Chapter Sixty-Five: Something Strange

Chapter Sixty-Five: Something Strange

As Bai Zeshao, having escaped successfully, made his way toward the Special Operations Bureau, his mind kept replaying what he had glimpsed earlier. Those people inside the shop opposite the Proud Delight Pavilion—Bai Zeshao was certain they belonged to the Special Operations Bureau, for he had seen their files before.

Yet, these were men directly under the Security Squad of the Bureau. That raised a troubling question: If they had seen Liu Peiru’s men pursuing An Guoming, why hadn’t they intervened? Even if Bai Zeshao had provided cover, had those men acted, An Guoming’s fate would have been sealed—capture was inevitable.

Why, then, had they neither fired a shot nor made a move? The whole scenario was shrouded in mystery and suspicion. Carrying these doubts, Bai Zeshao hurried back to the Bureau. As he approached, Ah Hai saw him and came up, pulling his rickshaw.

As they passed each other, Ah Hai whispered quickly, “Brother, I’ve finally caught you. This morning, Mr. Li asked me to tell you the traitor has escaped.”

“What?” Bai Zeshao nearly shouted.

He quickly regained control of his emotions, and as he watched Ah Hai’s figure recede, he fell into deep thought. The most pressing matter now was to determine the whereabouts of this traitor and how much of the Red Party’s underground secrets he had grasped.

But these were not things that could be resolved in a moment, and Ah Hai’s message was too brief; there were many details he wouldn’t know. Bai Zeshao resolved to see Mr. Li as soon as possible.

Now was not the best time, however. Having collected himself, Bai Zeshao entered his office, where Monkey happened to be present.

Bai Zeshao’s mind whirred. “Monkey, any news lately?”

“News? What sort of news do you mean, Bai?” Monkey grinned mischievously.

“Anything at all. Just tell me whatever you’ve heard.” Bai Zeshao knew Monkey was the most well-informed member of their action team.

“There’s nothing major, but the juiciest rumor going around is that Captain Wu’s been keeping a mistress outside, and his wife found out. They had a huge row about it,” Monkey said, glancing out the window and lowering his voice.

“And?” Bai Zeshao had no interest in salacious gossip and pressed on.

“That’s all. Except, I have noticed the Security Squad have been acting strange these past few days—those arrogant bastards seem to be up to something, very secretive,” Monkey replied offhandedly.

But this offhand comment sent ripples through Bai Zeshao’s mind, reinforcing his suspicion that the Security Squad’s presence near the Proud Delight Pavilion was no coincidence—there had to be some conspiracy at work.

Night fell.

Bai Zeshao made his way to Number One Chunhe Road, Mr. Li’s new hideout. Upon meeting, Bai Zeshao immediately asked, “Mr. Li, do you know where the traitor is now?”

“I don’t. There was a mishap during the operation this morning, and the traitor escaped. He was shot several times and fell into the river, but we don’t know his current whereabouts,” Mr. Li replied with some regret.

Then, more firmly, he continued, “But I’m certain he hasn’t made contact with Liu Peiru. Otherwise, during the meeting today, Liu Peiru wouldn’t have shown up at that time.”

“Do you have his file? Give me a copy. I’ll do my best to find him first and eliminate him,” Bai Zeshao said with a steely edge.

“I’ve already prepared it for you. Here—look it over, then burn it,” Mr. Li said, handing him a folder.

Bai Zeshao opened the folder and studied its contents. When he saw the photograph, he froze, murmuring, “It’s him?”

“You’ve seen him before?” Mr. Li asked, puzzled.

“I’ve seen his file at the Bureau. His name wasn’t Lu Tiankang—it was Tian Yaopeng,” Bai Zeshao explained.

“I see,” Mr. Li nodded.

“He’s actually the deputy captain of our underground action team. We must find him quickly—he’s too dangerous. If he falls into Liu Peiru’s hands, it will be disastrous for us,” Bai Zeshao said, his brow creased with worry.

“Luckily, we’ve done our best to cut off all contact points known to Lu Tiankang and have changed communication methods,” Mr. Li replied with resignation.

Then, with cold resolve, he added, “I’ve issued a bounty within our underground network. If anyone sees Lu Tiankang, they’re authorized to execute him on the spot. He must not be allowed to escape alive.”

Bai Zeshao continued to study Lu Tiankang’s file. Once he had memorized the details, he struck a match and burned the documents completely.

After the last cinders died away, Bai Zeshao suddenly said, “Mr. Li, did you know? This afternoon, during your meeting, another group was watching from a shop across from the Proud Delight Pavilion.”

“Who were they?” Mr. Li asked, startled.

“The Special Operations Bureau,” Bai Zeshao said quietly.

“How is that possible? If it was really them, why didn’t they make a move?” Mr. Li asked in astonishment.

“That’s exactly what strikes me as odd,” Bai Zeshao replied, then changed the subject. “By the way, did you gain anything from the meeting this afternoon? Did the special envoy bring new instructions from above?”

“No. We just made a brief introduction. As you know, with the Bureau’s men lurking in the shadows, there was no time for anything more. We agreed to meet again tomorrow afternoon at three, at the abandoned distillery,” Mr. Li said slowly.

“What’s your impression of this special envoy?” Bai Zeshao asked suddenly.

“What do you mean…” Mr. Li paused. “Xiao Bai, you’re not suspecting—”

“That’s right, I am. Too many things today don’t add up,” Bai Zeshao said, his tone grave. “Can’t we verify his identity with the higher-ups? And as for tomorrow’s meeting, I think it’s best to cancel.”

“No,” Mr. Li refused firmly. “Even contacting the higher-ups won’t help. He used the correct code phrase, and besides, the meeting must go on. We need to find out if there’s an important mission that requires personal delivery.”

“All right. Be careful—stay safe,” Bai Zeshao advised with concern.

“I will. It’s getting late—you should go,” Mr. Li said.

“Very well.”