Anti-Japanese War Espionage: I Have an Omniscient Perspective

Feeling manipulated by Team Leader Li, Uncle Xiang grew anxious. Three figures peered out from outside the door, their expressions showing a hint of fear.

At this moment, Team Leader Li said solemnly, "Don't worry, since I've asked you to cooperate with the handover, I will naturally ensure your safety. After the handover is complete, I will arrange for people to escort you out of the French Concession and all the way to Suzhou. I will absolutely not let the Japanese and their collaborators find out about you."

"Thank you so much, Team Leader Li! Thank you so much, Team Leader Li!" Uncle Xiang was overjoyed, bowing repeatedly, his fear largely gone. "I will definitely hand over everything properly and make sure everything in the factory is explained clearly. I won't let you and Manager Chen have any trouble!"

Team Leader Li waved his hand: "Let's hurry, we can't stay here any longer. Uncle Xiang, please give them a briefing on the factory's situation, then arrange for someone to take over, and make sure the handover is done properly."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Uncle Xiang quickly agreed, then turned to the crowd. "Everyone, let me tell you about the factory. Our Lianhua branch was built three years ago, converted from three Shikumen buildings. The first floor of the left building is an equipment warehouse, storing cameras, film, props, and such. The second floor is the props department and dressing room, and there's also a half-floor attic that's empty. The first floor of the right building has the gatehouse, driver's room, and tea room. On the left side of the second floor are the manager's office, document room, and accounting room, and on the right is the dance studio, which is where we are now. The half-floor attic above is the archives room, storing some of the film studio's films, ledgers, promotional posters, and other materials. The back building has a doorway below, only one floor, which is an indoor photography studio for taking costume photos. Inside, there are sets and lighting equipment."

After the introduction, he and three employees led Lin Rui and his group on a tour of the film studio.

As Uncle Xiang walked, he pointed out each room and introduced them, his steps light and quick, as if afraid of wasting time.

After walking around, everyone returned to the dance studio. Uncle Xiang waved, "Old Wu, Old Zheng, Old Wang, you three come here!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the three middle-aged men who had been following him came out. They all looked reserved and were Xiang Bo's clerk, accountant, and warehouse manager.

Uncle Xiang pointed to the three men and introduced them one by one: "This is Lao Wu, our factory clerk, responsible for organizing files and reporting documents to the concession authorities; this is Lao Zheng, the accountant, he knows the factory's assets and accounts perfectly; this is Lao Wang, the warehouse manager, he knows everything about the warehouse."

Then, pointing to Su Wan and the other two, he said to the three workers, "This Su Nian will be the new clerk in the factory, taking over Lao Wu's job; this Chen Shouyi will be the new accountant, taking over Lao Zheng's job; and this Zhao Yong will be the new warehouse manager, taking over Lao Wang's job."

"Hello." Old Wu and the other two bowed respectfully as they greeted them.

"You all need to hurry up and hand over all the files, ledgers, and keys you have. Make sure everything is checked carefully and there are no mistakes," Uncle Xiang instructed. Then he turned to Lin Rui and said, "Manager Chen, let's go to the manager's office. I'll explain the factory's official seal, asset list, relevant documents for the concession registration, and the precautions for handling audits."

Lin Rui nodded and said to Su Wan and the other two, "You all take the handover seriously, carefully check everything, and ask them questions if anything is unclear. Make sure the handover is done properly."

"Yes, team leader!" the three replied in unison, and then followed Lao Wu and the other two to their respective rooms to make contact.

Su Wan followed Lao Wu to the document room to look through the files and familiarize herself with the reporting process;

Chen Shan followed Lao Zheng to the accounting office to check the accounts and count the assets;

Zhao Erzhu followed Lao Wang to the equipment warehouse to check the quantity of equipment and familiarize himself with the layout of the items in the warehouse.

Sun Xiaoliu didn't have to go anywhere; his job was to set up a cigarette stall outside the "Fuji Teahouse" across the street and keep an eye on the surrounding area.

Team Leader Li didn't leave either. He sat leisurely to the side, drinking the tea that Uncle Xiang had specially brewed for him, waiting for the handover to end.

Lin Rui followed Uncle Xiang into the manager's office.

The office was spacious and bright, with a mahogany desk in the middle, a tall filing cabinet next to it, and an asset list on the desk.

Uncle Xiang took out a wooden box from the drawer, opened it, and inside were the company seal, several sets of keys, and a stack of documents. He handed them to Lin Rui one by one, explaining in detail: "Manager Chen, this is the factory's official seal. We need this to deal with the inspections by the Municipal Council of the Concession. These sets of keys are for the main gate, the warehouse, the office, and the photography studio. This stack of documents is the factory's asset list, the Concession registration certificate, and records of previous collaborations with various theater companies and shops. Please keep them safe."

He paused, then added, "The concession authorities occasionally send people to check, mainly to see if the factory is operating illegally. As long as you show us the filing certificate and say that we are shut down for rectification and to guard the assets, there will be no problem. If strangers come to inquire about the factory, just say that you are the manager entrusted by Boss Xu and that you are only responsible for guarding the assets and do not know anything else. Don't say anything else."

The way Xiang Bo arranged the answer was not what Lin Rui wanted. The image of a good-for-nothing who only guards the assets and knows nothing about anything else, although not likely to arouse suspicion, is not conducive to carrying out undercover operations.

Lin Rui took the wooden box, carefully examined the documents and keys inside, and asked, "Have you confirmed that the factory's assets and the equipment in the warehouse are all correct?"

"Everything is confirmed to be correct!" Uncle Xiang nodded hurriedly. "It's all clearly written on the asset list. I checked it overnight last night, so there's definitely no problem."

"Let me take a look." Lin Rui brought a large stack of documents to his face and carefully flipped through them.

To disguise oneself convincingly, one must at least be familiar with all this information; otherwise, when trouble arises, one will be unable to say anything and will only be able to respond according to Uncle Xiang's version of events.

Of course, he couldn't finish reading it all in one day, nor could he remember it all. He just wanted to take advantage of Uncle Xiang's presence to consult him about anything he didn't understand.

He glanced through the documents and found that the most important part was the business dealings section. If you weren't familiar with this, an expert would immediately recognize it as fake.

Although Lianhua Film Studio publicly stated that it was in a state of closure.

However, the factory has many props, film, and even venues that are needed by nearby arts groups, so business is still happening during this period.

In response, Lin Rui asked, "Are you familiar with all the people who come to the factory to rent equipment and space?"

"I know them all," Uncle Xiang replied.

"I've got it!" Lin Rui came up with a solution to his current problem.

"Then write down the whole story, and then take me to meet some of the most influential people in the community. That way, I'll be able to connect with the arts and culture scene on this street. As for the others, I'll visit them one by one after you leave."

"Manager Chen, you're amazing!" Uncle Xiang gave a thumbs up and then took out a pen and ink to write.