Chapter 179: Vast Net
Lin Su was, after all, the Big Sister of a wind and moon venue; handling such matters came naturally to her,
She merely gave a look to the two beauties, and they already knew how to choose…
Junzi enthusiastically took Saito Koichi’s arm, while Miyagi Yui yielded her seat and sat beside Ino Yusuke.
That pure-looking Aota Yuxi quietly sat beside Chen Yang.
Although everyone had beauties accompanying them, a closer look revealed some differences.
Miyagi Yui beside Ino Yusuke and Junzi beside Saito Koichi were both very enthusiastic, while Miss Yuxi beside Chen Yang was more like a vase to liven up the atmosphere.
Her role was simply to close the distance between Chen Yang and others; she herself rarely had physical contact with Chen Yang.
This expression was also interpreted by people as reserved, or rather, shy…
Plates of exquisite food were served one after another.
The group toasted and exchanged cups, drinks flowing freely, and soon everyone had a bit of a buzz.
Perhaps it was the alcohol emboldening them, but Ino’s and Saito’s actions grew bolder; however, the women by their sides were professionally trained, and their performance of half-refusal half-welcome made them unable to stop…
Lin Su leaned obliquely against a satin pillow, her pure white mink shawl slipping from her shoulder, revealing a patch of creamy skin at the neckline of her ink-green qipao.
She toyed with the large jade bracelet on her fingertip, her phoenix eyes half-closed, her gaze silently shifting across the faces of the three men.
“Dudu du” Seeing the timing was ripe, Lin Su picked up the pipe and lightly tapped it on the table.
This instruction clearly meant there was important business to discuss next.
The women immediately stood up, gave a slight bow, and withdrew.
The waiter waiting outside immediately entered to clear everything, lowered the bamboo curtain, and closed the outer door.
“Major Ino, Lieutenant Colonel Saito, let’s speak frankly.”
Lin Su said slowly: “Inviting you gentlemen to the Moon Viewing Room tonight is indeed because I have business I want to cooperate on with you all.”
“Lieutenant Colonel Saito, naval vessels move freely on the Yangtze River, and wharf checkpoints are as good as nonexistent for you!”
“This is the true golden waterway! But this waterway now only transports official surface things—such a waste!”
“Think about it, what is the Shanghai Bund? The Far East’s number one den of iniquity! Those foreigners, rich merchants in the concession, and… people from Chongqing, including the guerrilla team, Communist Party—they’re short on what?”
“Western medicine! Hardware! Gasoline! All kinds of materials! And… this!”
A faint smile played at the corner of Lin Su’s mouth as she brought the box placed aside onto the table and gently pushed open the lid with her fingertip painted with dan.
Inside was a black thing like a brick!
Saito Koichi’s deep eyes suddenly contracted, and his hand toying with the brass pocket watch instantly stopped.
A crack appeared in his elegant mask; his gaze locked tightly on the thing in the small box, then slowly lifted to look at Lin Su, finally settling on Chen Yang’s face.
He said nothing, but his breathing seemed to pause for a moment.
“Is Lieutenant Colonel Saito afraid?” Lin Su’s lazy voice rose, carrying a husky magnetism.
She lit the cigarette in the cigarette holder, gently inhaled from the pipe, and exhaled thick white smoke, “Army section issues road passes, Major Ino handles gendarmerie headquarters relations, Section Chief Chen takes care of customs checkpoint people…”
Her eyes flowed, her charming gaze drifting toward Ino; Ino’s tense jawline seemed to relax a bit, and he nodded lightly.
“Plus Lieutenant Colonel Saito, your naval vessels as the ‘gold medal for free inspection’—isn’t this Yangtze River just our treasure basin?”
She set down the pipe and leaned forward slightly; the jade bracelet knocked against the low table, making a crisp sound like knocking on hearts: “What ‘Joint Sea and Land Transportation’? It’s just a name!”
“We will prepare all the official documents to handle upper-level inspections.”
“As long as everyone here works together wholeheartedly, we can create an undercurrent from the Shanghai Wharf straight to the inland black market, unimpeded!”
Her red lips parted lightly, spitting out cold and naked words, “Navy handles main trunk transportation, using your ships, flying your flags, carrying our ‘goods’.”
“Army handles clearing all land route joints along the way, ensuring the ‘goods’ safely disembark, distribute, profits…”
She scanned the three, her smile like a poison-quenched poppy flower, “Three-three-four.”
“Navy three, Army three, I and Section Chief Chen handle the groundwork and backing, take four.”
“This is our bottom line; after all, no one can afford to lose…”
Ino Yusuke’s brows furrowed slightly, and he growled lowly, “Boss Lin, your appetite is too big!”
“Big?” Lin Su chuckled lightly, but her eyes suddenly sharpened like a knife edge, stabbing straight at Ino,
“Major, without the net we weave in Shanghai, without those shady but utterly reliable channels, without the ability to launder ‘black money’ into ‘white money’, even if you fill every ship on the entire Yangtze with gold, you couldn’t transport it out, much less spend it!”
“Forty percent buys absolute safety and… final realization! This deal, worth it or not, you have a scale in your heart.”
Saito Koichi finally spoke, his voice low and deep like the cold stream outside the window: “Boss Lin, Section Chief Chen… do you know this is playing with fire?”
“Empire military law is strict; smuggling strategic materials, once exposed, is a capital offense.”
He stared tightly at Chen Yang, “Section Chief Chen, your position wasn’t easy to come by—worth risking it?”
Chen Yang smiled faintly: “Saito-san, precisely because I know military law is strict, we need someone like you holding the ‘gold medal for reprieve’ to join!”
“Without the absolute safe ‘skin’ of naval vessels, it’s all empty talk! As for risk…”
He pulled a nearly cold arc at the corner of his mouth, “In chaotic times, the timid starve, the bold get fat.”
“Clinging to dead rules, watching others get rich, watching your brothers go hungry and poor—that’s the biggest risk!”
Pausing, Chen Yang lowered his voice, “Handled properly, this net can also be the ‘white gloves’ for certain Empire bigwigs who can’t act personally.”
“Saito-san, you should know the Empire’s warfare, no matter how long, will end someday.”
“When that time comes, what will you do? Return to Kanagawa with some meaningless ‘honor medals’?”
“Saito-san, you need to eat too…”
This last sentence was like a stone thrown into a deep pool, stirring huge ripples in Saito Koichi’s heart.
He fell silent again, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the icy brass shell of the pocket watch; his deep gaze seemed to pierce the bamboo curtain, looking toward the moonlight shadows cut by the bamboo curtain outside.
The clamor downstairs seemed farther away, leaving only the slow flow of stream water in the courtyard…
The huge profit temptation, meticulous division of labor, and Chen Yang’s heartfelt “you need to eat too” coiled around Saito Koichi’s reason like three venomous snakes.
Time passed minute by minute.
Lin Su patiently smoked the pipe, blue smoke swirling.
Ino Yusuke’s fingers tightened more and more on the knife hilt, greed in his eyes nearly overwhelming caution.
Finally, Saito Koichi slowly closed the pocket watch in his hand, making a “click” light sound, especially clear in the silent compartment.
He looked at no one, his gaze falling on the cup of long-cooled Longjing tea on the low table, his voice calm and unwavering, yet carrying a sense of dust settled finality:
“The Yangtze channel is complex; naval vessels indeed need strengthened patrols to ‘purge river bandits and ensure Empire shipping safety’.”
He raised his eyes, gaze sweeping over Lin Su and Chen Yang, finally landing on Ino: “Army ‘purge’ cooperation along the shores is crucial.”
“As for the details of ‘Joint Sea and Land Transportation’… Section Chief Chen, proceed quickly with the ‘plan’ you’ve drafted.”
Chen Yang felt relieved, his tense shoulders instantly relaxing: “Saito-san truly understands the greater good.”
Ino Yusuke snorted heavily, counting as acquiescence,
The smile on Lin Su’s face fully bloomed, gorgeous like a mandala in full midnight bloom.
She raised that cup of cold tea, toasting Saito Koichi from afar: “Tea in place of wine, to our… soon-to-be-unimpeded network!”
Moonlight Sand third floor.
Chen Yang shed his earlier low profile, unbuttoned two shirt buttons, held a wine cup in hand, and stood in front of the window.
Downstairs, Junzi supported Saito Koichi into the sedan prepared long ago.
Miyagi Yui also helped the bleary-eyed Ino Yusuke into another sedan.
The cars drove out the back door of Moonlight Sand under dedicated guidance, heading to private villas prepared in advance.
These villas were all purchased in the girls’ names; their sole value was to become the goldfinches kept by men.
Of course, this wasn’t simple; just being pretty wasn’t enough…
Because once men tired of them, their value would drop to zero.
This meant their mission had failed…
Moonlight Sand needed no failures; their only outcome was to take some money and start over in some deserted place.
This was cruel, but these were the rules.
So, to live well, they needed special skills; it sounded like Moonlight Sand’s role was just like some debutante training class.
Hmm, not like—it simply was…
Whoosh, the private room door pushed open; Chen Yang knew who it was without turning back…
“Boss, per your command, everything has been arranged properly.” Lin Su’s voice slowly rose behind him.
Chen Yang sipped his wine: “Miss Lin is indeed a very good partner.”
“Your performance tonight was excellent, even better than I expected.”
“I don’t quite understand,” Lin Su paid no mind to Chen Yang’s praise, slightly furrowing her brows: “You’re already in the Transportation Department—why go through me to take the lead?”
“I think even if you stepped in personally, they wouldn’t refuse…”
Chen Yang turned to stare at Lin Su, paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled: “You’re wrong, Miss Lin.”
“This matter needs a middleman precisely because the Japanese navy and army lack the most crucial thing between them: trust.”
