Hidden Radiance

Notre Dame Cathedral in the French Concession.

The wind blew through the blinds, stirring up the dust on the ground.

Lu Minghui stepped onto the last half-step of the top-floor platform. The sound of his leather shoes stopped.

Li Shiqun squatted beside the bronze bell, holding a flashlight, the beam shining on a dent on the bell's surface. Nanzo Yunzi stood two steps away, arms crossed, expressionless.

Hearing footsteps, the two turned around at the same time.

"Minghui-kun arrived quite quickly." Nanzo Yunzi lowered her arm.

"Since Director Li has made such a big commotion, I have to come and see." Lu Minghui walked to the bronze bell.

My gaze slid from the crater above the bell to the base. It lingered for a moment on the gap where the base met the ground.

Li Shiqun stood up, dusted off his hands, and pointed to the dent. "Director Lu, look. The Mauser 1924 warhead was just pried out."

He handed over a deformed brass jacketed bullet.

Lu Minghui didn't take it. His gaze swept over the bullet and landed on the dent in the bronze bell.

"What insightful opinion does Director Li have?" Lu Minghui asked.

"This place is secluded and has a wide view, making it an excellent rendezvous point," Li Shiqun said confidently. "I brought men to search and found footprints on the ground and this bullet hole. It's obvious that there was a firefight here last night. The two groups were meeting, possibly to trade some secrets, but they disagreed on how to divide the spoils, or their negotiations broke down."

Li Shiqun looked at Nanzo Yunzi, eager to demonstrate his value: "Zhiyuan must have been involved in this transaction."

Nanzo Yunzi didn't speak, but looked at Lu Minghui.

Lu Minghui took out a cigarette from his pocket, bit off one, lit it, and exhaled a puff of smoke.

"Director Li," Lu Minghui pointed at the bronze bell with a cigarette between his fingers, "the exchange of fire? Where's the blood?"

Li Shiqun was stunned.

"There wasn't a drop of blood at the scene, no signs of struggle or dragging." Lu Minghui walked halfway around the bronze bell. "More importantly, there was only one bullet."

Lu Minghui turned around and looked at Li Shiqun. "If you really wanted to kill someone, would you only fire one shot? Besides, this bullet was embedded in the upper part of the bell, and its trajectory came from the outside."

Lu Minghui raised his hand and pointed to the buildings across the street outside the blinds.

"This is a long-range sniping. It's not a firefight, more like a warning," Lu Minghui concluded. "Someone is trying to intimidate the party making the rendezvous."

Li Shiqun looked in the direction Lu Minghui was pointing, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He was too eager to make a name for himself and had overlooked the most basic logic of the situation.

"Director Lu is right," Li Shiqun immediately changed his tune, "This is indeed more like a deterrent."

Nanzo Yunko glanced at the crater on the bronze bell, then at the outline of the building outside the shutters. She nodded.

"What does this mean?" Nanzo Yunko asked.

"This shows that the power of the kite is greater than we imagined." Lu Minghui walked up to Nanzo Yunzi. "Yunzi, the people from the newspaper office evacuated in advance, and the rendezvous at Notre Dame was precisely targeted. This is something that an ordinary peripheral intelligence network could not have accomplished."

Lu Minghui lowered his voice. "The kite, or the kite's eyes, are lurking within us."

Nanzo Yunko's pupils contracted.

"I suggest," Lu Minghui said coldly, "that we immediately conduct a comprehensive investigation of the middle and high-ranking officers of 76, the Special Higher Police, the Mei Agency, and the Military Police. Better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free."

Li Shiqun swallowed hard. A massive screening. If this were to happen, Shanghai's intelligence system would be severely weakened. But he was currently under investigation; if he could use the screening to muddy the waters, he would actually be safer.

"I agree with Director Lu's proposal!" Li Shiqun immediately stated.

Nanzo Yunzi stared at Lu Minghui.

This proposal is too harsh. It directly targets all high-level officials.

"The scope is too broad, and it involves too many people." Nanzo Yunko shook her head. "I must consult with Section Chief Nakajima."

"Of course." Lu Minghui threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out. "There's no time to lose."

Half an hour later. Hongkou, Meiji Station.

Consultant's Office.

Shinichi Nakajima sat behind his desk, his face turning ashen after listening to Nanzo Yunko's report.

"Ridiculous!" Nakajima slammed his hand on the table.

Nanzo Yunzi lowered her head but did not retreat.

"Without any substantial evidence, based solely on a single bullet hole and a few speculations, you're going to conduct a major screening of the middle and upper management of the four major agencies?" Nakajima's tone was stern. "Does the logistics at the front still need to operate? Does Project Sugi still need to proceed? Shanghai is in complete chaos, who will take responsibility!"

Nakajima stood up and paced behind his desk.

Screening. Once screening begins, all institutions' accounts and personnel transactions will be thoroughly investigated. The accounts of the Southeast Trading Company are already bad enough, and the counterfeit money of the Lita Bank cannot withstand close scrutiny. Even more critically, the special raw material procurement line of Unit 1644 must never be exposed.

Screening is suicidal.

"Section Chief, Lu Minghui's speculation is not without merit," Nanzo Yunzi insisted. "The kite's movements are too accurate."

"Accurate doesn't mean it's within our ranks!" Nakajima interrupted her. "Perhaps there's a problem with the external moles, or perhaps the communications department's codes have been broken. There are many possibilities. Why immediately launch an internal purge?"

Nakajima walked back to the table and stared at Nanzo Yunko. "This matter ends here. No one is allowed to mention the screening without my order."

"Yes, sir." Nanzo Yunko stood at attention.

Nakajima sat back down in his chair, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and suppressed his emotions.

"How's the situation at Southeast Trading Company?" Nakajima changed the subject. "What did Gu Yunqiu find out?"

"She found out about the missing supplies from the South Manchuria Railway Company," Nanzo Yunko reported truthfully. "A batch of seamless steel pipes and high-grade cement. She showed great interest in these supplies and wouldn't let go of them."

Nakajima's fingers rubbed the rim of the teacup.

"Where is Lu Minghui?" Nakajima asked.

"Lu Minghui is acting normally," Nanzo Yunzi said. "He seems completely unconcerned about the steel pipes and cement. His focus is entirely on the accounts and profits of the Shan Project. He even advised Gu Yunqiu not to investigate further."

Nakajima smiled.

My tense shoulders completely relaxed.

"That's right." Nakajima leaned back in his chair. "The Kwantung Army is building the Hulin Fortress on the Sino-Soviet border, and they need a lot of seamless steel pipes and special cement. If Gu Yunqiu, as the representative of the South Manchuria Railway, ignores these things, then there's something wrong with her. The fact that she's pressing the issue shows that she really is auditing the South Manchuria Railway's accounts."

Nakajima put down his teacup.

"As for Lu Minghui," Nakajima said with satisfaction, "he's a smart man. He knows that the Sugi Project is the core of the empire and his foundation for survival. The fact that he doesn't care about the Kwantung Army's scrap metal and only focuses on money and counterfeit currency channels shows that he hasn't gone astray."

Nanzo Yunko looked at Nakajima.

He kept repeating "Lu Minghui is a smart man." The application for screening was rejected, and the reasons given were all attempts to exonerate Lu Minghui.

However, the idea of ​​screening was proposed by Lu Minghui.

"Keep a close eye on Southeast Trading Company." Nakajima waved his hand. "Go."

Nanzo Yunko left the office.

The door closed. She walked down the corridor, her military boots making no sound on the wooden floor.

Lu Minghui did not deviate from the right track?

Nanzo Yunzi slipped her hand into her military uniform pocket and, through the fabric, felt a small, sealed evidence bag.

Special Higher Police Section, Section Chief's Office.

Nanzo Yunzi locked the door and drew the curtains.

Turn on the desk lamp.

She took the evidence bag out of her pocket and placed it under the light.

Inside the bag were two cigarettes that had been smoked.

Old Knife Brand.

She had taken this out from the gap in the base of the bronze bell while Lu Minghui and Li Shiqun were talking.

One piece was left by the contact person, and the other piece was thrown away by Lu Minghui at the scene.

The contact person stubbed out the cigarette on the base of the bronze bell.

Nanzo Yunzi opened a drawer and took out an expedited laboratory report that she had just received from the forensic department.

She opened the report.

Saliva samples were collected from the cigarette holder. Blood type: AB.

Tooth mark comparison. The bite habit is biased to the right, and there is very slight wear on the incisors.

The most fatal line is the last one.

The two cigarette butts came from the same person.

Nanzo Yunko leaned back in her chair. Her breathing became heavy.

Lu Minghui.

The person I met at Notre Dame last night was Lu Minghui himself.

He wasn't there to investigate at all; he was the person involved. He was crying wolf, giving a long analysis of the "deterrence theory" in front of her and Li Shiqun, and even throwing out the smokescreen of "internal screening."

Nanzo Yunzi closed her eyes. Her mind raced, replaying Lu Minghui's every move at the scene.

That cigarette.

He walked halfway around the bronze bell, his gaze lingering for a moment on the crevice in the base—he saw the old cigarette butt. He saw it, but didn't clean it. Then, right in front of her, he lit a new cigarette, finished it, and threw it on the ground.

Given Lu Minghui's caution, he could easily shake off even the people Nanzao Yunzi secretly sent to keep an eye on him. How could he possibly make such a basic mistake?

Unless, he did it on purpose.

Nanzo Yunzi suddenly opened her eyes.

If Lu Minghui were Paper Kite, he would never have left evidence bearing his own name at the crime scene. Paper Kite, who had managed to infiltrate Shanghai for so long and outmaneuver the 76th Division and the Special Higher Police, couldn't possibly be that stupid.

It wasn't a kite. Then who was he going to see at Notre Dame? The fact that the other side fired a warning shot indicates they weren't on the same side.

Section Chief Nakajima.

The name suddenly popped into her mind.

Nakajima was far too biased towards Lu Minghui. So much so that when Lu Minghui applied for the screening, Nakajima rejected it without hesitation, instead finding all sorts of plausible excuses for her.

Lu Minghui's takeover of Southeast Trading Company was arranged by Nakajima. Lu Minghui's responsibility for Project Sugi was also arranged by Nakajima.

Could it be that Lu Minghui's trip to Notre Dame to contact third-party forces was also a secret arrangement by Nakajima?

Therefore, Lu Minghui was fearless. He left the cigarette butts behind, completely unconcerned about being caught by the Special Higher Police. He knew that even if they found out, Nakajima would protect him.

Nanzo Yunzi stared at the lab report.

The back of the shirt looks trendy.

If this is Nakajima's secret mission, then for her to confront Lu Minghui with a cigarette butt or report to Nakajima now would be tantamount to touching Nakajima's core secrets.

Within the Ume Agency, anyone who touches Nakajima's secrets faces only death.

Nanzo Yunzi grabbed the lab report and lit a lighter.

The flames consumed the paper. She threw the burning report into the ashtray and watched it turn to ashes.

She emptied the cigarette butts from the evidence bag, threw them into the toilet, and flushed.

The water flow swept away all physical evidence.

Nanzo Yunzi walked back to her desk and rested her hands on the surface.

She couldn't make a fuss.

She had to investigate Lu Minghui secretly, without alerting Nakajima or the 76th Division. She needed to see what Lu Minghui was really like.

The following morning. 76 Jessfield Road.

Lu Minghui sat behind his desk, flipping through the day's Shen Bao newspaper.

The supplement was clean and tidy, with no mention of "The Legend of the White Snake".

The door opened. Sun Yaozu walked in and locked it behind him.

"Director," Sun Yaozu said, walking to the desk, "there's been some activity from Lin Zhijiang's side."

Lu Minghui put down the newspaper.

"What did Li Shiqun ask him to investigate?"

"Li Shiqun didn't let him investigate the newspaper office anymore," Sun Yaozu said in a low voice. "Lin Zhijiang just came out of Li Shiqun's apartment with a few trusted men and went to the French Concession."

"Where to?"

Tongji Pharmacy.

Lu Minghui's left hand stopped on the table. His ring and little fingers twitched slightly.

Tongji Pharmacy. Lu Xuzhang's property. He had recently bought anti-inflammatory powder there, leaving behind the code "Leifeng Pagoda collapses".

"How did you get your hands on them?" Lu Minghui asked.

"The newspaper's typesetting workers ran away, but their place wasn't cleaned properly. Li Shiqun found a pharmacy receipt, dated last month," Sun Yaozu said. "He followed this lead."

Li Shiqun's sense of smell was frighteningly accurate.

"Did Lin Zhijiang bring his men in?" Lu Minghui asked.

"No," Sun Yaozu shook his head. "They rented a room on the second floor across from the pharmacy and set up binoculars. They're keeping a close watch on them around the clock."

Lu Minghui leaned back in his chair.

Li Shiqun was searching for a breakthrough. The newspaper's connection had been severed, and a pharmacy receipt had been left at the typesetter's lodgings. He had seized upon a thread so thin it was almost invisible.

If any suspicious person enters or leaves the pharmacy, or if Lu Xuzhang reveals even the slightest flaw, Li Shiqun will pounce on him like a mad dog.

"Chief, should we send an action team to take down Lin Zhijiang's hidden sentries?" Sun Yaozu asked.

Lu Minghui's gaze swept across the window, then over the wall, and finally landed on Sun Yaozu's face.

"You—have defected to the Military Intelligence Bureau?" Lu Minghui picked up the red and blue pencils on the table. "Why have you repeatedly obstructed Li Shiqun from handling cases properly?"

"Me?" Sun Yaozu broke out in a cold sweat. "I just thought the section chief and Li Shiqun didn't get along..."

"roll!"

"If there's a next time, go to the interrogation room yourself."

The door closed.

Lu Minghui looked at the words on the paper.

He had to find something for Li Shiqun to do within his ten-day deadline. He couldn't let him waste all his energy on Lu Xuzhang.

The phone on the table rang.

Lu Minghui answered the call.

"Mr. Minghui." Nanzo Yunzi's voice came through, her tone slightly lighter than last night. "Commissioner Gu has almost finished investigating the accounts of Southeast Trading Company. Section Chief Nakajima wants us to come over for a meeting."

"Okay, I'll be right there."

He hung up the phone. Lu Minghui crumpled the piece of white paper with writing on it into a ball and threw it into the wastebasket.

Nanzo Yunko's tone was off.

Last night at Notre Dame, she was full of doubts. Today, however, she seems relaxed.

When the hunting dogs smelled blood, they stopped barking.

She has locked herself in.