Anti-Japanese War Espionage: I Have an Omniscient Perspective

Lin Rui's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling aura, like a knife chilled to the bone, piercing straight into their hearts.

The office fell into a deathly silence, as if the air itself had frozen. Zhao Erzhu and Chen Shan, who had been at loggerheads just moments before, didn't dare to breathe, and their previous argument vanished without a trace.

Yesterday, when Lin Rui went to the office to hand over his duties to Uncle Xiang, they were called up by Team Leader Li, who specifically explained why Lin Rui was able to become the team leader.

Lin Rui was able to become the team leader because of his ability, not his connections.

He was a soldier who actually killed Japanese soldiers.

Although Zhao Erzhu and Chen Shan received special agent training and were sent to infiltrate, they had never actually fought a real battle.

At that moment, they saw indifference to life in Lin Rui's eyes, and they couldn't help but feel afraid.

Zhao Erzhu quickly lowered his head and whispered his apology: "Team leader, I was wrong."

Chen Shan lowered his stance, but he was extremely proud and still stubborn: "Team leader, I was also wrong. I shouldn't have argued with him."

Su Wan stood to the side, watching all this, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Rui looked at the two men, the murderous intent in his eyes gradually fading. He said in a deep voice, "I don't care what you were like in the Special Service before, or whether you looked down on each other. From now on, the five of us are in this together. This is the French Concession of Shanghai, a place teeming with all sorts of people, full of Japanese spies and spies ready to defect at any moment. I don't want your infighting to cause trouble, not only for the five of us to die, but also for the station's important affairs to be ruined. Understand?"

"Understood!" the two replied in unison.

"Good that you understand." Lin Rui's tone softened a bit. He instructed the three of them to learn about film projection so that they wouldn't be clueless when asked about the film when the master tape was delivered three days later.

Lin Rui himself should also learn from this.

.........

A day passed just like that, and the next day, Lin Rui didn't leave until 10 a.m.

By this time, the streets of Baylor were already bustling with activity, and the concession, now filled with hundreds of thousands of refugees, was somewhat crowded.

He first walked towards the Jincheng Grand Theater, and from afar he saw Boss Wang standing at the entrance, directing his employees to put up posters.

It was an old poster for "Ode to a Loving Mother" from the first half of the year. The workers quickly pasted the poster onto the wooden board on the outer wall of the theater. Several passersby stopped to watch and whispered about the exciting scenes in the film.

"Manager Chen, you're here!" Boss Wang spotted Lin Rui at a glance and hurriedly greeted him warmly, cupping his hands in greeting. "The posters are all up. I mentioned it yesterday, and people have already asked about the opening date. Don't worry, the screening three days from now will definitely have a good audience!"

Lin Rui smiled and cupped his hands in response, his gaze sweeping over the posters on the wall. He said in a humble tone, "Thank you for your trouble, Boss Wang. I just came to take a look. I have nothing else to do and won't keep you from doing your work."

"It's nothing, Manager Chen. I just happen to have something to tell you," Boss Wang said with a smile.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Lin Rui deliberately inquired about the setup of the projection equipment. Boss Wang patted his chest and assured him that he would arrange for his staff to set up the machine that afternoon to ensure everything would go perfectly when the film started.

Lin Rui didn't linger and took his leave with a bow.

Afterwards, he went to the Nanjing Grand Theater.

The posters here were put up a long time ago.

Upon seeing Lin Rui, Manager Li immediately stepped forward and warmly engaged him in conversation, explaining his publicity arrangements in detail. He also specifically mentioned that he had already contacted the Municipal Council of the Concession to confirm that the screening would not be hindered.

Lin Rui listened patiently, nodding occasionally in response. After a few pleasantries, he took his leave.

His purpose in going out today was not only to visit these two theaters, but more importantly, to see the arts groups on Belle Street.

Firstly, these groups were mostly composed of patriotic youths who secretly carried out anti-Japanese propaganda. By understanding their situation, they could not only learn about the distribution of patriotic forces within the concession, but also secretly provide them with some conveniences under the name of Lianhua Film Studio. This would not only help the anti-Japanese war, but also further consolidate their own identity as "artists" and reduce outside suspicion.

Secondly, it would also be good to keep an eye out for any suspicious people following these groups. After all, in the French Concession, open anti-Japanese propaganda was taboo and would inevitably attract the attention of Japanese spies and informants.

After walking for about half a cup of tea's time, they heard singing coming from ahead.

Lin Rui slowed his pace and quietly walked over. He saw a dozen young men and women rehearsing together in an alley. Most of them were dressed in simple long gowns and cloth skirts, and their faces were full of seriousness.

They were rehearsing a short play on the theme of resisting Japanese aggression, which told the story of the experiences of Northeastern exile students in Shanghai. The lines were impassioned, and every word was filled with hatred for the Japanese invaders and love for their country. Next to them, several people were rehearsing a song, "On the Songhua River." The song was sad but powerful, and it made people feel heavy-hearted.

Lin Rui stood under a sycamore tree not far away, pretending to be a passerby, and quietly observed.

These young people were focused, and even though the rehearsal conditions were simple and there were no decent props or costumes, they were still meticulous. Occasionally, someone would forget their lines or sing off-key, and everyone would just smile and remind them, and then start over. The light in their eyes was a rare sincerity and determination in a chaotic world.

He watched for about fifteen minutes until the short play rehearsal came to an end. The young man at the head of the group, wearing a blue long gown, raised his fist and said loudly, "Fellow students, the times are difficult. The Japanese invaders are trampling our land. Although we cannot go to the front lines, we can use our songs and our lines to awaken the patriotism of the people and encourage more people to stand up and resist the invasion! Today, we are going to perform outside Gujiazhai Park so that more people can hear our voices!"

"Good!" the crowd responded in unison, their voices loud and clear, attracting the attention of several pedestrians outside the alley. Some looked approving, some nodded quietly, and others looked worried and hurried away. In the French Concession, open anti-Japanese propaganda was not allowed, and the police could come to drive them away at any time.

Lin Rui's heart stirred, but he did not leave. Instead, he followed the group of youths from a distance.

He wanted to see how much of a reaction these patriotic youths' roadshow would generate, and also to see the attitude of the police in the foreign concessions.

Gujiazhai Park, also known as French Park, is located 500 meters west of the intersection of Beile Road and south.

The park is now closed, but there are large open spaces outside, which are where various arts groups will perform and gather again.

The young people found an open space, without props or a stage, and started their roadshow.

A young man holding a microphone announced loudly: "Ladies and gentlemen, millions of people across China, this is a charity performance organized by patriotic student groups."

The sound attracted more and more people to watch. The performance began, and only the young people's lines could be heard on stage.

When the scene depicting exiled students being forced to leave their hometowns and be separated from their families was shown, many onlookers had tears in their eyes; when they heard the cry of "Better to die a glorious death than live a shameful life, resist the Japanese invaders, defend our homeland," bursts of applause rang out from the crowd, and some couldn't help but shout along: "Resist the invasion! Give us back our homeland!"

(Fuxing Park serves as both a residential park and a community park)