Bright moon shines
Under the leadership of Team Leader Dai, all the undercover agents in Xuzhou City came out in full force. The agents changed their usual sluggishness and were as energetic as if they had been injected with chicken blood. One interrogation plan after another was executed simultaneously, in an attempt to quickly expand the results and wipe out all the Communist Party members in Xuzhou City.
This swift and decisive approach quickly opened up numerous loopholes, and the people in the city stopped talking about bandits and began talking about how so-and-so's family member had been arrested by the investigation bureau.
These executioners not only broke into homes and shops, but also targeted schools. Ever since the men in black found some prohibited books in the student dormitories, Xingtan Middle School has been almost completely ransacked.
For a moment, everyone fell silent, fearing that if they said something wrong, they would not see the sun rise tomorrow.
Only the mastermind behind the entire conspiracy in that office was not blinded by the brief victory. He didn't want the small fry, but the clues to the big fish were cut off by the Communist Party member who committed suicide out of fear of punishment.
Based on the serial numbers on the guns, they located Gao Junxiao again. After careful investigation, they temporarily ruled out Gao Junxiao as a suspect. According to the records, Gao Junxiao was indeed not in the city. He led his troops to set off the day after looting the equipment.
The surviving military order in Nanjing corroborates Gao Junxiao's words—the bandits must be wiped out by the end of the year.
A military order is no joke. Team Leader Dai felt he could understand Gao Junxiao's anxiety; no wonder he broke the rules and seized the warehouse.
He looked at the thick stack of interrogation records on the table again and again. Even after "washing up" all the little devils in the quartermaster department, they were still stubborn and insisted that they made the entry records according to the application. He was too lazy to expose their low-level and childish lies one by one.
Moreover, he was indeed somewhat hesitant to act rashly; ever since he arrested those bastards, the phone had been ringing non-stop with calls pleading for their release. Indeed, without extremely powerful backers, how could one be assigned such a lucrative post? Team Leader Dai, unusually, put down his pen, pushed aside the case file, and closed his eyes to rest.
He began to piece together seemingly unrelated details in his mind: Gao Junxiao looted the warehouse, the quartermaster took stock of the losses, and after taking stock, he falsified the records, falsified the time, and even recorded the items that Gao Junxiao had not received.
Here's the problem: why did they write down a fake date? What benefit would it bring to the quartermaster department to write it a few days later? Was recording something that others hadn't received just for revenge? They were already in the wrong; what revenge could recording a few more guns have against Gao Junxiao? Gao Junxiao could easily resolve this by talking to his superiors; it wouldn't even cause a ripple.
In a flash, Team Leader Dai was already confident. He picked up the phone and quickly dialed the interrogation department: "Put all the bastards in the quartermaster department in the 'oil vat' and see who still dares to deny that they didn't fabricate anything."
Everyone says that troublemakers are the worst, but unfortunately for them, they encountered Yama, the King of Hell, who specializes in dealing with all sorts of troublemakers. When you're truly unyielding, no troublemaker will bow down and submit.
Not long after, the phone rang urgently. Team Leader Dai answered it quickly. The answer from the interrogation was pretty much what he had guessed: those few kids had secretly built a small warehouse and were reselling weapons from the main warehouse.
Some of the newly arrived weapons, before even reaching the main warehouse, would be classified as transportation losses and dumped in a small warehouse as scrap materials. Before being traded, their serial numbers would be erased and they would flow into the black market, allowing them to make a fortune without anyone noticing.
However, two things disrupted their plans. First, Gao Junxiao led a group of soldiers to surround the warehouse and openly robbed a large number of weapons, including rifles, machine guns, and grenades. Before they could take inventory, a second warehouse theft occurred, this time mainly affecting their small warehouse.
The two losses occurred very close together, and they dared not report them or make a fuss. The loss in the large warehouse could be accounted for as wear and tear, but the goods in the small warehouse had already been ordered by the Red Flower Society. This time, they didn't even have time to erase the serial numbers before the goods were gone. If the Red Flower Society found out the goods had been stolen, they would inevitably cause trouble for them.
They simply burned the original ledger recording the losses, calculated the delivery date, delayed the shipment record, and blamed everything on Gao Junxiao, making it seem as if they were robbed the day before the transaction. Anyway, he was a high-ranking official with powerful backing, so even if the Red Flower Society came to investigate the accounts, they wouldn't dare to cause him any trouble.
So much time has passed, how can they possibly remember clearly which items Gao Junxiao stole, which were stolen, and which were damaged?
The most they remembered was that Gao Junxiao didn't ask for a pistol. They originally wanted to send him away with some light weapons, but when Gao Junxiao opened the box and found a pistol, he got angry and smashed up their office with the soldiers, demanding to know where their weapons for fighting were. They were afraid and felt guilty, so they took him to get heavy weapons.
As for why they withheld Gao Junxiao's application, they had no prior grudge. It was because the Red Flower Society had recently made a big deal, offering a higher price than usual. In a moment of impulsiveness, they increased the loss ratio to 50%, prioritizing the Red Flower Society and postponing normal applications. Gao Junxiao's application was among those postponed documents.
Before the interrogation team could finish speaking, the phone in Team Leader Dai's hand was smashed to pieces, damaged by half. It was utterly lawless; everyone in the quartermaster department should be dragged out and shot.
Team Leader Dai slumped weakly into his chair. He could almost hear the Chen brothers laughing at his failure and incompetence. If things continued this way, the only outcome would be being ruthlessly abandoned by President Jiang.
No! He was determined to be the CEO's protective shield, and he couldn't give up halfway.
In fact, we should have realized that since we launched the operation suddenly, the quartermaster department couldn't have known in advance that a member of the Communist Party would use this gun to commit suicide out of guilt, and then use the gun's serial number to frame Gao Junxiao for treason.
Even with these thoughts, he patiently reviewed the known information in his mind. The timing was also quite good. He deliberately waited until Gao Junxiao had finished looting the warehouse and everyone was exhausted before committing the theft. This way, they would know Gao Junxiao's plans and movements in advance.
Gao Junxiao would never tell anyone about something like this beforehand. Could it be that Gao Junxiao really has a problem? No, he could just rob him outright.
Furthermore, the thieves would need to know that the quartermaster's small warehouse contained valuable items, not scrap. Only someone from the quartermaster's office or the so-called buyers, the Red Flower Society, would know this; Gao Junxiao, however, was unaware of the warehouse's secret.
Is the Red Flower Society engaging in double-crossing? But this isn't the first time the Red Flower Society has colluded with the Quartermaster Department; their cooperation has always been pleasant, so there's no need for them to suddenly ruin their own business.
That leaves only the possibility of embezzlement. A warehouse theft is a serious matter, and the quartermaster would not fail to conduct an internal investigation. Perhaps the culprit has already been secretly disposed of.
After organizing the clues, Team Leader Dai chuckled self-deprecatingly. He'd taken on the work of a patrol officer while trying to catch the CCP gang. But the stalemate remained unchanged. This was not good!
The only clue now is the accomplice of the suicide gang whom they've never met. Did they exchange intelligence? What intelligence? If so, how did he pass it on?
Xuzhou City was now completely surrounded, no one could escape. Whether already exposed or about to be exposed, the CCP members were all easy prey. Search and rescue vehicles patrolled the streets 24 hours a day; anyone daring to send a telegram could be apprehended immediately.
"Report!"
The sudden voice interrupted Team Leader Dai's thoughts. Bai Haoyue, with a serious expression, presented an interrogation record and said urgently, "Team Leader, two people from the Quartermaster Department just couldn't withstand the torture and fainted. Should we send them to the hospital?"
"Send them my ass, just find a doctor to treat their external injuries and keep them detained." Team Leader Dai impatiently dismissed the action team leader. He wanted to keep the embezzler and report him to Nanjing along with the CCP to curry favor.
Team Leader Dai wasn't in a good mood at the moment, and Captain Bai probably noticed it too. He was about to leave dejectedly when Team Leader Dai called him back: "How's the follow-up on the other lead you've sent out?"
"Reporting to the team leader, our people and informants have been following us around the clock, but this CCP is being unusually cautious. They've been leading us in circles within Jiangsu Province, avoiding Shanghai and not contacting any other CCP members."
"Continue to follow, but only keep one of the brothers tracking him. Lower his guard; he has important intelligence and will definitely deliver it to Shanghai personally." Team Leader Dai decisively gave the order, then asked, "Where are they now?"
“We’re already in Suzhou,” the action team leader replied immediately.
"Time is of the essence. Get our informant to find out what intelligence he has as soon as possible. Also, remember to leave an opening in the direction of Shanghai during the interrogation. Let him out on purpose and lure out the big fish in Shanghai." Team Leader Dai's smile was cunning, sending chills down one's spine.
"Yes, sir." The action team leader straightened his body and saluted.
Just then, another phone rang. Team Leader Dai picked it up impatiently, and upon hearing the other end's voice, he stood up abruptly and said softly, "Committee Member Tan, I am perfectly fine."
"Yes, yes, Director Gao is a talent of the Party and the country, of course there is no problem."
"Release it, release it today."
Team Leader Dai's ability to change his expression as quickly as flipping through a book was unprecedented and unparalleled. Bai Haoyue was stuck there, unable to leave or stay, just like a wooden stake.
After hanging up the phone, Team Leader Dai breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing the action captain still standing at the post, he immediately put on a stern face: "You, find a few people to go to the bandit suppression team right away, make a rough registration of their weapons, check the roster against the soldiers, and if there are no problems, let them leave the city."
Seeing the action team leader still standing there in a daze, Team Leader Dai angrily roared, "Go now!"
The shout seemed to wake someone from a dream, and the action team leader rushed towards the door.
They're all such a headache. Team Leader Dai really wishes there was a magnifying glass that could see into a person's heart, so that it would be clear who the G party members are. Otherwise, if this investigation continues, it will never end.
His fingers listlessly fiddled with the files on the table when a flash of inspiration struck him. The stiff face of Team Leader Dai returned to a sinister grin. He slowly pulled open the drawer in front of him, where a file lay quietly. This file belonged to a member of the Communist Party who had switched sides, the so-called traitors of the Communist Party, who was now his right-hand man.
Opening the manila envelope, one sees the following written in black and white:
Name: Bai Haoyue, Age: 25, Gender: Male, Brief Introduction: Joined the Communist Party in June of 1929, Party code name: Nightingale...
Team Leader Dai's thoughts drifted back to that sweltering afternoon.
The closed interrogation room was silent. The dim yellow chandelier swayed from side to side. A bloodied and mangled body lay on the dark gray cement floor, its feet covered in mud and bare. On the opposite wall was a rusty iron door. Suddenly, it creaked open a crack, and strong light shone into the room. The body on the floor remained motionless.
A lieutenant in a blue military uniform was violently pushed to the ground. The strong smell of blood assaulted his senses in waves. The man following behind him was none other than Team Leader Dai, who was dressed in neat clothes.
The lieutenant in blue, disregarding everything, clung to Team Leader Dai's leg and cried out in terror, "Team Leader Dai, I gave you the complete copy of Hao Mi's codebook. There really isn't a scrambled codebook. The only people who know the scrambled codebook are our Party Committee Secretary and Deputy Secretary!"
"Are you fucking messing with me? What's the use of the original copy? The essence of the HaoMi lies in the scrambled code book." Team Leader Dai deliberately showed off in front of the blue-clad lieutenant. "The HaoMi uses an original copy and a scrambled code book, combined with dates, to create a unique algorithm that generates a new code every day. Bai Haoyue, do you think I'm an idiot?"
"I really didn't do it. I'm just a nobody. Our secretary burned the jumbled text as soon as he finished memorizing it. All the information is in his head. You guys stick close to him, you'll definitely be able to get it out of him." Bai Haoyue's face was deathly pale, she seemed to be quite frightened.
"Do you need to teach me this?" Team Leader Dai kicked the blue-clad lieutenant to the ground, grabbed him by the back of his collar and made him look closer. "Bai Haoyue, look who this is? Does he look familiar?"
"I...I...I don't know him." Bai Haoyue turned her head away, her eyes red-rimmed, as if she was trying her best to hold back something.
"Heh! You don't even remember your mentor of many years? He taught during the day and did underground work at night. Didn't he also introduce you to the profession?" Team Leader Dai's cold voice pierced Bai Haoyue's heart like a steel needle.
"I...I...I'm no longer a member of the Communist Party, Team Leader Dai. I was just young and went astray. I will serve the Party and the country loyally from now on." Bai Haoyue bent her knees and kowtowed twice to Team Leader Dai to show her loyalty.
“If it weren’t for the fact that you haven’t been in the gang for long and there’s still hope for you, I would have dragged you to be shot long ago.” Team Leader Dai pointed to the person on the ground. “I brought you here today to persuade your mentor to surrender and cooperate with the Party and the State. If he confesses all his accomplices at Xingtan Middle School, I will send him to the Nanjing Reformatory and make a big deal out of it.”
The person lying on the ground is Principal Ji of Xingtan Middle School. He should have been content to be a teacher with students all over the world. Who would have thought that he would risk his life to go and do revolution?
“…I’ll give it a try.” Bai Haoyue agreed after a long silence.
"I'll give you ten minutes. If he refuses to cooperate, I'll send him to the Bridge of Helplessness to wait for you." Team Leader Dai glanced at Bai Haoyue contemptuously and slammed the iron gate shut again.
As soon as Team Leader Dai left, Bai Haoyue threw himself onto the mangled body, pulling his teacher tightly into his arms from the pool of blood. Gazing at the unconscious face, tears streamed down his face. He gently brushed aside the stray hairs from his teacher's forehead and softly called out, "Mr. Ji."
Perhaps sensing something, Principal Ji, still unconscious, mumbled Bai Haoyue's nickname: "Chenghui, you've been arrested too?"
Bai Haoyue didn't dare to answer, and lowered her head hesitantly, then suddenly exclaimed, "Sir, what's wrong with your foot?"
"Feet?" Principal Ji, still somewhat dazed, seemed to regain some clarity and said weakly, "On the tiger bench... they severed my Achilles tendons... I am who I am, I am proud, what can you do to me?"
Principal Ji's subsequent words were like a whisper in a dream, almost inaudible.
"Sir, please stop, please stop." Bai Haoyue clenched her fists, her whole body trembling slightly.
“They can’t understand our ideals and the noble sentiment of realizing the Internationale,” Principal Ji continued to mutter to himself.
These injuries were the result of unimaginable, inhuman torture. Team Leader Dai's threats still echoed in her ears. Wiping away her tears, Bai Haoyue pleaded, "Sir, just confess. What's the point of ideals if you're going to die?"
Principal Ji was startled. With his last bit of strength, he pushed Bai Haoyue away, his bloodshot eyes glaring as if he wanted to devour her: "You—you actually betrayed the revolution. Get out! Don't touch me with your filthy hands."
"Sir, Team Leader Dai promised me that as long as you confess all your connections, he'll let you go to the reformatory. Think of your wife and children back home," Bai Haoyue said, still clinging to Principal Ji's hand.
"Bah! Since ancient times, who has ever escaped death? Let my loyal heart shine in history." After spitting out a mouthful of blood at Bai Haoyue, Principal Ji's voice weakened again. He closed his eyes and lay on the dirty cement ground, ignoring Bai Haoyue's calls and pleas.
Bai Haoyue mustered all her strength to stand up, used the water in the basin to wet a handkerchief to wipe the blood off Principal Ji's face, and the principal's originally thin and kind face was revealed again. The creaking sound of the door opening was like the horn of death.
Two black-clad agents rushed in from outside, each dragging Principal Ji out like a dead dog. The bloody drag marks seemed to mock Bai Haoyue's weakness. Bang! Bang! Two gunshots rang out, and Bai Haoyue clutched his head and squatted on the ground in agony.
A moment later, Team Leader Dai walked into the interrogation room with his head held high, and said sarcastically like a victor, "Captain Bai, don't be afraid. This is what happens if you don't cooperate."
"Team Leader Dai, please spare me for the sake of the printing factory I destroyed for you," Bai Haoyue pleaded desperately, her face streaked with tears.
"The printing factory, apart from killing a few workers, I couldn't find their factory manager." Team leader Dai was furious when he mentioned the printing factory. When his brothers arrived, there were only three or four CCP members burning documents. Everyone else had run away. To save face, they could only exaggerate the situation to the media.
"Factory director, I don't know where he went either. It's not my fault. He's an old Party member, and he's extremely cunning." Suddenly, Bai Haoyue remembered something and reported, "You can go to No. 13 Liupan Street to find my supplier, Jiu Zhi Er. He's the chairman of the trade union and also an old Party member. He definitely knows more than I do."
"Hmph, the longer you stay in a bandit's den, the less clear-headed you become. Nine Ears ran away long ago," Team Leader Dai said with a crooked mouth.
"Huh? Okay. He's best at gathering information, so it's normal that he ran away after receiving advance notice." Bai Haoyue was a little surprised, but quickly regained her composure. "However, he's very loyal to his party, just like my teacher, and he's not likely to surrender."
"Are you sure?" Team Leader Dai glanced at Bai Haoyue in surprise.
“Confirmed. He feigned surrender several times before turning on the enemy—no, he killed our soldiers.” Bai Haoyue quickly changed her wording.
"How do you know he taught you to feign surrender?" Team Leader Dai's suspicious gaze scrutinized the young man before him.
"No, no, he just loves to brag about his past exploits. Although he was my superior, the thing he asked me to do most was to act as a courier and deliver things." Bai Haoyue sniffed twice, sounding a little aggrieved. "Besides, I was originally a member of the Kuomintang army, and I had already become the captain of the inspection team. Who wouldn't want a bright future?"
"It is your honor to stay in the army and continue to serve the Party and the country. Work hard, and you will surely enjoy wealth and honor." As for this despicable person, Team Leader Dai felt that keeping him around was still somewhat useful, such as as an informant.
After putting the file folder back in place, Team Leader Dai stood up and straightened his wrinkled Zhongshan suit. His patience had been worn thin; it was time to close the net.
In contrast to the somber investigation team, the other side of Xuzhou City was bustling with activity. Soldiers rolled up their sleeves and carried boxes of weapons, while Commander Qin cracked his whip across the muddy ground, raising clouds of dust.
The squad leader, who was there to inventory the weapons, swallowed hard and distanced himself from Commander Qin. He felt like the whip would strike him any second, but he didn't dare to be careless, diligently recording the weapons in front of him: 30 Mauser rifles, 10 carbines…
Just then, a commotion came from the barracks not far away. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and didn't know what had happened. Commander Qin put away his whip and tucked it into his waistband. He "invited" the action team leader to go with him. The action team leader had no choice but to hand the paper and pen to the black-clad agent next to him who was keeping count.
Taking advantage of the handover, Commander Qin turned and winked at his adjutant, who understood and headed towards the armory. Commander Qin watched his adjutant's retreating figure, then, using his size advantage, grabbed Captain Bai and carried him away like a chick.
Upon seeing their superior, a black-clad agent rushed over and reported to the action team leader: "Sir, there's a group of wounded soldiers over there who refuse to be examined."
With sharp ears, Commander Qin lashed out with his whip at the black-clad agent: "You're talking nonsense! They're all heroes who fought bandits. Show them some respect!"
"Please forgive us, Commander Qin. We are only following orders. Team Leader Dai intends to let you leave the city, so please don't cause any trouble," Bai Haoyue kindly reminded them, stepping between the two.
"What's going on? Someone come out and explain!" Qin Qulu stepped forward, pointing his whip at the crowd as he asked.
"Reporting to the commander, one of our wounded soldiers had his face bandaged, and they insisted on making him remove the bandages, which is why we argued with him," a soldier said frankly.
"I'm checking the roster, of course I have to look at faces." The black-clad agent, still not having learned his lesson, bluntly defended himself.
"It depends on your face. Come on, come out here." Qin Qulu put the whip back into his waistband and waved to the black-clad agent with a smile.
Just as the action team leader was about to dissuade him, Commander Qin, with lightning speed, grabbed his hair and slapped him repeatedly, shouting, "You bastard, you want to see my face? Look, look again!"
Qin Qulu, a former soldier, was not known for his heavy-handedness. He then proceeded to beat the spy mercilessly, leaving him seeing stars and spitting blood. The beating was reminiscent of Lu Zhishen killing Zhen Guanxi with three punches. However, Bai Haoyue not only dared not stop him but also took three steps back.
There was no way around it. Qin Qulu also had a nickname, Qin the Madman. When he went crazy, he would fight even the Heavenly King himself. Ten people might not be able to defeat him at close range. The only people who could keep him in check were Marshal Ma, the leader of their Northwest Army, and his division and brigade commanders.
Unfortunately, none of the three men were in Xuzhou. Oh right, there was also Inspector Gao. The action team leader immediately ordered his subordinates from the special operations area to go to the East Gate to find Inspector Gao. He also had the confidence to persuade him kindly: "Commander Qin, please calm down. It's all for the sake of work. We can discuss it properly when Inspector Gao arrives."
"Discuss my ass. Are you even human?" Qin Qulu said provocatively, grabbing the half-dead agent. "Oh, I forgot, you never do anything human."
"Commander Qin, to be fair, our methods might have been a bit harsh, but there's no need for personal attacks. It's all for the good of the Party and the country." Provoked by Qin Qulu, Bai Haoyue's tone also hardened.
"Bullshit! Unwrapping a bandaged wound will cause infection. If my subordinate dies in a non-combat situation, can you take responsibility? Huh?" Commander Qin shoved Bai Haoyue in a fit of rage.
"Commander Qin, are you obstructing us because you have something to hide? I can find the best doctor in Xuzhou to re-bandage the soldiers." Bai Haoyue retorted with narrowed eyes, but her trembling fingers betrayed her fear as she worriedly wondered why Inspector Gao hadn't arrived yet.
"Hehe, I have nothing to hide, but there's a confused fool in front of me." Commander Qin saw his adjutant make a gesture towards him from afar, and his words immediately became more tactful.
"You..." The action team leader was so angry that he didn't know how to retort.
"You say we'll wait for Inspector Gao, then we'll wait for Inspector Gao. None of you can touch my soldiers until he comes," Commander Qin said, his face darkening as he pulled out his whip to warn them.
"Fine. Anyway, it's not me who's being delayed." The action team leader steeled himself, deciding to let things stand still.
Outside the barracks, the two sat facing each other, both waiting for Gao Junxiao to return and uphold justice.
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