They're all thousand-year-old foxes, what are they doing playing with Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio?
After the torrential rain, the long-awaited sun finally peeked out from behind the clouds, and the sky, washed clean by the rain, revealed a clear blue hue. Tender buds, carrying the scent of earth and grass, stretched out their forms.
One more artillery sparring exercise today, and this field exercise will come to a perfect end. A group of generals stood on high ground, observing the distant battle situation through binoculars. Gao Junxiao stood in the back row and beckoned to his adjutant, Lu, to call Shan Hai over.
As promised, Section Chief Li of the Publicity Department arrived at the training ground early in the morning with Secretary Wu, taking photos with the officers. Secretary Wu was still as humble as ever, wearing black-rimmed glasses, his slender figure slightly hunched over, just as he had been the night before.
Gao Junxiao couldn't be sure that the Secretary Wu in front of him was the same Secretary Wu from last night because he had only met him briefly yesterday. He felt that something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Was he being too sensitive? Just as Gao Junxiao was frowning and struggling with this thought, Lu Xian brought Lei Shanhai over. Shanhai was wearing combat gear, carrying a rifle, and had a bright smile on his face, presumably because he had performed well and been praised.
He walked up to Gao Junxiao and gave a crisp military salute. Gao Junxiao gently brushed the dust off Shan Hai's shoulders and smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes. Gao Junxiao's kindness turned into shock for Shan Hai; the boy looked at him warily, probably cursing him as a corrupt official in his heart.
Gao Junxiao noticed the changes in Shan Hai's expression. He suppressed a laugh and pulled Shan Hai to a large, shady tree at the back. This spot was a little far from the crowd, but just enough to see the officers' every move.
"I have a question for you." Gao Junxiao said with a friendly smile, his hands behind his back.
"Speak your mind, please don't do this, it's making me nervous." Shan Hai cleared his throat and pretended to look up at the tree, avoiding eye contact with him.
Gao Junxiao didn't waste any more words and asked directly, "If I asked you to play the secretary with glasses from the front, could you do it?"
Shan Hai didn't answer immediately, but observed for a while before calmly patting his chest to assure him that there was no problem. Seeing that Gao Junxiao still had doubts, he added, "Although I am much stronger than that kid, I have a unique secret technique. You saw it last time. Even someone with such a slender build is not a big problem for me."
"What if others don't have your unique secret technique?" Gao Junxiao asked calmly.
"Then what's the point of pretending!" Shan Hai rolled his eyes dismissively. Perhaps sensing Gao Junxiao's scrutinizing gaze, he composed himself and replied respectfully, "Not entirely. There are rules to disguise. It's easy to go from small to large, but difficult to go from large to small."
Gao Junxiao didn't interrupt, waiting for Shan Hai to continue answering. Shan Hai said, "It means that if you add height and weight by sticking on a mustache and a big mole, and with certain makeup techniques, you can learn it after a few tries. But removing the big mole, going from fat to thin, or from tall to short, is not so easy."
"So women can also dress up as men?" Gao Junxiao asked calmly, pacing back and forth.
"It's possible, but there are limits to how much you can change. For example, it's impossible for a ten-year-old girl to pretend to be an eight-foot-tall man." Shan Hai was always confident in his skills and could talk about them quite fluently.
Suddenly remembering something, Shan Hai smiled slyly: "Hehehe, your woman is a good model. Taller women are easier to dress as men. If you put her in my hands, she'll become exactly like you. Even your own mother wouldn't be able to tell the difference."
Even though he brought up the topic first, and even though he had his doubts, his mood still soured when he heard Shan Hai joking about Qing Cheng.
"Even with your excellent skills, you still managed to be found out." Shan Hai became arrogant again, and Gao Junxiao felt he needed to give him a good talking-to.
"Yeah, I'm wondering the same thing. How did that girl figure it out? Ask her for me next time." After Shan Hai finished speaking, the man in front of him had already stopped smiling.
Despite it being broad daylight and the sun shining brightly, Shan Hai shivered, suddenly feeling a chill down his spine. But upon seeing Gao Junxiao's expression, he instinctively swallowed, guessing he might have said something wrong.
"Okay, I'd like to know too. And has anyone come to inquire about your identity recently?" Gao Junxiao originally wanted to say that this was the first time he had seen through Shan Hai's identity, but Shan Hai's answer was more interesting, so he didn't want to delve into it further and changed the subject.
"Yes, I just told you what I had memorized. But one person didn't seem to believe me, saying he was also from Xuzhou, and kept asking me all sorts of questions. I got annoyed, so I pretended to be angry and went back to my tent to sleep."
Gao Junxiao held his breath and thought for a moment before saying to Shan Hai, "It seems they've discovered you. From today onwards, don't sleep so soundly at night, and always keep a weapon with you."
"Hey! Don't scare me, I'm not easily frightened." Shan Hai said stubbornly, but his hand unconsciously reached for the rifle behind his back.
"Be smart and go." Gao Junxiao had just finished sending Shan Hai away when his adjutant, Chen, the attendant of Commander Xiong, came over and asked him to go back with the commander by car.
Something's happened at headquarters!
When Commander Xiong's car arrived at the entrance of the Songhu Garrison, the gate was already filled with black people and vehicles. However, due to the real guns and bullets on the watchtower, the men in black only dared to shout in front of the gate.
Following closely behind Commander Xiong's car was Section Chief Li's official vehicle. After getting out of the car, he forcefully rushed into the group of people in black, like a green bean mixed in with black rice, and shouted loudly, "Who is the leader? Come out!"
Among the men in black, a middle-aged man with a protruding belly and a mustache emerged. He glanced at his pocket watch and then put it back in the pocket of his Zhongshan suit, carefully examining the young man in the yellow-green military uniform from head to toe.
"I am Li Shifa, the section chief of the Shanghai branch of the Central Party Affairs Investigation Department. May I ask who you are?" Li Shifa clasped his hands in greeting and introduced himself to Section Chief Li.
Section Chief Li returned the greeting with a fist and palm salute: "You're too kind. Li Sheng, I'm the head of the Publicity and Distribution Section of the Songhu Garrison Command. What brings you and your team to our company, Section Chief Li?"
“We intercepted an unusual telegram from your company last night,” Li Shifa said after a deliberate pause. “It was a telegram sent to the Soviet area.”
"Wow! That's a serious charge. You mean we have someone colluding with us?" Section Chief Li casually stated the purpose of their trip.
"We'll have to investigate to make a decision, but look, even our investigation team can't get in. People who don't know better might think you're protecting someone," Li Shifa retorted, squinting his eyes.
"Ha, Station Chief Li starts by accusing us all of covering up a crime. What a display of official arrogance! But leading a team to attack military facilities is also a capital offense." Section Chief Li's tone suddenly became more serious.
Just as the two were exchanging barbs and their tension was about to escalate, another black sedan screeched to a halt in the aisle. The first person to get out was Qi Kejun, now known as Qi Xuan, who was wearing a gray Zhongshan suit.
Inside the car, Xu Qiao, dressed in an impeccably tailored suit, straightened his lapel as Qi Xuan respectfully opened the car door for him. Upon seeing his superior, Li Shifa stopped his empty talk and quickly went to report for duty.
Commander Xiong watched them "chatting and laughing" with a livid face, showing no intention of getting out of the car. Seeing his superior's attitude, Gao Junxiao, who was sitting next to him, did not dare to make any rash moves and sat quietly in a corner.
It wasn't until Xu Qiao bent down and knocked on Commander Xiong's car window that Commander Xiong, with his lips tightly pressed together, gave a cold snort, making Xu Qiao wait quite a while before slowly rolling down the window. He preemptively said, "Director Xu, what brings you to my doorstep while walking your dog?"
Hearing Commander Xiong's explanation, Xu Qiao was somewhat embarrassed, but still managed a smile as he replied, "It's all because my subordinates didn't know the rules and acted on their own. But the telegram really was intercepted; those communists are everywhere. It was my duty, and I hope Commander Xiong will forgive my recklessness..."
"Since you know you've acted recklessly, why don't you quickly take your dog back? What kind of behavior is it to block the headquarters gate?" Commander Xiong had no intention of giving Xu Qiao a kind look and directly interrupted his speech.
Xu Qiao may have wanted to play the good cop/bad cop with Section Chief Li, but Commander Xiong wouldn't listen. He could only order Li Shifa to temporarily withdraw his team and clear a path for the entrance. Commander Xiong's car slowly drove through the gate. Gao Junxiao, who was in the car, looked at the agents outside and roughly understood why Commander Xiong wanted him to ride with him.
Commander Xiong was making a silent declaration that some people were beyond their control.
The intelligence system is a freak. On the surface, their positions are low-ranking and their status inconspicuous, but in reality, even Commander Xiong is secretly monitored by them. Under normal circumstances, even if Commander Xiong despises Xu Qiao, he will still give him some face.
But with today's commotion, half of that facade has been torn off. If Xu Qiao is allowed to swagger into the headquarters and search at will, what prestige will Commander Xiong have left? Gao Junxiao thought to himself as the car came to a steady stop in front of the office building.
Of course, Xu Qiao dared to do this because he most likely had authorization from his superiors. Sure enough, as soon as Commander Xiong arrived at his office, a call came in from his superiors, and Gao Junxiao, Deputy Commander Shen, and Li Sheng could only stand at the door and wait for the call to end.
Waiting is the longest and most agonizing time. It wasn't just the few people waiting in front of the commander's gate; Xu Qiao, who was also waiting in front of the commander's office, was waiting as well. A large number of dragonflies stretched out their wings and flew low over the farmer's scalp. Occasionally, a dragonfly would land on the windowsill, flap its wings, and fly away again.
Finally, Commander Xiong hung up the phone. He was in a much better mood, and his complexion was rosier than before. Commander Xiong ordered his adjutant, Shen, to immediately invite Xu Qiao up, but the troops were not allowed to enter; they could only bring two assistants at most.
The rainy season is like a child's face; just a moment ago the sun was shining brightly, but now it suddenly darkens, with red lines appearing on the horizon, and thick yellow clouds constantly gathering into dark blue-black clouds.
As expected, Xu Qiao came to pay his respects alone, accompanied by Qi Xuan and Li Shifa. Upon seeing the two, Gao Junxiao couldn't help but recall the familiar figures from that day at Cuijin Tower. He took a deep breath, trying to temporarily erase that lingering image from his mind. Right now, he was about to face his own misfortune; why should he think about others?
The result of the negotiations with the higher-ups just now is that Commander Xiong and Xu Qiao will investigate this matter together. Of course, we will follow the host's lead, and when there is a dispute, Commander Xiong's opinion will prevail.
And so, all the staff on duty in the mailroom, the staff working overtime in the departments, and even people like Gao Junxiao who happened to be there, were all locked in a large conference room.
Apart from Gao Junxiao and his group, the other people who were called over all looked innocent and asked each other what had happened. However, everyone shook their heads and indicated that they didn't know, so they could only wait there helplessly.
The first to be interrogated were the four staff members on duty in the mailroom and the two guards. After all, the mailroom had both a telegraph machine and the staff who could send telegraphs, so they were the prime suspects.
In the conference room, everyone was discussing the people who had been taken away from the mailroom. Everyone speculated whether some military secret had been leaked. But the spies gathered in front of the door earlier were not fake either. Some people said that there were spies in the mailroom, otherwise why would spies be here?
Bah! At this time, to still talk about communism, red, or Soviet is suicidal. If a "third party" hears this and reports it to the commander, even a non-essential matter will turn into a serious one. These words are capital offenses.
The meeting room gradually fell silent. Everyone stopped talking, but the stuffy, humid feeling before the rain made it feel like being in a steamer. Everyone's clothes clung tightly to their bodies. This uncomfortable feeling, combined with the suspicious atmosphere, was enough to drive anyone crazy.
Sitting next to Li Shifa in the office was his adjutant, Shen, while the two of them were interrogating Sister Zhang. They first followed procedure, asking for her name, position, and other basic information, then had Zhang Zhaodi recount the events of that day.
Zhang Zhaodi was a feisty person to begin with. As soon as she was asked to speak, she immediately slammed her hand on the table and shouted that she was innocent. She said that she had followed the rules of the mailroom exactly as she had done, and she was so loud and clear that it was hard to tell who was interrogating whom.
The adjutant was about to get angry, but Li Shifa suppressed him and then smiled and told Sister Zhang to speak slowly.
She then recounted her work that night, explaining that she followed procedures and that every telegram was archived. She only went out once to answer a phone call, but that was also done according to regulations. There was another telegraph operator on duty at the time, so there was no absence of personnel in the communications room. She suggested asking the guards about this.
On the other side, Commander Xiong and Xu Qiao sat side by side. After saluting, Wen Li also carefully sat down, her hands constantly fidgeting with the hem of her clothes, her head bowed, not daring to look directly at her two superiors. Even a casual flip of Xu Qiao's notebook could make her as nervous as a frightened bird.
After going through the procedures, Wenli recounted her experience that night. She had reported according to regulations, and there were records to check. She just had an upset stomach that night and went to the toilet several times. She felt better after taking medicine at the infirmary. However, the part about her mistake that led to her being detained was too embarrassing, so she skipped it.
But how could such deliberate concealment escape Xu Qiao's eyes? He sternly questioned her about what she had been doing. A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder, which terrified Wenli and made her cry.
While wiping away her tears, she insisted that she really stayed in the toilet and didn't go anywhere else. Xu Qiao deliberately put on a kind face and coaxed her to tell the details: how many times she went to the toilet, who she met on the way, and what strange things happened in the toilet.
However, Wenli's face was already red from crying, and she was sobbing uncontrollably. She could barely speak after that, and the only things that could be heard were mung bean soup, toilet, cleaning, and so on.
The interrogation was forced to pause. Xu Qiao glanced angrily at Commander Xiong. If this were in their investigation department, they would have tortured her long ago. They wouldn't be afraid she wouldn't be able to tell the whole story. Commander Xiong shook her head, thinking: It's just that the young lady feels too ashamed to have diarrhea. Why would she ask her to describe the details?
In his mind, the Communist Party members fell into three categories: those who confessed without being questioned, those who only confessed after being questioned, and those who refused to confess even under duress. However, important intelligence often resided with those who refused to confess, which gave him a major headache.
This Wenli is clearly weak-willed. If she were a member of the Communist Party, she would fall into the first category. He wouldn't even need to torture her; a few scares would be enough to make her confess everything she knows.
So Commander Xiong let Xu Qiao coerce and entice him, but it was all in vain; if he didn't know, he simply didn't know. Xu Qiao pressed further, asking what "cleanliness" meant, only to be countered by Commander Xiong: "Director Xu, we've been fighting wits and courage against those communists for so many years, have you ever seen a member of the Communist Party with such poor mental fortitude who refuses to confess?"
Xu Qiao could only temporarily compromise and agree to Commander Xiong's arrogant remarks. After all, what Commander Xiong said made some sense. He had observed for a long time and found that Wen Li was indeed not acting; she was timid as a mouse and completely useless.
The reason was still being discussed heatedly in the conference room when the guards took away the staff who had worked overtime that night one by one, especially those who had been to the mailroom, such as Secretary Ma from the Secretariat, Staff Member Qian from the General Affairs Department, and Secretary Wu from the Publicity Department.
It was only then that everyone noticed that their superiors were also locked in the conference room. These were all the commander's favorite generals!
Having an official rank makes all the difference. Look at Director Zhao, Section Chief Li, Director Hu, and Inspector Gao, they are all incredibly calm. Some are resting with their eyes closed, some are having their subordinates pour them water, and some are idly reading the newspaper. They don't seem anxious at all.
Several streaks of lightning flashed outside the window, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. Then, with a whoosh, large raindrops pounded against the windowpane, splashing up in sprays on the windowsill.
Gao Junxiao leaned against the window, coldly watching the overwhelming rain. He slightly opened the window, and the west wind, carrying the rusty smell of drizzle, lashed his face, making it feel cool and wet. A storm was brewing!
Director Zhao from the General Affairs Department also came over, took a deep breath of fresh air, and turned to Gao Junxiao, saying, "They intercepted the report yesterday, and this morning they led a team to arrest the person. This is too much of a coincidence; it's like it was premeditated."
"Given their efficiency, if it weren't for waiting for authorization from higher-ups, they should have come to take him away last night," Li Sheng corrected, taking a sip of water.
"They have ulterior motives. Our commander recently snatched a big job from CC, and they're holding a grudge," Director Hu from the secretariat chimed in, putting down his newspaper. He hadn't worked overtime yesterday, but he had assigned tasks to his subordinates, which is why he was called in as well.
"I'm afraid they'll just throw accusations around randomly; that's what they're best at." Gao Junxiao summarized CC's methods in his mind—they were all underhanded tactics used to gain personal benefits, but they were effective nonetheless.
One by one, those connected to the case were taken away, while the remaining people simply waited numbly, and the interrogations continued...
"Secretary Wu, why were you the only one sending a coded message that night?"
"Because the content of our department's transmissions involves military secrets, it must be encrypted according to regulations." Despite the seemingly idiotic question, Secretary Wu adjusted his glasses and answered seriously.
"Tell me what you did that day? In particular, what were you doing at the mailroom?"
“Yesterday I accompanied the section chief on official business. He had a telegram to send, so I went to the mailroom to hand over the slip. I don’t know how to send telegrams, so I could only watch as they helped me write the message and send it out. For short ones, I would wait a while; for long ones, I would come down later. After the section chief left work, I left the headquarters with him in the car.”
"But the mailroom staff said you also delivered food to them. Why did you deliver food on that particular day?"
"You can ask the people in the mailroom how many meals I need to treat them to in a month."
What is your purpose in doing this?
"It's all about social etiquette. Our department sends a lot of telegrams, just hoping that they'll be careful when they send me telegrams and not make any mistakes."
"Why did the telegraph operator Wenli get diarrhea after eating the food you delivered?"
“I didn’t just order food for her, everyone ate, including myself, and I was fine.”
The interrogation of Li Sheng was also taking place next door.
"Section Chief Li, why are you still at headquarters so late?"
"Of course, I'm busy with work. How can I leave work before I finish my tasks?"
What official business are you on?
"It involves military secrets, so I cannot comment."
"Then why have you been having your secretary send out telegrams so frequently lately?"
"Our headquarters has its own reporting needs; why would the investigation section handle this?"
"If you don't explain clearly, you won't be able to get rid of this suspicion."
"You've come to question me because of the unusual transmission, haven't you? I have a feeling you're trying to probe our company's military secrets."
Finally, it was Gao Junxiao's turn. He was almost asleep from waiting. He had reason to suspect that Xu Qiao was deliberately messing with him. Even though his suspicion was minor, he was the last one to be questioned.
“Commander Gao, all the officers should have been on standby at the training ground last night. Why did you suddenly come back?” Xu Qiao looked at Gao Junxiao with the excitement of a wild dog seeing raw meat.
Commander Xiong suddenly interjected, "Ah, I just wanted to see a combat report."
"Then why not have your adjutant or guards fetch it?" Since Commander Xiong had already spoken, Xu Qiao could only look for loopholes in the argument.
“My adjutant has just been dispatched to carry out an exercise and won’t be back for a while,” Gao Junxiao said calmly. “How can I let the guards retrieve such an important report? I have to go myself.”
"How come you just happened to come back at that exact time? That's too much of a coincidence." These words were clearly directed at him by Xu Qiao.
"When the superior gives an order, we naturally have to react quickly. That's just how coincidental it is. What should we do?" Gao Junxiao found this statement quite ridiculous and could only smile and ask in return.
"According to the driver's recollection, you went up and down the stairs for a total of five minutes. What were you doing during that time?" Xu Qiao scribbled in his notebook, seemingly trying to pin some kind of label on him.
“My office is at the end of the third floor. It takes at least three minutes to walk up and down the stairs to get there, and I also need to turn on the light to find the report.” Gao Junxiao controlled his emotions and tried his best to cooperate with Xu Qiao’s questions.
"Really? Didn't I say the commander needed it urgently? Why did you have to walk? Shouldn't you have jogged up and down the stairs?" Xu Qiao's words were meant to be unanswerable. Commander Xiong, who was beside him, coughed heavily a few times, glanced at Xu Qiao, and warned him to stop talking about things unrelated to the investigation.
"Did you encounter any unfamiliar faces or strange people along the way?" Xu Qiao could only continue to ask, despite Commander Xiong's warning.
"No." Gao Junxiao blurted out without thinking.
"Alright, Director Xu, Inspector Gao is only here to assist in the investigation, that's enough." Commander Xiong directly defined Gao Junxiao as circumstantial evidence, which made Xu Qiao feel extremely aggrieved.
After the first round of questioning, the interrogation records were compiled and handed over to Commander Xiong and Xu Qiao. After repeated review of these records, the two finally reconstructed the events of that night.
At that time, the staff on duty in the mailroom and the clerks working overtime at night were all working normally. During this time, the clerks working overtime came into the mailroom one after another to hand in notes, and then Secretary Wu delivered food to everyone at mealtime.
One of the telegraph operators, Wenli, had diarrhea after eating, while another telegraph operator, Zhang Zhaodi, went out to make a phone call once during the period. Wenli also went to the clinic to get medicine later.
From the cipher clerk to the telegraph operator, everyone did indeed follow the rules and procedures. Every message was archived and the records matched one by one. The coded telegram was intercepted at around 6:45. At that time, Sister Zhang was on the phone. The caller was her mother, asking for money. This was no secret; many people knew it.
At that time, according to the records, when Wenli sent Secretary Wu's last encrypted telegram, the recipient also provided a successful "handshake" message. How could one person send two telegrams at the same time? The cipher clerks had even less of a problem; the guards could see them clearly from their seats, so they couldn't do anything underhanded.
The other clerks who went to send telegrams almost all had their superiors or colleagues testify that they were working at that point. Commander Xiong was quite satisfied with the result. If Xu Qiao had really found out something, he would definitely have been questioned by his superiors for negligence.
Xu Qiao, on the other hand, was like a mute eating bitter herbs, unable to express his suffering. He wondered in his heart if it was a telegram sent by a ghost. No, the telegram was real, and the movements in the mailroom that night were too coincidental. He had diarrhea right after dinner, and at the same time, the phone rang.
He went so far as to use his informant planted in the security department to confirm the matter. However, corroborating evidence from various parties indicated that these were not coincidences but rather routine occurrences.
Several more claps of thunder sounded, and in an instant, Secretary Wu who delivered the meals, Wenli from the mailroom, and Sister Zhang all appeared in Xu Qiao's mind, forming a cohesive line. Like the torrential rain outside, but missing a crucial element, they remained a disorganized mess.
Xu Qiao paced anxiously back and forth in the temporary office. Secretary Qi thoughtfully poured him a glass of foreign liquor and said unhurriedly, "Director, the telegrams we intercepted only pinpointed the Longhua area. If it wasn't the headquarters' mailroom, then it's very likely that someone in headquarters is secretly hiding a radio station."
Hiding a secret radio station? This charge restored some of Xu Qiao's confidence. Secretary Qi then suggested, "We've provided that gentleman with a lot of information before. It's time to collect some interest. Isn't it better to cooperate in a give-and-take manner?"
Xu Qiao grinned and downed the drink in his glass. He wanted his superiors to approve the search of the Songhu Garrison Command. Yes, that's what he was going to do. As he thought this, he quickly dialed a number in Nanjing.
On the other side, Commander Xiong immediately convened an emergency meeting of the secret investigation committee. Xu Qiao's arrival set off alarm bells in his mind; he had indeed not conducted an internal review in a long time.
Commander Xiong immediately appointed several people as secret investigators, several brigade commanders to audit internal military matters, and Director Zhao of the General Affairs Section to audit administrative departments. Li Sheng of the Propaganda Section, as the fourth secret investigator, could be interrogated at any time by anyone in the headquarters except Commander Xiong.
Family scandals should not be aired in public. If there really is a traitor, he would rather take the knife himself than let others get involved.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
