Chapter 181: Outward Compliance, Secret Defiance

Knowing Lin Dayou's purpose, Chen Yongren gradually wiped the smile from his face.

Selling off some ordinary supplies would be fine.

Wanting to let such things be sold through his own hands.

Dream on!

Damn it, if I let Young Master know where this shipment is, I'll seize all of it, then douse it with quicklime and brine and dump it into the sea.

But this matter definitely cannot be refused outright; we must learn to outwardly comply while secretly undermining.

Secretly botch this affair.

"Dayou, you came rushing over so urgently—has something else happened internally?" Chen Yongren said with a smile.

Hearing that, Lin Dayou chuckled: "You say that—can't I just come see you if there's nothing wrong?"

Chen Yongren smiled, took a sip of tea, and said nothing more.

Seeing this, Lin Dayou's face grew a bit embarrassed; recalling Shen Mingchen's instructions before departure, he said bluntly: "A Ren, we're sworn brothers—I won't waste words."

There will be a shake‑up soon in the interior; our Military Intelligence Bureau is desperately short of funds, so we need you to provide a batch of goods to help us earn some extra income.

"What goods?" Chen Yongren feigned ignorance.

"Opium." Lin Dayou stated directly.

Chen Yongren pretended surprise: "This stuff isn't contraband, selling such things…"

"Contraband?" Lin Dayou said meaningfully: "A Ren, you're still young; some things you may not understand—whether something is banned or not, in the end it's us who decide."

"But…" Chen Yongren looked astonished: "This is opium."

"As long as it makes money, what does it matter what kind of powder it is?" Lin Dayou said directly: "If we don't find ways to make money, how can we support all those brothers under us?"

"You've always wondered where I went, haven't you?"

"I'm not afraid to tell you—I've been helping our bureau coordinate supplies to make money."

When we butchered the pangolin earlier, they took the chance to rake in a fair bit of money; it's precisely because we had that cash as a bribe that Lin Dayou got the chance to buy an office related to logistics.

Lin Dayou said: "Not only us, even the little Japanese are secretly selling opium to raise military funds."

"Since anyone can profit from this money, why shouldn't we? Whose smoke those addicts inhale isn't the point."

"The money we earn can also be poured into the anti‑war effort—it's a kind of virtuous cycle."

After a pause, Lin Dayou added: "Besides, we're just small fry; whatever the higher-ups order, we just follow—don't overthink it."

"The higher-ups said, once this batch of goods is sold, you'll also get a share."

"A Ren, you must not disappoint the higher‑ups; even back in Jinling we did this sort of thing—you must see it through properly."

Hearing that, Chen Yongren feigned silence.

"The little Japanese are also secretly selling opium?"

"We need to find a chance to investigate this properly."

Seeing Chen Yongren stay silent, Lin Dayou also let out a helpless sigh.

"'Once, I too burned with such fervor.'"

"'In the end I just became an old oil stick, yielding to reality.'"

"'What empty, illusory thing could compare to cash in hand?'"

"'If you refuse now, when you see real silver before you, you won't think like that.'"

Lin Dayou was about to persuade him further when he heard Chen Yongren say: "Selling is fine, but who should I sell this batch of supplies to?"

The big and small gangs of Songhu have opened many opium dens there; this sought‑after commodity, they'll surely take it." Lin Dayou laughed.

"Remember, there are 30 crates total, each worth 20,000 silver dollars."

"Of course, if you can sell them for more, the extra profit is yours."

Chen Yongren nodded: "No problem—when the time comes, how will you receive the money?"

"Bank draft." Lin Dayou produced a slip of paper, slapped it on the table: "This is the goods address and the remittance account; when the time comes, you can wire the funds directly."

Wire transfer means sending money via telegram or telephone, the fastest method; although it incurs higher fees, it completes the remittance swiftly.

Chen Yongren glanced casually; the payee was Spring Rain Merchant House.

It appears this firm was established solely to make money for the Military Intelligence Bureau.

"By the way, A Ren, there's one more thing." Lin Dayou added.

"What is it?" Chen Yongren asked.

Speaking of this, Lin Dayou's voice carried a hint of excitement: "We might have to split from the Party Affairs Bureau's lot of turtle‑headed bastards."

"You don't know, but a few days ago in Chongqing we caught many moles—seven or eight just in the Party Affairs Bureau alone, and it's said some have been lying low for five or six years."

"All this intelligence came from Chen Yongren, yet he pretended not to know, saying: 'Really? How were they exposed?'"

"Who knows? Word is the higher‑ups were thrilled this time." Lin Dayou said: "Too bad you weren't there; with your talent you'd surely have earned more merit."

Lin Dayou fondly recalled his time in the Action Section.

During that period, whatever he said, Chen Yongren would just nod and go along.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they parted ways.

Lin Dayou left Songhu under cover of night, returning to Chongqing.

Chen Yongren immediately headed to the opium storage site.

It was a small warehouse located in the International Settlement.

Pushing the door open, he saw boxes of various sizes neatly stacked together.

Chen Yongren casually lifted one crate, opened the wrapping, and a black glossy sphere came into view; bringing it to his nose, he detected a strange odor.

That was the characteristic of opium.

Chen Yongren immediately stored all the opium in the system warehouse, awaiting later disposal.

Afterwards, he quietly left the warehouse, returned home, and reported to his superior that he had received the goods, and is now trying to find a buyer to take them over.

That side replied with a "ke", and at the same time issued an order.

Assassinate a traitor inside the Qing Gang.

Yu Fengye.

Seeing this name, Chen Yongren instantly felt it was somewhat familiar.

Upon careful thought, this old thing isn't just the adoptive father of Yu Kuntai.

The newspaper had once registered him.

It is said that he is the fourth person in the Qing Gang, under the three Du, Huang, and Zhang, and has considerable status within the Qing Gang.

Therefore, this guy has always wanted to be the big boss; not long after Songhu fell, he surrendered to the Japanese.

Helping them procure grain, cotton, coal, medicine and other strategic supplies, making a fortune from the national crisis.

Besides Zhang Xiaolin, this person surnamed Yu is the biggest bastard.

Even without the superior's order, Chen Yongren is also thinking about how to kill him.

Since there is a mission, it's even more convenient.

After the incident of the previous exposure of radio signals occurred, Chen Yongren, after contacting the Military Intelligence Bureau, directly recalled the radio to the warehouse.

Chen Yongren savored the conversation with Lin Dayou.

Obviously.

Lin Dayou has currently retreated to the second line, responsible for material coordination work of the Military Intelligence Bureau; seeing his work so proficient, he surely hasn't done little of this elsewhere before.

Selling definitely will not sell.

As for those gangs that only bully the common people.

Chen Yongren has always been.

I want money.

Goods.

Young master, I also don't want to give.