Chapter 55: I am the devil who brings you happiness

  Joking aside, Lin Xiaotang's words were not idle chatter. In fact, since planning to contact the Dragon King, he had been scheming to incorporate this elite floating on the sea into his own ranks. What is the foundation of one's existence in a chaotic world? The answer is only one: having people and guns that belong to oneself.

  Now is the right time to talk about this topic. Zhang Aoling's sharp edge was temporarily suppressed, he had defected to the Japanese, but after all, his foundation was in the concession, as long as the concession did not fall, he would always have to look at the colors of England, America and France, this time he suffered such a great loss, according to his temperament, he would sooner or later make a comeback, and Lin Xiaotang and Long Wang were his main targets.

  The Dragon King relies on sea transportation, and once Zhang Ailing moves the Japanese to escort his fleet, the Dragon King can only sigh in vain. In this way, the Dragon King also loses its foundation for survival. Therefore, for the time being, the only way for the Dragon King is to gradually infiltrate the shore through the wharf given by Du Yuesheng.

  But Lin Xiaotang had a different view on this, because his vision was not limited to Shanghai alone. The coastline is so vast that even if the Japanese deployed their entire combined fleet, they would still be far from covering the sky with one hand. So, at sea, there is still much to be done.

  Lin Xiaotang explained her thoughts to Long Yulan in simple and easy-to-understand language. Long Yulan's eyes suddenly shone with light, but she had been following the Dragon King on the sea for many years and did not give an answer at that time, indicating that she wanted to consult with her big brother before making a decision. ?? Counterattack Republic's Special Agent 55

  Lin Xiaotang saw the change in her expression and understood in his heart that this plan was attractive and tempting to both siblings, so he immediately expressed that after a while, he hoped to have a face-to-face discussion with Long Wang. The time and place would be decided by Long Wang.

  Long Yulan readily agreed.

  Now that the worries are gone and the preparations are ready, Nanjing is on Lin Xiaotang's schedule. Nanjing is currently the capital of the puppet government. Although it has just suffered from war and massacre, in order to cover up the peace, the puppet government has relocated a large number of civilians from all over the country to Nanjing, and various infrastructure construction projects have also been launched like bamboo shoots after rain. So at this time, sneaking into Nanjing is not a difficult task.

  As for the people to be taken to Nanjing, Lin Xiaotang thought and decided to bring Guo Zhu, Lin Huai Bu and ten subordinates. The business here is taken care of by Wan Mulin, Shen Pangzi and Ma Qixiang, as well as Da Tou, so it's unlikely that anything will go wrong.

  But Ma Qixiang, since learning that Lin Xiaotang was going out for a while, has been pestering Lin Xiaotang to go with him, and Lin Xiaotang is annoyed by his persistence. Ma Qixiang has his reasons, though - Lin Xiaotang had originally agreed to help him achieve something within a year to show off to Dong Jiayi and her cousin, so he must follow Lin Xiaotang everywhere to bask in the glory.

  Ma Qixiang's pestering skills were truly unmatched, for an entire day and night, he hovered around Lin Xiaotang like a fly, eating, bathing, sleeping... not stopping for a moment as he orbited around Lin Xiaotang.

  Lin Xiaotang finally collapsed: "I agreed, big brother, I agree, okay?"

  Having decided on the candidate, Lin Xiaotang suddenly remembered something. After arriving in Nanjing, he had originally planned to open a trading company as cover, but considering the concealment and safety of future actions, he thought it would be better to open a company with Japanese background, since he happened to have a suitable candidate at hand.

  The festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival is gradually fading away, and the streets and alleys of Shanghai have finally returned to their usual tranquility. Men and women are wearing bright spring clothes, and Shanghai has taken on a colorful appearance of spring.

  Lin Xiaotang wore a pair of tea-colored glasses, dressed in a long shirt, sitting in a street-side teahouse in Hongkou, sipping tea with small mouth, but her eyes stared at the bar across the street without blinking.

  Guo Zhu and Lin Huai dressed up as street vendors, one on the left and one on the right, guarding the two entrances of the street.

  A commotion erupted at the street entrance, as five or six swaggering Japanese ruffians strode in with an air of superiority. The pedestrians on the street took one look at them and hastily retreated to the side. One of the Japanese ruffians kicked open the door of the bar with a show of bravado and charged in, instantly causing a huge uproar.

  Before long, the Japanese ronin came out with their heads hung low in dejection, as if they had failed to find their target. In a fit of pique, they smashed several small shops before finally departing.

  Lin Xiaotang nodded at Guo Zhu and Lin Huai, the two of them understood each other, and quickly followed that group of Japanese ronin from two directions.

  Otani stood at the entrance of a small alley on the street, watching several ronin gain nothing, his heart which had already been put down suddenly rose again. He stomped his foot in frustration and walked listlessly along the alley towards the direction he came from.

  For the sudden appearance of Lin Xiaotang, Otani had an inexplicable sense of vigilance. This person's identity was always a puzzle that he couldn't solve for Otani. That night, he took the initiative to get close to himself, and then he didn't know what happened at all. During his stay in the hotel, he indeed spent a few days like a god. It was the most luxurious and unforgettable day of his life. Although that feeling was like a poison, tempting him every moment, Otani still didn't want to get entangled with Lin Xiaotang again in his heart. After all, he was a soldier and a Japanese, and he didn't want to become a pawn that others could manipulate at will.

  Otani was lost in thought, kicking stones on the road absent-mindedly, completely unaware of Lin Xiaotang closely following behind him.

  Lin Xiaotang walked into the valley, one hand tightly grasping his arm. The valley was startled and just about to turn around when a gun muzzle pressed against his waist. Immediately, a familiar Japanese accent came: "Don't look back, keep walking forward!"

  Dàgǔ rú duò bīng jiào, zhè ge shēngyīn tā tài shúxī le, qián yìshí zhōng, tā kěwàng zhe zhè ge shēngyīn de zhǔrén dài gěi tā de xǐmǐ shēnghuó, ér lìngmiàn tā yòu zài lǐzhì zhōng wúnài de zhēngzhá.

  A black sedan screeched to a halt at the entrance of the alley, and a man with no expression opened the door. Lin Xiaotang exerted some force and pushed Ota into the car, and immediately afterwards, Ota felt a heavy blow to the back of his head and lost consciousness.

  "Mr. Ohtani." Lin Xiaotang coldly called out Ohtani's name.

  Otani slowly opened his eyes, rubbed the painful spot on the back of his head, and looked around. This seemed to be a small warehouse, with messy old wooden boxes piled up, and he was lying on a pile of weeds. In front of him was that mysterious man, and two other men dressed as peddlers, looking at him with unfriendly faces.

  ōtani sat up and said with a bitter smile: "Why didn't you kill me?"

  Lin Xiaotang smiled: "What's the reason?"

  "Those ronin were people I hired. I paid them to kill you. That was in Hongkou, where a ronin killing someone wouldn't even raise an eyebrow."

  A man walked over, holding a small bag in his hand, and walked up to Da Gu, turning the bag upside down, dropping several blood-stained fingers.

  ōtani's body shook for an instant.

  Lin Xiaotang took off his hat and glasses: "That's right, I have a reason to kill you, but I changed my mind."

  "Why?" Oda forced himself to remain calm.

  "Alas!" Lin Xiaotang sighed: "I still want to cooperate with Mr. Oya, after all, it's not easy to find a suitable partner like you."

  "What do you want to trade with me!" Ootani suddenly jumped up, climbed out of the straw heap in an instant, grasped Lin Xiaotang's collar, and his face became somewhat flushed due to excitement.

  Guo Zhu and Lin Huai rushed over.

  Lin Xiaotang stretched out her hand to signal the two not to intervene, then stared into Oya's eyes: "I told you last time, it's a business that can make money, a business that allows you to enjoy a luxurious life, and your family can also live without worrying about food and clothing!"

  "You deceived me!" Otani shouted, with a bulging vein on his forehead: "You want to use me and make me betray my country and nation!"

  Lin Xiaotang smiled: "Please, don't think so complicatedly, Oya-san. What's always on your mind? Deductions? Or guesses? All of this is baseless. We've met twice, you should have some understanding of me, you can feel that I have no malice towards you!"

  "Why did you get close to me and use me?" Otani roared, spitting out saliva that splattered on Lin Xiaotang's face.

  Lin Xiaotang helplessly wiped her face: "Business is like that, it's actually mutual use, you provide what I need, and I pay you equivalent or even more valuable returns!"

  Lin Xiaotang continued: "You might as well recall, what losses did you have that night? Just drinking with me for a night and getting a perfect week-long vacation, what's wrong with that? Who came to bother you again? The answer is no one, because I never took advantage of you, it was all your own speculation. I just wanted to find a partner, and you happened to appear in front of me at the right time."

  "Why me?" Ota's emotions slowly calmed down, and his hand also let go of Lin Xiaotang's collar.

  "Because you're from Osaka, an Imperial officer, and have the same business philosophy as me, even the same hobbies - fine wine, beautiful women, money, and all the supreme pleasures!" Lin Xiaotang waved his arms, chattering away at Ohtani.

  Dai Guo lowered his head: "What business is it after all." ?? Counter-attacking agent 55 of the Republic of China.

  "It's very simple," Lin Xiaotang was delighted to see the change in Otani: "I will register one company each in Shanghai and Nanjing, Otani-san also knows that these two places are currently occupied by the Empire, I urgently need a Japanese partner, so our business can develop smoothly. Of course, our business will have many varieties, for now, smuggling is the main one!"

  "Is it really just smuggling?" Otani couldn't believe his ears.

  Lin Xiaotang burst out laughing: "My friend, is smuggling just a small dish to you? Don't you know that Asia is currently the paradise of smuggling for the whole world? We must take advantage of the war to quickly dig up wealth, and this profit figure will be unimaginable for both of us. I understand, you think I'm a devil, but even if I am a devil, I can bring you happiness!"

  Ota's heart moved slightly, he had originally thought that Lin Xiaotang would be a spy, but unexpectedly he actually wanted to do smuggling business with himself, in this case, it wasn't unacceptable either.

  "Let me think about it, I'll give you an answer in two days!"

  "No!" Lin Xiaotang said resolutely: "Only one day!" He pointed at Ota and sneered: "Every extra day will make me lose a day's worth of money, this is something I absolutely cannot allow."

  Otani thought for a moment and nodded.

  Lin Xiaotang smiled satisfactorily: "My men will send you back, they will tell you my contact information, I hope to receive your good news within 24 hours!"

  Ohtani silently turned around and walked away.

  Lin Xiaotang called out to him: "Mr. Ota, based on your actions this afternoon, I have no choice but to consider my own safety and interests. I have a document in my hand that records the sudden appearance of a batch of grain in Shanghai's black market last August, totaling 3,670 pounds. Hehe, I think Mr. Ota must have an impression of it!"

  Ota's body shook slightly, his footsteps paused for a moment, but he immediately took big strides and walked away.