Chapter 23: The Muzzle Revealed

The next day, the wind picked up outside, and a fine, drizzling rain fell. The damp and cold weather made the chill cut to the bone. It was the first day of the Lunar New Year—a time that would normally be bustling with excitement. Yet the entire city of Jinling was almost deserted; the streets were nearly empty of pedestrians, especially around the Qinhuai district, which resembled a ghost town. Besides the Japanese soldiers, not a soul could be seen.

The day before, the military police had conducted a massive search. Nearly half of the local Chinese residents in Qinhuai had been taken away, and those who remained hardly dared to step outside. Because Takeda and his men failed to capture the culprit, Kato ordered the entire city of Jinling to be under lockdown. No one was allowed to leave without written permission from the military police.

The Japanese, frenzied in their manhunt and with the city sealed, had frightened the local populace into hiding. During the day, Li Wensheng did not venture out—he stayed inside his small courtyard. When hungry, he took out packaged bread from the 21st-century rewards in his system’s storage and ate it.

By nine in the evening, snow had begun to fall, yet the night remained shrouded in darkness. Li Wensheng slipped out of his room, winding through alleys left and right, following the escape route he’d mapped out earlier, heading toward the bookstore.

The escape route Li Wensheng had devised had one singular trait—it avoided all conventional paths. He crossed several alleys, then climbed up the steps and windowsills of a restaurant’s outer wall. Reaching the eaves, he crossed to the other side and climbed down.

Late at night, with darkness blanketing the empty streets, and not a soul to be seen—even the restaurants, dance halls, and hotels were deserted due to the holiday—no one spotted Li Wensheng. After crossing several buildings, he returned to his little courtyard by half past nine, having avoided all main roads.

Vaulting back into the yard, Li Wensheng didn’t even bother opening the system to submit his mission; he simply went straight to bed. He hadn’t slept a wink the previous night. Although the Japanese had already searched the property, there was no telling if they might return. He’d forced himself to stay awake all day, and by now exhaustion overwhelmed him.

As Li Wensheng drifted into sleep, Kato was raging at Takeda and the others in his office.

“Idiots! Fools! So many of you, and you didn’t even catch a glimpse of the killer’s back!” Kato bellowed, eyes bloodshot with fury.

Takeda and his men stood in silence, heads bowed, enduring the tirade.

After another string of curses, Kato, still seething, barked at Takeda, “You’re to work with the Special Higher Police to identify everyone detained. You must find the target.”

Just as he finished speaking, the office door burst open without a knock. Already simmering with anger, Kato was even more incensed—until he saw who had entered.

The man who rushed in was Takashi, the same forensic specialist who had inspected the corpse at the military police headquarters. Although his rank was low, Takashi was a master in forensics and firearms. With just a few glances at a body, he could identify the weapon used.

It had only been half a month since Takashi had arrived from Japan to take up his post in Jinling. He was highly skilled and, coincidentally, shared a love of chess with Kato. The two often played together, so Kato always treated him with unusual courtesy.

“Takashi, what brings you here?” Kato managed to suppress his anger and asked.

“Colonel, the gunshot wounds on General Yoshizumi are identical to those on Emperor Showa,” Takashi reported, his face tense.

Kato shuddered and quickly asked, “Are you certain?”

“I’m sure. I was present when Emperor Showa’s body was examined. This kind of gunshot wound—there’s no existing weapon that matches it. I remember it clearly. I am absolutely certain that the same gun was used to assassinate both General Yoshizumi and the Emperor.”

Kato’s pupils contracted sharply. He shouted to Takeda and the others, “Man the city gates—no one leaves without my written order, not even our own Japanese. If anyone gets out, you’ll all face a court martial!”

“Yes, sir!” The reply came in unison from Takeda and his team.

After they left, Kato immediately contacted the communications office to send a report back to Japan.

The next day, Li Wensheng indulged in a long sleep, not waking until nearly eleven in the morning. Upon waking, he opened his system.

Host: Li Wensheng
Age: 21
Skills: Sharpshooter Mastery, Demolitions Mastery, Japanese Language Mastery, etc.
Inventory: AWM Sniper Rifle, 80mm Mortar, etc.
Mission: Ordinary Mission—Assassinate Ryosuke Yoshizumi (completed), ready to submit.

After clicking submit, a surge of memories as if he’d studied French for over a decade flooded his mind.

“French Mastery—better than nothing,” Li Wensheng muttered, then got up to make a meal. He holed up at home again; with the manhunt still on outside, even changing his hideout was inconvenient. All he could do was wait.

Meanwhile, Guo Liang was using bribes to find out why the Japanese in Jinling had suddenly gone mad, arresting people and sealing off the city.

Qin Chi and his group had been captured. With the East Asia Hotel under lockdown, escape was impossible. When a couple shouted out, Qin Chi and the others were exposed.

Because Li Wensheng had parachuted in as team leader, Qin Chi already harbored resentment toward the Bureau. This time, he took the risk to assassinate Meng Xinqi, fully intending that if he succeeded, he would remain in the Bureau; if captured, he’d defect.

So, even before any torture, Qin Chi confessed after being caught. However, the Japanese were only interested in the assassin of Yoshizumi. When Qin Chi confessed that the Bureau was not behind Yoshizumi’s assassination, they lost interest in the local Bureau cell.

Having detained so many, the military police and Special Higher Police were stretched to the limit just with identification; they simply didn’t have the manpower to deal with the Bureau at Jinling. They released Qin Chi, instructing him to remain in the Bureau as a spy. Only when they were free would they deal with the Bureau.

Naturally, Qin Chi, now a mole, revealed nothing. With him silent and the Bureau’s intelligence team almost completely destroyed, Guo Liang was left utterly in the dark about the Japanese actions. Fearing that the Japanese were targeting the Bureau, his only option for quick intelligence was to use money.

Money could open any door—the Japanese loved it too. As long as the price was right, plenty of non-classified information could be bought. Guo Liang thought the answer would be cheap, but was shocked when the man he approached demanded ten gold bars up front.

Without hesitation, Guo Liang refused. Ten gold bars was an outrageous price. Even if the Japanese operation was aimed at the Bureau, he’d simply move and cut off contact with his subordinates. Their lives meant nothing to him—money was all that mattered now.

But when the man mentioned it was related to Emperor Showa, Guo Liang’s attitude changed instantly. He paid ten gold bars out of his own pocket.

Guo Liang knew that the Bureau, the Central Bureau, even Chiang himself—everyone in the world was eager to know who had assassinated Hirohito. If he could uncover even a shred of information, the ten gold bars would yield tenfold returns.

Once the man received the gold, he recounted Yoshizumi’s death, and revealed that the gun used matched the one used in the Hirohito assassination—a type of firearm for which no match existed anywhere in the world.

The same mysterious gun, and therefore the same assassin. The man was here, in Jinling!

Guo Liang was shaken to his core. Upon returning, he immediately reported to headquarters, not caring if he risked exposure.

Wang Huichun received the urgent cable and at once called Dai Yunong.

“Boss, an absolutely confidential message just arrived from Jinling Station.”

Since the Bureau of Revival had been elevated to the Security Service, Dai Yunong liked being called “Boss” by his subordinates. Naturally, everyone obliged.