Chapter 213: If There’s A Problem, I’ll Take Responsibility
Nantian was silent for a moment, then proposed the last conception: “Colonel Fujita, do you think it could be subtraction or addition? 7-6=1, 6-2=4, forming 14; 5-3=2, 6-2=4, forming 24? But what does 1424 represent?”
“Or multiplication? 7×6=42, 6×2=12, forming 4212; 5×3=15, 6×2=12, forming 1512?”
Fujita Go frowned and said: “With such random combinations, we can come up with countless possibilities.”
He sighed, stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the street outside: “Old Zhong did not hesitate to pay with his life to pass on this message, which must be because it is extremely important.”
“Every minute we delay, the Communist Party may gain this information one step ahead.”
“The numbers may have multiple interpretations. Major Nantian, you are responsible for continuing to investigate the possibilities of telephone numbers and coordinates; Director Chen, you are responsible for verifying the possibilities of book codes, and also, Zuo Mingquan was the first to set up surveillance on Old Zhong’s whereabouts. I want to know if there is anything else in his hands that we do not know about.”
“Go back and organize the intelligence on this aspect carefully, and report any discoveries immediately.”
“Hai!” The two responded in unison and quickly left the office.
Fujita Go stood alone in front of the desk, staring at that group of mysterious numbers.
The sunlight gradually slanted westward, pulling his shadow longer and longer.
“7662—5362” he muttered to himself, “Old Zhong, what exactly did you want to tell them?”
Six o’clock in the evening, French Concession, Avenue Joffre safe house.
The indoor light was dim.
Lin Xueli and Zhang Jianliang sat facing each other, with paper and pencil spread out on the table between them, covered in various number combinations and calculation formulas.
“Still not right.” Zhang Jianliang irritably threw down the pencil, “A whole day, all mathematical combinations tried, and they mean nothing at all. What exactly did Old Zhong want to tell us?”
Lin Xueli silently stared at that group of numbers: “7662—5362”.
His fingers unconsciously tapped the desktop. The numbers Old Zhong had shouted out with his last strength before dying clearly represented absolute secrets.
Lin Xueli suddenly spoke up, “Old Zhong’s situation was critical at the time. He needed to pass a message that we could understand but the Japanese could not. What is something he knew that we also knew?”
“Could it be numbers from the cipher book?” Zhang Jianliang proposed one possibility.
Lin Xueli shook his head: “Comrade Special Commissioner, you may not be clear about the structure of the Shanghai intelligence system.”
“First, we all use vertical contacts, with each person as a separate node, connected up and down.”
“Second, we have clear divisions of labor. Both Old Zhong and I belong to the reconnaissance line, responsible for intelligence work.”
“While sending and receiving intelligence is done by a combination of secret couriers and radio operators.”
“Old Zhong did not have a cipher book in his hands, nor was it possible for him to know the cipher book.”
“Besides, Xue Lian is one of those in the know about the communications cipher book. Old Zhong knew Xue Lian had been arrested; he would not pass such a message using numbers from the cipher book, as it would very likely alert the Japanese.”
“I’m thinking, perhaps we are overcomplicating it.”
“What he wanted to say must be something we have had contact with, but the Japanese do not yet know.”
“For example, his safe house.”
At this point, Lin Xueli’s eyes suddenly lit up: “I remember there is a bookshelf in his safe house.”
“Once, when we met at the safe house, he even sighed that if the revolution could achieve victory, he would become a writer and write down the story of our struggle against the Japanese, so that future generations would know how difficult it was for us at the time.”
“No one knows about this matter. If he wanted to tell me”
“Seventh compartment, sixth book on the bookshelf!” Lin Xueli quickly wrote down 7 and 6.
“Page six, second line!” Zhang Jianliang followed with the second 6 and 2. “7662!”
“Then 5362” Lin Xueli’s eyes lit up, “Fifth compartment, third book, page six, second line? Or.”
Zhang Jianliang had already grabbed his jacket: “To the safe house! Right now!”
“No, too dangerous!” Lin Xueli reached out to hold him down, “You do not know the situation there. Leave it to me.”
Zhang Jianliang checked the pistol at his waist: “Precisely because it is dangerous, we must go. If the Special Higher Police Affairs gets the thing first, Old Zhong died in vain.”
“Besides, the carrier pigeon is already exposed. He has met with plainclothes officers from the Special Higher Police Affairs using forged documents.”
“The time gap is too close. If there are agents from the Special Higher Police Affairs or Nanjing near the safe house, he will be exposed immediately.”
“Now, only the two of us can partner up.”
“You go in to get the intelligence, and I will keep watch outside for you.”
“Absolutely not,” Lin Xueli insisted: “Listen to me. The Japanese are now conducting a full-scale manhunt. You are a new face; appearing near the safe house makes it easy to be targeted.”
“I have a client who lives there. I have been there several times already. Even if I really get blocked, if something happens, I can escape, and others will not suspect me.”
“Two people together would make it harder to act.”
“This…” Since Lin Xueli had put it this way, Zhang Jianliang no longer insisted.
“Alright, I will wait here for your message. If the telephone rings three times and hangs up, it proves you have safely evacuated.”
“If no call by twelve o’clock, I will think of a method…”
Lin Xueli nodded, took his hat, wrapped a thick scarf around himself, and left the safe house.
Shanghai, French Concession, Albert Road, safe house.
Lin Xueli silently arrived outside the alley where Old Zhong lived.
He observed the surrounding environment. This place should not have been discovered by the Japanese. He pulled his scarf up higher to cover most of his face, then, familiar with the way, went around to the rear of the alley. Relying on his knowledge of the terrain, he climbed over an abandoned courtyard wall, silently reached the back window of Old Zhong’s house, carefully pried open the window latch, and slipped inside.
The study room had a thin layer of dust, but the books on the bookshelf were still neatly arranged. Lin Xueli followed the numbers, found the seventh compartment, sixth book, 《Rise and Fall of Shanxi Merchant Money Lenders》.
He quickly turned to page six, where the second line read: “Article 167, Rishengchang money shop pioneered remittance services, eliminating the risk of merchants transporting cash”
Lin Xueli carefully checked this page and found a slight bulge in the lower right corner. He carefully tore open the page, and inside was indeed a small brass key! The key was engraved with the numbers “5362”.
So, 5362 was the safe code…
Lin Xueli let out a long breath of relief. Old Zhong must have placed the confidential documents in the safe at the money lender.
Indeed, those things were much safer in the safe than here.
He disordered the sequence of the books, tucked the key securely on his person, and just as he prepared to evacuate, he suddenly heard the sound of car engines and rapid footsteps from outside.
Lin Xueli immediately turned off the light and dodged behind the curtain, carefully peering outside.
He saw three black sedans speeding in and abruptly stopping at the alley entrance.
Chen Yang got out of the car first, followed by more than ten secret agents who quickly dispersed to surround the entire alley.
Two plainclothes officers from the Special Higher Police Affairs got out of the rear car and went forward to talk with Chen Yang, pointing toward Old Zhong’s residence.
“They came so fast.” Lin Xueli’s heart sank. He had not expected Chen Yang to personally lead the team, and to arrive so quickly.
Chen Yang directed his subordinates: “You few guard the front and back of the courtyard. You come with me to search inside! Colonel Fujita has ordered that any suspicious persons discovered are to be killed on the spot!”
Lin Xueli realized he must evacuate immediately. He gently pushed open the back window, preparing to return the way he came.
At this time, at the front door of the safe house, Chen Yang was assigning tasks.
“Captain Ling, according to the Special Higher Police Affairs’ judgment, the clue is very likely in Old Zhong’s safe house here.”
“You first take men upstairs to check the situation, see if you can find anything useful.”
“Section Chief Gao, you assist Koyama-kun to patrol the surroundings, take Old Zhong’s photograph, and ask if this person usually contacts anyone.”
“Or has had detailed conversations with anyone.”
Several people bowed in salute and each led men to scatter in all directions.
Ling Jing led a group straight to the safe house upstairs.
This safe house had been confessed by Wu Fu and had long been in their surveillance sights.
However, Zuo Mingquan had suddenly been seriously injured, and with Old Zhong already captured, the Nanjing Special Affairs Committee had not reported this upward.
It was not until today when Fujita Go suddenly asked Chen Yang to go back and organize all previous action reports on Zuo Mingquan.
That Section Chief Gao of the Intelligence Section reported this matter upward.
After Chen Yang notified Fujita Go, Fujita Go immediately called two plainclothes officers, Koyama Yukiteru and Kawanishi to assist in checking the safe house.
However, they had not expected that the thing was really here, and moreover, it had already been taken by someone one step ahead.
After arranging his subordinates’ tasks, Chen Yang stood by the car, lit a cigarette, and took a puff.
“Let go of me, what do you want to do, let me go quickly.” A familiar voice came from the distance.
Chen Yang was stunned. This was not Lin Xueli’s voice.
Sure enough, the next moment Chen Yang saw Koyama Yukiteru and Gao Bin pushing Lin Xueli as they walked over from one end of the alley.
“What are you doing.” Chen Yang stubbed out the cigarette and went forward to scold.
“Chen Yang, you being here is perfect.” Lin Xueli shouted his grievance upon seeing Chen Yang.
“I was going to visit a client, walking on the road, and was grabbed by these two people who came from nowhere.”
“Do you still have any law?”
Koyama Yukiteru said suspiciously: “Director Chen, you know him?”
“Of course I know him. He is my elder brother. Koyama-kun, what has my elder brother done? Why do you want to arrest him?” Chen Yang’s face darkened.
Koyama Yukiteru explained: “Not at all. We just reached the back alley and saw this gentleman coming out from the back alley, so we wanted to take him back for questioning.”
Chen Yang said to Lin Xueli: “Elder Brother, why are you here at this time? Shouldn’t you explain to Koyama-kun?”
“Oh, this is my client’s business card.” Lin Xueli was prepared: “Dang Xiangrong, Mr. Dang is a client of our business firm. With the Spring Festival approaching, Director Pi Shaona instructed us to visit clients before the Spring Festival to maintain relations.”
“I was just going to his house, but unfortunately, Mr. Dang and his family have all returned to their hometown for the Spring Festival.”
“I learned this from his neighbor’s mouth. I had just come out of his house and reached the alley entrance when I ran into these gentlemen.”
Chen Yang nodded: “Section Chief Gao, go verify the situation. Elder Brother, you get in my car and go back first.”
Koyama Yukiteru frowned slightly: “Director Chen, this is not appropriate, is it?”
Chen Yang said coldly: “What? Koyama-kun suspects my elder brother has a problem or that I have a problem?”
“Did I not say, let Section Chief Gao verify it. Besides, if there really is a problem, could I run away?”
Koyama Yukiteru hurriedly bowed: “Sorry, Director Chen, that is not what I meant.”
Chen Yang turned around, pushed Lin Xueli into the back seat of the sedan, closed the door, and through the car window earnestly said: “Elder Brother, go home early to rest. In the future, do not wander around if there is nothing.”
With that, he instructed the driver to drive off quickly.
Watching the direction the car disappeared, the corner of Chen Yang’s mouth slightly curved upward. At this moment, he was already 100% certain of Lin Xueli’s identity.
