Darkest Hour
The entire city of Shanghai was plunged into a new round of chaos, with military and police vehicles speeding past on the streets.
For three consecutive days, the headlines of all major newspapers were filled with news of the arrest and execution of certain key members of the Communist Party. The stench of blood on the streets hadn't even had time to dissipate before a new splash of crimson appeared, and the Communist Party members seemed to have all hidden in the darkness, falling silent.
Inside the Longhua Command Headquarters, Commander Xiong, with a cigarette between his fingers, pushed a file folder across from Li Sheng. Li Sheng opened it and saw that it contained wanted posters for CCP cadres.
President Jiang has already set prices for them, ranging from 20,000 to 50,000 to 100,000. The most valuable one is Zhou Gong (male god), with a reward of 500,000 silver dollars. The check for cashing the silver dollars is currently in Commander Xiong's safe. If anyone can catch him, the check can be issued on the spot.
Due to Zhang Tianhe's betrayal, all of the CCP's agencies in Shanghai were paralyzed. Those who couldn't withstand the torture leaked a lot of information. Commander Xiong confidently stated that as long as they made thorough arrangements, they could wipe out all of the CCP's hideouts.
By following the clues step by step, we can eventually catch Zhou (the male god). Li Sheng, who is in charge of the arrest, will naturally have made a great contribution.
Faced with Commander Xiong, who was eager to make a name for himself, Li Sheng immediately straightened up, saluted, and solemnly promised that, entrusted with such an important task by his superiors, he would live up to the commander's expectations and would dig out the hidden Communist Party members even if it meant digging three feet into the ground.
Immediately, Li Sheng feigned concern and confessed to Commander Xiong that the Propaganda Department now had to work together with the Statistics and Survey Department (CC). What if they tried to steal the credit?
Commander Xiong stubbed out his cigarette, gave a cold snort, and mocked CC with contempt, saying that those idiots had been thoroughly exposed themselves and had no right to claim credit. Xu Qiao's confidential secretary was a deeply entrenched CCP member.
Those who interrogated Zhang Tianhe in Wuhan a few days ago went from initial excitement to existential doubt. You see, confidential secretaries handle all kinds of intelligence, from the deployment of the anti-bandit campaign in Jiangxi to the arrest list. Our general hadn't even received the orders yet, but the Soviet area could find out by just grabbing any Tom, Dick, or Harry.
Even the communication passwords, known only to a few high-ranking officials, were somehow obtained by the CCP, forcing commanders of Xiong's rank to change their passwords.
At this point in the conversation, Commander Xiong angrily pointed to the sky and cursed, "The whole country knows that CC has made a fool of itself!"
Li Sheng smiled and joined in cursing the CC members as stupid as pigs. He had heard that not only the confidential secretary, but also the head of the interview section and the captain of the Tianjin action team were members of the Communist Party. Xu Qiao and his group were completely unaware of this. They might as well stop calling them CC and start calling them Su C.
The witty remark about sharing a common hatred for the enemy made Commander Xiong laugh heartily, but after laughing, he still reminded Li Sheng to take good security measures, as the Communist Party's spies were everywhere.
"Yes!" Li Sheng straightened up and shouted loudly.
"Xiao Li, if you have any difficulties, just let me know. If you need help, I'll immediately sign off on allocating personnel. As long as it's a matter in Shanghai, all government departments will assist us. Just go ahead and do it." Commander Xiong took out a box of pastries from his drawer. "Hey, these are some snacks I brought back from Nanjing yesterday. Here, have some."
Li Sheng respectfully accepted the snack box: "Thank you, Commander. I'll go to the military law office first to ask if there's any new information about today's prisoners."
Commander Xiong nodded in satisfaction at Li Sheng's enthusiastic work ethic. Li Sheng maintained his forced smile, bowed, and left the office, clutching the file folder tightly in his hand.
At the end of the military law office's corridor was an open space, which the people at headquarters called the "execution ground."
A series of loud crashes stopped Li Sheng in his tracks. A faint smell of blood spread through the air, like a giant black python coiling around him. Li Sheng felt as if his internal organs were being squeezed out of place, and his knuckles were clenched white, but he could not show any emotion.
Comrade Peony had been providing psychological counseling for several days, and it came in handy at this moment. Protecting himself now is protecting the safety of all his comrades online, and he cannot act rashly.
Li Sheng's agitated state of mind gradually calmed down. He was not fighting alone, so he had to endure hardship and wait for the right opportunity.
Just as Li Sheng had composed himself and was heading towards the execution ground, he suddenly heard his name echoing down the corridor; someone was calling him. His eyes involuntarily turned towards the source of the sound, and Gao Junxiao strode in from a forked passageway.
The other Advisor Gao has military merits to back him up, and he's not on the same path as me. He exudes a relaxed vibe, as if he's about to go on a beach vacation as soon as he takes off his military uniform.
Nowadays, in the entire headquarters, only Gao Junxiao's investigation office dares to blatantly slack off.
The two exchanged a few pleasantries as usual. Li Sheng kept lamenting that he was often so busy these days that he couldn't go home for three to five days at a time. Even when he did go home, it was usually late at night. Sometimes, as soon as he got home and took off his shoes, his department would call him back to continue the investigation.
Gao Junxiao also praised the Publicity Department, saying that it was no wonder he had been looking for Li Sheng for several days. He finally caught Li Sheng today. As he spoke, he took out a bright red invitation from his military overcoat, sincerely inviting Li Sheng to attend his engagement banquet next month.
Seeing Gao Junxiao's radiant face, it seemed that people were in high spirits when they had a happy occasion. Li Sheng politely assured him that he would definitely be there on time, but the moment he opened the invitation, Li Sheng felt a wave of dizziness. Good heavens, he had almost forgotten that Gao Junxiao's date was Comrade He.
Xiao He, aren't you afraid of being exposed by staying by his side? Having witnessed Gao Junxiao's scheming and ruthlessness, Li Sheng always intentionally or unintentionally avoids him at work, for fear that he will see through his disguise.
The words of blessing stuck in Li Sheng's throat. He secretly glanced at Gao Junxiao, wondering if Gao knew that his wife was doing something that could cost him his life. A terrible thought rose in his mind: if he knew but was pretending not to know, did that mean that Xiao He could use their relationship to provide convenience for the organization?
"Brother Gao..." Li Sheng had barely finished speaking when a commotion arose again from the execution ground. Suddenly, "Bang! Bang!" The troublemakers seemed to pause for a moment, then resumed their chanting with even more uniformity, piercing the ears of the two men.
Arise, ye prisoners of hunger and cold!
Arise, wolves of the earth!
My blood is boiling with excitement.
"Don't sing..." Bang! Bang!
...Fight for the truth!
The old world was utterly destroyed.
Arise, slaves! Arise!
The more brutal the reactionaries, the more powerfully everyone sang. Every final note of "The Internationale" was a roar from the depths of the comrades' souls. They were like eagles confined in cages, preening their full wings, preparing to break the shackles and welcome the day of flight.
Bang! Bang! ...
The Internationale will definitely, absolutely... achieve!
The final chant dissipated into the air like fine threads, vanishing completely. Li Sheng's eyes stung with tears, and he gritted his teeth to barely control his facial muscles. He vowed in his heart: This day will come! This day will definitely come!
Gao Junxiao, standing beside him, also frowned: "Brother Li, please go ahead and attend to your business. I'm getting married soon and don't want to see any bloodshed. I'm really sorry, farewell."
Gao Junxiao's attitude was clear: he would not participate.
They certainly had the right to stay out of it. Li Sheng smiled and indicated that he didn't dare to keep them. He was still somewhat wary of Gao Junxiao. Let's just consider his naive idea just now as a moment of impulsiveness.
The grass at the execution ground was stained with sticky blood. Li Sheng didn't want to step on it, afraid of soiling his comrades' blood. He just stood on the stone steps of the corridor, scanning the whole place, looking for the burly figure of Director Yan. That bastard was in the southeast corner.
Pretending not to see the mountain of corpses piled on the tricycle, Li Sheng put on a friendly smile, waved and called out, "Old Yan, any progress today?"
In an instant, all heads turned to look at Li Sheng. When Director Yan saw the newcomer, his face twitched with joy, and he opened his mouth to reveal his black and yellow front teeth: "Of course I have him. Go to the interrogation room and wait for me. I'll bring him over right away."
That was just right. Li Sheng walked towards the interrogation room without looking back. The whooshing sound of the pimp's strap and the pitiful screams did not stop with his arrival.
As a frequent visitor to the military law department, Li Sheng had used Xiao He's intermediary channels to give them many small favors. As a result, the commissioners treated him with great hospitality, either by moving chairs for him or by making tea and water for him, as if he were their direct superior.
"You bunch of little devils, you're so nice to me, aren't you afraid Director Yan will get jealous?" Li Sheng said half-jokingly, then started to probe, "Hey, why are you all so murderous this morning? Did you confirm that everyone has already groomed themselves and is of no intelligence value?"
I learned from the commissioner that a large number of prisoners were extradited from the French Concession today, so many cells were not available. They had to get rid of some of the older, more difficult prisoners to make room for the new ones.
Li Sheng showed great interest in this, ignoring the clean seats and insisting on going to the smelly cell to see the new prisoners. As one of the officers in charge of the trial, no one dared to stop him, and the commissioners even rushed to open the cell door for him.
As Li Sheng opened the cold iron prison door, the first task Qingcheng had given him popped into his mind: to find Secretary Yu of the Provincial Party Committee.
A few days ago, their provincial party committee finally managed to relocate safely, but less than half a day later, a traitorous staff member betrayed the secret meeting place of the provincial party committee to the secret agents.
Unfortunately, the provincial party committee was holding an emergency meeting there. Under the cover of the security comrades, the comrades scattered and fled. Secretary Yu even lured away the secret agents by himself. However, Secretary Yu did not return to the safe house until night. Xiao He had no news of his sacrifice or defection through any of his channels.
According to the description, Secretary Yu was about thirty-five years old, of medium height and thin, and was severely nearsighted. Without his glasses, he could not even see the road clearly. Most importantly, he was holding a complete roster of evacuees, which clearly listed the current pseudonyms of the provincial party committee members, their contact information, emergency couriers, and other important information.
What if this roster is discovered by spies? Wouldn't the great evacuation be for nothing? Li Sheng's heart clenched. But this physical characteristic was very common among Chinese people. It was the kind of person you wouldn't be able to find in a crowd.
Fortunately, Comrade Xiao He thoughtfully provided Li Sheng with a sketch for reference, and Li Sheng now had a concrete impression of Secretary Yu's appearance in his mind, which he then kept in his heart.
Unfortunately, despite the search and interrogation efforts, Secretary Yu has not been found. The windows in the cell are extremely small, with a few dim light bulbs hanging from the ceiling, making it extremely dark even during the day. The new prisoners are all locked behind iron bars, their clothes are soaked in blood, and their limbs are shackled with heavy handcuffs and leg irons.
There were no insults; they simply stared quietly at him, the outsider, their bright eyes carrying a hint of disdain.
After a frantic night of desperate relocation, so many comrades were still arrested. At the Longhua headquarters, only two fates awaited them: defection or sacrifice.
In the darkness, Li Sheng struggled to hold back his tears. He wiped his nose hard, took a few deep breaths using the forty-second breathing method Xiao He had taught him, and suppressed the bitterness in his chest with the rationality of "mission not yet completed".
Li Sheng specifically sought out men in their thirties to observe. He walked around the cell block for a long time but couldn't find anyone who looked like Secretary Yu. He asked the officer next to him if there were any new prisoners.
"That's all. The male and female prisoners who were extradited are all here," the commissioner replied curtly.
"Are there any prisoners in the French Concession who haven't been extradited yet?" Li Sheng pressed.
"They're all gone now, and we haven't caught any new ones yet." The commissioner seemed quite disappointed.
This is really strange. A living person can't just disappear into thin air, can they? The provincial border is heavily sealed off right now; even with the roster, he can't leave Shanghai.
If he were to be extradited to Nanjing, someone of that stature would surely know. If it were a secret murder, given Xiao He's powerful connections, he shouldn't have been completely unaware of it.
The only reasonable explanation is that Secretary Yu's identity was not exposed, and the roster was well hidden somewhere.
Based on his experience, he suspected that Secretary Yu might be using a false name, that there were dangers around him that he couldn't handle, that he could only hide, and that he couldn't contact the organization.
Li Sheng decided to try his luck at the Public Concession Police Station's cell again tomorrow. While he was thinking, he returned to the interrogation room, and a specialist came over mysteriously and whispered in his ear: "CC's people are here."
Damn, in just over ten minutes, that old bastard Director Yan leaked the news from headquarters to CC. Li Sheng quickly pressed for details, asking if it was from CC's interview section or a compilation...
Before he could finish his question, a serious male voice came from the other end: "Section Chief Li, long time no see. How many gangsters have you arrested recently?"
It turned out to be Zhang Chong, the interviewing officer he hated the most. He was still wearing a dark gray Zhongshan suit. As a vanguard against the CCP, he had probably killed countless comrades. He must have been raking in bonuses. What was he pretending to be so honest and upright for?
"Oh, old acquaintance, first of all, congratulations Brother Zhang on your promotion! You're a section chief now. The ones I arrested were just small fry, how could I compare to you?" Li Sheng clasped his hands in a fist and asked in return, "As the saying goes, proximity to the water tower gives you an advantage. When are you going to arrest your old boss?"
Zhang Chong's sore spot was touched, and his lips twitched a few times. His already long face looked even longer when he got angry, but he still maintained his composure. The two of them couldn't see eye to eye and stopped their awkward conversation.
Perhaps it was because Li Sheng was so famous in the intelligence community that small-time agents or traitors often came to pay him a visit. This caused Zhang Chong, who considered himself a top agent of the party, to become obsessed with jealousy and to constantly compare himself to Li Sheng.
He probably thought that his fame came from arresting a lot of comrades, so he became even more frantic in his search for comrades, even staying up for three days and three nights without sleep in order to stake out locations. Li Sheng thought he might have some serious mental illness, and the nickname "Crazy Zhang" was truly fitting.
Previously, Comrade Li Shifa had been suppressing him, making him feel that his talents were not being recognized. But now that Comrade Li has withdrawn, he has become arrogant and the first person to come over and provoke Li Sheng is Li Sheng.
"You two have been waiting for a while, please come in." Director Yan entered from outside at some point and invited Li Sheng and Zhang Chong to the listening room of the observation room.
Li Sheng generously gestured for Zhang Chong to enter the room first, followed closely by Li Sheng and Director Yan.
The listening room had a wall of one-way mirrors. The three men from the headquarters stayed behind the mirror to observe the defector. Li Sheng casually flipped through the files. The defector's name was Huang Gui. His public identity was an ordinary policeman in the French Concession Police Station, but his real identity was the squad leader of the first squad of the Red Team and an elite officer of the Third Section.
Facing the interrogator, he showed no panic whatsoever and arrogantly demanded that the person in charge be brought over, as he did not want to negotiate with his underlings.
Judging from this, Huang Gui seems to have some skills and wants to become the next Zhang Tianhe.
Zhang Chong turned on the receiver with great interest and connected to the inner room: "We warmly welcome Mr. Huang's surrender, but how can we believe in your sincerity if you don't offer anything?"
"Are you in charge?" Huang Gui asked, glancing at himself in the mirror.
“I am the section chief of the Investigation Bureau. Mr. Huang, you are still young and have plenty of time to enjoy life. Gold bars, houses, women—anything you can think of, I can make the decision,” Zhang Chong began to tempt you.
"Oh, I guess you're Zhang Chong. Old Li ran away, and you, the eternal runner-up, can finally take over." Huang Gui accurately identified Zhang Chong; the kid was indeed something.
Even as a prisoner, he dared to mock him. Li Sheng suppressed a laugh and glanced sideways at Zhang Chong's sour face. Zhang Chong paused for a moment, seemingly adjusting his emotions, and then changed the subject to threaten again: "Since you've guessed my identity, you should know my methods. If you want to suffer less, confess quickly."
"I have nothing to talk to you about. You're too low-ranking. It would be more appropriate for you to bring your Xuqiao here." Huang Gui had quite the appetite.
Since it wasn't his territory, Zhang Chongyou had to pretend to be magnanimous despite his temper. Even Director Yan, who was standing next to him, couldn't stand it anymore and yelled into the microphone, "Huang Gui, don't be so stubborn! If you don't confess, you'll be on the tiger bench!"
Across the mirror, Huang Gui visibly trembled. Zhang Chong, seeing his fear of death, intensified his enticement: "Mr. Huang, my colleagues aren't exactly known for their good tempers. If you confess now, we can still discuss terms. How about this: to show our sincerity, I'll give you three hundred silver dollars first. All you need to do is show me the way, and we can discuss the rest in detail later, how about that?"
Huang Gui hesitated, agonizing for a long time before finally refusing. He was a man who risked his life, so he wouldn't be intimidated by a few words. The more arrogant his attitude, the more important what he had in his hands was.
It was rare to have a Communist Party cadre surrender, and Zhang Chong really wanted to extract important information from him. However, he was hesitant to kill him for fear of harming him, and the two sides were immediately locked in a stalemate.
This kind of tough meat is hard to handle!
But crisis can also be an opportunity. Li Sheng, who had been waiting for this moment, rushed towards the other side like an arrow and kicked Huang Gui hard. Huang Gui and his chair crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust as high as a hand.
Before anyone could react, Li Sheng drew his pistol and fired several shots at Huang Gui on the ground without any hesitation.
Sparks flew everywhere in the observation room, and the loud bangs made people's eardrums throb. Zhang Chong and Director Yan were stunned. After their initial shock, they rushed into the next room without regard for their image.
The bloody scene they had imagined did not occur. Instead, they saw Li Sheng standing with one foot on a stool, holding a gun in the other hand, the muzzle pressed against Huang Gui, who was crying and sniffling with fear. Huang Gui mumbled in a tearful voice, "I confess, I confess, please don't kill me."
Li Sheng's eyes were sinister, and his simple "speak" carried a chilling tone. Huang Gui's lips trembled as he replied, "The alleys near the Confucian Temple are hidden in plain sight, and many Communist Party members rent there."
"What number?" Li Sheng grabbed Huang Gui's hair forcefully and demanded.
"I don't know, they change rooms frequently." Huang Gui sniffed, his eyes darting around, clearly hiding something.
"Are you fucking messing with me? The Confucian Temple area is so big, how are we going to catch you? I think you want to die—" Before Li Sheng finished speaking, he fired two more shots into Huang Gui's ear in a fit of rage.
The bullet grazed Huang Gui's scalp, leaving two bloody marks. Zhang Chong and Director Yan both covered their ears, their faces turning pale.
Huang Gui also covered his ears and shouted with almost all his might, "Old Ximen Taihengli! I used to live there, and there are quite a few Red Team members there."
"Hmph, they won't shed tears until they see the coffin." Li Sheng put away his sidearm, expressionlessly pulled out a cigarette, and the interrogation specialist next to him immediately lit it for him obsequiously, his face full of admiration.
"That's right, I thought it was made of iron, but it turned out to be made of paper. Brother Li is really resourceful," Director Yan flattered.
Director Yan, that old scoundrel, had always disapproved of the CC's "gentle" appeasement policy; he preferred a more brutal, hands-on interrogation method. So even though Li Sheng's methods were somewhat rough, he had no objections, as long as he got the results.
Exhaling a puff of smoke, Li Sheng turned to the two men and smiled, "Let me borrow this kid for a bit. I have to go catch someone. See you later."
"Section Chief Li, I'll go help too. There's a station near Laoximen," Zhang Chong said to himself, following Li Sheng.
In the narrow corridor, guards escorted the traitor, while Li Sheng, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, walked nonchalantly at the front, secretly thinking about how to shake off that stalker, "Zhang the Madman."
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