Chapter 13: Concealment and Security

For Sister Qian, a veteran underground party member, she had experienced betrayal far too many times.

She had also personally lived through the heart-pounding events of the twentieth year of the Republic (1931).

She had originally believed that after going through that ordeal, she could calmly handle betrayal no matter who it came from. But when Chen Guohua stated that "Basalt" was suspected of betrayal, her hitherto unruffled heart shattered into panic.

"Basalt"'s rank was not particularly high, but his betrayal was directly linked to Zhang Anping.

One had to realize that "Basalt," Li Ya, had originally been one of the three shortlisted contacts for Zhang Anping!

Overwhelmed by tension, Sister Qian's voice turned stern: "What on earth is going on? Make it clear!"

Chen Guohua was puzzled. His superior was a person of vast experience; no matter how bad the news was, he had never seen her lose her composure. Yet the suspected betrayal of "Basalt" had caused her to lose control like this. Could "Basalt" be tied to someone of vital importance to their side?

Taking a deep breath, he began to speak quickly.

After recounting how Li Ya had reported his experiences in the Shanghai Branch, Chen Guohua said, "I probed him through roundabout ways, but he never once reported selling out Zhang Shihao! Therefore, I could not relay the mission to him, and instead used the exposure of the Concord Cafe as an excuse to hold him in check, making an appointment to continue our contact in three days."

An undercover agent was a nail driven into the enemy's camp, and they were of utmost importance to one's own side. Yet being a deep-cover agent was no easy task; living in the enemy's den was like walking on thin ice, with the constant risk of exposure at any moment.

Naturally, the requirements for a secret agent were extremely high, and the most basic requirement of all was neither to conceal nor to falsify information.

Once it was confirmed that an agent had concealed something, the organization would inevitably question that agent's stance.

Chen Guohua's suspicion of "Basalt"'s betrayal stemmed from this exact point—according to the intelligence he held, Zhang Shihao was the deputy head and actual controller of the newly established Shanghai Special Unit under the Secret Service. He had originally been ordered to pass along instructions to "Basalt" to continue stabbing Zhang Shihao in the back, yet Li Ya hadn't uttered a single word about it.

Under these circumstances, it was entirely normal for him to harbor suspicions about "Basalt."

Upon hearing this, Sister Qian felt a temporary wave of relief, but her mind was far from entirely at ease.

This was because "Basalt" could easily deduce from the clues provided by his superior just before contact was severed that there was a high-ranking underground agent lurking within the Secret Service's Shanghai Branch. This posed an equally grave threat to Zhang Anping's safety.

However, in front of Chen Guohua, she could not say much. She merely stated, "Your suspicion is entirely correct! The clandestine front tolerates not a shred of carelessness. Every doubt must be met with extreme vigilance until it is resolved."

With that, she issued her instructions: "Set off for Suzhou immediately, meet with 'Basalt's' original handler, and inquire about every single conversation held before contact with 'Basalt' was broken. In addition, have the Suzhou Municipal Committee place him under temporary surveillance!"

"Understood!"

Sister Qian gave a final warning: "This matter... must not be leaked for the time being, do you understand?"

Chen Guohua nodded solemnly.

After Chen Guohua left, Sister Qian fell into deep thought. Ultimately, she hardened her heart, left her residence, and under the cover of night made her way to the alley where Zhang Anping lived. Entering the room opposite his, she placed two pots of flowers on the windowsill.

This was the signal requesting an urgent meeting.

...

Inside the room, Zhang Anping met with Zeng Moyi, who had just returned from Nanjing.

A ripple stirred in Zhang Anping's heart, but he put on an expression of heartache and said, "Why did you come so late? Didn't I tell you to take the train back tomorrow morning?"

Knowing there was a deeper meaning behind his words, Zeng Moyi stepped close to him and whispered, "Anping, the Director has arrived."

The Uncle had arrived?

It seemed the matter of the East Asia Dobun Shoin travel report had made the Uncle attach immense importance to it!

A silent wave of joy washed over him as he offered a silent prayer of mourning for the Shanghai Branch—wasn't this simply crashing into the muzzle of a gun while trying to snatch credit?

"Where is the Uncle? I'll go see him!"

"The Uncle parted ways with me after arriving in Shanghai. He said you should handle things as you see fit."

Handle things as he saw fit?

The man had made a special trip to Shanghai, yet he was leaving it to him to handle as he saw fit?

Not quite grasping what kind of medicine his uncle was keeping in his gourd, Zhang Anping decided not to overthink it. He reached out to take Zeng Moyi's luggage and was about to place it on the cabinet when he heard Zeng Moyi, who was currently drawing the curtains, gasp in astonishment:

"Anping, come look at this!"

Dropping the luggage, Zhang Anping walked over to the window and looked out, a look of surprise crossing his face: "A meeting?"

"Did something go wrong?" Zeng Moyi asked uneasily.

"I'll go over and take a look." Zhang Anping signaled for her not to be nervous.

Of course he knew what had gone wrong—it was undoubtedly that Li Ya had concealed the matter of stabbing him in the back when meeting his handler!

This had been part of his calculations all along, but in front of Zeng Moyi, he had to feign complete ignorance.

This was also the very reason why he had gone through such a convoluted detour—he could have directly reported to Sister Qian that Li Ya was a double agent, but how could he explain the source of that intelligence?

The higher-ups would certainly never believe his accusation without hesitation, would they?

Even if they believed it, an investigation would be required. He would have to provide necessary evidence, but where on earth was he supposed to get it?

A lie always required more lies to cover it up.

That was why he had chosen this deeply circuitous method.

Composing himself, Zhang Anping quietly slipped out of the room, went downstairs, and stealthily crossed over to the opposite building.

Only Sister Qian was inside. Upon seeing her, Zhang Anping went straight to the point:

"Sister Qian, what is it?"

Sister Qian said with a grave expression, "Li Ya is suspected of betrayal! Have you had any other contact with him? Think carefully, you must not miss a single detail!"

"Suspected of betrayal?" Zhang Anping's expression turned stern as he earnestly searched his memories. A few moments later, he affirmed, "No other contact! I only learned of his identity before leaving Nanjing, and because Zeng Moyi and I are working as a married couple, I didn't choose him. After coming to Shanghai, I saw him once when he was with Lu Qiaoshan and Jiang Sian, but I never spoke with him privately."

Hearing this, Sister Qian let out a long breath of relief: "That's a relief!"

Only then did Zhang Anping ask in puzzlement, "Sister Qian, what made you suspect he betrayed us?"

Sister Qian then recounted the situation during the rendezvous.

Zhang Anping remarked, "Concealing the fact that he stabbed me in the back? Could it be that he was afraid of leaving a bad impression on the organization?"

"That's unlikely! As an intelligence agent planted inside the enemy's camp, he cannot possibly be unaware of the consequences of concealment!"

Zhang Anping fell into deep thought, and suddenly his eyes lit up: "Sister Qian, if he really has betrayed us, it might actually be a good thing!"

"A good thing? What do you have in mind?"

"My uncle has come to Shanghai, most likely because of the East Asia Dobun Shoin incident! The Shanghai Branch is eager to seize credit, so if they make a move, it should be within a day or two. The building housing the travel reports at the East Asia Dobun Shoin is heavily guarded. If the Shanghai Branch is careless, they might have to resort to a direct assault to take it."

With an excited expression on his face, Zhang Anping said, "When the time comes and the situation blows up, the person who is already dissatisfied with Chen Moqun will surely seize the opportunity to oust him."

"According to routine, either the deputy takes over, or someone is sent from headquarters. Normally, the deputy taking over takes priority, but what if something goes wrong with the deputy?"

Something wrong with the deputy?

A thought stirred in Sister Qian's mind. The deputy of the Secret Service's Shanghai Branch was Wang Shi'an. If something went wrong with Wang Shi'an, was it possible for the Postman to step up?

"What happens if something goes wrong with the deputy?"

"Then headquarters will have to send someone!" Zhang Anping naturally understood what Sister Qian was driving at, but he didn't hold high hopes for the Postman—while the Postman, Gu Shenyan, had impeccable credentials as a Whampoa graduate with a very brilliant background, his current official rank was simply too low, serving merely as the head of the archives room.

For him to leap from archive chief straight to station master—even with his uncle being Director Dai—would be immensely difficult!

Hearing this, Sister Qian felt a sense of disappointment. It seemed that the Postman ascending to the position would be quite troublesome.

"Headquarters sending someone is a given, but the person they send is crucial—" Zhang Anping said with a wicked smile, "What if the person who takes over is an acquaintance of mine? Xu Baichuan or Zheng Yaoxian only need a one-rank promotion to take office as station master."

"If those two can't come, there's also Wu Jingzhong, Li Weigong, and Lü Zongfang. I have good relations with all three of them!"

Sister Qian still didn't grasp the source of Zhang Anping's excitement.

From her perspective, even if the newly appointed Shanghai Branch Station Master was an acquaintance of Zhang Anping, at best he would offer superficial courtesies. Once substantial interests were involved, he would never treat him like a blood brother!

Seeing that Sister Qian failed to understand the underlying logic, Zhang Anping explained, "The Shanghai Branch has had no results for years! No achievements against the Communists, and even fewer against Japanese spies. If the upper echelons have problems, can the rank-and-file be clean? There's bound to be a massive reshuffle!"

"When that time comes, I can propose that the Special Unit and the Shanghai Branch join forces to run a special training class in Shanghai, while also absorbing some of the resources abandoned by the Shanghai Branch for our own use!"

"As the saying goes, pulling chestnuts from the fire. If the Shanghai Branch is broken down and reorganized, that period will inevitably be when their operational capability is at its lowest, and we can also complete the transfer and utilization of supplies!"

Hearing this, Sister Qian was pleasantly surprised. She truly hadn't thought such a maneuver was possible.

The blueprint outlined by Zhang Anping was so beautiful that she scarcely dared to believe it. Hesitantly, she asked:

"Can this really be done?"

"Human effort can achieve anything!"

Zhang Anping's words instantly ignited a surge of boldness in Sister Qian. Indeed, human endeavor was the decisive factor; a single spark could start a prairie fire, so why couldn't Zhang Anping's vision become reality?

"I'll go back and report this to the superiors, and strive to mobilize more resources to bring your blueprint to life!"

Zhang Anping said solemnly, "I will definitely not辜负 (fail to live up to) the organization's expectations!"

"Right, Comrade Anping, I have an idea, but it will require you to make a certain sacrifice. Would you consider it?"

"What idea?"

"Your dossier is under my charge, and the name used is also a pseudonym. For safety's sake, I didn't leave a photograph of you either. The matter of 'Basalt's' betrayal has made me very anxious about your safety. Since I saw you dressed in women's clothing last time, why don't you take a photograph in female attire and use it for your dossier?"

"Anyway, your codename is 'Katyusha'!"

During their last visit to the photo studio in Nanjing, Cen Anyan's intention had been for Zhang Anping to put on makeup and have his photograph taken in that disguised state.

After the photo studio incident, Sister Qian had deemed the photograph in the dossier too dangerous as it would imperil Zhang Anping's safety, and she had vetoed the idea of leaving a picture.

However, this betrayal by Li Ya had naturally heightened Sister Qian's vigilance. What if a similar incident happened again?

That was why she came up with the suggestion for Zhang Anping to leave a photograph in female appearance—at a critical juncture, this dossier could be completely leaked to the enemy to prove Zhang Anping's "innocence"!

Zhang Anping froze.

He had only cross-dressed on a rare whim, so why did he have to solidify a female identity?

Yet, casting aside his sense of shame, Sister Qian's proposal truly tempted him to no end.

His codename was already "Katyusha" anyway, and if the photos in his dossier were all female, who on earth would ever unmask this nail planted by their side?

As the saying went, cross-dressing only happened once or an infinite number of times. Since his moral integrity had already been thrown to the wind, what harm was there in tossing it away once more for the sake of long-term concealment?

"Alright!"

With a single, concise word, he gave his answer.

Zhang Anping: I am definitely not fond of women's clothing; I am doing this purely for the sake of concealment and safety!