bookmarkrole Chapter 150 So he was actually Lone Shadow!
Chapter 150 So he was actually Lone Shadow!
Inside the banquet hall, Lan Yanzhi and Zhou Xiao were slowly spinning to the music.
Their dance steps were graceful and their coordination natural, like a pair of old partners who had practiced together for a long time and developed a tacit understanding.
Although Lan Yanzhi was anxious about the confrontation in the conference room, she refrained from asking—the time was not yet right.
Her gaze shifted, catching sight of Junko Mutou drinking alone at the bar. She covered her mouth and chuckled, "Director Zhou, that Japanese lady's eyes were glued to you the whole time. Could it be that she's really fallen for you at first sight?"
Zhou Xiao glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, his expression remaining unchanged: "Don't make wild guesses, maybe she's targeting you."
Lan Yanzhi burst out laughing.
Just then, Yoko Minamida and Yoshimasa Fujita walked out of the small conference room side by side.
Nantian Yangzi walked straight to Wang Manchun and said decisively, "Director Wang, immediately terminate the 'bait' operation."
Wang Manchun was taken aback: "Section Chief Nantian? Why?"
Yoko Nanada's expression was solemn: "The Peace Conference cannot afford any mistakes. The city must remain peaceful; there can be no more bloodshed or gunfire—Mr. Wang wants stability, not turmoil."
"That's an order."
Wang Manchun was taken aback: "But you clearly supported this plan before..."
Yoko Minamida only replied with one sentence: "The situation has changed."
After saying that, he turned and left, leaving Wang Manchun frozen in place, her face full of confusion.
Lan Yanzhi took in the whole scene, and seeing Wang Manchun's ashen face, a sudden realization dawned on her—
Operation "bait" has been called off.
Once this plan is implemented, it could easily trigger a chain reaction. Stopping it in time is tantamount to eliminating a major hidden danger.
She lowered her voice: "You got it done?"
Zhou Xiao said casually, "It's a small matter."
Blue Rouge's eyes lit up, like a kitten that had just discovered a new toy: "How did you do that?"
Zhou Xiao smiled but remained silent, only raising an eyebrow: "Guess?"
Wang Manchun was completely dumbfounded—she didn't know why Nantian Yangzi had suddenly turned against her, nor did she know why her carefully planned operation had become a pawn overnight.
No. 76 was placed under the control of the Special Higher Police, and despite his resentment, he was powerless to resist.
The "bait" plan is now abandoned.
The banquet remained relaxed and lively, with guests chatting, laughing, and dancing as if nothing was amiss.
As the music ended, Zhou Xiao walked towards Minglou.
In "The Disguiser", Ming Lou is a recognized strategist: meticulous in thought, far-sighted in planning, decisive in action, and accurate in vision.
Zhou Xiao sincerely admired such a person.
Working with them is effortless, worry-free, and concise—they get to the point immediately and never drag things out.
These are true comrades-in-arms, not burdens.
Zhou Xiao smiled and greeted him: "Mr. Ming, I heard that you have taken on important responsibilities since returning from your studies in Paris. You are truly a young talent."
Minglou replied with a smile, "Director Zhou, you're too kind. You're so young yet you've already taken on such an important responsibility; that truly shows your outstanding ability and boundless future."
"Although we each have our own business, if we can join hands, we will definitely achieve twice the result with half the effort. I wish for smooth cooperation in the future."
Zhou Xiao extended his hand: "It's a pleasure doing business with you."
The two held hands firmly and steadily.
Knowing Minglou's true identity, Zhou Xiao's approach at this moment clearly carried a hint of probing.
The banquet was originally proceeding smoothly and in a lively atmosphere, and could be considered a complete success.
But at that moment, the crowd suddenly became agitated.
Black smoke billowed and quickly filled the entire hall.
Flames immediately shot up and spread rapidly along the carpet and curtains.
"Fire! Run!"
"Run! The fire is rising!"
"Ah—Help! Fire!"
In an instant, order completely collapsed. Guests scattered and fled, some knocking over tables and chairs, some trampling off their high heels, and some not even bothering to grab their coats, just rushing towards the exit.
Although most of those present were political and business elites, military and government officials, in a life-or-death situation, no one cared about appearances. The instinct for survival overwhelmed everything, and everyone scrambled to get out.
The situation was completely out of control.
Zhou Xiao was also stunned for a moment.
The fire was not his doing—given the tight security at the scene, it would have been extremely difficult to set it on purpose; it was most likely an unexpected accident.
An unexpected surprise? That's even better!
He originally intended to use this banquet to cause trouble, but now that the fire has started, it has become a godsend cover.
"Run!"
"Fire!"
In the chaos, people only care about their own survival.
Everyone was pushing their way out.
Zhou Xiao quickly scanned the entire room: Lan Yanzhi had already squeezed to the door and disappeared into the passage in a flash. He was safe for the time being, and he felt a slight sense of relief.
But the next second, his gaze locked onto Junko Muto in the crowd.
Today she was wearing a dark kimono with wide sleeves and a long hem, which already restricted her movement; paired with wooden clogs, she would normally look dignified walking slowly, but now, with the crowd surging, she could hardly move her legs.
In the chaos, she was knocked off balance and fell heavily to the ground.
"oops--!"
Junko collapsed to the ground, her skirt billowing out, and she couldn't get up for a moment.
Hearing the commotion, her father, Muto Yoshio, turned to look for her, but was violently pushed by the crowd and was involuntarily shoved towards the exit. He called out "Junko! Junko!" twice, but his voice was swallowed up by the noise.
No one stopped, and no one looked back.
Zhou Xiao's gaze shifted, and he caught sight of Wang Fuyao being escorted away by two bodyguards not far away. With a sudden thought, he immediately changed direction and rushed towards Chunzi against the flow of people.
At the same time, he quietly reached into his pocket with his right hand and took out the specially made pocket watch.
This is not an ordinary timekeeping device, but a miniature pistol that can only hold one bullet.
enough.
He pushed through the panicked crowd, rushed to Junko's side, and helped her up: "Miss Junko, are you alright?"
As everyone fled through the hall, he was the only one who came towards them—to the simple and gentle Junko, this figure was like a helping hand descending from the sky.
He is a savior.
Junko looked up, her eyes reflecting the flickering firelight and Zhou Xiao's composed profile. Her heart raced slightly, and a blush rose to her cheeks. "I'm fine... I just think I twisted my ankle."
Falling down while wearing wooden clogs is perfectly normal in this chaotic, trampling situation.
Zhou Xiao didn't have time to look closely. He simply grabbed her arm and said, "I'll take you out!" Before he finished speaking, he was already half-supporting and half-carrying her toward the door.
At the same time, under the close protection of two subordinates, Wang Fuyao quickly moved towards the exit.
While keeping Chunzi steady, Zhou Xiao kept a close eye on Wang Fuyao's back out of the corner of his eye.
This person was the very person we were looking for – Minglou's mentor and Wang Manchun's uncle.
If we eliminate him now, we can severely damage Wang Manchun's forces and deter the traitors, letting them truly experience the methods of the "King of the Underworld".
More importantly, this move also lays the groundwork for the subsequent peace conference. Zhou Xiao had already planned and prepared for that conference.
He helped Chunzi walk forward, but his left hand had already quietly unscrewed the back cover of his pocket watch, and the sights silently locked onto the back of Wang Fuqiao's neck.
The firelight flickered, the thick smoke was choking, the lights went on and off, and the hall was shrouded in an eerie, dim yellow light.
He didn't have much time to wait for the right moment. Seeing Wang Fuyao about to pass through the archway, Zhou Xiao twisted his wrist and pulled the trigger—
He rescued the damsel in distress, and incidentally eliminated the villain—all in one swift motion!
The gunshot was muffled, followed by a dull thud, almost drowned out by the screams of the crowd.
The distance was close enough that the trajectory was perfectly accurate.
"Whoosh—"
The bullet pierced the air, heading straight for Wang Fuyao's temple.
Unexpected changes occurred!
A figure suddenly cut in from the side, blocking Wang Fuyao's path.
"puff!"
The bullet pierced the man's skull, blood splattered, and his body collapsed.
The fire intensified, and the power outage caused the lights to flicker, making the hall dim and severely obstructing visibility. Zhou Xiao supported Chunzi with one hand, while the angle of his gun was limited with the other. In addition, the crowd was pushing and shoving, and Wang Fuyao's figure disappeared several times in the swaying light and shadows—in the end, the shot missed its target and only accidentally killed a man next to him.
Who was that person? Zhou Xiao had no time to confirm, nor could he identify them.
With only one bullet left in the pocket watch pistol, there was absolutely no possibility of launching a second assassination attempt.
Moreover, if Zhou Xiao were to make a second move, the risk of him being exposed would increase dramatically.
Why did he save Wu Teng Chunzi?
First, Zhou Xiao was well-versed in the rules of espionage and knew Wu Teng Chunzi's background well—this girl was clear-headed and frank, and naive about power struggles; it would be a pity if she were to perish at this moment.
Secondly, her father, Muto Yoshio, is the Consul General of Japan in Shanghai. Rescuing her would open an intelligence channel and provide an additional layer of cover for his identity.
More importantly, Zhou Xiao had originally planned to use her as a cover.
His original target was Wang Fuzhao—he planned to use the pocket watch pistol to strike her in the chaos.
However, if one were to attempt an assassination while everyone was fleeing in panic, the action would be too conspicuous and could easily backfire.
When he helped Wu Tengchun rush out of the banquet hall and retreated to the second floor, he conveniently eliminated his target, so no one suspected anything—who would doubt a "righteous man" who had just saved the consul's daughter? Wu Tengchun herself was the most natural smokescreen.
This is Zhou Xiao's real plan.
He half-supported, half-carried Wu Tengchunzi, and quickly walked through the smoke-filled hall, heading straight for the second floor.
The banquet hall was located on the third floor of the Shanghai Grand Hotel, but at this moment, most of the guests had retreated to the second floor to avoid danger.
Wang Fuzhao narrowly escaped death, and Minglou was asking her in a low voice if she was injured.
Lan Yanzhi wasn't worried about Zhou Xiao's safety—she trusted his abilities. But when she saw him supporting Wu Teng Chunzi, she felt a strange tightness in her chest and a pang of bitterness rose in her heart.
This is probably... what jealousy is?
Shen Fang witnessed Zhou Xiao's entire rescue of Wu Teng Chunzi and secretly concluded that this man was definitely a traitor.
Unbeknownst to him, the "traitor" before him was none other than his underground code name—Lone Shadow—whom he was about to meet!
The two will be shocked when they meet: So he is Gu Ying!
Shen Fang had been transferred to the Special Operations Headquarters for some time, and his transfer to Shanghai was even earlier than when the former Special Higher Police Section Chief, Sendou Kaede, took office. Later, he went to Shanghai with the new section chief, Asano Hirofumi.
Now that Sendou Kaede is dead, and Asano Hirofumi is dead, the more Shen Fang interacts with Zhou Xiao in Shanghai, the more convinced he becomes that Zhou Xiao is a traitor who has wholeheartedly sided with Mr. Wang.
Mr. Wang was quite influential and had many followers; since he betrayed his country and defected to the enemy, his confidants naturally followed suit and became traitors.
In Shen Fang's eyes, Zhou Xiao was this kind of person—a complete follower.
But he didn't say anything.
His most pressing task right now is to contact the organization as soon as possible.
Everything else can wait until we find the organization.