Chapter Thirty-Six: Gone Again

"Wen Sheng, what happened?"
Yu Jiarong entered, anxiety burning in his words as he questioned Li Wen Sheng.
"Yesterday, the station chief invited me to meet, but as soon as I arrived, a large number of Japanese plainclothes appeared."
"And the station chief?" Yu Jiarong pressed hurriedly.
"I don't know. I noticed the Japanese as soon as I reached the entrance, so I didn't go up to meet the chief."
Yu Jiarong grew frantic. If Rao Zongze had been captured, the Nanjing station would again be scattered like sand.
If Rao Zongze turned traitor, the consequences would be unimaginable—many at Nanjing station would be endangered.
"Wen Sheng, the chief's safety is crucial. Should I send someone now to investigate his whereabouts?"
Though anxious, Yu Jiarong managed to keep his composure before Li Wen Sheng, speaking with a tone of inquiry.
"Yes, send someone to look into it.
Also, notify the four action team leaders to stay indoors and remain hidden for the time being."
As for Wen Jing, Li Wen Sheng couldn't be bothered.
He wasn't assigned any tasks currently, so the risk of exposure was minimal.
If he followed previous instructions and never revealed his residence to anyone, the Japanese would never find him.
If he disclosed it and the Japanese tracked him down, his death would be preferable, sparing others from future harm.
"Understood, I'll make the arrangements now."
Yu Jiarong finished speaking and hurried off.
Li Wen Sheng then gave a few brief instructions to Shi Xiaozhen and the others, retreated to his room, gnawed on some bread, and slept.
The next morning, Bai Yan and Old Niu went out to buy daily necessities, while Shi Xiaozhen took Gunner to observe Jingfu Embroidery Shop. Scholar, who had watched most of the night, was still asleep.
No sooner had they left than Xiao Mao, keeping watch at the window, turned and said, "Captain, Deputy Yu has arrived."
"Go downstairs and receive Deputy Yu."
Xiao Mao headed down, while Li Wen Sheng promptly rose and moved to the window, replacing Xiao Mao to keep watch over the alley entrance.
The safe house had been found by Yu Jiarong at Li Wen Sheng's request after Shi Xiaozhen and the others arrived.
With few people, any mishap could be handled by hiding anywhere. But with more, a safe house was necessary.
Its location was known only to Yu Jiarong and Shi Xiaozhen's group. In theory, even if the Japanese captured Rao Zongze, they wouldn't know about it.
But that was the thinking of ordinary people. Li Wen Sheng was not ordinary—a composite of contradictions.
When carrying out missions to assassinate Japanese or collaborators, he was bold, willing to take chances.
Yet, in daily life, he was extremely cautious—even if the odds were low, he remained vigilant, ever careful.
In Shanghai, nobody at the station knew his address; anyone seeking him had to go through intermediaries he set up.
He feared a traitor or mole at the station who might know his residence.
Although exposure of the safe house was unlikely, if the Japanese captured someone Yu Jiarong sent to find it, the risk remained.
So last night, he ordered Shi Xiaozhen's group that someone must always watch the alley entrance—even for bathroom breaks, someone had to cover the shift.
After leading Yu Jiarong upstairs, Xiao Mao dutifully took over at the window for Li Wen Sheng, watching the alley.
"Well? Did the chief get into trouble?" Li Wen Sheng asked Yu Jiarong.
"Wen Sheng, let's talk in your room."
Yu Jiarong's words piqued Li Wen Sheng's curiosity.
Regardless of whether Rao Zongze was in trouble, was it necessary to avoid Xiao Mao? Xiao Mao was Yu Jiarong's man, after all.
Inside the room, before Li Wen Sheng could speak, Yu Jiarong said urgently, "Wen Sheng, something major has happened!"

"What is it?"
Without a word, Yu Jiarong pulled a newspaper from his coat and handed it to Li Wen Sheng.
Li Wen Sheng glanced at it, seeing the headline blazoned across the front page: "Welcome Mr. Bai Dongchun and Mr. Gu Liang, who have joined the light from darkness to become Chief and Deputy Chief of the Military Police Headquarters."
Below was a photograph: Gu Liang, a man in his thirties with refined bearing; a Japanese officer in uniform; the three posed together.
"Who is Bai Dongchun?" Li Wen Sheng set down the paper and asked.
Gu Liang turning traitor was no surprise to Li Wen Sheng.
Enduring torture was difficult—quite normal.
Torture wasn't as simple as a few whippings or beatings like in those twenty-first-century dramas; a full round of torture left one barely human.
Yet what puzzled Li Wen Sheng was that Gu Liang, formerly the Nanjing station chief, was now subordinate to Bai Dongchun, holding only the deputy post. Who was this Bai Dongchun?
"Wen Sheng, you really don't care about station affairs at all. Bai Dongchun is the new head of General Affairs."
Yu Jiarong finished his complaint and continued, "No—he's the former head of General Affairs."
Li Wen Sheng's eyes widened in shock. "He only just arrived, didn't he? He was in General Affairs, not tasked with field missions—how was he captured so quickly?"
He shook his head vigorously. "No, that's not right!
There was no word from the station about any of our people being captured.
Someone is monitoring everyone at Nanjing station; if any of our people had been taken, the station would have received some warning.
This means he wasn't betrayed.
He's not young; he couldn't have gotten drunk and revealed his identity to outsiders.
Only one possibility remains: he was a traitor all along, an inside agent!
That explains why he's Chief at the Military Police Headquarters, while Gu Liang is only Deputy."
"Very likely, but the details require investigation," Yu Jiarong said anxiously. "The pressing issue is that station funds and firearms were all under his care. Now that he's a traitor, those assets are lost.
More important, the explosives sent by headquarters for sabotaging Japanese supplies were with General Affairs.
He also knew the original transport routes, so they're no longer usable.
The front lines are already in battle; we have no time to reestablish a supply route for headquarters to send more explosives. What will we use to destroy Japanese supplies now?"
Li Wen Sheng frowned, thinking for a moment, then asked, "Leaving aside the explosives, what about the chief? Was he captured?"
"The chief is missing—most likely captured."
Yu Jiarong shook his head slightly, sighing, "Wen Sheng, your luck is remarkable.
My investigation shows the chief was cautious; no one knew his residence, not even General Affairs.
Bai Dongchun met him only once, when first arriving in Nanjing.
All business was conducted through intermediaries; General Affairs couldn't contact the chief directly. Bai Dongchun had no way to track his movements.
The trouble at Drunken Duck Tower was entirely caused by Yan Kexue."
"What does Yan Kexue have to do with it?" Li Wen Sheng asked, intrigued.
"The chief arranged to meet you and Yan Kexue.
Same place—Drunken Duck Tower—but staggered times: Yan Kexue first, then you.
After meeting Yan Kexue, the Japanese appeared. Who else could have caused it but him?
Yan Kexue is greedy; since Bai Dongchun arrived, he's frequently visited General Affairs, trying to gauge what kind of person Bai Dongchun is, hoping to collaborate in smuggling and selling arms.
I couldn't find out what happened next, but my guess is Yan Kexue disclosed to Bai Dongchun that the chief wanted to meet him.

Perhaps, as you just speculated, Bai Dongchun is a Japanese agent. Perhaps the chief's meetings with Yan Kexue and you were both orchestrated by Bai Dongchun.
The chief only arranged the meeting because Yan Kexue had discovered the Japanese supply depot and inventory.
Without intelligence, the chief wouldn't have met Yan Kexue, and wouldn't have been captured.
To catch the chief, Bai Dongchun deliberately leaked information to Yan Kexue.
Sabotaging Japanese supplies is crucial. The chief wouldn't trust mere messages, so he would insist on meeting Yan Kexue.
The Japanese could then follow Yan Kexue and catch the chief.
I think the Japanese avoided acting when Yan Kexue entered Drunken Duck Tower to avoid alerting him.
After Yan Kexue left, they captured him, then went to Drunken Duck Tower to grab the chief, but didn't expect you to already be inside and spot them.
Had they delayed a bit longer, they could have trapped both you and the chief in the room.
Of course, this is all speculation, but I believe it's highly probable."
Finishing, Yu Jiarong felt tense. He knew it was unusual for a group leader to uncover so much.
Li Wen Sheng would surely be suspicious, though Yu Jiarong had prepared an explanation.
But "someone in my group works as a translator for the military police" was hardly convincing.
Were it not for desperation, he wouldn't have discussed this with Li Wen Sheng.
Moreover, Li Wen Sheng's identity was so mysterious that Dai Yunong had assigned a team to watch him. Yu Jiarong truly didn't want to reveal too much.
Yet he had no choice but to share what he'd learned with Li Wen Sheng.
Before coming, he'd telegraphed Dai Yunong, reporting the situation at Nanjing's military station.
Dai Yunong's reply was, "The Japanese supplies must be destroyed. If the Nanjing station collapses, your team must take over. Even if everyone dies, the supplies must be blown up."
Now the explosives were gone, the newly rebuilt Nanjing station had collapsed, and Dai Yunong's order hung over them like a sword. Yu Jiarong was left with no option but to consult Li Wen Sheng.
Li Wen Sheng didn't dwell on it. He only muttered to himself, "Since arriving in Nanjing, I've had nothing but bad luck. Has fortune finally rebounded?"
"Jiarong, how many people are left at the station?"
Li Wen Sheng's lack of suspicion made Yu Jiarong breathe a sigh of relief.
But instantly, his heart leapt back to his throat.
"He doesn't suspect me—he doesn't suspect me! That's too odd, hardly the behavior of an agent.
Instead of suspicion, he asks how many were captured!
Does this mean... he already knows, that those watching Nanjing station are my people?"
Yu Jiarong's thoughts spun, but he decided to let it go. Since Li Wen Sheng didn't call him out, there was no need to speak plainly. The priority was sabotaging the Japanese supplies.
"My information shows General Affairs staff were all captured, and Intelligence is gone too. Only our action team remains.
That's thanks to your earlier order for them to change residences. Otherwise, the action team would have been wiped out."
The devastation stunned Li Wen Sheng. This rebuilt Nanjing station hadn't even lasted half a month.
"Jiarong, in this situation, we can only telegraph headquarters."
Yu Jiarong sighed inwardly. Dai Yunong would simply issue a death order: destroy the Japanese supplies at any cost.
But with everyone feigning ignorance, Yu Jiarong didn't clarify, merely nodded,
"Alright, I'll send a telegram to headquarters soon."
Yu Jiarong departed.
As he left, in the Nanjing Tokko office, the Tokko chief was furious, berating the hawk-nosed man Kawano Jiadai.