If you had to choose an identity to go undercover, you'd choose a gynecologist.

A country club on the outskirts of the French Concession in Shanghai in 1930.

In the European-style retro reception room, the walnut wood card table gleamed with a cool, lustrous sheen, ivory chips were scattered on the dark green velvet cloth, and a half-burnt cigar hung beside the crystal ashtray, its pale blue smoke rings slowly floating in the air, only to be frozen in place by the stagnant air pressure at both ends of the table.

Minglou sat upright on the south side of the mahjong table, wearing a well-fitting dark gray suit with subtle patterns, gold-rimmed glasses perched on his high nose bridge, his eyes behind the lenses unfathomable.

At the other end of the card table, Wang Tianfeng, dressed in a long robe with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, held a handful of playing cards. His eyes, like poisoned awls, were fixed on Ming Lou. The two were only three feet apart, but it felt like they were separated by mountains of knives and seas of fire, and the atmosphere was tense and fraught with danger.

Minglou spoke first, his voice trembling with barely suppressed anger: "What are you doing back at a time like this!"

Wang Tianfeng slammed the playing cards on the table, leaning forward slightly: "I'm back, of course, to die!"

"I've arranged everything; Shanghai doesn't need you."

"I have been approved by headquarters and the Third War Zone to carry out the suicide mission." Wang Tianfeng stood firm.

"You don't need to worry about that. Get back to Chongqing immediately." Ming Lou suddenly raised his eyes, his sharp edge revealed. "The suicide mission must be carried out by me."

"Must?" Wang Tianfeng scoffed, his eyes suddenly turning cold. "I'm the highest-ranking leader in the Shanghai region, and you dare speak to me like that? I know you've been pulling strings behind my back and have prepared a second plan, but I won't implement it. Tell me, where have you hidden Mingtai?"

Minglou's face was frosty: "You don't need to bother with him anymore. He's staying in America and won't be coming back."

"So you found a scapegoat for Mingtai, Chen Qing." Wang Tianfeng's tone was full of sarcasm. "What a scheme, Minglou, you certainly know how to keep a backup plan."

"I told you I've already arranged everything, the plan has already begun, and you have no chance."

"I have no objection to this." Wang Tianfeng suddenly abandoned his madness, his tone becoming eerily calm. "It's wartime now, people are dying every day. You and I can die, so can he. However, it must be done according to my plan."

"No!"

Minglou slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, causing the walnut wood table to tremble violently and the chips to tumble to the ground.

Wang Tianfeng suddenly stood up: "Don't think I don't know! You had that shipment hijacked, destroyed the entire smuggling line, and then made that scapegoat sign the papers to take the blame!"

"Serves them right! This line was opened to transport essential supplies to Chongqing, not as a tool for those high-ranking officials to enrich themselves! Destroy it, clean it up!" Minglou glared angrily.

The two men glared at each other across the table, like two fighting roosters with bloodshot eyes.

Anger completely extinguished the last shred of reason.

The next second, the two of them completely disregarded their dignity and suddenly pounced on each other, wrestling and fighting.

Lacking the imposing presence of a high-ranking Kuomintang official and the dignified bearing of a Wang Jingwei regime figure, they resembled street thugs, fists gripping each other's collars, tearing and shoving, suits crumpled into a mess, buttons of military uniforms popping off, gold-rimmed glasses hanging askew on Ming Lou's face, and Wang Tianfeng's hair a tangled mess, utterly disheveled, yet both had bloodshot eyes, wishing they could devour each other alive.

"Bang!"

The door to the reception room was suddenly pushed open, and Mingcheng and Guo Qiyun practically rushed in.

It took the two of them a great deal of effort to finally separate the two men who were locked in a fierce struggle.

Minglou, panting heavily, tugged at his wrinkled suit and straightened his disheveled collar.

Wang Tianfeng brushed the wrinkles off his clothes, glanced up at Mingcheng standing to the side, and said sarcastically, "Look at you, even your servants think they're superior. I remember he likes to paint, but after all these years, his skill is still not up to par, not worthy of being considered refined."

Minglou suppressed his anger, his tone sarcastic: "That's still better than your adjutant. He made some dirty money through smuggling, and all he knows is sleeping with third-rate Shanghai stars. He's utterly disrespectful!"

Guo Qiyun immediately became enraged, and shouted with his neck stiff, "You two officers! Can't you act like officers at all?!"

Mingcheng nodded in agreement and said in a deep voice, "Lieutenant Guo is right. Let's sit down and talk. What kind of behavior is this, resorting to violence?"

"You two, get out of here," Minglou said coldly.

Mingcheng and Guo Qiyun exchanged a glance, dared not say anything, bowed and retreated. The heavy solid wood door slammed shut, completely shutting out the bloody storm inside.

The reception room fell silent again, with only the heavy breathing of the two people remaining.

Minglou slowly sat back in his chair, took off his askew gold-rimmed glasses, rubbed his temples, and sighed deeply: "Your terrible idea has been approved by the higher-ups. Now, someone will be going to their death."

Wang Tianfeng also sat down, his expression one of utter desperation: "Who will ultimately die is still uncertain."

"Let me tell you, you don't understand Chen Qing." Ming Lou put his glasses back on, his eyes serious. "He's not as simple as you think. He won't just obediently go to his death. Your plan will be subject to change."

"I love improvising. The more dangerous and exciting it is, the more it deserves the name of a suicide mission."

Minglou stared at him, exasperated: "Has no one told you that when you throw a tantrum, you're just like a woman, completely unreasonable?"

"Don't expect capable people to have a good attitude! I also dislike your bureaucratic manner, pretending to be high society like a dog, actually thinking you're a lackey of the Wang Jingwei regime!" Wang Tianfeng retorted sharply.

"Have you finished cursing?" Minglou's voice was icy cold.

"No!"

"I knew it, we can't work together at all." Minglou turned his face away.

"You weren't originally part of my plan." Wang Tianfeng's tone softened for a moment. "You want to kill yourself? I won't allow it."

Minglou stiffened, turned to look at him, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "Do you think I have no feelings, just a cold-blooded viper? This is a battlefield, I'm ready to die at any moment, but you insist on dragging everyone down with you. I really want to slice you to pieces!"

The air fell silent for a moment.

Wang Tianfeng suddenly lowered his head, his voice so soft it sounded like a sigh: "I'm sorry."

A hint of surprise flashed in Minglou's eyes: "This isn't like you."

"I'll make an exception this time," Wang Tianfeng said, raising his eyes. "But not to you. It's our duty to face death together."

Minglou closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, his eyes filled with resolute determination. He said softly, "I also want to apologize to you. You're too late. The gears have already been set in motion, and no one can control them."

"Trading a few lives for the lives of tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers, I think it's a worthwhile deal." Wang Tianfeng leaned forward, his gaze intense. "To convince the Japanese of this plan, you must have a spirit of sacrifice. Your plan is dragging on and on, not worth considering."

"I'm doing this to nip all uncontrollable factors in the bud, which increases the chances of success. Your plan is too risky, so I refuse to cooperate."

"You don't need to cooperate with me." Wang Tianfeng waved his hand. "As long as you can protect yourself, that's enough. You know better than me who to sacrifice and who to protect in my plan. The Military Intelligence Bureau and the Shanghai Station both need you; no one can replace you."

Minglou suddenly stood up, leaned down and stared at him, issuing a final ultimatum: "This is my last warning to you, you are not allowed to act recklessly."

Wang Tianfeng looked back up, his maniacal laughter bursting forth: "I'm a madman, and I'll show you how mad I can be."

"Your bet is too big. Aren't you afraid of losing everything?" Minglou said.

Wang Tianfeng slowly rose, meeting Ming Lou's gaze at him:

"The greater the risk, the greater the reward."

Minglou pointed to the cards on the table: "Then let's make a bet, whoever wins gets to decide, how about that?"

Wang Tianfeng extended his hand in a gesture of invitation: "As you wish!"

………………