Chapter 153: Weariness, Passion

Shortly after six o'clock in the morning, Li Wensheng and Chen Wenqi, disguised as ordinary workers, went out to have breakfast at a street stall.

Listening to the surrounding diners discussing the shootout outside the Star Newspaper office yesterday noon between the Lone Ranger and a group of people, Chen Wenqi asked in a low voice, "Did everyone die yesterday?"

"There might be one or two survivors. Those men were injured, and I was in a hurry to get away; I didn't have time to check." Li Wensheng spoke with slightly moving lips.

"In that case, the Military Statistics Bureau might start investigating you. Do not meet with Chen Moqun again."

"Alright."

Previously, Wang Tianfeng had said he would use the entire Shanghai Station as a stepping stone, so Li Wensheng had already decided to cut off contact with Chen Moqun moving forward. Therefore, he agreed readily.

To make eating look like ordinary workers, Chen Wenqi slurped down her noodles roughly and then whispered, "The plan has to change. We cannot keep appearing at the same newspaper office repeatedly. Moreover, we can't send a letter to a newspaper today and show up at that same office today; they must be staggered. I will arrange this, I'll find the newspaper offices, and I'll map out the routes for you."

"Alright."

Since this was a safe task and Chen Wenqi wanted to do it, Li Wensheng had no intention of stopping her.

After finishing the noodles, Li Wensheng and Chen Wenqi took a deliberate detour and arrived at the entrance of the Xinmin Newspaper office.

At this time, the newspaper office had not yet opened. Chen Wenqi kept watch of the surroundings while Li Wensheng pretended to lean against the wall and cough, pulling an envelope from his pocket and sliding it through the gap in the front doors.

Afterward, the two of them left as if nothing had happened.

The newspapers distributed daily were finalized the previous day. At nine o'clock in the morning, when the staff of the Xinmin Newspaper opened the doors and saw the envelope, they were filled with deep regret—if only it had been delivered a day earlier!

"Tomorrow at noon, I will kidnap Liu Liping.
Signed, The Lone Ranger."

Regretful as they were, there was nothing to be done. They had no choice but to use the contents of this letter as tomorrow's front-page headline.

The next day, newspaper boys waved the Xinmin newspapers and shouted at the top of their lungs.

Their cries were identical to those hawking the Star Newspaper over the past two days. The local residents still gathered around to buy them, but the atmosphere had changed slightly.

No one was buying a dozen copies at once anymore, and those who missed out no longer felt deep regret, merely a slight sense of pity.

During this period, the news generated by Li Wensheng had been so frequent that, if not quite annoyance, the public's enthusiasm was no longer what it used to be.

After receiving the news, the various intelligence agencies in the French Concession no longer cared much either.

The incident at the Public Concession Police Station had caused them to give up on Li Wensheng. He was simply too formidable—impossible to kill and impossible to capture—so they merely dispatched a few operatives to keep watch near the Xinmin Newspaper office.

Everyone assumed that since the Lone Ranger had previously delivered a letter to the Star Newspaper and appeared outside its office at noon, he would surely appear in front of the Xinmin Newspaper office at noon this time as well.

The staff at the Xinmin Newspaper thought the same. Starting at eleven-thirty, all the employees gathered at the windows, staring fixedly outside.

By eleven-fifty, both the newspaper staff and the agents sent by various intelligence agencies grew tense.

Time ticked by slowly. When the clock struck twelve, everyone held their breath.

Then, they furrowed their brows. The Lone Ranger had actually not appeared!

Puzzled, they stared for a while longer. By twelve-ten, still seeing no sign of the Lone Ranger, they gave up.

"Could something have happened to him?"

"How is that possible? Hundreds of Japanese agents ambushed him, and he came out unscathed. How could anything happen to him?"

"Then why isn't he showing up?"

"I find it strange too. Could he have run off to the Star Newspaper instead?"

That person's guess turned out to be spot on. Dragging Liu Liping along, Li Wensheng passed right by the Star Newspaper office amidst a sea of incredulous stares.

Appearing outside the Star Newspaper was something no one anticipated, leaving even the people inside the office completely dumbfounded.

This time, Li Wensheng's pace was brisk. By the time they recovered their senses, Li Wensheng was already gone, leaving the editor-in-chief consumed by bitter regret—such a golden opportunity for an interview, and he missed it. What a terrible pity!

News of the Lone Ranger's appearance at the Star Newspaper spread to the various intelligence agencies in the French Concession before long.

"Shit! He's playing us for fools!"

"Beyond expectations, completely beyond expectations."

"It seems no one can ever guess what he's thinking."

Sending a letter to the New Life Daily and appearing at the Xinmin Newspaper; sending a letter to the Yelen Press and showing up at the Fengrui Daily... The staggered and intersecting plan devised by Chen Wenqi, combined with the hundreds of large and small newspaper offices scattered across the French Concession, made it impossible for any intelligence agency to accurately predict which newspaper office Li Wensheng would appear outside of.

In the end, they simply stopped caring and ceased sending people altogether.

When the intelligence agencies eventually gave up, the public also grew somewhat fatigued. Hearing the newspaper boys shouting, they no longer rushed over, but instead strolled over leisurely, not a trace of excitement on their faces.

They still bought the newspapers, not out of an eagerness to read the news, but rather with the mindset of fulfilling a duty to support the War of Resistance by purchasing a copy to glance at.

On September 12th, news regarding the Lone Ranger had quieted down for a couple of days.

The weather at this time, except for the morning and evening, remained extremely hot and sultry, making even staying indoors somewhat uncomfortable.

Shortly past six in the morning, when the streets were starting to fill with pedestrians, the newspaper boys began crying out their headlines once more.

"Extra, extra! At eleven o'clock this morning, the Lone Ranger will execute six traitors on the rooftop of the Ming Building!"

"Extra, extra! At eleven o'clock this morning, on the rooftop of the Ming Building, the Lone Ranger will execute six traitors!"

The surrounding residents paused for a moment, and then all rushed toward the newspaper boys and stands.

Previously, their waning enthusiasm for the Lone Ranger's news wasn't because they disliked reading about him, but because the reports across different newspapers were nearly identical, save for the names of the newly kidnapped individuals.

Since they were all the same, what was there to read? But now, things were different, and their enthusiasm surged right back.

"Give me ten copies!" "Give me five!"

"Don't buy them all, damn it!" "Save a copy for me!"

Those who managed to secure a newspaper immediately stood by the roadside, reading while chatting with friends or even complete strangers.

"The news has finally changed! Those papers from the past few days were hardly worth looking at."

"They were all the same old stories, so I lost interest too. Still, why did the Lone Ranger announce both the time and location this time? That's so dangerous."

"Probably to strike terror into those traitors and anyone thinking of becoming one."

"Even so, it's far too dangerous."

"Brother Wenyan, are you going to the Ming Building at eleven this morning to see how the Lone Ranger executes the traitors?"

"No, Brother Yanzhi, and you shouldn't go either. Since the Lone Ranger has published both the time and the place, the Japanese devils will definitely send forces to encircle and suppress him. By then, the Japanese agents will be mixed in among the crowd, and the Lone Ranger won't be able to tell them apart. If we go, we'll just be providing cover for the Japanese. We absolutely cannot go."

"Brother Wenyan, you always think things through thoroughly. However, I think not only should we stay away, but we should also urge others not to go, lest we inadvertently aid the Japanese."

"Right, right, Brother Yanzhi. Calling on others not to go—this can also be considered our contribution to the War of Resistance."

"Haha, exactly, exactly! Brother Wenyan, shall we start right here?"

"Alright."

"Respected elders and fellow villagers, to avoid causing trouble for the Lone Ranger, I hope everyone will refrain from going to the Ming Building at eleven o'clock!"

"That's right, everyone! The Japanese will surely take action, and if we go, we'll just be providing cover for them. You must not go!"

"If it gives cover to the Japanese, then I'm certainly not going!"

"Me neither."

"I'm not going either."

"Fellow villagers, not only must we stay away ourselves, but we must also urge those around us not to go. As long as we rally the people around us, that too counts as doing our part for the War of Resistance!"

"Does that count as doing our part for the war too?"

"Of course it does! Protecting the Lone Ranger—how is that not doing our part for the war?"

"It counts, it counts! I'll tell everyone in my factory not to go later."

"Same here! I'll tell our folks right now that nobody is allowed to go."