Chapter 122: The Copper Key

Saburo Shibuya immediately woke his adjutant, Ono, from his sleep and ordered him to drive at once to bring Front to his residence in the Xiangfang District.

He wanted to see Front immediately—no, he wanted to see the key that Front had found.

Of course, Zhou Sen was unaware of all this.

However, it was indeed Zhou Sen who had placed that copper key there. He knew perfectly well that the secret of the "Cat House" could not be kept hidden forever; he had simply discovered it a step ahead of everyone else. If Front were to discover that small hidden compartment where the item was kept, and it turned out to be empty, the consequences would be extremely dangerous. The Japanese would inevitably suspect that he had taken the contents first, and in that event, his situation would become precarious.

Therefore, he had placed the key he retrieved from the box in the study’s secret compartment into that space. Since Ivanovich had known about and found the key in the study, it stood to reason that whatever the key opened, while important, was not as significant as the microfilm hidden inside the bullets in the Cat House. Even if the Japanese obtained the key, they would not necessarily know what lock it opened, which would buy him time.

A key alone was not enough to determine where the corresponding lock was located. When the time came, they would still have to come to him for help. As long as it was not the roster and was merely Anthony’s personal property, the Japanese likely would not covet it too intensely. After all, most of Anthony’s wealth had already fallen into his hands, leaving only the old man’s personal seal and that heirloom emerald ring. While the emerald ring was valuable, there was nothing he could do if the Japanese were determined to seize it; as for the seal, it would be useless to the Japanese.

What worried Zhou Sen was the possibility that the microfilm contained the codebook for the numerical cipher. That would be the greatest trouble of all. Then again, it didn't matter much; once the Japanese obtained the codebook, unless they forbade him from seeing it, he would eventually have an opportunity. The codebook was certainly important, but it was the code itself that they truly wanted to obtain.

If the Japanese found nothing at his home, they would likely stop being polite to him. These people turned their backs faster than women. For the sake of his own safety and to buy time, as long as the Japanese made a discovery, they naturally would not pressure him. Furthermore, to a certain extent, they would trust him more.

Having spent years painstakingly writing, he had picked up all sorts of odds and ends of knowledge. He had thought he would only ever use them in the worlds he created, but he never expected that one day he would be able to apply them in reality. It hadn't been a waste of all those years of bitter toil.

...

Yaojing Street, Soviet Consulate.

"Mr. Arman, it has been playing for three days continuously. Should we continue?" Poporov asked after entering and reporting to Arman.

"I cannot guarantee this method is effective, but it is the only way we can think of right now," Arman replied. "The Japanese have tapped my telephone, and as soon as I leave the consulate, they send cars to follow me. Even when we catch them in the act, they remain defiant and unscrupulous. If it weren't for the need to maintain relations between the two sides, I would truly like to..."

"This is the time to test our wisdom. Your profile is too high. Should I step forward next time?" Poporov asked.

"Although I have sent out the message that I want to meet him, whether he can receive it or understand our meaning remains an unknown," Arman said.

"Could this person be the same one we are trying to contact?" Poporov asked.

"That is my suspicion as well, but I also fear this might be a trap set by the Japanese. They are too cunning. Once caught in the act, we will be at a disadvantage," Arman nodded.

"According to top-secret intelligence from the Fourth Bureau of the General Staff, that person may have returned to Harbin. Our superiors have ordered us to seize every possible opportunity to execute this traitor."

"He is under the close protection of the Japanese. Not to mention that we don't know where he lives, even if we did, an assassination would be extremely difficult," Arman said. "Headquarters always asks us to accomplish the impossible."

"Old Gun has been settled. We should consider the safety of the messenger; perhaps we can provide protection?" Poporov suggested.

"The messenger has his own means of self-protection; you don't need to worry about that," Arman chuckled. "We cannot just sit and wait; we must take the initiative."

"They want to catch me in the act, then let's find someone to cooperate and stage a play, and we will catch them in the act instead," Arman said.

"You mean to stage a scene using the same method, let the Japanese catch us once, blow the incident out of proportion, and turn the tables on them?" Poporov said.

"Yes. Once the incident occurs, it will inevitably be reported. Once it hits the news, the person who wants to contact us will naturally notice it," Arman explained. "This is called 'using their own methods to treat them.' An ancient Chinese wisdom."

"If he uses this method again, the Japanese won't fall for it a second time, and your meeting will proceed logically?"

"No. There is a Chinese saying: 'Once is acceptable, twice is acceptable, but thrice is not.' The Japanese will not think we are scheming against them, but if we truly believe they will believe us a third time, that would be a grave mistake," Arman laughed.

"I understand. We can only give him the information and express our desire to meet. How to meet, when, and where must be up to him. That way, we are safe, and he will feel at ease," Poporov realized.

"Smart."

"Should we continue the broadcast?"

"After a long time, the Japanese will likely intercept it. Stop after two more days. If he can hear it, he has already heard it; if he hasn't, broadcasting it more times is meaningless."

...

Adjutant Ono took only a quarter of an hour to reach Zhou Sen’s home on Gaoshi Street. Front, who had been waiting, got into the car, and Ono drove off at high speed. The car drove straight into the courtyard of Saburo Shibuya’s residence.

"Mr. Front, Chief Shibuya is waiting in the study. Please follow me." Ono turned off the engine, stepped out, and opened the door for Front.

"Thank you." Front bowed slightly and followed Ono closely into the grand entrance of Saburo Shibuya’s exquisite villa.

The spacious hall, marble floors, and elegant staircase railings were clearly not the home of an ordinary person. It was said that the original owner was a high-ranking official of the Chinese Eastern Railway. After being confiscated by the Japanese military, it was assigned as an official residence for high-ranking personnel serving in Harbin. In reality, the villa did not belong to Saburo Shibuya; he only had the right of residence. Once he was transferred, the house would be reclaimed. Harbin had many such properties, all seized by the Japanese through force and extortion.

None of this concerned Front. He was merely a stray dog. Only by demonstrating his ability and selling his life to the Japanese could he secure the future he desired; otherwise, everything was just a castle in the air.

"Chief Shibuya, this is a copper key I found on the wooden beam of the Cat House in the attic of the three-story building at Vasim’s home. He hid it extremely well; if I hadn't stuck my head in, I really wouldn't have been able to find it." Front recounted the hardship and difficulty of his search.

"Not bad. A copper key hidden inside a Cat House—truly unexpected. To be able to find it, you are worthy of being the most outstanding agent trained by the Soviet 'Cheka'!" Saburo Shibuya praised.

"Thank you, Chief Shibuya."

"Have you tried this key?" Saburo Shibuya asked, holding the key and turning it over in his hand.

"No, but I have searched Vasim’s entire home and did not find a matching lock. I imagine that the lock this key opens is not in the house; otherwise, there would be no need to hide it in the Cat House," Front said.

"Hmm, this key must be the key to some secret. It is very likely the roster we are looking for." Saburo Shibuya nodded. "Front, you have done very well this time."

A look of joy appeared on Front's face.

"This copper key doesn't look very complex. For such an important item, why would it use a simple lock..." Saburo Shibuya was not a man who trusted easily.

"Chief Shibuya, to an outsider, the roster is useless. Only to us is it priceless. Therefore, it is not impossible that it was stored in a simple wooden box," Front analyzed.

"It makes sense, it makes sense. Find the lock that matches this key immediately," Shibuya ordered.

"Chief Shibuya, may I make an impression of it? That way, I can leave the real one here and take the replica with me?" Front suggested.

"Hmm, not bad. Very good. That is an excellent suggestion," Saburo Shibuya praised. "Mr. Front, I leave this matter to you."

"Yes, Chief Shibuya!"

...

Wenchang Bridge, Su Residence.

"Sir, please have something to eat. You haven't eaten all day." Su Xing brought the warmed food into the study once again.

"Ah Xing, did I do something wrong?" Su Wenqing opened his eyes and asked slowly.

"Sir, you did nothing wrong. It is Boss Bai who doesn't know what's good for her. For the sake of a mere boy, she actually threw away such a great marriage," Su Xing said.

"She hates me. Back then, Old Ma and I both liked her, and she chose Old Ma. How laughable—Old Ma was obsessed with resisting the Japanese with Ma Zhanshan, and what was the end result? He died of a sudden illness, and she herself became a widow!" Su Wenqing said.

"Sir, your choice was the right one. Now that the Japanese have conquered the land, Old Ma is just a pile of bleached bones in a grave. Since Bai Yulan is so unreasonable, let her go. There are plenty of good women in the world; what kind of woman can you not have?" Su Xing said.

"Indeed. What kind of woman can I, Su Wenqing, not have? Why must it be Bai Yulan? If she wants to marry that Zhou Sen, then let her marry him. Sooner or later, there will come a day when she regrets it!" Su Wenqing said through gritted teeth.

"And the conditions Bai Yulan raised?"

"A great man knows when to yield and when to stand tall. What are these small conditions? If she wants shares in the New Stage Theater, give them to her. As for a personal apology and the promise not to trouble the two of them in the future—that can also be done. And the seat on the Chamber of Commerce board... with her current capital, I'm afraid it's not enough. She wants to take control of the New Stage, right? That way, she can barely occupy a position," Su Wenqing sneered.

"Then how does Sir intend to proceed?"

"If one is going to do a good deed, do it to the end. Don't we still have five percent of the shares? Price them at eighty thousand and sell them to her. They are of no use in my hands anyway," Su Wenqing said.

"Sir, those five percent shares of the New Stage are worth more than eighty thousand, aren't they?"

"Do you think I don't know that? Do you think I'm doing this to save face for Bai Yulan and Zhou Sen? I am doing this for Saburo Shibuya’s sake, do you understand?" Su Wenqing shouted.