Utter defeat
Lifting the lid released a strong aroma of roasted chicken, which whetted Li Sheng's appetite. Under the bright sunlight, the crispy skin glistened with oil.
He couldn't help but admire Secretary Wu's thoughtfulness; he had just been craving roast chicken, and she had brought it over. He quickly peeled off a chicken wing and handed it to Secretary Wu, but Secretary Wu smiled and waved her hand, indicating that she had already eaten lunch.
Since everyone was already familiar with each other, and Secretary Wu was a reserved person, Li Sheng stopped enthusiastically feeding her and listened to Secretary Wu's report on the work arrangements for the past few days while eating.
During the time Li Sheng was Huang Gui's bodyguard, it was almost entirely the CC that was searching for the CCP, and even the cases that their propaganda department had already started were transferred to the CC.
This is quite strange. Before he retired at the height of his career following the organization's orders, he had a stack of files on hand. Commander Xiong had always been wary of Xu Qiao. Although their struggle was not openly discussed, it was an unspoken fact. Why would he give all the resources he already had to CC?
Did Commander Xiong and Xu Qiao make some shady deal? Or is Commander Xiong's current task more important than arresting CCP members?
Looking around the ward, Li Sheng simply hummed in agreement, then pulled Secretary Wu close by the neck and whispered to her, "Go and try to get some information from the people in the Commander's aide-de-camp. I need to find out what big event Commander Xiong is up to."
Secretary Wu nodded and noted it down, then revealed that the CC's investigation activities had been extremely unsuccessful recently. The contact points that had been exposed were all deserted overnight, and they kept coming up empty-handed.
According to Zhang Chong's analysis, the management of the Shanghai branch of the Communist Party has most likely been replaced. They are now using new codebooks and communication methods. Even if you are lucky enough to catch a low-ranking cadre, that person is just a kite with a broken string and is of no use.
Of course, they had to change contact points. We couldn't just stand there and wait for the spies to come knocking on our door. This also showed that things at the Shanghai station were gradually returning to normal. Li Sheng felt a mix of relief and sadness. Unfortunately, he and his subordinates were like kites suspended in mid-air, not knowing when they would be able to contact the organization again.
The roast chicken in front of him suddenly didn't smell so good anymore, and Li Sheng took a bite of chicken in a sullen voice...
call--
The door was wide open, and the intensive care unit, which was only about ten square meters, was suddenly crammed full by the intruding agents.
After putting down his chopsticks, Li Sheng glanced at the intruders with a stern face. They were all new faces, while their leader, Zhang Chong, walked in last with his hands behind his back, looking quite imposing.
Ugh, why did Zhang the Madman have to come at mealtime to disgust me? It's really nauseating. But to maintain appearances, Li Sheng cupped his hands to welcome Zhang Chong, saying he was too busy eating to entertain him and told him to make himself at home. After saying that, he started gnawing on a chicken leg in front of Zhang Chong with relish.
"Section Chief Li, I truly envy you for having such a good appetite despite your serious injuries." Zhang Chong walked to the bedside.
Heh, the weasel's New Year's visit was all ill-intentioned. He was clearly just here to see if I was dead or not. Li Sheng sneered, "Why don't you do a little work, Section Chief Zhang, and give yourself a good shovel to the head, then go live in the psychiatric ward downstairs, so we can be fellow patients and you won't be envious."
Every time the two exchanged pleasantries, it was laced with barbs. Zhang Chong suppressed his temper and retorted, "No need. Your birth chart is even more stubborn than your mouth. If I live next door, I'm afraid you'll bring me bad luck."
"Hahaha, Section Chief Zhang, have you become timid? Is this still the Zhang Chong I know who works like his life depends on it?" Li Sheng deliberately patted Zhang Chong's shoulder with his greasy, dirty hands, leaving a handprint on his light gray Zhongshan suit.
Zhang Chong glared fiercely at Li Sheng, then suddenly punched Li Sheng in the face.
Ouch!
With a scream, Li Sheng clutched his face and collapsed onto the hospital bed, simultaneously giving Secretary Wu a look. Zhang Chong's actions were so swift that Secretary Wu and the others hadn't even had time to react. Startled, the two propaganda team members on guard duty quickly drew their guns.
Unfortunately, they were too few in number and posed almost no threat when confronting others.
Faced with the furious team members, Secretary Wu calmly ordered the two men to put away their guns, then turned and sternly questioned, "Section Chief Zhang, our section chief is a member of the Garrison Command. He is a loyal soldier who was wounded for the cause of the Party and the country, yet he has been wantonly humiliated. I will definitely report this matter to Commander Xiong and ask him to make a decision."
*Slap!* A resounding slap knocked Secretary Wu's face to the side, his glasses hanging askew on his nose.
"When superiors are talking, subordinates shouldn't interrupt. They have no manners at all." Zhang Chong's sinister voice sounded like an emotionless machine.
Silently adjusting his glasses, Secretary Wu's face gradually flushed red. He replied calmly and respectfully, "Section Chief Zhang, please have some self-respect. You are not my superior and have no right to hit me. If you insist on causing trouble today, I will defend the dignity of my headquarters to the death."
Zhang Chong's eyes grew increasingly fierce. Just as he was about to make a move, a cold "silver bracelet" was slipped onto his wrist. Li Sheng snorted coldly, "You have no right to touch my people!" He then slipped the other "silver bracelet" onto the bed rail, and no matter how much Zhang Chong struggled, it was to no avail.
The two faced each other, Zhang Chong staring intently at Li Sheng, his eyes seeming to say, "I've seen through your tricks, hurry up and summon the Communist Party."
Li Sheng clapped his hands nonchalantly, then lay weakly on the bed as if he had used a lot of strength: "Section Chief Zhang is too enthusiastic. He gave me such a big gift. I would feel embarrassed if I didn't return the favor."
"Don't play dumb, you orchestrated Huang Gui's death, didn't you!" Zhang Chong grabbed Li Sheng by the collar, his tone full of certainty.
"Think before you speak. Huang Gui was still alive before I was injured and hospitalized; everyone can testify to that. How come he died in your hands?" Li Sheng pointed at Zhang Chong's chest, retorting, "He's dead. Who do you think should bear the responsibility, you or me?"
"Heh, you said you saw a bald head, and only you saw it; none of your subordinates said they'd ever seen one. How do you explain that?" Zhang Chong asked, exasperated.
"I have good eyesight. Besides, even though they didn't see anyone, everyone heard a man shout 'Go away!' You're not deaf, you must have heard it too," Li Sheng replied calmly.
The temperature inside the room dropped to freezing. Li Sheng wondered why Zhang Chong would suddenly attack him, especially since he had been trying to provoke him ever since he started hitting him. Did he have some decisive evidence?
No, if he really had evidence, he should be arrested now, not throwing a fit of rage.
Zhang Chong began to explain his hypothesis. He tried to use the mindset of the Communist Party to plan the assassination. He believed that this assassination was not a chance encounter, but rather a long-planned scheme by the Communist Party.
Since Huang Gui's decision to eat at Laoximen was impromptu, what signal the Communist Party received before launching the attack was a major question. The best way to wipe them out was through a coordinated attack from within and without.
Zhang Chong said he went to Laoximen again for dinner today, but the food was just right, not as salty as yesterday. Li Sheng ordered the dishes, and he suspected that Li Sheng had used special methods to instruct the kitchen to make the dishes saltier. Then he led everyone to wait in the alley with the public stove.
"Hey, you should ask the chef if the dishes are too salty," Li Sheng couldn't help but retort.
“You don’t need to tell me, I already detained the head chef and interrogated him. But he was very stubborn and I couldn’t get anything out of him.” Zhang Chong suddenly laughed. “I really couldn’t tell whether he really didn’t know or was protecting someone, so I could only use a leather whip dipped in salt water to question him again and again.”
Zhang Fengzi is really fucking insane, harming innocent people. Li Sheng snorted coldly, turned his head away and ignored Zhang Chong. His hands under the blanket were already clenched into fists, but he could not show any remorse.
"How did I shatter your noble self-esteem? To save your own lives, you caused ordinary people to be beaten black and blue. Hmph, your Communist Party is no different from us, resorting to any means necessary. Aren't you all noble?" Zhang Chong's tone became increasingly arrogant.
You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth. Knowing full well that he wouldn't get any results, he still took his anger out on innocent people just to provoke himself. But Li Sheng also figured out that Zhang Chong really had no evidence; provoking him was just a tactic in the interrogation.
“Zhang Chong, ask yourself honestly, what was the point of all this farce? You need someone to take the blame for Huang Gui’s death, right? Stop suspecting everything. You think I’m a member of the Communist Party? Fine, arrest me then. Give me all the tortures the CC Clique uses. Getting a confession out of me won’t be difficult for the CC Clique.” Li Sheng was acting like a complete scoundrel.
“You can keep being stubborn, but whether you’re injured or not, we need to find a real doctor to examine you. Come in and let Section Chief Li examine his injuries.” At Zhang Chong’s call, a middle-aged man in a white coat walked in from outside.
"You'd better cooperate obediently, or I'll go to your son's school and invite the kid for afternoon tea." Zhang casually propped up his arm, his cold voice carrying a hint of pleasure.
Li Sheng glared at Zhang Chong, knowing full well that he was capable of anything to catch the CCP.
Suddenly, Li Sheng clapped his hands and cheered, "It's time to get a medical examination. You just punched me, so I need to determine the severity of the injury so I can complain to Manager Xu. But I'm not one of your people."
Ding-dong~ Without saying a word, Li Sheng pressed the call alarm bell by the bedside. The series of actions were smooth and natural, as if everything was just as it should be.
Zhang Chong, who had been bound, had somehow managed to free his handcuffs. He proudly displayed his free hands, walked to the gate, and locked it from the inside, meaning that no one could enter.
Pushing the doctor in white aside, Zhang Chong said rudely, "Hurry up! Examine the injury. Don't make me say it twice."
"Section Chief Zhang, don't go too far. Are you taking advantage of the fact that our Songhu Command has no one to rely on?" Secretary Wu blocked the doctor's path, his scholarly face showing anger.
With a swift motion, Zhang Chong drew his sidearm and threatened Secretary Wu, pressing it against her head: "I think you want to get out of here sooner..."
Bang—
With a loud bang, the white wooden door swung open, and a squad of uniformed guards stood respectfully on either side. Zhang Chong's pupils contracted instantly. Before he could stop them, Commander Xiong had already strode into the ward.
Behind him followed a doctor in white robes. The man was somewhat old, with a calm and approachable demeanor, and his smile resembled that of Maitreya Buddha.
"How dare a mere section chief be so presumptuous! What kind of behavior is this!" Commander Xiong shouted sternly, his sharp gaze sweeping over each CC agent. Zhang Chong didn't dare to even breathe loudly. Even the two Chen uncles and nephews, the highest-ranking figures in the CC, didn't dare to yell at Commander Xiong.
“Commander Xiong has misunderstood. Without evidence, how could I dare to take action?” Zhang Chong protested in a low voice. “I specifically asked for Li Sheng’s blood-stained clothes when he was injured. There was no human blood on them at all. I suspect that he and the Communist Party were colluding to stage a self-inflicted injury.”
Unexpectedly, Zhang Chong suspected that his wound was fake. Li Sheng had a sudden idea and shouted, "Damn it, Zhang Chong, you're a pervert! I'm married with children, my marriage is harmonious, and I have absolutely no interest in you. Don't try anything funny with me."
His voice was like a wake-up call, and everyone's eyes fell on Zhang Chong, filled with contempt, disgust, anger, and a trace of sympathy.
Commander Xiong's eyes swept back and forth between the two men, but when he turned to Li Sheng, his expression changed drastically. He said in a friendly tone, "Little Li, we have nothing to hide. What do you mean by human blood? Just test it for them. I will definitely uphold justice for you."
Director Wu slowly walked over, and Li Sheng's heart was in his throat. He really didn't have any external injuries. He shouldn't have listened to Xiao He's advice back then. Only by being really injured could he play the role of a victim.
Now he had no choice but to bite the bullet and, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Li Sheng reluctantly unbuttoned his shirt.
To everyone's surprise, Director Wu only listened with the stethoscope for a short while, then shone a small flashlight into his eyes twice, before holding up his finger and asking a few routine questions: What number is this? Do you have any symptoms of dizziness, nausea, or tinnitus? ...
Li Sheng cooperated and answered the questions properly. When Director Wu examined the bruises on Li Sheng's face, he sighed deeply. This scared Li Sheng so much that he wanted to cry. Doctor, what do you mean? Am I going to die?
"I'm sorry, I just had brain surgery this morning and I'm a little tired. Don't worry." Director Wu seemed to see through Li Sheng's thoughts and immediately explained that he only had a mild concussion.
Li Sheng's previous X-ray showed two extremely small bleeding points, which would normally be fine with rest. However, he was punched in the face again, so Director Wu suggested taking another X-ray to check in case the bleeding points enlarged.
Director Wu's perfunctory examination aroused Zhang Chong's dissatisfaction: "Director Wu, you are a neurosurgeon, right? Let general surgery doctors examine general surgery matters."
As soon as Zhang Chong finished speaking, he was met with two sarcastic laughs from Director Wu and Commander Xiong.
"Xiao Zhang, your professional skills are worrying. I don't know why Manager Xu promoted you." Commander Xiong patted Zhang Chong on the shoulder and kindly explained, "Surgeons all rotate through different specialties before deciding to study a particular field in depth."
Rotation means that doctors have to stay in each department for six months to a year. They can cut intestines, open brains, and even make a hole in your lung.
"This gentleman seems to have some reservations about my medical skills. I need to give you a proper lesson in medical knowledge." Director Wu smiled and called over a nurse outside, giving her a few instructions.
A moment later, the nurse brought an X-ray and a medical record. Director Wu pointed to the bleeding point on Li Sheng's head in the X-ray, then opened the medical record and explained several abnormal indicators. These indicators are highly correlated with organ injury, and being too high or too low indicates poor health.
In the eyes of doctors, the criteria for judging a patient's condition are not limited to the surface wound. There are many other indicators to assist in the diagnosis. External injuries can heal easily on their own as long as they are not infected. However, concussions are different. They are internal injuries, and if they are not properly treated, they can leave many irreversible sequelae.
Director Wu explained carefully and concluded that the patient in bed 16 was injured in the explosion and needed to stay in the hospital for observation for a week.
Everyone has their own judgment on the relative severity of external and internal injuries, so whether or not the bandages are removed seems unimportant.
"Then how do you explain the inhuman bloodstains on his clothes?" Zhang Chong asked excitedly.
"Sir, I don't know which lab you got your analysis results from, but I hope you didn't pay too much." Director Wu hesitated, a compassionate smile in his eyes. "If you're still worried, you can bring it over, and I'll have the lab technician re-examine the garment. It's free."
Zhang Chong, a man of such high aloofness, could not bear to be pitied. His face was covered in all sorts of colors, from blue to green to purple, making quite a spectacle.
Lying in the hospital bed, Li Sheng tried hard to suppress his laughter. Wasn't this implying that Zhang Fengzi had been taken advantage of? But listening to Director Wu's explanation, he felt he was downplaying the issue, and it was possible that Commander Xiong had instructed him to do so.
Regardless of any objections Zhang Chong might have, Commander Xiong was quite convinced by Director Wu's explanation and nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Commander Xiong thanked Director Wu profusely as he saw him off, then turned and warned Zhang Chong to immediately remove his men and forbid them from harassing Xiao Li again. He emphasized that Shanghai was no longer a place where the CC Clique held absolute power, neither before nor after.
He also apologized to Secretary Wu. Although Secretary Wu was a civilian official, he held the rank of major, and it was not up to the CC Clique to beat up people from their military headquarters. Under pressure from Commander Xiong, Zhang Chong reluctantly apologized to Secretary Wu, then turned and led his team away in a dejected manner without even saying goodbye.
As everyone left, only Li Sheng remained in the ward. He began to review Qingcheng's assassination plan to see if there were any loopholes.
Zhang Fengzi guessed correctly. From the moment he ordered the food, he was sending a message to the kitchen staff. The special order of ordering the food was like a password, and making the food too salty was just the first step.
The alleyway near the Tiger Stove is located between 12 pm and 2 pm, which is shady and poorly lit, making it a prime location for secret agents to protect themselves. I can't find any fault with my choice, but starting from 2 pm, sunlight slowly begins to stream into the alleyway.
The real assassination began at that time. The landlady was also one of the known comrades. The hot water her husband boiled was fine, but the problem was the cold water she took from inside the house, which had been drugged.
I forgot the name of the specific drug Xiao He mentioned last time. It shouldn't be fatal, but it's definitely related to the traitor's sudden cardiac arrest.
The real highlight was the knife-throwing assassination and the gas cylinder explosion that followed. Li Sheng guessed that one of the knife sharpeners or gas workers was a knife-throwing expert. Apart from the first knife, which was a sophisticated mechanism designed by Qingcheng, the other knives still showed that the knife-throwing expert had solid skills.
Suddenly remembering something crucial, Li Sheng jumped out of bed and searched the room. Sure enough, he found several listening devices, both German and American, but he casually put them back in their original places.
This type of listening device has a limited reception range, so the listening room must be located in this hospital building.
That damned Commander Xiong took so long to show up and back me up! Pah! Hypocrite. On the surface, Commander Xiong is here to rescue people, but actually he just wants to distance himself from the situation and keep the conflict within his sphere of influence, so he can secretly get rid of me later.
"Bed 16, come out for an X-ray." The nurse's crisp voice interrupted Li Sheng's thoughts.
Leaving the quiet ward, the noise and clamor of the lobby rushed into Li Sheng's ears, making him feel even more dizzy. The place where he couldn't get an X-ray was on the first floor of the hospital.
Guided by a nurse, Li Sheng entered the lead-lined isolation door, where a doctor was adjusting a machine with his back to him.
"Brother Li, please make yourself at home."
Upon hearing Xiao He's voice, Li Sheng was momentarily stunned. The next second, he suddenly realized who it was and patted the doctor who was adjusting the device with a smile: "Oh, it's you! I have so many questions for you, please answer them for me."
"Huh?" The doctor turned around, his eyes full of confusion. "What would you like to ask, sir?"
The female doctor's voice was completely different from Xiao He's, with a standard Beijing accent. "Oh dear, I've mistaken you for someone else," Li Sheng apologized awkwardly. "No, where did that voice come from?"
"I'm next door. Xiangxiang, come over as soon as you're done," Qingcheng explained again.
After looking around, Li Sheng realized that the sound was coming from the speakers at the top. The female doctor named Xiangxiang nodded shyly and left.
The loudspeaker seemed to be interfered with, and a piercing static sound suddenly rang out, followed by a whirring noise.
Li Sheng covered his ears, his head filled with a buzzing sound, his mind pounding with doubt. He angrily shouted into the loudspeaker, "Xiao He, what are you doing?"
At that moment, Kiyosumi pushed open the lead door: "Here I am. I wouldn't dare come out to see you if I didn't destroy their eavesdropping equipment."
"The eavesdropping device was destroyed in just that one moment?" Li Sheng's eyes widened. He felt like he had wasted thirty years of his life, and his knowledge was not as good as that of a girl in her early twenties. Should he brush up on the latest spy equipment?
"Yes." Kiyosumi nodded affirmatively. "How are you feeling? Are you feeling any better?"
"You should know my physical condition better than I do. Tell me quickly, what happened at the hospital?" Li Sheng asked anxiously.
"Okay," Qingcheng readily agreed. She started by explaining that every passerby who appeared in the alley that day was actually a comrade. Most of them were ordinary couriers who didn't know how to fight or use firearms and couldn't do the work of the original Red Team.
So Qingcheng arranged for each of them to stand in a fixed position and do the simplest actions. The female workers were responsible for screaming, the gas cylinder deliverymen were responsible for letting go, and the knife sharpeners would set up the wheel-shaped whetstones on the hour.
They only knew what actions to take based on the signals they received; they were completely unaware of the tasks assigned to their comrades. Even if, hypothetically, this ensured that if any one of them were captured and defected, they wouldn't betray the others.
"Who is the knife-throwing master?" Li Sheng hurriedly interrupted.
“Well, it’s mostly controlled by mechanisms. If I had to say… it’s the old lady who wanted to sharpen the scissors.” Kiyosumi performed with great enthusiasm. “She’s incredibly skilled. Her family used to be a镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) when she was young, so she learned martial arts from childhood. The key is that she’s the one who makes the knife that opens the valve and the scissors that cut the roller of the whetstone.”
“No, no, I heard a man shout ‘Go away!’ Shouldn’t it have been a man?” Li Sheng pressed, finding a flaw in the argument.
"It was just a recording, meant to mislead the spies. The machine is with the landlady," Kiyosumi explained patiently.
The key information connected in Li Sheng's mind. So that's how it is. The old woman was too good at hiding. He really thought she was just an ordinary person. It turns out that there are experts among the people.
“Our masses are only lacking some effective organization. As long as we can connect them all, their power will be limitless.” Kiyosumi sighed with relief. “The stronger the power of the people, the more restrained the reactionary forces will be.”
Li Sheng wholeheartedly agreed with this conclusion. He recounted Zhang Fengzi's madness to Qingcheng, explaining that Zhang Fengzi almost saw through the bloodstains. He realized that such clever tricks were no longer acceptable; a self-inflicted injury must involve blood to be convincing. He was willing to sacrifice his health for the organization.
Suddenly, Qingcheng smiled mysteriously, indicating that she had deliberately given this flaw to Zhang Chong. To deal with someone like Zhang Chong, one must not only defeat him tactically, but also strategically crush him.
In fact, the focus of the entire mission was not to assassinate Huang Gui, but to break down Zhang Chong and cause his mental state to collapse layer by layer.
"You're being too hasty. What if you get carried away and actually take my clothes for a second opinion?" Li Sheng kindly reminded him.
"Sorry, he didn't get the chance, because he really did run into a conman," Qingcheng replied sweetly, a hint of murderous intent flashing across her smiling face.
Besides her organizational identity, Qingcheng also has a clandestine identity. When she is Mr. Xia, how should she deal with two powerless cheaters?
The swindlers would have to cut off at least one of their little fingers, but Mr. Xia was kind-hearted and assigned them to cheat people, splitting the money 30/70.
Professional matters should be left to professionals. Even someone as intelligent as Zhang Chong can only be ripped off by professional swindlers.
"You've rambled on for a while, but you still haven't told us how Huang Gui died." Li Sheng grabbed Qingcheng's arm, trying to get her to state her opinion.
He died of poisoning! Qingcheng blinked. Huang Gui's carotid artery was injured. Once the knife was pulled out, there would be massive bleeding, and after massive bleeding, the entire circulatory system would be damaged. Insufficient coronary artery perfusion would lead to myocardial ischemia and hypoxia, followed by mass necrosis of myocardial cells.
Even with timely blood transfusions, the necrotic myocardial cells cannot regenerate, so Huang Gui is likely to develop heart failure symptoms after the operation. In this case, in addition to administering ginseng intravenously, Western medicine often uses digitalis-like drugs.
Digitalis can save lives or kill; the line between angel and devil is thin. The key lies in the dosage. Adding a small amount of digitalis solvent to cold water beforehand will have no effect on ordinary people.
However, for patients who need intravenous digitalis, it is a deadly poison.
"I heard he saw a ghost?" Li Sheng added his information.
"How can a Party member like you believe in feudal superstition? He's just feeling guilty. I heard that among the comrades who sacrificed their lives because of his betrayal, there was a master of throwing knives." Qingcheng curled her lips in disgust.
"Pah! You traitorous dog!" Li Sheng couldn't help but spit.
"Huang Gui is taken care of, you should focus on recovering." Qingcheng had only taken two steps when she suddenly turned back, gestured with her hands, and laughed, "I'm getting engaged this weekend, remember to give me a big red envelope."
"I know, I know, it'll definitely be big." Li Sheng wanted to laugh when he saw her serious look. How old is she and she still likes red envelopes? What a little money-grubber.
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