Spy game? Stop guessing, I really am an undercover agent!

Chapter 203 It seems like an old friend has arrived

In the early morning, Chen Yang woke up on the sofa, while Elsa beside him was still fast asleep.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps and Taylor's deliberately amplified, anxious voice came from outside the office door: "Elsa! Chen! Are you in there? God, what's wrong with the door?"

Immediately afterwards, the damaged door was pushed open from the outside, and Taylor appeared in the doorway with an exaggerated expression of worry on his face, followed by several sleepy-eyed night shift guards.

"Oh! Thank goodness! You really are here!" Taylor strode in.

His gaze swept quickly over the two figures who had quickly released their grip but were still standing very close together, and the marks on their faces that hadn't been completely cleaned up. He couldn't help but smile. "I was so worried about you guys waiting for me to come back! This door... looks like it's been in disrepair for years? Are you alright?"

He said he was worried, but his eyes were full of smug satisfaction that the plan had been successfully completed.

Elsa's cheeks flushed, and she glared at Taylor reproachfully, but more than that, she felt embarrassed and sweet at being caught in the act. Chen Yang coughed and said, "Mr. Taylor, please don't make such a basic mistake with your documents next time."

Taylor quickly replied, "Of course, of course. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

"I'm meeting Mr. Lawrence at nine o'clock, and I don't want to be late."

"Elsa, if you're tired, go back and rest for a bit."

Whether it was intentional or not, Taylor emphasized the words "tired" clearly, making Elsa even more shy.

"Alright, Taylor, you go ahead and do your thing. I'll take Elsa home first. We can talk about it later." Chen Yang quickly pulled Elsa out of the office.

Seeing the two flee in disarray, Taylor's face immediately revealed a smug look!

This is a long-established Chinese medicine shop located in the northwest corner of the French Concession in Shanghai.

The signboard at the entrance reads "Jishetang" in three large characters.

As evening fell, the setting sun cast rosy glows on the mottled walls.

The pharmacy was filled with a strong, bitter aroma of herbs.

Behind the tall wooden counter, the old shopkeeper, wearing reading glasses, slowly and methodically manipulated the abacus.

Several workers were busy preparing and grinding the medicine.

There weren't many people coming to see the doctor or get medicine; a few sat on the bench waiting, and the atmosphere was quiet and somewhat oppressive.

Lin Xueli was wearing a slightly worn dark blue long gown and carrying a briefcase, looking like a teacher or clerk from a poor family.

He was slightly hunched over, coughing softly every now and then, his brows furrowed, as if he were being troubled by a chronic illness.

Upon entering the pharmacy, Lin Xueli cautiously observed his surroundings, especially the area outside the pharmacy entrance and windows.

Since his near-arrest, he has been walking on thin ice in every move.

He walked to the counter, took out a prescription from his briefcase, and handed it over, his voice slightly hoarse: "Shopkeeper, please prepare three doses according to this prescription."

The old shopkeeper took the prescription, adjusted his glasses, and examined it carefully.

The handwriting on the prescription was neat, but the way several medicines were prescribed and the dosages were somewhat unusual, interspersed with some seemingly meaningless symbols, which were obviously designed codes.

The old shopkeeper raised his cloudy eyes, glanced at Lin Xueli, and nodded calmly: "Sir, this prescription... contains several herbs that our shop doesn't have much in stock. We'll have to check the back storeroom. Please have a seat for a moment."

Lin Xueli nodded, walked to a bench at the back and sat down, placed his briefcase at his feet, put his hands in his sleeves and continued to observe vigilantly.

The old shopkeeper was a reliable "one of our own," and he was now going to the back to check on the situation.

After a while, the old shopkeeper returned, carrying only a few packets of medicine: "Sir, I'm sorry, we only have some inferior quality Poria and Angelica left, which might affect the efficacy of the medicine."

“If you need it urgently, the goods from ‘Chun Hui Tang’ on the next street might be better. They have a Western medicine doctor named Mr. Zhang who came here earlier. He is a real expert, knowledgeable in both traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine. He is very skilled at treating your kind of deficiency syndrome. You can go to him for a checkup and get a new prescription.”

Lin Xueli's heart skipped a beat. "Chunhuitang" and "Mr. Zhang" were the pre-arranged backup meeting place and code words. This meant that the original plan for a direct handover inside the store was canceled and replaced with a transfer meeting.

This method may be for safety reasons.

His face displayed just the right amount of disappointment and anxiety: "I see... Thank you for reminding me, shopkeeper. I'll go to Chunhuitang right away."

With that, Lin Xueli picked up the few packets of unimportant medicine, paid for them, and walked out of Jishetang with his briefcase.

Instead of heading directly to the next street, he first went into a noisy alley. After repeatedly confirming that there were no "tails" following him by using the complex terrain and crowds, he carefully walked towards the direction of "Chun Hui Tang".

Chunhuitang was slightly smaller than Jishetang, and there were not many patients left at this time.

Lin Xueli explained his purpose to the waiter, specifically asking to see "Dr. Zhang." The waiter led him to a simple consultation room separated by a curtain.

Inside the consultation room, a man wearing a white doctor's coat, a mask, and glasses was organizing medicinal herbs with his back to the door.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around and looked calmly at Lin Xueli.

"Sir, are you feeling unwell?"

"Doctor, I think something's wrong with my body," Lin Xueli responded according to the coded message.
The doctor said slowly, "Don't rush, tell me the details."

After confirming the code, Lin Xueli hesitated for a moment before saying, "I feel a tightness in my chest, shortness of breath, weakness, and night sweats. I'm afraid my old illness has relapsed."

These symptom descriptions correspond to the current situation of organizational disruption and Lao Zhong's arrest.

The doctor pointed to the stool in front of the examination table: "Sit down. Extend your hand, let me take your pulse first." Lin Xueli sat down and placed his right hand on the pulse pillow.

The doctor placed his fingers on his pulse, seemingly taking his pulse, but in reality, the two began to talk quickly and in hushed tones.

"Comrade Qinghu?"

Lin Xueli confirmed, "It's me."

"Hello, I'm Zhang Jianliang." Lin Xueli's expression changed drastically as soon as Dr. Zhang uttered those words. "You're Mr. Hua? I never imagined you'd be the one to replace Old Zhong."

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhang Jianliang's eyes.

"Mr. Hua, please don't misunderstand. Mr. Liao Chengzhi and I are good friends."

"The last time the tailor was sent to Hong Kong Island was arranged by Mr. Liao, and even the operation of Special Commissioner Night Owl from Hong Kong Island to Guangdong was also arranged by Mr. Liao."

It's no wonder Lin Xueli was so excited; Dr. Zhang Jianliang was someone he had long admired.

This man's original name was Hua Kezhi. He was from Baoying, Jiangsu Province. His father was a scholar during the late Qing Dynasty. From a young age, he admired justice, was well-versed in the works of Sun Yat-sen, and was determined to save the country.
He was the youngest minister at National Central University and was once highly regarded by the Kuomintang.

When the April 12 Incident broke out, he was arrested and imprisoned for leading the opposition against the Kuomintang's tyranny.

Later, the old man sent someone to persuade him to surrender, but he expressed his determination in a poem: "I would rather sever ties with my family for democracy than serve a tyrant for five bushels of grain."

The poem enraged the old man, who intended to kill him on the spot. Fortunately, Mr. Duan, the then president of the National University and vice minister of education, pleaded for him, and later, his colleagues came forward to rescue him. He was then rescued from Jinling Tiger Bridge Prison and sent to the rear.

After the failure of the Fujian Incident in 1933, Mr. Hua believed that only by assassinating the old man could the revolution be promoted.

So they gathered like-minded people in a dilapidated building in the French Concession of Shanghai to devise a plan to save the country.

He then decided to establish the "Chenguang News Agency" in Nanjing to approach the other party as a reporter.

Hua Kezhi, using the alias Hu Yunqing, became the editor-in-chief, while Sun Fengming disguised himself as a reporter and was responsible for the assassination.

On November 1, 11, the Sixth Plenary Session of the Fourth National Congress of the Kuomintang (KMT) opened. During the group photo of the committee members, Sun Fengming's original target did not appear. Instead, he fired three shots at Vice President Wang.

Wang was immediately seriously injured and collapsed to the ground, while Sun Fengming died on the spot.

The incident shocked the nation, and Boss Dai was ordered to conduct a thorough investigation. Most of the members of the Chenguang Society were arrested and killed, and Sun Fengming's wife, Cui Zhengyao, was also brutally murdered.

Hua Kezhi was forced into exile on Hong Kong Island. The following year, he published "A Letter to Compatriots Across the Country," publicly declaring that his original target was the old man, but he changed his target to Wang Jingwei because the old man did not appear.

The top brass of the Nationalist government was extremely shocked and subsequently offered a reward of 100,000 silver dollars for Hua Kezhi's capture.

From then on, he used the alias Zhang Jianliang and was in charge of intelligence work in the Hong Kong Island area.

Until recently, when Lao Zhong was arrested, the organization needed someone who was relatively familiar with the situation in Shanghai to lead the rescue and be in charge of intelligence work in Shanghai.

Because he was familiar with Nanjing and Shanghai, the organization decided, after repeated discussions, to replace Lao Zhong in his position.

Even if they manage to rescue Lao Zhong, his identity will have been exposed, making him unsuitable for the position of deputy team leader.

After listening to Lin Xueli's words, Dr. Zhang suddenly realized what was going on.

However, he did not address this issue.

"Comrade Qinghu, the organization has received your information regarding 'Snow Lotus's' arrest and subsequent events."

"The organization wants you to stay away from any operations recently; leave the rest to me."

"By the way, how's 'Snow Lotus'? Any news?"

Lin Xueli said, "He should be out of immediate danger, but he is being held in strict custody."

"After the last incident, the Special Higher Police moved the detention location, and we are doing our best to investigate."

Dr. Zhang shook his head. "Don't pursue this any further. You need to immediately cut off all unnecessary lateral connections."

"Yes." Lin Xueli replied without hesitation.

Dr. Zhang's fingers were still on his pulse, as if he were carefully feeling it, but his voice was as low as a whisper, "You are more familiar with the situation in Shanghai. I have a task I would like to assign to you."

"Tell me what you want, and I will definitely do it," Lin Xueli said in a deep voice.

Dr. Zhang said in a low voice, "I've read the report. Your exposure is very strange. Your current task is to investigate the traitor who betrayed 'Snow Lotus' and Comrade Zhong. This person is of high rank and extremely dangerous, and must be eliminated as soon as possible."

"Understood!" Lin Xueli felt immense pressure on his shoulders.

"These are the new contact details and safe house address. Look at them only once and memorize them," Dr. Zhang quickly recited a string of information and codes.

Lin Xueli focused his mind and memorized it instantly.

“Remember, Blue Fox,” he said, his tone unusually grave, “you are the key to finding the traitor.”

"We must never let what happened to Xue Lian happen again."

(End of this chapter)