Hidden Radiance

"Minghui, you've disappointed me greatly." Nakajima tossed the shredded paper into the trash can. "You think taking a step back will open up a world of possibilities? In 76, taking a step back means death. Li Shiqun won't let a retreating enemy get away with it."

Nakajima walked back to his desk, sat down, opened a drawer, took out a blank document, and quickly wrote a few lines with a pen.

"Commissioner of Police? That's a retirement home. How could I possibly let someone as talented as you be wasted?"

Nakajima signed his name, stamped it with the Mei Agency's red seal, and pushed it in front of Lu Minghui.

Lu Minghui looked down.

He is not the captain of the guard battalion.

He is the head of the Confidential Office of the Special Agents Headquarters and concurrently serves as the chief instructor of the Guard Brigade.

The Confidential Office is in charge of all core confidential documents and telegram codes of Unit 76.

The chief instructor has the authority to allocate personnel within the guard battalion.

"Since you don't want to deal with those roughnecks, then deal with the secrets." Nakajima placed his hands on the table, crossed. "Li Shiqun has kept the Confidential Office very tightly under wraps, impenetrable to any intrusion. Go in and keep a close eye on him for me. I need all the intelligence from the 76th Division to pass through your hands first."

Lu Minghui's eyelids twitched as he looked at the appointment letter.

The Confidential Office. He had spent two years in the Intelligence Section, and although he wanted to go there, he never had a suitable opportunity.

"Section Chief Nakajima, this..." Lu Minghui feigned a look of panic.

"Take it," Nakajima interrupted him. "This is an order. The credit for the gold heist is enough to shut Li Shiqun up."

Lu Minghui remained silent for a moment, picked up the appointment letter, and after a brief thought, said, "Fu Yewen, the head of the Confidential Affairs Department, is Director Li's brother-in-law and one of his most trusted confidants. He is also extremely loyal to the Empire. How about I become his deputy?"

Nakajima hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Alright."

"Prepare for the handover. Also, after the gold is seized, transport it directly back to the Mei Agency."

Nakajima paused, lowered his voice, and leaned forward.

"Did you see a person codenamed 'Paper Kite' in Wu Sibao's ledger?"

Lu Minghui tightened his grip on the appointment letter by half an inch.

"No." The answer was crisp and decisive.

"Before Wu Sibao died, he was investigating this 'Paper Kite.' He suspected that Paper Kite was infiltrating the upper echelons of the 76th Division." Nakajima leaned back in his chair, squinting. "Your first task after taking office is to find this Paper Kite. Dead or alive, it doesn't matter."

Lu Minghui folded the appointment letter and put it in his pocket.

"clear."

He turned and walked towards the door.

The door opened, and the cold wind from the corridor blew onto my face.

Lu Minghui didn't turn around. His leather shoes clattered on the wooden floor, one sound after another, fading into the distance.

Lu Minghui owns a Ford sedan, provided by the Special Higher Police, but he rarely drives it.

It was already dark when I walked out of the gate of No. 76.

A cold wind swirled fallen leaves, slapping against my trouser legs.

Several rickshaws were parked at the entrance.

One of the drivers, wearing a tattered felt hat, saw Lu Minghui and immediately pulled his cart to greet him.

"Sir, where are you going?"

The coachman pulled his hat down low.

"Military Police".

Lu Minghui got into the car and settled in.

The cart started moving. The wooden wheels made a monotonous rhythm on the bluestone slabs.

The rickshaw driver, surnamed Zhao, was an underground courier for the Party group. During the two years Lu Minghui was with No. 76, all the intelligence he sent out was delivered via this rickshaw.

After turning two corners, it got dark all around.

Lu Minghui took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out and put it in his mouth.

When striking the match, I tapped my fingers three times on the back of the handlebars.

Two long and one short.

Old Zhao slowed his pace.

"In the basement of 144 Avenue Joffre, there is a batch of gold looted by the Japanese army, twenty boxes."

Lu Minghui exhaled a puff of smoke, his voice carried on the wind.

"Notify your family to intercept it in advance. Take half and keep the other half."

He paused for a moment and flicked the ash into the wind.

"Once we arrive, we'll first survey the outer perimeter. If the Japanese go first, we'll retreat immediately. Not a single person is allowed to go in."

"I'll be delayed on the road for a while."

"clear."

Old Zhao's voice was flat, but his steps remained steady as ever.

Lu Minghui leaned back in his chair, watching the plane trees lining both sides of the street recede into the distance.

Taking half is the bottom line.

If they took it all, he wouldn't be able to explain himself. Sun Yaozu had said it was all hidden on Xiafei Road, and even missing a single gold bar wouldn't make sense. But half would be acceptable. To get Sun Yaozu to change his story, Wu Sibao hid the gold in two places, but the other half hasn't been found yet.

He can make this statement be plausible.

Keep half to supplement the organization's funds. Give the other half to the Japanese; that will be enough to satisfy Nakajima.

The premise is that Nakajima did not make a move beforehand.

He has already handed over the task of seizing the gold to Ono, and Nakajima is waiting for Ono's report. It is unlikely that the Ume Agency will send someone first.

The window of opportunity is very short, but it exists.

To gamble or not to gamble?

Lu Minghui smoked the cigarette down to the butt and stubbed it out on the car frame.

bet.

Lu Minghui got off the bus midway, hailed another car, and headed straight for the military police headquarters.

Upon arrival, Ono had already gathered the team and was ready to depart.

"Commander Lu."

Ono greeted Lu Minghui immediately upon seeing him, his tone revealing a hint of joy. Lu Minghui had actually shared such a significant contribution as the discovery of the gold with him.

"Ready?"

Lu Minghui asked.

"Of course," Ono said with a smile, "How could I not take Lu Sang's instructions seriously?"

Lu Minghui remained silent, his gaze sweeping across the accompanying vehicles, sometimes frowning, sometimes nodding.

Seeing Lu Minghui hesitate, Ono ordered his men to check the vehicle again after a few seconds.

Ten minutes later.

"Are you relieved now?" Ono laughed. "I didn't expect Akira-kun to be so cautious." There was a hint of impatience in his tone.

Lu Minghui smiled and said, "It's always good to be cautious. Let's go."

After saying that, he got into Ono's car and drove towards Avenue Joffre.

The car rolled over the cobblestone road and drove into a quiet alley.

Lu Minghui and Xiao Ye sat in the back row, their faces calm, their hands tucked into their sleeves.

Suddenly the car lurched as it rolled over a section of gravel road. Taking advantage of the sway, he leaned forward slightly, as if adjusting his posture. He quietly reached into the gap between the front and rear partitions, hooked the choke cable, and shut the choke off completely.

Ono looked out the window, the driver kept an eye on the road, and no one noticed Lu Minghui's subtle actions.

After the car glided for several dozen meters, the engine gradually became sluggish, and the power slowly withdrew.

First, there was a sputtering sound, then the car trembled slightly, and when the accelerator was pressed to the floor, all that was left was a hollow and powerless roar.

A few seconds later, the engine suddenly stalled and came to a complete stop.

"What happened?"

Lu Minghui frowned and looked at Ono. "Did Ono-kun check all the vehicles except his own?"

Ono's face darkened, and he yelled at the driver in Japanese, "Damn it, aren't you going down to check?"

The driver shakily tried to start the car several times, but it wouldn't start. He then got out of the car, opened the hood, and checked the engine for a long time, but couldn't find any problems.

Seeing that it was almost time, Lu Minghui stepped aside to block Ono's view and quietly put the windbreak cable back in place. "Should I go down and check? If we delay any longer, it'll be hard to explain if something happens."

"Thank you, Minghui-kun!"

Ono got out of the car with Lu Minghui. Lu Minghui opened the hood again, pretended to inspect it, and casually twisted the oil hose. He said to the driver in Japanese, "Want to try again?"

Boom boom—

The car started normally.

Ono was overjoyed. "Akira-kun, I didn't know you could fix cars?"

"It's just a loose oil circuit." Lu Minghui smiled. "You have to learn everything at the Army Sergeant Academy."