Hidden Radiance

Mei's Office. Section Chief's Office.

Sunlight streamed through the glass and fell onto the carpet.

Shinichi Nakajima stood in front of the sand table, holding a baton in his hand, pointing to the location of the French Concession.

Nanzo Yunzi pushed the door open and closed it behind her. She walked to her desk and placed a briefing on it.

"Section Chief, we finalized a preliminary cooperation agreement with the Military Intelligence Bureau last night." Nanzo Yunzi's voice was calm. "The Black Dragon Society will handle the shipments, and we'll take a cut. Lu Minghui only acted as a liaison throughout the process; he didn't interfere in any other way."

Nakajima didn't turn around. He tapped his baton twice on the edge of the sand table.

"It went very smoothly," Nakajima said.

"It went too smoothly." Nanzo Yunzi took an object out of her pocket and placed it next to the briefing.

Half a broken matchstick.

Nakajima turned around, his gaze falling on the broken wooden stick. "What's this?"

"Last night at the coffee shop, I broke a matchstick in half as a signal. I kept one half and gave the other half to Kawamoto from the second field team." Nanzo Yunko looked at the matchstick. "I sent Kawamoto to talk to that KMT agent."

Nakajima walked back to his desk, picked up the broken match, and examined it for a moment.

Where is Kawamoto himself?

"They haven't come back." Nanzo Yunzi lowered her voice slightly. "The other half of the match hasn't come back either, and Kawamoto hasn't come back either."

Nakajima tossed the match into the wastepaper basket with a soft thud.

"As expected." Nakajima sat down in his leather chair. "Given Lu Minghui's status and position, the other side won't send just anyone. Sending an ordinary field agent is tantamount to sending them to their deaths."

Nanzo Yunzi lowered her head. "It was my carelessness."

"Was there anything unusual about Lu Minghui last night?" Nakajima asked.

"No." Nanzo Yunzi looked up. "He only talked about business the whole time and didn't say a single unnecessary word. He didn't come out of his apartment after that."

Nanzo Yunzi paused, then leaned forward. "Section Chief, Lu Minghui is extremely meticulous. I propose installing eavesdropping devices in his apartment and office."

Nakajima kept his hands on the table and didn't look up.

"Yunzi," Nakajima's voice was not loud, "Given Lu Minghui's alertness, he would have sensed whether there was a listening device or not the moment he entered the room."

Nakajima stood up and walked around to the front of the sand table.

"If I pretend, and he finds out, all my previous plans will be ruined. If I don't pretend, at least he'll still believe in me and trust him." Nakajima picked up his baton and tapped it on the sand table. "If the cage door is closed tightly, the eagle won't fly."

Nanzo Yunzi did not back down. "Section Chief, the Sugi Project cannot afford to fail. Gu Yunqiu's identity is questionable, yet he still keeps her by his side. This is illogical in itself."

"Gu Yunqiu was demoted to a driver, and he didn't say a word." Nakajima turned around. "For a person who values ​​relationships, this is enough."

Nakajima walked to the window and tugged on the blind cord.

"You are now his closest eyes and his emotional bond."

Nanzo Yunzi bowed slightly. "Understood."

"Go keep a close eye on the accounts." Nakajima waved his hand. "How's Li Shiqun's situation?"

"Ono-kun sent back news this morning. Li Shiqun has offered three more properties and two vaults in the French Concession. Ono-kun has received the money and has temporarily stopped."

Nakajima laughed. "To survive, one must cut off one's tail. Li Shiqun is a smart man, but he forgot that cutting off too many tails can be fatal."

76 Jessfield Road.

Deputy Director's Office.

A Ru ware teacup shattered, and tea spilled onto the Persian carpet.

Li Shiqun sat on the sofa. He held a letter opener in his hand, the tip pointing vertically downwards. Just as it was about to pierce the leather on the armrest, he stopped.

Lin Zhijiang stood in front of the table, head bowed, barely daring to breathe.

"Three properties, two vaults." Li Shiqun's voice was unusually soft, as if it were leaking from between his teeth. "He swallowed half of the wealth he had accumulated in Shanghai over the years."

"Please calm down, Director." Lin Zhijiang swallowed hard. "Money can be earned back. As long as we're alive and the team is intact, we can turn things around."

Li Shiqun threw the letter opener on the desk, the handle trembling twice.

"The team? Wu Dazhi is dead, and the Third Action Team is now a disorganized mess. Ding Mo Village will definitely take this opportunity to send people in."

"Ding Mocun just went out," Lin Zhijiang said in a low voice. "He went to the teahouse on Yuyuan Road. Lu Minghui and Nanzao Yunzi went too."

Li Shiqun suddenly looked up.

"The three of them are together; they're going to dismember my body." Li Shiqun stood up and walked to the window.

Several military trucks were parked in the courtyard. Thirty-six men dressed in black stood in a square formation below the steps, submachine guns slung across their chests.

"Lu Minghui wants to replace my smuggling line with the Black Dragon Society," Li Shiqun sneered. "Does he think that by handing over the money, Nakajima will protect him for life? The rules of Shanghai weren't set by the Japanese."

Li Shiqun turned his head.

"Go and find out when Lu Minghui and the Black Dragon Society's first batch of goods will leave. He wants to do business, but I'll make sure he loses everything, principal and interest."

"Yes." Lin Zhijiang turned and left.

Yuyuan Road. Teahouse.

Second floor private seating area.

We arrived at Dingmo Village early. The water in the kettle was boiling, steaming hot.

Lu Minghui and Nanzo Yunzi walked in.

Ding Mocun immediately stood up, his gaze lingering on Nanzo Yunzi for a moment, his face beaming with smiles. "Miss Yunzi, it is an honor to have you here. I have failed to greet you properly."

Nanzo Yunzi nodded slightly and sat down next to Lu Minghui.

Ding Mocun poured tea. Three purple clay teacups were pushed in front of the three people.

"Brother Lu, Li Shiqun has really suffered a huge loss this time." Ding Mocun picked up his teacup but didn't drink. "Ono-kun acted very quickly. However, I heard that Ono-kun stopped, so Li Shiqun's life has been saved."

Lu Minghui picked up his teacup and blew away the foam. "Director Ding, Li Shiqun has deep roots and a powerful family; he can't be destroyed overnight. Ono-kun took the money, so we have to leave him a way out. The Imperial Army values ​​dignity."

"What does Section Chief Nakajima mean?" Ding Mocun looked at Nanzo Yunzi.

Nanzo Yunzi placed her hands on her knees and looked at Ding Mocun. "Director Ding, the section chief has begun to doubt Li Shiqun's loyalty. A person who sold supplies to Chongqing doesn't deserve to sit in the 76th Division."

Ding Mocun straightened his back.

"The integration task has been handed over to you." Nanzo Yunzi picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and said, "As for the chair in Unit 76—the section chief knows who can sit there securely."

Ding Mocun put down his teacup and rubbed his hands together on his knees. "Please tell the section chief, Miss Yunzi, that I have absolutely no ulterior motives."

Lu Minghui put down his teacup with a soft sound.

"Director Ding, although Li Shiqun has paid the money, his action team is still intact." Lu Minghui looked at Ding Mocun. "Wu Dazhi is dead, and the Third Action Team is leaderless. This is a good opportunity."

Ding Mocun placed his hands on the table, his fingers clenched. "I'll arrange for my men to take over the Third Action Team immediately."

"Not enough." Lu Minghui shook his head. "Wu Dazhi is dead, but Li Shiqun still has five action team leaders. Among them, She Aizhen also serves as the chief of the guard brigade, and she has more guns than Lin Zhijiang."

Ding Mocun looked at Lu Minghui and suddenly asked, "She Aizhen was promoted by Brother Lu, what are you planning, Brother Lu?"

Lu Minghui didn't look at him; his gaze was fixed on the dark clouds outside the window.

"I promoted She Aizhen, but I'm not sure if she's one of us." Lu Minghui turned his head to look at Ding Mocun. "If Director Ding can make her one of us, that would be best."

Ding Mocun didn't reply. He placed the teacup back on the table very gently.

A few seconds later, Ding Mocun pulled a folded letter from his sleeve and pushed it in front of Lu Minghui. "Brother Lu, these are some of Li Shiqun's undercover agents in Zhabei. The assets he handed over are only what's on the surface; his real wealth is hidden among these undercover agents."

Lu Minghui didn't look at the letter and pushed it directly to Nanzo Yunzi. "Yunzi, keep this safe. It's a gift from Director Ding to the section chief."

Nanzo Yunzi picked up the letter, unfolded it, glanced at it twice, folded it, and put it into her handbag. "Director Ding, thank you for your trouble. The Special Higher Police took pictures of an unfamiliar face at that undercover agent in the east of Zhabei last week."

Ding Mocun paused for a moment as he held up the teacup. He glanced at Nanzo Yunzi but didn't ask her how she knew.

Lu Minghui's gaze swept across Nanzo Yunzi's face and landed on the tea leaves swirling in the cup.

"In a few days, Heilongjiang will be shipping a batch of goods from Pier No. 3 on the east bank of Hongkou." Lu Minghui looked at Ding Mocun. "Director Ding, send a few capable people over to assist and familiarize themselves with the route. Integrating Shanghai's supplies will inevitably involve dealing with the docks in the future."

Ding Mocun nodded in agreement.

The weather in Shanghai changes in an instant, from sunny to cloudy, and from cloudy to rainy.

The Ford sedan was parked at the entrance of the alley.

Gu Yunqiu sat in the driver's seat, her hands resting on the steering wheel.

Raindrops fell on the windshield, running down the glass and cutting the street scene into strips.

In the rearview mirror, a black Buick sedan was parked half a block away. The license plate number was 76.

Car number 76. Li Shiqun's men.

Gu Yunqiu didn't move. She took out a pocket watch from her pocket, glanced at the time, and closed it. The pocket watch lid clicked shut.

His gaze shifted from the pocket watch to the Buick sedan. Someone was smoking in the driver's seat, the red glow of the cigarette glowing intermittently.

The Buick's windshield wipers moved three times, clearing the rain from the windshield, and then stopped.

Someone was taking a deep drag of their cigarette. The red light stayed on for a long time.

Gu Yunqiu moved his right hand away from the steering wheel and reached under the seat. His fingertips touched the cold gun barrel, paused for a moment, and then withdrew.

She glanced at the passenger seat. It was empty.

Second floor private seating area.

Lu Minghui turned his head and glanced out the window.

Rain streamed down the glass. The Ford sedan at the alley entrance was blurry, as if viewed through frosted glass. He couldn't see the person in the driver's seat, nor could he see the Buick half a block away.

Two days left of the three-day deadline.

He looked back.

Ding Mocun was still talking. Nanzao Yunzi was taking notes. The Buick outside the window turned off its lights.

Lu Minghui picked up his teacup but didn't drink it. The tea had gone cold.