Night Shanghai, night Shanghai, you are a city that never sleeps (Part 1)
Old Wang has disappeared!!!
When Ai Rui Rui rushed anxiously into the newspaper office, Qing Cheng was still surprised that Rui Rui had come when she heard this bombshell news! Qing Cheng immediately locked the door, drew the curtains, and carefully searched the room. Only after confirming that there were no listening devices did she let Rui Rui continue.
Then Rui Rui, with a pained expression, incoherently recounted that Wang Renyong hadn't contacted her for three days and wondered if he had been secretly arrested.
Hey! It's only been three days, what's the big deal? She and Gao Junxiao can go over a month without contacting each other. Xiao Ai is just worried and confused. If Lao Wang really gets caught, given his position in the organization, the secret agents will definitely publicize it extensively, making the news of the arrest of a high-ranking CCP official the headline of every major newspaper.
It would never be quiet. Qingcheng spent the whole day revising the manuscript, but she didn't see a single similar announcement. At this point, she could only analyze with Ruirui that Lao Wang's job required secrecy. Had this happened before? If so, then Lao Wang was deliberately hiding, so there was no need to worry too much.
“But I asked at all the major transportation stations, and they all said they hadn’t seen Wang Renyong. When he was arrested before, at least the people at the transportation stations knew where he was.” Ai Ruirui’s eyes were bloodshot, and there were dark circles under her eyes. It looked like she had been worried all night and hadn’t slept well.
In this situation, either they genuinely didn't see it, or Old Wang issued a gag order. Qingcheng felt the latter was more likely. If even Ai Ruirui couldn't know, the level of secrecy must be very high, and according to confidentiality regulations, they shouldn't be investigating further.
But seeing that Ai Rui Rui was about to cry, Qing Cheng finally softened. She thought she would just help find out the last time and place Lao Wang appeared, and make sure he was safe. It wouldn't violate any confidentiality regulations.
The lush sycamore leaves, like a flowing stream, rustled day and night along the dark asphalt road, flowing calmly yet loudly. Qingcheng, dressed in a suit and trousers, emerged from the teahouse and put on a hat.
According to information obtained from a "know-it-all" (police detective) at a teahouse, Wang Renyong was last seen in two places: one was the North Bund pier, and the other was Fourth Road.
The two places were some distance apart, but Kiyosumi decided to try her luck at the pier first.
The river surface was as calm as silk at night, with several cargo ships neatly moored at the dock. Walking along the riverbank, one could see residents dressed in kimonos strolling in twos and threes from time to time; this section happened to be the former Japanese concession in Hongkou District.
The police in the Japanese concession were not easy to deal with, so she had to be careful. Kiyosumi rarely came to this area. The streets were filled with Japanese language that she couldn't understand and flat-roofed Japanese houses, making her feel like a foreigner standing on the streets of Tokyo.
The shops on the street were playing eerie Japanese tunes, which sounded quite creepy late at night. As Kiyosumi was wondering what Old Wang was doing here, two furtive figures came into view behind the cargo box.
"Inspection, what are you two doing standing so close together?" Kiyosumi, mimicking a patrol officer, said from behind the two men. The two men froze, and after a while, they turned around tremblingly, saying, "N-nothing... just looking at the moon."
But when the two saw Kiyosumi's expression, they immediately relaxed and laughed, saying, "You little rascal, what are you doing?"
"Big Brother Wan, Little Brother Wan, on a mission?" Qingcheng was not shy at all and started chatting with the two men, their arms around each other's shoulders. These two were the CC-system agents she had successfully chatted up at the Case Club, and they were also brothers.
"Shh! You're about to die, why are you yelling so loudly? You know what I mean!" Da Wan winked at Qing Cheng, making her giggle.
"I understand! Let me ask you something, have you seen my boss near this dock these past few days?" Qingcheng asked casually, looking at the two of them.
"Mr. Wang, Xiao Wan, did you see that?" Da Wan took off his hat, fanned himself, and asked his younger brother.
"No, we've been keeping watch here for days, but we haven't seen Mr. Wang." Xiao Wan immediately covered her mouth in horror after saying that.
"It's alright, Brother Wan, I won't talk nonsense. That old Wang, I don't know where he's off gallivanting off to. He hasn't finished his mission yet." Qingcheng sighed deeply, feigning helplessness.
Da Wan took a cigarette from the pack and handed it to her, patting Qingcheng on the shoulder to comfort her, "You'll get used to it. That's how everyone is. Our captain was like that once too. He said he was going to have some fun halfway through a surveillance mission. He ended up having a blast outside and didn't come home for ten days and ten nights. His wife even came to our house. My brother and I had to take a few other brothers and search every casino and brothel we could."
"The people above are really something. I'm their subordinate, I can't say or ask anything, but I still have to get the job done." Qingcheng took the cigarette and complained about Lao Wang. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Xiao Wan purse his lips, as if he shared her sentiment.
"Oh, don't even mention it, none of them are easy to deal with. In the end, we found them at Cuijinlou on Fourth Road. Xiaofei, Mr. Wang doesn't like gambling, why don't you try your luck there? Even our general manager likes to go there. It's on Fourth Road, the third from the left." Xiaowan lit cigarettes for his brother and Qingcheng and added.
The general manager must be Xu Qiao, right? Qingcheng pondered for a moment and felt that the possibility of Lao Wang being on Fourth Road was getting stronger. Of course, Lao Wang wouldn't have lost contact with his girlfriend; he was most likely holed up in the store.
Having thought this through, Qingcheng took a drag of her cigarette, smiled, waved at the two men, and said, "You two have worked hard. This cigarette is good. Remember to treat me to a meal if you catch any members of the G gang."
"Okay." Xiao Wan had barely finished speaking when Da Wan slapped her on the head, and she waved at Qing Cheng with a pitiful expression.
After saying goodbye to the two brothers, Kiyosumi rushed to Fourth Road without stopping.
A crescent moon pierced the exquisite embroidered building, illuminating the golden signboard of the Cuijin Building and casting a hazy, yellowish light on the path within the high walls. The path was adorned with rocks and green bamboo, creating a serene atmosphere. Gauze curtains hung low on the building, and a fragrant aroma permeated the courtyard. The flickering candlelight created an ambiguous ambiance.
The man behind the pimp had a calm gaze and a gentle smile on his lips. He waved his hand to shake off the cloying fragrance, but he couldn't get rid of it. Several buttons on his white shirt were undone, revealing his sharply defined Adam's apple. Coupled with his tall and slender figure, which resembled a green bamboo, the charm of a mature man was fully displayed on him.
Gao Junxiao felt increasingly stuffy in his chest. This stuff was bad for him. If it weren't for repaying Master Wu's favor, he wouldn't have come. He took off his coat, covered his mouth and nose with it, and rushed up to the second-floor private room in one go, pushing open the door to the "Number Three" private room.
The loud noise caused the pipa-playing singer to misplay a few notes. But seeing that the man who opened the door was dressed in a suit and looked distinguished, she immediately resumed her performance. The burly man pouring wine at the table, upon seeing the newcomer, along with two others, egged him on to punish himself.
Gao Junxiao hung his coat on the hanger, sat down, rolled up his sleeves, and said with a smile to the burly man, "Brother Wu, how shall we drink this?"
"According to the custom in my hometown, the last person to arrive has to drink three cups as a punishment. In addition, there's one person you're meeting for the first time, so we have to add another one," Master Wu said, introducing the other two.
One of Gao Junxiao's acquaintances was Pang Minzhang, a detective in the Shanghai International Settlement and also Wu Ye's sworn brother. The other was Pang Minzhang's older brother, Pang Minyou, who was the person he really wanted to see today—the captain of the Shanghai Police Headquarters Anti-Smuggling Team.
"Four cups, right? Okay." Gao Junxiao didn't haggle and set out the cups himself.
"Four words are so unpleasant to hear, let's use six for eloquence, six is auspicious, come on, little brother~ let me fill your cup." Master Wu enthusiastically poured wine for Gao Junxiao, each cup overflowing.
The way Northeasterners persuade others to drink carries a kind of benevolent yet domineering air. It's methodical, persuasive, and leaves no room for negotiation. Gao Junxiao, being equally forthright, didn't say a word, downing the cold liquor in one gulp, emptying each glass completely.
The people at the table clapped and cheered. Seeing that the atmosphere at the beginning was good, Master Wu waved for the singer to leave, as they were about to discuss serious matters.
Inside room number three, several men were clinking glasses and discussing animatedly. Pang Minyou had greatly admired Gao Junxiao's character since their conversation, and besides, he hadn't been involved in the previous conflict between the military and police.
Pang Minyou said that he was willing to put aside past grievances and resolve the matter of death, which was also entrusted by the director. Last time at Mr. Tang's charity ball, when their director chatted with Gao Junxiao, he felt that Gao Junxiao's speech was proper and his character was first-class, and that he could befriend him.
So Pang Minyou first toasted, saying, "Zexiu's business is my business. Our anti-smuggling team most often checks two kinds of things: opium and weapons, which are also the two most profitable businesses on the market right now."
"Junxiao thanks you first, Brother Dayou. According to your suggestion, we can investigate the source of the bandits' firearms, and then cut off the bastards' supply." Gao Junxiao clinked glasses with his friend and stated his purpose directly.
"To be honest, I specifically asked a few major arms dealers in our area about this matter, and one of them told me something strange." Pang Minyou was well-prepared.
According to arms dealers, the bandits in Xuzhou had been cooperating with them, mainly buying Hanyang-made Zhongzheng guns and Mauser pistols. However, they had hardly received any new stock in the past year. When the middlemen went to the mountains to do maintenance, the bandits became arrogant and said they wouldn't take anything unless it was from Europe or America.
"Pah! Those bastards must have made a fortune selling opium. And they call it European and American stuff? Can they even afford it?" Old Wu smacked his lips with disdain after taking a sip of his drink.
“It’s not opium. The opium trade has its own rules. Without the approval of local smugglers, like the big bosses in Shanghai, you can’t sell the goods even if you get them,” Pang Minzhang explained from the side. “Liu Shengqi wanted to sell opium when he came to Shanghai last time, but he didn’t pay his respects and was reported by the big boss’s informant.”
Everyone agreed that those bandits had absolutely no moral compass. If it were a viable business, they would have sold that treacherous and harmful thing to the country long ago.
Gao Junxiao felt the world was somewhat surreal. It turned out that the big boss, in order to protect his own opium business, deliberately leaked Liu Shengqi's information to the anti-bandit team, using them as a tool to kill. Shanghai was no longer just polluted water, but a man-eating swamp.
"But the strangest thing is that a batch of high-quality domestically made guns suddenly appeared in the black market for arms in the Northeast and Tianjin. They are much better than those made in Hanyang. Even our military industry department can't make guns of such good quality," Pang Minyou said with some emotion, fiddling with the wine glass in front of him.
"Bullshit! If it weren't for jerk compradors' interests being threatened, would our military industry be in such a bad state? To hell with making it, it's better to buy it." Master Wu chugs down two more glasses. "The country is on the verge of collapse. Our current military industry is not even as good as it was during the Beiyang period. Those jerk compradors bear the main responsibility."
"Since even the Military Industry Bureau can't manufacture guns of such high quality, why do you think it's a domestic product?" Gao Junxiao asked a question he hadn't been able to figure out earlier.
Pang Minzhang explained to everyone that the firearms were high-quality replicas of classic models from various countries, such as the Japanese Type 38 rifle, the American Thompson submachine gun, the German Bergmann submachine gun, some Mauser rifles, and Kork military large-caliber pistols, etc. It was too varied and there were only a few loose items.
Small-time distributors wouldn't buy such a mixed bag of goods. The quality of those goods was better than that of the military equipment department, but still slightly inferior to imported goods. Furthermore, the bullets all had obvious signs of hand-polishing, a feature rarely seen in imported goods from the US and Europe.
Insiders see the details, while outsiders just watch the spectacle. The origins of these goods are suspicious. If they are truly made in China, who manufactured them? Everyone fell into thought for a moment, exchanging silent glances.
“I just thought about it carefully, could it be that those bandits made it themselves, which is why they haven’t bought any new stock in the past year?” Pang Minzhang offered a new idea.
"Brother, no way. If those bastards can make something good, I'll swallow all the bullets in my gun." After clinking glasses with everyone, Master Wu said, "I'll drink first, you can do as you please," and then downed his drink in one gulp.
“Master Wu, don’t be so sure of yourself. My brother has a point.” Pang Minyou refilled Master Wu’s glass and continued, “What if they have a master craftsman providing the technology, and they provide the workers?”
"Then you should set up a few production lines to specialize in one model. What's the point of making random parts? Production lines are free. You can't achieve economies of scale by manufacturing like this," Master Wu asked, puzzled.
As we all know, different types of weapons require different production lines for manufacturing and assembly. It takes at least three months for a worker to become proficient in operating the line. Even for internal use, mass production is necessary. So this is something that the men couldn't understand.
"Perhaps they are testing the performance of some kind of weapon, and those high-quality replicas that have leaked out are just test subjects for comparison. That's why the quantity is small and the variety is mixed," Gao Junxiao, who had been silent until now, suddenly added.
The Pang brothers thought this was possible. Generally, when a new product is manufactured, it is compared with an old product to evaluate the merits of the new product.
“If he has the capability to manufacture them, why doesn’t he just buy imported goods to compare? Wouldn’t that save money and trouble?” Master Wu raised another question. Seeing that everyone shook their heads to indicate they didn’t know, he continued, “Dayou, can you find out the source of that batch of loose goods?”
“It’s difficult! The rule of the black market is not to ask about the source of the goods, and it’s in the north, which is not under my jurisdiction.” Pang Minyou sighed, his tone noticeably softening.
The atmosphere inside the room plummeted to freezing point. The men all lowered their heads and remained silent. The whole situation seemed incredibly strange.
The Fourth Road was bustling with activity at night. Qingcheng knew this road very well, coming here almost every day, but now, looking at those pimps, she didn't dare to take a step forward. Skilled pimps would solicit passing merchants on the street, and the merchants would judge the quality of a shop based on the pimp's conversation.
The pimps were incredibly strong; they could drag people into the building by their weight, even a seven-foot-tall man could be forcibly pulled inside. No wonder my aunt forbade her to come here at night; she probably wouldn't be able to break free with her meager strength.
Assuming Lao Wang is indeed here, what would he be doing? Hiding or having a secret meeting? Making bold assumptions and carefully verifying them is Qingcheng's basic ability. Let's assume Lao Wang is having a meeting here. According to the rules, there would be our liaison officer at the door to keep watch.
Amidst the bustling crowd, Kiyosumi carefully observed the pedestrians and mobile vendors from the shadows.
A boy selling pancakes slowly emerged from the crowd. He looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old. His clothes were patched but relatively clean. He kept walking back and forth in the same spot. When people came to buy pancakes, he wouldn't even look at them. He would just take the money and stuff it into his pocket. Clearly, he wasn't there to sell pancakes.
He got nervous every time a policeman walked by. If he were just a junior agent, he wouldn't be afraid of the police; he'd probably be a courier. But he wasn't sure if he was keeping watch for Old Wang, so he'd have to check on the spot. Qingcheng sighed helplessly, pondering how to communicate with this child.
Suddenly, someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and stared blankly for a few seconds before realizing that the person was Wang Renyong in disguise. He now had a goatee, a silver wig, and wore a blue robe. He was also holding a mahogany cane and looked at least forty years older.
"Young man, I'll take you to the person you're looking for. I'll buy a pancake first." Wang Renyong deliberately lowered his voice and walked over to the pancake-selling boy, buying a few large pancakes, presumably to give instructions.
If he wasn't mistaken, the pancake-selling boy was Old Wang's lookout liaison. Qingcheng knew there were many spies on the street and he had to keep up the act with Old Wang: "Thank you for your trouble, sir."
Then, Old Wang led Qingcheng into a small courtyard with familiarity. The courtyard was filled with a faint fragrance. He suddenly stopped and said in a low voice, "Cover your mouth and nose with a handkerchief now. That smell is not good for a young lady's health. If you want to have children in the future, you can open it up inside the house."
Qingcheng had no idea what the fragrance had to do with childbirth, but she still took out a handkerchief and covered her mouth and nose as Lao Wang asked.
Since it was her first time visiting a brothel, Qingcheng was extremely curious about everything inside. There were female customers embracing each other intimately, male prostitutes carrying girls on their backs and quickly moving around the hall, and madams sitting on the side with their bound feet, smoking pipes and blowing smoke rings. These were all kinds of people she never saw on a normal day.
The resource library had new materials again. Before Qingcheng could finish looking at them, Wang Renyong pulled her into a private room. Old Wang then carefully closed the door, and the corridor returned to its usual hushed conversation. Above the door, the wooden plaque reading "Number Nine of the Heavenly Rank" flickered in the candlelight.
The room was very tidy. There was a simple couch in the corner, covered with a floral curtain, and stone bricks on the floor. On the other side was a small round table, around which several acquaintances sat pointing at a map on the table.
Hearing the door open, the group immediately stopped their discussion, and several pairs of eyes turned to the two of them. Qingcheng's hand trembled under their sharp gazes, and her handkerchief fluttered to the ground. Fortunately, Wang Renyong was quick enough to pick it up for her.
“What a mediocre person. And who is this comrade?” Li Shifa walked up to Qingcheng with his hands behind his back and his large belly swaying as he looked her up and down.
Qi Kejun, standing beside him, also took off his glasses, rubbed his temples, and tilted his head, scrutinizing the stranger in front of him with a conflicted expression. He also recognized the handsome young man; Qingcheng had interviewed him before. He was the big star Gu Xiaojiang, the dream lover of countless girls, and a chivalrous figure imitated by many young people.
Before Lao Wang could speak, Qingcheng rolled her eyes and said in a low voice, "My name is Qin Fei, and I will be responsible for protecting everyone's safety from now on."
Li Shifa, swaying his potbelly, swaggered over to Wang Renyong, who was trying to suppress a laugh: "Wang Renyong, you don't want to do the secrecy work anymore? How about I ask Lord Hu to let us switch positions?"
Old Wang was pushed against the wall by Li Shifa's stomach and finally couldn't help but slap his thigh and burst into loud laughter, his beard all askew. Li Shifa was baffled by his laughter, pointing at Old Wang for a long time without being able to speak, probably because he was angry.
Standing at the back, Qi Kejun put his glasses back on, his eyes suddenly lighting up. He smiled and walked towards Qingcheng, giving her a big hug. This gesture made Li Shifa even more curious, and he couldn't help but ask, "Old Qi, you know him too?"
“Old Li, isn’t this Comrade Xiao He?” Qi Kejun bluntly revealed the truth, then patted Qingcheng’s head and praised him kindly, “Our little comrade, your disguise skills are getting better and better. Uncle Qi didn’t even recognize you at first.”
Seeing Old Li's astonished expression, Old Wang put his arm around Li Shifa's shoulder and said smugly, "Old Li, you're dumbfounded, aren't you? This is what they call a great teacher producing a great student."
Old Li, his face flushed, slapped away Old Wang's lewd hand and retorted, "Go away, did you teach this? It's obviously Xiao Ai's doing. Don't try to glorify yourself."
"Alright, alright, enough joking around. Today is the most complete gathering of all members of Project Deep Blue we've had. The young comrade was right about one thing earlier; she is the guardian of Project Deep Blue. If there's an emergency, just look for her." Wang Renyong walked into the room and introduced Qingcheng's identity to everyone in his booming voice.
Gu Xiaojiang only realized it was Qingcheng after hearing her name. He reached out his hand and exclaimed in his fluent Tianjin dialect, "Sister, it's you! You're one of us!"
Qingcheng grasped his hand, suppressing a laugh as she mentally complained, "Could Comrade Xiao Jiang please stop being so funny? Every time I hear him speak his hometown dialect, I want to recommend him for comedy, so he and Xu Xi could form a comedy duo from the North and South. Also, can I leave now?"
As if sensing Qingcheng's thoughts, Wang Renyong explained loudly to her, "I was embarrassed to ask you to come to a place like this, not because I don't need you. I originally wanted to ask you to go to the meeting on Sichuan North Road, but the courier discovered that there were spies watching us, so we had to change the meeting location here at the last minute."
How ironic! Qingcheng immediately thought of the brothers Da Wan and Xiao Wan, who had informed him of the situation but were foolishly waiting for Lao Wang to arrive.
"Is it safe here?" Kiyosumi asked, pointing to the gate.
Qi Kejun was certain that there were no spies in this building. Firstly, the Cuijin Building had powerful backing and no one dared to offend it. Secondly, Xu Qiao also particularly liked to stay here overnight and did not like to be seen by his subordinates. It turned out that any spies, whether they were affiliated or not, had been personally arranged by him to keep watch on the streets.
Moreover, Xu Qiao went to the dance hall today to see one of his long-time patrons, so this place became the safest meeting spot. After hearing Lao Li's additional explanation, Qingcheng felt a little more at ease.
At this point, Wang Renyong said bluntly, "Since you've come to us yourself, you can help us take meeting minutes."
Ah! Taking meeting minutes again! Qingcheng immediately declined tactfully, saying, "I'm not senior enough to attend such high-level meetings. Xiao Ai was worried about Section Chief Wang's safety and came to my company. Now that Section Chief Wang is safe, I have to rush back to report."
"What do you mean by low qualifications? You're overthinking it. You don't need to worry about Xiao Ai. I've already sent someone to inform her." Wang Renyong blushed slightly when he heard that Xiao Ai was worried about him, but his next words directly crushed Qingcheng's last bit of hope, "Since you've participated in this plan, you'd better listen carefully and actively participate in the discussion."
It turned out that Xu Qiao had allocated funds to allow Qi Kejun to find several reliable subordinates to scout out the terrain and military facilities throughout Northeast China. This kind of good opportunity naturally fell to one of our own, and Qi Kejun planned to take Wang Renyong and Gu Xiaojiang with him. Old Li would be going for the time being; he was about to undergo a personnel change that was very important to the organization.
At this critical moment, the Central Plains war is raging. Whom the young marshal in the Northeast will side with will determine who will be the final winner of the Central Plains war. Therefore, this task should be directly assigned by President Chiang Kai-shek. Otherwise, why would the Ministry of Finance be so generous as to allocate funds directly?
Of course, Wang Renyong mainly wanted to help the organization design a covert red transport line, and also wanted to check the latest situation of the Kwantung Army so that he could analyze it together with the navy's intelligence.
Coincidentally, when Wang Renyong was investigating the Japanese Navy recently, he discovered that the Japanese Army and the Japanese Navy were arguing fiercely over military spending, resulting in many conflicts over development resources, such as steel and oil.
When the conflict escalated to a certain extent, the army and navy went their separate ways. The Japanese army built its own warships and submarines, while the Japanese navy vigorously developed land combat weapons such as tanks and artillery. This provided causal support for their purchase of mines in Xuzhou.
"Heh heh, Section Chief Wang, you've taken advantage of your girlfriend's money again." Qingcheng teased Wang Renyong, who had previously taken advantage of his girlfriend's shooting range and ammunition.
"Tsk, girls shouldn't use such vulgar language. Did I cheat on my girlfriend? This is called reasonable resource allocation. Next time, I should let you be in charge and see what happens." Wang Renyong showed no shame whatsoever, instead taking it all for granted.
This time, we're utilizing CC's resources; the funding is plentiful, but there's a time limit—the expedition will last a month and a half, so it's impossible to visit everything. These past few days have been spent discussing and selecting key exploration directions and targets in Northeast China. Basically, all we need to do is contribute our labor. The group unfolded the map and engaged in a heated discussion…
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