27. Chen Fenglie of the Military Statistics Bureau
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“Who... exactly are you?”
The man had drunk too quickly and nearly choked to death on the liquor. After coughing several times, he grabbed Zhou Hongyi and asked in a low voice.
While patting the man on the back, Zhou Hongyi whispered, “You do not need to know who I am. At your level, you are not qualified to know. All you need to understand is that the mission you are carrying out conflicts with mine. I order you to suspend it and await further instructions.”
“You are ordering me? Who exactly are you?”
“I already told you. At your level, you have no right to know who I am. You only need to know that we are both serving the Party-state!”
Alternately coaxing and intimidating him, Zhou Hongyi gave the man no chance to ask further questions and pushed him away.
“Brother Yulin, how can you hold your liquor so poorly? The next song is about to begin. Have you found a partner for a dance?”
The Central Bureau of Investigation agent had no mind for dancing. After a stranger had interfered with his mission, his head filled with questions, he could only temporarily abandon the operation. Manyu had already entered the backstage area, and he had missed the best opportunity to assassinate her.
“Leave for now. Tomorrow, at this time, I will tell you who I am.”
Though the man’s eyes were still filled with confusion, the opportunity had already been lost, and there was no reason for him to remain. Staying any longer might expose him. Pretending to be drunk, he left the Paramount Ballroom ahead of time.
Only after watching him walk out did Zhou Hongyi let out a breath of relief. He thought to himself, “Damn it, dance halls really are no good. Since I have to come back tomorrow anyway, I might as well call all these people together and find a way to settle everything at once.”
The music began again. This time, it was a light, brisk tune with a tight drumbeat. The men and women around them once more stepped onto the dance floor.
Zhou Hongyi made another round of the room. Before the aftereffects of Insightful Eye struck, he left the dance hall as the ability fully wore off. Naturally, before departing, he left Manyu a note thanking her for entertaining him that day and expressing his anticipation of seeing her again.
Once he stepped outside, the noise and bustle gradually faded behind him. The music, coquettish laughter, and singing in his ears gave way to automobile horns, the distant whistles of ferries, and the cries of street vendors hawking their wares.
“Whew... I am finally back among ordinary people again. I still prefer this earthy, human atmosphere. Even listening quietly to white noise can lift my spirits.”
Feeling the evening breeze and the dizziness brought on by the aftereffects, Zhou Hongyi staggered into a yellow rickshaw. After telling the puller where he wanted to go, he leaned back and closed his eyes to rest.
But after they had traveled for some time, the rickshaw stopped. Zhou Hongyi struggled to open his eyes and looked around. The surroundings seemed unfamiliar. This did not appear to be the road near his home.
“Hey, where is this...?”
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He had just begun to ask the rickshaw puller where he had been taken when a dark gun barrel was already pressed against his head.
The slovenly puller from moments before raised his head, revealing a rugged face framed by a thick beard. He grinned.
“I finally caught you, my friend. I hope you will honestly tell me who you are and whom you work for.”
Zhou Hongyi sensibly raised both hands. His pistol was still in the shoulder holster beneath his arm. Even if he activated Gunfire Mode now, the other man was far too close. Drawing and exchanging fire would still leave him in danger of being shot.
And because of the aftereffects of Insightful Eye, he had been unable to examine the puller’s appearance carefully before getting into the rickshaw. This man was none other than the commander of the Military Statistics Bureau’s Special Operations Unit in disguise. Clearly, he had been watching Zhou Hongyi for quite some time.
“Friend, is that you? You startled me. I thought you were an intelligence agent.”
After recognizing the man’s face, Zhou Hongyi pretended to relax and leaned back against the rickshaw again.
The bearded man kept his pistol trained steadily on him and said, “I have been looking for a chance to speak with you. Today, fate finally brought us together. Do not take offense, my friend. I merely want to know who you really are, what force stands behind you, and why you saved me in that prison cell last time.”
Zhou Hongyi leaned back with his eyes half closed. He appeared relaxed, but inwardly he was panicking like mad.
“Whew... Captain Chen, I simply respected you as a true man and did not want to see you die in the prison of those puppet troops and traitors. I only lent you a hand. I represent no one but myself—just me.”
The bearded man was Chen Gong, known by the alias Chen Fenglie, the Military Statistics Bureau’s top undercover agent in Shanghai and the leader of its Special Operations Unit.
“Hmph. Kid, do you think you can fool me with that? Tell me, are you working for the Japanese? I have been watching you in secret these past few days. The Special Higher Police and Headquarters 76 both seem to be on very close terms with you.”
Zhou Hongyi thought for a moment before replying, “Well... Shimazu could be considered half my teacher. Before the war began, he taught me Japanese. But you must believe that I can distinguish right from wrong where the nation is concerned. Otherwise, I would not have acted out that little farce with you in the prison cell.”
The bearded man did not relax in the slightest. His pistol remained fixed on Zhou Hongyi as he continued, “But I remember that in the prison cell, you exposed a Communist underground operative hiding inside the Special Higher Police. And now you claim you can distinguish right from wrong where the nation is concerned?”
Zhou Hongyi shrugged. “Fine, I admit it was entirely fabricated. He was indeed a major in the Special Higher Police, but he was not a Communist operative at all. He had been sent by one of Colonel Shimazu’s rivals to get close to you. I helped Colonel Shimazu use him to have his political opponent transferred elsewhere. You know how it is—even the Japanese fight among themselves.”
“You mean... he was not an underground Communist liaison officer at all? You made the whole thing up?”
“Not entirely. He really did have an older brother whom he personally punished. I seized upon that fact and forced out the deepest secret in his heart.”
The bearded man narrowed his eyes. The muzzle dipped slightly, only to rise again at once.
“If you are so skilled at acting and interrogation, how am I supposed to believe that what you are saying now is true?”
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Zhou Hongyi rolled his eyes and cursed the ungrateful bearded man inwardly.
“Whether you believe me is up to you. If you trust me, you would believe me even if I said nothing. If you do not, then nothing I say will help—not even if I could spin flowers out of thin air. Am I wrong?”
The bearded man stared into Zhou Hongyi’s eyes for several seconds. Then, suddenly, he flipped his wrist, shoved the pistol into the back of his waistband, and hauled Zhou Hongyi from the rickshaw, wrapping a powerful arm around his shoulders.
“Hahaha! Little brother, do not be afraid. I was only acting with caution. I, Chen Fenglie, have a judgment of my own. Whether it was the tone of your voice just now or the way you looked at me, there was no evasion or hesitation in either. That proves most of what you said is true. As for whatever you may be hiding, that is not important. What matters is that we share a common goal—to kill those Japanese devils!”
Zhou Hongyi disliked having someone’s arm around his shoulders. He pushed the man away slightly and said, “Since you have confirmed that I am not working for the Japanese, may I go home now? I have been busy all day and am exhausted.”
The bearded man wore a shameless grin and moved closer again.
“Little brother, do not be in such a hurry. I came to find you today specifically to thank you.”
“Thank me?” Zhou Hongyi gave a cold laugh. “I have never seen anyone point a gun at someone as a way of thanking them. You can keep that sort of gratitude.”
“Look at you, actually getting angry. Men should be broad-minded, just like me. By the way, little brother, do you know what I do?”
“What do you do? Are you not the commander of the Military Statistics Bureau’s Special Operations Unit?”
Zhou Hongyi grumbled inwardly, but he could not blurt that out. Instead, he looked the man over twice and said, “What do you do? Looking like that, what else could you be? You must be involved with a gang.”
The bearded man smiled without confirming or denying it.
“Hahaha! Little brother—no, Young Master Zhou—since you are devoted to resisting Japan and have such a close relationship with the director of Headquarters 76, you must have channels for obtaining inside information, right? How about joining forces with me and taking a shot at him?”
“Join forces with you? Take a shot at whom?”
The bearded man glanced left and right to make sure no one was nearby, then leaned closer. The hot air from his breath washed over Zhou Hongyi’s face as he spoke, making Zhou Hongyi recoil in disgust.
“How about we join forces to eliminate Shimazu—or perhaps your brother-in-law? If we succeed at either one, you and I will become national heroes!”
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