Chapter Eighteen: The First Operation

(Thanks to E Stone, Deep Autumn Lone Leaf ST, and Booklover Ah Jiu for their recommendation votes.)

The safe house of the Secret Service was located at No. 11 Xinyi Street, while the Red Party’s contact point was at No. 12. Whether it was the Secret Service or the Red Party, setting up such locations would certainly involve a series of thorough investigations, with particular emphasis on security, transportation, and confidentiality. Yet, why were the two sides situated so close to each other without ever discovering one another?

The contact point at No. 12 Xinyi Street had been given to him by Mr. Li, who said it was arranged by a longtime agent of the Red Party embedded within Shan Ning. Earlier, Bai Zeshou hadn’t thought much of it, and the location had always been safe, but now the situation seemed to have shifted, introducing more uncertainty.

Thus, he felt a growing sense of curiosity and wariness; after all, in their line of work, any irregularity must be treated with suspicion—only then could one hope to survive.

Now that Mr. Li’s residence was confirmed, the next step was to work out the matter of his rescue, which involved considerations of Mr. Li’s safety and required careful deliberation. Not only must he ensure Mr. Li could be rescued, but he also had to plan the retreat route, think about how to handle Mr. Li’s wounds after the rescue, and guarantee that he himself would be able to distance himself completely from the operation.

A crucial point remained: how many guards were actually watching over Mr. Li in the safe house?

That night, Bai Zeshou sat with a map of Xinyi Street, pondering under the lamplight.

Meanwhile.

In Shan Ning, inside a photography studio called Hongxi, the Red Party’s underground members—Ye Weitian, Aunt Wang, Zhou Shan, and Guo Xiaofei—had gathered once more, because the higher-ups had issued orders regarding how to handle Mr. Li’s arrest.

“Aunt Wang, coming out so late, did Qian Yihai suspect anything?” Ye Weitian asked with concern.

“No, Qian Yihai was invited out to play cards again tonight, and he said he wouldn’t be coming home,” Aunt Wang replied with a smile. “Oh, and this morning, while I was on the phone, I happened to mention that Old Li had been moved from the Secret Service and placed in an outside safe house.”

“That’s good,” Ye Weitian nodded. “But with this, it’ll be even harder for us to find Mr. Li.”

“I called everyone together tonight because the higher-ups have replied,” Ye Weitian sighed, glancing at his companions.

“What did they say?” Zhou Shan asked anxiously. The telegram had been sent out a couple of days ago, but the reply only arrived today—a rather long delay. Presumably, the higher-ups had been investigating and verifying certain things.

“Silence,” Ye Weitian uttered the word slowly.

Hearing this, the others frowned in confusion. “Silence” meant doing nothing, but what about Old Li? Were they to stand by and watch him suffer at the hands of the enemy? That hardly aligned with the Party’s usual policy.

“What’s going on? Did the higher-ups abandon Old Li? Didn’t you ask them for clarification, Old Ye?” Guo Xiaofei pressed, brow furrowed.

Ye Weitian shook his head, though he harbored suspicions. Because Old Li had been captured so suddenly, the higher-ups might have begun to suspect their group and were now scrutinizing them, so certain things would not be explained.

From what Ye Weitian knew, there was another underground line in Shan Ning besides theirs, but the two were neither subordinate nor directly connected—they never crossed paths. Even Aunt Wang and the others were unaware of this second line; Ye Weitian had only deduced its existence from clues during previous missions. He knew, however, that Mr. Li, as the leader of the underground organization, must be aware of it.

Perhaps Mr. Li had never met the people on the other line, but he certainly had their contact information—Ye Weitian was sure of it. Yet, due to the strict discipline and regulations of the organization, he could neither inquire nor pursue the matter.

Shaking his head and pulling back from his thoughts, Ye Weitian spoke, “We all understand the higher-ups’ instructions. So, for now, whether it’s student movements, workers’ night schools, or propaganda activities, let’s pause everything.”

Zhou Shan and Guo Xiaofei nodded.

“So we’re not going to rescue Mr. Li? Maybe we could buy information from the black market. For the past half year, rumors about us and the Secret Service have flooded the black market. With enough money, you can buy any information,” Zhou Shan suggested.

“Nonsense! Have you forgotten the higher-ups’ directive?” Ye Weitian snorted. “I know how you all feel, but if the higher-ups have chosen silence, they must have their reasons. What we need to do now is secretly investigate whether there’s a traitor among us.”

The word “traitor” brought a heaviness to the room. Although everyone tried to avoid the subject of Old Li’s capture, the fact that he had been arrested at his own residence continued to trouble them.

Undoubtedly, there was a traitor. But who? Surely, this person held a significant position within the organization—otherwise, they wouldn’t know where Old Li lived.

“Don’t overthink it. Remember, we must not wrong a good comrade, but we can’t let any traitor slip through,” Ye Weitian rapped the table, focusing everyone’s attention. “All right, it’s late. Let’s disperse. Be careful on your way home.”

Everyone quickly departed.

The next day.

Bai Zeshou, weighed down by his thoughts, had just stepped into the Secret Service office when he bumped into Monkey, who was rushing out.

“What’s happened? Is something wrong?”

“Little Bai, you’re here! We were just about to call you. Hurry up, there’s an operation, the whole team’s been mobilized. Let’s go!” Monkey grabbed Bai Zeshou and hurried toward the door.

On the way, Bai Zeshou asked curiously, “Monkey, are we going after the Red Party?”

“Probably. Anyway, this time the entire operations team is out, even Group One and Group Two are all mobilized. Looks like it’s a big action.” Monkey wasn’t clear on the details, but judging by the scale, he guessed it was no small matter.

In the large open area in front of the office building, Wu Zhengke stood sternly on the steps, while all the members of the operations teams gathered below.

“Report, Group One should be ten members, present are seven,” reported Group One leader Ye Mao.

“Report, Group Two should be ten members, present are ten,” Group Two leader Gao Debiao reported.

“Report, Group Three should be five members, present are five,” said Group Three deputy leader Tian Haiming.

The group leaders at the front called out loudly, and when Bai Zeshou heard Ye Mao’s report, he was struck by a thought: it seemed there were three guards watching Mr. Li, though special arrangements couldn’t be ruled out. He would need to investigate for himself.