Chapter 38: On the Structure of the Special Task Force

Stepping out of his uncle’s office, Zhang Anping was radiant with joy.

Seeing this, the secretary knew that after two months of observation, this gentleman was finally ready to take flight. He stepped forward tactfully and said, "Congratulations, Section Chief Zhang."

Zhang Anping accepted the congratulations with a beaming smile and invited the secretary to lunch. The secretary declined but accepted the cigarette Zhang Anping offered. He, like Zhang Anping, did not smoke, but the act of accepting it carried a specific meaning.

The two exchanged a knowing smile.

After a bit more casual chatter, Zhang Anping turned to leave. Strangely, while the building usually seemed devoid of any high-ranking officials, Zhang Anping kept running into them as he tried to depart. What should have been a quick trip downstairs turned into a ten-minute ordeal of greetings and words of encouragement.

The most persistent of them all was Mao Renfeng, a man who only sought people out when he needed them. A fellow townsman of the same generation as his uncle and the director of the secretarial office, he insisted on engaging Zhang Anping in idle conversation. Zhang Anping had no choice but to force a smile and play along until, desperate for an escape, he winked and said, "Uncle Mao, I must go. Moyi is waiting for me outside."

"You lucky dog!" Mao Renfeng’s sour remark made Zhang Anping chuckle inwardly. Let the thirty-eight-year-old bachelor keep waiting; in a few years, his "Director’s Wife" would arrive...

[It is said that those who achieve great things are often quite ruthless toward their original spouses. I don't know about ancient times, but the marriage values in the Republic of China era are truly staggering. Never mind, it is the same in modern times; I shall refrain from further comment.]

...

That evening, Zhang Anping and Zeng Moyi ended their "date" shortly after eight o'clock.

They had a tacit understanding in this regard—Zhang Anping needed to find his "subordinate" Cen Anyan to give instructions for future work, and Zeng Moyi needed to prepare for her departure to Shanghai.

Before nine, Zhang Anping arrived at the courtyard where Cen Anyan had recently moved.

Upon meeting, Zhang Anping warned him: "A transport agent who retreated from Shanghai has been arrested in Nanjing. He has likely confessed everything! He is currently being held at the Investigation Division. Notify the organization immediately and have them verify the prisoner's identity."

Cen Anyan was shocked. He immediately grabbed his hat and scarf and led Zhang Anping out of the house. He brought Zhang Anping to a restaurant on Taiping Road and told him to wait inside while he went to the bookstore across the street under the guise of buying books.

Clearly, the bookstore was an emergency contact point.

The arrest of a transport agent was a grave matter; Cen Anyan could no longer afford to prioritize secrecy protocols. Of course, this also had to do with Zhang Anping’s own rank—as the saying went, Cen Anyan would sacrifice his life for Zhang Anping at any moment, so what did it matter if Zhang Anping knew of an emergency contact point?

One couldn't just lose contact after a superior officer died, like Comrade Kite, could one?

Zhang Anping booked a private room. When Cen Anyan returned, he said, "I am going to Shanghai. I will be forming a special unit directly under the headquarters, and I will be fully in charge of it."

Zhang Anping had mentioned before that he had advised his uncle on a plan to follow the trail to catch the Communists, and he had speculated that he might be sent to Shanghai to join a special unit. But Cen Anyan had never imagined that Zhang Anping would be the one to organize and lead it.

This was absolutely good news. With Zhang Anping in charge of building the special unit and tracking the ammunition production line, the Secret Service would never be able to wreak havoc again.

Cen Anyan took a deep breath and said, "Anping, once you are in Shanghai, do not act on impulse. Your safety is the priority—compared to your safety, the ammunition production line can be sacrificed. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Zhang Anping said, adopting his usual humble and receptive attitude.

Cen Anyan was annoyed. You always act so receptive, yet you never actually change your ways! Forget it, don't get angry, don't get angry. Sister Qian is right; this kid is as clever as a monkey and knows where to draw the line. Don't get angry.

After a few deep breaths, Cen Anyan said, "Once you go to Shanghai, our contact must be severed. The organization will find you a new liaison. You will report directly to Sister Qian; she will be your direct superior. Understood?"

"Understood."

Zhang Anping did not act coy or insist that Cen Anyan remain his superior. Old Cen’s "career" was going well; he was now a famous anti-Communist and a master of counter-espionage. It would be a waste to have him abandon his career to follow him.

"There is one more thing you must keep in mind: you are a hidden nail, not a blade! When the organization does not allow you to be exposed, even if it means watching your own comrades fall under the butcher’s knife, you must not expose yourself! You must never expose yourself to save a comrade, understand?"

"Memorize these sixteen words: Conceal and refine, long-term dormancy, accumulate strength, and wait for the opportunity."

Cen Anyan gripped Zhang Anping’s hand tightly and enunciated the sixteen words, one by one.

Zhang Anping was stunned. He couldn't help but think of Zheng Yaoxian in another timeline. For these sixteen words, his girlfriend, Cheng Zhen’er, died before his eyes; he personally supervised the execution of Zeng Moyi, who had stolen the list; his superior, Lu Hanqing, threw himself onto Gong Shu’s bamboo spikes in front of him. For these sixteen words, he missed out on his daughter’s upbringing; the brothers who risked their lives for him died one by one; Lin Tao, who was deeply entangled with him and loved him dearly, committed suicide after disfiguring herself...

After a long silence, Zhang Anping nodded heavily, silently expressing his resolve to remember.

Cen Anyan regained his composure and said, "The organization has prepared three potential liaisons for you. You decide who is suitable. They are..." Cen Anyan lowered his voice: "Gu Yufei, Zeng Moyi, and Li Ya."

The first two names did not surprise Zhang Anping, as he had long known their identities, but when the third name was spoken, he felt a chill. Who was Li Ya? A Military Bureau agent codenamed "Buddha Shrine," an infiltrator within the Party! The key was that this fellow had even managed to become a teacher at the Erbao Elementary School. He had originally thought Li Ya infiltrated the Party later on, but hearing this name from Cen Anyan, he was shocked—this guy had been deep inside the Party all along? And the Party had even sent him to the special training class as a double agent!

Cen Anyan did not notice Zhang Anping’s reaction and continued to explain the contact signal: "The signal is: The weather is nice today; I don't think it will rain, especially not a heavy rain. His response is: I saw the morning glow this morning. I remember the elders often say, 'Morning glow means no travel, evening glow means travel for a thousand miles,' so seeing the morning glow must mean heavy rain. You say: 'Morning glow means no travel, evening glow means travel for a thousand miles? Shouldn't the second half be "If the mountain wears a hat, it will rain; if the clouds are at mid-slope, it won't"?' But I don't think that saying is necessarily accurate. The other person will say: 'Things passed down by our ancestors can't be wrong.' You say: 'That’s not very scientific; for weather, one should listen to the Air Force’s reports.' The final response is: 'How about we make a bet? The winner gets the other a meal.'"

Zhang Anping had regained his composure and indicated he had memorized it. Cen Anyan, worried like a nagging father, made Zhang Anping repeat it, and only felt relieved after Zhang Anping recited it without a single error.

Zhang Anping deliberated but did not mention Li Ya. Mainly because it would be hard to explain—if you knew Li Ya was a double agent, why wait until Old Cen said it to mention it? But Li Ya could not stay! This guy was a scourge!

...

Meanwhile, Zeng Moyi also met with her superior. She told her superior about Zhang Shihao’s plan to form a special unit and head to Shanghai, and that she would be accompanying him as Mrs. Zhang.

The superior realized why the organization had ordered him to retreat to the Soviet Area and handed the new contact signal to Zeng Moyi. He said, "Once you go to Shanghai, I will no longer be your superior. I have a set of contact signals here. Someone will find you to coordinate; once the signals match, that person will be your superior."

Zeng Moyi felt a pang of sadness. She had been developed into a Communist Party member by the man before her, and now he was severing ties with her. But as her superior began reciting the signal, she quickly gathered her thoughts and memorized it repeatedly.

Only when she was certain she had it firmly in mind did Zeng Moyi ask, "Comrade Lao Bai, what did the organization say about the plan to sway Zhang Shihao that I proposed last time?"

The superior said sternly, "This is the last thing I need to tell you. You must remember this well! Zhang Shihao is a man who reported Party comrades when he was sixteen. Now, he is filled with malice toward our Party. Not long ago, at the special training class, he ordered trainees to beat a Party comrade to death! He is an incorrigible reactionary! Do you understand?"

Zeng Moyi’s expression grew grave: "I understand."

...

Zhang Anping left Cen Anyan two counter-espionage propaganda proposals and three outlines for counter-espionage novels, finally concluding their meeting.

Coming out of the restaurant, they paused at the intersection where they would part ways, looking at each other in silence. From now on, they would have no further superior-subordinate relationship. If they met again, they would not inquire about each other.

Cen Anyan was the first to speak: "Take care."

"Teacher Cen, take care—" Zhang Anping cupped his hands. Watching Cen Anyan walk away, he suddenly called out: "That time, it was intentional."

Cen Anyan’s footsteps faltered, but he did not turn back and instead quickened his pace. He muttered with a laugh, in a voice Zhang Anping couldn't hear: "You little brat!"

After parting with Cen Anyan, Zhang Anping turned toward the Guanwang Temple. On the way, he pondered how to deal with Li Ya. He never imagined that he, the one responsible for planting nails within the Secret Service, would almost have a nail drilled into his own side. Fortunately, he had seen...

Zhang Anping was furious. He was an expert at playing the eagle, yet he had almost been blinded by a little sparrow! This was a provocation to his professional capabilities! And to think he had managed to last two rounds in the system’s "Werewolf" game.

After his anger subsided, Zhang Anping began to think of ways to deal with Li Ya. Having the organization cut ties with Li Ya was simple—he could use his uncle’s disclosure as an excuse to confirm Li Ya’s identity in a few days—but dealing with a mole so easily was too kind to him!

After a while, Zhang Anping had a preliminary plan. He secretly vowed: If you dare to play spy-versus-spy under my nose, I’d be failing the system if I don't turn your life into a living nightmare.

Setting Li Ya aside, Zhang Anping considered the candidates for the special unit.

"Wife" Zeng Moyi was a must. The shop assistant, Xu Zhongyi, could not be missed; he was crucial to his future layout. Ming Cheng? Forget it, he was Ming Lou’s assistant. His situation was even more complicated—with his triple identity, it was better to leave the well-trained Ming Cheng as his assistant. Gu Yufei had to be taken; she and Zeng Moyi were two mobile radio stations. Zuo Qiuming, though not in the first tier of performance, was definitely a top talent; bring him.

Wait—Zhang Anping paused. He needed to pick some Nationalist Army personnel; otherwise, the Shanghai special unit would become a Communist Shanghai special unit.

Then he would take Li Bohan. This guy was capable; the only flaw was his personality, but that wasn't a major issue. The future struggle would be primarily against the Japanese, and this guy would be useful. Qi Peilin was quiet but capable; take him too. Since Qi Peilin was coming, his partner Sun Dapu couldn't be left behind—Chen Moqun hadn't valued these two, but the future Zhang Anping knew that anyone who could survive the intricate intelligence front until the end of the war, and become a mid-level officer in the future Secret Bureau, must be quite capable.

Chen Ming and Yu Xiuning must be brought along. These two had been rooted in the Japanese-occupied Northeast for years; they wouldn't have survived without talent. Yu Xiuning was also deep-thinking; she must be included. Song Xiao’an and Zhao Jianzhi could be left for Zheng Yaoxian; he couldn't strip Old Six of all his talent.

Between him, Zeng Moyi, Gu Yufei, Zuo Qiuming, Xu Zhongyi, Li Bohan, Qi Peilin, Sun Dapu, Chen Ming, and Yu Xiuning, that made ten people. Judging by their ranks after the war, this was a luxurious lineup!

Adding a few more students to form the special unit—though currently inexperienced, with a little training, they would undoubtedly become a top-tier combat team!

Of course, this was just the visible force. What about the secret one? The seven people Chen Moqun took were all his students, and even the double agent Li Ya was his student. As long as he requested authorization from his uncle, all seven of these people would be nails he had inserted into the Shanghai District.

Chen Moqun, oh Chen Moqun, did you think my students were so easy to poach?

Zhang Anping smiled, but then his body tightened—was that exactly what his uncle intended, which was why he had him form the special unit to balance, restrain, and investigate the Shanghai District?