Chapter 36: The Trashy Master's Group

  "People all think eating fugu is a life-or-death gamble, but unexpectedly, there are still people who have a special fondness for this delicacy." The old man said with a smile.

  Lin Xiaotang put the last piece of sashimi in her mouth, wiped her lips with a napkin, and said with a lingering tone: "Everyone is like this, unwilling to take risks, but they don't know that only by taking risks can one have the right to taste the delicious flavors."

  The old man looked at Lin Xiaotang with profound meaning and immediately bowed his head: "You can point to this dish, which is also a great trust in the chef."

  Since Lin Xiaotang and others entered the Hutianjin, Yuan Jianfeng had noticed them, but because he was not sure, he didn't dare to speak out. Until Lin Xiaotang sat down at the bar in a big way, Yuan Jianfeng quickly reported to one of Duan Baohu's subordinates beside him. ?? Counterattack Republic's Agent 36

  The leader listened and looked at the sake house, with a bad face staring at Yuan Jianfeng: "Are you sure it's him?"

  Yu Jianfeng nodded affirmatively.

  He slapped Yuan Jianfeng's face with a loud slap: "Are you tired of living? Do you know what that place is? That's the Japanese territory, do Chinese people dare to enter? Are you trying to get me killed?"

  Yuan Jianfeng cried with a sad face: "I've found the person, whether to catch or not, it's up to you!"

  The leader also hesitated, he knew that store. The people going in and out were all Japanese, it was said that the store wasn't opened by ordinary Japanese people, it seemed to have some connection with Hongkou Dojo and the Black Dragon Society, thinking of capturing someone there, he didn't have the guts.

  Lin Xiaotang gazed coldly at the ugly expressions of the crowd outside the window, then slowly turned her head back. This was the territory of the 76th and the Japanese, and she had never thought that she could smoothly reach her destination from here. The appearance of Yuan Jianfeng was a small unexpected event, but Lin Xiaotang thought to herself that she should still be able to handle it.

  The waiter rushed over in a fluster: "Boss, it's no good! Lieutenant Okudera has had too much to drink again!"

  The old man frowned, and Lin Xiaotang followed the direction of the waiter's pointing finger. A young man in a suit was loudly arguing with two companions at a table in the corner. Before long, his companions picked up their coats and left in a huff.

  The old man shook his head and exchanged a few polite words with Lin Xiaotang, instructing the waiter to ignore that Major Ota, before turning around to attend to other matters.

  Lin Xiaotang smiled and chatted with the waitress, who didn't seem to dislike Lin Xiaotang either. They chatted casually about the weather. From her mouth, Lin Xiaotang learned that the lieutenant colonel named Otani was a staff officer of the 4th Division of Osaka, which was stationed in Shanghai. The restaurant was also a frequent haunt of military officers. Otani was one of them, but his drinking habits were really bad, so every now and then he would make a scene here. Over time, the store just ignored him.

  Lin Xiaotang's mind stirred: "Fourth Division? That useless division?"

  The Osaka 4th Division was one of the earliest divisions established in Japan. It was originally divided by region and had four regiments under its jurisdiction, equipped with first-class weapons and equipment, and was once known as an elite force. However, it soon gained a reputation for being "useless".

  The Fourth Division was originally stationed in the Northeast. Whenever the army conducted training, patrols or had combat missions, the number of sick soldiers in the division would surge, forcing the division commander to personally sit in the medical office for diagnosis.

  After arriving on the Chinese battlefield, the performance was even more dismal. The Chinese army would often hear that the opposing force was the 4th Division and their morale would greatly increase, rushing to engage in battle with them. Therefore, within the Japanese military, there was a saying that as long as the 4th Division participated in a battle, even if it was a victory, it would become a defeat.

  The reason is that the members of the Fourth Division were all small businessmen, farmers and vendors from the Osaka area. Osaka is equivalent to China's Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, where there has long been a saying "Osaka tycoon gets angry, all the princes are shocked". The people here are good at business, with only profit in their eyes, and are rather indifferent to the so-called samurai spirit. They are also used to haggling over prices when it comes to orders from superiors, let alone fighting power.

  Lin Xiaotang stared at Ota's back, blinked her eyes, and perhaps tonight's turning point was on his body.

  Lin Xiaotang asked for another jug of wine, holding a cup and swaying to the opposite side of the valley to sit down.

  ōya looked at Lin Xiaotang with a drunken gaze, but did not refuse this unexpected guest. Lin Xiaotang didn't say another word, filled ōya's cup with wine, and the two clinked cups and drank to the bottom.

  It wasn't long before the two became close friends who could talk about anything. ??Rebel Agent 36 of the Republic of China

  It was learned from Ota that the 4th Division, since its garrison in Shanghai, has been notorious and has been incorporated into the sequence of local protection troops. This is a good thing for officers and soldiers. Shanghai is the most prosperous place in Asia, and it is like a fish in water for these people from Japan's rich areas. The officers have started to make money.

  Otani himself came from a good family background, and only came to China for military service. He didn't have the concept of serving the empire in his mind at all. After arriving in Shanghai, this city of neon lights and revelry, he indulged in pleasures and forgot about his worries. The only thing that gave him a headache was that his money was running out.

  The family business was dwindling due to Japan's full-scale war mobilization, and his monthly salary was barely enough for a night out in Shanghai. He had no choice but to accumulate debt, and just the other day he borrowed money from a colleague, only to have an unpleasant conversation that ended with them parting ways.

  Lin Xiaotang listened to Ota's complaints while constantly clinking glasses with him. Since they were speaking in Japanese, they didn't attract any attention from others in the izakaya, except for the occasional complex glance from the owner. Later, Lin Xiaotang even invited Ota to a private room and had another round of drinks with everyone before preparing to leave.

  A middle-aged man with the surname Gao realized that this was a Japanese military officer, and his face changed color. Lin Xiaotang quietly made a gesture to him, indicating that he didn't need to panic.

  A few people settled the bill and left the izakaya with Ootani, chatting and laughing.

  The leader and Yuan Jianfeng looked from afar, but didn't dare to step forward and stop them. They also noticed that the few people were speaking entirely in Japanese. The leader was filled with suspicion and inwardly blamed Duan Baohu for taking on a hot potato. Since the person he had sent to ask for instructions hadn't returned yet, they could only follow from afar. Taking advantage of the leader's momentary distraction, Yuan Jianfeng suddenly slipped away unnoticed.

  Lin Xiaotang and Otani Ichiro chatted and laughed, just like old friends who had known each other for a long time. The group walked straight towards the most lively dance hall not far away.

  Lin Xiaotang and the middle-aged man with the surname Gao, who were fluent in Japanese, had completely dispelled the few doubts that Otani had harbored. With the effects of alcohol and the oppressive life he had been leading for days, Otani urgently needed to find a place to vent his emotions.

  ōtani was clearly a regular at this karaoke bar, and as soon as he arrived at the entrance, a manager-looking person came up with a smile to greet him. ōtani gave orders in a showy manner, telling the manager to arrange seats and drinks immediately.

  Lin Xiaotang pulled over Huo Yan: "Keep an eye on those tails outside, report if anything happens!"

  The huge ballroom was packed with people, the dance floor was crowded and even the temperature seemed to be higher than outside. Ota took off his tie and reached for a bottle of wine on the table, Lin Xiaotang smiled and helped him pour a glass. Da Tou and two middle-aged men sat down on the sofa, looking somewhat uneasy.

  Before long, the manager led in several lithe dancing girls, including two Russian beauties with snow-white skin and towering figures. Ota shouted with delight, jumped up and threw his arms around one of them, while the others went up to the guests, inviting everyone to dance.

  Lin Xiaotang noticed Da Tou's unease and patted his hand: "Relax, just follow my lead later!"

  Lin Xiaotang watched as the few people left, and couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, leaning her head against the back of the sofa, taking a long drag on her cigarette. The dancer beside her seemed somewhat at a loss for what to do.

  Lin Xiaotang smiled and handed her a few banknotes: "Just sit next to me, don't say anything, that's all!"

  The young dancer beside him was not very old, her thick makeup covering up her age and original appearance. She held the banknotes in her hand stiffly, unable to help but glance at Lin Xiaotang - this kind of customer she had never encountered before.

  Lin Xiaotang was still waiting, he had brought the person to Hongkou according to his agreement with Wan Moline, next, he would wait for the person who would meet him to appear, as for how they found themselves, Lin Xiaotang was completely unclear.

  Lin Xiaotang was stunned for a moment, but still didn't see the person he was supposed to meet appear, and couldn't help but feel annoyed. He got up and walked towards the direction of the restroom, the dancer originally wanted to lead the way, but Lin Xiaotang waved his hand.

  The dance floor was still lively and extraordinary, the jazz music made people want to move their bodies involuntarily. As Lin Xiaotang walked along the edge of the dance floor, she could clearly see that Ota was enthusiastically dancing with a dancer, while Da Tou was awkwardly swaying with another dancer with a stiff expression.

  "Excuse me, can I have a light?"

  Lin Xiaotang was taken aback, turned her head to look back, a young man wearing a hat stood in the darkness of the pillar at the edge of the dance pool, the brim of the hat was pressed very low, covering more than half of his face. ??Rebel 36 of the Republic of China

  Lin Xiaotang took two steps closer and pulled out a lighter to help him light the cigarette in his hand. The young man finally looked up, curled the corner of his mouth, revealing neat teeth: "Thank you", casually pulled out a cigarette and handed it over: "You have one too! Genuine American Camel cigarettes, new brand!"

  Lin Xiaotang was taken aback and took it over. The young man leaned in close to him and whispered, "When the gunshot goes off later, follow me!"

  "Who are you?" Lin Xiaotang smiled: "I don't want to owe others a favor, leaving a name behind makes it convenient to repay later."

  The young man also smiled and took out a copper plate. Lin Xiaotang took it over and looked at it, no mistake, it was the emblem of the Green Gang.

  Young man raised an eyebrow at him: "Even if you can't tell whether this brand is genuine or fake, you should recognize this." He said, raising his finger and pointing to the top of his head.

  Lin Xiaotang only then discovered that he was wearing a rather out-of-place straw hat on his head, and wait, this hat looked somewhat familiar.

  Lin Xiaotang suddenly thought of something? "You, you are the one who ran away from the palace!"