The 1930s were an era of tumult and upheaval. In these turbulent times, when war raged and uncertainty reigned, once a person made a choice, there was no turning back—one either perished or forged relentlessly ahead. It was much like a pawn that had crossed the river in a game of chess; after crossing, there was no retreat, only the resolve to press on until the end. Bai Zeshou was just such a pawn—one who had crossed the river, a warrior fighting in the very heart of the enemy..

In 2024, Chen Jiehua, a medical graduate student studying in Japan, unexpectedly finds his soul transported back to 1924, inhabiting the body of Chen Jiehua, a Chinese student at the Army Cadet School. By a twist of fate, he accidentally kills his Japanese classmate, Aoki Seigen. With the aid of a mysterious system, he assumes Aoki Seigen’s identity and completes three years of study at the school, during which he befriends numerous influential figures in the Japanese military. Upon graduation, he adopts the alias Aoki Kyo and joins the Kwantung Army, eventually returning to China. With a heart devoted to the Party, Chen Jiehua spares no effort to seek out the organization, successfully joins its ranks, and is given the codename Red Luan. Disguised as Aoki Kyo, he maneuvers among countless Japanese agents, providing crucial intelligence and material support to the organization. In the end, his homeland achieves victory in the War of Resistance against Japan, and he himself safely returns to the embrace of the organization..

Zhou Sen, an ordinary patrol officer at the Nangang Police Station of the Ice City Police Department under the puppet regime in Manchukuo, awakens one day to find his world suddenly shrouded in intrigue and danger. Amidst scrutiny and suspicion, he is forced to assume a new identity and embrace a new mission. Navigating the treacherous labyrinth of Japanese and puppet police, constabulary, and special agencies, he overcomes countless hardships and perils, accomplishing one seemingly impossible task after another. Through these trials, he grows into a communist revolutionary warrior of unwavering conviction. He is a dancer on the edge of a blade, and a harbinger of death to his enemies. This novel is also known as "The Grand Design.".

We betray for the sake of profit, yet seek redemption for the sake of conscience. In the third year of the Great Qian dynasty, the emperor, cold and aloof as a deity, finally spoke, and thus the winds of change began to stir. Under the starlit sky, the country bumpkin Yang Xuan wandered bewildered into the city of Chang’an, clutching in his hand a miraculous scroll from a thousand years in the future, stepping straight into the heart of the maelstrom... until he stood atop Chang’an itself. Holding the scroll tightly, Yang Xuan watched as the girl within it broke into a sweet smile. Yang Xuan let out a miserable cry, “No—!”.