Hidden Radiance

No. 76 compound.

A black Studebaker was parked at the bottom of the office building steps. There was no driver.

Nanzo Yunzi sat in the driver's seat and rolled down the window. She had changed into casual clothes, a camel-colored trench coat, and her hair was tied back with a ribbon.

Lu Minghui walked down the steps.

Sun Yaozu had just opened the door of his Ford sedan when he saw this scene, and his hand stopped on the door handle.

"Minghui-kun." Nanzo Yunko honked the horn. "Get in."

Lu Minghui gestured to Sun Yaozu. He then walked over to Stipunk, opened the passenger door, and got in.

There was a faint scent of perfume in the carriage, mixed with a slight smell of gasoline.

Nanzo Yunzi shifted gears and stepped on the gas.

The car drove off Jessfield Road and merged into the traffic on the main street.

"I'm flattered that the section chief is driving himself." Lu Minghui leaned back in his leather seat, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

"Going to a meeting at the Mei government office, it's on the way." Nanzo Yunzi gripped the steering wheel with both hands and glanced at him. "Besides, there are some things that are more convenient to say without a driver present."

Lu Minghui didn't reply. He reached into his inner pocket.

"Go ahead and smoke," Nanzo Yunzi said. "I don't mind."

Lu Minghui took out a pack of Lao Dao brand cigarettes, pulled one out, and put it in his mouth. He then took out a lighter, placed his thumb on the gear, and paused for a moment.

His Ford has been modified so that at least it won't ignite gasoline when he smokes.

He put the lighter back in his pocket. He held the cigarette in his mouth, but didn't light it.

"Minghui-kun has a serious smoking habit," Nanzo Yunzi said, glancing in the rearview mirror. "Last night on the rooftop of Notre Dame, with the wind so strong, how could you still smoke?"

Lu Minghui's fingers, holding the cigarette, didn't pause for a moment. He turned his head and looked at Nanzo Yunzi.

"I'm used to it," Lu Minghui said calmly. "When my mind is in a mess, nicotine can help me clear my head."

Nanzo Yunzi's lips twitched slightly, the curve was very shallow, and she quickly closed it.

She remembered the cigarette butt test results very clearly. The saliva blood type and teeth mark comparison matched perfectly. The old cigarette butt on the base of the Notre Dame bell was left by the man sitting next to her.

But she has come to terms with it.

Lu Minghui is not Zhiyuan. Zhiyuan wouldn't be foolish enough to leave evidence at the crime scene, much less provoke a conflict with the Kuomintang snipers. He contacted a third-party force at Notre Dame.

The reason he was so confident was that he was working for Shinichi Nakajima.

Nanzo Yunko thought she had seen through this trump card. So she was very relaxed today.

"I had the trajectory of the bullet from Notre Dame checked," Nanzo Yunko brought up the topic. "A Mauser 1924, a standard issue weapon of the Military Intelligence Bureau. The person who fired was indeed giving a warning."

"Section Chief Yunzi is very efficient." Lu Minghui spat out the unlit cigarette and raised his left arm, which had not yet fully recovered.

"I'm just curious." Nanzo Yunzi slowed down, avoiding a rickshaw in front of her. "Who exactly is the Military Intelligence Bureau warning? Is it Li Shiqun, or the person who arrived at the rendezvous point early?"

Lu Minghui looked out the car window. The streets of the concession were rushing past.

"You'd have to ask the person who made the contact," Lu Minghui said.

"Yes." Nanzo Yunko stepped on the gas. "It's a pity that person was very cautious and didn't leave anything behind."

Lu Minghui turned his head and looked directly into Nanzo Yunzi's eyes.

Their eyes met in the cramped carriage. Nanzo Yunzi didn't look away. Her chin was slightly raised, and a smile played on her lips.

Lu Minghui did not respond. He rolled up the car window.

"Since the trail to Notre Dame has gone cold, let's put it aside for now." Lu Minghui's voice was calm and even. "Section Chief Nakajima called us to a meeting today, the focus of which is the accounts of Southeast Trading Company."

Nanzo Yunzi withdrew her gaze and looked ahead.

"Gu Yunqiu discovered that the South Manchuria Railway Company had lost a batch of high-grade cement and seamless steel pipes. She wouldn't let go of this shipment."

"Cement and steel pipes," Lu Minghui repeated the two words, his tone mocking.

"What?" Nanzo Yunko asked.

"The South Manchuria Railway commissioner has such a narrow perspective." Lu Minghui leaned back in his chair. "How much would these two items fetch on the black market?"

Nanzo Yunzi frowned.

"The Kwantung Army urgently needs these building materials to build its fortress."

"The Kwantung Army's urgent need doesn't mean Matsui would even consider it." Lu Minghui placed his hands on his stomach. "After I took over the Southeast Trading Company, I checked Matsui's private accounts. In the past three months, there has been a shortfall in his cash flow totaling two million US dollars."

crunch.

Nanzo Yunzi slammed on the brakes. The tires screeched against the cobblestones. The car lurched, then regained its balance.

"Two million—US dollars?" Nanzo Yunzi turned to stare at Lu Minghui. "Are you sure?"

Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white.

"She'll investigate the South Manchuria Railway's accounts, and I'll investigate Matsui's private accounts," Lu Minghui said confidently. "Two million US dollars—this money didn't go through the proper money transfer channels."

He paused for a moment, letting the number settle in Nanzo Yunko's mind.

"The money was laundered through several underground banks and finally transferred to an anonymous account."

Nanzo Yunko's breathing quickened. Her eyes began to calculate rapidly.

"Cement and steel pipes can't fill such a huge hole," Lu Minghui continued. "Besides counterfeit money and weapons, Matsui is also smuggling other things. Small in size, extremely valuable, and absolutely cannot be exposed to the public."

Nanzo Yunko's mind raced. Matsui was dead. Takeda died in the basement of the Litai Bank. Colonel Sakata led his troops to storm the Mei Agency, pointing at Lu Minghui's nose and demanding the account books.

"Sakata..." Nanzo Yunko uttered the name.

The car slowly drove into the HK district.

"Colonel Sakata wants the account books, is it really because of Chengda Company's messy accounts?" Lu Minghui turned to her. "Sakata, a logistics officer, is in such a hurry, even risking to draw his sword. What he's afraid of is probably not the counterfeit money being exposed."

Lu Minghui paused for a moment.

"What he fears is that the receipt for that batch of 'special supplies' that filled the two million dollar hole will fall into our hands."

Nanzo Yunzi tightened her grip on the steering wheel.

Special supplies. The Special Higher Police (TAT) is not responsible for corruption. But this is two million US dollars. If Sakata colluded with Matsui to smuggle some extremely expensive contraband, or even embezzled a huge sum of military funds—this would be a shocking case.

"What do you think this batch of supplies will be, Minghui-kun?" Nanzo Yunzi asked.

"I don't know," Lu Minghui shook his head. "I'm just a lowly head of the confidential department, how could I possibly manage so much? I just took over the company, how would I know the ins and outs?"

That's enough.

"The deaths of Matsui and Takeda are now explained," Nanzo Yunko muttered to herself. "Two million dollars is enough to buy their lives."

Lu Minghui looked out the window.

Unit 1644 was an absolute no-go zone. He couldn't even reach for the medicine himself.

"Mr. Akira," Nanzo Yunko suddenly spoke. "Don't report this to Section Chief Nakajima yet."

Lu Minghui turned to look at her.

"Without solid evidence, the section chief won't approve an investigation accusing a colonel of smuggling," Nanzo Yunko said firmly. "The Special Higher Police will secretly investigate the details of this batch of 'special materials.' Once we have concrete evidence, we'll hand it over to the section chief for a decision."

"If Section Chief Yunzi wants to investigate, I'll naturally cooperate," Lu Minghui said. "I'll give you the ledger by tomorrow at the latest. But you have to be quick. If Gu Yunqiu finds out about this funding shortfall, the South Manchuria Railway will get involved."

"The South Manchuria Railway is only eyeing their steel pipes," Nanzo Yunko sneered. "Gu Yunqiu can't cause any real trouble."

"Don't underestimate Gu Yunqiu."

The car entered the HK district. More Japanese shops lined the streets. Patrolling military police came in droves. The gates of the Ume Agency came into view.

Stipunk stopped in front of the office building. The two got out of the car and walked up the steps side by side.

"Mr. Minghui," Nanzo Yunzi said in a low voice, "Tell Li Shiqun to continue keeping an eye on Tongji Pharmacy. As long as he has something to do, he won't cause trouble."

"Understood." Lu Minghui nodded.

On the second floor, outside the consultant's office, the adjutant saw the two and immediately stood at attention.

"Section Chief Nanzo, Director Lu, Advisor Nakajima, and Commissioner Gu are already waiting inside."

Lu Minghui and Nanzo Yunzi exchanged a glance. Gu Yunqiu went in first.

The adjutant pushed open the door.

In the office, Shinichi Nakajima sat behind his large desk. Gu Yunqiu sat in the chair opposite him, her back straight.

On the table were two thick ledgers and several lists of physical evidence with photographs.

Nakajima raised his head, his gaze passing over Gu Yunqiu and landing on the two people who entered the room.

"You've arrived." Nakajima's voice was flat. "Commissioner Gu just showed me something. I think the direction of the joint investigation team might need to be changed."

Lu Minghui walked to the sofa but did not sit down.

Nanzo Yunzi walked to the desk and glanced at the list of physical evidence.

The photo on the list shows a damaged wooden crate. The words "Manchuria Railway Company" are printed on the crate. But inside the crate, several broken glass ampoules are scattered.

Lu Minghui's gaze swept over the photo, and his pupils contracted slightly.

It's not cement. It's not steel pipe.

Gu Yunqiu slammed the clue about the medicine onto Nakajima's table. She didn't cooperate with his plan. She flipped the table herself.

Lu Minghui watched Gu Yunqiu's retreating figure. She was wearing the uniform of the Manchukuo Iron Army, sitting there with her back ramrod straight and her chin slightly raised. Her whole being exuded a reckless and ruthless energy.

"Commissioner Gu," Nakajima said, resting his chin on his hands. "Isn't this building material being transported by the South Manchuria Railway? What are these glass bottles?"

Gu Yunqiu turned her head and glanced at Lu Minghui.

Lu Minghui understood her gaze.

Since there's no way to retreat, let's just tear the sky apart.