1. The Great Traitor Brother-in-law

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June, 1940. The Magic City.

The War of Resistance against Japan had entered a stalemate. The conflicts among the Japanese Special High Police, the Plum Agency, the puppet regime’s No.76, the Military Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, and the Red Party grew ever more intense. Espionage and secret struggles were constant.

Today, as a newly appointed, low-ranking officer at the puppet police bureau, Zhou Hongyi received his first assignment—interrogate suspects and identify the true underground member of the Red Party.

...

Tap, tap, tap...

Zhou Hongyi followed behind the captain of the Third Squad and two colleagues, descending a narrow, dim stone staircase into the prison’s underground interrogation chamber.

He swallowed hard and looked up. The dungeon was hemmed in by cold, unyielding stone walls, lit only by ghostly, flickering lamps. The uncertain light seemed ready to die at any moment, barely sketching out the shadowy shapes around him.

Scattered around the dungeon were all manner of horrific instruments of torture—rusty iron chains, razor-sharp hooks, heavy branding irons—casting sinister gleams in the faint light.

Three prisoners were tied to wooden frames, beaten so badly they were no longer recognizable as human.

Their flesh was torn and bloody, crusted with dried scabs, and the stench of filth pooled in their trousers was indescribable.

“Urgh—”

Overwhelmed by the sight and the reek, Zhou Hongyi barely managed to hold back his roiling stomach before bracing himself against the wall and retching.

The three policemen ahead turned and exchanged glances, mocking smiles playing on their lips.

“What’s wrong, top scholar? Can’t handle it already? The real show hasn’t even begun.”

“Young Master Zhou is a learned man—it’s understandable he can’t stomach this. Maybe you should ask the director for a desk job? The records room would suit you just fine.”

“I just don’t get it. With a background like yours, Young Master Zhou, why come here and suffer? Just look at you—what’s the point?”

Their feigned concern was thick with sarcasm, and they all muttered “useless” under their breath.

Zhou Hongyi heard their whispers, but he had no time to care. He had his reasons for being here.

It had been seven days since he crossed into this parallel world’s Magic City. As the brother-in-law of the notorious traitor Ding Mocun, Zhou Hongyi had refused the cushy bank job his brother-in-law had arranged for him, insisting on joining the police as an ordinary officer.

His reason was simple: as a transmigrator, Zhou Hongyi had awakened the Check-in System, and it indicated that the first check-in point was the police dungeon.

He had only just reported for duty when the police were dispatched on a raid. Following the team into a café, they arrested everyone inside.

After two days of brutal interrogation, those with connections had been released through backdoor dealings, while the powerless had been forced into confessions and sent to prison.

Now, only three prisoners remained—each one stubborn, refusing to confess, claiming ignorance or denying anti-Japanese activities.

Zhou Hongyi had finally found an opportunity and begged the director to let him participate in the interrogation, which was how he entered the dungeon.

[Ding~ Successfully checked in at the police dungeon. Skill “Eye of Insight” activated.]

[Eye of Insight: Enhances vision, insight, analytical ability, and judgment. Once every twenty-four hours, it can activate “Insight Mode” to view pertinent details of the target. The duration increases with proficiency.]

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“At last—the benefit of being a transmigrator is mine!”

Zhou Hongyi blinked. Above every police officer and prisoner in sight, new lines of text appeared—each unique.

These tags revealed the person’s current mood, profession, abilities, and even secrets.

There were three standing figures before him, with another three bound to the torture devices.

The three standing all bore the same tag—[Police].

The leader’s name was Xu Guodong, captain of the third squad, and a former street thug before joining the force.

The other two, Wang Shun and Ye Kaicheng, were both officers on the same team.

Zhou Hongyi turned his gaze to the three prisoners. A glance shocked him—none of them were ordinary.

The nearest prisoner’s tag identified him as [Captain, Special Operations Unit, Military Bureau].

The second, his head bowed, was even more astonishing: [Major, Japanese Special High Police].

When Zhou Hongyi saw the third, he nearly cried out in surprise.

“Red Party Liaison?!”

To think that among these last three detainees, not one was a simple civilian! What’s more, the Red Party liaison showed an unfinished critical mission.

“Damn... What do I do? He needs to deliver the time and place of the enemy’s siege. This is serious—I must find a way to get him out...”

Zhou Hongyi hesitated not at all. After all, he had grown up under the red flag, nurtured by the spring breeze of the new age; his stance was unwavering.

“Young Master Zhou, if you’re not used to this environment, go get some fresh air. Scholars like you should be behind a desk. Why put yourself through this at the station?”

Wang Shun approached Zhou Hongyi, grinning as he whispered.

But Zhou Hongyi couldn’t leave now. Watching Xu Guodong step toward the prisoners, whip in hand, Zhou Hongyi raised his voice: “Stop! You’ll get nothing with these methods. Are our interrogation techniques really this outdated?”

“What did you say?” Xu Guodong stiffened, eyeing the newcomer as if he were mad.

“Since when is it your place to speak here? I—”

Xu Guodong was about to bring down the whip, but his hand froze midair.

The director had spoken to him earlier, reminding him to take special care of the new recruit.

After all, Zhou Hongyi was no ordinary hire. He was Ding’s brother-in-law, a West Point honors graduate, and even Colonel Shimazu of the Special High Police had called him “a rare talent.”

Xu weighed Zhou’s background and slowly lowered his hand.

“I’d forgotten Young Master Zhou is a West Point graduate... So tell me—if not this way, how should we interrogate them?”

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Xu Guodong forced a smile, the muscles twitching in his thick face, and Zhou Hongyi thought he might burst from holding back his anger.

“Captain Xu, torture might work on regular people, but we’re dealing with professionals from the Red Party and the Nationalists. As far as I know, these people have had special training. You won’t get a confession just by flogging them.”

“Oh?” Xu Guodong was annoyed, tossing aside his whip. “Then let’s see how our well-traveled scholar conducts an interrogation. Please, Young Master Zhou, show us how it’s done.”

“Hmph, no problem. In fact, I reviewed their files before I arrived. I already know who the real Red Party member is. Now, I’ll just give them a chance to confess...”

As he spoke, Zhou Hongyi approached the three prisoners, pausing a moment longer at the Military Bureau officer’s face.

“You’ve seen their files, Young Master Zhou? How come I didn’t know?” Xu Guodong was puzzled. The director had entrusted him with the interrogation; no one else had requested the files.

Zhou Hongyi put on an inscrutable look and smiled. “What, do I need your permission to read their files?”

“Er...” Xu Guodong was at a loss for words, his eyelid twitching—he longed to give Zhou a good whipping right then.

“I’ve reviewed their files and found the clues I needed from their daily lives. The real Red Party member is...”

Zhou Hongyi raised his right hand, sweeping it slowly over the faces of the three prisoners before stopping, resolute, in front of the Special High Police major.

“The true Red Party member is you—Major Yoshida...”

“Huh?”

“What?”

“Major?”

The three officers were stunned—not least because he had called the suspect “Major Yoshida.”

The three prisoners were equally dumbfounded by Zhou Hongyi’s astonishing performance.

“You... what are you saying? I don’t understand...!”

The Special High Police spy was completely thrown. He’d entered today on a mission, playing the victim to get close to the Red Party agent and extract the intelligence he was trying to deliver.

Yoshida’s mission was highly classified, known only to a handful of Special High Police leaders, to prevent leaks. Yet this policeman—how did he know?

“Hmph! Did you really think that passing yourself off as a Special High Police major would fool everyone? Dream on! You may deceive others, but not me! Or should I call you... Comrade Yoshida?”

“Nani???”