Chapter 27: Outstanding Graduate

"This Susanna is a Soviet spy?" Lin Dakuan was startled by Zhou Sen’s description. When he had gone to the Sherkin residence to investigate, the order had come directly from Saburo Shibuya himself.

He hadn’t known there was anything particularly sensitive about the case. Of course, when Saburo Shibuya assigned a task, he was always careful; after inspecting the scene, he even conducted some further inquiries. But the case was quickly handed over to the Nangang Police Station, and he didn’t pursue it further. It was no longer his concern. He knew from experience that meddling in affairs outside his duties only brought trouble.

Having worked under the Japanese for many years, he understood their ways well. One day they could treat you as a brother, shower you with praise and benefits; the next, they could turn on you faster than changing their clothes.

"Yes, she looks just over twenty—gentle, frail, and extremely naive. She doesn’t look anything like a Soviet spy..." Zhou Sen’s words made Lin Dakuan uneasy. The young man clearly wanted to draw him into the matter, yet looking at his earnest, inquiring expression, it didn’t seem deliberate.

"Did you investigate the background of Susanna’s uncle’s family?"

"Well..."

"If you haven’t even checked that, how can you determine Susanna’s true identity?" Lin Dakuan sighed. At any rate, with Saburo Shibuya’s backing, he would simply report what he’d learned. "Uncle Lin, please teach me," Zhou Sen pleaded sincerely. "I really don’t know how to start, and I don’t dare ask Mr. Akiyama too many questions."

"Don’t just assign people to follow her every move. That will only make her too cautious to do anything out of the ordinary..." Lin Dakuan began to share his experience.

"Listening to you, Uncle Lin, I feel like my time at the police academy was wasted!" Zhou Sen exclaimed.

Lin Dakuan nearly choked. He’d even taught practical courses at the academy, and he had some idea of Zhou Sen’s performance there. If not for Anthony’s favor, would Zhou Sen ever have graduated as an ‘excellent student’? The boy spent all his time hanging around the women’s police class.

"Uncle Lin, if I run into something I don’t understand in the future, can I come to you?" Zhou Sen asked hopefully.

"Of course," Lin Dakuan replied, though his expression turned a bit awkward. He realized this meal had landed him in a trap.

...

"Uncle Lin, take care. I won’t see you off..." After the meal, Zhou Sen put Lin Dakuan in the car and waved him off warmly.

Only after the car had gone did his smile fade. That meal had cost him a small fortune, and his heart ached at the expense. Still, it was worth it. If he behaved differently in the future, he’d have a perfect scapegoat.

Given his ‘relationship’ with Lin Dakuan, who wouldn’t think his change in behavior was due to Lin’s influence? And if he did anything questionable later on, he could always shift the blame to Lin. Whether others believed him or not didn’t matter—after all, the Japanese would never truly trust the Chinese, and that could be exploited.

Lin Dakuan wouldn’t realize this for a while. By the time he did, it would be too late. Zhou Sen thought he’d better visit ‘Uncle Lin’ more often from now on. With his own father gone, he needed a patron—or rather, a scapegoat.

He’d had too much to drink tonight. Not wanting to call a car, he decided to walk back down Zhengyang Sixth Avenue to sweat out the alcohol and reflect on his next steps.

...

Back at the warehouse, Gu Lao Liu and Ye San’er hurried up. "Boss, how did it go?"

"Nothing to worry about. Director Lin is my uncle—he wouldn’t hold a grudge. It’s all settled, so relax." Zhou Sen waved his hand carelessly, his cheeks still flushed from the alcohol.

"Ah, what a relief!" Gu Lao Liu patted his chest, finally letting go of his anxiety.

"Lao Liu, you call me timid, but you’re even more so," Zhou Sen chuckled. His three subordinates had strengths and very obvious flaws; he wondered how his predecessor had chosen them.

Gu Lao Liu scratched his head sheepishly.

"Alright, get back to work. I need to sleep off this liquor," Zhou Sen said, stifling a belch.

"San’er, come here. I need you for something."

"Sure, Boss, let me help you." Ye San’er supported Zhou Sen as they made their way inside. The warehouse had a small room partitioned off for Zhou Sen’s rest; it was good for everything except soundproofing.

"San’er, go to the Old Baduo Tobacco Company’s factory and find a man named Ding Ran. He works in the packing department as a team leader. Tell him..." Zhou Sen plopped onto the bed and whispered a few instructions in Ye San’er’s ear.

"Boss, who is this Ding Ran? Can we trust him?"

"He was my classmate in secondary school and looked out for me then. You’ll see what he’s like once you’ve worked with him. Go on—get it done." Zhou Sen was already losing the battle with the alcohol. His eyes grew heavy.

He collapsed into bed and was snoring within moments.

...

Police Headquarters, Saburo Shibuya’s Office.

"He invited you to dinner and asked you for advice on investigation?" Shibuya approached, eyeing the still-inebriated Lin Dakuan.

"Yes, Superintendent Shibuya. My man Sun Erhu was caught shadowing him, got beaten up, and was taken to Nangang Police Station. As soon as I heard, I sent someone to retrieve him..."

"Foolish! That’s tantamount to confessing without being pressed. He was already at Nangang Police Station—what were you so afraid of?" Shibuya reprimanded him sharply.

"Yes, I was foolish," Lin Dakuan admitted.

But Shibuya knew: if Sun Erhu had been left there, he wouldn’t hold out long before spilling his identity. Lin Dakuan had hurried to bring him back, at least ensuring Sun wouldn’t blab at the station. Sun didn’t know the deeper details, but if he started talking nonsense, it could ruin everything.

"Enough. It’s time you knew a few things. Zhou Sen’s adoptive father, Mr. Anthony Robin, was a friend of the Empire. He was recently recruited for a very dangerous mission, but unfortunately, he was killed. As for his adopted son Zhou Sen, we should nurture him as much as possible. The Empire needs him—do you understand?" said Shibuya.

Lin Dakuan was stunned. Shibuya’s words made it clear: the Japanese intended to support Zhou Sen fully. But Anthony Robin was dead—what value could Zhou Sen have now? He was nothing but a pampered, lazy, frivolous, cowardly young man, an utterly useless scion.

"Director Lin, Anthony Robin was one of the leaders of the Russian Patriotic Alliance. He commanded a powerful intelligence network in the Far East—one of the Empire’s key sources of information," Shibuya added.

"Do you mean that, with Anthony Robin’s death, all of that passes to Zhou Sen?" Lin Dakuan gasped. This was a tremendous secret; for Shibuya to reveal it meant he trusted him deeply. Lin felt a hot surge in his gut.

"Of course."

"Superintendent Shibuya, I don’t understand. Why would you entrust such power to a young man who knows nothing?" Lin Dakuan asked, baffled.

"Director Lin, you’re talking too much," Shibuya’s tone grew cold.

"Yes, I misspoke..." Lin Dakuan bowed his head, his thoughts racing. The amount of information Shibuya had just delivered was overwhelming.

"Since he’s come to you for guidance, assist him as best you can," Shibuya instructed. "But don’t let him know I ordered it."

"I understand. What about Anthony Robin’s affairs?"

"Act as if you know nothing."

"Understood," Lin Dakuan replied, breaking into a sweat and feeling a tinge of envy. Zhou Sen was about to soar to new heights. He’d have to change how he treated the boy from now on; Zhou Sen’s luck was extraordinary.

...

Zhou Sen had no idea how long he’d slept. He woke with a slight headache and a blocked nose.

He sat up, poured himself a glass of cold water, and drained it in one gulp, soothing his parched throat. Glancing at the time, he was surprised to see it was nearly six. He’d slept for over three hours.

"Boss, we’re off now," Gu Lao Liu and Wu En entered the warehouse, seeing Zhou Sen awake.

"Where’s Ye San’er?" Zhou Sen washed his face and hung the towel to dry.

"He hasn’t come back yet?"

"I haven’t seen him," Zhou Sen replied, shaking his head.

"Should we wait for him?"

"No need. He’s not a child—he’ll be fine. One of you head home, the other to the hotel, but keep a close eye on Susanna," Zhou Sen instructed.

Wu En agreed and left at once.

Gu Lao Liu lingered, then came closer and whispered, "Boss, the Dalbank Bank where Miss Susanna works used to be the Soviet Union’s secret intelligence headquarters in Ice City. After the network was uncovered, the bank was closed for a time and only reopened after the ‘Hasan Lake Incident,’ but now it’s controlled by the British."

"Oh?"

"Miss Susanna was among the first new hires when the Dalbank reopened. I also found out that Sherkin had an account there, but not in his own name—it was under Susanna’s. There are some yen and rubles in it, and at least two thousand Manchurian dollars, though that’s the smallest amount."

"So all that money is now in Susanna’s hands?" Zhou Sen asked.

"Most likely. With Sherkin dead, naturally she controls the account—it’s in her name, after all."

"Lao Liu, you don’t suspect Susanna killed Sherkin for the money, do you? What would she gain from that?"

"People kill for money all the time. It happens everywhere."

"I never saw Sherkin’s body, but from the autopsy photos and the scene, there’s no way a frail young woman could have killed him. Besides, the killer was left-handed, and Susanna isn’t," Zhou Sen responded.

"Boss, if they were face-to-face, the wound on Sherkin’s neck could have been made by a left hand. But Sherkin was lying in bed at the time, so it’s not so straightforward," Gu Lao Liu said.

Zhou Sen took in a sharp breath. They’d all fallen into a mental trap—assuming the killer was a small, thin man. But what if the killer was a woman? The thought remained in his mind, but he didn’t voice it to Gu Lao Liu.