Hidden Radiance

Late at night. Chengda Company, third-floor office.

The rain stopped. The wind slipped in through the window cracks, making the dispatch slips rustle.

Lu Minghui stared at the paper. Fifty carriages, departing early the day after tomorrow.

Gu Yunqiu pushed a handwritten intelligence report towards him.

"Two columns. The first column at 8:00, the second at 11:00. Three hours apart."

"Which column and section are the poisonous mushrooms in?"

Gu Yunqiu shook her head.

"I don't know. The loading was done by the 1644 crew; the South Manchuria Railway only handled the wagons. The seals on the outside were all standard military supply seals."

Lu Minghui lit a cigarette.

"Fifty carriages. If even one is missing, Zhejiang will be a living hell."

"We have to blow them up together," Gu Yunqiu said.

"Bomb them all together?" Lu Minghui exhaled smoke. "If the first train is blown up, the second train will be immediately placed under full lockdown. How do we do that? Those are military trains. Even if we destroy one, how much explosives and manpower would we need?"

Gu Yunqiu did not respond.

"Lu Xuzhang hasn't returned." Lu Minghui rubbed his temples. "He's in the border region, at least five days away. Without him, we can't contact the Siming Mountain guerrillas. With just these few people from the Shanghai station, we can't even get close to the North Station."

He walked to the map of East China on the wall. His gaze slid from Shanghai to Hangzhou, then south, settling on the line of Jinhua and Quzhou.

"Fifty carriages, even if only one is filled with germs, what will the remaining forty-nine be filled with?" He pointed to Quzhou.

"The Japanese army has amassed a large force in Zhejiang. This is not a sweep."

He turned around, went back to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

Looking at the map, Gu Yunqiu continued, "Jinhua, Quzhou, Lishui. The US military is counterattacking; their planes need to take off from the Zhejiang-Jiangxi airport."

"So the Japanese army used poison to turn those airports and surrounding areas into dead zones." Lu Minghui crossed his arms. "The intelligence even knew the departure times clearly. In the South Manchuria Railway Shanghai Investigation Office, there was only one person who could access such core secrets, had such strategic vision, and was willing to pass on the intelligence."

Gu Yunqiu didn't move.

"The source of the intelligence is absolutely reliable. You don't need to know who it is," Lu Minghui said, looking at her.

She neither denied nor admitted it.

Lu Minghui didn't ask any more questions.

"Without knowing the specific carriages, we can't make a precise explosion." Gu Yunqiu brought the topic back to the main point: "Two trains, fifty carriages in total, must all be blown up. We don't have that capability in Shanghai."

"I'll think of a way." Lu Minghui stubbed out his cigarette.

Early morning. Safe house on Xiafei Road.

The paper kite sat in front of the telegraph machine, wearing headphones.

Lu Minghui stood behind him, holding a written telegram in his hand.

"Send an urgent, confidential telegram."

The paper kite nodded and pressed the power button.

The telegram was extremely brief: "Fifty sealed train cars from the South Manchuria Railway are being dispatched to Zhejiang, containing 1644 pathogens. The enemy's aim is to destroy the Zhejiang-Jiangxi airport to prevent American planes from landing. The cars are difficult to position, and the Shanghai station is short-staffed to prevent them from being blown up. This concerns the strategy of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians and the Allied forces. Please request the Military Commission to immediately dispatch air force bombers or heavy troops to intercept them. This is extremely urgent."

The telegraph machine ticked. The signal pierced the night sky, heading straight for Chongqing.

After sending the message, Paper Kite took off his headphones and wiped away his sweat.

"Station manager, will Chongqing take this seriously?"

Lu Minghui looked out the window.

"This isn't an intelligence war. It's a strategic operation. If Boss Dai isn't stupid, he should know the gravity of the situation."

The two waited.

Three hours later, the radio indicator light came on.

The kite immediately put on its headphones and grabbed a pencil.

A string of codes appeared on the paper. His brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

After recording, I took out the codebook and started translating.

After translating the last line, Paper Kite stopped. He looked at the translation paper without saying a word.

"read."

Paper Kite swallowed hard, its voice dry:

"The General Staff of the Military Commission judged that the enemy's recent mobilization was a routine sweep aimed at consolidating the occupied areas. The claim about the airport was pure speculation, and the matter of the poisonous bacteria lacked evidence. The Shanghai Railway Station was ordered to closely monitor the situation and handle it accordingly, lest any rash actions be taken to avoid alerting the enemy."

No one spoke inside the room.

Lu Minghui grabbed the translation paper.

Black and white on white paper.

The General Staff assessed the situation. A routine sweep was conducted. Further action will be taken as appropriate.

He stared at those words. Fifty carriages, all 1644 were mobilized—was this what they called a routine sweep?

When the virus spread throughout Zhejiang and corpses littered the fields, the evidence would be available.

He pressed the translation paper onto the table. The corners of the paper were crumpled.

"They don't believe it." The kite stood up.

"Or, I don't care." Lu Minghui stared at the words "discretionary measures".

The incident occurred because the intelligence from the Shanghai station was inaccurate; the fact that it didn't happen is due to the wisdom of the General Staff.

To use human lives to fill two fully armed military trains? Even if we did, there wouldn't be that many lives.

He closed his eyes. For a few seconds.

"Stationmaster, what do we do?" Paper Kite looked at him. "The higher-ups don't care, there are only a few of us—"

Lu Minghui walked to the window.

Dawn was breaking. A grayish-white mist rose from the surface of the Huangpu River.

Only one day left. The first train departs at 8:00 AM tomorrow.

We can't wait for Chongqing. We can't wait for Lu Xuzhang.

All fifty carriages must remain in Shanghai.

"Paper kites." He turned around. "Find out which station these two military trains were organized and dispatched from."

"North Station," Paper Kite replied. "The South Manchuria Railway's freight trains are all assembled at the North Station."

"Check the North Station dispatch schedule. Locomotive model, water and coal refueling stations, and all lane change gates along the route."

"Attention, kite!" "Yes, sir!"

Lu Minghui stepped out of the safe house. A cold wind hit his face.

He got into the Ford sedan but didn't start it.

Conventional methods are no longer effective.

The Military Intelligence Bureau (MIB) didn't care, and the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS) didn't ask questions.

The only ones that are usable are No. 76, the Mei Agency, and the Japanese themselves.

Leaning back in the chair.

If you can't blow it up from the outside, turn it over from the inside.

We need someone who can legitimately board the military train. Someone who can get the Japanese to personally deliver the explosives onto the train.

Start the engine. Turn the steering wheel and drive towards Jessfield Road.

Mao Sen has submitted his pledge of loyalty. Now, it's his turn to work.

76 Jessfield Road.

It was five in the morning. The sky was still dark. The only sound in the corridor was the snoring of the security guard on duty.

Lu Minghui pushed open the door to the telecommunications office.

Mao Sen sat behind his desk, on which sat a half-eaten bowl of plain noodles. Beside him was a stack of newly translated wiretap recordings.

"Director Mao gets up early." Lu Minghui closed the door.

Mao Sen wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Director Lu came even earlier. Coming to see me at this hour, is there a big deal?"

Lu Minghui walked to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. "Nakajima asked you to investigate the Communist Party. I'm here to deliver the clues."

Mao Sen leaned back in his chair, staring at Lu Minghui's hands. Lu Minghui's fingers tapped twice on the table. Two short taps followed by one long tap.

"explain."

"The South Manchuria Railway Company is sending fifty sealed carriages to Zhejiang today. The Communist Party has its eye on these carriages and is preparing to take action at the North Station."

Mao Sen's eyelids twitched. "Fifty carriages. A top-secret dispatch by the South Manchuria Railway. How did the Communists know?"

"There are Communist Party agents within the South Manchuria Railway Company. That's not important." Lu Minghui looked at him. "What's important is that the Communist Party wants to bomb the train."

Mao Sen smirked. "Zhiyuan, do you think I'm new to this? I intercepted the telegram from Chongqing demanding silence last night. Boss Dai won't let you touch these cars. And now you come to tell me the Red Party wants to bomb them?"

He leaned forward, his hands pressing down on the table. "You want to use me to do your own side hustles? What exactly is in the car?"

"The germs from Unit 1644," Lu Minghui said calmly.

Mao Sen paused, his hand holding the bowl of noodles still.

"You're trying to trick me with this top-secret information?" Mao Sen put down his bowl. "Even if there really were contaminated bacteria in the car, and it exploded, do you think Nakajima would let you off the hook?"

"It's blown up. It was the Red Party." Lu Minghui looked at him. "You've foiled the Red Party's plot, and Nakajima will only reward you. As for me, I was just there to 'investigate.' The Red Party planted the bomb beforehand."

Mao Sen stood up and walked to the window. He pushed it open a crack, and a cold wind rushed in, dispelling the smell of noodle soup in the room.

He was a pure Kuomintang secret agent, ruthless in killing. But he was also Chinese.

More importantly, this tremendous achievement will allow him to firmly establish himself as the number 76 player.

"What do you want to do?" Mao Sen turned around.

"Report to Nakajima that the communications department intercepted a secret telegram from the Communist Party, saying they planned to detonate the military train during its assembly at the North Station," Lu Minghui said. "Nakajima is suspicious and will definitely strengthen defenses. I will lead a special operations team to board the train ahead of schedule under the pretext of checking for Communist Party bombs."

"Are you taking the explosives up with you?"

"right."

"Half a ton of explosives, how did you get it through security at the North Station? Where did you get so much explosives?"

"Director Mao doesn't need to worry about that." Lu Minghui stood up. "You just need to report the news. After it's done, the Red Party will bomb the military train, and you'll have uncovered their conspiracy. Nakajima won't blame you; he'll only reward you. Your position at No. 76 is as secure as a mountain."

Mao Sen stared at him. He stared for a full ten seconds.

"You're a madman." Mao Sen opened the drawer, took out his sidearm, and put it in the holster.

"The bus departs at eight o'clock. We're heading to Meiji Office now." Lu Minghui turned and walked towards the door.

Six o'clock in the morning. Hongkou, Meiji Government Office.

Shinichi Nakajima, dressed in pajamas and wearing a military overcoat, had a gloomy expression. On the table lay the wiretapped recordings handed over by Mao Sen.

"The Red Party is going to bomb the military train?" Nakajima stared at Mao Sen.

"Yes. The frequency band was intercepted in the early morning. Half of the code has been deciphered, mentioning three words: North Station, South Manchuria Railway, and demolition." Mao Sen stood ramrod straight, his voice booming. "Combined with today's South Manchuria Railway dispatch schedule, the target is certain."

Nakajima slammed his hand on the table. The teacup vibrated and hummed.

"There must be a mole within the South Manchuria Railway! How could the Red Party know about such a top-secret operation!" Nakajima roared.

Lu Minghui stepped forward. "Section Chief. Departure time is imminent. Since the Red Party is going to make a move, the bomb has likely already been infiltrated into the marshalling yard. There are too many people and too many eyes at the North Station; it's impossible to guard against it."

Nakajima turned to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"I'm taking Special Operations Team 76, equipped with engineering detection equipment, to the North Station immediately. We'll check each of the fifty carriages one by one to ensure everything is foolproof."

Nakajima pondered for a moment. His fingers unconsciously traced patterns on the table.

Fifty carriages—this is a matter of great importance. Letting the military inspect them would be like reaching into the Army Headquarters' pocket—it would cause trouble. Number 76 is just the right choice.

"Alright." Nakajima nodded. "Minghui, you lead the team yourself. You must dig out the Red Party's bomb!"

"Yes."

"Wait a minute," Nakajima called out to him. "Kumiko set up surveillance at the North Station last night. When you get there, coordinate with her. Have her participate in the entire investigation process."

Lu Minghui's expression remained unchanged. "Understood."

7:00 AM. Chengda Company. Second floor of the printing workshop. The machines are roaring.

Song Qingyuan adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and pointed to six green-lacquered wooden boxes on the ground. The boxes were marked with the Japanese characters for "engineering detector."

"Made from a discarded ink can. Filled with high explosives and magnesium powder." Song Qingyuan handed over a brown paper bag. "A timed detonator. Set to 11:00 AM."

Lu Minghui took the paper bag and put it into the inner pocket of his trench coat.

"This box is very heavy. One person can't move it," Song Qingyuan reminded him.

"I know." Lu Minghui opened the door and walked down the stairs.

In the backyard, Sun Yaozu yawned and directed several agents to smoke.

Lu Minghui walked over.

"Director." Sun Yaozu immediately stubbed out his cigarette and stepped forward.

Lu Minghui took out two gold bars from his pocket and stuffed them into Sun Yaozu's hand.

Sun Yaozu held the gold bar, his eyes darting around. "Director, this…"

"The job at the North Station. There are six green boxes on the second floor of the workshop, containing my personal goods: penicillin." Lu Minghui lowered his voice. "They're mixed in with the detection equipment. When we board the train to check, we'll distribute the contents of these six boxes evenly in the interlayer of each carriage. There will be someone to receive them."

Sun Yaozu's eyes lit up. Penicillin, more valuable than gold on the black market. The section chief is smuggling military supplies.

He weighed the gold bar in his hand, stuffed it into his pocket, and put on a smile: "Don't worry, Director! I know this stuff. I guarantee no one will know."

"Nakajima told you to keep an eye on me. You know how to report."

"The section chief was so dedicated to his duty that he personally led the team to check for Red Party bombs, and he didn't even have time to drink water!" Sun Yaozu grinned from ear to ear.

Lu Minghui didn't waste any more words. He opened the car door and got in.

Half a ton of explosives, and a timer. This was all the wealth he had accumulated since taking over Project Sugi.

He's already gone all in.

Sun Yaozu stuffed the gold bars into his pocket, turned and yelled at his men, "Hurry up! Go to the second floor and move the boxes! Two people per box! If you delay the director's important business, I'll kill you all!"

Six heavy wooden crates were loaded onto the truck. The special operations team members, except for Sun Yaozu, were all elite guerrilla fighters. They knew the crates were suspicious, but they didn't question Lu Minghui's decision.

7:30. North Station Marshalling Yard.

The train whistle blared deafeningly. White steam billowed into the sky. Fifty black, sealed carriages lay stopped on the tracks. Japanese military police stood guard every three steps, fully armed.

Lu Minghui's truck was parked outside the platform.

He pushed open the car door and got out. Sun Yaozu followed behind with his men, carrying six green-painted wooden crates.

Nanzo Yunzi, dressed in military uniform and boots, walked over. Her gaze swept over Lu Minghui and landed on the wooden crates.

"Director Lu, you've got quite a entourage."

"The section chief's death order: Investigate for Red Party bombs." Lu Minghui took out the warrant and handed it over.

Nanzo Yunzi didn't accept the order. She stared at a wooden box that Sun Yaozu was carrying. The box weighed down the shoulders of the two agents.

"An engineer's detector?"

Yes. The latest model.

Nanzo Yunzi walked up to the wooden crate. Sun Yaozu's Adam's apple bobbed, and his palms were sweaty. That crate contained the section chief's "private goods."

Nanzo Yunzi raised her hand and patted the lid of the box. The wooden board made a dull thud.

"Open."

Sun Yaozu froze. He turned to look at Lu Minghui.

Lu Minghui stood still. His left hand was in his trench coat pocket. His thumb disengaged the safety on his Colt.

Click.

The sound was drowned out by the train's whistle.

"Section Chief Yunzi wants to check my equipment?" Lu Minghui looked at her.

"Routine inspection." Nanzo Yunzi placed her hand on her sidearm at her waist. "What's so nerve-wracking, Director Lu?"

Lu Minghui withdrew his left hand. A gust of wind rose from the hem of his trench coat.

He looked into Nanzo Yunko's eyes.

"Unpack it," Lu Minghui said to Sun Yaozu.