Special Agent Exam
Moonlight streamed through the window, casting long, latticed shadows on the wooden tabletop, which shimmered with silver light, as if plated with a layer of silver armor. The tabletop was covered with a dense array of metal locks of various shapes and sizes, along with a haphazard collection of brass handles.
The only empty space was covered with red-lined white paper, with a neat line of "Marriage Application Report" on the title. Qingcheng, who was in a daze, heard the phone ring like a death knell. She slammed her pen on the table in a fit of anger, and the blue ink that splashed from the pen tip slowly spread on the blank paper.
Xu Xi's voice came from the other end of the phone. He seemed to sense his anxiety and suggested that they go to the Fairy Palace Ballroom together, and that he would introduce him to a handsome man, martial arts star Gu Xiaojiang.
Hearing Xu Xi's exaggerated tone, Qingcheng was amused. Haha, introducing her to handsome male celebrities? Wasn't he afraid Gao Junxiao would come back and twist his head off? Qingcheng seriously suspected that Xu Xi had drunk too much again, or was playing some strange game, trying to amuse her late at night, so she could only politely refuse.
As a result, Xu Xi clearly stated that he would never dare to steal Xiao Ge's girlfriend, and he wasn't drunk. He just wanted to introduce business to Qing Cheng. Besides, Gao Junxiao went to Chuansha for fieldwork and wouldn't care about her.
This location caught Qingcheng's attention. Something's not right. According to the organization's intelligence, Gao Junxiao went to Jiangsu to investigate the military pay robbery case on the Beijing-Shanghai Railway. Why would he claim to be going to Chuansha? What is that man up to?
Just then, the street patrolman's shout came from outside the window: "The weather is dry, be careful with fire." Then came a burst of gongs and drums. The sound of the gongs and drums seemed to have a rhythm, and the echoes penetrated the clear eardrums, and after the information was reorganized in the brain, another answer was obtained.
Ah~ Here it comes, here it comes. Qingcheng tried to decline Xu Xi's invitation, she had important business to attend to, but Xu Xi was unusually long-winded today. Helpless, Qingcheng used her neck to hold the receiver and started putting on her coat and shoes. Finally, she agreed to accompany him to the Shanghai Grand Hotel tomorrow to do an exclusive interview with Gu Xiaojiang, and only then did Xu Xi let her go.
As soon as the phone rang, Qingcheng didn't even have time to turn off the desk lamp before grabbing her keys and rushing out the door.
Following the Morse code sung by the gong, Qingcheng ran all the way to the agreed church. When she pushed open the church door, panting, she found Wang Renyong sitting impatiently on the steps in front of the podium, while Comrade Qi Kejun had already arrived.
“Young comrade, you were 3 minutes late for the rendezvous. There were spies, and the comrades who were supposed to meet you have already left.” Wang Renyong glanced at the pocket watch in his hand and said regretfully, “You failed the rendezvous. You’ll have to wait for a retake. But let me remind you, there are no retakes in reality.”
Qingcheng hadn't caught her breath yet, so she could only clutch her stomach and gasp for air. It was too late, there was no point in explaining.
“Your physical fitness is a real problem. Look at you, you're so weak you can't even kill a chicken. You'll be panting like a bull when the spies chase you. In this world, the fast runner is the boss, and the slow runner will only end up in jail as a grandson.” Wang Renyong patted his butt and got up to tell them to prepare for the next task.
Comrade Qi comforted Qingcheng, explaining that not every impromptu rendezvous can succeed in reality. If either party senses something amiss, the rendezvous will be canceled, even if the person arrives on time. What they need to learn is to be keenly aware of any illogical situations around them and to sense changes in the atmosphere; this is more important than the rendezvous itself.
As for physical fitness, Kiyosumi has only been training for less than two months. If he continues to train, his physical fitness will improve significantly over time.
Wang Renyong didn't give Qingcheng much time to rest. Holding a kerosene lamp, he waved his hand, signaling the two to follow him. After passing through several hidden doors, even Qingcheng, who had a good sense of direction, was almost dizzy. He was filled with admiration for the organization. This was no church; it was a complete maze of secrets.
Finally, Wang Renyong led the two to a hidden dark room. Standing at the door, he proudly introduced that the Tzu Chi Church was one of their secret contact points. It had been specially modified and connected to the Tzu Chi Hospital next door and the Shikumen rooms at the back door. It was a well-connected area, especially suitable for holding large meetings, and could be used to retreat outside immediately if there were secret agents searching for them.
This place is a liaison point known only to their Second Division and a few high-ranking officials.
The current simulated scenario is the detective team's archives room. The two of them need to find a list of lurking spies in this room. They are given one kerosene lamp and only one hour to explore. The "security guards" will patrol every half hour. Regardless of whether they find the list or not, they must immediately evacuate outside when the time is up.
"Did Section Chief Wang give you any hints?" Qingcheng looked at Wang Renyong with her clear, beautiful eyes blinking.
“Being coquettish won’t work. Why don’t you ask the reactionaries if they’ll give you a hint?” Wang Renyong lectured sternly. “Young comrade, be serious. You’re taking an exam.”
Qingcheng had hoped to glean something from Wang Renyong's face, but she couldn't discern anything; her attempts to read his expressions were ineffective. She suddenly missed Ai Ruirui's free-range parenting style. Ai Ruirui's words might be harsh, but she wouldn't interfere too much, unlike Wang Renyong, who seemed kind but was actually very strict. Being his student was both mentally and physically exhausting.
Wang Renyong took out his pocket watch, pointed to the time on it, and asked the two men to check their watches. It was 8:50 now, and they needed to complete the evacuation before 9:50.
With a "snap," Old Wang pulled the light switch, plunging the room into darkness once more. Before leaving, Old Wang still gave a friendly reminder: there are many rooms here.
"Isn't that obvious!" Qingcheng was speechless. She wasn't blind. "Old Wang, at least give me some useful hints!"
In order not to waste time, Qingcheng decided to split up with Comrade Qi. Comrade Qi, who wore glasses, was not suitable for squeezing into small places, so he took a kerosene lamp to other rooms to search for items that could help him escape, such as ropes and keys, and also planned the best escape route.
Kiyosumi stayed in the archives to search for the list of spies. Before leaving, they found a small flashlight for Kiyosumi to use when searching the files.
After Comrade Qi left the room, Qingcheng looked around with a flashlight and was puzzled. This was the archives room, with rows of green metal cabinets neatly leaning against the wall. There were also two sets of desks and chairs in the room. The newspapers pasted on the windows were yellowed and the edges were slightly curled, so they looked quite old.
If Wang Renyong had put something there, it would have been in the most unexpected place. However, as usual, Qingcheng checked all the obvious places, like under the table and on the walls. Turns out, that old bastard Wang had hidden a letter under the table. The letter had the words "Too Simple! Wang Renyong" written on it, followed by a drawing of a grimace.
How childish! Qingcheng angrily crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it hard on the ground.
Another possibility is that the list is hidden in the ocean, mixed in with some file drawer. Her eyes quickly swept over the labels on the drawer door. The action files are basically classified by file number. Qingcheng found another file management book on the desk.
The booklet meticulously listed the time, location, and responsible person for each operation; it was a thick, dictionary-like record, and an hour wouldn't be enough to find everything. "So boring," Qingcheng thought, squatting down to rub her sore eyes. She pessimistically thought the closed-book exam was far too difficult.
To maintain high-intensity training, she worked during the day and studied at night. Now that she was resting, the accumulated fatigue immediately exploded. Qingcheng's mind was a mess, and drowsiness washed over her in waves...
"Thump!" Qingcheng lost her balance and fell flat on her face. The pain in her forehead instantly woke her up. Looking at her watch, she realized there was less than half an hour left in the exam. Good heavens, did she really take that long to doze off?!
In her panic, she sensed something amiss and crawled back onto the floor to examine it more closely. Why was there such a large gap in the floorboards? Was it another trap? Before she could even reach in, she heard the footsteps of a "security guard" in the hallway. Qingcheng immediately switched off her flashlight and scrambled to the desk at the back of the room, waiting for the "guard's" patrol.
A moment later, the wooden floor made a clear creaking sound, and the white beam of the flashlight swept back and forth in the room. Qingcheng didn't dare to breathe loudly. Suddenly, she felt a tickle on the back of her foot. She looked down and was almost scared out of her wits. There was a big rat rubbing against her ankle, its two small green eyes looking very eerie in the dark.
Normally, she would have kicked the mouse away long ago, but now, even though she was scared, she didn't dare to move and just pretended to be a stone. Through the gap under the table, Qingcheng saw that the "security guard" didn't leave immediately. Instead, he pulled up a chair and sat down leisurely, seemingly not going to leave.
What kind of security guard is this, sitting down and slacking off? It must be Wang Renyong adding his own drama to the situation again. I have to teach him a lesson... No, I'm still taking an exam. But I can't stand it. The little mouse next to me isn't afraid of people and keeps lingering around my feet.
A daring plan flashed through her mind. Kiyosumi smiled again and gently caught the little mouse. The little creature let out a pitiful squeak in her hand. Taking advantage of the security guard turning around, she quickly put the frightened little mouse on the table. The mouse, now free, darted across the table like a bullet.
"What a huge rat!" It was indeed Wang Renyong's voice. He made a shooing sound, which probably scared the rat away.
"Stop sleeping! There are still 20 minutes left until the exam ends. Be mindful of the time." Wang Renyong's voice was incredibly loud, making Qingcheng's eardrums throb as she tried to suppress her laughter. Then he opened the door and left the archives room.
So he knew all along. Qingcheng awkwardly crawled out from under the table. Don't blame her for dozing off; having experienced the "Night Visit to No. 24" incident, she felt no real tension during this kind of exam.
But she wasn't the only one taking the exam today, and she couldn't let Uncle Qi fail as well. She had to put herself in his shoes; if she were a spy, she certainly wouldn't keep that rarely used list of undercover agents in front of her.
There are many rooms here!
Old Wang's hint flashed through her mind. Could it be that he didn't mean there were many rooms outside, but rather that there was a secret room inside? Qingcheng tried using the letter opener she had found to pry open the cracked floorboard, and surprisingly, she managed to pry open a hole.
Qingcheng immediately turned on her flashlight to observe. There was an iron ladder leading straight down to the dark room below. Without hesitation, she climbed down the ladder. The basement was about five or six square meters, with a spring bed and a set of tables and chairs, and nothing else.
On the table was a complete radio set, covered in dust, unlike anything that had been placed there recently. Kiyosumi felt that she had probably come to the wrong place again. This place was probably a temporary safe house for comrades, and no one had lived there for a long time.
There was a regular stain on the base of the east wall. This stain was too conspicuous. Qingcheng tapped the wall with her hand, and a hollow echo came from behind the wall. Well, there really was something there. She skillfully used a letter opener to dig out the wall brick.
Suddenly, a swarm of moths flew out of the hole, startling Qingcheng so much that she fell to the ground. She bit her lower lip, holding back the tears that were about to spill from her eyes. Was this a search and find test or a test of courage?
However, Kiyosumi didn't give herself much time to feel aggrieved. She quickly pulled out a locked flat box from the hole in the wall, easily unlocked it by removing a hair clip from her head, and inside the box was a roster.
"Xiao He, are you alright?" Uncle Qi's concerned voice came from above the cave entrance.
"It's okay. I found the roster." Kiyosumi sniffed and climbed back into the archives.
"We only have five minutes left, let's hurry, I've found the key to the back door too." Qi Kejun pulled Qingcheng to help her steady herself.
The two followed the dark corridor and successfully opened the back door with their key. As soon as they opened the door, they saw Wang Renyong there. Upon seeing the newcomers, Wang Renyong immediately straightened his back and announced that the two of them had passed the test and would continue to the next item.
"Wait a minute, Comrade Renyong, could you review this? I still have no clue. We split up." Qi Kejun's face was full of seriousness.
"You'd have to ask our classmate who can still fall asleep during exams. How did she find her?" Wang Renyong said helplessly. "This is the first time I've met someone with such a carefree attitude in all my training. In a sense, it's a good thing."
"Section Chief Wang, stop talking. I didn't do it on purpose. I just knew it was an exam and there was no danger, so I was a bit relaxed. You should tell me quickly, where do enemies usually hide secret documents? I just stumbled upon this by accident." Qingcheng asked curiously.
Wang Renyong nodded and led the two back to the archives room, slowly saying, "There are actually patterns to hiding things. Take myself as an example, I usually hide things under the first floor tile by the door, or the third floor tile counting from the door if it's a wooden floor."
Qingcheng and Qi Ke looked at each other, puzzled as to why such a conclusion had been reached.
"Think about it, what would a top spy do when he walks in with a bunch of his men?" Wang Renyong said, putting one hand on his hip and the other pointing at a gun, adopting the arrogant expression of a spy, and shouting with a crooked mouth: "Brothers, search me thoroughly, don't miss a single piece of paper."
Wang Renyong's imitation was so lifelike that it made the two people watching the play laugh non-stop.
"Don't laugh yet, look where I'm standing." Wang Renyong's feet were on the third floorboard by the door, which was the so-called "blind spot for the search."
He continued, "By analogy, you should observe the spies around you more often. A person's habits don't change easily, especially when they are infiltrating for a long time. You can not only find your own rules for hiding things, but also discover the patterns of how some big spies hide things."
"There's another room downstairs, and there's a hole in that room. Is it a safe house to avoid the surprise search?" Kiyosumi asked.
"No, this is a simulated telegraph room. The hole is for hiding the codebook. In the past, to train comrades' perseverance and endurance, everyone had to stay down there for a full month without being able to come out." Wang Renyong said it casually. In such a dark and gloomy cubicle, with rats and moths, one would go crazy even after a day, let alone a month.
"Why don't we need to train you anymore?" Qi Kejun pressed.
Wang Renyong smiled and replied, "This is the second phase of training. Alright, next item: disguise and shooting. Now, switch identities and dress up as the other person would normally."
Huh? Are we going to have to sail to international waters again? Qingcheng's stomach churned. Their usual shooting training wasn't on land but at sea. At night, the wind was strong and the waves were high. They also had to practice their feel and balance while holding a rifle that was almost two meters long. She, who never gets seasick, had been tossed around by the waves during the last few training sessions.
"My stomach hasn't been feeling well these past few days, can I not take the boat?" Kiyosumi clutched her stomach, feigning distress.
"To dress up as a young girl... I... I'm so old, I could almost be her father, it's not appropriate, is it?" Qi Kejun said with a bitter face, even more concerned about having to dress as a woman.
Wang Renyong looked at the two of them seriously and said, "Do you want to talk to the reactionaries about 'fairness'? What if the people who arrest you are the ones you've been with day and night? Will you take the boat? It's not like you're on a blind date. When you're on the run, you don't have to worry about whether your clothes are appropriate. As long as you can fool the spies, that's fine."
Qingcheng and Qi Ke exchanged glances, whispered a few words to each other, then turned back to Old Wang and said, "Hmm, what you said makes a lot of sense, but we have a small request."
A black sedan pulled up in the dock warehouse area, and two women and a man got out. Judging from their clothes, they were a young man and his female companions who had come to have fun. In the distance, there was only one shop with neon lights, and the sign read "Case Shooting Club".
As soon as Qingcheng got out of the car, she felt countless eyes staring at her. Even though she couldn't see a single person, she nervously grabbed Wang Renyong and asked, "Why does this place feel so eerie? Could it be that spies suddenly rush out and surround us?"
Wang Renyong stopped and said seriously to Qingcheng, "It wasn't the spies who surrounded us, but rather we who stormed into the spies' territory. The Case Shooting Club is the spies' favorite place to go, besides dance halls and brothels."
"This...this is...we're going to infiltrate a spy's den." Kiyosumi felt as if her feet weighed a ton, and she couldn't take a single step.
"So you won't fall asleep again. Isn't that exciting enough?" Wang Renyong said, pulling the hesitant Comrade Qi out from behind the car. "Old Qi, you've already put it on, so this is the only time you'll lose face."
"Oh dear, I... sigh." Qi Kejun sighed repeatedly, tugging at her cheongsam.
"Section Chief Wang, why do we have to infiltrate a spy's den? Can't we go to a more reputable shooting club?" Qingcheng recommended a high-end shooting club on the Bund to Old Wang, saying she could use her connections to get a membership card.
"Bullets are free! You're not in charge, so you don't know the cost of living." Wang Renyong rolled his eyes at her. "As field agents, we need to know how to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, and help the organization save money. Expenses over there can be recorded on the books, and then various intelligence systems will report them uniformly. The accounts will be a mess, and no one will dare to check them closely, do you understand?"
Upon hearing this explanation, Qingcheng smiled knowingly: "Section Chief Wang, you're too mean. You're training on their turf and then making them pay for it."
"Besides getting free training, we can also get to know a lot of lower- and mid-level spies. Do you think those lower- and mid-level spies are genuinely working for the Party and the country? That's all bullshit. They're just trying to make a living," Wang Renyong said with a smile.
Both Qingcheng and Qi Ke expressed their understanding.
"It's a mixed bag inside, so you need to be extra careful. You can strike up conversations with the junior agents and listen to their complaints; you might learn a lot. But don't talk too much to the high-ranking agents; your skills aren't up to par yet, and you'll easily arouse suspicion. But if you do encounter a high-ranking agent, don't be afraid; I'll cover for you when they question you," Wang Renyong assured him, patting his chest.
"Then how do I know which one is the big spy and which one is the small spy?" Kiyosumi asked eagerly.
Under Qingcheng's earnest gaze, Wang Renyong began his on-the-spot instruction: "Junior spies are the easiest to identify. Their eyes are often not looking straight ahead, but looking around randomly, as if searching for someone, making it easy for people to tell that they are spies at a glance."
Kiyosumi thought about it and realized that she might have actually encountered those petty spies, but she hadn't paid much attention when walking on the street. Recalling what those people looked like, she immediately imitated them.
“Smart, that’s it. Remember your place, let’s go.” Wang Renyong cautiously looked around and beckoned the two of them to follow him into the shop.
With two comrades by his side, Qingcheng felt much more at ease. Today was quite a challenge, testing both his mental fortitude and his practical skills. The enemy always wants to devour us, so we'll just go along with his wishes and crawl into his belly first.
Upon entering the store, Qingcheng found that the layout was almost identical to that of a dance hall: a long bar, several leather sofas, and a group of thugs drinking and playing cards, making the whole room smoky and chaotic.
After the three of them sat down, a woman with a Jiangnan accent came over with a cigarette between her fingers and said, "Oh, isn't this Mr. Wang? How long has it been since you last came? You haven't missed me at all."
The man immediately pulled out a matchbox from his pocket and lit a cigarette for the woman: "Piaopiao, are you kidding me? I was just here last week. If you don't believe me, go ask Lao Liu. I even treated him to some old wine. You must be away on a mission. Hey~ why did you change your perfume? The new one smells nice too."
Piao Piao pushed away the man's head that was leaning closer and asked in a coquettish voice, "You rascal, aren't you going to introduce me to the two ladies next to you?"
“I’m afraid you’ll get jealous if I introduce you. Do you believe me? Lucy and Annie are both my nieces.” Mr. Wang stroked Piaopiao’s hand, smiling and revealing his eight upper molars.
"Believe it...you big idiot, all the good-looking women are your nieces." Piao Piao tapped the man's head.
"Since you're so beautiful, you must be my niece. How's business lately?" Mr. Wang asked with a smile.
"That's fine, nothing special. What about you? Any big business opportunities?" Piao Piao finished speaking, exhaling a puff of smoke, and looked at the man with flirtatious eyes.
"It's all been a waste of time, and we haven't gotten anything out of it. I wonder how the Communist Party has become so smart these days." Mr. Wang shook his head and sighed. "Anyway, I'll treat you to something. Waiter, three bottles of soda, a glass of whiskey, and Miss Piaopiao, please have the ice hand-cut."
"Ugh, you're so thoughtful. Go and keep your two 'nieces' company. I'll go get the score sheet for you." Piaopiao smoothed her sideburns and left with a captivating charm.
A moment later, the waiter came over with a tray, placing three bottles of soda and three score sheets on it. Mr. Wang tapped the score sheet with his finger with satisfaction and blew a kiss to Piaopiao, who was drinking.
The three men picked up the scoresheets and sodas, and followed the winding corridor to an open-air shooting range. The range staff seemed to recognize Mr. Wang, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then distributed pistols and earplugs to the three of them.
Taking the gun, Qingcheng's emotions soared. This test was not only to assess her shooting skills, but also to cultivate her courage to be in enemy territory, because a single misstep could lead to total defeat.
Fortunately, the test went very smoothly, and both of them passed the shooting test. When they returned to the bar area, Qingcheng suddenly tightened her grip on the soda bottle. A familiar face appeared in front of them. Why would Xu Qiao come to a place of this kind?
Wang Renyong also sensed Qingcheng's nervousness and whispered a reminder to her to straighten her back and not show any fear.
Xu Qiao, accompanied by two of his men, brushed past the three of them without recognizing Qing Cheng. Instead, he immediately put his arm around the receptionist, Miss Piao Piao, and the two sat down to flirt. Upon his arrival, the three dared not linger. Old Wang immediately paid the bill and left the Case Club.
Upon arriving at the parking spot, Wang Renyong sat in the passenger seat, Qingcheng sat in the back seat, and Comrade Qi immediately took out a pair of glasses from the glove compartment in front of the driver's seat, put them on, stepped on the gas, and the black sedan sped away, disappearing into the neon-lit streets.
A moment later, the car door opened and another person got in—it was Piaopiao from before. Qingcheng looked at Piaopiao with a puzzled expression. Before she could speak, Piaopiao suddenly ripped a thin film off her face, revealing Ai Ruirui's delicate features: "Wang Renyong, you've made me come to this kind of shady place again. Don't call me at night unless it's absolutely necessary."
Piaopiao is Ai Ruirui! The one who was just flirting with me was Ai Ruirui! Qingcheng was so shocked that she couldn't speak.
Wang Renyong chuckled, removed his wavy wig, and pointed to his cheongsam, saying, "We're taking an exam. Look, I'm even wearing a cheongsam. It's all for the revolution. What do you have to complain about?"
Having recovered a bit, He Qingcheng caught her breath. Seeing that everyone had let their guard down, she loosened her tie, though she still felt a little breathless from the tight binding. She had initially thought Piaopiao was some kind of high-ranking spy, but it turned out she was just an examiner testing her.
The result of their discussion with Wang Renyong was that Old Wang would accompany them in dressing up, and Qingcheng would dress up as Old Wang. With Old Wang accompanying them, Comrade Qi would no longer resist dressing as a woman.
"Everyone's tired today. I'll announce the final results on Friday night and do a debriefing for you." Wang Renyong had a faint smile on his face. "Young comrade, have you finished writing your marriage application?"
"No." Kiyosumi scratched her head awkwardly; she really couldn't write a single word.
On the other side, Chen Yao noticed that Gao Junxiao hadn't been able to get through on the phone and asked with concern, "Didn't the long-distance call go through?"
Gao Junxiao stared blankly out the window, his hands hanging limply: "She... is probably on the night shift."
“It’s okay, we’ll arrive in Shanghai in a few days. You can just go to her office and wait for her.” Chen Yao nestled on the sofa, flipping through a magazine. “Look at Qingcheng, she’s working three shifts every day. We should marry her soon so she can enjoy a comfortable life and not work so hard.”
A hint of worry was faintly revealed on Gao Junxiao's gloomy and lost face.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
