Chapter Ninety-Four: So It Was Him (Seeking Monthly Votes)

“Tell me, then. Which case are you talking about?” Shen Le asked.

“It’s quite a coincidence, actually. That case has a direct connection to Zhang Pei as well, and Director, you’re sure to know about it,” Wen Hao said with a faint smile, pretending to be mysterious.

“I know it too? And it’s directly related to Zhang Pei?” Shen Le paused at that.

He was not the least bit offended by Wen Hao’s teasing. Wen Hao had followed him ever since the twelfth year of the Republic; he was not only Shen Le’s most capable aide, but also his brother-in-arms of many years. Their bond was like that of teacher and friend, elder brother and younger brother. In private, they spoke to one another with complete ease.

“After Zhang Pei defected to us, he never really got involved in any major case. The only operation he ever took part in was the one where he helped set up the capture of the underground Party member Lu Guangran,” Shen Le said, thinking it through carefully. “You mean that case from two months ago, Ma Hong’s case?”

The case involving Ma Hong was the one Shen Le least wanted to mention. Not only did he not wish to bring it up, but no one at the Central Party Affairs Investigation Bureau’s senior ranks wanted to speak the two words “Ma Hong” either.

Wen Hao was no exception. He shook his head and said, “It has nothing to do with Ma Hong. It has to do with the underground Party member Lu Guangran.”

He went on, “The Military Intelligence Investigation Bureau quickly identified the underground Party contact who had been meeting Zhang Pei. That man was Lu Guangran, head of the Second Section of the Ministry of Finance’s National Defense Division.”

“That I certainly know. Although our Central Party Affairs Investigation Bureau and the Military Intelligence Investigation Bureau have never liked each other, the truth is the truth: in just two days, using nothing more than a photo of the dead man, they found Lu Guangran’s identity in this vast city of Nanjing, with its millions of people. The ability of the Military Intelligence Investigation Bureau is not to be underestimated,” Shen Le said with emotion.

As a veteran operative of the Central Party Affairs Investigation Bureau, he had watched the Military Intelligence Investigation Bureau grow larger and stronger by the day, its influence swelling until it gradually eclipsed their own. He could not help feeling a bitter mix of loss and unease, and the look of disappointment on his face was impossible to hide.

“I heard that the man who personally arrested Lu Guangran was a young officer, and that it was also he who uncovered Lu Guangran’s true identity in those two short days. His name is Ning Zhiheng, and he only recently graduated from the Whampoa Military Academy,” Wen Hao said with a nod.

He continued, “Over the past few years, the Military Intelligence Investigation Bureau has stepped up its efforts to recruit elite men from the army and military academies, bringing in many outstanding talents. Its power keeps growing. By contrast, our Party Affairs Investigation Bureau has remained stuck in place, and there’s no avoiding the stale air that comes with that.”

“Mind your words, Wen Hao. Some things should not be spoken aloud. There are reasons the men above do what they do. We only need to do our own jobs well,” Shen Le interrupted.

In truth, the fundamental reason the Military Intelligence Investigation Bureau had been able to press down on the Central Party Affairs Investigation Bureau in every respect in recent years was that the latter had grown too large and unwieldy, to the point that Chiang had begun to regard it with suspicion.

So he established the Military Intelligence Investigation Bureau as a balancing force, supporting it heavily in every aspect—personnel, funding, authority, and more. As one rose, the other fell. And now the Military Intelligence Investigation Bureau had firmly overtaken them.

Wen Hao knew he had misspoken and changed the subject. “Once we learned Lu Guangran’s identity, we immediately conducted a thorough search of both his office and his home.

“Especially at his house, I found a hidden compartment behind the wardrobe. But the contents inside had already been taken away. That means someone got there before me and entered Lu Guangran’s home ahead of us. Yet at the time, we found no sign of any intrusion. The traces had been cleaned up extremely well, just like what happened in the apartment today.”

After hearing Wen Hao’s analysis, Shen Le’s eyes lit up. “So you think the two are the same person? In other words, if we pick up the thread of Lu Guangran again, we may well be able to drag out this mysterious killer.”

“I can’t be certain, but I’ll follow this lead and give it another try. I’ll investigate the people around Lu Guangran again. Whoever entered his house ahead of me must have been someone he knew.

“We need a more detailed look at his movements before his death, his habits and preferences—whether he liked tea or fishing, wine or dancing, and so on. In short, he must have had places he frequented and people he saw often. I have a feeling this mysterious killer is probably hiding among them.

“Heh. Of course, it’s also possible that in the end we find nothing at all. This is only my intuition.”

“No. Value your intuition, and trust it. For men like us, that is essential,” Shen Le said decisively.

In a hidden basement, Fang Boyi, the number one man in the underground Communist Party organization in Nanjing, sat facing one of the provincial committee members, Wu Quanjiang.

Wu Quanjiang said with a guilty expression, “Old Fang, I’m sorry. My exposure this time has brought great harm to the organization. The traditional Chinese medicine shop we worked so hard to build over the years has also had to be abandoned. I request that the Party punish me.”

Fang Boyi raised a hand to stop him and said sincerely, “Old Wu, there’s no need for apologies among comrades in revolution. The most important thing is that you came back safely.”

“How badly is Xiao Ding wounded?” Wu Quanjiang asked, deeply concerned for Ding Yuan, who had been injured rescuing him.

“Don’t worry. It didn’t hit anything vital, and the bullet has already been removed. A period of rest and he’ll be fine,” Fang Boyi said with a smile.

“And the comrade who rescued us and covered our retreat? How is he now? We owe everything to him. After we left, I don’t know whether he managed to withdraw safely,” Wu Quanjiang asked again.

The situation had been far too dangerous. Their safe escape had depended entirely on that suddenly appearing masked gunman, who had turned the tide and sent the Party Affairs Investigation Bureau’s agents reeling, single-handedly reversing the entire situation.

Even now, the scene still replayed in Wu Quanjiang’s mind, especially the shocking sight of corpses strewn across the ground during the retreat.

When he heard the question, Fang Boyi did not answer right away, because he did not know how to answer.

The mysterious figure who had appeared and risked everything to rescue the four of them could only have been Shadow.

Because the only people who knew Wu Quanjiang had been exposed were himself, Xia Deyan, and Shadow, the one who had passed the warning to them.

And the only one who could have known that the arrest was to take place at daybreak was Shadow, the one who had stolen the documents. It could not have been anyone else.

What Fang Boyi had not expected was that this Shadow would be such an extraordinary tactical expert. From Wu Quanjiang and Ding Yuan’s description of what had happened, Fang Boyi’s curiosity about Shadow only grew stronger. What sort of successor had Lu Ming chosen for himself?

“I don’t know the details either. I’ve already sent people to ask around. Let’s hope he managed to get away safely,” Fang Boyi said, not wanting to dwell on Shadow. He smiled and went on, “Old Wu, this time things were truly dangerous. I want to hear what you make of this exposure. Was there really not the slightest sign beforehand?”

Wu Quanjiang also found this strange after hearing Fang Boyi’s question. He was an old underground operative as well, cautious in his work and highly capable, especially experienced in dealing with the enemy. Over many years of maneuvering and contest with hostile forces, he had rarely come out at a disadvantage.

The medicines he was responsible for had repeatedly overcome all manner of difficulties, and he had completed every mission superbly, sending vast quantities of precious medical supplies to the communist front.

Yet this time, the exposure had come without warning. He had felt nothing in advance, and he had no idea where the flaw had been, or how the enemy had managed to find him.

“This time, I really have no clue. If you hadn’t come to warn me, I would never have known danger was already at my doorstep. So how did you find out I’d been exposed?” Wu Quanjiang asked Fang Boyi.

“Old Wu, I can’t reveal the source of the information. That’s also a matter of organizational discipline, and I’m sure you understand,” Fang Boyi said. Of course, he would not tell Wu Quanjiang about Shadow. Shadow did not work on the same line as Wu Quanjiang; only Fang Boyi and the Farmer knew his situation. Although Wu Quanjiang was also a committee member, Fang Boyi still would not violate organizational discipline by revealing anything about Shadow.

He took out a document bag and handed it to Wu Quanjiang. “These are the enemy’s investigative materials on you. They’re very detailed. Take a look—you may find something in them.”

Wu Quanjiang reached out and took the bag. He opened it, pulled out the documents, and began to read carefully. The further he read, the darker his expression became.

The information inside was extremely thorough. It included his usual movements, the range of his activities, his business partners, even his diet and habits, his interests, and the records of the staff at the traditional medicine shop. He had never imagined the enemy knew him this well.

“Well? Do you see anything?” Fang Boyi asked after watching Wu Quanjiang finish reading and slowly set the documents on the table.

“I see it. I never expected it. Truly, I never expected it. My own disciple, the one I brought up with my own hands, the one I watched grow up—how could this be? Ah...” Wu Quanjiang closed his eyes in pain, a tear welling at the corner of his eye. Yet he quickly forced his emotions down again. “We need to control him immediately. If he learns I got away safely, he’ll probably run very soon.”

“Who exactly is it?” Fang Boyi asked.

“My eldest disciple, Zong Pu. He’s also the person I trusted most. I never imagined it would be him,” Wu Quanjiang said, his voice rough with emotion.