Chapter 49: Changing Identities

Tonight, the weather was less than ideal. The moon was veiled, the stars sparse, and the sky shrouded in darkness.

A little after eight in the evening, two trucks pulled up to the road by the bamboo grove. As soon as the vehicles came to a halt, Li Wensheng immediately slung Bai Yan onto his back and, together with Old Niu, stepped out from the grove.

"Captain, I'll have to trouble you to hide in the back," said one of the men, descending respectfully from the truck.

Both trucks were loaded with grain. Supporting Bai Yan, Li Wensheng helped her into the front vehicle, shifted aside a few sacks, and, once she was lying down, covered her with more grain.

He and Old Niu then lifted the medicine chest and boarded the rear truck. With the help of the man, they lay down and were likewise concealed beneath sacks of grain.

Yu Jiarong had arranged for people to meet them—those who kept watch on Jinling Station. They held legitimate jobs as well, and these particular men happened to be truck drivers for the Fulong Trading Company.

After the warehouse explosion, the Japanese desperately needed to replenish their supplies. To this end, they enlisted several trading companies to work around the clock gathering grain.

The Japanese were so eager for supplies that, worried excessive checks would delay the process, they issued passes to the trading company convoys.

Fulong Trading Company was one such firm tasked with procuring grain for the Japanese; the grain on these two trucks was part of that effort.

With passes issued by the Japanese, and considering Jinling was under citywide search with limited Japanese manpower, the military police inspected by day and maintained checkpoints at night, only swapping shifts at midnight.

The Japanese at Jiangpu's import-export post were already weary and less vigilant. Their search was cursory—just a glance or two before letting the trucks pass.

Passing through the sparsely populated streets of Jiangpu without incident and clearing several checkpoints, the trucks finally arrived at the deserted Wende Street a little after nine and halted.

The man disembarked, walked to the rear truck, shifted the grain, and helped Li Wensheng and Old Niu out.

Once on the ground, Li Wensheng hurried to the front truck to extract Bai Yan.

Then, led by Old Niu—medicine chest in hand—and with Bai Yan on his back, Li Wensheng slipped into Alley Two.

They reached number 8, a stand-alone house. Old Niu knocked gently and murmured, "August eighteenth."

The door opened immediately.

"Captain!"

It was Little Mao who answered, his excitement evident as soon as he saw Li Wensheng.

"Yes," Li Wensheng replied, striding quickly into the courtyard.

As he entered, several figures emerged from the gloom of the unlit main hall—it was Yu Jiarong, Shi Xiaozhen, and the others.

Yu Jiarong, visibly moved, rushed over and embraced Li Wensheng, exclaiming with relief, "Wensheng, you’re finally back! I was half out of my mind these past days, unable to reach you."

"Luck was with us; we managed to escape," Li Wensheng replied.

He set Bai Yan down and entrusted her to Shi Xiaozhen, then patted Yu Jiarong, who was eyeing the medicine chest intently. "Jiarong, find a doctor for Bai Yan—she’s been shot."

"Don’t worry, I’ve already made arrangements after Little Mao contacted me. I’ll have someone take Bai Yan over as soon as it gets a bit later. Everything will be fine."

Li Wensheng nodded slightly and spoke in a low voice, "Jiarong, find us another room. There’s something I need to discuss with you."

Yu Jiarong was puzzled. The mission was complete, everyone had returned—what could there be to discuss?

With his doubts, he led Li Wensheng through the darkness to a study on the second floor.

"Wensheng, what’s the matter?"

"Our original plan was to use this place as our long-term base, and only relocate after the Japanese finished searching. But now, things must change. Find us a new location, and new identities."

"This time, don’t use the shopkeeper cover. Make us dock workers, shoe shiners—jobs without any prestige. The more inconspicuous, the better. And Jiarong, you need to change your identity as well—something just as low-profile as ours."

Yu Jiarong hesitated, lowering his voice. "Wensheng, why the sudden change? Is this place compromised?"

Li Wensheng nodded gravely. "The Japanese have a top-tier agent. I nearly got caught by him earlier. Though I managed to outthink him and escape, he’ll catch on sooner or later. The route I took during the retreat—he’ll likely deduce it. In a few days, he’ll be searching here in Jiangpu. So, we need to alter our arrangements."

That the Japanese had an agent so formidable that even someone as reckless as Li Wensheng took him seriously left Yu Jiarong shocked.

"Wensheng, with the Japanese searching everywhere, switching identities is risky."

"We have no choice. If we don't, by the time he gets here, few of us will escape."

Li Wensheng’s tone was firm, brooking no argument. Yu Jiarong nodded in response.

"Alright, I’ll handle it. But, Wensheng, why choose such lowly jobs?"

"Our Secret Service always has ample funds, and the shopkeeper persona is ideal for making contacts and taking action. That’s why most of our team leaders use shopkeeper covers. Jiarong, don’t you think that agent would pick up on this, and focus his search on shopkeepers?"

"I see. No matter how convincing we are as shopkeepers, a false identity will eventually be exposed. Only with monotonous, unremarkable jobs like dock worker or shoe shiner will we be truly safe."

"Exactly. Handle it first thing tomorrow. The sooner, the better—we can’t stay here long."

Yu Jiarong nodded. "Rest assured, Wensheng, I’ll see to it promptly."

He paused, his eyes flickering. "By the way, Wensheng, now that the mission’s done, we should report to headquarters."

"No rush. The Japanese are swarming the streets—sending a telegram now is too dangerous. We’ll wait a few days, till things calm down. Headquarters won’t blame us over a slight delay."

"Alright, Wensheng. When you think it’s safe to send the telegram, just let me know."

Li Wensheng saw the matter as trivial, but Yu Jiarong disagreed. It could be minor, but it could also escalate—if someone at headquarters chose to make an issue of it, they could all be in serious trouble. Not reporting in after completing a mission? That was suspicious. Everyone faced risk—if all delayed their reports, the entire organization would be in jeopardy.

Yu Jiarong wanted no part of it. He planned to find a chance in the coming days to send a message to Dai Yunong through his own channel. As for the official report to headquarters, he would let Li Wensheng decide—if trouble arose, it would be Li Wensheng’s responsibility.

Unaware of Yu Jiarong’s thoughts, Li Wensheng nodded. "Alright."

He then recalled something and added, "Jiarong, the day after tomorrow, you’re to meet Fang Dao and the others at Mochou Lake in Jianye. Be careful—some of them may have been captured."

"Don’t worry, Wensheng. I’m always vigilant," Yu Jiarong replied with a confident smile.