Based on his experience, Qiu Jingwen could tell that the handwriting on the note was still wet, and it was obviously a note that Butterfly had just written. The note did not contain any top-secret information, but only mentioned that the location and time had changed.

Looking at the changed time and place, Qiu Jingwen really wanted to curse, but he quickly calmed down. The other party's concerns were completely normal, and Butterfly was also considering her own safety.

Looking at the time on his wrist, Qiu Jingwen realized there was still more than an hour until the appointment. He stopped rushing and walked to the foot of Elephant Mountain at the northern end of the county town. He then bought a pack of Pegasus cigarettes at a nearby grocery store and put it in his pocket.

Upon arriving at the designated location, Qiu Jingwen looked around and realized that the other party had made a wise choice in selecting such a place. Behind them stretched a vast area, and to the left was an endless expanse of water. This was the confluence of Hongze Lake and the Huai River, with several boats moored on the water, but no one in sight.

Soon, following the path and direction written on the note, Qiu Jingwen found a large willow tree. He stood under the willow tree for a moment, and then saw a thin old man walk out from behind it. The old man was wearing a tattered cotton-padded jacket and wide, baggy trousers tied tightly with a cloth belt. On his feet were cotton shoes made by hand. At first glance, he looked like a typical farmer.

Because of the cold wind, the old man kept breathing on his hands and hopping around to keep warm and ward off the cold.

Their eyes met, and silence spoke volumes.

"Director Qiu, how have you been?"

The old man's voice was no different from the voice on the phone.

"Are you the butterfly?"

Qiu Jingwen looked at the other person and asked.

To be honest, Qiu Jingwen felt much more relaxed facing the old man. He felt he could easily knock him to the ground with one punch, hand him over to the local police, and then contact Shao Jian for interrogation. However, Shao Jian wanted to dismantle the entire undercover team, so Qiu Jingwen gave up on subduing him. Besides, he also realized that since the old man dared to show himself alone, he must have a backup plan.

"What, don't I look like it?" the old man asked Qiu Jingwen.

"You look nothing like a Nationalist Army officer, more like a farmer."

"The world has long been the Communist Party's world. If we hadn't pretended, would we have survived to this day? Aren't you the same? You're even better at pretending than I am."

"Hehe, so you do know that the world's political situation is in the hands of the Communists, not Chiang Kai-shek."

"Stop talking nonsense, did you bring the three thousand yuan?"

"In my bag."

Qiu Jingwen patted the yellow satchel on his shoulder. The bag was still the same one with the words "Serve the People" written on it. Even after his promotion, Qiu Jingwen hadn't changed to the briefcase that was popular at the time. To him, the difference between deputy factory director and workshop director was just a matter of position and a slight increase in salary. Both were about serving the people, so there was no need to spend money on a new bag. Besides, his promotion might have been deliberately arranged by Shao Jian and his superiors to create a smokescreen and make enemy agents believe that Qiu Jingwen's identity as a spy was not suspected. Think about it, how could a Communist Party arsenal allow someone with a spy identity to become the deputy factory director, let alone the deputy factory director in charge of the front line of explosives production?

"Leave it to me."

The old man reached out and demanded it directly, almost in a commanding tone, not at all like a migrant worker. But Qiu Jingwen interrupted him with a gesture: "Don't even think about it. You have to prove that you are Butterfly first. I also need to see the documents on the other side of the sea."

The old man, also carrying a bag with the slogan "Serve the People," sneered and said, "Qiu Jingwen, do you think I'm like Liu Han, someone who would cheat you out of your money?"

While sneering, he took out a file folder from his bag, pulled out two sheets of paper, and handed them to Qiu Jingwen: "This is a secret telegram sent to me from the Taiwan Strait. It contains the list of all the people who infiltrated back then, including you, Sun Jiadong, and the dead Liu Han."

Qiu Jingwen took the telegram and read it carefully, especially the date, which was listed as the end of July. This puzzled Qiu Jingwen, but he didn't point it out. After reviewing the list, Qiu Jingwen looked at the sender and asked, "Are you Wei Dongping, the leader of the Hidden Team?"

"Of course it's me. You should call me Station Chief Wei."

"Hehe, Station Chief Wei, do you still think this is before liberation? Wake up, this is a socialist country. Do you think you can turn the world upside down in Duliang with just a few people and a few guns?"

Wei Dongping wasn't angry; instead, he laughed and said, "Don't you still have Deputy Factory Director Qiu?"

"What am I, a deputy factory director? If the factory wants to dismiss me, it's just a matter of issuing a document."

"We'll talk about other things later, just give me the three thousand yuan first."

"Hey Lao Wei, you've already made contact with people across the Taiwan Strait, why are you still trying to extort money from me? Do you think my family owns a bank? Last time, Liu Yihan extorted three thousand from me, and he spent it on his mistress's hospital bills. What do you, an old man, need so much money for? Are you also keeping a mistress on the side?"

"Not a lover, but a wife."

"Wife? Your wife is also sick and hospitalized, and you need money?"

"Don't ask me what I need the money for, just give me the money, otherwise, you'll bear the consequences."

"Why don't you reach out to the sea and ask for it?"

“I accepted it. They called back and said that $20,000 would be delivered to me next month.”

"You're dreaming. Do you even know how much 20,000 US dollars is in RMB? This is obviously a scam."

"Just tell me, are you going to give me the three thousand yuan or not?"

"No way. Seriously, you're so small, you're no match for me. Believe me or not, I'll hand you over to the police right now."

"Qiu Jingwen, are you out of your mind? Do you think I didn't have a backup plan? Do you know that a nearby arms factory had its technical data stolen and a box of guns also went missing?"

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