Hidden Radiance

A .792 caliber rifle bullet tore through the black trench coat.

The wool vest had a layer of strength, but it wasn't nearly enough.

The bullet pierced his left shoulder, blood splattered, and fragments of fabric mixed with flesh flew everywhere.

The immense kinetic energy propelled him backward.

Lu Minghui did not flinch; instead, he bent his knees and slammed heavily onto the man in the suit.

The two rolled into the blind spot behind the luggage cart.

The bones in his left shoulder made a cracking sound.

A sharp pain exploded from the shattered bones, rushing all the way to his forehead.

Lu Minghui bit his tongue, and the rusty taste spread in his mouth.

His left hand was half-useless, hanging limply at his sides.

His right hand gripped Browning tightly, the muzzle of the gun pointing past the edge of the luggage cart at the clock tower.

"Director Lu!" Lin Zhijiang shouted from behind a large pillar ten meters away, not daring to show his face.

"Leave me alone!" Lu Minghui's forehead was covered in cold sweat, his voice hoarse. "Get them into the car! Quickly!"

Sun Yaozu's black bulletproof sedan had already overturned onto the platform amidst the chaos, its tires screeching against the ground and emitting white smoke, the doors wide open.

Four plainclothes bodyguards got up from the ground, grabbed the pale-faced man in the suit, and shoved him into the car.

boom!

Another shot was fired from the direction of the clock tower.

The bullet hit the bulletproof car door, sending sparks flying.

"Suppress the clock tower with firepower!"

Lu Minghui pulled the trigger with his right hand and fired three shots in the direction of the clock tower.

Lin Zhijiang's team members finally realized what was happening.

More than a dozen submachine guns emerged from their cover and opened fire on the clock tower, sending bricks and tiles raining down.

The man in the suit was successfully shoved into the car.

Sun Yaozu stepped on the gas, and the car roared out of the North Square.

Lu Minghui leaned against the luggage wheel.

Blood flowed down his left arm and pooled on the ground in a dark red puddle.

My vision started to blur.

He looked at the smashed shutters at the top of the clock tower.

The kites have been removed.

The excruciating pain and blood loss drained my strength.

Lu Minghui closed his eyes and tilted his head to one side.

Before he lost consciousness, he heard Lin Zhijiang's chaotic footsteps and distorted shouts.

Open your eyes again.

The first thing I saw was a stark white ceiling.

The nose is filled with the smell of disinfectant and Lysol.

His left shoulder was wrapped tightly with thick gauze, and his entire arm was fixed to his chest.

The anesthesia hadn't worn off yet, and the wound only felt a dull, aching pain.

Lu Minghui rolled his eyes.

On the single sofa to the right of the hospital bed, Shinichi Nakajima, dressed in casual clothes, was peeling an apple with a peeler in his hand.

Fruit peels hung continuously above the trash can.

"You're awake." Nakajima didn't look up. He turned the knife, cut off a piece of fruit, stuck it in a toothpick, and placed it on the white porcelain plate on the bedside table.

Lu Minghui struggled to sit up.

"Don't move. Your clavicle is comminuted; the bullet missed an artery by half an inch." Nakajima put down the knife, took a hot towel, and wiped his hands. "You're lucky to be alive."

"Special Envoy..." Lu Minghui's voice was hoarse.

"It's safe." Nakajima pulled up a chair and sat down in front of the hospital bed.

"Sun Yaozu provided excellent escort. When Lin Zhijiang led his men up the clock tower, they only found three shell casings. Over at the South Square, Ono captured three members of the Military Intelligence Bureau who were causing chaos. The big fish got away."

Lu Minghui breathed a sigh of relief and rested his head back on the pillow.

"My subordinates failed in their duty and did not identify the sniper in the clock tower in advance."

Nakajima looked at him.

His gaze shifted from Lu Minghui's pale face to the layers of gauze.

"You did not fail in your duty. You did a great job." Nakajima's voice was soft. "Facing the sniper, you shielded the envoy with your body. Akira, you have shown me true loyalty."

Lu Minghui smirked: "The section chief entrusted his life to me; I'll risk my life to protect him. The special envoy must be shaken?"

Nakajima did not answer immediately.

He picked up the piece of apple from the white porcelain plate, put it in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.

"He wasn't frightened." Nakajima looked into Lu Minghui's eyes. "Because he had no idea what was happening. He was just a stand-in."

There was a two-second silence in the ward.

Lu Minghui stared at Nakajima, his chest heaving violently.

His jaw bulged against his cheek, his jaw clenched tightly, and he held it for a long time before finally releasing it.

"Section Chief..." Lu Minghui gritted his teeth, "The South Plaza's security detail, the North Plaza's security—are they all part of the bureau?"

"It's a setup," Nakajima readily admitted.

"The special envoy's whereabouts have been leaked. I need to confirm which line the mole is on. The actions of the Military Intelligence Bureau in the South Square indicate that the intelligence they obtained was incomplete. And the snipers in the North Square suggest that someone is trying to take advantage of the chaos."

Nakajima leaned forward and patted Lu Minghui's uninjured right shoulder.

"The real envoy secretly landed at Wusongkou by water last night. He has now safely arrived in the Japanese concession."

Lu Minghui fell silent.

He lowered his eyes and looked at the hospital gown he was wearing.

Gu Yunqiu was telling the truth. Ah Bing was telling the truth too. From beginning to end, Nakajima had everyone on the chessboard.

"Are you holding a grudge?" Nakajima asked.

"I wouldn't dare." Lu Minghui raised his head. "The section chief has his reasons for doing this. I'll just carry it out."

"I don't trust 76, I don't trust the South Manchuria Railway, and I don't even trust the people around Ono." Nakajima stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the lawn below. "But I trust you."

Nakajima turned around.

He walked to the bedside, took a document from his briefcase, and placed it next to Lu Minghui's pillow.

Gray cover.

Draft of the Sugi Project.

"The special envoy has brought the initial funding and a list. From today onwards, you officially take over the integration of Shanghai gangs and chambers of commerce. You can choose any people from the 76th Division. I will approve the funding. If you need the military police, go directly to Ono-kun."

Lu Minghui looked at the document but didn't reach for it with his right hand.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to get out of bed for a while, given my condition."

"As long as he's not out of his mind." Nakajima straightened the hem of his suit. "This shooting incident was due to Lin Zhijiang's dereliction of duty, and Director Li bears an unshirkable responsibility."

Nakajima walked to the door and opened it.

The door closed.

The footsteps faded into the distance.

Lu Minghui closed his eyes.

The door was pushed open again.

Sun Yaozu peeked in, carrying two fruit baskets, and locked the door behind him.

"Commander Lu!" Sun Yaozu rushed to the bedside, his eyes red and tears welling up instantly. "You scared me to death! When that gunshot rang out, I was terrified!"

"Go outside to mourn." Lu Minghui opened his eyes, his tone cold.

Sun Yaozu quickly wiped his face, put the fruit basket on the ground, and leaned closer to lower his voice.

"Sir, you deserved that shot. Lin Zhijiang was furious at the department today, and Director Li lost his temper too. Now everyone in the 76th Division knows that you're a favorite of Section Chief Nakajima. The brothers in the guard battalion all say they'll follow your lead from now on."

"Is Li Shiqun angry because I'm not dead, or because I'm injured?" Lu Minghui used his right hand to support himself on the bed and moved up half an inch.

Sun Yaozu quickly reached behind him and placed a pillow there.

"How would I know what the director is thinking? But..." Sun Yaozu looked around and lowered his voice even further, "This morning, right after the special envoy left, Director Li met with a mysterious person in his office."

Lu Minghui stopped flipping through the documents.

"Who is it?"

"I don't know. He went through the back door, and Lin Zhijiang personally greeted him. He was wearing a long gown, glasses, and had a string of small-leaf sandalwood beads in his hand." Sun Yaozu swallowed. "I overheard something at the door under the pretense of delivering documents. Director Li was very polite to that person, calling him 'Sir' at every turn."

A man in a long gown carrying a piece of small-leaf sandalwood.

Lu Minghui's mind flashed back to Ah Bing's words.

"The core of Project Sugi is not the special envoy. The real executor, 'The Gardener,' has already arrived in Shanghai ahead of schedule."

Nakajima handed over the power of the unified gang business association to him. But this was just the dirty work of making money on the periphery. The real core operations were handed over to "Gardener" by Nakajima.

And this gardener actually bypassed the Mei Agency and went directly to see Li Shiqun?

Li Shiqun wanted to bypass Nakajima and get a share of the profits in the Sugi Project.

"Has that person left?" Lu Minghui asked.

"He didn't leave. Director Li arranged for him to stay in the small villa behind No. 76 Jessfield Road. It's surrounded by Lin Zhijiang's hidden sentries on all sides, and even our guard brigade won't let him get close."

Lu Minghui traced lines on the bed sheet with his right hand.

The gardener moved into No. 76. Li Shiqun, being in a prime position, benefited from this proximity.

If Li Shiqun and the gardener reach some kind of agreement, the trust he has just built with Nakajima will be marginalized.

"Yaozu," Lu Minghui said.

"exist."

"Do me a favor," Lu Minghui said, looking at him. "Go and find out what She Aizhen has been up to lately."

Sun Yaozu was taken aback: "Investigate Sister She?"

"The Green Gang's docks and casinos are the first step in unification. Since Li Shiqun has hidden people, we have to find him something to do." Lu Minghui closed his eyes. "Go and do it."

"Understood!" Sun Yaozu left.

The ward fell silent again.

Lu Minghui picked up the gray-covered document from beside his pillow with his right hand.

Turn to the first page.

There were no complicated plan clauses, just a list.

The names of eighteen business tycoons from Shanghai were prominently listed.

Three of the names were marked with a bright red cross.

List of those sentenced to death.

Lu Minghui stared at the three crosses.

These three individuals were all patriotic businessmen who had secretly provided financial assistance to Chongqing or the Soviet areas.

The first thing Nakajima wanted him to do was not to negotiate, but to make an example of someone.

Suddenly, the crisp sound of high heels came from outside the door.

It stopped at the entrance of the ward.

The door handle turns.

Gu Yunqiu pushed open the door and entered. She had changed into a white trench coat, was holding a newspaper, and closed the door behind her.

He walked to the bedside and threw the newspaper onto Lu Minghui's lap.

"Commander Lu, you're incredibly lucky." Gu Yunqiu pushed up his glasses, a cold glint in his eyes behind the lenses. "I heard you officially joined Project Shan?"

"Secretary Gu is still so well-informed." Lu Minghui didn't touch the newspaper.

Gu Yunqiu leaned down, placed her hands on either side of the bed, and encircled Lu Minghui in the middle.

A stray strand of hair from her temple brushed against his bandaged shoulder, causing a slight stinging sensation.

"The folk tales in the newspaper, Commander Lu, are for amusement."

Get up.

The door closed.

Lu Minghui picked up the newspaper from his lap.

The Legend of the White Snake has been serialized up to the Green Snake storyline.

Lu Minghui's fingers tightened, and the edges of the newspaper crumpled into a ball.

Looking at the winding green snake on the page, he thought of the small Western-style building behind Jessfield Road and the string of small-leaf sandalwood beads.