svetikya Chapter 44 Contact with the Communist Party
Chapter 44 Contact with the Communist Party
Upon receiving Yan Shuo's telegram, Dai Li replied, "Very good, continue to strengthen this type of strategic intelligence gathering."
With nothing to do for the time being, Yan Shuo went to his Military Intelligence Bureau training class to check on the trainees' progress, gave Wu Meng some instructions, left the vegetables in the cave, and returned to the Jing'an Temple commercial district in Huajie.
Yan Shuo's gaze swept quickly across the restaurant, finally landing on a small, empty octagonal table in the corner. He nodded and walked over. The restaurant wasn't big, with only about a dozen tables, and the gaps between the tables were only about a meter, truly making the most of the space.
He had just sat down when the waiter brought over steaming hot tea.
Yan Shuo waved his hand, "Bring me the braised beef, pig's head meat, peanuts, and rice wine first."
Soon, the food and drinks were served.
Yan Shuo picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of braised beef, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly.
He hadn't relaxed like this in a long time; he'd been on edge lately, and now he could finally catch his breath.
He drank and ate meat while listening attentively to the conversations of the guests in the hall.
Suddenly, he heard several people at the next table talking in hushed tones.
"The smuggling business is getting harder and harder to do these days," one person complained. "The Japanese are checking too strictly; they check almost every car and question every person."
Another person sighed: "That's right, a few days ago one of my shipments was seized by them, and I suffered heavy losses."
"I heard that drug inspections have become stricter recently," the third person said. "Especially those sulfonamide anti-inflammatory drugs and surgical drugs, the Japanese army has almost monopolized them, and the prices are outrageously high."
Yan Shuo's ears perked up. Medicine? Smuggled medicine?
The conversation reminded him of some recent events in the city; it seemed that some underground organizations were secretly smuggling drugs to help those in need of treatment.
He carefully observed the group of people. They looked like businessmen, dressed well, but their eyes revealed a shrewdness and wariness.
There were several people around them, who looked like bodyguards or assistants, constantly keeping an eye on their surroundings.
"I heard a comprador has a batch of good goods, and they're very expensive," one of them said in a low voice. "But getting your hands on them won't be easy."
"No matter how difficult it is, as long as we can get our hands on them, we can make a lot of money," another person said. "Besides, these medicines are life-saving items; we're doing a good deed."
Yan Shuo's heart skipped a beat. Doing good deeds? Smuggling drugs? It sounded contradictory. But he didn't have time to think about it further; he needed to confirm these people's identities and their plans.
He pretended to continue drinking and eating meat, but in reality he was carefully observing the appearance and clothing of these people.
He saw that one of the men was wearing a black robe and a black hat, and had a small mustache on his face, making him look somewhat cunning.
The other person was wearing a gray Zhongshan suit and glasses, and looked very refined.
There was another person wearing a blue short jacket who looked like an ordinary businessman.
Yan Shuo silently memorized their physical characteristics.
"Alright, we need to hurry up and leave," one of them said, glancing out the window, "lest we attract the attention of the Japanese."
The others nodded and stood up.
Yan Shuo saw them pick up their luggage and prepare to leave the restaurant.
He was secretly delighted.
This was exactly the opportunity he wanted.
He immediately sent the stand-in doll after them, while he himself pretended to be drunk and staggered away from the restaurant.
The substitute doll quietly followed behind those people, tracking them all the way to a secluded alley.
Through the eyes of the substitute doll, Yan Shuo saw that the group of people stopped in a dilapidated courtyard and then went in through a back door.
Yan Shuo immediately took out his notebook and wrote down the information he had just noted down and the situation he had seen.
He knew this was an important clue that might come in handy later.
He worked for the West American Trading Company. Although he wasn't a comprador and was only in charge of finances, he knew all the medicines and supplies in the company's warehouse. It seemed that he could also do smuggling. Who doesn't make money?
Rather than letting those puppet regime members and Japanese agents earn the money, it's better to earn it ourselves. Moreover, these supplies can be used by the right people who need them to fight the Japanese. Isn't that better?
Hmm, that looks promising!
As for how to find Communists, Yan Shuo, with his systematic approach, had many ways to do so.
Special Agent Headquarters? Special Higher Police? Military Police? It wouldn't be difficult for him to get in and out; it's just a matter of a 10-minute invisibility card. He can just go in, eavesdrop, and flip through some files, and that's it.
After spotting the people, I wandered around the street, checking the red, blue, and black headbands, and quickly narrowed it down to several.
Look, right here is a very pretty young woman, her skin is so fresh and youthful, full of collagen, her eyes are bright and lively, what a clever girl. Where did the Communist Party find such a person? They really know how to pick people.
Yan Shuo saw her loitering near the entrances of some pharmacies or looking at Western medicines near the counters, her eyes filled with longing, but she didn't dare to speak. In the end, she took out a prescription and only bought one box of sulfonamides. Even so, she was still looking around furtively, as if afraid of being followed. She was a clever newbie. Sure enough, two agents from No. 76 followed her.
The girl seemed to realize she was being followed, so she quickened her pace and disappeared into a deep alley. The secret agent behind her also quickened his pace and followed closely.
The girl looked nervous. She figured she couldn't shake off the trail. The alley ended there, and there was no way out. She gripped her collar tightly, where there was a pill. It was her last resort. If she couldn't escape, she was prepared to swallow the pill and never cause trouble for the organization. She would rather die than expose them.
The two spies saw the pretty girl stop at the end of the alley, facing them. With nowhere else to go, and the girl clutching her collar as they approached, she said nervously, "What are you going to do? Don't come any closer, or I'll kill myself!"
The spy grinned maliciously and said, "Oh? Little girl, don't be afraid. Brother will take you to a good place to enjoy yourself. If you die, you won't be able to enjoy it! Haha!" As he spoke, the spy approached the girl.
As the spy was about to get close to the girl, and she didn't have enough strength to fight back, she gritted her teeth and prepared to put the pills in her mouth.
Suddenly, a figure flashed past the agents, and "crack, crack!" Two crisp sounds of bones breaking were heard. The necks of the two agents were snapped, spun 180 degrees, and then lay on the ground with their heads drooping.
"Ah!..." The girl screamed, a very loud sound, echoing throughout the long alley.
"Damn it, shut up! I'll kill you if you shout again!" Yan Shuo frowned and scolded. Good grief, his ears were ringing. This guy really knows how to make a fuss!
"Ugh!" The girl quickly shut her mouth, looking at Yan Shuo with a frightened expression, afraid that he would harm or insult her.