MM Racing Chapter 99 Night Visit to the Printing Factory
Chapter 99 Night Visit to the Printing Factory
"Hey! Alright!" The tea stall owner saw that Yan Shuo was accompanied by six attendants, all dressed smartly, clearly a big customer. His face immediately lit up with a fawning smile. He quickly put down his work and jogged over to greet him, "Guest, what kind of tea would you like? We have black tea, flower tea, and green tea, all fresh."
"Yunnan black tea." Yan Shuo didn't even look up, his tone indifferent.
"Alright! Yunnan black tea!" the boss replied, turning around and disappearing into a small cubicle next door to get to work.
After rummaging around for a few minutes, he came running out carrying a tray with a purple clay teapot and six white porcelain teacups on it.
"Guest, your Yunnan black tea is here! This is authentic Yunnan black tea, freshly brewed, please have a taste!"
The owner carefully placed the tea set on the table, and was about to say a few more flattering words when Yan Shuo said, "I've booked this tea stall. Come back in an hour."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Wang An pulled out a large denomination of Chinese currency from his pocket and handed it to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up when he saw the Chinese currency. He quickly took it and stuffed it into his pocket, saying happily, "Alright! No problem! You all enjoy yourselves. I'll take my wife and get out of here right now!"
As he spoke, he turned and called out to the proprietress. The two of them quickly packed their belongings and left in a hurry.
Only after the teahouse owner disappeared around the street corner did Yan Shuo stop cracking sunflower seeds and say to Wang An and his entourage, "That kid's a gang member, didn't you guys realize?"
"I can tell. That scar and those eyes, they're definitely not a good guy," Wang nodded.
"That's not all." Yan Shuo picked up his teacup and took a sip. "There are many factories and a diverse population in this industrial area. You would expect there to be no shortage of tea stalls and snack stands, but this is the only tea stall that can operate here peacefully without being harassed by other gangs or thugs. There must be something wrong with this."
He put down his teacup, his eyes sharp. "During the interrogation tonight, we'll focus on whether he has any connections with the factories in this industrial zone, especially with the Japanese."
"Understood!" Wang An and the others replied in unison.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps approached, and Xu Heng came running over, panting heavily, his forehead covered in sweat.
He saw Yan Shuo sitting in the tea stall, quickly stopped, straightened his clothes, and hurried forward to greet him respectfully, "Captain! What brings you here?"
"Come and see what's going on." Yan Shuo gestured for him to sit down, pointed to the teacup on the table, and said, "Have a sip of tea first, and then we'll talk slowly."
Xu Heng didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up a teacup, poured himself a cup of tea, and drank it all in one gulp before he could recover.
"Captain, let me report to you on the situation in this industrial zone, focusing on the factories guarded by Japanese soldiers."
"Okay, go ahead." Yan Shuo leaned back in his chair, listening attentively.
"There are three factories in this area that are guarded by Japanese soldiers."
Xu Heng counted on his fingers and said one by one, "The first one is a machinery factory. I don't know what kind of machines they produce. The factory area is surrounded by barbed wire, and Japanese soldiers stand guard at the gate all year round. You can't usually see anyone going in or out. It's very mysterious. I tried to send an informant in to scout, but he was driven out as soon as he got close to the barbed wire. He couldn't get in at all."
"Have you found any other clues? For example, the situation with the transport vehicles?" Yan Shuo asked.
"We found something." Xu Heng nodded. "Every day in the early morning, several enclosed trucks drive into the factory area and come out again in the evening. The truck beds are completely covered up, so you can't see what's inside. Moreover, these trucks are Japanese military vehicles, and they are heavily guarded."
Yan Shuo nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.
"The second one was a spinning mill, which mainly produced fabrics for military uniforms and also produced some printed fabrics to sell to surrounding merchants and foreign firms."
Xu Heng continued, "The security at this factory is relatively lax, with only two Japanese soldiers standing guard at the gate. There are also many workers coming and going. Our informant has already infiltrated the factory as a worker, and so far we haven't found anything unusual."
"Keep a close eye on them, don't let your guard down," Yan Shuo instructed. "The supply of fabric for the Japanese army's uniforms is no small matter; we might be able to find clues about their military equipment movements here."
"Don't worry, Captain, I keep in touch with my informants every day."
Xu Heng replied, "The third one is a printing factory, which has its own paper-making workshop. It mainly prints pro-Japanese newspapers such as the *Mainland News*, *Shanghai Daily*, *Dong-A Daily*, and *Hua Bao*. The security at this factory was not strict before, with only four Japanese soldiers taking turns on guard duty, and informants could even sneak in to take a look."
"Before? Things are different now?" Yan Shuo keenly grasped the key point.
"Yes!" Xu Heng's tone became serious. "Starting a month ago, the security at this printing factory suddenly increased. Now there are no fewer than ten Japanese soldiers at the gate, and there are many more Japanese and puppet troops patrolling around the factory area. Informants can't get close at all, let alone go inside. I asked the surrounding residents and workers from other factories, and they also said that the printing factory has been acting very strangely these days. They can see the lights on inside at night, as if they are rushing to print something overnight."
"Printing overnight?" Yan Shuo frowned, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. "Considering the recent surge in counterfeit currency, this place is most likely the mint. It has a paper mill and a printing plant; everything is there. It's the most convenient place to make counterfeit money."
The people around him nodded in agreement.
"The captain is right!" Wang said in a deep voice. "Recently, quite a few merchants have reported receiving counterfeit currency, and the market is in chaos. I never expected the source to be here!"
The other attendants echoed this sentiment, their eyes filled with indignation.
After discussing the matter, the group stayed at the teahouse for a short while before getting up and leaving.
As night fell and the industrial area fell completely silent, Wang An, along with several of his men, successfully knocked out and tied up the tea stall owners, taking them to a secret hideout for interrogation.
At this time, there was no ghost in the industrial area, it was unusually clean, with only a small Japanese patrol of about six men passing by every half hour.
Yan Shuo led Xu Heng, Huang Bing, and Zhao Erniu back again. Under the cover of night, they quietly made their way to the outside of the wall behind the printing factory and hid in the dense bushes.
He looked up at the wall, which wasn't too high, about two meters, and its mottled surface made it perfect for climbing.
"We'll make our move once the patrol team has passed," Yan Shuo ordered in a low voice.
The group held their breath, staring at the distant intersection.
A moment later, the footsteps and voices of the Japanese patrol gradually faded away, and Yan Shuo immediately raised his hand to signal.
Huang Bing and Zhao Erniu exchanged a glance, then quickly squatted down and formed a human ladder.
Yan Shuo stepped on the shoulders of the two men, lightly leaped up, grabbed the top of the wall, and jumped over it, with Xu Heng following closely behind.
After landing, Yan Shuo looked around and found a large pile of papermaking material packages stacked high on the inside of the wall, forming a hidden barrier.
"We'll leave from here when we evacuate; it'll be easier to hide," he whispered to Xu Heng.
Xu Heng nodded, indicating that he understood.