. You are a hero recently commended by the Japanese military. If a hero’s fiancée is taken by his superior, you will gain widespread sympathy, and your personal safety should be protected.”

“I understand.” Eguchi Hideya bent at the waist and bowed to Haozai. “Thank you.”

At this moment, for the first time, he reluctantly began to believe that they did not intend to discard him after the mission was completed.

Haozai smiled, signaled his colleagues to untie Eguchi Hideya, removed the magazine from his sidearm, placed both the pistol and the magazine on the table, and then departed with the others.

Staring at the empty house and realizing they had truly left, Eguchi Hideya grabbed hold of the table and nearly collapsed.

Lowering his head to look at the pistol on the table, his expression changed repeatedly.

In the end, an inexplicable smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“Chief.”

After giving Song Fuguo and Cheng Qianfan a detailed report of the entire meeting, Haozai said, “Throughout the entire conversation, Eguchi never mentioned Keiko even once. It’s as though he has forgotten about that woman.”

Song Fuguo frowned.

That was somewhat abnormal.

Cheng Qianfan paced in place for a moment before asking, “Have we determined how often Keiko meets with Yingzuo Eiichi?”

“The shortest interval was one week. The longest was twenty-eight days,” Song Fuguo replied after some thought.

Seeing Cheng Qianfan’s serious expression, Song Fuguo immediately understood why he had asked the question.

The very first time he met Cheng Qianfan, he had judged that the young man possessed the qualities needed for intelligence work.

However, the speed of the young man’s growth had exceeded even his expectations.

“Grab her,” Cheng Qianfan said coldly. “Section Chief Song, this Keiko must be placed under our control.”