Zero's Plot
Ding ding ding... The bell rang twelve times, and the melodious sound of the Longhua Ancient Temple resounded in all directions. The midday sun shone on the seven-story pagoda, as if a layer of sacred golden light permeated out, giving people a feeling of transcending the mortal world.
The pavilions and towers are high and low, and the windows are partially hidden. Inside the main hall, the Buddha statue sits solemnly on a lotus throne with its eyes half open and half closed. As soon as Qingcheng entered the main hall, a smoky smell mixed with the fragrance of sandalwood wafted towards him. The closer he got to the Buddha statue, the stronger the pungent smell became.
She wandered around but didn't find Yingqi. She couldn't help but wonder what the kid was up to. He was asking for a meeting on a day other than the designated meeting day, so he must have important intelligence. But he was delaying showing up. In a little while, the headquarters would be taking a lunch break, and the main force would come to the temple for lunch. There would be no chance to make a meeting then.
Suddenly the yellow curtain swayed slightly, not by the wind, because the incense burning in the bronze incense burner remained completely still. Qingcheng walked over and immediately noticed a newspaper next to the base of the Buddha statue, as if someone had accidentally left it behind.
Today's meeting person, Yingqi, was outside the hall, standing under a plaque that read "Always Response to Requests," pointing his finger down in a three-pointer.
There were other worshippers around. While they were kowtowing, Qingcheng quietly picked up the newspaper and quickly glanced at the third column. There was an invitation: "I would like to cordially invite my nephew Xiao Liuhei and my brother Sun Shuangxi to a banquet in Shanghai on Beiyao Day. I will bring a handful of black soil from my hometown to express my homesickness. Please bring willow branches from our hometown to the banquet for a reunion. Please do not attend in person, but rather choose an auspicious day."
Xiao Liu Hei was Yingqi's most frequently used pseudonym when he was on the Red Team. As for Lao Sun, he had long been executed. Hei Tu was probably not opium, but Qingcheng didn't understand what number Bei Yao Ri was or what location it was. She suppressed the urge to rush over and ask for clarification, tapped the newspaper, and gently shook her head, signaling Yingqi not to act rashly.
Qingcheng knew that someone had contacted him, but that person did not know that Yingqi's code name had been changed to "Chenxiang" and his alias had been changed to Jiang Yingqi.
This is very likely a sting operation by spies. They don't know anything about Yingqi's current situation and can only contact him using their old titles. It seems the sender is an "old friend" with a story.
Yingqi was quite anxious about Qingcheng's refusal. He hesitated for a moment and then suddenly stopped. He took out the pen clipped to his chest and wrote a few strokes in his palm. He had something to say. Qingcheng was about to lead him to a secluded place to talk in detail when she suddenly noticed several women in military uniforms at the door. They were from the mailroom.
Time was tight, so Qingcheng walked quickly toward Yingqi and raised her hand as if to greet someone. Yingqi was confused, but still stiffly raised her hand in response.
As the smoke curled upwards and brushed past, Qingcheng caught a glimpse of the word "zero" in Yingqi's palm out of the corner of her eye. Her eyelids twitched, and she grinned exaggeratedly, uttering in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Don't go back."
Since it was Zero himself who contacted them, they couldn't possibly respond proactively. Before Yingqi could react, Qingcheng had already run to the foot of the pagoda, waving her hands and excitedly shouting, "Ah Xiao!"
Gao Junxiao, who had just stepped inside, heard someone call his name. He immediately took off his sunglasses and strode over to greet her. He held the beauty's hand tightly, his natural smile as warm as a spring breeze: "Hua Hua, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Are you hot?"
"It's so hot, I'm about to faint from the heat." Qingcheng took Gao Junxiao's arm, turned him around, and leaned against him, making him face away from Yingqi.
The sounds of snickers and whispers came from around them. Sunlight fell on Gao Junxiao, and his earlobes slowly turned red, whether from the heat or embarrassment. He whispered a reminder to Qingcheng that this was a sacred Buddhist place and they should be mindful of their behavior.
Gao Junxiao spoke seriously, but his hands honestly wrapped around Qingcheng's waist, his eyes sparkling: "In the dog days of summer, you should eat some vegetables to cool down. I'll buy you iced soda for your meal, so that you, Miss He, don't get heatstroke and we both have to take leave."
Under the signboard, Yingqi awkwardly lowered his hand, opened his mouth, wanted to call out but dared not, and scratched his ears and cheeks in frustration. He Qingcheng crossed her hands and gave him a stern look, warning him again that it wouldn't work. When she turned to look at Gao Junxiao, her eyes turned into crescent moons: "I want the new lychee flavor."
"Don't always forget the old and crave the new. What if the new flavor doesn't taste good?" Gao Junxiao tidied the stray hairs behind her ear.
"If you don't like it, you can have it. I'll just buy a new bottle, hehe." Kiyosumi replied matter-of-factly.
"Hey, you only give me this because it tastes awful. You really care about me. What good deeds did I do in my past life to deserve such a darling?" Gao Junxiao's lips were pursed into the shape of a toothless old woman, and he had a very angry little expression.
"No way~ You're the first person I think of when I have something delicious to eat." Qingcheng patted Gao Junxiao's shoulder to comfort him.
The man's lips visibly curved into a flower petal-like smile as he flicked Qingcheng's nose: "Feeling guilty, aren't you, you little glutton? All you ever do is eat."
Over there, Sister Zhang greeted him with a bright smile: "Chief of Staff Jiang, you've come to eat vegetarian food too!"
Chirp, chirp... The cicadas in the ancient temple chirped in unison, drowning out Qingcheng's unsteady breathing. Yingqi bowed slightly to the lady in charge: "Hello, Sister Zhang. I've heard from everyone that the vegetarian food here is affordable and delicious, so I wanted to come and try it."
"Thank goodness, that was a good answer." Qingcheng breathed a sigh of relief. The next second, Wenli from the mailroom asked, "Want to come along?"
Yingqi stood there dumbfounded, glancing at Qingcheng helplessly. Qingcheng thought to himself, "Oh no, brother, don't look at me! Just agree already! Don't be like an abacus bead, only moving when provoked."
Seemingly sensing a different gaze, Gao Junxiao belatedly noticed Ying Qi and immediately shielded Qingcheng behind him. He had no goodwill towards the people in the General Staff, especially since they had plotted to kidnap Qingcheng.
Fortunately, Sister Zhang in the mailroom didn't notice Yingqi's little actions. She nodded to Gao Junxiao, smiled, and pulled Yingqi to join them for dinner, so he wouldn't be a third wheel.
Hiding behind Gao Junxiao, Qingcheng blinked heavily. Yingqi, having received the order, managed to force a fake smile and accepted the invitation from the mailroom.
"We're not having vegetarian food today, let's go somewhere else to eat." Gao Junxiao's lips drooped, and his face turned pale.
“Okay.” Qingcheng and Gao Junxiao exchanged a knowing glance. Gao Junxiao put his arm around Qingcheng’s waist, and the two walked out of Longhua Temple together.
The clouds drifted slowly, the sun and moon alternated, and the chirping of insects at night, carrying the summer heat, blew into the brightly lit Xu residence through the gentle breeze.
On the balcony, Liu Hui pretended to water the flowers and secretly looked around to make sure there was nothing unusual happening. He quickly placed a pot of blooming white jasmine on the railing, made a safety warning, and then calmly closed the door and went back inside.
Upon hearing Qingcheng's report, Old Wang, who was lying on the bed in the room, immediately showed his gums and laughed like a goose: "Hahaha, good, very good. You actually arranged Gao Junxiao as your shield in advance. If he knew that you took the initiative to befriend him in order to make contact, he would definitely be furious."
“Stop laughing at 13 o’clock.” Qingcheng interrupted Wang Renyong and handed him the deciphered codebook. “I’ve already cracked the code. If I had known, I would have used the illiterate method. Why bother with calculations? Those numbers aren’t actually numbers, but simple composite images. Just look at the direction of the zeros, and it’s a picture. What four zeros? That’s the left half of the O in OK.”
After accepting the notebook, Wang Renyong's smile faded: "Yes, thank you for your hard work. Ouyang has also made a major breakthrough. He discovered that the telegraph relay station is actually on a special frequency band, 7753. As long as you convert this frequency band and send a predetermined initial letter, you will definitely be able to obtain the corresponding garbled code."
"Great! This matches my hypothesis perfectly!" Qingcheng exclaimed excitedly. "Boss, the spy's code has been cracked. Can the second team start moving now?"
“Of course.” Wang Renyong analyzed objectively, “He must have been driven to desperation, and had no choice but to risk contacting Comrade Chen Xiang, hoping to make a comeback. We can’t give Zero any breathing room.”
"What does 'Northern Sun' mean? And what is 'Willow Branch'?" Kiyosumi asked curiously.
"I don't know. You can ask Wu Hao and Jiang Yun later and brainstorm together," Wang Renyong said, shaking his head.
As if on cue, Wu Hao and Jiang Yun entered the house one after the other. Wu Hao took off his hat and sat down to the side, his face showing signs of exhaustion, and his dark circles under his eyes revealing his recent busy schedule.
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and pulled an envelope from his pocket: "Oh right, Qingcheng, this is the wedding gift I promised you last time."
It's so thin, could it be money? I can't accept that. Kiyosumi eagerly took the envelope and pulled out a photo of a mountain scene.
After Qingcheng fully opened the package, Wu Hao explained that the photo was of the scenery of Lushan Mountain in Jiangxi Province, taken by Xiao Chao himself and developed by him. He hoped that when Qingcheng passed through Jiangxi in the future, he and his wife could invite Qingcheng to have a simple meal on the mountain so that she could see the beautiful scenery of Lushan Mountain with her own eyes.
As soon as the topic of food came up, Lao Wang got excited and shouted that everyone should get a share. He said that Wu Hao hadn't given him a gift at his wedding, so it was reasonable for him and Rui Rui to go and have a meal with him.
"Who told you not to mention it then? It's too late now. I was planning to bring Xiao Cai and Fu Chun along for our Paris exchange program. What could a Huangpu graduate like you possibly talk about?" Wu Hao retorted.
Wang Renyong pouted and said, word by word, "Hmph! Comrade Wu Hao, you're biased."
"You heartless bastard! Wu Hao has treated you to meals so many times, and you only take advantage of his good character so people don't hold it against you." Jiang Yun laughed and pushed Lao Wang.
Oh, Sister Cai and her husband are back in China! Qingcheng was overjoyed; it had been so long since she'd seen them. "First, thank you, Comrade Wu Hao, for the treat. Just don't make the food too heavy!"
"Don't worry, I won't put in a single chili pepper," Wu Hao assured him with a smile.
A fleeting glint of cunning flashed in her eyes. Qingcheng, clutching the photo, had a sudden inspiration. She had something else she wanted to confirm: "Comrade Wu Hao, could you please write a poem on the back of the photo as a keepsake?"
“No problem,” Wu Hao readily agreed.
Wang Renyong interjected, "Qingcheng, you've come to the right person. Our Comrade Wu Hao is an exceptional calligrapher, and he can write with both hands, each with a different style. Comrade Wu Hao, give our Xiao He a demonstration: Left Green Dragon, Right White Tiger, both hands drawing the bow."
“Writing with both hands is a basic skill, you can do it too, can’t you?” Wu Hao replied modestly.
"Forget about his handwriting, it's so illegible, only an old immortal could recognize it." Qingcheng glanced at Lao Wang.
"Is the old sage talking about me? Every time I receive his documents, I have to stare at them closely and read them word by word. I've criticized him so many times, but he never listens. If I get presbyopia early, I'll blame him." Pointing at Wang Renyong, Wu Hao's words were met with laughter from everyone.
"I didn't write it properly then. If I were to write it seriously... it would be passable." Wang Renyong's tone grew weaker and weaker, then he suddenly raised his voice and said, "At least the fairy can understand it."
"Alright, alright, this fairy has already seen it all. You're the best." Qingcheng turned around and took out her fountain pen. "Comrade Wu Hao, please bestow your calligraphy."
“I dare not accept the title ‘bestowed’. Qingcheng, what would you like to write?” Wu Hao took the pen and asked in his usual gentle tone.
“Eight lines of five characters each, I’ll say it, you write it.” After receiving Wu Hao’s affirmative reply, Qingcheng recited: “The towering rocks lock the flying rainbow, the white ribbon pierces the clouds. The slanting moon enters the Jiujiang River, the screen overlaps the Southern Dipper. Bamboo shadows have lasted for thousands of years, the rivers and mountains are naturally elegant. I am not afraid of the distance to Mount Lu, for I have heard that the will to follow the Way is hard to be empty.”
"What a wonderful poem!" Wang Renyong exclaimed, clapping his hands.
Jiang Yun also praised, "As expected of a talented woman with the talent to compose poems about willows, she can compose a poem in such a short time."
"I've finished writing. Be careful and put it away after the ink dries." Wu Hao capped the pen and handed it to Qingcheng.
"Huh? Why is the signature 'Haitang'?" Kiyosumi asked, puzzled.
“If I write my real name, it will cause you trouble. The pseudonym I usually use at work is also not suitable. After all, it’s a wedding gift for you, so it has to be romantic.” Wu Hao smiled and looked around. “The crabapple has no fragrance, but it can bloom full and beautiful flowers in the cold spring, just like our comrades working in the White Area, silently dedicating themselves under the high pressure of the Communist Party. I am just one flower in the flower garden.”
"This signature is very fitting. Thank you, Comrade Wu Hao." Qingcheng expressed her gratitude again. "No matter how talented a person is, their individual brilliance is always limited. The best approach is for a team to work together, complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, so that they can illuminate a wider world."
Upon hearing this, Wu Hao nodded repeatedly. After exchanging pleasantries, everyone spontaneously got down to business. Wu Hao had come here with two important matters that required the comrades' assistance.
The first task is to transport the exposed comrades out of Shanghai, starting this month, in six batches, to be gradually withdrawn back to the Soviet area or Hong Kong.
This matter was originally to be handled by Feng Nian, but he took over Case Zero and was too busy to handle it recently. After much consideration, Wu Hao decided to let Wang Renyong take charge, and to leave the matters that were inconvenient for him to handle to Liu Hui or Jiang Yun.
However, he had to be at the back with Wu Hao, leaving in the sixth batch, which posed a huge risk to Wang Renyong, who had already been exposed. Old Wang, on the contrary, optimistically said that he was lucky and had a better life, and since he was one of the heads of the Shanghai station, it was only right for him to be at the back.
Seeing Lao Wang's cheerful expression, Wu Hao's tone became serious: "Don't underestimate the enemy. Qingcheng, you work with Renyong to formulate the evacuation list and evacuation route, and at the same time, get them a batch of passes."
"Leave it to me. I just took on an arms deal involving five provinces in Jiangnan, and I need to get the necessary permits anyway," Qingcheng assured him confidently.
Wu Hao smiled with satisfaction, his gaze fixed on Qingcheng. The second matter required Qingcheng's full responsibility: the Soviet International would send a special envoy from the Soviet Union with $100,000 in activity funds before the Mid-Autumn Festival.
One hundred thousand dollars! !
In an instant, everyone was stunned speechless. Qingcheng's mind was filled with countless green, ink-scented US dollars. Such an astronomical number—how could she possibly be qualified to take on such an important task?
After a pause, Wu Hao took a breath and explained, "Due to Zhang Tianhe's betrayal, almost all of our secret accounts have been frozen, and we cannot receive large remittances. Our operating funds are already insufficient, so this international aid is very important to us, including the aid remittances we did not receive in the past few months."
Qingcheng steadied herself and asked the question everyone wanted to know: "Comrade Wu Hao, why me?"
"It can only be you!" Wu Hao said decisively. "You must be fluent in German, French, English and Chinese, have more than two years of experience working behind enemy lines, have a firm revolutionary will, be clear-headed, quick-witted and resourceful, be good at researching and analyzing problems, and be able to write feasible plans and reports. If you know any female comrades who meet all the requirements, please be sure to introduce them to me."
"Comrade Wu Hao, you're too naughty. Isn't this exactly how our little He is describing things?" Old Wang's lips curled up. After all, he was the apprentice he had personally trained, and it made him proud when his apprentice was praised.
Wu Hao denied it, saying, "I didn't make the first request. These requests were all made by Mr. Sorge, the head of the Fourth Bureau of the Far East. Their Far East Bureau is responsible for receiving the special envoy who is transporting this aid, so they requested that we send an assistant to help him with the handover and transfer of US dollars."
"Ha, Sorge, the head of the International Far East Bureau. This comrade's request is too targeted. Could he have already set his sights on Kiyosumi?" Old Wang asked worriedly.
"Hiss~ Now that you mention it, I'm starting to have my doubts too. He even specifically told me that it had to be a woman." Wu Hao stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Anyway, Qingcheng, arrange the time. The dispatch period is about a month, so don't worry about it affecting your wedding."
After glancing at the photo, Qingcheng nodded solemnly. Wu Hao pondered for a moment and then said, "This matter has been classified as top secret. Please make sure to keep it confidential, especially during the month you will be missing. You need to communicate with your family in advance, including your future spouse. You must not tell the truth to anyone who asks. Do not let down the Party's expectations and trust in you."
"Please rest assured, Qingcheng guarantees to complete the mission!" Qingcheng changed the subject, "But I'm worried about Zero leaking information. He's not low-ranking; he can even get his hands on military maps. The aid funds are so important; if he gets the news, he'll definitely try to sabotage it."
“Indeed, we will not have peace until Zero is eliminated.” Wu Hao sighed. “We also have internal problems. Recently, the two factions have been arguing fiercely over Xie Gaosheng’s case. Zero is probably laughing to himself as he watches us with our divided opinions.”
"How could this be! Xie Gaosheng helped the grandson of a tyrannical landlord kill innocent civilians to take his place, forged political background checks to deceive the organization, and purchased a large number of guns and ammunition without permission to form a gang of thugs. These are all undeniable crimes, any one of which is enough to get him executed." Wang Renyong slammed his fist on the bed, his eyes wide with astonishment.
"Because some people don't want Xie Gaosheng to die, his today might be someone else's tomorrow." Jiang Yun's words were loaded with meaning, but he didn't say it too explicitly. Qingcheng and Wang Renyong exchanged a glance and made a face at each other, some things were understood without being said.
“I’ll prepare the report. As our comrades in the Soviet area say, without the rule of law, the banner of the Soviet cannot be upheld. Xie Gaosheng’s time to die has come.” Wu Hao glanced at Qingcheng, then turned to Lao Wang and asked with a solemn expression, “Do you have any new intelligence to provide to Fengnian?”
"Qingcheng has cracked their code. I request that our superiors dispatch Team Two as soon as possible to find Zero before the aid funds arrive." Old Wang took out the codebook and handed it to Wu Hao, while gesturing angrily to Qingcheng, signaling her to continue.
Taking over the topic, Qingcheng said that his subordinate, Comrade Chenxiang, had received a contact message from Zero published in the newspaper, in which he revealed that he had a batch of black soil that needed to be sold.
Still immersed in the joy of deciphering the code, Wu Hao looked up, his pupils slightly contracting. He handed the codebook to Jiang Yun: "Oh, bring me the newspaper to take a look."
Wang Renyong opened the bedside table and smoothed out the uneven newspaper. Wu Hao, perhaps impatient with the slow pace, simply walked over, picked up the newspaper, and began to read it carefully. He stared intently at the words on the newspaper, searching for any valuable clues.
Qingcheng wasn't sure if Zero was fishing for information or genuinely wanted to sell his goods, so she told Comrade Chenxiang to hold back.
“Well done. Comrade Chenxiang is currently in hiding. Do not act rashly to avoid exposing your identity, but we must take action.” Wu Hao called Liu Hui, who was on guard duty on the balcony, into the house and assigned him a task.
“No problem. I want to know where we’re going to do our mission? What day is it?” After a period of language training, Liu Hui was basically able to use Mandarin fluently, with a slight accent.
"The North Radiance Day is the Great Heat. Let me check the calendar; it should be this month." Wu Hao said as he walked towards the study, presumably to check the desk calendar.
The bedroom fell silent. Qingcheng broke the silence first: "Hey, Xiaoyun, do you know why the North Shining Sun is the Great Heat?"
“I know, legend has it that there is a god in the north named Xuanwu, so the character ‘北’ (north) belongs to the water element in the Five Elements theory, and the character ‘耀’ (shining) has light and the sun, so it belongs to the fire element. The day when the heat and humidity reach their peak is called the Great Heat.” Jiang Yun comforted him, “It’s normal that you don’t know. Only in the area north of the Huai River, superstitious old people who believe in Taoism will use it. They think that the Great Heat means a great drought, which is unlucky.”
These words broadened Wang Hejun's horizons. Qingcheng thought to himself, "It seems I still need to learn about the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, otherwise I won't even be able to understand the secret language." Old Sun was from north of the Huai River, so if it were just Yingqi alone, he certainly wouldn't understand. Zero probably wanted to test whether Old Sun was in Shanghai.
"Where should Liu Hui go?" Wang Renyong asked, craning his neck.
Jiang Yun gestured with his fingers: "I have two guesses. One is the City God Temple, a famous Taoist holy site. The other is to check the old almanac. The zero-day rule requires not to participate in celebrations, but to avoid misfortune and choose auspicious days. It actually suggests that we should check the almanac for certain matters and then calculate the most suitable time and direction for doing things. Anyway, it's the same theory as feng shui and fortune telling."
“The City God Temple is the busiest part of the city; meeting there is too dangerous and doesn’t fit the cautious style of the old spy,” Wang Renyong said, pursing his lips in disagreement.
“Maybe Zero just wants to be innovative. You know that after 10 o’clock, there’s no one at the City God Temple. It’s not impossible to make a rendezvous there,” Qingcheng said.
Jiang Yun replied in a good-natured manner: "I was just guessing. As for the willow branch, you'll have to ask Comrade Chenxiang. It should be some kind of token for their recognition."
As the group was chatting happily, Wu Hao rushed in with a worried expression: "Qingcheng, you need to quickly accompany Liu Hui to Comrade Chenxiang to get the willow branches. Tomorrow is the Great Heat, and the nearest auspicious time for a transaction is Bingzi hour."
Ah, that's just an hour from now! Qingcheng didn't dare to delay and led Liu Hui to the Shikumen without stopping. In accordance with the principle of single-line communication, she asked Liu Hui to wait aside while she went in to ask Yingqi for the token.
However, when Sister Jing helped open the door, Yingqi's room was empty.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
