But what surprised him most was that the signature on the note was "Shadow"!
Lu Ming's code name is "Shadow," which originally belonged to Comrade Boran. After Comrade Boran's sacrifice, Lu Ming continued to use it.
This code name is kept extremely secret. Currently, only the top leader of the Nanjing Provincial Party Committee knows it, because he and Lu Ming are intelligence agents directly under the top leader, and their ranks are very high.
No one in the underground party on other contact lines knew this code name. How did this messenger know it?
That means Lu Ming himself must have given this code name to the messenger. That must be the case, otherwise this problem cannot be explained.
Could this be a member that Lu Ming secretly recruited? But I am his direct contact and a comrade-in-arms for many years. You could say that I am the person Lu Ming trusts the most. So why has he never mentioned this person to me?
He barely managed to suppress his grief, set the note aside, and then checked the other items in the box.
A dozen or so gold bars and several stacks of cash—this was probably Lu Ming's last savings. While his position in the Ministry of Finance wasn't the most lucrative, it wasn't exactly a clean slate either. He received a considerable amount of illicit income from entertaining guests, but almost all of it was handed over to the organization as operating funds. The remaining money was a reserve fund for unforeseen circumstances.
He recognized the red cloth bag; he had seen it with Lu Ming years ago. Inside were two colorful pebbles and a photo of Lu Ming's wife, who had sacrificed herself many years ago.
He knew the origin of these two Yuhua stones. They were the tokens of love between Lu Ming and his wife Huilan. When the two of them pledged their love to each other, Lu Ming didn't have the money to buy his wife a decent gift, so the two of them dug up two Yuhua stones themselves and used them as tokens of love for each other.
The gift was simple but full of romance. After Huilan passed away, Lu Ming treasured the two Yuhua stones and never showed them to outsiders again.
This is a treasure that Lu Ming regards as his life, and no one but the person he trusts most could possibly know about it!
Looking at these items, Xia Deyan pondered carefully. These items further confirmed his judgment: the messenger must be the person Lu Ming trusted most!
He knew Lu Ming's identity, code name, and most precious personal belongings. Most importantly, he even knew Lu Ming's disguised identity. No one else could have told him any of this except Lu Ming. These were secrets known only to Lu Ming.
Of course, there is also a slight possibility that Lu Ming did not die on the spot, but was arrested, and finally couldn't withstand the torture and confessed everything.
Xia Deyan wouldn't dare to guarantee anything if it were any other underground party intelligence agent, but this was Lu Ming, a steadfast warrior who had endured the bloody war and the most severe tests of white terror. His comrades and even his lover had died at the hands of the Kuomintang, so it could be said that he had a blood feud with the Kuomintang. Anyone might betray the revolution or their beliefs, but Lu Ming would never do that.
Moreover, if Lu Ming had betrayed them, then it would have been Kuomintang agents who came knocking, not this messenger.
This further confirmed his judgment that the messenger must have been someone Lu Ming had developed and trusted most.
Since Lu Ming was keeping it from me, he must have his own reasons. But why did this messenger use the code name "Shadow" to sign his name? Could it be that he is Lu Ming's chosen successor?
Yes, that must be it. This old man actually had this pawn hidden away, and he did it so secretly. Now look what's happened. Because of the old man's sudden sacrifice, without his proof, this pawn's connection with the organization has been severed. Otherwise, this person wouldn't have used this method to pass on the message, because he knew that if he came directly to Xia Deyan, Xia Deyan wouldn't believe him at all.
Who could this person be? Xia Deyan pondered deeply. He looked at the gold bars and banknotes before him. This amount of money might not seem like much, but for the organization, it was a huge sum; for an individual, it was enough to change an ordinary person's life—no exaggeration. To be able to remain unmoved by the money and selflessly hand it over to the organization showed that this person was trustworthy. Of course, someone whom Lu Ming trusted and entrusted with his affairs after his death would be without question in this regard.
Looking at this note again, the handwriting is in Song typeface, each stroke powerful and elegant, demonstrating great skill. Especially the signature at the end, the character "影" (shadow), is written in one continuous stroke, making the character "影" graceful and vivid, like flowing clouds and water, extremely beautiful. This person must have a high level of education, as evidenced by this excellent handwriting alone!
In China during this era, there are very few cultured people who have the opportunity to receive an education. People who can read are already considered intellectuals, and those who can write this character must have received higher education. Such people are exactly the kind of talent that the Communist Party desperately needs!
There is only one question: how could this person know the details of Lu Ming's rendezvous, Zhang Pei's betrayal, and Lu Ming's sacrifice? Such detailed information could not possibly be known by an outsider. If this question cannot be explained, I cannot fully trust him. If only I could know his true identity!
Hey! Old Lu, what a difficult problem you've left me with!
After dealing with the matter, Ning Zhiheng returned to the Military Intelligence Department the next day. When he arrived at the office, he saw Shi Hong beaming with excitement, talking loudly with Wang Shucheng.
"What's making you happy? Let me hear it too!" Ning Zhiheng asked with a smile when he saw the two of them discussing it with great interest.
As soon as Shi Hong and Wang Shucheng saw Ning Zhiheng enter, they immediately came up to him and said excitedly, "Captain, you don't know yet, you and the team leader are treating everyone to dinner!"
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