Hidden Radiance

South Manchuria Railway Company, Shanghai Office.

Midnight. A sliver of light shone through the crack in the door of the director's office on the third floor.

Gu Yunqiu pushed the door open and went inside. He locked it behind him.

Zhongxi Gong sat behind a large desk, gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, flipping through a Japanese document. He looked up when he heard the door lock.

Gu Yunqiu walked to the table. She took out a pocket watch and an unsigned manila envelope from her briefcase and placed them side-by-side on the table. She pushed them towards the table.

The metal case brushed against the tabletop, making a soft sound.

"Mr. Zhongxi," Gu Yunqiu said calmly, "this is a token. Inside the envelope are the contact code and backup contact information."

Zhong Xigong's gaze shifted from the documents to his pocket watch. He didn't move.

"If something happens to me," Gu Yunqiu looked at him, "you will take my place and become the new 'knight-errant.' Establish new connections with the organization, and don't let 'Rouge' become a kite with a broken string."

The second hand of the clock ticked away, one tick at a time.

Zhong Xigong took off his glasses and took out a piece of soft cloth to slowly wipe the lenses.

"Matsui is dead."

Gu Yunqiu didn't reply. She stood ramrod straight.

"Matsui not only oversaw the material allocation for Project Sugi, but he also secretly participated in the procurement of special raw materials for Unit 1644." Nakanishi put his glasses back on, his gaze fixed on Gu Yunqiu through the lenses. "I heard he was assassinated at an izakaya. The first person I thought of was you. Or perhaps, the person behind you."

Gu Yunqiu clenched her teeth, her masseter muscles bulging slightly.

"Take these back." Nakanishi Kō pushed the pocket watch and envelope back onto the edge of the table. "Now is not the time."

"Nanzo Yunzi has her eye on me." Gu Yunqiu didn't take it. "This morning, when I forced my way into the Southeast Trading Company, she looked at me strangely. Lu Minghui ordered me to withdraw to the South Manchuria Railway and cut off all contact. I could be exposed at any moment."

"She can't catch you for now." Zhongxi Gong leaned back in his chair.

Gu Yunqiu waited for him to continue.

"Because Takeda is also dead."

Gu Yunqiu was stunned. When Lu Minghui left the safe house to kill Matsui, Takeda was still alive.

"He died on the second basement floor of the Litai Bank. A single shot." Zhongxi Gong picked up the iced tea on the table, took a sip, and said, "Takeda has been digging up old accounts in the basement. Last week, he discovered a financial transaction. If you follow this line further, you'll find the South Manchuria Railway's secret accounts in Shanghai."

He put down his teacup.

"You don't need to worry about this." Nakanishi Kō looked at Gu Yunqiu. "If Takeda investigates further, you won't be the only one who suffers."

Gu Yunqiu looked at the person in front of her.

The lens cleaning cloth was still on the table, neatly folded.

"With Matsui dead, the higher-ups will definitely investigate." Nakanishi Kou stood up, walked to the window, his back to her, "Takeda is dead too. The waters are temporarily muddied. Nobody can figure out what's going on."

He didn't analyze it any further.

Gu Yunqiu didn't press further. Matsui died in an izakaya, Takeda died in the bank's basement, and Lin Zhijiang had just kicked down the door of Chengda Company. With these three events occurring together, anyone's first reaction would be that they were all done by the same group.

Which way will Nakajima think?

Zhongxi Gong turned around, picked up the pocket watch, and put it back into her hand.

"Just do your job as the South Manchuria Railway Commissioner." Nakanishi Kō pressed his finger on the pocket watch cover. "The rest of the show is up to Lu Minghui."

The following morning. Hongkou, Meiji Government Office.

Consultant's Office.

Shinichi Nakajima stood by the window, watching the military police patrolling back and forth in the courtyard. His eyes were bloodshot, but his back was ramrod straight.

Lin Zhijiang accidentally stumbled into Chengda Company, nearly exposing Sakata's true intentions. Then, Matsui was assassinated, paralyzing Southeast Trading Company's supply channels. Last night, Takeda died in the basement of Litai Bank.

Nakajima slammed his fist against the window frame.

A knock came at the door.

"Come in." Nakajima turned around.

Lu Minghui and Nanzo Yunzi walked in one after the other. Lu Minghui's left arm bandage had been replaced with gauze, and his face was slightly pale. Nanzo Yunzi was in military uniform and was holding two survey reports.

"Section Chief." The two bowed their heads simultaneously.

Nakajima walked back to his desk and sat down. "Have you checked Takeda's crime scene?"

"I've checked." Nanzo Yunzi stepped forward and handed over the report. "One shot, Browning pistol. The abandoned ledgers on the second basement level have been rummaged through. The killer seems to be looking for something."

Nakajima did not receive the report. He leaned back in his chair.

"Matsui died in an izakaya, Takeda died in a bank," Nakajima sneered. "Someone is playing a grand game."

Nanzo Yunzi immediately chimed in, "Section Chief, Matsui and Takeda died in strikingly similar ways. The killer was extremely skilled, and both were searching for specific items. I still believe that Gu Yunqiu and..."

"That's enough," Nakajima interrupted her, his voice stern.

Nanzo Yunko's words stuck in her throat.

"Does Gu Yunqiu have the ability to create clones?" Nakajima stared at her. "She was killing Matsui at the izakaya while simultaneously running to Litai Bank to kill Takeda? Minghui stayed at No. 76 all night; the guards saw him."

Nakajima tapped his fingers heavily on the table.

"Lin Zhijiang's accidental intrusion into Chengda Company was a signal. Someone was using Lin Zhijiang to test the waters and probe Chengda's weaknesses. Then they killed Matsui to cut off our supply lines and cash flow. They killed Takeda to investigate the counterfeit money at Litai Bank." Nakajima's tone relaxed, "Their target is Project Sugi."

Lu Minghui stood to the side, his eyes lowered.

He didn't orchestrate Takeda's death. But Nakajima has already connected the three events into a single thread.

It was aimed at the Sugi Project, not 1644.

"Section Chief is wise." Lu Minghui raised his head and spoke at the right moment, "If the target is Project Shan, then this force is quite powerful. Not only have they figured out our perimeter, but they also dare to take direct action."

"What's your opinion, Akihiro-kun?" Nakajima asked.

"Lin Zhijiang is Li Shiqun's dog," Lu Minghui said calmly. "Li Shiqun just returned from Nanjing and is now a stray dog. He desperately needs to establish his authority and also desperately needs a pledge of loyalty. Behind him, there is very likely the shadow of the Chongqing Military Intelligence Bureau—Zhiyuan."

Nanzo Yunzi abruptly turned to look at Lu Minghui. "Li Shiqun is incapable of orchestrating two assassinations simultaneously!"

"Li Shiqun didn't have it, but the Military Intelligence Bureau did." Lu Minghui met her gaze. "Li Shiqun provides the intelligence, and the Military Intelligence Bureau is responsible for the operation. Is that—difficult?"

Nanzo Yunzi gritted her teeth. She swallowed back her words of rebuttal.

"There's another possibility." Lu Minghui turned to look at Nakajima, "Colonel Sakata."

Nakajima narrowed his eyes.

"Lu Xuzhang said that 70% of the medicine he sent to Chengda Company was missing. Matsui was originally in charge of transporting that batch of medicine." Lu Minghui threw out the bait, "Whether it was missing or not, and how it was missing, Matsui is dead, there's no way to verify it. Takeda has been investigating the accounts of Litai Bank, did they find some funds that they shouldn't have investigated? Colonel Sakata killed him to cover up the fact that he embezzled military supplies."

No one spoke. Nakajima's fingers rested on the edge of the table, his nails digging into the wood grain.

Nakajima stood up. He walked to the coffee table, picked up a pair of scissors, and slowly began to trim the withered branches of the potted plant.

Snap. A dead branch fell to the ground.

"Yunzi," Nakajima said, his back to them, "Go investigate Li Shiqun. Keep a close eye on him. If he really has connections with the Military Intelligence Bureau, investigate him thoroughly."

"Hi!" Nanzo Yunko stood at attention.

"Minghui." Nakajima turned around. "As the leader of the Sugi Project action team, you will take full control of Southeast Trading Company. Find out where those 70% of the drugs went. If it really is Sakata..."

Nakajima tossed the scissors onto the coffee table. The scissors snapped, their tips digging into the wood, vibrating twice with a buzzing sound.

"I'll calculate it with him myself."

"Understood." Lu Minghui bowed his head.

The two left the office.

In the corridor, Nanzo Yunzi stopped and stood in front of Lu Minghui.

"Minghui-kun, you really have some tricks up your sleeve." Nanzo Yunzi stared at him. "With just a few words, you've stirred up such a mess. Li Shiqun and Sakata have become your shields."

Lu Minghui smiled.

"Yunzi," Lu Minghui straightened his suit collar, "instead of keeping an eye on me, you should keep an eye on Li Shiqun. His dog, Lin Zhijiang, actually kicked down the gates of the Imperial Army."

Lu Minghui walked past her and strode towards the stairwell.

Nanzo Yunzi stood there, watching his retreating figure. Her hand rested on the holster at her waist, gripping it tightly.

Stepping out of the Mei Agency gate, Lu Minghui got into a Ford sedan.

Sun Yaozu started the engine.

Lu Minghui leaned back in the back seat and closed his eyes.

Takeda's death was not his doing.

Who killed him? Why?

He opened his eyes.

"Go to Lita Bank."

The car drove onto the street.

At the entrance of Lita Bank, the military police had already withdrawn, leaving only a few constables setting up a cordon.

Lu Minghui got out of the car. Wan Molin was standing in the lobby, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. Seeing Lu Minghui, he quickly came to greet him.

"Director Lu! You've finally arrived!" Wan Molin lowered his voice. "Takeda died down there, and the Special Higher Police have turned the tables on us."

Lu Minghui didn't say anything and walked straight to the iron door leading to the basement.

As you walk down the steps, the stench of blood mixed with the musty smell of the basement hits you.

In an empty room on the second basement level, a human figure was drawn on the floor in chalk. Several account books were scattered nearby.

Lu Minghui squatted down, his gaze sweeping across the ground.

There were no spent cartridges. The killer took them.

He picked up an account book. He opened it.

A page was torn out of the middle of the ledger. The tear was fresh, leaving a half-inch-wide strip near the spine.

Lu Minghui's gaze lingered on the broken piece of wood.

Only a few words remained on the edge of the paper, the last stanza of which read "Central Banknote Printing." The date column revealed the year three months prior.

Lu Minghui stared at those words. He pinched the edge of the page with his thumb, his nail digging into the paper.

Song Qingyuan?

Lu Minghui closed the ledger.

Li Shiqun went to investigate Chengda Company, which drew Sakata's attention. Nakajima kept an eye on Sugi's plan.

Footsteps sounded behind me.

Lu Minghui stood up and turned around.

A man in a black trench coat stood on the steps, backlit, so his face was not visible.

"Director Lu," the man's voice was deep, "Station Chief Zhiyuan sends his greetings."

Lu Minghui's hand holding the ledger remained still. His expression also remained unchanged.

Do I greet myself?