September 18

The city was like a sleeping baby, deep in a dream. Even fallen leaves twirled in the air a few times before gently landing on the ground, as if afraid of disturbing it.

Buzzing—where did these mosquitoes come from this time of year? Qingcheng frowned slightly, turned over, and the sound seemed to drift away, but soon it was buzzing in her ear again.

So annoying! *Smack!*

Finally, the world returned to quiet, but the next second her feet slipped and she fell vertically into the abyss. Above her head were bizarre neon lights. When she landed, there was no pain as she had expected. Qingcheng sat up somewhat blankly and looked around.

All around were towering trees, and underfoot was thick, soft mud and fallen leaves, with a few beams of light faintly shining through the gaps in the leaves.

Where is this? Before Qingcheng could answer her question, a giant bear roared and pounced on her. Caught off guard, Qingcheng was knocked to the ground. The black bear's hot breath on her neck was scalding, and a mocking smile played on its lips.

Good heavens! She actually saw an expression on a bear's face! Could it have become a spirit?! In an instant, she felt a strange power surging within her, as if it were about to burst out of her skull. You beast, take this from me!

Amidst howling winds and surging clouds, and countless shadows of clubs, she and the black bear demon fought fiercely, locked in a close battle. Just as the battle reached its climax, a low, echoing voice of Buddha came from the horizon: "Stop!"

The voice carried an irresistible majesty. The Black Bear Spirit and Qingcheng simultaneously stopped their attack. Before Qingcheng could even curse, the Buddha uttered a few words of Zen verse with unclear meaning. The Black Bear Spirit's enormous body suddenly shrank, eventually shrinking into a small, black kitten, which rolled on the ground.

Ah, what an adorable kitten! Qingcheng immediately forgot about the fight she had just had, scooped up the little black kitten from the ground, and kissed it. The kitten wasn't shy at all; instead, it gently scratched Qingcheng's waist with its soft paws. Hahaha, so ticklish!

"You naughty kitten, you have to give me a slap!" Qingcheng held the kitten's upper limbs against her chest, her fingers running through its fur. The kitten was startled and meowed a few times, scratching at its little paws, trying to escape.

But Kiyosumi rolled over and pinned it down, not allowing it to escape. Hehehe, there was no use resisting. It's such a fluffy little cutie, it feels so good, so bouncy.

The cat's eyes gradually lost focus, its body trembled slightly, and it purred contentedly. Hearing that even sound, a wave of drowsiness washed over me again, and my hand, which was petting the cat, slowed down. Suddenly, the cat leaped up and fled into the depths of the forest.

The temperature in her arms dropped sharply, and Qingcheng was quite disappointed, but she was too lazy to chase after her. Oh well, all good things must come to an end, so she decided to go back to sleep.

"Open the door, search for the CCP!"

"Run!" Qingcheng cried out in alarm, her heart still pounding. In her dazed state, she noticed the bedside lamp was on. Strange, she had clearly turned it off.

"You can really sleep. If I threw you into the Huangpu River, there would be another stiff Sleeping Beauty on the river tomorrow." A teasing male voice came from the side.

Gao Junxiao! Qingcheng abruptly pulled the blanket up, only to find her hands empty; the blanket was hanging precariously over the edge of the bed.

Gao Junxiao's amused gaze swept over her, and she quickly covered her chest, so embarrassed she wanted to disappear into the ground. Wait a minute, why is he in her bedroom? What time is it?

The hands on the alarm clock had just slid to the number three. What the hell is wrong with him? It's only three in the morning, what's he doing? Qingcheng complained in a sticky, whiny voice, "Brother, if you can't sleep, go for a run. Why do you have to wake me up? And make jokes like that. Have you no conscience?"

Gao Junxiao, hiding in the shadows, sneered: "It wasn't eaten, it just licked twice. I haven't even had time to wipe away the evidence yet."

Countless black and white noises filled her head. Qingcheng chuckled and yawned, "Hehehe, are you keeping them to call the police?"

"Domestic matters are none of the police's business." Gao Junxiao glanced at her irritably, his teeth grinding together.

"Oh, I'll expose it for you tomorrow." Qingcheng fell back onto the bed and covered her stomach. At that moment, the pillow seemed to have a special magic, making Qingcheng unconsciously find a comfortable position to stick to it.

Gao Junxiao gasped and rushed over to shake him violently: "He Si, get up! Get up! Call the newspaper back. They can't find you, they've even called my room."

Why did you ask me to call Gao Junxiao? Qingcheng was dragged out of bed, still half asleep, and led to the phone by Gao Junxiao like a puppet. He told her to dial quickly. Qingcheng lazily reached for the phone, trying hard to recall the company's phone number. What was 63 again?

Ring ring— Ring ring—

A piercing ringtone echoed in the room, unusually loud, startling Qingcheng. She quickly answered the phone.

"Editor He, come to the newspaper office for a meeting right away, something terrible has happened!" Xiao Li's anxious voice came through the microphone.

No sooner had he finished speaking than another roar erupted from the other end: "Who decided to not resist? Explain yourself!"

Bang! Something crashed heavily to the ground and seemed to shatter. Qingcheng's drowsiness vanished instantly, and she exclaimed in surprise, "The boss is here too?"

"Yeah, hurry up, you'll definitely get yelled at if you're late." Xiao Li hung up after saying that, probably to notify others.

Based on her years of work experience, Qingcheng guessed that something big had happened tonight. She didn't dare to delay and turned to open the door.

"Come back, come back. You went out dressed like that? Are you still half asleep?" Gao Junxiao pulled him back and closed the door behind him. "Hurry up and change your clothes. I'll take you to the newspaper office."

"Okay." Qingcheng nodded, and seeing Gao Junxiao's appearance, she couldn't help but reach out and ruffle his hair. "Your hair looks like a bird's nest, and your face is a little swollen. Did you have sleep paralysis?"

Gao Junxiao rolled his eyes: "Hmph, there are no ghosts in the world, people are much scarier than ghosts."

"Oh my, I didn't expect you to be so enlightened. You can go back to sleep." Qingcheng was basically awake and greatly admired Gao Junxiao's materialistic spirit.

"You've got some nerve, haven't you? You even rewarded me. Believe me or not, I'll tell your mother-in-law what you just did." Gao Junxiao grabbed the back of her neck and said, "You woke me up, at least let me know why."

"Okay, okay, then you go wash up first and wait for me downstairs." Qingcheng rubbed her sore neck. That unreasonable jerk, he just bullies me, even though he didn't do anything.

The two changed their clothes and hurried to the newspaper office. There wasn't a single pedestrian on the road; after all, it was past three in the morning, and even the cleaners and milkmen hadn't started work yet.

The car came to a smooth stop in front of the application building. Unlike the desolate surroundings, the entire application building was brightly lit, and several employees could be seen running past the windows at high speed. The phone was ringing incessantly.

This scene was nothing out of the ordinary for Qingcheng, but Gao Junxiao frowned and joked that the Shenbao building was comparable to his command post when he was suppressing bandits.

“That’s right. You’re fighting bandits, we’re fighting national bandits,” Qingcheng said with a smile.

"Oh, you're getting cocky now that I'm saying you're fat. With that kind of ability, you're not afraid of the boss. Stop showing off, editor, hurry up and go inside, or you'll get yelled at." Gao Junxiao looked at her with a smug smile.

A few whistles interrupted their bickering. Qingcheng looked toward the source of the sound and saw Xiao Li peeking out from the side door, beckoning to them furtively.

The two men, confused, walked towards Xiao Li. Upon getting closer, they found him looking worried: "Brother Xiao, why did you come along? Hurry back, lest you get hurt. Our boss is in a bad mood right now; he doesn't want to see any officials, especially those in the military."

"What's wrong?" Qingcheng and Gao Junxiao exchanged a glance, wondering if Nanjing had caused trouble again and angered the public.

"The latest telegram, you can read it yourselves." Xiao Li mysteriously pulled a telegram out of his pocket. "Brother Xiao, take my advice. When you go out tomorrow, don't wear your military uniform. You can change into it when you get to your headquarters. Also, don't take your private car, or I'm afraid you'll get beaten up before you even get to headquarters."

Kiyosumi opened the telegram with a puzzled look. After reading only a few lines, she clenched her fist in disbelief. Only three large characters remained on the full page of the telegram: "No resistance."

This is invasion! How could such a cowardly order be issued? Has Zhang Xiaoliu's brain been filled with shit, or has he become a cripple from smoking opium? How can he face the people of Northeast China who provide for his food, clothing, and shelter?

Despite his ashen face, Gao Junxiao struggled to remain composed, managing to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth: "Once again...a humiliating disgrace."

"I heard from a friend in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that there's a high probability they'll lodge a protest with the League of Nations tomorrow, hoping the NGOs will put pressure on Japan and negotiate with them to withdraw their troops," Xiao Li explained, adjusting his glasses.

"Hoping foreign devils will stand up for us? Hah, they never learn. They've probably forgotten that weak nations have no diplomacy! The Paris Agreement is still nailed to the pillar of shame." Qingcheng cursed, "The enemy's ambitions were nurtured by those spineless, corrupt officials."

"What can we ordinary folks do? We can only curse them in the newspapers and put pressure on Nanjing. At least we can organize some resistance. We can't lose Qingdao and then lose the Northeast," Xiao Li said helplessly.

"We must resist. There's no need to make peace with the Japanese devils." Kiyosumi said resolutely, shoving the telegram into Xiao Li's hand.

Gao Junxiao, standing beside her, remained silent, his eyes almost black. Qingcheng was startled by his gaze and stood there for a long while before weakly asking, "Are you alright?"

"It's nothing!" Gao Junxiao dodged Qingcheng's hand, forcefully opened the car door, and sped away.

He wasn't alright; he was furious. These few lines of the telegram were like a blood-stained letter added to a raging fire, each word scorching his dignity as a soldier.

"Hey editor, stop looking and come upstairs with me. The boss has already smashed two phones. Be careful what you say later," Xiao Li earnestly reminded him.

In the night breeze, Qingcheng's figure appeared even more composed: "I know, I need to save my strength to fight the enemy."

Down with Japanese imperialism!

"Give us back our land!"

"Resolutely resist Japan!"

Slogans rose and fell, a tidal wave of anger and the people's yearning for dignity, surging into the streets one after another. The entire city was engulfed in a torrent of strikes, school boycotts, and market closures.

The usually bustling Shiliupu Wharf was unusually quiet today, with dockworkers sitting on the ground for dozens of miles. A banner in blood-red proclaiming "Resolutely Resist Japan" was hung at the entrance of Shiliupu Wharf, restricting everyone from entering or leaving the wharf.

The dock was filled with ships flying various national flags, and even more merchant ships were lined up in a long queue more than 10 nautical miles away, unable to move forward or backward. The crew members could only hover in the near sea and worry helplessly.

The Chinese police kept shouting at the workers, trying to coerce and entice them to start working immediately. They said that if they didn't have to load and unload cargo for Japanese ships, they should at least work for ships from other countries. If they didn't work, their wives and children would starve tonight.

The situation wasn't much better for the police officers in the concession just a street away. They tried to scold and persuade the workers, but they wouldn't budge. Since the workers hadn't done anything wrong, they had no reason to arrest them. If they tried to arrest them, they would most likely get a good beating from the dockworkers.

The atmosphere at the scene was tense, and the officers were so oppressed that they dared not breathe. They looked at each other, none of them wanting to experience a fist the size of a casserole dish. Besides, the law does not punish the masses. There were so many people, they couldn't possibly arrest them all.

After discussing the situation, everyone realized they couldn't handle it, so they decided to let the foreigners deal with it and made a phone call to William.

William had just hung up the phone with the Municipal Council when he received a reply from the scene. His vision went black for a long time before he recovered. His serpentine blue eyes darted back and forth. This couldn't go on. The Japanese Embassy demanded that the dock start construction immediately, or they would send ronin to the concession to maintain "security".

Although the director of the Municipal Council had warned the Japanese embassy on behalf of their valiant British Empire not to act rashly, otherwise it would be considered a declaration of war, those despicable dwarfs would certainly not let it go.

Thinking of this, William pressed the call button: "Harry, go downstairs and get the car, I need to go somewhere."

Under the scorching sun, the police car drove into the two-story warehouse by the dock. Several burly, crew-cut men emerged from all directions, staring intently at William, who had just gotten out of the car.

Since it was someone else's territory, William didn't dare to act recklessly and asked to see the steward, Ghost, with a stern face. He was told that Ghost was in a meeting and asked him to come back the next day.

In just half a day, the docks were in complete chaos. If it were delayed another day, the influx of merchant ships would fill up the mouth of the Yangtze River.

“I’ll wait for him.” William said, and without waiting for the other person’s agreement, he plopped down on the floor.

Time ticked by, and no one came downstairs. William, who had been feeling bored for hours, was parched. With his usual arrogance, he asked the burly men to pour him some tea.

The burly men scoffed disdainfully and continued playing Pai Gow. William had never been treated so rudely before. His secretary, Harry, was the first to speak up: "Is this how you treat your guests? Do you know that Mr. Du treats our superiors with utmost respect? Who do you think you are?"

Whoosh! The cigarette butt landed precisely on Harry's police uniform. Harry was so startled that he slapped it wildly. A burly, fierce-looking man with a crooked mouth said, "This is a warehouse, not a teahouse. If you want tea, go outside."

Harry, enraged, jumped in front of the burly man and handcuffed him: "I'm going to arrest you now for assaulting a police officer. You can hire a lawyer to appeal."

"Hahahaha," the group burst into laughter. The burly man didn't take his threat seriously at all and laughed with his companion, "This little foreign devil can't even speak Chinese properly, and you want to arrest him? Hahahaha."

Suddenly, he slammed his hand on the table, and dozens of men with guns appeared in unison on the second-floor corridor, all pointing their guns at Harry's head.

Seeing this, Harry's arrogance immediately diminished. The burly man patted Harry's face: "Hey, why aren't you being arrogant anymore? Keep going. How do your British dogs bark? Learn a few barks and make the brothers laugh. If you can't bark, at least let out a couple of farts. You don't get many chances to amuse foreign idiots."

"That's enough. If Master Gui won't come down, I'll go upstairs to pay him a visit." William said, and immediately set off upstairs.

"Stop him!" A deep command rang out, and everyone turned their guns around, surrounding William.

William stood coldly in the courtyard and shouted upstairs, "Master Ghost, I know you're up there. You must know about what's going on at the docks. If this continues, I guarantee your business will be severely affected. Before it causes irreparable damage, I hope you can step in and settle this matter."

After a long while, a person slowly walked out of the second-floor corridor and looked down at him: "There are so many dock managers in Shanghai, why do you come to me? I can't make decisions on my own."

Upon seeing the person in question, William quickly went up to him and looked directly into Ghost Master's eyes: "But you are the most influential manager in the concession. As long as you set an example first, the other managers will definitely follow suit."

"So you want me to force the brothers to unload goods for the Japanese so you can explain it to them, and then I'll take the blame for being a traitor and a sellout? Is this how you do business? Or do you British people like to sacrifice yourselves for the benefit of others? Why don't you just do the unloading yourselves?" Ghost Master said bluntly.

With his purpose exposed, William's lips twitched slightly. He cleared his throat and explained, "Let's put the Japanese ship issue aside for now. Our workers can help unload cargo for other countries' merchant ships first. Otherwise, the Yangtze River waterway will be blocked, which will affect your country's future tax revenue and reputation."

“William, I’m a taxpayer, not a tax collector. You should talk to those officials in Shanghai about this. My brothers won’t work even if I pay them. What can I do? I’m just an ordinary person like them, not as powerful as your slave owners.” Ghost’s tone suddenly changed, becoming sarcastic.

We abolished slavery a long time ago. William suppressed his anger and did not argue: "Master Gui, it's not that I'm forcing you, but the Japanese embassy has already protested to the Municipal Council. If you don't move the goods, they will send ronin into the concession to cause trouble."

Master Gui feigned surprise: "Wow, you turned green with fear after being threatened by a few Japanese ronin? Is this all the British are capable of? They're here to cause trouble, why don't you arrest them all and collect a hefty bail fee? That'll boost your performance for the second half of the year. Or are you just too scared?"

“Who says I wouldn’t dare? If they dare to come, I dare to arrest them. I’m just kindly reminding you that if you don’t want to work at the docks, there are plenty of people who will. You’ll have to bear the losses from the docks not operating on your own. No organization will bail you out. You might go bankrupt for your so-called loyalty. Is it worth it?” William said with an air of righteous indignation.

"Pah! You dare to talk about loyalty and righteousness?" Ghost Lord spat down. "Our government also protested to the League of Nations, but what happened? Nobody paid any attention and let Changchun fall. Now that the Japanese devils are protesting, you're as scared as grandsons, thinking we're easy targets that you can bully."

"You're forcing us to work and using our blood and sweat to curry favor with the Japanese devils? Let me tell you, it's impossible! I may not be a good person, but patriotism is a fundamental principle etched into my very being as a Chinese person. You foreign devils will never understand that. Get out!"

Upon hearing this, William's men in the warehouse echoed his sentiments. Unable to bear their loud shouting, William flung his sleeves and got into the police car. "Hmph, you won't listen to reason, so here comes the punishment," he thought. "Someone's after you."

As William's car slunk away from the warehouse, Qingcheng stepped out from behind Guiye and bowed: "Guiye is a man of great righteousness, Xia admires him greatly."

"It's good that you warned me early, saying he would collude with the Japanese devils, which allowed me to make thorough preparations and avoid falling into that old foreign devil's trap. Mr. Xia truly deserves to be called the Zhuge Liang of our time." The old man bowed back.

"I wouldn't dare say that. It's mainly because of your reputation, Master Gui. If William wants to put pressure on you, he'll definitely come to you first. He can't possibly go to Chief Wang of the Axe Gang, right, Yu Xie?" Qingcheng turned to look at the strong young man beside her.

“It’s no use searching. Our Chief Wang hates Japanese people the most.” Yu Xie said seriously. “Mr. Xia, how much longer are we going to sit in silence? The brothers are full of enthusiasm, but they still need to eat.”

"It won't be long. If you don't move it, they'll be in a hurry. William won't let it go. Guess who he'll be contacting next?" Qingcheng kept them in suspense.

"Sister Gui?"

"The government?"

“They were almost there. His next step is to ask Mr. Du to mediate. If that fails, he will contact CC and falsely accuse you of having the G Party instigating you. That way, they can arrest people at will,” Qingcheng replied.

"Hahahaha, if I'm a member of the CCP, then the whole gang is full of CCP members." Ghost Master laughed disdainfully.

"The people who framed you know your innocence best. They might frame me again in a few days. Sister Gui and Master Wu are both members of the Communist Party. Who can blame them when this label is so useful?" Qingcheng said calmly.

"Good heavens, they'd better frame Mr. Du too, put a big label on him, and let the Green Gang change its name to the Su Gang." Ghost Master laughed heartily.

“I know Mr. Du. He’s a very shrewd man who doesn’t offend anyone. And with his status in the underworld, we have to give him face. It’s really a bit tricky,” Yu Xie said worriedly. He had been silent all this time because he was thinking about something.

"Because he's so shrewd and charming, he might do charity work to show his loyalty and win favor. Everyone should eat and drink as usual and not be polite to him," Qingcheng said confidently with a smile.

"Mr. Du will only share with the Green Gang brothers, what about our Axe Gang brothers?" Yu Xie asked anxiously.

Qingcheng laughed and said, "Don't underestimate Mr. Du. William will beg him, and the Shanghai Police Department will also beg him. Once he decides to step in, he has to resolve everything. He can't just leave the workers in the Chinese-controlled area unfed, otherwise he would be unworthy of his reputation as the 'Five Feet of Heaven in the South of the City'."

"But I'm beholden to someone who feeds me, so how can I make demands?" Ghost Master spread his hands.

"If he uses his power to suppress you, you can use Guan Yu (a legendary Chinese general) to suppress him back. For example, ask him if he's doing right by helping the Japanese mediate between the two sides. Yu Xie and the others can join in the commotion and call him a traitor. Mr. Du is a man of great reputation. As long as he loosens his grip even a little, you can ask him for whatever you want. To maintain his good name, he certainly won't dare to make things difficult for you." Qingcheng analyzed Mr. Du's character for the two of them.

After listening, Rui nodded thoughtfully. Qingcheng's lips curled up, and he added fuel to the fire: "The two managers are not only dock managers now, but also represent the spirit of unity of the Chinese people. We must show the Japanese devils our determination to resist."

“Mr. Xia, I had some misunderstandings about you before. I didn’t expect you to be so righteous. For the sake of the greater good of the War of Resistance against Japan, you didn’t hesitate to lower yourself to ask me to reconcile with Master Gui. Please accept my bow.” Yu Xie clasped his hands and bowed sincerely.

"No, I was in the wrong first. To avenge my brother, I must stab you three times and leave six holes, no, nine times and leave eighteen holes." Qingcheng bowed back.

"Hey, isn't this a case of becoming friends after a fight? You two are doing me the honor of hosting a party today, so please come to Cuijinfang for some fun," Ghost Master said with a wink.

“No, Yu Xie is a decent guy. He needs to save his money for getting married and buying land. Don’t try to drag him down with this low-class nonsense. How about I treat you to a meal at Da Fu Gui?” Qing Cheng asked.

“Okay.” Yu Xie nodded repeatedly.

"You can treat, but I'll pay. Nobody can take it from me," Ghost Master said, patting his chest.

"No problem!" Qingcheng and Yu Xie said in unison.

In a Western-style building on the other side of the city, Wu Hao handed a document to a foreigner across the coffee table, who nodded in satisfaction after reading it.

He asked in fluent German, "Zhou, our Soviet representative has entered the country with the funds and is expected to arrive in Shanghai within 5 days. When will you bring that female comrade over for me to interview?"

"Another interview? I thought we'd already decided on her." Wu Hao leaned back on the leather sofa, his body slightly reclining.

"No, no, the funds are crucial to the construction of the Chinese Soviet Republic, so we must be careful." The foreigner shook his head seriously. "In addition, I need to add a male comrade to receive the funds together."

“Sure, it’s easy to find gay men. Are the requirements still the same?” Wu Hao took out his work notebook to write it down.

"Well, besides those, it would be best if you could understand some Russian," the foreigner added.

“Sure, he studied Russian in college,” Wu Hao said casually.

"It seems you've found your match. We look forward to your two outstanding comrades coming to our Far East Fourth Bureau for training." The foreigner extended his hand.

Wu Hao smiled and shook hands: "I'm also looking forward to it, Mr. Sorge."