Chapter 530: The Truth, A Conspiracy

Winter night. Cold wind.

In December in Beiping, the nights are already very cold.

The temperature is close to freezing. It could snow at any time.

The north wind whistles through the empty streets, blowing all the debris on the ground into the air.

On a remote street, there is no one.

Even the chirping of insects has stopped.

There is no light.

Everyone is curled up inside their blankets.

A dark figure appears in the corner. Then it crouches there motionless.

The north wind whips around.

It is late at night. The temperature continues to drop. It seems as if he is already frozen.

From time to time, he stamps his feet and rubs his hands together to show that he is still alive.

He is waiting for someone.

Someone very important.

No matter how cold it gets tonight, he must wait for the other person.

Otherwise...

His mission will be incomplete.

The winter night is cold. But inside him, his heart is burning. It is blazing.

Finally, someone is coming.

It is a middle-aged patrolman. He is riding a bicycle. An old gas lantern is hanging from the front.

The bicycle is ringing with everything except the bell.

The swaying sound fills the dark with hope. He immediately 'comes to life'.

A dark figure suddenly steps out of the darkness. It stops the bicycle.

The car patrolman brakes sharply.

He subconsciously reaches for his truncheon.

'It's me!' says the dark figure in a deep voice. "Comrade Ant.'

'You..." The patrolman's face is serious.

He stares at the other man warily.

Then he looks around warily.

There is no one else.

There is no sign of any living creature.

Only the cold wind whistling.

'Comrade Mayu, this is a serious breach of discipline! You shouldn't be here!'

'Comrade Ant, I have something very important to report. There's no time for formalities. I must report to the organisation immediately. The owner of the Windfall Pawnshop, Ali, is Japanese.'

'What evidence do you have?'

'None. But I'm convinced that he is definitely Japanese.'

'You suspect that he is involved in Operation Blade?'

'Yes. I'm certain. He is definitely involved in Operation Blade. He is one of the masterminds.'

'I see. I will report to the organisation. But, Comrade Ma Yu, you are also an old party member. You should know about organisational discipline. What you have done is very dangerous. It is a serious violation of the discipline of the underground organisation. I must criticise you. When you go back, you must write a serious self-criticism. Then follow the normal channels and give it to Comrade Earthworm.'

'I will.'

'Discipline is discipline. It was bought with the blood of our many martyrs. No one can violate it. If it is violated, it will cause immeasurable losses to our work.'

'Now everyone suspects me of being the traitor who betrayed Yan Guangkun. No one suspects me of being a member of the Red Party.'

'Comrade Guangkun has also worked hard. But there is nothing we can do about it. Our work is just that dangerous.'

'Yes, Guangkun must evacuate immediately. Dai Li already suspects him. This time, Dai Li is in Tianjin, most likely to secretly dispose of Guangkun. We can't take any chances.'

'Fortunately, it's Zhang Yong who is in charge of the screening. He hasn't followed up on this at all. Otherwise...'

'Zhang Yong is also in Beiping.'

'You saw him?'

'No. But someone told me that he is in Beiping. And he saw me.'

'That's troublesome.'

The patrol officer frowned. Then he waved his hand. He hid in the darkness with Ma Yu.

He was very careful. Even though there was no one around, he was worried that there might be unseen eyes watching them. They really couldn't afford to make the slightest mistake in their work. Otherwise, it would be the end of them.

Here, they not only had to face the ruthless reactionaries. They also had to face a new opponent, the Japanese.

The Japanese were even more ruthless than the reactionaries. And more professional.

Outside, the north wind howled. Yet inside, it was warm and cosy.

Although Mayu had broken the rules, the ants were very happy to see that she was safe and sound.

They had been good comrades-in-arms. Later, they had been assigned separate tasks.

In fact, they had not seen each other for more than three years. Everyone was happy to be reunited after such a long time, and to be alive.

Speaking of encirclement and suppression...

Speaking of the Long March...

If Zhang Yong had not interfered, everything would have been fine.

Yan Guangkun managed to escape Dai Li's attention. For the time being, he fell into the hands of the Japanese. Although he had to endure some suffering, his life was safe.

The Japanese would not kill Yan Guangkun immediately. They needed to use him to do something.

That was the reason for their risky move.

However, Zhang Yong was an unstable factor. He might take action.

'What is your assessment of Zhang Yong?'

'He can be trusted.'

'What do you mean?'

'He has no ill will towards our Red Party.'

'That's good. The problem is, you are now the traitor. He might kill you.'

'He will definitely kill me.'

'This...'

'He hates traitors. Hates traitors. If he is sure I am a traitor, he will definitely kill me. Without hesitation.'

'He is very clear about what he loves and what he hates. He hates evil. Unfortunately...'

In the end, he didn't say it.

There are some things where principles are principles. You can't back down.

'What's he doing in Beiping?'

'Trying to rescue Guangkun.'

'What's the plan?'

'I think he's going to arrest some high-profile Japanese spies and trade them for Guangkun.'

'Oh...'

'I hope he doesn't act too quickly. Otherwise, they'll be at a disadvantage.'

'Japanese spies in Beiping...'

'I think Ma Yali has been arrested.'

'Why?'

'Since Zhang Yong saw me, he must have realised that Ma Yali is Japanese. He won't let Ma Yali go.'

'Are you sure?'

'Of course. I and Guang Kun know his style of work very well.'

'Then, I'm going to see him now! I must speak to him personally. Otherwise, if he gets the wrong idea, it could have extremely serious consequences.'

'Indeed. His destructive power is a bit perverted. The Japanese are probably going crazy.'

'I'll confess my identity to him!'

'You can only go alone. I can't go with you. Otherwise, he will be prejudiced and won't listen to your explanation.'

'I'm going to the Tailwind Pawnshop now. He might be there.'

'Be careful!'

'He doesn't know me. He shouldn't do anything right away.'

'Okay, go!'

Ma Yu nodded. He didn't try to dissuade him.

Because of this matter, the Party organisation must intervene personally.

Zhang Yong's actions were very uncontrollable. It could disrupt their plans.

Only by being honest and open could they cooperate.

'I'm off!'

'See you later.'

'Take care!'

The patrolman turned his bicycle around and slowly rode towards the Shunfeng Pawnshop.

At this moment, Zhang Yong was counting the gold bars.

Yuntao It seemed like he was in a trance. He was pondering something.

It seemed like he hadn't revealed any important information either, so what was this guy thinking about?

Zhang Yong looked outside. His expression did not change.

It was late at night, and basically all the small white or red dots on the map were motionless. Only one small white dot was slowly approaching the Shunfeng Pawnshop.

It got closer. Quietly opening the window a crack, he saw it was a police patrolman. No weapons. Just a baton.

Huh. Suddenly, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Before, before he joined the Fuxing Society, he also patrolled like this.

Most of the time, he was on night duty. He was alone, walking through the streets and alleys. He felt empty, lonely and cold.

As he watched the patrolman approach the pawnshop, Zhang Yong slowly walked out.

The other person was here to see him.

He had a hunch.

'Can I help you?'

'I know Ma Yu.'

'Oh?'

Zhang Yong's eyes lit up.

This guy knows Ma Yu? Is he here to inform on him?

Haha, this is interesting.

How did he know he was looking for Ma Yu?

'Follow me!'

'No. You come in!'

Zhang Yong insisted.

Although the other party was unarmed, he was very careful.

He would never fall into the enemy's trap.

'Then let's talk in the middle of the street. I don't want anyone else to hear.'

'Okay!'

Zhang Yong looked around.

He didn't see any danger.

Within a radius of 400 metres, there were several small red dots. But none of them were in a sniping position. They were also motionless. They must be sleeping.

It was already the early hours of the morning. Apart from night owls like them, who else would want to stay up?

Oh, and the patrolman in front of him.

Alas, all are miserable people...

No one else noticed anything unusual either.

However, Zhang Yong was still very cautious. Pointing to the corner next to him, he said, 'Go over there.'

It was an L-shaped corner. It could minimise the risk of being assassinated from a distance. If an enemy appeared, they could only attack from the front.

They arrived at the corner. Both of them silently sized each other up.

Zhang Yong could guess who the other person was. He was not one of their own. Nor was he a Japanese spy. That could only mean that he was a member of the Red Party.

It was possible that some of his activities in Beiping had been discovered by the underground organisation of the Red Party in Beiping. So the other person had come to find him.

Could he trust the other person?

Of course.

He was sure that the other person was not an impostor.

No one would dare to impersonate him. It would be useless. If the other person had been a Japanese spy, they would have been discovered long ago.

If the other person was not a Japanese spy, then who else could it be?

Would the Japanese send a traitor to impersonate him? No way. The Japanese didn't trust the traitors at all. The more secretive the matter, the less the traitors had to do with it.

Therefore, the other party could only be a member of the Red Party. There was no other possibility.

'Who are you?'

'I'm from the Beiping Prefectural Committee of the Red Party. My code name is Ant.'

'I'm from the Fuxing Society.'

'I know. Mayu already told me.'

'Why did Mayu tell you?'

'There are some things that may be different from what you think. Yan Guangkun was arrested by the Japanese, and we arranged it.'

'So, you Communists actually acted as accomplices to the Japanese?'

'Yan Guangkun was an undercover agent of our organisation in your Fuxing Society. However, he was recently exposed. Your boss, Dai, will be passing through Tianjin on his way to Beiping this time, and may dispose of Yan Guangkun. To be on the safe side, we had to plan for him to be temporarily arrested by the Japanese. This will temporarily ensure his safety.'

'Can't you just evacuate him?'

'That would implicate a lot of people. We don't want to hurt the innocent.'

'So, you planned this?'

'Yes.'

'Yan Guangkun is one of you? Codename Creeper?'

'No.'

'What?'

'He is one of us. But his codename is not Creeper. He doesn't have a codename.'

'Then who is Creeper?'

'I don't know. He's not on our side.'

'Really?'

Zhang Yong frowned.

He had never expected things to change so suddenly.

Yan Guangkun was actually a member of the Red Party?

That was a surprise. A real one. He had never suspected Yan Guangkun.

He had suspected Yang Shanfang. He had suspected Liu Daowu. He had even suspected Dai Yice and Kou Xingde. He had even suspected Chen Mei. But he had never suspected Yan Guangkun.

At first, Yan Guangkun and he had been at odds with each other.

It wasn't until Yan Guangkun offered to cooperate with him that he changed his mind about Yan. But he never suspected that Yan was a member of the Red Party.

This is really...

He hid it so well.

Boss Dai is also amazing. He actually discovered it too.

Boss Dai mentioned the Creeper to me, but never mentioned that Yan Guangkun might be a member of the Red Party.

It's terrifying...

He's so deep...

A rookie like me is really just a nobody in front of Boss Dai.

But...

Here's the problem...

Isn't Yan Guangkun's code name Creeper? So who is Creeper?

Is there really a Creeper? And if there is, who is it?

It can't be Li Boqi, can it?

Definitely not.

Li Boqi has already been interrogated once.

With Boss Dai's sharp mind, if Li Boqi was suspicious, he would have been eliminated a long time ago.

If Li Boqi really was a climber, he would never have been able to talk to him about the Red Party, and he would never have been able to recruit Li Jingzhi.

That would have been highly suspicious.

It must be because he is not a member of the Red Party that Li Boqi dares to do this.

I wonder who the climber really is?

How many members of the Red Party are there in this Fuxing Society?

Alas, this is so complicated...

I thought I had seen the second floor, but it turns out that someone else is on the seventh floor...

But then I quickly feel relieved.

In fact, there is nothing to be upset about.

Yan Guangkun is a member of the Red Party because he was arrested because the organisation needed someone to be.

In other words, there are no real traitors within the Fuxing Society. There are undercover members of the Red Party, but no traitors who have defected to the Japanese invaders.

This is good news, and he should be happy.

Otherwise, if there really were a few traitors, that would be truly sad.

As for other people's plans...

The road is long and winding, and I will seek it out from top to bottom.

He is a rookie.

Everyone else is a master.

Just quietly follow others and learn.

He suddenly laughed.

'What are you laughing at?'

'I should have actually thought of it.'

'What?'

'Not a single shot was fired. Who could have done something so miraculous? Unless it was Yan Guangkun himself.'

'So why didn't you think of it at the time?'

'Right!'

Zhang Yong shook his head.

He was inexperienced!

But didn't Li Boqi and Yu Lexing and Yang Shanfang think of it too?

It's possible that Yu Lexing and Yang Shanfang didn't think of it, but Zhang Yong would never believe that Li Boqi didn't. It seems that Li Boqi knew the inside story long ago. But he didn't say anything.

Haha. Maybe Yu Lexing and Yang Shanfang were the same. They were probably both pretending to be stupid.

Were they both fooling Boss Dai?

Only I took it seriously. I believed it.

'You came to me...'

'To tell you the truth.'

'Why?'

'They all think you're too capable, and that you might soon catch the Japanese spy ringleaders and start replacing them. That would ruin our plan.'

'What is your plan?'

'Yan Guangkun was only released by the Japanese after Dai Boss left the Pingjin area.'

'Avoiding him on purpose?'

'Yes.'

'Do you think Yan Guangkun can still return to the Fuxing Society?'

'Yes.'

'Aren't you a bit underestimating Boss Dai's abilities? He's no pushover.'

'Of course we know he's very capable. But he's far away, and we can't do anything about it.'

'This...'

Zhang Yong was at a loss for words.

What kind of solution was this? But it seemed to be a solution.

It was the right medicine for the problem.

It hit Boss Dai right where it hurt.

Why did Boss Dai have to deal with Yan Guangkun himself? Couldn't he delegate it to someone else?

Because it couldn't be made public.

He can't just give an order, saying that Yan is a member of the Red Party, and have someone else arrest him immediately and deal with him on the spot.

That would be the end.

The end for him, Boss Dai himself.

The head of one of the eight action teams of the Special Branch of the Restoration Society is actually a member of the Red Party!

How can this be allowed to happen?

How do you think this will play out?

Isn't that just inviting the Party Affairs Investigation Office to laugh at themselves? Xu Enzeng will die of laughter.

Then the report goes to the Party Leader.

What do you think he'll think? He'll definitely curse his mother.

In the end, Boss Dai is the one who suffers.

So, it must never be made public. Not even to anyone else. It must be handled in secret.

In the end, it will be announced that he was killed in an unfortunate accident. He will be given a grand funeral.

It can only be handled in the presence of Boss Dai himself. At no other time.

But how long can Boss Dai stay in North China?

He can't stay for too long.

Once the train robbery is dealt with, he has to go back.

Once he's gone, Yan Guangkun will come out. Then he'll go back to the Fuxing Society Secret Service and resume his position as team leader.

Well, he might be removed from his position as team leader. But he'll still be part of the Fuxing Society Secret Service. He can still continue to lurk.

As for the future...

We'll see about that.

Who can see that far ahead? Let's just get through the immediate crisis.

In fact, Boss Dai probably wouldn't dare to remove Yan Guangkun from his position as team leader. It could easily lead to misunderstandings.

People might think that Yan Guangkun lost his position because he was captured by the Japanese.

He fought the Japanese, but was captured after a mistake was made. He was unyielding and eventually exchanged for him. Instead of offering comfort, Boss Dai removed him from his position. Everyone will be disheartened.

Everyone is walking on the edge of a knife, dangerously close to falling. Who hasn't made a mistake?

Who can guarantee that they won't fall into the hands of the enemy?

In order to maintain the stability of the Restoration Society, Boss Dai can only swallow this matter.

A plot.

It really is a calculated move against Boss Dai.