Agent: Intercepting Yu Manli at the start!

Chapter 145 A thrilling contest!

Of course, he didn't rely on luck: he made three major military achievements in a row, which is how he managed to elevate his resume to this level.

If Boss Dai hadn't been worried that his promotion was too rapid and his foundation too unstable, he would have originally planned to promote him another level. But right now, he really needs to settle down for a while before he can continue to move up.

It is worth mentioning that Ming Lou and Zheng Yaoxian were both veterans of the Military Intelligence Bureau.

Minglou's mission is to infiltrate the high-ranking Japanese puppet regime, and his identity is as secretive as Zhou Xiao's.

Therefore, he remains the de facto head of the Military Intelligence Bureau in Shanghai, and Wan Zhichao, Song Mian, Lan Yanzhi, Mingtai, and others must all obey his orders.

But once Zhou Xiao officially takes over a higher position, he will become Ming Lou's direct superior, that is, his real boss.

Mingcheng asked, "Brother, what's our next step after we get back to Shanghai? Should we contact our online 'Hades' as soon as possible?"

Minglou replied, "Remain inactive."

"There is an unseen hand controlling everything in Shanghai right now—most likely, it's Hades."

"This person is very likely to be infiltrating the high-ranking officials of the Japanese puppet regime. This series of major operations was most likely orchestrated by him."

"We've just landed, and the situation is unclear. Making contact rashly could easily expose our identities."

Mingcheng nodded: "Alright, then let's wait and see."

He was also filled with curiosity about who "Pluto" was.

Minglou has always been clear-headed, insightful, calm, and composed in the face of danger.

Returning to Shanghai now, he naturally wanted to find out the true nature of the online presence. But the more people who knew, the greater the risk.

Given his vision and sense of responsibility, he would never gamble away the entire network of spies on a momentary impulse.

Afterwards, the two brothers roughly reviewed the current situation in Shanghai. They both knew that the situation was more perilous and more stalemate than they had anticipated.

This series of heavy blows has forced the Japanese and puppet regime's intelligence system to launch a full-scale counterattack and intensify its investigation.

Minglou and Mingcheng have returned to China.

Their online identity has been officially changed to "Pluto".

This is indeed different from the setting of the TV series "The Disguiser".

After all, this is a parallel universe, so it's only natural that reasonable evolutions would occur.

Minglou and Mingcheng have returned to the mainland. During their layover in Hong Kong, they took the opportunity to eliminate a Japanese spy, thus completely removing any potential threat.

They now have a new superior—codenamed "Pluto".

However, as the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Shanghai station, Ming Lou still held considerable authority to issue directives and deploy troops directly to the Shanghai action team and related units.

Of course, all mission orders must be ultimately approved by Hades.

Otherwise, if Minglou were to launch an anti-traitor operation without authorization, targeting Zhou Xiao, the situation would completely spiral out of control.

Only when Pluto has a firm grasp on the overall situation can he ensure the safety of his own personnel and avoid accidental injuries or misjudgments that could lead to irreversible consequences.

With the business settled, the atmosphere relaxed.

Minglou asked, "How much longer until we land in Shanghai?"

Mingcheng replied, "About an hour."

Minglou then remembered something: "By the way, how is Mingtai doing these days?"

Mingcheng said, "He is studying at Hong Kong Island University. You could have stopped by to see him when you were transferring earlier."

Minglou waved his hand: "No need. Let him focus on his studies—the less involved he is in this kind of thing, the better. After graduation, he can settle down as a teacher, which is perfectly fine."

Ming Lou and Ming Cheng have one thing in common: they are fiercely protective of their younger brother.

The two always took good care of Mingtai as his elder brother—covering for him when he got into trouble, risking their lives to save him when he was in danger, never treating him as an outsider, and loving him completely as their own younger brother.

Of the three Ming brothers, Mingcheng was an adopted son of the Ming family, while Mingtai was an orphan adopted by Mingjing.

When Mingjing was in trouble, Mingtai's mother, Xu Juan, risked her life to save him, but tragically died herself. Grateful for her kindness, Mingjing took the orphaned and helpless Mingtai into the Ming family to raise him.

Because of this life-saving grace, coupled with Mingjing's heartfelt pity and love for Mingtai, Minglou and Mingcheng naturally regarded Mingtai as a brother and cared for him with utmost devotion.

But they were unaware that Mingtai had already secretly joined the Military Intelligence Bureau.

He was well-read, had a refined demeanor, and was agile. During his flight to Hong Kong, he was tested by Wang Tianfeng, but instead saved his life. Wang Tianfeng immediately recognized his extraordinary courage, quick wit, and exceptional talent as a secret agent. Despite Mingtai's repeated refusals, Wang Tianfeng insisted on forcibly taking him to the Military Intelligence Bureau's special training class for rigorous and secret training.

Now, Mingtai has already sneaked back to Shanghai, but he has not yet stepped into the Ming Mansion.

The three Ming brothers, each with their own identities, went to different fronts, yet they all silently served their country—they were the guardians in the darkness, engaging in thrilling battles on a battlefield where no smoke could be seen.

Minglou sighed softly, "Never mind, let's not talk about it. I'm going to take a nap, wake me up when we get there."

After he finished speaking, he closed his eyes to rest, and his expression gradually became calm.

Mingcheng replied, "Okay."

Although he was an adopted son of the Ming family, Ming Cheng was utterly loyal to Ming Lou. Nominally, they were master and servant, but in reality, they were as close as blood relatives, even closer than brothers. He was not only Ming Lou's capable subordinate, but also his most tacit partner and his most intimate confidant.

The two work together seamlessly, sharing everything without reservation. They often exchange jokes, and their relationship is so intertwined that neither can be missing from the other's.

Minglou dared to entrust his back to him precisely because of this priceless trust.

hum-

The passenger plane flew smoothly through the clouds, heading straight for Shanghai.

Shanghai, Zhou Mansion.

Zhou Xiao was unaware that Ming Lou and Ming Cheng had quietly returned to the country. However, based on his familiarity with the main storyline of "The Disguiser," even though he was in a slightly different parallel universe, he could roughly deduce that the Ming brothers would definitely return soon.

At this moment, a radio is running continuously in the study.

drop by drop...

The prompt tone is short and clear, and the red and green indicator lights flash alternately – receiving a secret message.

The person operating the radio was Zhou Xiao.

Wearing headphones, he focused intently on capturing every Morse code signal and simultaneously recording the encrypted messages.

A few minutes later, he finished transcribing all the content, turned off the radio, and immediately began to decipher it.

The telegram was a bit long:

It is hereby confirmed that "Pluto" has made outstanding contributions in the series of missions carried out in Shanghai. After review by the high command of the Military Intelligence Bureau and with the special approval of Director Weiyuan, he is hereby promoted to Deputy Station Chief of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Shanghai Station, effective immediately, and simultaneously promoted to the rank of Colonel.

In addition, to facilitate subsequent overall coordination and scheduling, all personnel at the Shanghai station—including core members such as "Viper" and "Celadon"—must obey the unified command and scheduling of Hades.

After reading it, Zhou Xiao was slightly stunned.

Colonel?

He's really been promoted to colonel?

It should be noted that Dai Laoban, the highest-ranking official in the Military Intelligence Bureau, was only a major general; Zheng Yaoxian, Wang Tianfeng, and others have also only reached the rank of colonel.

In other words, colonel is the highest rank that active-duty officers in the Military Intelligence Bureau can reach.

After all, a subordinate's rank cannot be higher than the commander-in-chief, much less equal to that of their immediate superior—this is against the system and absolutely impossible.

Zhou Xiao himself had just been promoted from lieutenant colonel to colonel, a speed comparable to a rocket's ascent.

That's why he felt a slight tremor in his heart.

According to the military rank system at the time, field officers were divided into three levels: major, lieutenant colonel, and colonel; above that was the major general in the general officer rank.

Between a field officer and a general, there is an extremely difficult gap to cross—it may seem like only one rank difference, but in reality, some people spend their entire lives trying to cross it.

Boss Dai is a major general, and Zhou Xiao is a colonel; they are only one rank apart.

"Wow, this promotion pace is really aggressive," Zhou Xiao couldn't help but mutter, slightly taken aback. "No wonder the telegram specifically emphasized 'Director Wei's special permission'!"

Such a rapid promotion is indeed rare.