Chapter Two: Uncle

“Go!”

At the command, the action squad opened fire and violently broke down the door. Upstairs, Mr. Li had just finished decoding the telegram from his superior when he heard the crash. His heart clenched—he knew he’d been exposed.

There was no time to hesitate. He set the telegram on his desk aflame. As the footsteps drew closer and the last of the paper turned to ash, Mr. Li’s anxiety reached its peak.

Bang!

To buy time, Mr. Li drew his pistol and fired downstairs, hoping to delay the squad’s advance. Gunfire erupted in a cacophony, shattering the quiet of the night.

Meanwhile, Liu Peiru and Liu Xiaobing had entered No. 32 Ping’an Road. Seeing the squad stalled, Liu Peiru cursed under his breath. “Useless!” he snapped, his face hardening. “Take them at any cost!”

The barrage of bullets intensified. The squad began ascending the stairs, but the shooting from above abruptly ceased—Mr. Li’s gun was empty. Yet, he remained composed; the telegram was now nothing but ashes.

Facing the agents who swarmed like wolves and the dozens of black gun barrels pointed at him, Mr. Li’s expression was calm as he gazed at Liu Peiru, who stood at the back. Inside, however, his thoughts churned.

Bai Zeshao had just left, and Liu Peiru arrived immediately after. Was this merely coincidence? And why had Liu Peiru suddenly approached Bai Zeshao? Had Bai Zeshao betrayed the revolution, or had Liu Peiru discovered his identity and was now using him as bait? Or had another traitor emerged within the organization?

Everything was as murky and mystifying as the rain-soaked night—impossible to see through, impossible to unravel.

……

Bai Zeshao had already made it halfway home when the gunshots rang out. His heart tightened; he immediately turned back toward Mr. Li’s residence. But when he reached the intersection at Ping’an Road, all he saw was the tail end of the action squad’s convoy—nothing else.

Only after the vehicles departed did Bai Zeshao hurriedly enter No. 32 Ping’an Road. But he found nothing. Anxious and uneasy, he returned to his dormitory at the military academy.

“Xiao Bai, you really are diligent. It’s the fifteenth of August, it’s raining outside, and you still went to the library,” his roommate Wang Gang remarked with a laugh as soon as Bai Zeshao stepped in.

“Come on, that’s nonsense. How do you think Xiao Bai always comes out on top? You think he wins first place by sleeping?” Zhang Wenkai, from the upper bunk, poked his head out and joked.

“Why aren’t you sleeping yet?” Although worry for Mr. Li weighed heavily on his mind, Bai Zeshao managed a smile.

In truth, going to the library every night was his habit. Even tonight, he’d spent some time there before heading to Mr. Li’s house.

“We were waiting for you and Xiaobing,” Wang Gang replied offhandedly.

“Xiaobing’s not here either?” Bai Zeshao glanced at the empty bunk above his, Liu Xiaobing’s bed. “Where did he go? When I left, he was still asleep.”

“Who knows?” Wang Gang climbed down and joined Bai Zeshao, speaking conspiratorially. “He left just after you. Didn’t you notice? He got picked up by a military vehicle.”

“Really?” Bai Zeshao frowned, feigning disbelief.

“Of course. If you don’t believe me, ask Wenkai.”

Bai Zeshao looked at Zhang Wenkai, who nodded. “Both of us saw it.”

The three of them fell into idle chatter as they waited for lights out. During the conversation, Bai Zeshao was clearly distracted. When the lights finally went out, the screech of brakes sounded outside.

Soon after, Liu Xiaobing entered the dorm. Although his face was hidden in the darkness, Bai Zeshao could sense his roommate’s excitement.

“Xiaobing, you sly dog, where have you been?” Wang Gang sat up, curiosity in his voice.

“Yeah, tell us! A military car picks you up and drops you off—must be something good,” Zhang Wenkai chimed in.

“Can’t you two be more like Xiao Bai—calm and composed?” Liu Xiaobing glanced at the now-reclining Bai Zeshao, purposely keeping them guessing.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Xiaobing. I was going to ask, but these two beat me to it,” Bai Zeshao’s voice drifted out of the darkness.

Laughter erupted. Wang Gang and Zhang Wenkai gave Bai Zeshao a thumbs-up, then burst out laughing.

Liu Xiaobing rolled his eyes, then sat on Bai Zeshao’s bed. After clearing his throat theatrically, he announced, “I was on a mission with my uncle.”

“Your uncle? Since when do you have an uncle?”

“Yeah, who knew?”

“Ahem, well, since we’re about to graduate, I won’t keep it from you brothers. My uncle is Director Liu Peiru of the training department.” Liu Xiaobing revealed his background.

“Wow,” Wang Gang exclaimed.

“No wonder you always have insider info. Turns out your uncle’s so impressive,” Zhang Wenkai added.

On his bed, Bai Zeshao felt a wave of unease but feigned indifference. “Xiaobing, what mission required you to go out on Mid-Autumn Festival, and in the rain too?”

Liu Xiaobing chuckled. “It was a major case—we arrested a key figure from the Red Party tonight.”

Hearing this, Bai Zeshao’s heart clenched. He recalled what he’d seen earlier at No. 32 Ping’an Road—was Liu Peiru and Liu Xiaobing among the convoy that night?

“Red Party? Who was it?” Wang Gang asked, curiosity piqued.

“That’s confidential, you know how it is,” Liu Xiaobing replied, lips sealed. “Alright, let’s get some sleep.”

As night deepened and the others drifted off, Bai Zeshao lay awake, unable to rest. His mind raced with plans to rescue Mr. Li, but no solution came to him all night.

He was Mr. Li’s direct subordinate, an independent contact; he knew nothing of the other Red Party members in Shanning. Armed rescue was out of the question.

A more pressing question haunted him—how had Mr. Li been exposed? Was it the agents who discovered him, or was there a traitor within the organization?

If it was the former, there might be hope. But if it was the latter, both Mr. Li and the entire Shanning network faced disaster.

Worse still, with Mr. Li captured, what had become of the radio and codebook? Losing the radio was a setback, but a new one could be acquired. If the codebook fell into enemy hands, the consequences would be catastrophic.

Unfortunately, he had no way to find out more for now.