Chapter 675: Mutual Performance

Watching Wang Yan and the others leave, Ming Lou turned and entered the 76th Number building, going to Wang Man Chun's office, knocking three times—dong dong dong—and after receiving a reply, he opened the door and stepped inside.

"Big brother, what brings you here?"

Wang Man Chun deliberately widened her eyes, showing three parts surprise, three parts confusion, and four parts delight—she feigned ignorance, perfectly portraying her affection for Ming Lou.

But her performative act made Ming Lou want to vomit. How could there be such a shameless woman? She was entangled with Wang Yan over there, yet still flirted with him here? Disgusting, utterly disgusting!

Yet he concealed it well—perhaps not concealment at all, but naturalness. His smile upon entering didn't falter; his eyes held a trace of tender emotion, the subtle ambiguity of romantic tension.

"Mr. Wang is the richest man on the Shanghai Bund, doing business with both parties and the Japanese and foreigners alike. Now, over a thousand military police have surrounded his warehouse and arrested two of his key men. If anything happens to him, Shanghai's economy will suffer a massive blow. As the Director of the Economic Bureau, acting Deputy Director of the Special Committee, how could I possibly not come?"

"Don't worry, nothing will happen." Wang Man Chun walked over with a smile to pour water: "Big brother, sit down. Sorry, I only have boiled water."

"No need to apologize—it's actually better. Far better than those who put expensive red wine and foreign liquor in their offices just to put on airs."

"You're including Minister Zhou and Chairman Wang in that remark—watch out, I'll report you."

"Ah, that's exactly what Minister Zhou told me. He said most people can't tell the difference between red wine and foreign liquor—they just assume anything foreign is good. So he feels he must have a liquor cabinet in his office, or else he's lacking something. Minister Zhou is just as helpless."

Ming Lou sat on the sofa and asked casually: "When will the factory be unsealed?"

"So many people to screen, and all the goods to search—won't be done until midnight at the earliest."

"I don't think this is just about searching for hidden Red Party members in the warehouse—isn't there suspicion toward Mr. Wang?"

"How could that be? You know how huge his business is and how wide his connections are. He's been investigated at least eight or ten times since childhood—his background is completely clear, and his business operations are mostly under control. But because he has too many ties with both parties and transports large quantities of goods, even he knows many of his staff are affiliated with the two parties."

"These people are both monitoring his company's operations and using his name to operate more easily on the Bund. So this time, the goal is simply to use this incident for a thorough search. Once we catch the Red Party members, he'll thank us."

Wang Man Chun spoke the truth—she truly didn't suspect him—but their intentions weren't nearly so benevolent. Whether or not he had any issues, they'd investigate meticulously anyway—hadn't they never checked before? Now that the Red Party had surfaced, it was only natural. To suspect everyone was the standard practice of the Japanese and these traitors of the Wang puppet regime. Even if Wang Yan had no problems, they had to guard against him having them—after all, he was too close to both parties.

So they must catch the Red Party—and they must investigate Wang Yan too.

Ming Lou understood this logic perfectly: "Still, don't cause him too much trouble. Even if you find something, don't deliberately link it to him. The New Government is still being organized—now is no time for chaos."

Seeing Wang Man Chun nod, he continued: "By the way, I came in a hurry, and the incident happened suddenly. I only asked Director Li briefly—he was rushing to meet Mr. Wang, so he didn't tell me much. But while I was chatting with Wang Yan, he mentioned bad luck and gave me a rough outline. He said a Red Party member in the Secretariat was caught stealing documents in the archives, and it eventually implicated the Assistant Regional Commander manager of Yonghua Industries. What's the story?"

Wang Man Chun turned and walked gracefully over, placed the cup on the coffee table, pushed it toward Ming Lou, then sat on the single sofa beside him: "That's exactly it. The Red Party mole in the Secretariat heard we were planning to secretly arrest and execute a group of intellectuals who were fiercely opposing the New Government's formation and openly insulting Chairman Wang. As per protocol, operation files were archived in the records room. Since the mole couldn't access the list elsewhere, he went to the archives to search."

"Your work can't be sloppy. Mr. Wang was right—76th Number is like a sieve; any wind can blow out. This incident proves your confidentiality is inadequate. If rumors spread, those people will recognize themselves and flee ahead of time."

"Big brother, it's just you and me—don't give me official jargon." Wang Man Chun crossed her legs, smiling sweetly. "The rumors were actually spread on purpose—to scare those people into keeping quiet. If we'd moved outright, no matter how secretly we acted, traces would remain. Those people have influence and prestige—if they made Chairman Wang the target of public hatred, we'd be the ones to suffer. This matter isn't that important, so Director Li didn't tell you. But big brother, that mole in the Secretariat did see a more important document."

Ming Lou sipped his hot water calmly, saying nothing, just watching Wang Man Chun, waiting for her to continue.

"It was a decrypted telegram from the Military Intelligence Service. Last time, because of the codename 'Poison Bee'—the real name Wang Tianfeng, chief of intelligence for the Shanghai station—organized a failed assassination attempt on Chairman Wang. We caught their trail and wiped out about a third of the Shanghai station's strength. Later Chongqing sent Chen Gongshu as head of the Operations Bureau and Wu Qiren as secretary of the Enemy Rear Unified Committee. Now they're planning another assassination on Chairman Wang."

"We also received intelligence that the Military Intelligence Service secretly dispatched a new intelligence bureau chief to take over Wang Tianfeng's duties. Reliable sources confirm this new chief's codename is 'Poison Snake'—and he's likely embedded within our ranks."

"This decrypted telegram details exactly that. It also exposed one of their contact points—we're monitoring it now, but I won't tell you the exact location. Additionally, we've pinpointed the general area of their secret radio station and are conducting a detailed search; within two days, we'll lock down the precise location."

"Oh? Then you're about to earn another major achievement. I'll definitely recommend you for commendation to Minister Zhou, praising your outstanding contributions to the New Government."

"Big brother, don't tease me. The real outstanding contributions come from you—if not for you, how would we down here eat, drink, or risk our lives?" Wang Man Chun shook her head and laughed. "Enough with the formalities, big brother—we're between ourselves, so why pretend? By the way, I heard from A Cheng that you found a foreign woman abroad? Tell me about it."

"That A Cheng—he tells you everything. I'll give him a proper beating later. Actually, there's not much to say—she was…"

Wang Man Chun's feelings were unknown, but Ming Lou certainly disliked dealing with her—he had to endure her nonsense, even sprinkle in a touch of romantic ambiguity.

After talking for a long while, the conversation finally ended. Amid Wang Man Chun's reluctant farewell, Ming Lou got into the car driven by Ming Cheng and left through the heavy snow.

Even Qi Si had realized the issue—they both understood it clearly, so they rode in silence.

Heavy snow had blocked the roads, and some telephone lines had been damaged by the weather, halting many operations. Besides, it was already afternoon—within a few hours it would be quitting time—so they headed straight back to Ming's residence in the French Concession. Getting a hot meal early was better than anything else.

At home, Ming Lou went in first to deal with Ming Jing. Ming Cheng thoroughly inspected the car inside and out before entering the house and heading to Ming Lou's study.

"Big brother, how's the situation?"

"Not good." Ming Lou frowned. "Wang Man Chun said the mole in the Secretariat was after a list of intellectuals who opposed the puppet government's formation and insulted Wang Zhaoming. Then she added he saw a more important document—a decrypted telegram about assassinating Wang Zhaoming. She also claimed reliable intelligence confirmed the new Shanghai station intelligence chief's codename is 'Poison Snake,' embedded within the puppet regime. They've also located a contact point under surveillance and narrowed down the location of a secret radio station, currently conducting a detailed search."

"Didn't she give exact locations?"

"Of course not—would she?"

Ming Cheng also frowned: "Should I immediately notify our people to evacuate and go silent, then report to the top?"

"Wang Man Chun's words can't be fully trusted—she still suspects me. This story might be a test. Her words reveal one thing: we have a mole inside—not in Chongqing, or in the Shanghai station. Without concrete evidence, we can't verify whether this is real or a false lead planted for me."

"And it's more than that. Nightingale is embedded in the Communications Bureau—she should know everything about intercepting telegrams and decrypting codebooks. But she didn't tell us. If the intelligence is true, what does that mean? It means Li Shiqun has a secret communications unit—he trusts neither the Japanese nor us Chinese collaborators."

"If we act rashly and Wang Man Chun finds out, my brother and I will be buried without a grave."

"Go to Liang Zhongchun?" Ming Cheng thought a moment. "If there's really an operation, the Intelligence Bureau won't have enough manpower. Though Wang Man Chun looks down on Liang Zhongchun, she'll still borrow his people—he must know some details."

Ming Lou paused, then nodded: "You've already hinted to him that we have ties to Chongqing. He's money-driven—tell him simply that we've built a decent relationship with Wang Yan. Maybe he can get some benefits from Wang Yan."

Seeing Ming Cheng hesitate, he continued: "Wang Man Chun is wary of me; Li Shiqun wants to push me out of the Special Committee. Luckily, I've gained Zhou Fuhai's approval—he doesn't want Li Shiqun to gain too much power. This time, I only got the information because of Wang Yan's incident—if it weren't for that, I'd never have known. If it's fake, no harm done. If it's real, we'll be caught off guard."

"In these past few months of New Government preparations, facing pressure from the regime, Wang Yan directly allied with Wang Zhaoming, Chen Gongbo, and Zhou Fuhai to do business together. The factories near Wu Song Port were jointly built by them. Wang Yan understands the art of sacrifice and gain. Before I even asked, he gave me twenty thousand U. S. dollars."

"If I hint slightly—even though my position is low, I oversee commerce—he won't refuse, and won't resent me. For him, those who make money together are trustworthy. That way, we can push Liang Zhongchun onto Wang Yan's bandwagon—everyone benefits."

"Also, with this heavy snow, I suspect any operation will be delayed. But for safety, tonight you go contact our people first—tell them to proceed with caution. Also, tell Chen Gongshu to hold his ground—under no circumstances can the old incident repeat."

"Got it. I'm leaving now."

"Be careful—don't let anything slip."

"Yes, big brother."

Watching Ming Cheng leave without even eating, Ming Lou exhaled deeply, opened the door with a smile, and went to deal with his sister Ming Jing…

Wang Yan didn't care about intelligence matters—even if they might severely damage the Shanghai underground party—because he genuinely couldn't obtain any intelligence.

He couldn't ask Wang Man Chun, nor could he ask Nan Tianyangzi—he never proactively inquired about intelligence. He only unintentionally steered conversations there when the topic arose, and even then, he'd say only two brief sentences before shifting the subject himself. People assumed he'd just talked too much.

After all, intelligence work, beyond actually possessing concrete information, is mostly about listening and observing. He's just a thug, uninvolved in politics—merely binding a group together with interests. To listen and observe is already enough.

And the people he interacted with—whether friend or foe—had to be acknowledged as the elite of this era. Who among those who reached high positions was simple? Had he not had his prior experiences, but arrived in this era the moment he gained his father's inheritance, he'd have died quickly. Nothing else—just incompetence, mediocrity, naive stupidity, an unwilling heart, and blood that wouldn't cool.

In this era, no matter what you did, one misstep made a good death impossible. Farmers were bullied, taxed heavily, prices soared, food and clothing inadequate. Merchants with patrons were pigs fattened for their patrons' meat; those without patrons were pigs fattened for others' meat.

In government, how many truly rose to prominence? Most were just trembling bystanders. If a superior was displeased, he'd slap you—you couldn't even cry out. Even officials weren't better: junior officials faced pressure from above; mid- and senior-level officials endured constant intrigue. Top officials? Fail to manage well, and you're assassinated.

As for soldiers—forget it. The front lines were battlefields, with waves of men dying.

As for joining Yan'an? Just surviving the journey there was a problem. Even if he somehow made it, given his abilities back then, he'd mostly be superficial—without a systematic knowledge base, he couldn't offer Yan'an much. He'd likely end up doing routine clerical work, just because he could write and calculate.

That wasn't the end of it. By '46, when the Liberation War broke out, the Red Party was at a disadvantage for a time, driven out of Yan'an. Did he follow them? Everyone knew the Red Party would surely win, but could he live long enough to see that victory? These were all real questions.

It was only because he had lived long enough and experienced so much that he, Wang Mou, could navigate Shanghai's open schemes and hidden struggles, that treacherous and ever-shifting Shanghai Bund, thriving on every side, living a life of ease. Otherwise, he would have been just another corpse in the street…

That night at midnight, the Japanese military police who had surrounded the North Station warehouse, along with the Special Higher Police (Tokko) and the Number 76 agents assisting in the search, finally withdrew.

This sweeping search could be said to have left no dead angles; even the financial office's account books were seized and inspected under the pretext. They dug out some European and American firearms and ammunition from the First World War hidden in the factory, along with some contraband drugs. That was all quite normal, no real problem. The problem was that Number 76 took three workers away from the warehouse.

That night at midnight, after Wang Yan had finished reporting the situation, he received phone calls one after another at the Wang Tianyue Gongguan from Shi Changxing and Wang Manchun, telling him that of those three people, two were Military Statistics Bureau and one was Red Party.

As for whether they had left anything behind in the factory, Wang Yan didn't believe it. With so many people in the warehouse and such high turnover, no one would leave anything that could expose their identity there. And his own working hours were fairly relaxed, so he didn't need to carry anything on him—of course, this factor couldn't be ruled out, it was still possible.

But comparatively, Wang Yan was more inclined to believe that the caliber of these three was a bit lacking, that they failed to conceal themselves when questioned by the enemy agents. But they had guts—when publicly tortured, they stubbornly held out through the first wave and didn't immediately betray the other covert operatives they knew, buying them a night to escape.

The reason he made such a judgment was that in such a large warehouse with so much coming and going, it was impossible that there were only three people from the two parties. Setting aside the Nationalists, just looking at the Red Party—Gu Yongcheng had risen all the way to general manager, becoming Wang Yan's right-hand man. With such a convenient and safe place to hide people, it was impossible there was only one person.

Regardless of how many employees whose names he didn't know would disappear in the future, and regardless of how many employees whose names he didn't know would appear, the first thing Wang Yan had to resolve was his own trouble.

Of course, it really wasn't much of a trouble. Because his position was high, because the situation was chaotic, he hadn't even read through all his subordinates' names, let alone precisely controlled every one of them. Even the Japanese themselves had a pile of covert agents under them. But the Japanese didn't care about that—the guns were in their hands, so the only solution was money, which could resolve every difficulty.

Perhaps because Nan Tianyangzi was a woman, and adding to that the fact that she had no particular interest in matters between men and women, this Japanese woman refused Wang Yan's invitation to a private dinner, and further refused his invitation to organize a gathering of friends from the Japanese and Wang puppet groups, but she did accept the fifty thousand U. S. dollars that Wang Yan had Wang Manchun pass along to her.

To set Wang Yan's mind at ease, she later personally called the Wang Tianyue Gongguan and chatted warmly with Wang Yan for over ten minutes.

Compared with Nan Tianyangzi, that Japanese woman, Iwai Eiichi, that short and stocky little devil, was much easier to arrange a meeting with. However, when Wang Yan invited him, he didn't agree right away, instead pushing it to the third day because he had something important to handle, and said he would introduce him to a new friend at that time…