He Guiying took command
Beep, beep beep, beep beep...
Red and green lights flashed rapidly on the green instrument. A young man with a buzz cut took off his headphones, rushed into the outer living room, and shoved a note into the hand of a young man in a doctor's white coat: "Director, an urgent telegram for the Second Department."
The young man in the white coat quickly glanced at the contents of the telegram, waved the telegram in his hand, and said to Wang Renyong, who was holding a teacup, "It just so happens that you are all here. The old store in northern Jiangsu said that it has a batch of fresh goods and asked if the marketing department wants to purchase them. The contract is attached below."
Wang Renyong exchanged a glance with Ai Ruirui, who was dressed as a nurse beside him. He put down his cup, carefully took the telegram, and marked several places on the contract appendix. He rearranged the sentences, and the smile on his face vanished instantly. The veins on his hand holding the pen bulged, and the force seemed to be enough to break the pen.
Immediately afterwards, Wang Renyong said in a slightly trembling voice, "Reply to them that Xinxin Company has taken this batch of goods, and remember to expand the warehouse and run the biggest advertisements possible."
This puzzled the two of them greatly. What could have made Lao Wang so angry? The old shop in northern Jiangsu was a transportation station in Xuzhou, right? And it specifically requested that the marketing department, also known as the second section, receive it. Ai Ruirui suddenly realized that the telegram used double encryption. Could it have been sent by Qingcheng?
According to regulations, double encryption is only used in cases of major incidents, and major incidents often result in death or serious injury. Thinking of this, Ai Ruirui nervously snatched the telegram, her originally rosy cheeks turning deathly pale. This thin piece of paper contained a horrifying case, weighing as heavily as a thousand pounds.
The contract is signed Bai Xiao, and it really was Qing Cheng who issued it. Why is she using a pen name? Ha, a postponed mission? Her request is beyond the scope of the mission, so she's asking Lao Wang for instructions, but…
Ai Ruirui slammed the telegram on the table and roared hysterically, "Wang Renyong, as her superior, it's one thing not to advise her, but to help her cause trouble. This is recklessness, and you're going to make a mistake."
The young man in the white coat beside him was somewhat bewildered. He had heard of Bai Xiao's name countless times, but he hadn't expected him to be a comrade from the Second Division. Taking advantage of Rui Rui's inattention, he pulled out the note on the table and re-deciphered the code. Suddenly, he felt that the telegram in his hand was like a piece of burning coal, scorching hot and untouchable.
"Ouyang, don't go back," Rui Rui said fiercely to the young man in the white coat. This young man in the white coat was Ouyang Qiang, the head of the Fourth Section, and also the person in charge of Shanghai's telegraph, radio, and transportation departments.
“Ouyang, go back! I’m the head of the Second Section, and what I say goes.” Wang Renyong said firmly to Ouyang Qiang, then turned to Rui Rui and said domineeringly, “You said it yourself, I’m her superior. If she makes a mistake, I’ll take responsibility!”
Rui Rui became anxious: "Can you take responsibility? She's not in Shanghai. If something happens to her, we won't even have time to save her."
“Which mission isn’t dangerous! She’s a mentally sound adult, so it’s good for her to learn crisis management, instead of having her arranged everything for her like a mother hen.” Wang Renyong tried his best to keep his tone calm. “Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth.”
The tense atmosphere inside made Ouyang feel it necessary to break up the fight: "Don't be hasty, Comrade Bai Xiao is a journalist with a sense of social responsibility and justice. Taking concern and sympathy for the lives of the poor as the guiding principle of public opinion is his job and it is in line with the Party's program."
"Ouyang, do you know the last person to do this is dead?" Rui Rui jumped up and roared...
The antique-style room was completely silent; no one uttered a sound.
The shopkeeper stood in front of the mobile radio with headphones on, while Hu Yukun paced back and forth in the room, looking restless. Only Qingcheng sat upright in her armchair, but her furrowed brows revealed her inner anxiety.
Finally, the pointer on the radio began to swing lightly. Listening to the buzzing of the receiver, Hu Yukun sat up and waited for his superior's approval. As his pen moved quickly across the paper, his heart pounded wildly.
XinXin Company replied: "Take it all. The goods will be stored in a large warehouse and advertised in the biggest way possible." This means they approve it and will spare no expense to place the goods in the most prominent position.
Seeing Lao Wang's approval, Qingcheng finally felt relieved. She had already planned out her strategy and was just waiting for the leader's approval.
Instead, Hu Yukun, sitting opposite him, had a complicated expression: "Qingcheng, do you want to reconsider?"
Ke Qingcheng had already thought it through very clearly. Earlier, after they went to the hospital to take the child's portrait, they also cleaned up the child's belongings, hoping to help the child find his family so that he could be laid to rest as soon as possible.
Suddenly, Qingcheng pulled a blood-stained candy from the inside pocket of the child's clothes—a translucent fruit candy wrapped in colorful wrappers. This greatly agitated her already tense nerves. She squatted down, buried her head in her knees, and suppressed sobs echoed in the empty morgue, touching the nerves of the living.
If he hadn't brought this high-end imported candy himself, people in small towns probably would never have even seen it before. So, this child is basically identified as someone from the mining area, or even Xiaocao's family. But how did the boy end up in the city?
However, they probably will never know the answer to this question. A child from a poor family, whose life is as worthless as grass, is not worth the personal investigation of the police chiefs!
This is our incompetent government that has been bullied to the brink of despair by foreign powers. If officials don't take responsibility, they have no responsibility. If the villagers don't consider themselves human, they won't feel the injustice.
So are they born to be beasts of burden? Can't they feel wronged? Can't they feel angry? Can't they feel resentful?
That's all bullshit! A person is a person, and a person should have human dignity.
Unfortunately, she wasn't born a man and didn't have the strong physique to charge into battle in the trenches, but she had an iron pen in her hand, powerful enough to make her proud.
Hmph, in this world, everyone is running for their lives, but she's willing to go against the tide.
Now that He Qingcheng is in the position of chief editor, she is the voice of the people, and it is her responsibility to ignite a great wave of progressive public opinion. She refuses to accept injustice, and therefore she will fight, fight to the very end!
Serving one's country and facing hardship is a universal human trait. This war without gunpowder is still a war. Those self-proclaimed superior but actually despicable and shameless "foreign masters" and the cowardly and foolish spineless cowards at home, you just wait.
The glory that comes after overcoming all obstacles will surely belong to the people of the whole country!
The cicadas were still chirping outside, and the bright white moon was slowly rising. Everyone had been feeling sweltering all day. Lu Xian changed into casual clothes and prepared to go out. Now he could finally enjoy the evening breeze for a while, and then take a bath later. Life was better than that of a god.
Just then, someone at the stairwell muttered Gao Junxiao's room number furtively. Upon hearing this, Lu Xian hurriedly stepped forward to answer. After identifying himself, Lu Xian took the folded shirt from the waiter. Huh? Isn't this his older brother's shirt?
The waiter said that his older brother didn't return until after dawn yesterday, and this morning he went to Commander Du's place to discuss with some staff officers which hill to attack first. When he came back, he was probably too tired to eat dinner and went straight to bed.
This waiter seems to be from Longquan Pavilion, right? Did my brother specifically go to Longquan Pavilion to book laundry services? Why? Suddenly, a thought flashed through Lu Xian's mind—Oh~ Miss He! At this moment, Lu Xian really wanted to gossip about his older brother.
Everyone drank quite a bit yesterday, and he was already passed out. The others probably ended up in similar situations, but he knew his older brother couldn't get drunk. Could it be that his older brother, emboldened by alcohol that night, did something he'd always wanted to do but hadn't? Hehehe, something's fishy.
Just as he was about to knock on Gao Junxiao's door, Chen Yao, dressed neatly, came out of the next room. He probably wanted to take a bath or go to a teahouse to listen to a courtesan sing.
"Lu Xian, Gao Junxiao is still drunk. Isn't he supposed to be a heavy drinker?" Chen Yao greeted Lu Xian warmly.
Lu Xian hurriedly stuffed his clothes behind his back and replied, "It's not about drinking. My elder brother didn't get back from the military camp until 5 a.m. yesterday, so he went to bed late. He's been busy all day today. Commander Chen, let's not bother him. You should go out and have some fun."
However, the clothes were still spotted by the sharp-eyed Chen Yao, who pressed him for details. He said that they were all drunk yesterday, so it couldn't have been Lu Xian who washed them, and of course, it couldn't have been Gao Junxiao who washed them himself. He wouldn't be in such a good mood to wash clothes late at night.
Lu Xian quickly explained to Chen Yao that it was a laundry service his older brother had booked, cleverly omitting which company it was. But this explanation did nothing to dispel Chen Yao's suspicions, and as the two argued back and forth, a chill suddenly ran down their spines.
Before anyone knew it, Gao Junxiao's door opened. Without a word, Gao Junxiao snatched the shirt from Lu Xian's hand and slammed the door shut. Lu Xian and Chen Yao were so startled that they dared not cause any more trouble.
Chen Yao looked at Lu Xian incredulously, as if to say, "You're telling me that the thing just now was Gao Junxiao? It can't be like this. He looked alright this morning, but now he looks like he's been fighting in the trenches for three days and three nights straight. His eyes are unfocused, and there's a stubble on his chin. He looks like he's about to collapse but is just barely holding on."
Lu Xian was genuinely worried about his elder brother's condition, but he didn't want to disturb his brother's rest. So, he and Chen Yao reached a consensus that they should go downstairs and do what they needed to do.
Upon arriving at the hall, they found the hotel guests huddled together in twos and threes, seemingly discussing the newspaper. Chen Yao, ever the outgoing one, joined the group to watch curiously.
A gentleman was holding a copy of the "Shenbao" newspaper. He pointed to a picture with a solemn expression. The picture showed a little boy of about 5 years old covered with a white sheet, quietly closing his eyes as if asleep. A long rose was placed on his chest, making the child look even more petite.
Chen Yao initially thought it was some kind of children's art photo, but upon closer inspection, it sent chills down his spine. The stark white, empty space, with rows of packages in the back, was nothing short of a hospital morgue. A woman standing nearby was even muttering about how terrible it was.
A photograph can provide very little information, but a good photograph can be more moving than a report itself, and Chen Yao is now eager to explore the stories behind the photographs.
The main title of this picture is "A woman in her twilight years dies in a night market, desperately seeking her relatives," and the subtitle is "Late-night revelry, half-dreaming, half-drunk, three gunshots rang out, speeding away, blood splattered in front of the shop of the heir apparent." Author: Anonymous.
Seeing everyone's sympathetic expressions, Lu Xian also went over to watch. Hey! Isn't this just a hit-and-run case that happened on Tongyi Street? What's so interesting about it? Drunk driving isn't unusual these days, and the police don't dare to investigate anyway.
The entire article resembles a eulogy, well-written and quite emotional. It doesn't condemn the perpetrator, but expresses sympathy for the child and helps find the child's relatives. It hopes that any relatives or friends who recognize the child will see it and go to the city's public hospital to identify the body as soon as possible.
Well, reading the eulogy did make me a little sad; such a good child was gone just like that. But the sadness was only momentary. After all, we weren't related to the child, and there was nothing we could do to help him find peace in the afterlife. Everyone quickly found something else to do and went off to make a living.
The next day, the morning light was bright. A lovely aroma wafted from the dining hall, penetrating into the next room and making Gao Junxiao's nose itch. He had been so exhausted yesterday that he hadn't even eaten dinner before going to bed. Now, he felt his stomach rumbling loudly, as if protesting his neglect yesterday.
He had just sat down and ordered some congee and steamed buns when Chen Yao hooked his arm around his neck. He heard Chen Yao's slightly sarcastic voice in his ear: "Oh my, you're wearing a new shirt. It's quite fair."
Thinking about who washed it for him, Gao Junxiao felt a sense of comfort and unconsciously smiled. Suddenly, Chen Yao's face appeared in front of him, making him immediately stop smiling and retort, "Are you still asleep? Please open your dog eyes and see clearly that this is not a new shirt. Order your own food."
Chen Yao, still oblivious to being rebuked, even leaned closer to sniff: "Mmm, it smells quite nice. I don't think this fragrant outfit suits a smelly man like you very well."
"What do you mean by matching or not matching? You've looked closely, old man. These are my clothes, they were before, and they will be in the future." Gao Junxiao was hungry and didn't want to argue with him. Just then, the waiter brought over some congee and snacks. He picked up his chopsticks and started eating heartily. Seeing this, Chen Yao also ordered a similar breakfast.
Soon after, Chen Yao's breakfast was served. Unfortunately, nothing could shut Chen Yao up. He fiddled with his spoon in his bowl for a while, while Gao Junxiao ignored him and ate his own breakfast.
Across from him, Chen Yao raised an eyebrow and asked Gao Junxiao mysteriously, "Did you go to see Qingcheng that night, and then... um~ you crossed the line?"
Knowing Chen Yao had misunderstood, but explaining this only made things worse, so how could he answer? The best protection he could offer was to vehemently deny ever going to see Qing Cheng. He almost forgot to gag Xu Xun too.
A newsboy's childish but loud cry came from outside the door: "Extra! Extra! Outlaw! Gangster boss hits and runs!"
The newsboy's voice faded into the distance, and neither of them paid any attention to the news. Chen Yao was still gossiping about his brother, winking at him. "Bang!" A loud noise startled Chen Yao, making him stumble. All the customers in the dining hall turned to look at them.
Gao Junxiao slammed his hand on the table. Despite being stared at by everyone, he showed no embarrassment. With a half-smile, he provocatively opened his palm, revealing a deflated mosquito in his hand—a blatant warning: bother him again, or you'll be like this mosquito! However, Chen Yao fell for it. He pursed his lips, obediently sat down, and ate his meal in peace.
After dinner, we went to the city defense headquarters to discuss with the staff which hill to attack. The hills were now divided into five factions: the largest bandit leader Liu Shengqi occupied Mangshan, Wang Huzi occupied Wangxizhai, Hei Xuanfeng occupied Mazigou, and Wu Yulou occupied Wudongshan.
There was also a female bandit leader known as Qiao Jie'er, who occupied Fengshan. Her size was no less than that of Mangshan, and she was closest to Xuzhou City. One was to the east and the other to the west, directly opposite Mangshan, forming the entire mountain stronghold alliance. Moreover, as a woman holding the position of bandit leader, her strength should not be underestimated.
As for who to attack first, the staff unanimously recommended attacking the weakest, Wudong Mountain. First of all, their bandit leader, Wu Yulou, was originally an actor who sang martial arts songs. He just fell in love with the female bandit Qiao Jie'er and was taken back to Fengshan to become her husband. He was then promoted to the position of bandit leader of Wudong Mountain. He himself didn't have much strength.
Secondly, Wudong Mountain is the most remote, located south of Fengshan Mountain and southwest of Xuzhou City. It takes several days to reach the hills beside Fengshan. At this point, Commander Du Ying, who had been slacking off, expressed his opposition.
His reasoning was simple: he had previously sent people to scout the area, and Wudong Mountain lived up to its name, with many interconnected caves. The caves were filled with jagged rocks, damp and narrow, and in the narrowest places, even a single person had to bend over and crawl sideways to pass through.
It is extremely unsuitable for large-scale operations. Mountain warfare is inherently limited and extremely dangerous. Furthermore, choosing the most dangerous mountain to fight on would make the bandit suppression team's meager resources insufficient to send them to their deaths.
Gao Junxiao agreed with this. Besides the treacherous terrain, according to the intelligence he had gathered, Wudong Mountain was actually within Fengshan's sphere of influence, a branch of their husband-and-wife shop.
The purpose was to have one more person in charge in the entire mountain stronghold alliance. Even if Wudong Mountain was barely captured, the bandits inside would move to Fengshan, which would both anger Fengshan and not bring any benefits. So there was no rush to attack the mountain stronghold.
Since they are an alliance, there must be a channel connecting Mangshan and Fengshan at the east and west ends when they transmit messages. Wangxizhai and Mazigou, located between the two mountains, probably served as messengers.
There was a shared outpost between Wangxizhai and Mazigou—Qigantun, which was less than 20 kilometers from Taoyuan Village Railway Station. Gao Junxiao suggested that we take Qigantun first to cut off the communication channel between the bandits in the east and west, and then send our own people in.
That being said, how to take down the Qigantun outpost requires careful planning. They would definitely defend important positions with all their might, making even getting close difficult. After a round of discussions, everyone felt that this open battle would be extremely difficult, so they had no choice but to proceed cautiously, taking it one step at a time.
Just when everyone's morale was low, Lieutenant Lu suddenly took out a topographical contour map of Qigantun and spread it on the table. Even Du Ying, who was sitting and playing with his gloves, stared wide-eyed in disbelief. He immediately realized that Gao Junxiao had come prepared.
Gao Junxiao looked around at everyone's interesting expressions, and only after everyone had turned their attention away from the terrain map did he slowly speak: "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. There are too many uncertainties on the battlefield. What we need is to maneuver the enemy without being maneuvered by them. Therefore, planning must precede action."
"Hahahaha," Du Ying suddenly burst into laughter, clapping his hands. The scars under his eyes sank deep into his cheeks. Then his face darkened, and he slammed his white gloves on the table, yelling at the staff officers, "All of you cobblers are no match for Zhuge Liang! You're a disgrace to me, a disgrace!"
The staff officers dared not retort, and silently lowered their heads to express their apologies. After Du Ying had calmed down a bit, he ordered the entire army to undergo a month-long closed-door rectification, to get rid of gambling and lust, and to intensify training, so that the blood in his body would not flow to his brain but to other places.
Then Du Ying invited Gao Junxiao to dinner in a friendly manner, and to discuss the matter of sending reinforcements. Seeing that Du Ying was somewhat willing, Gao Junxiao was naturally happy to agree.
While the two men were praising each other in the car, passersby outside the window were also arguing and reporting the story. Zhang San said the murderer was a member of the local gang, while Wang Wu disagreed, saying that his information came from a foreigner. After arguing for a long time, neither of them could convince the other.
After all, they weren't reading the same newspaper. Zhao Si chimed in, adding that their information was all hearsay. His friend at the newspaper said it was a high-ranking official on a business trip to Xuzhou. After all, these days, anyone who can afford to eat out and have a car is either rich or powerful.
Meanwhile, Wang Renyong, wearing a white coat and a stethoscope, was also looking at several tabloids. Large and small prints were densely packed on the page. Putting aside the long, meaningless articles, he saw a familiar writing style.
Looking at the newspaper, he muttered to himself: Qingcheng, you love to play, you love to dress up, you love to dance, you love to be friends. You can shine brightly in the lively and elegant feast of Shanghai, without any problem. But you only see the likes of Mr. Tang who are high and mighty, and you forget to look down.
This is not your fault. People's eyes are always looking upwards. This time, look down properly, look at the piles of white bones under your feet, look at the blood and tears of the working people. Break through the limitations of your petty bourgeoisie and have a good, good time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
