An invisible blade suspended above the head

"What? Captain Wei is dead?"

The day after Wei Zhe went missing, a headless corpse was discovered on the gravel beach along the Huangpu River. Based on the personal effects remaining on the body, it was identified as Wei Zhe, captain of the third squad of the Second Precinct.

His body had already been retrieved by No. 76 for further examination. As his direct superior, Feng Jiniong was deeply shocked by the news.

It had been quite a long time since such an incident had occurred in their police department. This sudden development made him feel as though an invisible, sharp blade was now suspended above his head.

The police officers at the precinct were all discussing the matter. Yesterday’s operation had been a raid on a Kuomintang secret contact point, yet not a single target was captured while one of their own men had been lost.

After receiving a phone call, the precinct chief's face had turned exceptionally grim. However, he quickly recovered, opened his office door, strode into the main hall, and roared at the dejected group of subordinates:

"Do you all have nothing better to do? Since this morning, you've looked like frost-bitten eggplants! In our line of work, it's either you kill or you get killed. Did you think you could just come here every day to sip tea, chat, and bully ordinary citizens? This is one of our occupational hazards! Stop all this discussion. Regarding Captain Wei's death, agents from No. 76 will handle the subsequent investigation. The third squad will be temporarily managed by Wang Shun. The rest of you, get out and patrol the streets! Stop standing around like eyesores!"

As soon as Chief Feng finished his reprimand, the officers scrambled to put on their uniforms, don their hats, and grab their billy clubs to wander out onto the streets.

No sooner had Feng Jiniong vented his anger than he saw Zhou Hongyi coming down the stairs. His tone softened instantly: "Zhongliang, come into my office for a moment."

Zhou Hongyi stepped into the precinct chief's office and closed the door behind him. He saw the latter sinking deep into the sofa with a long sigh. "Ah~~~ Such is our fate. Those underground elements of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party often kill the chicken to scare the monkey, moving against our people behind the scenes. I just never expected the target this time would be our own colleague. Director Ding even specifically inquired about your recent patrol schedule. These are troubled times, but in such a chaotic era, who can remain entirely unscathed? So, Zhongliang, I heard there is a recent vacancy in the Ministry of Finance. I've already spoken with Director Ding about it. Here is a small token of my appreciation, and I'd like to ask you to deliver it on my behalf."

With that, Feng Jiniong pulled a black brocade box from the cabinet, placed it on the desk, and opened the lid. Zhou Hongyi saw six neatly arranged small gold bars resting on the black velvet lining.

Zhou Hongyi smiled, closed the lid, and picked up the box quite naturally. "Director Feng, you're being too formal. My brother-in-law and I both agree that this position belongs to you and no one else! There is indeed some danger here at the precinct; it's better to leave the hard fighting to us young folks. You have a family at home, and you should be enjoying your twilight years surrounded by children and grandchildren. I'm just wondering, once you receive your promotion, who will take over as chief of the Second Precinct..."

Feng Jiniong was a master of ambition. Straightening his expression, he said, "Zhongliang, let me tell you this: once my job transfer goes through smoothly, there is no one else qualified to take my place except you! There are barely any deputy chiefs in our Second Precinct anyway—one is powerless and without backing, while another is just idling away until retirement. You, on the other hand, are in your prime, a top graduate of the Whampoa Military Academy, and you won the primary credit for capturing that Special Higher Police spy last time. If you don't take the seat, who else has the qualification?"

Zhou Hongyi feigned a troubled expression. "Chief, you know I haven't been working here long. My seniority is too shallow and I'm too young. I'm just afraid... some people might not be convinced."

"Not convinced? I'd like to see who dares not to be! Here is what we'll do, Zhongliang: starting tomorrow, you will be the acting chief of our Second Precinct, responsible for commanding and whipping these fellows into shape. I will assist from the sidelines to cover any oversights. Consider it putting you in the saddle and giving you a send-off."

Zhou Hongyi laughed inwardly. He had not expected Wei Zhe's death to provide such a strong stimulus to Chief Feng, who was now scheming to arrange his own transfer. If Feng left, wouldn't seizing the position of precinct chief be as easy as reaching into his pocket? Once he sat in that chair, carrying out his plans would become infinitely more convenient.

After a few more rounds of polite pleasantries, Zhou Hongyi walked out of the chief's office with the six small gold bars tucked inside his coat.

Stepping out of the police station, Zhou Hongyi swept his gaze across the street and spotted a rickshaw puller with a lowered head and a heavy beard walking toward him.

*This old Chen is getting a bit too addicted to playing a rickshaw puller. Can't he change his identity for once? I'll have to have a word with him about this later.*

Climbing into the rickshaw pulled by the captain of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics special operations team, Zhou Hongyi leaned back comfortably. Once the vehicle reached a deserted alleyway, Chen Gong slowed his pace and asked, "Kid, was that business with the third squad captain yesterday your doing?"

Zhou Hongyi let out an unexpected "Oh," thinking to himself that the intelligence network of the Military Statistics Bureau was truly formidable and remarkably well-informed.

"Brother Chen, I only did it yesterday, and you already got the news today?"

Chen Gong chuckled. "Never underestimate our intelligence-gathering capabilities. Still, you did a good job. But I have a question: why did you bother taking out a mere squad leader? If you were going to make a move, wouldn't it have been much more satisfying to take out your precinct chief directly?"

Zhou Hongyi offered a wry smile. "Brother Chen, if I could keep him alive and make him useful to me, that would naturally be better than killing him only to deal with a new enemy. As for why I took out the third squad captain, it was to avenge my brother. The dead bastard was one of the primary perpetrators of the Qingdong Massacre. He deserved to die, and the refugees at Guanyintang needed an outlet to vent their grievances."

Chen Gong nodded silently. "Indeed, these people all deserve to die. We've already studied the route and suggestions you provided last time and confirmed the specific location for the operation. If things are as you said—that the Japanese have other plans—then we won't alert the enemy prematurely. Therefore, I'm taking you to a place today to meet some new friends. It's time I let you know my true identity."

Though he remained silent on the outside, Zhou Hongyi rolled his eyes internally. *Your disguise was stripped bare in front of me long ago. Only now do you think of recruiting me? Still, managing to infiltrate the Military Statistics Bureau and gather some intelligence from that side wouldn't be a bad idea.*

"Alright, Brother Chen. I was just fretting that I have too few people I can trust under my command. If the two of us can join forces, doing things in the future will be much more convenient."

Chen Gong did not reply. He merely smiled and quickened his pace, pulling the rickshaw through a maze of deserted alleys. After a short while, he stopped, wiped the sweat from his neck with a cotton towel draped over his shoulder, and said, "We've arrived, little brother. Please go on in, and we can chat leisurely."

Zhou Hongyi glanced back and forth. The alley was extremely remote; from the moment they entered until now, not a single soul had been seen. However, he could faintly sense several pairs of eyes watching him from the shadows—presumably assassins from the Military Statistics Bureau.

Zhou Hongyi did not dare to lower his guard. Even though he was certain the bearded man meant him no harm, he could not guarantee the intentions of the others. He tightened his grip on his underarm holster, ready to activate his abilities for self-preservation at a moment's notice.