eurekapd Chapter 1042 Agents on the Move!
Chapter 1042 Agents on the Move!
"From the airport to the palace... detached houses along the roadside... dig a tunnel down to the road... remotely detonate."
Gone.
The crucial, specific location was not mentioned at all.
Director Zheng took out a map from his bag and spread it on the table to examine it carefully.
"From the airport to the palace, the main road is over ten kilometers long. The conditions on both sides of the road are complex, with residences, shops, warehouses..."
“There are dozens, if not hundreds, of locations that meet the criteria of ‘independent courtyards by the roadside’! There simply isn’t enough time to check them inch by inch!”
"Xiao Jiang, hurry up and decipher the rest of the telegrams. What we need most right now is something to pinpoint the location!"
"Baoqiang, turn on the digital radio and report the situation here to your superiors!"
Jiang Xia's fingers continued to fly across the keyboard. The data stream of the second coded telegram on the screen was slowly being reassembled. A rare hint of urgency appeared in his usually calm and composed eyes. Without looking up, he replied, "The first telegram has been repeatedly verified. There are no hidden encryptions, and the information is complete. We are trying to link it to the second coded telegram to see if we can find any supplementary clues."
The only sounds in the workspace were the buzzing of the second-generation woofer and the clatter of keyboards, interspersed with the beeping of Baoqiang's radio.
Everyone held their breath and stared intently at the screen, not daring to breathe too heavily.
Finally, the text of the second coded telegram slowly appeared on the screen. Jiang Xia quickly scanned the contents, paused slightly, and then truthfully repeated: "The second telegram contains information, but it's not what we urgently need. It records that they transported radio parts, but doesn't mention the location of the tunnels or specific courtyard information."
Director Zheng's expression also darkened. He took the second printed copy of the telegram from Jiang Xia, quickly glanced at it, and suppressed his anxiety, saying in a deep voice, "Don't panic, there are more coded telegrams to follow. Continue deciphering!"
Jiang Xia took a deep breath, adjusted his commands, and focused all his efforts on deciphering the third coded message. The indicator lights on the second-generation Dahuang flashed wildly, and the main unit's hum grew increasingly rapid, clearly operating under overload. Several integrated circuit boards emitted a strong metallic smell.
Director Zheng looked at the second-generation Huang, who was still functioning at full capacity despite being disemboweled, and his eyes twitched uncontrollably as a feeling of heartache washed over him once again.
Isn't this also a kind of overdraft on "comrades-in-arms"?
Old Wang, however, stared at the contents of the letter and figured out something different: "Hiss, radio parts are required to be placed in a cool, dry place, away from open flames and violent vibrations? And it specifically mentions that they are extremely sensitive?"
"I don't think the digital radio stations Jiangxia set up had such requirements, did they? It seems more like..."
"This description sounds more like a detonator to me!"
Secretary Liu added:
"The training manuals we seized emphasized that the American-made M1 electric detonator is like that! That thing is detonated by electric current and is as sensitive as a firecracker to static electricity, high temperature, and impact! Especially the phrase 'extremely high sensitivity'—ordinary vacuum tubes and transistors wouldn't use that term; it's clearly coded language used to describe detonators!"
Director Zheng's pupils suddenly contracted. One of the ironclad rules of intelligence work: any unusual detail, until proven harmless, is considered harmful. Especially at this critical juncture!
"It's better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free!" He made a decisive move, turning to Baoqiang in front of the radio:
"Baoqiang, the second telegram states that the 'radio adjustment element' is suspected to be a US-made military explosive detonator, a judgment made by Wang Kui and Secretary Liu based on battlefield experience. Treat this judgment as top priority supplementary intelligence and submit it immediately! Emphasize its direct connection to the 'tunnel' and 'demolition' plans!"
"Yes!"
……
Almost at the same moment Baoqiang typed the last telegraph code, on the distant banks of the Mekong River, the humid and sticky air enveloped Phnom Penh.
Xiao Cheng, the son of the Phnom Penh photo studio owner, is the same person Zhang Peizhi, the leader of the Wanwan Action Team, asked Liu Yuncang to contact. He has just completed a long journey that he thought was insignificant.
He was ordered to a secret location on the border, where he received a long, narrow wooden box wrapped in tarpaulin, which was quite heavy, from two unidentified contacts. He was told that it contained "urgently needed precision radio parts."
The careless Xiao Cheng weighed the box in his hand, casually tied it to the back of his bicycle, and then pedaled onto the dusty dirt road before transferring to a creaking long-distance bus.
As they approached the long-distance bus station, Xiao Cheng felt the box was a complete burden. He simply pulled the two cold metal tubes out of the shavings filling and stuffed them into the thickened inner pockets he had specially sewn onto his pants, one on each side.
He casually tossed the empty wooden box into the roadside weeds, clapped his hands, and felt completely relaxed.
I hopped on that rickety bicycle that rattled everywhere except for the bell, and rode onto the dusty dirt road.
The metal tube swayed and rubbed against my trouser pocket with each bump, and at first I was somewhat aware of it, but I got used to it after a while. Later, when I transferred to a rattling long-distance bus, I was drowsy in the stuffy carriage, and the slight discomfort was quickly overwhelmed by fatigue.
As they approached Phnom Penh, the car jolted violently once more. In his dazed state, he instinctively reached into his pocket—the hard object on the right was still there, but the left… the left side was empty!
He jolted awake, all sleepiness gone, and hurriedly checked both pockets inside and out.
Indeed, there's only one left!
When we set off, both tubes were clearly stuffed full and were digging into my thighs sorely, so how come there's only one left now?
When was it lost? Was it bounced off the bicycle, or was it knocked off when switching bikes?
The dirt road was incredibly bumpy, and the car was packed with people... His mind was a complete mess, and he couldn't recall the exact time.
A hint of panic had just surfaced when he suppressed it with an even greater nonchalance.
"Hey, how much are electrical parts worth?"
He scratched his head, trying to console himself, "So what if it's lost? At least I still have one to report. If all else fails, I can just report it as a transportation loss and request another one from my superiors, right? It's no big deal."
As soon as he thought about it, the knot in his heart instantly disappeared, and he even felt that his pockets were much lighter.
When I got home, I saw a figure loitering at the door.
Seeing this, Xiao Cheng happily stepped forward to give the code. His direct approach made the usually lazy Liu Yuncang's eyes twitch.
Is this the highly promising downline that Zhang Peizhi mentioned?
If all the people I log off to are like this, I might as well surrender to the other side as soon as possible. I heard the other side is kind and righteous. Before they shoot me, at least let me see my eighty-year-old mother at home!
Although that's what he thought, habit led Liu Yuncang to reveal his true purpose for coming to see him:
"Let's go. Time is tight and the work is heavy. Team Leader Zhang instructed us to go directly to the 'construction site' after picking up the people. We need to start getting familiar with the site tonight."
"Tonight?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Cheng's face immediately showed genuine fatigue from the long journey, and his back hunched over a bit. "Look at me... I just came all the way from there, and I haven't even caught my breath yet."
That construction site... must be physically demanding, right? If I go there now, I'm afraid I won't even be able to stand properly. Don't let it interfere with our work. Let me rest for the night and catch my breath. Tomorrow, I'll definitely go with you and give it my all!
Liu Yuncang himself was the type to slack off whenever possible. He became a spy mostly for the extra allowance and the vague promises. He was already fed up with the dark and nerve-wracking tunnel digging.
Hearing Xiao Cheng say this, he not only didn't insist, but was secretly delighted: Isn't this perfect? The newcomers need to rest, so he, as the "leader," naturally won't have to go to that damned tunnel to suffer in the dust and fear immediately.
"Tsk, you're right... You look so travel-worn. Alright then, we really need to be well-rested for this kind of work. Get a good rest tonight. Tomorrow... tomorrow morning, here again, I'll take you."
"to make!"
The two have reached a temporary "understanding".
Liu Yuncang didn't know how Xiao Cheng planned to rest, but he decided to sneak off to the familiar "warm water pool" bathhouse tonight to soak away all the bad luck and maybe even take a nap and enjoy a moment of peace.
Liu Yuncang turned around and walked toward a slightly worn black sedan that was vaguely visible at the other end of the alley. It was the tool he used to secretly drive out to do private business (of course, his so-called "private business" was mostly this kind of thing) by taking advantage of his position as a driver at the Bald Eagle Embassy, and it was also a cover for his identity.
Seeing him open the car door, Xiao Cheng suddenly exclaimed "Ouch!" as if he had just remembered something extremely important that he had almost forgotten, and quickly took a few steps to catch up.
"What is it now?" Liu Yuncang had already stepped one foot into the car, turned around, and spoke with a hint of annoyance at being disturbed.
"Hehehe... I feel uncomfortable carrying this thing in my car!"