Chapter 113: Showdown

After settling the group at 91 Hao Yuan, He Yuzhu prepared to head home, but before he could even enter the door, he saw Pingping waiting there.

"We just parted ways, and your mistress is missing me again!" He Yuzhu said with a cheeky grin.

"Cut the nonsense! Get in the car! The mistress wants you over immediately," Pingping said sternly.

He Yuzhu rushed to Liugongguan, and the moment he stepped inside, he was kicked hard by Liu Rusi.

"Why did you kick me?" He Yuzhu asked, puzzled, watching as Liu Rusi's lips trembled with rage.

"You ask me why? Was that carload of people killed by you? I told you to go find Liu Xiaohua, so what were you running off to do? Do you have any idea that there were Americans among those soldiers? Now the matter has blown up, the Principal has intervened personally, and I... I can't protect you anymore!"

"What murder? Why don't I understand a word of what you're saying? I spent the whole afternoon at Qianmen listening to storytelling; if you don't believe me, go ask at the teahouse!" He Yuzhu said nonchalantly.

"You're still being stubborn! I already sent people to keep watch there. The height and build of the killer he described are no different from yours; how could it not be you?"

"There are plenty of people in this world with similar builds; why are you so certain it's me?" He Yuzhu argued.

"A single person killed six instructors in an instant, plus four from the American special forces. Besides you, who else in Si Jiu Cheng could pull that off!"

"Sister, there are many capable people in this world! The year before last, there was a Huang Daxian who was far more formidable than me; he killed over sixty puppet soldiers in one day and even placed their heads on Qianmen Street!" He Yuzhu said.

"In my view, that Huang Daxian is you!"

"Sister, you really know how to frame people! Since you already sent your men there, why didn't they step in and kill that person?" He Yuzhu said.

"That bastard said those big soldiers hit someone first and even insulted the child they hit, calling him a stinking beggar who didn't deserve to live. He was furious too!" Liu Rusi said, taking a hard gulp of water in her anger.

"Sister, look, I also think that person has a lot of backbone and doesn't treat those foreigners like masters," He Yuzhu replied.

"Stop being stubborn with me. This matter has already blown up. Someone will track it back to you soon, and even your family won't be safe!"

"Sister, you've just made up your mind about me, haven't you?" He Yuzhu looked at her helplessly.

Liu Rusi sneered, "Your acting is useless. I've decided it's you. Tell me, they're searching the whole city—what are you going to do?"

"If it comes to it, we'll go down together and turn Si Jiu Cheng upside down!" He Yuzhu didn't want to pretend anymore and laid his cards on the table.

"What about your family?" Liu Rusi pressed.

"If there's no other way, I'll defect to the Communist Party and take them all to the Liberated Area," He Yuzhu said, lying on the sofa and acting like a rogue.

"Say that again!" Liu Rusi immediately pulled out her Pistol and aimed it at him.

"Sister, you know this piece of junk can't do anything to me, so why bother!"

Liu Rusi shook her head and lowered the gun.

He Yuzhu sighed and said, "Sister, actually, there's one thing I've been hiding from you. I'll tell you today!"

"If you have something to say, say it quickly! Don't dawdle!"

He Yuzhu took Shen Shichang's file out of his bag and pulled out a photograph and an investigation report.

When Liu Rusi saw the photo, she froze for a moment, and then tears began to stream down her face.

Memories from 15 years ago flooded her mind: the scene of her mother taking her to seek refuge with Shen Shichang was still vivid. That was the first time she had witnessed the prosperity of Shanghai, which was far beyond anything her hometown's small county could compare to.

While riding the tram, she looked outside with curiosity, thinking the clothes people wore there were all very beautiful.

She and her mother were carrying too many things—big bags and small bundles—and when she got off, she left her beloved schoolbag on the vehicle, crying her eyes out in a panic.

Her mother comforted her at the time: "Xiao Si, once we find your father, we'll have him buy you a new one."

Only then did Liu Rusi stop her tears and ask, "Mother, are you telling the truth?"

Liu Qingxu nodded.

Upon arriving at the Shen Family, she did indeed live a happy life for a while, but the good times didn't last. Suddenly, one day, her mother's corpse was carried back. At that moment, she felt as if the sky had collapsed.

Yet, her grandmother told the outside world that her mother had been hit by a car while meeting a lover.

From then on, she could never hold her head high in the Shen Family. Every child bullied her, and she felt the world was entirely dark.

It wasn't until Shen Shichang's children all went abroad and he had no one left to use that he remembered her and transferred her to Beijing to work for him.

Once the floodgates of memory were opened, all the past indignities surged into her mind uncontrollably.

She had always hated her mother, feeling that it was her mother who had made her lose face and unable to hold her head high.

"Take a look at the contents inside," He Yuzhu patted her shoulder.

Only then did Liu Rusi return to reality from her memories.

She slowly opened the documents, which clearly stated:

Liu Qingxu (1906-1931), Identity: Communist Party... Early life: Joined the Communist Party in 1923... Participated in 1924... Special Training Class... Studied under the Nationalist intelligence officer Shen Shichang. During her time in the Special Training Class, she secretly passed on several key pieces of intelligence to the Communist Party... In 1931, Liu Qingxu's identity was exposed and she was executed by Shen Shichang...

After reading it, Liu Rusi sat there blankly, not saying a word for a long time.

On the other side, in the large conference room of the Grand Hotel, prominent figures of Beiping—including Acting Mayor Xiong Bing, Garrison Commander Chen Jicheng, Commissioner for the Reception of Enemy Assets Shen Shichang, and Police Chief Wang Baoguo—were all in attendance.

The core topic of the meeting was the incident where several soldiers from the American Advisory Group were assassinated.

Police Chief Wang Baoguo spoke first: "According to the investigation, the cause of the incident was that a military vehicle from the Advisory Group hit someone. According to an old man selling sesame cakes, a young man was looking for someone among the beggars at the time, and he happened to see the child get hit... Then he opened fire..."

After Wang Baoguo finished speaking, the conference room fell into silence.

Anyone with eyes could see that the military vehicle was in the wrong, but they couldn't afford to offend the United States—the American Embassy in Beiping had already issued an ultimatum to the city: if the attacker wasn't caught, they would stop all aid and withdraw the Advisory Group.

Wang Baoguo continued: "After reading the investigation report, I asked a few people who had served in the puppet army, and this reminded them of someone. In the winter of 1944, the little devils offended a man who called himself 'Great Immortal Huang,' and that man killed quite a few people from the Special Higher Police and puppet soldiers. Later, when the little devils couldn't catch him, they found a fake 'Great Immortal Huang' to parade around, ostensibly to show off their battle achievements, but in reality, it was to sue for peace. Since then, this 'Great Immortal Huang' has rarely struck. The description of the killer by the passerby this time is very similar to the 'Great Immortal Huang' of those years."

Everyone felt helpless after hearing this—the recent bombings hadn't ceased, and now a "Huang Daxian" had popped up; how were they supposed to live?

Xiong Bing spoke up: "Chief Wang, don't just talk about the difficulties; we must find a way to solve this. We have to give those above an explanation. Whatever support you need, we will cooperate."

Shen Shichang also said: "Chief Wang, the first thing you must do is round up all the beggars in the Baizhifang area and interrogate them thoroughly. You must find out the detailed characteristics of the killer. Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you must find the person."

The meeting continued.

Inside Liugongguan, Liu Rusi had steadied her emotions and called He Yuzhu into the study.

The two stared at each other for a long time before Liu Rusi finally spoke: "Tell me the truth, are you a member of the Communist Party?"