Hidden Radiance

Lu Minghui pushed open the door to the office of the consultant of the Mei Agency.

The atmosphere inside the room was extremely tense.

Sakata stood in front of the desk, hands on the surface, leaning forward, the veins on his neck clearly visible. Nakajima Shinichi sat in a large leather chair, holding a cup of now-cold tea, his eyelids half-closed.

Upon hearing the door open, Sakata turned his head sharply, his gaze fixed on Lu Minghui.

"Minghui, you've come at the right time." Nakajima put down his teacup, his voice unreadable. "Colonel Sakata is very interested in the accounts of the Southeast Trading Company."

Lu Minghui stepped forward and closed the door tightly.

"Colonel," Lu Minghui greeted him, bowing slightly.

"Enough nonsense!" Sakata straightened up, strode over to Lu Minghui, his boots thumping loudly on the wooden floor. "Nakajima says you're now in charge of Southeast Trading Company. Hand over the account books!"

Lu Minghui did not back down.

He looked calmly at Sakata's face, which was flushed red with rage.

"What does the colonel need the account books for?"

"Chengda Company has lost a large amount of high-grade military supplies!" Sakata gritted his teeth, spitting almost onto Lu Minghui's face. "That bastard Matsui was in charge of the supply transfer. Now that he's dead, my goods are missing. I'm going to check his accounts and see where he hid them!"

Lu Minghui took out half a pack of Lao Dao brand cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, and put it in his mouth.

It did not ignite.

"I deeply regret that the colonel's goods were lost," Lu Minghui said calmly. "But I cannot submit the ledger."

Sakata's hand slammed onto the hilt of his katana. "You dare disobey?"

"It's not disobeying orders, it's following the rules." Lu Minghui took the cigarette out of his mouth and played with it in his hand. "Mr. Matsui was assassinated last night, and the scene has been sealed off by the Special Higher Police and the Military Police. All the accounts, vouchers, and seals of the Southeast Trading Company have been sealed as evidence in the murder case. Not to mention you, Colonel, even I, the new person in charge, cannot see those accounts now."

Sakata sneered. "Physical evidence? Matsui embezzled military supplies; he deserves to die! I only want the account books; I don't care about any murder!"

"Even if it wasn't sealed, I can't hand over the ledger to you." Lu Minghui raised his eyelids and looked directly at Sakata.

Sakata paused for a moment, then his anger flared even more. "Who do you think you are? How dare you stop me?"

Lu Minghui turned around, walked to the sofa next to him, and sat down slowly.

"The colonel says Chengda Company lost military supplies, and Matsui embezzled your goods. Where's the evidence?" Lu Minghui leaned back on the sofa, legs crossed. "Mr. Matsui has always been kind and loyal to the Empire, constantly procuring supplies for Project Sugi, and has made great contributions. The colonel just wants to pin the blame on a dead man with a mere accusation of embezzlement?"

"He's dead, there's no way to prove it!" Sakata roared.

"It's precisely because there's no way to verify this that we can't hand over the ledgers to you." Lu Minghui's voice turned cold. "Who knows if the colonel will arbitrarily change a few entries after receiving the ledgers? Put all of Chengda Company's rotten accounts and deficits onto Matsui-kun's head?"

Sakata's face instantly turned from red to white, and then from white to green.

"How dare you!" Sakata drew half a katana, the blade scraping against the scabbard with a piercing metallic sound. "You dare slander an Imperial officer!"

Nakajima sat behind his desk, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest. He didn't say anything to stop him.

Lu Minghui didn't even glance at the broken blade.

He pulled a lighter from his pocket, clicked it, and brought it to his lips. The cigarette butt lit up.

He exhaled a puff of blue smoke.

"I'm just stating the facts." Lu Minghui tapped his cigarette-holding finger in the air. "Colonel, Matsui died a horrible death. Between the eyebrows, in the chest, and in the right shoulder. Three shots in total. Each one fatal."

Lu Minghui paused for a moment, letting those words settle in the quiet office.

"The killer used a silencer, and the action was clean and efficient. This wasn't an ordinary revenge killing." Lu Minghui looked at Sakata. "The Sugi Project amassed a massive fortune for the Empire, and Matsui-kun secretly operated supply channels, wielding considerable wealth. Some people are envious of his position and want to take his place; others want to frame him and shift the blame. At this critical juncture, the colonel's eagerness to demand the ledgers makes it hard not to suspect something."

The veins on the back of Sakata's hand, which was gripping the hilt of the sword, bulged.

He understood the meaning behind the chief of confidential matters's words. Nakajima understood as well.

But he couldn't refute it. Because he really couldn't produce any evidence that Matsui had embezzled, and his own accounts were indeed not clean.

Lu Minghui smoked a cigarette, his gaze fixed on Sakata's knuckles as he gripped the knife, and he didn't look away.

The word "medicine" was never mentioned once throughout the entire process.

"You..." Sakata pointed at Lu Minghui, his fingers trembling, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.

"Alright," Nakajima finally said.

The sound wasn't loud, but the air in the entire office seemed to freeze.

Sakata suddenly turned to look at Nakajima, gritted his teeth, and shoved his katana back into its sheath with a clang.

Nakajima stood up, walked around the desk, and stood between the two men.

"Sakata-kun, Akira is right." Nakajima looked at Sakata. "With Matsui just dead, the accounts of Southeast Trading Company cannot be touched. I will send someone to investigate Chengda Company's material deficit. If Matsui did it, I will not tolerate it. But right now, investigating the case is the priority."

Sakata snorted coldly, turned around, and strode towards the door.

Open the door, then stop.

"Nakajima, this isn't over." Sakata said without turning around, slamming the door shut.

The door frame rattled loudly.

The office fell silent again.

Lu Minghui stood up and stubbed out his cigarette in the crystal ashtray on the coffee table.

"Minghui." Nakajima walked back to his desk and sat down, looking at him. "Sakata is getting anxious. The more anxious he is, the bigger Chengda Company's losses are."

"Section Chief is wise." Lu Minghui continued, following up on Nakajima's words, "Mr. Matsui's death conveniently covered up the mess that some people had made."

Nakajima nodded.

"Matsui's case can't be delayed." Nakajima picked up a document from the table. "I've decided to form a joint investigation team. The Special Higher Police and 76 will work together. You will represent 76 and assist Nanzo Yunko."

Lu Minghui sneered inwardly.

Nakajima is putting him on the hot seat.

"Section Chief." Lu Minghui bowed slightly, looking troubled. "I'm just the head of the 76th Confidential Section, responsible for document processing and intelligence gathering. According to regulations, this kind of major murder case involving high-ranking Imperial personnel should be handled personally by Director Ding Mocun. Director Ding has many elite officers under his command with rich experience in handling cases. If I overstep my bounds, I'm afraid Director Ding will have some reservations."

They dragged Ding Mocun out to take the fall.

Nakajima looked at Lu Minghui and tapped his fingers twice on the table.

"Ding Mocun is busy annexing Li Shiqun's forces right now, he doesn't have time to deal with these things." Nakajima's tone left him no room for maneuver. "Besides, you are the leader of the Sugi Project Special Operations Team. Matsui was involved in the Sugi Project's resource allocation, and this case involves the Sugi Project's core secrets. Secrecy is paramount. Apart from you and Yunzi, I don't trust anyone."

I don't trust anyone.

If he pushes it any further, Nakajima will become suspicious.

"Yes, sir." Lu Minghui stood at attention and bowed his head. "Since the section chief trusts me, I will do my best."

He looked up at Nakajima.

"However, Section Chief, I have a suggestion."

"explain."

"Team Leader Takeda died last night on the second basement floor of the Litai Bank." Lu Minghui spoke steadily and clearly. "Matsui died at an izakaya. The two were murdered around the same time, both used silenced weapons, and both were top-notch experts capable of killing with a single shot. More importantly, both were involved in the peripheral operations of Project Sugi."

Lu Minghui paused for a moment.

"I propose that the deaths of Takeda and Matsui be treated as a single case."

Nakajima narrowed his eyes.

Merged cases.

One died in a bank, the other in an izakaya. One was the head of the Special Higher Police, the other was the leader of the Black Dragon Society and president of a trading company.

Investigating these two cases together means the scope of the investigation will expand indefinitely. Special Higher Police can then legitimately interfere in the internal affairs of the Special Higher Police, and the Special Higher Police can legitimately scrutinize the Southeast Trading Company's accounts.

The water was completely murky.

Nakajima stared at Lu Minghui for a full five seconds.

It's perfectly normal for a spy chief who wants to rise in rank to have such plans.

"Alright," Nakajima decided. "Investigate both cases simultaneously. You and Yunzi will share all information."

"Understood." Lu Minghui bowed his head.

Stepping out of the gate of the Mei Agency.

A cold wind blew by, and Lu Minghui tightened his suit jacket.

Merged cases.

The paper kite killed Matsui. Takeda died in the bank basement—this stab wasn't his doing. Two assassinations that were originally unrelated are now tied together by himself.

Nanzo Yunko is an extremely perceptive hunting dog. Once she discovers subtle differences in the ballistics or methods used in two cases, she realizes that they were committed by two different groups of people.

But he insisted that Nanzo Yunko investigate.

Only after identifying both groups of people will she shift her focus from Gu Yunqiu to investigate the "third-party force" hidden in the shadows.

The Ford sedan was parked on the side of the road.

Sun Yaozu opened the car door.

Lu Minghui got into the back seat.

"Director, back to No. 76?" Sun Yaozu asked.

"Let's go to the French Concession." Lu Minghui leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and said, "Let's go see my new house."

The original safe house was no longer usable. Gu Yunqiu moved back to the South Manchuria Railway Company; he had to establish a new, clandestine base.

The car started.

Lu Minghui's left hand rested on his knee. His ring and little fingers remained stiff.

The three banknotes that Song Qingyuan had given him were still tucked in his inner pocket. The counterfeit banknote, so realistic it could easily be mistaken for the real thing, pressed hard against his chest.

Lu Minghui opened his eyes and looked at the street scene rushing past the car window.

All the lines revolve around 14 Broadway.