Chapter Twelve: The Reappearance of the Golden Intelligence

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Song Yingge took out a hundred yuan and placed it in Xu Zhong’s hand. “It’s just about mealtime. Take this money and treat me to a meal. I have only one request: the more expensive, the better.”

Xu Zhong was utterly confused by Song Yingge’s request.

“You’re giving me money and then asking me to use it to treat you to a meal?”

“That’s right. I’ll leave the rest to you. Remember, the more expensive, the better.”

Xu Zhong had never seen so much money in his life. He clenched it tightly in his hand, afraid of losing it.

“What are you standing there for? Lead the way,” Song Yingge urged.

Xu Zhong then wandered aimlessly down the street. Passing a small restaurant, he asked, “How about this place?”

“That’s too cheap, no good,” Song Yingge replied.

After a few more attempts, all were rejected by Song Yingge one by one.

“Let’s go to the Fuchang Restaurant in Xinjiekou. I don’t want to wander anymore.”

Xu Zhong nodded silently and walked on, his thoughts a mystery.

He had heard of the Fuchang Restaurant before.

But subconsciously, he believed such upscale places were not for poor people like him. Even holding a hundred yuan did nothing to change that notion.

Soon, they arrived at the entrance of the Fuchang Restaurant.

The restaurant was six stories tall, one of the tallest buildings in Jinling at that time.

Inside, it featured an OTS hand-cranked elevator, one of only two in all of Jinling—the other being in the National Government building.

At mealtime, the entrance was bustling with well-dressed people coming and going.

Xu Zhong glanced at the patched spots on his clothes and hesitated.

“Go in. You lead the way,” Song Yingge said.

Biting his lip, Xu Zhong stepped toward the entrance.

“Sir, may I help you?” the doorman approached quickly.

“I’m here to eat,” Xu Zhong said.

The doorman hesitated briefly, glanced at Song Yingge, and then opened the door.

Inside, a waiter led them to a table.

“Was it difficult?” Song Yingge asked.

“Not as hard as I thought,” Xu Zhong smiled, the corners of his mouth stretching wider than before.

“Thinking it’s hard is the problem; doing it is actually simple,” Song Yingge said.

Xu Zhong repeated the phrase silently, his eyes brightening, and a newfound confidence took root.

After the meal, Song Yingge said, “Take the remaining money, rent a place, get yourself a complete set of clothes. When you’re ready, come find me at Tianyin Alley.”

The next day, on his way home from work, Xu Zhong was already waiting for Song Yingge at the alley entrance.

Xu Zhong wore a well-fitted Zhongshan suit; his delicate features and refined demeanor would easily make him a heartthrob in the future.

Of course, compared to Song Yingge, he still fell just short.

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“Clothes make the man, and a good outfit lifts the spirit,” Song Yingge said.

“Money is priceless; wherever it’s spent, it’s good,” Xu Zhong said, pulling out the remaining money from his pocket and handing it to Song Yingge. “There’s over seventy yuan left.”

“We’ll talk at home,” Song Yingge said, leading the way back to the small courtyard.

He poured Xu Zhong a cup of tea, then brought out two thousand yuan from inside the house and handed it to him.

Xu Zhong was startled and stood up, waving his hands vehemently.

“It’s not for your spending. This money is for you to use to do business,” Song Yingge explained.

Xu Zhong still refused to take it.

“Take this and set up a rickshaw business,” Song Yingge said.

“A rickshaw business?” Xu Zhong asked in confusion.

Indeed, Song Yingge planned to open a rickshaw company.

Rickshaw pullers have irregular daily routes and come into contact with various people.

If the pullers could be used to his advantage, it would be like having multiple mobile surveillance points throughout Jinling.

Any valuable intelligence the pullers discovered could be reported.

With the special ability Song Yingge possessed, he could instantly assess the value of any information at a glance.

To fund the business, Song Yingge had cashed in two large yellow croakers, obtaining over two thousand yuan.

When leaving home, Song Yongfu had given him five large yellow croakers, and Dai Li had provided one more, totaling six.

He had sold one to cover gifts for his superiors and daily expenses.

Now, Song Yingge had only three large yellow croakers left.

Those three were reserved for emergencies; he would not use them unless absolutely necessary.

Though two thousand yuan seemed like a lot, it couldn’t purchase many rickshaws.

In June 1936, the Jinling District Two Rickshaw Pullers’ Cooperative borrowed five thousand yuan from Jin City Bank to buy fifty-five rickshaws.

That comes to roughly ninety yuan per rickshaw.

This was a bulk purchase price; buying fewer would be even more expensive.

Considering office rental and other expenses, buying around fifteen rickshaws would be a good outcome.

“Do you know where to buy rickshaws?” Song Yingge asked.

Xu Zhong shook his head.

“Do you know where to get licenses?”

“How to find an office?”

“How to recruit pullers?”

Xu Zhong continued to shake his head.

“If you don’t know, go find out. What are you standing there for?” Song Yingge said, stuffing the money pouch into Xu Zhong’s arms.

Clutching the pouch tightly, Xu Zhong left the courtyard. Inside was not only a huge sum of two thousand yuan but also the heavy weight of trust.

In truth, Song Yingge did not fully trust him yet.

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As soon as Xu Zhong left, Song Yingge followed closely behind.

He was afraid Xu Zhong might run off with the money; trust had to be earned.

He followed him until late at night. Seeing no signs of escape, Song Yingge finally returned.

The next day on his way to work, Song Yingge bought a copy of the Minsheng Daily from a newsboy and began to read.

According to the arrangement with the organization, when they needed to activate him, they would publish an advertisement in the Minsheng Daily containing a code—obvious once seen.

Song Yingge had been buying the paper daily but had yet to receive any contact from the organization.

All he could do was wait.

Arriving at Caodu Alley, Song Yingge first visited Wang Zhen’s office, drinking tea and chatting casually.

Although Wang Zhen was only a team leader with no real power, respect was still due.

Wang Zhen had his own private office, while Song Yingge had to squeeze into a room with his subordinates, though at least he had his own desk.

On the desk lay intelligence gathered by the team members; Song Yingge flipped through it.

Mostly white-coded intelligence, a few green-coded reports, and not a single gold-coded one.

At that moment, Chen Meili from the communications section entered with a telegram.

True to her name, Chen Meili was called the flower of the communications department and was a graduate of the Zhejiang Police Training Class.

“Captain Song, here’s a telegram. The chief requests you to take charge of the follow-up,” Chen Meili said.

Dai Li was not in Jinling at the time. His whereabouts were always uncertain, and after the recent assassination attempt, his security was even tighter.

Song Yingge took the telegram and his heart leapt—finally, a mission.

“Intelligence value: gold. Of considerable importance.”

He pocketed the telegram, about to call his team out on a field mission, but looked up and saw Chen Meili still standing nearby.

“Is there something else?” he asked.

“There’s a great movie showing recently, ‘Night of Revelry.’ Captain Song, do you have time after work to see it with me?” Chen Meili asked candidly.

Recalling Chen Meili’s role as a telegrapher, Song Yingge’s mind stirred.

“How could I refuse an invitation from such a beauty?” he smiled.

After setting the time, Chen Meili left.

What Song Yingge didn’t know was that within the secret service, he had already become the top choice for unmarried women seeking a suitor.

Highly educated, young, handsome, favored by Dai Li, with a bright future—who wouldn’t be enchanted?

“The urgent dispatch from Shanghai Station: The Japanese Army Intelligence Agency is sending a covert team that will soon arrive in Jinling. Headquarters is requested to capture them.”

This piece of intelligence was gold-coded, so its authenticity was beyond doubt.

Now, the challenge was how to track down these few individuals.