Chapter Thirty-Three: Execution

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After hearing Li Xiaoqi’s account, Song Yingge felt that the case surrounding the murder of Chu Junzheng and his son had grown even more baffling.

He had originally assumed that Zhendong Hall and Wang Sheng were birds of a feather.

But now it seemed equally possible that Nine Fingers had moved Jiang Shuning and her daughter out of gratitude for a past favor.

In truth, Song Yingge had never been particularly interested in the murder of Chu Junzheng and his son.

But if he wanted to uncover the possible connection between Wang Sheng and the Japanese invaders, there was no way around this case.

Still, matters had to be prioritized. Song Yingge decided to set aside the affairs of Caimao Transport Company for the time being and devote himself entirely to rescuing Chen Xunlei.

Chen Xunlei was currently being held at the Special Service Bureau headquarters on Caodu Lane. A forced rescue would have almost no chance of success.

He needed to find a way to get Chen Xunlei out of headquarters.

Today was the third day since Chen Xunlei’s arrest. Even without Song Yingge’s warning, the Communist Party would certainly have realized that something had happened to him.

Intelligence had a limited shelf life. Even if Chen Xunlei confessed at this point, the value of the information he provided would be greatly diminished.

That weakness could be exploited.

That evening, Song Yingge went to White Deer Bookstore. With practiced ease, he climbed over the wall and found Old Zhao.

“Notify the newspapers that Chen Xunlei has been arrested. Use public opinion to pressure Dai Li,” Song Yingge said.

When Dai Li had hunted down Wang Yaqiao in Shanghai, he had suffered badly under the pressure of public opinion.

In an effort to sever Wang Yaqiao’s right-hand support, Dai Li had arrested his younger brother, Wang Shuqiao.

What he had not expected was that Wang Shuqiao’s mentor, Shen Junru, was a famous lawyer in Shanghai.

After Wang Shuqiao’s arrest, Shen Junru published an article in the newspapers in the name of the Bar Association.

Its accusations pointed directly at Principal Chiang, the man behind Dai Li.

Dai Li had fled like a stray dog, hurrying back to admit his mistake to his master.

The Special Service Bureau wielded enormous power.

But it had one fatal weakness: it could not bear the light of day.

Expose some of the bureau’s actions to the public, and anyone would condemn them.

“Chen Xunlei was arrested in secret. Since the December Twelfth Incident, the civil war has ceased, and calls for national unity against Japan have grown increasingly strong.

“If Chen Xunlei’s arrest is exposed at a time like this, it will certainly set off a storm of public opinion.

“When that happens, Dai Li will have only two choices.

“First, he can acknowledge the arrest, submit Chen Xunlei to judicial proceedings, and send him to prison.

“Second, he can refuse to acknowledge it and have him executed in secret.

“If he chooses the first option, we can arrange for a lawyer to defend Chen Xunlei. At present, the Special Service Bureau has no direct evidence proving that he belongs to the Communist Party.

“If the case follows the judicial process, the most likely outcome will be his acquittal and release.

“If he chooses the second option, I will find out the time and place of the execution. The organization can then arrange for men to rescue him,” Song Yingge said.

Old Zhao pondered for a while. “This plan is highly feasible. I’ll report it to the organization. If any newspaper publishes a report about the matter, that will mean the organization has approved the plan.”

“Be careful. The newspapers must not admit that Chen Xunlei is one of our people,” Song Yingge instructed.

If they admitted that Chen Xunlei belonged to the Communist Party, they would indirectly confirm that he had indeed been working undercover, which would damage them in the court of public opinion.

After Song Yingge left, Old Zhao reported his plan to headquarters. After analyzing it, headquarters approved the proposal and put it into action immediately.

The following day, on his way to work, Song Yingge found several newspapers reporting the incident at a newsstand.

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The most influential of them was the Shenbao.

As one of only two newspapers in the country with a circulation exceeding one hundred and fifty thousand copies, the Shenbao had established a branch in Jinling as early as 1928.

It frequently denounced the Nationalist government’s reactionary policies of persecuting its own people at home while compromising with Japan abroad.

Regarding Chen Xunlei’s case, the Shenbao unleashed its full force, directing its accusations straight at Principal Chiang.

Only days after the December Twelfth Incident, he had made his promise, yet now he was continuing to wage a White Terror. The paper stopped just short of pointing at his nose and calling him a faithless traitor.

Central Military Academy. Principal Chiang’s residence.

With a sharp slap, Principal Chiang threw that day’s newspaper onto the dining table.

That Shenbao again!

After the paper’s general manager, Shi Liangcai, had been assassinated by Nationalist agents in 1934, Chiang had assumed that the Shenbao would become more restrained. He had never imagined that it would remain utterly unrepentant.

“Tell Dai Li to come see me at once!” Principal Chiang shouted furiously.

Principal Chiang was famous for cursing people.

The closer the relationship, the harsher his abuse.

When Dai Li arrived, the principal flew into a rage in his office and berated him mercilessly.

The December Twelfth Incident had taken place only days earlier, and Principal Chiang had personally made a promise. Regardless of what he truly thought, he had to maintain appearances.

With the Nationalists and Communists engaged in peace talks, the appearance of such a scandal at this critical moment put Principal Chiang in an extremely difficult position.

He cursed Dai Li for a full half hour before finally venting his anger.

“No matter what method you use, shut those newspapers up at once, damn it!”

Dai Li accepted the order. By the time he left, his face was as cold as frost.

When Song Yingge arrived at Caodu Lane, he found the atmosphere unusually oppressive. It seemed that everyone had read the newspapers and learned that Chen Xunlei’s case had been exposed.

He hurried to Dai Li’s office, knocked, and entered.

Wei Si was already inside.

Dai Li’s face was naturally dark, but today it was darker still.

“Director, I have failed in my duties and have come to beg your pardon!” Song Yingge said.

If they had obtained Chen Xunlei’s confession, the Special Service Bureau would not have been so passive even after the newspapers reported the matter.

Dai Li waved a hand. “Let’s hear it. How should this be handled?”

Song Yingge remained silent. Some things could not be said by him.

“There is no evidence outside proving that Chen Xunlei is being held by our bureau. If we flatly deny it, they can do nothing.

“On the other hand, if we acknowledge his arrest, the public will certainly demand that he be handed over to the courts.

“Regardless of the outcome of a judicial interrogation, the matter will cause a tremendous commotion.

“Now that the Communists know Chen Xunlei has been arrested, he has no further value.

“We might as well kill him and be done with it,” Wei Si said.

“Then execute him in secret. Let there be no living witness,” Dai Li said decisively.

Handing Chen Xunlei over to the courts was absolutely out of the question.

Dai Li had already suffered a crushing loss in the matter of Wang Shuqiao.

After Wang Shuqiao had been turned over for judicial interrogation, the affair had caused an uproar throughout the city.

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Having learned his lesson, Dai Li adopted one principle in dealing with Chen Xunlei: deny everything to the bitter end.

The detention was secret, after all, and everyone who knew the truth belonged to the Special Service Bureau.

At most, outsiders could infer that Chen Xunlei had disappeared. They had no evidence proving that the bureau had arrested him.

With both sides trading denials, the news would lose its heat within a few days. Given enough time, no one would pay attention to it anymore.

After leaving Dai Li’s office, Wei Si spoke as they walked. “You will handle this personally. Take two men with you. Once he is dead, put him in a sack and sink him directly in the river.”

Song Yingge felt both pleased and troubled by the order.

“Yes. I guarantee it will be clean and efficient,” he replied.

Back at Intelligence Group Four, Song Yingge summoned Zhang Ke and Sun Xi. They went to the interrogation room, brought Chen Xunlei out, and forced him into a car.

After the car had driven some distance from the Special Service Bureau, Song Yingge caught sight of Old Zhao hiding around the corner of a narrow lane. His heart finally settled.

When they reached the riverbank in the outskirts, Sun Xi and Zhang Ke dragged Chen Xunlei from the car and forced him to kneel on the ground.

“Do you have any last words?” Song Yingge asked.

“Summer insects cannot speak of ice.”

Chen Xunlei knew that he could not escape death. He had no intention of showing weakness before the enemy.

“Have you ever killed anyone?” Song Yingge asked Zhang Ke.

“No.” Zhang Ke was somewhat nervous.

“Afraid?” Song Yingge asked with a smile.

“No!” Zhang Ke steeled himself.

“Forget it. I’ll let you off this time. The section chief ordered me to carry it out personally,” Song Yingge said.

After exchanging a few more words, Song Yingge felt that they had delayed long enough. He drew his pistol and fired three shots in rapid succession.

All three struck Chen Xunlei in the chest.

Blood gushed forth at once, and Chen Xunlei collapsed motionless.

Song Yingge stepped forward and felt for his pulse.

“No heartbeat. He’s thoroughly dead. Zhang Ke, come take a few photographs.”

Zhang Ke approached, took out a camera, and photographed Chen Xunlei several times.

“Put him away,” Song Yingge ordered.

Sun Xi produced a sack. Together, the three men stuffed Chen Xunlei inside, added several large stones, tied the sack tightly, and threw it into the river.

“Let’s go get a bath and wash away the bad luck,” Song Yingge said.

Sun Xi and Zhang Ke climbed into the car, grinning from ear to ear.

After the vehicle had driven away, Old Zhao emerged from behind a nearby rock.

He dove straight into the river.

The stones inside the sack made it quite heavy, and the current did not carry it far.

Before long, Old Zhao’s head broke the surface. He dragged Chen Xunlei to the riverbank.

Song Yingge’s three bullets had all deliberately avoided Chen Xunlei’s vital organs.

But after enduring several days of torture, followed by a plunge into the river in such bitterly cold weather, whether Chen Xunlei would survive was now a matter for fate to decide.

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