Chapter Seventy-Four: Swords Drawn and Bows Bent

Lu Ming was filled with emotion and said softly, “How could I not see? All these years, I’ve been subscribing to and reading all sorts of newspapers, marking them, reviewing every place where coded language might be hidden, just hoping to find some news about you all!”

For years, Lu Ming had been searching for underground comrades who had lost contact, but his efforts yielded little. Occasionally, some comrades in hiding tried to reach out using old methods; some of these were traps, but he managed to avoid them with wit. Twice, he succeeded, bringing back two old comrades.

He knew that using old contact methods was dangerous, but every time, Lu Ming convinced himself: if he could recover even one comrade, it would mean another steadfast fighter for the Party, another ounce of revolutionary strength. As for the risks, he never cared about his own safety. From the day he joined the revolution, he’d set his life aside; if there was no hope of escape, if things ever went awry, he would end his own life without hesitation, making sure the threat stopped with him and never endangered the Party.

This time was no different. After four days of hesitation, he finally decided to take the risk and come.

“Lu, I want my identity restored immediately, and I want to be assigned work. I’ve waited too long for this day—I don’t want to waste another moment!” Zhang Pei said impatiently, his eyes brimming with hope.

Lu Ming reached out and pressed Zhang Pei’s hands, patting them gently in comfort. “Don’t worry, Zhang. Our Party never forgets a loyal comrade. I understand how you feel!

But you know the Party’s discipline. I can vouch for your history up to nineteen years into the Republic, but for the past seven years, you’ll need to write a detailed account of your experiences. The organization will send someone to investigate and verify. Don’t worry, it won’t take long. Soon, you’ll be working for the Party again!”

“But I don’t want to wait even a day, Lu!” Zhang Pei said, anxious.

“I know, I know! Zhang, the situation is getting more perilous every day. You don’t know the scale of destruction our Party organization has suffered. The way we work now has changed greatly; every member must undergo the strictest scrutiny and verification to ensure we don’t repeat past mistakes and suffer heavy losses. You must trust me, trust the Party, have faith in our cause!” Lu Ming patiently explained, fully understanding the eagerness of comrades who had wandered for years and finally found home.

Zhang Pei looked at Lu Ming, as if about to speak but holding back. At last, he nodded in agreement. Lu Ming then asked with concern, “Do you have a place to stay in Nanjing?”

“No, I got a room at the hotel across the street. If I couldn’t find the organization this time, I was planning to head back to Beiping in a few days,” Zhang Pei replied.

Lu Ming nodded, then took out a stack of banknotes and placed them in Zhang Pei’s hand, speaking gently, “Here’s some money. Rent a room nearby and don’t go wandering. In two days, it’ll be Sunday. At six in the evening, right here, hand me your written account.

Every Sunday at six, come to this restaurant and wait for me. We’ll meet until the organization finishes its investigation, and then I’ll arrange your work.”

Zhang Pei looked silently at the money in his hand, and after a moment, hesitantly asked, “Lu, if something urgent comes up, how do I contact you?”

“Something urgent?” Lu Ming was surprised, looking at Zhang Pei. He thought for a moment and said, “Zhang, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but you can’t know my cover identity. That’s Party discipline! Only I can contact you. Of course, once you pass the investigation, we’ll fight side by side again!”

He was cautious to the end. Even though Zhang Pei was an old comrade, seven years had passed—who could guarantee people and circumstances hadn’t changed? In underground work, one could never fully trust anyone, not even a comrade of many years.

Meanwhile, in a third-floor room of the hotel across the street, Ma Hong was watching closely.

A team member beside him asked curiously, “Captain, do you think that underground agent will trust Zhang Pei? After so many years of lost contact, will he let Zhang rejoin just because he says so?”

Ma Hong didn’t take his eyes off the window, speaking calmly, “It never hurts to try. Zhang Pei said the man he saw last time was a longtime comrade. Trust should come easily.

If we can get back into the underground Party, all the better! We’ll have eyes inside. If not, there’s no loss—we’ll just arrest them immediately. Either way, we’ll gain something!”

“Can Zhang Pei be trusted? We’ve held him for three months and haven’t hooked a single underground accomplice. Captain, do you think he’ll suddenly turn on us?” another team member chimed in.

“What’s there to be afraid of? As soon as he shows himself, he won’t escape!” a team member replied.

“People are like raw eggs. If you crack the hard shell, the inside is just soft and runny. Once someone’s bottom line is broken, they lose self-respect and trust. If they fear death, they won’t dare be disloyal!” Ma Hong tilted his head, speaking confidently to his team.

“Yes, Captain, you see things clearly. But Zhang Pei is tough—he held out for two days and nights before confessing. It wasn’t wasted effort!”

“Captain, Fourth is back!” a team member said, spotting someone approaching downstairs—the one who’d gone home to fetch clothes.

Soon, the one called Fourth pushed the door open. “Captain, I brought the clothes, and a few packs of cigarettes.”

“No need now. We just caught a big fish—someone made contact with Zhang Pei. We’ll have results tonight; no more waiting here!” another team member said with a laugh.

Ma Hong was pleased. “Everyone, stay alert and watch Zhang Pei’s movements. If he acts normally, everything went smoothly and he’s earned the other’s trust. Then we’ll tail that contact, find his hideout, and keep up surveillance.

But if Zhang Pei leaves and combs his hair with his right hand, that’s the signal—something went wrong. Either he was exposed, or failed to gain trust. We’ll arrest them immediately and force the contact to talk!”

The other team members nodded, preparing themselves for action at any moment.

As both groups upstairs and downstairs sharpened their focus, ready to pounce on their prey at any moment, the conversation in the private room was winding down.

Zhang Pei asked, “Lu, have you really not returned to Jiangbei all these years? Any news of other comrades? I miss them so much—Fat Liu, Little Li, Old Wu! Sometimes I dream of them.”

Lu Ming drifted for a moment in brief recollection, then smiled bitterly. “I don’t know. I left early, narrowly escaping disaster, and never returned to Jiangbei. The old comrades scattered. But don’t be sad. For us, life and death lost meaning long ago.”

“So you’ve been working in Nanjing all these years, must’ve done a lot for the Party? Not like me, hiding like a deserter and wasting seven years!” Zhang Pei’s tone was natural, but he subtly steered the conversation toward what he wanted to know, cautiously probing.

“You! Always so impatient. As your old comrade, let me remind you: underground work is harsh now. You must be patient and careful. And never use newspaper ads to contact again. The enemy’s intelligence services have people reviewing every paper, and we rarely use that method now. Even this meeting—I agonized over it for a long time before daring to come,” Lu Ming said patiently, but gently shifted the topic.

“Is it really that dangerous now? I haven’t been involved in operations for so long that I know too little about the enemy!” Zhang Pei said quickly, his face showing nervousness.

At that moment, Lu Ming stood and wrapped a scarf over half his face again. Seeing this, Zhang Pei hesitated. “Leaving so soon?”

Lu Ming nodded. “Lingering too long invites trouble. Two days from now, same place, we’ll meet again.”

Zhang Pei sighed. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen a comrade—I can’t help wanting to talk more! All right, I’ll wait for you here in two days. Wait—let me leave first, check outside for anything unusual, and you wait five minutes before coming out. It’s safer that way.”

Lu Ming paused, then smiled and agreed. Zhang Pei got up, opened the door, observed carefully, then nodded to Lu Ming and slipped out cautiously.

Watching Zhang Pei leave, Lu Ming went to the door and quietly closed it, his smile fading.

Careless—he’d been careless! He knew the dangers, yet still exposed himself. In underground work, this wasn’t heroic, but fatally foolish. He couldn’t believe he’d made such a rookie mistake!

Relying on years of underground experience, the instincts of a seasoned operative, Lu Ming was certain—his old comrade Zhang Pei was trouble.