Chapter 053: I Just Wanted to See You

On March 13, Aoki Qiao unexpectedly received a call from Tokyo at the Consulate General.

“Aoki, why did Speaker Fujiwara of the House of Peers come to ask me about you yesterday?”

Hearing Uncle Okamura’s inquiry, Chen Jiehua was hardly surprised. The day before yesterday, in order to help him out of a predicament, Mio Fujiwara had told Shigemitsu Aki that he was her fiancé. Most likely, as soon as they left, the old man called Mio’s father to inform him of the situation.

Given the influence and power of the Fujiwara family, it would be no trouble at all to look into the background of a mere lieutenant colonel. Now, with Okamura's call arriving first, Chen felt reassured. If the Fujiwara family were not satisfied with him, the first to contact him would not be Okamura, but rather the secret police or covert military forces.

“Uncle, Aoki just arrived in Shanghai and happened to save a young woman who was being hunted by the local gangs. Only later did he realize she was Miss Mio of the Fujiwara family.”

“Yoshi, your stories are getting more and more impressive, young man!”

“Uncle, let me explain. I really didn’t know she was Miss Mio at first. It’s just that now, we have feelings for each other.”

“I see. Please take good care of Miss Mio! This is your new mission from the Army Ministry! Your sole mission! No time limit—continue until she returns safely to Japan! I’m counting on you!”

“And the Tongyuan Trading Company…”

“I’ll take care of the Tongyuan Trading Company.”

“Aoki Qiao, understood!”

After the call, he returned home. Now, the Consulate General’s spare car had become exclusively Mio Fujiwara’s vehicle.

Back home, Chen Jiehua received a long-awaited telegram in his secret room on the third floor—a telegram from Zhou Yongsu.

“A slight complication, but the tail has been dealt with. Awaiting instructions.”

It had been more than two months. Subtracting the two weeks at sea and the two days by train from the American West Coast to the East, Zhou Yongsu, with no language, resources, or assistance, managed to complete two tasks and assemble a high-powered radio from spare parts, all within just over forty days—a truly remarkable feat.

But without a token, share certificates, or agreements, there was no way for Old Zhou to take over the pharmaceutical factory’s shares. What now?

“Maintain contact. Recruit new members with caution. Continue severing their tentacles.”

First, he needed to find the organization and retrieve the case. What a headache.

“There was something else in the case? I didn’t notice anything!”

“If you could find what I hid, then my years of study were all for nothing!”

March 14, in the afternoon, Chen Jiehua accompanied a carefully dressed Mio out for a walk. They didn’t take the car, instead strolling through the streets as they made their way to the agreed rendezvous point.

“I can go by myself. You coming along isn’t in line with organizational discipline! The comrade I’m meeting might think you’re kidnapping me, and that could lead to misunderstanding!”

“I understand. I’ll walk with you for a bit, just to protect you, in case anything happens.”

The Red Team’s first rendezvous point was quite close to Jessfield Road. After two blocks, Mio refused to let Chen walk any further with her. For Chen, however, this was no obstacle—he simply trailed her from a distance. Mio strolled down a quiet alley with two-story houses on either side. Two windows stood open from neighboring homes.

She walked slowly, chatting with the vegetable vendor in the alley. Chen noted that the first window suddenly closed. That must be a lookout.

After the window closed, Mio continued forward. Soon, as she neared an intersection, a man in a long gown and hat, clutching a briefcase, emerged from the right and passed by her without stopping or saying a word.

Mio turned left. The method was a little old-fashioned, but effective—in Shanghai these days, it was plausible enough. Chen silently critiqued it in his mind.

He didn’t follow through the alley, knowing that would alert the lookout and ruin his tail. He calculated the position and distance, then cut through another alley to the left.

After two corners, Chen saw Mio following the man in the long gown into a bookstore. He quickly retreated a couple of steps. Moments later, a young man poked his head out of the bookstore, glanced up and down the street, and hung a “Closed for Business” sign on the door.

Just as expected. Chen circled to the back door of the bookstore, which faced a neat, tidy two-story house.

His heart pounded! This was the heart of his faith!

Should he go in, or not? He had come so far—if he left without meeting anyone, he would always regret it! He knew it broke organizational discipline. He knew it could cause trouble for the group.

But he wanted to go in! Just this once—never again!

Chen straightened his clothes, adjusted his hat, pulled a suitcase from his secret compartment, and strode toward the building.

At the door, he set down the suitcase and knocked. Inside, there was a brief stir. From the bookstore behind, a sudden commotion.

“Who is it?”

“A wanderer, coming home to visit.”

About half a minute later, a young man cautiously opened the door halfway. Chen could sense at least three guns pointed at him.

He closed his eyes, raised both hands, and as he listened to the comrades’ breathing, he took a deep breath himself and stepped inside.

The young man tried to push Chen back, refusing to let him in.

“Comrade Xiao Li, please let the gentleman come in.”

A leader! That was the leader!

Chen recognized the voice and tears of excitement streamed down his face.

The two armed comrades hidden in the shadows, hearing the leader’s words and seeing the visitor’s raised hands and tearful eyes, instinctively knew—he was one of their own.

“Comrade Xiao Li, please bring in the suitcase outside. Thank you!”

Chen opened his eyes and looked at the leader facing him—so young, so handsome.

At that moment, the leader already guessed who the unexpected visitor was. Just as he was about to speak, Chen shook his head gently.

It was enough just to meet. How could he wish for more?

Chen gave a slight bow, then turned and left resolutely.

Xiao Li had just brought the suitcase inside. After seeing Chen’s inexplicable bow and sudden departure, he stood at the door, bewildered.

The comrades with guns glanced at the leader, who nodded. They closed the door and opened the suitcase—a case full of US dollars!

Everyone knew that, with the economic crisis beginning to affect Shanghai, gold bars might be the most popular hard currency, but to buy certain special goods, only US dollars would do.

What a strange fellow! He risked coming here, said not a word, left a suitcase full of dollars, and ran?

“Xiao Li, go to the front and ask who came back today.”

The leader understood—Shanghai was vast, this house so ordinary and hidden. Without guidance, there was no way Hong Luan could have found the place so precisely.

After knocking and entering through the bookstore’s back door, Xiao Li quickly returned. “Report—it was Lin Mio.”

“She disappeared after completing the last counter-espionage mission. We all thought she had been lost! Bring her to the back—I have some questions for her.”

“Report! Lin Mio of the Red Team requests to return to duty after recovering from her wounds!”

Everything was clear now!