Espionage: I Have Photo Editing Software

Longhua Prison, interrogation room.

Chen Zhiqiang spat, put down the iron needle, and looked at Wang Xinheng with a helpless expression.

"District Chief, we've tried everything. If we continue with torture, I'm afraid..."

Wang Xinheng frowned, glanced at the dying Sun Cheng, and felt quite troubled.

"I don't understand. What kind of spell did the Japanese cast on him?"

Chen Zhiqiang lowered his head, not daring to reply.

It was his idea to arrest them.

They couldn't figure out the secret.

He must take full responsibility.

"I really believed Fatty Hu's nonsense."

Wang Xinheng said, "Once Lin Yi discovers Sun Cheng's disappearance, all our efforts will have been in vain. At that point, Sun Cheng will be worthless. Time is of the essence; we can't afford to delay. Continue the interrogation; don't worry about whether he's dead or alive."

"Yes." Chen Zhiqiang's lips curled into a bitter smile.

"From yesterday until now, has anyone tried to approach Sun Cheng or try to find out anything?" Wang Xinheng asked.

"No. Should we go outside for some fresh air?"

"No need, being too deliberate will scare the fish."

After Wang Xinheng left, Chen Zhiqiang circled around Sun Cheng in the interrogation room.

"Old Sun, I'll make a deal with you. If you reveal how you contacted Lin Yi and cooperate with our operation, I guarantee I'll release you after it's done."

Sun Cheng was tied to the rack, with iron needles inserted into his ten fingers.

He barely managed to lift his head and open his mouth:

"I want to confess, but I really don't know anything. What can I say?"

He has repeated this sentence countless times.

Every time he said it, he would be beaten up.

He had given up hope.

How can a person say something they don't know?

"Please, just give me a quick death and kill me."

The extreme pain made him feel that living was torture.

Right now, all he wants is to die.

But when Chen Zhiqiang heard this, he thought that he was putting up a stubborn resistance.

"Living is easy, dying is hard."

Then, only heart-wrenching screams filled the interrogation room...

A day later, Sun Cheng, who had been tortured beyond recognition, breathed his last.

Sun Cheng never knew this until his death.

The person who started all of this was just a nobody he looked down on.

……

On June 1, Guangdong and Guangxi held a joint meeting and decided to go north to resist the Japanese. The following day, they sent a telegram to the whole country.

After the outbreak of the Liangguang Incident, Dai Li received a secret order from Chiang Kai-shek and hurriedly rushed to the southeast.

Before leaving, Dai Li remembered what Wei Renming had said when he told his fortune, so he sent a telegram to Shanghai.

After reading the telegram, Wang Xinheng looked completely bewildered.

He has never believed in ghosts or gods.

They keep their distance from fortune telling.

But this did not prevent him from carrying out Dai Li's orders.

"Secretary Liu, have Chen Zhiqiang come to the base."

"Yes."

Liu Xueyi was in his twenties, a graduate of the eighth class of the Whampoa Military Academy, and a fellow townsman of Wang Xinheng.

After graduating, he joined the Special Service Department through Wang Xinheng's introduction. He worked at the Nanjing headquarters for two years before being transferred to Shanghai last year.

"Go home immediately," Liu Xueyi said succinctly as he dialed the phone.

"Okay." After hanging up the phone, Chen Zhiqiang didn't dare to delay and rushed from Nanshi to the French Concession.

"District Chief Wang, you wanted to see me?" Chen Zhiqiang asked cautiously.

These past few days have been tough for him.

The interrogation of Sun Cheng yielded no results.

The traitor was impossible to find.

In other words, Wang Xinheng was magnanimous.

Otherwise, he would have been charged with incompetence and dismissed from his post long ago.

He tossed the telegram to Sun Cheng and said:

"Wei Renming is your informant. How is he doing lately?"

"That kid's got a sharp mind. He runs the photo studio very well; I heard he charges 100 yuan for a set of photos. As for intelligence, he's only handed over some trivial matters, nothing of value."

Chen Zhiqiang thought for a moment and added:

"His sister was also ransomed by him, and it happened the day after Sun Cheng was arrested."

Wang Xinheng asked, "Is Sun Cheng Wei Renyi's foreman?"

"Yes. I investigated later. A few days before Sun Cheng was arrested, he went to Hongyun Teahouse to ask Sun Cheng to redeem his sister. But Sun Cheng wanted to take more from him, so he didn't agree," Chen Zhiqiang said.

"Do you think he was the one who sent the photo?"

"I did have my suspicions; it all seemed too coincidental. But after my investigation, I believe he is not a suspect."

Tell me about it.

"Judging from their clothing and the scenery in the background, the photo of Sun Cheng and Lin Yi is undoubtedly taken in winter. At that time, Wei Renming had just arrived in Shanghai and was struggling to get enough to eat, let alone have a camera. He didn't have the conditions to take this photo. Unless, the photo is a composite."

Wang Xinheng shook his head slightly and said:

"I later had several professionals examine the photos, and their conclusions were consistent: there were no signs of them being digitally manipulated."

Photo compositing technology has indeed existed for a long time.

Even the most skilled darkroom forgers cannot create a flawless forgery. Perhaps such a technique will exist in the future, but it doesn't exist now.

"I followed him for two more days and secretly searched the photo studio, but found nothing unusual."

"This kid is really lucky; he might be a lucky charm." Wang Xinheng paused, then added, "I heard he's good at fortune telling?"

"More than one set." Chen Zhiqiang nodded in agreement.

"Judging from your appearance, did you have his fortune told?" Wang Xinheng asked curiously.

"I've calculated it twice, and it's very accurate." Chen Zhiqiang put down the telegram and asked疑惑地问道, "Why would the director specifically name Wei Renming and want him to join our Special Service Department?"

"I heard Wang Zhaohuai say that this kid once told the director's fortune and left him a message."

"What did you say?"

"A southerly wind brings great fortune to the department head."

"Are you referring to the uprising led by Chen Jitang and Li Zongren?"

"Yes. The section chief said we need to find this kid and have him do the calculation again."

"No problem, I'll go right away."

"Take him to the Bund. I want to see him."

"Yes."

More than an hour later.

The Bund, Huangpu Road.

Wang Xinheng stood alone, leaning against the railing, gazing at the river view.

"We've brought him." Sun Zhiqiang led Wei Renming over.

Wang Xinheng turned to the side and looked Wei Renming up and down.

His originally thin face had become rosy, making him even more handsome. He wore a sharp suit that looked expensive. His hair was styled with oil, clearly meticulously groomed.

"Photographer Wei, you seem like a completely different person these past few days," Wang Xinheng joked.

"Please don't be so harsh on me. Why don't you give me a chance? I'm starving right now," Wei Renming quickly begged for mercy.

"You earned this opportunity yourself; I was just going with the flow," Wang Xinheng said, not taking credit for it. He then added, "I heard you can tell fortunes?"

"This..." Wei Renming looked embarrassed. "I have indeed learned some basics."

"You're too modest. Even the well-informed Director Dai was impressed by you, so how could it be just a superficial understanding?" Wang Xinheng said.

"The will of Heaven is unpredictable. I am merely stating my speculations based on the contents of the physiognomy book. I myself cannot distinguish between truth and falsehood," Wei Renming declined.

The fortune-telling he gave to Dai Li was merely a temporary measure to protect himself.

He didn't want to tell fortunes for people anymore.

If you walk on dark roads too often, you're bound to encounter dirty things.

But things didn't go as planned.

Wang Xinheng said, "Whether it's true or false doesn't matter, just tell me a fortune."