Hidden Radiance

Chengda Company.

The Ford sedan braked suddenly, its tires leaving black marks on the concrete ground in the yard.

Lu Minghui got out of the car.

Chaos reigned in the courtyard. Special Higher Police, armed with Type 38 rifles, herded all the workers against the wall. Several military police were carrying stacks of documents out of the printing workshop.

Lu Minghui strode over.

"What are you all doing?" The voice wasn't loud, but it had a very strong penetrating power.

Nanzo Yunzi's adjutant jogged over, stood at attention, and saluted. "Director Lu. The Special Higher Police have been ordered to arrest Song Qingyuan, the consultant for the printing workshop."

Lu Minghui's gaze swept over the workshop door.

Where are they?

The adjutant lowered his head, sweat beading on his forehead. "They escaped."

Lu Minghui's shoulders slumped two inches. He didn't lift his eyelids, staring at the tips of his adjutant's shoes.

"They ran away?" The voice suddenly rose. "Do you even know how stupid the thing you did was?"

The adjutant was stunned.

"Colonel Sakata knew he had a problem, Colonel Inoue knew he had a problem, Advisor Nakajima knew he had a problem, and I knew he had a problem too." Lu Minghui took a step closer, pointing his finger at the adjutant's chest. "We didn't touch him. Do you know why?"

The adjutant shook his head.

"He's a banknote printing expert," Lu Minghui said, emphasizing each word. "Without him, the Central Reserve Bank notes couldn't be printed, and the legal tender couldn't be counterfeited. Without him, the core of the entire Shan Project would be paralyzed!"

The adjutant's face instantly turned pale.

"Does the Special Higher Police (STPD) act without thinking?" Lu Minghui's voice was low and menacing. "With so many of you, conducting a surprise raid and arrest, you couldn't even catch a defenseless scholar? Did your STPD leak information?"

The adjutant grew anxious. "Director Lu, this operation was directly ordered by the section chief; there was absolutely no leak..."

"Forget it." Lu Minghui interrupted him, turned and walked towards the car. "I'll go ask your section chief myself."

The Ford roared out of the gate again.

Meiji Agency, underground isolation ward.

Lu Minghui pushed open the iron gate.

Nanzo Yunzi leaned against the hospital bed. Hearing footsteps, she turned her head, a slight smile on her lips.

She assumed that Song Qingyuan was already in the interrogation room.

"Mr. Minghui," Nanzo Yunzi looked at him, "Chengda Company is in trouble, you shouldn't be here at a time like this..."

"Stop testing me." Lu Minghui pulled out a chair and sat down, looking directly into her eyes. "The person you're looking for has escaped."

Nanzo Yunzi's smile froze on her face.

"Impossible." She sat bolt upright. "The order to move out was given in less than three minutes. How could he have run away?"

Lu Minghui didn't respond to that.

"He ran away." She crossed her arms and rested them on her lap. "Yunzi, you've gotten yourself into big trouble."

Nanzo Yunzi frowned deeply.

"Sakata, Inoue, Nakajima—who doesn't know that Song Qingyuan's background is shady?" Lu Minghui relayed the same words he'd used with his adjutant to Nanzo Yunzi. "But he's an expert. The templates for the Central Reserve Bank notes and the legal tender were all adjusted by him. Now that he's run away, Project Sugi has come to a standstill."

Lean forward.

"Who will provide the supplies that Section Chief Nakajima requested? Who will take responsibility for the Army Headquarters' accountability measures?"

Nanzo Yunzi's breathing became heavy. She stared at the blanket, saying nothing.

"There were traces of special ink on the explosives at the North Station." Nanzo Yunzi looked up, trying to regain the initiative. "Song Qingyuan is the mole. I suspect he's Zhiyuan. To avoid any complications, I have to strike first."

"You're just paranoid." Lu Minghui leaned back in his chair. "I'd rather catch kites than you. But because of a single suspicion, you ruined the empire's printing press."

The ward was deathly silent. The only sound was the ventilator running.

Nanzo Yunzi's hands gripped the corner of the blanket, her knuckles turning white.

Lu Minghui looked at her and sighed.

"What's done is done." His tone softened. "Now, regardless of whether Song Qingyuan is a kite or not, he has to be a kite. Otherwise, you won't be able to explain it to your superiors."

Nanzo Yunko raised her eyes and stared at him.

"As for Project Shan and the supplies," Lu Minghui stood up, "I'll figure something out."

Nanzo Yunko's lips moved slightly, but she didn't make a sound.

"Don't thank me yet." Lu Minghui walked to the door. "The man escaped, but the evidence must be solidified. The Special Higher Police should be quite adept at finding things like radio codebooks in his office. Also, the fewer people who know about this failed arrest, the better."

Nanzo Yunko nodded. "I understand."

Lu Minghui pushed open the door and went out.

The iron gate closed.

His lips twitched slightly.

French Concession, Safe House No. 4.

This is a hidden Shikumen-style attic.

Lu Minghui pushed open the wooden door.

The room was dimly lit. Paper Kite sat at the table, adjusting the backup telegraph machine. Song Qingyuan leaned against the window, holding a glass of cold water.

Neither of them looked well.

"Station Chief," Paper Kite stood up, "this is the last backup safe house."

Lu Minghui took off his trench coat and hung it on the back of the chair. "It's alright. We can prepare a few more."

"We're out of money," Paper Kite bluntly stated. "Renting a place, setting up a radio station, bribing officials—our operating budget is long gone. And Chongqing keeps dragging its feet on approval."

Song Qingyuan took a sip of water and chuckled.

"You told him you had no money?" Song Qingyuan turned to look at Paper Kite. "Do you even know how much your station manager is worth in Shanghai?"

The kite was stunned.

"On the surface, he's the head of the 76th Confidential Division," Song Qingyuan said, walking over and placing his water glass on the table. "Secretly, he owns Litai Bank, Southeast Trading Company, and is also the de facto head of Chengda Company."

The kite turned to look at Lu Minghui. Lu Minghui remained expressionless.

"Japanese supplies, black market arms, opium from the concessions—everything passed through his hands." Song Qingyuan looked at Lu Minghui. "You're telling him you're poor? Who are you insulting?"

The paper kite opened its mouth, but couldn't speak.

Lu Minghui pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Go to Litai Bank tomorrow," he told Paper Kite. "Find Wan Molin. Mention my name directly and withdraw 100,000 yuan."

The kite nodded. "Understood."

"From now on, we will change safe houses after each special operation is completed."

Lu Minghui turned to look at Song Qingyuan.

"I'm sorry about this." Her tone was sincere. "Nanzo Yunko had her eye on the ink residue. To save that production line, I had no choice but to put you in the blame."

Song Qingyuan pulled over another chair, sat down, and spread his hands.

"What a shameless act." Song Qingyuan pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses. "I, a Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS) agent, have actually become a scapegoat for your Military Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (MBIS). When this gets back to Chongqing, I don't even know how to write the report."

Lu Minghui looked at him.

"Now that things have come to this, your identity has been exposed. The 76th Division, the South Manchuria Railway, the Special Higher Police, and even the Mei Agency and the Military Police are all after you."

He tapped his fingers twice on the table.

"Two paths," Lu Minghui offered. "First, I'll arrange a way to secretly move you out of Shanghai and back to Chongqing. Second, you can remain hidden in Shanghai. I'll handle any top-secret missions you need."

Song Qingyuan did not answer immediately.

He looked at Lu Minghui. After a few seconds of silence, he adjusted his glasses.

"I'll stay," Song Qingyuan decided. "This game in Shanghai isn't over yet. If I leave, who will watch over your methods, Director Lu?"

Lu Minghui nodded.

"Paper Kite." Lu Minghui stood up. "Assign him a new identity and cut off all direct contact with the outside world. If he needs any intelligence, have it delivered through you."

"Yes."

Lu Minghui picked up the trench coat.

"Nakajima has given me two million in reserves within half a month, along with a large quantity of penicillin and seamless steel pipes." He put on his trench coat, buttoned it up, and said, "I have to meet with a few people."

Song Qingyuan looked at him. "Do you need any help?"

"You should hide first." Lu Minghui walked towards the door. "The biggest help you can give is to avoid getting caught."

I pushed open the door, and the night breeze rushed in.

Lu Minghui walked into the depths of the alley.