Hidden Radiance

Gunshots pierced through the wind and rain.

The bullets struck the metal box, sending sparks flying.

Matsui reacted swiftly, overturning the wooden crate in front of him, rolling on the ground, and hiding in the shadows of the cargo ship. The cigar in his hand fell into a puddle, hissing as a wisp of white smoke rose from it.

The Black Dragon Society's ronin drew their Nanbu pistols and fired back.

The firepower was on completely different levels. Two Czech-made light machine guns were mounted on the roof of the warehouse. Spitfire erupted, and the crossfire instantly blocked off the open area of ​​the dock.

The three ronin were riddled with holes and lay flat on their backs in the muddy water.

Nanzo Yunzi's black sedan became an easy target. The windshield shattered instantly, and the car door was riddled with bullet holes.

Before Ding Mocun's men could even draw their guns, they were swept to the ground.

Nanzo Yunzi pushed open the other door and rolled out of the carriage. She lay face down on the oil-stained mud, clutching the approval booklet tightly in her hand. A bullet grazed the undercarriage, shattering nearby stones, and shards of debris splashed onto her face, leaving a bloody gash.

The kite started moving the moment the gun fired.

Ignoring the box of gold bars and dollars, he kicked the wooden crate containing penicillin into the truck bed. Then he leaped into the air and tumbled into the cargo bed. A burst of bullets ricocheted off his heels, shattering the wooden planks and sending shards into his calves.

"Drive!" Paper Kite roared.

The driver slammed on the gas. Half of the truck's windshield shattered, and a bullet emerged from the back of the passenger seat. The driver ducked and floored the accelerator, the engine roared, and the truck, braving the hail of bullets, crashed through the iron fence at the dock and disappeared into the rain.

The machine gunner on the warehouse roof turned his guns and concentrated fire on Matsui's hiding place and Nanzo Yunko's car.

A dozen masked gunmen surrounded the warehouse from both sides, carrying submachine guns, ready to clear the area.

Nanzo Yunzi took out his sidearm and pulled the bolt.

She watched the masked man approach, her back pressed against the cold metal of the car floor. A dozen steps, ten steps, eight steps.

Gu Yunqiu had been waiting for a long time in the alley outside the dock entrance.

She placed her hands on the steering wheel the moment she heard the first gunshot. The second, she turned the key. The third, the engine roared to life.

The screeching of tires against the ground drowned out the gunshots.

The Ford sedan crashed through the barbed wire fence at the dock entrance and rammed straight into the masked gunmen who were surrounding them. Two gunmen were unable to dodge in time and were thrown into the air, crashing into the shipping containers.

The Ford sedan jerked the steering wheel sharply. The car swerved sideways, its tires carving an arc through the water, before coming to a steady stop in front of Nanzo Yunzi. The vehicle blocked the machine gun's view from the warehouse roof.

The car door opened.

Gu Yunqiu, wearing a gray trench coat, stepped out of the carriage with one foot. She held a Thompson submachine gun in her hand, the butt resting on her shoulder.

Pull the trigger.

A burst of bullets swept across the area. The four masked men at the forefront had their chests explode and fell backward.

Two military trucks followed closely behind and rushed into the dock. More than thirty men in civilian clothes jumped out of the trucks, without shouting, and spread out in groups of ten, pushing forward against the wall.

More than thirty submachine guns opened fire simultaneously. The dense barrage instantly suppressed the machine gun on the warehouse roof.

Gu Yunqiu emptied a magazine, then pressed the latch with one hand. The empty magazine fell to the ground, and he pulled a new magazine from his trench coat pocket with his left hand, slapping it upwards. He loaded it and continued firing.

The masked gunmen's lines began to collapse from both flanks. Those in the back turned and ran, while those in the front continued firing, creating a chaotic mess of firepower.

"Retreat!" the masked leader shouted, turning and running towards the back of the warehouse.

"Pursue!" Gu Yunqiu waved one hand.

Gunshots rang out behind the warehouse, then subsided after a few minutes.

Gu Yunqiu lowered the muzzle of his gun.

She walked up to Nanzo Yunko and extended her left hand.

Nanzo Yunzi lay prone in the mud, her suit stained with grime, her hair disheveled. She looked at Gu Yunqiu's clean hand, then glanced at his indifferent face.

Nanzo Yunko did not reach out to shake that hand.

She pushed herself up and patted the mud off her clothes. She switched the approval book to her left hand and used her right hand to smooth the wet hair that clung to her cheek. The movements were slow, she brushed each strand behind her ear.

His lips moved slightly, and he swallowed back half a mouthful of saliva that tasted of rust.

"Secretary Gu's arrival is perfectly timed."

Gu Yunqiu withdrew her hand.

"Commander Lu said that Li Shiqun is definitely not satisfied with spitting out the money and will definitely come to cause trouble. He sent me to bring some men over to take a look." Gu Yunqiu's tone was calm, his gaze sweeping over the bloodstains on Nanzo Yunzi's cheek caused by the gravel, without lingering for long. "Fortunately, we're not too late."

Matsui emerged from the back of the cargo ship. His trench coat had two holes punched in the hem.

He walked up to the body of a masked man and used his toe to pry off the mask.

An unfamiliar face.

Matsui crouched down and pulled open the corpse's collar. The body bore a blue dragon tattoo.

"The Green Gang." Matsui stood up, his lips pressed into a tight line. "Li Shiqun. Very well."

Nanzo Yunzi walked over and glanced at the Green Gang member.

She turned to look at Gu Yunqiu. Her gaze lingered on Gu Yunqiu's face for a long time.

"Matsui-kun, take stock of the damage." Nanzo Yunko regained her composure. "Secretary Gu, take your men and seal off the scene. Wait for the military police to arrive."

Gu Yunqiu nodded and turned to stand guard on the perimeter.

76 Jessfield Road.

The Confidential Affairs Office. Lu Minghui sat behind his desk, holding an unlit Old Knife brand cigarette in his hand.

The phone on the table rang.

Lu Minghui picked up the microphone.

"Commander Lu. The docks were attacked. Half of the goods were saved, and Miss Yunzi is safe." Gu Yunqiu's voice came through the receiver, accompanied by the sounds of rain and hurried footsteps in the background. "The attackers left behind bodies; they were from the Green Gang."

"Understood." Lu Minghui's voice was steady. "Cooperate with the military police to ensure a smooth handover. Protect Miss Yunzi."

hang up the phone.

Lu Minghui's right hand was still on the microphone, not loosened. His knuckles tapped lightly on the black bakelite.

Then he broke the cigarette he hadn't lit in his hand in two and threw it into the trash can.

The door opened. Ding Mocun strode in, his face pale.

"Brother Lu, something's happened at the docks. Miss Nanzo almost died. Li Shiqun has gone mad; he even dares to kill Japanese!"

"The fire won't touch you, so why are you panicking?" Lu Minghui looked at him. "What you need to do now is to tie these Green Gang assassins to Li Shiqun."

Ding Mocun's lips twitched.

"I'll take care of it right away." He turned and left.

Two o'clock in the afternoon. Mei's Office.

On Shinichi Nakajima's desk were four things: a bloodstained lining, the barrel of a Czech light machine gun, and Yunko Nanzo's mud-stained approval book.

And boxes containing US dollars and gold bars.

Matsui sat on the sofa, his right hand gripping his knee. Nanzo Yunko, having changed into clean clothes, stood in front of the table.

Lu Minghui sat opposite Matsui, his left arm still in a cast.

"Li Shiqun is declaring war on the Empire." Matsui slammed his hand on the coffee table. "Section Chief, six brothers from the Black Dragon Society have died. This blood debt must be repaid in blood. I'm going to wipe out No. 76."

"Calm down, Matsui-kun." Nakajima placed his hands on the table, crossed. "This was done by the Green Gang. What does it have to do with the 76th Division?"

"So my brother died in vain?" Matsui stared at Nakajima, leaning forward half an inch. He was still clutching the half-smoked cigar in his hand, his knuckles white, the cigarette broken in the middle, the bits of tobacco scattered on his knees.

Nakajima did not retreat.

He opened the money box, where evidence of collusion between Li Shiqun's men and the Military Intelligence Bureau was found at the bottom. He took out the stack of documents, weighed them in his hand, placed them on the coffee table, and pushed them in front of Matsui.

"Take a look at this," Nakajima said in the same tone, "and then we'll decide whether you'll be the one to level 76, or I will."

Matsui glanced down at the page. When he turned to the second page, his fingertip paused on a certain line of text, his nails digging into the paper.

He closed the file. He tossed the broken cigar into the ashtray, but the hand gripping his knee was still white.

Nakajima turned to look at Nanzo Yunko. "Yunko, you were there. What exactly happened?"

"The enemy's firepower was extremely strong, and they were well-prepared. It was clearly premeditated," Nanzo Yunzi reported truthfully. "If Gu Yunqiu hadn't arrived with his men in time, I wouldn't be back today. That box of US dollars and gold bars would have been stolen too."

Nakajima's gaze shifted to Lu Minghui.

"You sent her?" Nakajima asked.

"We were being followed yesterday," Lu Minghui said calmly. "I had Gu Yunqiu investigate."

Nakajima tapped his fingers twice on the table.

"Gu Yunqiu did a great job," Nakajima set the tone. "Reinstate her to her post. Your confidential office needs someone like her."

Lu Minghui lowered his head slightly.

"Gu Yunqiu's merits are not enough to clear her of suspicion, after all, the parties involved in the fighting have nothing to do with the Red Party."

"Minghui, you're certainly cautious and objective." Nakajima found the telegram from the South Manchuria Railway Company, weighed it in his hand, and said, "The South Manchuria Railway Company can't even keep its own accounts straight. The stuff that idiot Hashimoto pushed over will only annoy me."

He took out his lighter and turned it on.

The flames licked the edges of the paper. The paper curled, blackened, and crumbled into ashes in the ashtray.

Lu Minghui did not speak again.

Nakajima then handed over the evidence sent by the kite to Lu Minghui.

"You decide what to do with these things."

Lu Minghui took the stack of documents. He pressed his thumb on the cover for a moment before putting it into the inside pocket of his trench coat.