Chapter 16: A Chance Encounter

“Stop! Who are you?”
Due to the recent spate of suicide attacks orchestrated by the Military Intelligence Station in Jinling, the Japanese troops were on high alert. The tension was even greater today, as the Special High Police had learned that the head of the station’s action team had arrived.

The moment gunfire broke out, nearby military police rushed over. Checkpoints were swiftly set up at the intersections of the area, and the Special High Police, puppet troops, and military police scoured every corner.

With so many people searching, Li Wensheng had barely made it through a few alleys before running into a patrol of puppet soldiers.

He wasn’t sure if these men recognized his face or knew his description, but he couldn’t take the risk. It was safer to eliminate them all.

Just as he was about to retrieve the Chicago Typewriter from his system space, one of the puppet soldiers quietly whispered into the ear of his captain,
“Captain, I’ve seen this man before. He’s one of the Japanese, and of some importance. Last time Lieutenant Okamoto stopped him, he slapped Okamoto and cursed him in Japanese.”

The man’s voice was low, but the reward for assassinating Hirohito had sharpened Li Wensheng’s hearing considerably—he heard every word.

Li Wensheng’s eyes flashed, and he abandoned the idea of drawing his weapon. Instead, he burst out angrily, “Baka! Which unit are you from?”

The puppet captain paled, bowing quickly. “Sir, we’re from the City Defense Corps! We didn’t know you were an officer—please forgive us!”

Li Wensheng didn’t dare tarry. With a cold snort, he strode off at once.

After crossing a street, he glanced back, quickened his pace, and slipped down a narrow alley.

Once inside, he pressed himself against the entrance, listening intently to the hurried footsteps behind him.

The steps drew near. Soon a man reached the mouth of the alley.

Li Wensheng pounced out, dragged the man into the alley, pinned him against the wall, and demanded harshly, “Speak! Why are you following me?”

“Captain Li, I’m from the Jinling Station!” the man whispered urgently.

Li Wensheng didn’t let go, but pressed on, “How did you recognize me?”

“Captain Li, our section chief was your classmate. When you passed by just now, he recognized you and sent me to find you.”

Li Wensheng’s pupils narrowed. Had security at Jinling Station become so lax?

Officially, only the station chief and his contact should have known of his appointment as action team leader before he arrived. Even if his classmate had recognized him, he shouldn’t have known about the appointment!

After a quick calculation, Li Wensheng released the man.

The man rotated his aching arm, then said quietly, “Captain Li, please come with me.”

Li Wensheng nodded and followed him out of the alley, retracing his steps.

Before long, the man led Li Wensheng into an herbal medicine shop he’d passed earlier.

In the back room, Li Wensheng saw a young man in his twenties.

At the sight of him, Li Wensheng relaxed. This was someone he’d roomed with at the training camp, and they’d always gotten along well.

“Jiarong, it’s been a while,” Li Wensheng greeted with a smile.

The man’s name was Yu Xian, style name Jiarong. Back at the academy, Li Wensheng had always called him by his style name.

“Wensheng, it’s been over a year since we last met! Ever since I heard you were coming to Jinling as our action team leader, I’ve been looking forward to seeing you,” Yu Jiarong said excitedly.

Li Wensheng came from a good scholarly family, but his parents had died young, as had his other close relatives; he’d never officially adopted a style name, so everyone at the academy simply called him Wensheng.

Yu Jiarong’s words made Li Wensheng frown.

“Jiarong, how did you find out I was appointed action team leader?”

Yu Jiarong smiled, pouring water from the kettle atop a brazier as he spoke. “Wensheng, don’t be so tense. Normally, I wouldn’t know about your appointment.

But here in Jinling, we’re walking a tightrope every moment—no one knows when the Japanese might catch us.

If we’re taken, there’s a good chance we’ll break, so our station operates a bit differently from others.

We have a unique shadowing system. Before the government withdrew, our station chief requested Director Dai to transfer in a batch of people from other places, who then went to ground.”

He set down the teapot, sipped from his cup, and went on,

“These people don’t communicate with each other, don’t know each other, and have no group leaders or team captains. They answer only to the station chief.

Their sole mission is to shadow members of Jinling Station.

Our own people have never met them, and since they have no other assignments, it’s hard for them to be discovered. Capturing two at once is nearly impossible.

If a contact is caught, the station chief knows within half an hour.

To prevent missing the connection, the station chief gave me a special task: find you, since we were classmates and I could recognize you.

I was about to send someone to look for you when I saw you walk past my shop.”

Li Wensheng let out a quiet sigh of relief. If that was the case, then Jinling Station was not as lax as he’d feared.

Still, in enemy territory, a spy must suspect everyone—even old classmates. He wouldn’t truly feel safe until he met the station chief himself.

“Jiarong, forgive me for being suspicious,” Li Wensheng said, raising his teacup.

Jiarong chuckled. “Wensheng, in our line of work, suspicion is a survival skill. Without it, we’d be dead already.”

He then looked deeply at Li Wensheng, his smile fading into a sigh. “Wensheng, you must be the most successful in our class. I’m still just a lieutenant and section chief, but you’re already team leader.”

Li Wensheng shook his head. “Don’t mention it. I’d rather not have this promotion.

By the way, Jiarong, is it true what they say about Jinling Station being a dead post, with people being arrested nearly every day?”

Yu Jiarong’s face grew somber as he nodded. “Chongqing has given a death order—attack the Japanese indiscriminately. We can only treat ourselves as martyrs.

My team used to have fifteen men. Now, only five are left.

And that’s not even the worst. I heard there’s a team in the intelligence section with only one survivor.”

Li Wensheng frowned. At this rate, things could not go on much longer.

Afterward, he and Yu Jiarong reminisced about their days at the academy.

After a while, Yu Jiarong sent the man who had followed Li Wensheng to inform the station chief that Captain Li had arrived.

A short time later, the man returned. “Captain Li, Section Chief, the station chief wants you at Drunken Fragrance Pavilion on Sanli Street at nine-thirty tonight.”