Chapter 4: Eat My Food, Spit It Back Out Threefold! (Part 1)

Team F gathered intelligence essentially over the course of a single meal.

However, Teams D and E did not have such a luxury.

With an operational budget of 12.5 dollars per person per month, and given that they were not logistics personnel, how could they bear to waste money on gang members?

Whether it was Zuo Qiuming from Team D (the intelligence team) or Xue Jingzong from Team E (the detective team), both tacitly chose the most covert-agent-style approach: kidnapping and interrogation.

Yet, there were simply too many active gangsters, petty thieves, and rogues roaming the Shanghai beachhead. These individuals were not pure gang members, and the information they possessed was mostly hearsay. After the two teams coercively interrogated three or four people each, the intelligence they gathered was completely contradictory.

Fortunately, their tireless spirit finally "moved" the gangsters, and they eventually managed to snatch actual gang members.

Naturally, gangsters who were thus "moved" and too terrified to move wouldn't stubbornly hold onto such trivial information. Both teams successfully obtained the intelligence they desired:

The Heng Society, Liu Fengqi.

However, trouble followed closely behind.

After all, Shanghai was the turf of the Green Gang. Once genuine gang members were abducted, interrogated, and subsequently freed, they naturally rallied their friends and associates to exact revenge.

To be fair, Xue Jingzong and Zuo Qiuming were quite clever. After finishing their tasks, they did not linger within the vicinity of their "crime" scenes, decisively and skillfully applying the principle of relocation.

The ironic part was that the two teams, through sheer coincidence, ended up retreating into each other's "crime" zones.

Consequently...

Both teams spent the entire night running for their lives while being hunted down.

Xue Jingzong had slightly better luck, managing to lead his men away from the gang members' pursuit. Zuo Qiuming’s team, on the other hand, had abysmal luck and ran straight into a dead end.

Facing an imminent street brawl, Zuo Qiuming had no choice but to flash his credentials, claiming to be Lin Nansheng from the Shanghai Station, and stating that he was investigating a case related to the underground party.

Unwilling to make an enemy of the Secret Service, the gangsters eventually and reluctantly withdrew, but they immediately sent someone to tip off Liu Fengqi, explicitly warning him that the Secret Service was investigating him.

Compared to the methods of Teams D and E, Team B (the action team), led by Li Bohan, was far more reliable.

The five members of Team B directly left the city and staked out the southern entryway into Shanghai. After making inquiries all the way, they finally encountered some salt smugglers and, in exchange for a few packs of cigarettes, learned about the situation at the checkpoint.

Li Bohan operated with great reliability. After confirming that Liu Fengqi was guarding the checkpoint and locating his stronghold, he left Sun Dapao and some men to maintain surveillance while he took the other two members back. He left a secret sign at the Great World Cinema and quietly awaited contact from his superior.

The operational styles of Teams B, D, E, and F fell into three distinct categories, but what about Team C?

Team C was nominally led by Yu Xiuning, but Xu Zhongyi remained the mastermind.

He said, "Elder Sister, we only have a total budget of fifty dollars, and we've already spent twenty. The remaining thirty have to cover rent, meals, transportation, and all sorts of miscellaneous expenses. This is nowhere near enough!"

"I asked you to suggest ways to cozy up to the gangsters and dig up intelligence, not to lecture me about money!"

"I mean, while we're gathering intelligence, it would be even better if we could make some money along the way!"

"You have a plan?"

"I do!" Xu Zhongyi patted his chest proudly. "Just thought of it!"

"What kind of plan?"

"Place an order! Use thirty dollars to put down a deposit on a hundred dollars' worth of illicit salt!"

"Where on earth are you going to scrape together the remaining seventy dollars?" Yu Xiuning stared at Xu Zhongyi. "Did you bring extra money with you when you came?"

"Why would I bring money?" Xu Zhongyi smiled triumphantly. "We just pay the deposit first. To a wholesaler, one hundred dollars is a big deal, right? Won't he have to treat us to a meal? If the money and goods are exchanged tomorrow night, won't he arrange a place for us to rest tonight? Being an illicit salt wholesaler, how could he not know who's in charge of the salt roads?"

"I'm asking where we're going to get the remaining seventy dollars? We can't just throw this money away! If we throw it away, we'll be drinking the northwest wind for the rest of the month!" Yu Xiuning thought Xu Zhongyi's method was quite good, but she simply couldn't bear to part with the cash.

"Elder Sister, don't you worry. Someone else will foot the bill for us. Barring any accidents, we'll even make a profit. Thirty dollars can turn into sixty or seventy!" Xu Zhongyi was full of confidence.

After mulling it over, Yu Xiuning decided to take a gamble.

Things turned out exactly as Xu Zhongyi had predicted. The thirty-dollar deposit made the wholesaler—whom they had tracked down through gang connections—beam with joy. Upon learning that the delivery would take place the following night, the wholesaler treated the four of them to a lavish feast and conveniently arranged lodging for them.

Naturally, during the wining and dining, the intelligence the four of them wanted to acquire was effortlessly extracted from the wholesaler's mouth.

Following the usual protocol, a secret sign was left in front of the Great World Cinema.

The next day, Zhang Anping and Zeng Moyi arrived at the entrance of the Great World Cinema and spotted five blatant secret signs on the notice board.

They also coincidentally discovered four "shadowing" blockheads.

Only Li Bohan's Team B had failed to send anyone to wait for Zhang Anping.

The other four teams had all dispatched personnel to stand guard.

Zhang Anping could only comfort himself:
Thank goodness for Li Bohan, thank goodness for Li Bohan, thank goodness for... Dammit, why were these prospective supporting-role secret agents so much smarter than the underground party supporting roles?

He would just have to slowly whip them into shape.

Faced with the four teams of contacts converging upon him, Zhang Anping had no choice but to tell them to head off separately and regroup at Li Bohan's location.

October 2nd, 9:00 AM.

Six teams, including Zhang Anping, converged inside the warehouse rented by Li Bohan.

Team B was missing two members—Sun Dapao and another operative—who were currently shadowing Liu Fengqi.

Team E was missing two members, as they were escorting Team G back to Nanjing.

In other words, of the 23 members in the special unit, excluding the two shadowing targets, the remaining 21 were all gathered inside the warehouse.

Each team submitted the intelligence they had gathered, eagerly anticipating Zhang Anping's praise—having unmasked the real culprit in just a single day, they inwardly rated their performance a perfect one hundred.

After reviewing the reports one by one, Zhang Anping cleared his throat and unleashed a torrent of criticism:

"Out of five teams, aside from Li Bohan's team which still resembles something competent, the rest of you four teams might as well just line up to be executed!"

"Team C, are you rolling in cash? If you have money burning holes in your pockets, come support me! Thirty dollars as a deposit for illicit salt? What, are you planning to raid Liu Fengqi and then team up with the salt wholesaler to go into business? You are a telecommunications team, not a trading company!"

"Teams D and E, you two really know how to pinch pennies! What, do you want to broadcast to the entire world that someone is out to get Liu Fengqi? Do you want Liu Fengqi to set up machine guns and artillery waiting for us to waltz right in?"

"Especially Team D, Zuo Qiuming, do you think you're being clever by impersonating Lin Nansheng?"

"Let me tell you, the Shanghai Station is definitely in cahoots with Liu Fengqi! All you're doing is stabbing Lin Nansheng in the back!"

"And you, Team F!"

"Xia Shilin, do you have money to burn, treating salt smugglers to a big meal? Why didn't you treat me to a feast? Don't you damn well know that your budget is something I had to talk my tongue raw to secure from higher-ups? Using the blood-and-sweat money I begged for to treat salt smugglers to dinner—you truly are prodigal sons who don't feel the pinch of spending your forefather's land!"

The four teams were scolded to the point of existential doubt by Zhang Anping, but with Li Bohan's stellar track record right there before them, they couldn't voice a single grievance, no matter how wronged they felt.

Xu Zhongyi was terrified out of his wits. His little schemes had been seen right through by his teacher's piercing eyes!

Being discovered was a minor issue, but if the operational budget went down the drain, the consequences would be catastrophic!

He could only brace himself and say, "Teacher, should I go back and retrieve the deposit?"

Zhang Anping roared furiously:
"Retrieve my foot! Don't you like making money? Wait right here, I'm going to hand you a big assignment shortly. You'll be responsible for laying golden eggs for me. If you can't earn at least half of the special unit's future budget, I'll pluck every hair off your body and throw you in a pot to boil!"

Xu Zhongyi quickly did the math in his head. At 12.5 dollars per person per month, even calculated for thirty people, that amounted to only 375 dollars a month—let's round it up to 400. Half of that would be 200 dollars...

It didn't seem that hard to earn!

A wave of delight instantly washed over him.

Zeng Moyi cast a sympathetic glance at Xu Zhongyi and thought to herself:
This unlucky kid has been utterly conned by Anping!

Because last night, Zhang Anping had shared his blueprint for the future Shanghai Special Unit with her—the action teams alone needed to number four or five, various strongholds had to be established all over Shanghai, and safe houses, emergency contact stations, "nail houses," and emergency evacuation points all needed to be prepared.

Factor in all the miscellaneous auxiliary, covert, reconnaissance, and infiltration forces, and Zhang Anping estimated a minimum of five hundred personnel.

Under a covert status, the budget would inevitably skyrocket.

Half the budget for five hundred people was no small sum!

Unaware of Zeng Moyi's thoughts, Zhang Anping finished chewing out his students and turned his praise toward Li Bohan.

The current Li Bohan was not yet as antisocial as he would become in the future. Coupled with his lack of political astuteness, a barrage of praise left him floating on cloud nine.

With the praises concluded, Zhang Anping put on a stern face and ordered: "Grab your gear! We're going after Liu Fengqi, and we're taking back my twenty vehicles! Not to mention thirty thousand dollars' worth of goods!"

Everyone was bewildered. Weren't there just two trucks plus eight bicycles? Even stretching the definition, that was only ten vehicles!

Xu Zhongyi was quick on his feet. He immediately chimed in, "Teacher, there are twelve bicycles. As for the goods, the regular merchandise used to camouflage the illicit salt alone is worth thirty thousand dollars."

The subtext was that there were eight trucks, and the valuation of the goods was far higher than what had been stated.

Zhang Anping glanced sideways at Xu Zhongyi and thought: Global commerce must definitely be entrusted to this fellow. Even if you combined York and Bianchi, they wouldn't have half of Xu Zhongyi's brains.

Why only half?

Because the other half of Xu Zhongyi's brain was entirely occupied by Gu Yufei...

Team B had brought firearms along because weapons were easy to carry, and the sedan they drove was spacious enough to hold them.

Hearing Zhang Anping tell everyone to grab their gear, Li Bohan hurriedly worked with two other Team B members to lift out the firearms concealed amongst the cheap cargo.

The short-barreled weapons were primarily German Mauser pistols, Spanish copycat Ruby pistols, and American Colt and M1910 models.

As for the long-barreled weapons, they were all American and German submachine guns. Once distributed, there was precisely enough for every person to have one.

Zhang Anping selected his familiar "Chicago Typewriter," expertly inspected it, and tucked three magazines into his coat.

Then, tossing the remaining weapons into the car, he rebuked the students who were still fiddling with their firearms:
"Did you forget what I told you? Don't brandish weapons unless it's an absolute last resort. Throw them all in the car! Make your own way out to the city outskirts to regroup! It is now 9:42 AM. We move out sharply before 1:00 PM. Whoever fails to arrive on time can look forward to eating bran and wild vegetables!"

Xu Zhongyi hurriedly tossed a pistol—which he didn't quite know how to use—toward the vehicle, only for it to be caught by a terrified Li Bohan.

Li Bohan cursed angrily, "Are you blind?! Can't you see the safety is off? These pieces of metal are prone to accidental discharge as it is, and you dare toss it around with the safety off? Are you looking to get yourself killed?!"

Although Xu Zhongyi was often disliked by Yu Xiuning and secretly looked down upon by Chen Ming, being cursed at by an outsider made both of them unhappy.

Yu Xiuning snapped back, "Li Bohan, no matter how flawed my people are, it's not your place to scold them! Watch your mouth! If there's a next time, I won't let this go!"

"Right, is my younger brother someone you can just curse at?"

Zhang Anping felt a headache coming on. A large team was truly difficult to manage!

After glaring at them, he decisively delivered a swift kick to Xu Zhongyi.

The kick landed solidly, hurting enough to make Xu Zhongyi yelp out loud.

Looking at him with a mixture of exasperation and disappointment, Zhang Anping reprimanded, "From now on, you're responsible for carrying ammunition for me. Stay away from handling guns!"

"And you two, protecting your own isn't done blindly like this!"

After dishing out a round of discipline, Zhang Anping finally said, "Yu Xiuning, have Zeng Moyi temporarily join your team—Li Bohan, drive me over first."

Li Bohan felt a surge of secret delight, thinking to himself that the teacher was truly good to him!

He figured that based on his performance, he would undoubtedly become Zhang Anping's right-hand man in the future.

The Ford sedan sped away from the warehouse in a cloud of dust. Seeing this, the others hurriedly rushed out after them—they had to reach the southern suburbs before the afternoon, and time was truly tight.

Xu Zhongyi lagged behind. Once the others had run off into the distance, he called out:
"Elder Sister, slow down, slow down. We can't move that fast!"

Yu Xiuning grew angry. "Can't move fast? What kind of foolishness are you talking about?"

Xu Zhongyi spoke with absolute conviction:
"Teacher handed the mistress over to our team. Can our team afford to move fast? Just listen to me! I can't possibly be wrong!"

Zeng Moyi was dumbfounded. What kind of logic was this?

She fumed, "Xu Zhongyi, this is our team's first major operation. Do you dare shirk from battle?"

"Mistress, this is the teacher's intention. Just listen to me. If you really arrive early, the teacher will definitely skin me alive later!"

Seeing that Zeng Moyi still didn't believe him, Xu Zhongyi simply laid it out:
"If the teacher wanted you to take risks, he wouldn't have had you join our team. He would have had you ride in the car directly!"

"Understand now?"

Xu Zhongyi's words left the four of them blinking in blank amazement. There was such reasoning as well?

Yet, upon second thought, it seemed to make complete sense.

Yu Xiuning pondered for a moment. While she didn't explicitly agree with Xu Zhongyi's rhetoric, her pace noticeably slowed down. When they reached the tram stop, she even deliberately remarked that this one was too crowded and that they should wait for the next...