Chapter 025: The Mysterious Alumnus, Zhao Shiyu

The entire city failed to locate Daizo Kawamoto; not even his corpse was found. The subsequent escalation of events left the Kwantung Army Headquarters with little time to consider its response, as the Imperial General Headquarters could not withstand the mounting public pressure and demanded the Kwantung Army hand over the culprit and mastermind behind the affair.

Taking advantage of the situation, Nagataro Muraoka promptly reported that the entire incident had been orchestrated by Daizo Kawamoto, who, now fearing punishment for his crimes, had gone into hiding. Despite two days of searching, he remained at large.

Meanwhile, the headquarters secretly escorted the two actual perpetrators of the bombing, Tetsuo Higashimiya and Teiju Fujii, back to Tokyo. The aftermath of the incident and its resolution would now be handled by the Imperial General Headquarters.

Turning to Zhou Yongsu’s side of the story, after receiving the telegram and realizing the gravity of the situation, he followed Aoki Qiao’s instructions to complete his arrangements. He first discreetly sent the radio transmitter to a safe house near the North City Gate, then took a roundabout route out of the city through the North Gate, heading straight for Fengtian.

Thanks to Zhou Yongsu’s timely arrival—and also due to Aoki Qiao’s months of training and guidance for Liu Junze—Liu, who was usually quite low-profile, managed to escort the Young Marshal back to his residence in secret with only a few of the Young Marshal’s bodyguards aware of his presence.

Having never appeared in the public eye, Liu Junze, after greeting the Young Marshal, disguised himself as a scholar under Zhou Yongsu’s arrangement and took over as the general manager of Aoki’s Pharmacy in Fengtian City.

In the pharmacy’s secret chamber, Liu Junze confided to Zhou Yongsu, “Yongsu, do you know whom I saw at the Young Marshal’s side?”

“Who?”

“Zhao Shiyu from the 18th Artillery Class!”

“I remember him! The one who, at the graduation ceremony, made the biggest fuss, challenged Aoki Qingxuan, and demanded an explanation from the school—he was the loudest and the first to run!”

“That’s right! We knew each other back in Japan, both being in the artillery class, and he accompanied the Young Marshal while laying low on the journey back. Over the past few months, we’ve been in frequent contact. But I’ve discovered he has another identity apart from being the Young Marshal’s bodyguard!”

“What identity? Is he like us?”

“No, not like us—he might be with the Reds! Recently, he’s been sounding me out, intentionally or not, bringing up topics like revolution and nationalism.”

“Don’t mention this to anyone else for now. I’ll ask Aoki Qingxuan when I get back and decide then.”

“Yongsu, do you think Qingxuan could also be with the Reds?”

“Don’t leap to conclusions! Just follow Qingxuan’s instructions.”

“It’s not baseless speculation. Think about it—he took great risks to save me, even killed Sakurada Takeshi outright! Then he gave me this—an elixir of immortality! You were there too. The Young Marshal and I—whoever was dying first would use it. If both of us were dying, it had to go to the Young Marshal!”

“I’m not saying he was wrong—on the contrary, Qingxuan’s point was valid. Who am I compared to the Young Marshal? But what puzzles me is that Qingxuan has never actually met the Young Marshal! The Young Marshal doesn’t know Qingxuan exists!”

“So why did Qingxuan seem to know something would happen to the Marshal and insisted I take the medicine to ensure the Young Marshal’s safety?”

“These thoughts must stay with you. Don’t tell anyone else, lest you endanger Qingxuan! He’s in the Japanese headquarters—an extremely dangerous position. He sent me two urgent telegrams this time, instructing me to disguise the secret chambers at home and the shop and relocate the radio, likely because something was about to happen.”

“You should stay here for now. I’ll return to check things, and come back for you when it’s safe.”

It was already the afternoon of the fourth day when Zhou Yongsu returned home to Lushun. Apart from the ongoing search for Daizo Kawamoto, nothing major had occurred in the city.

“Qingxuan wouldn’t have killed Kawamoto too, would he?” Zhou Yongsu mused as he walked. It seemed madness, yet considering Qingxuan’s two urgent telegrams and the photographs, it was clear Kawamoto was the mastermind behind the Marshal’s incident.

Seeing Aoki Qiao at home, Zhou Yongsu gave him a questioning look. Aoki Qiao nodded—no further words were necessary. As expected! But since Aoki seemed unconcerned, it must have been covered up successfully.

“The scent of developing chemicals in the darkroom was too strong and lingered. Kawamoto discovered it, so I had no choice but to kill him. Luckily, it was night, he came alone, and apparently hadn’t had time to share his suspicions with anyone else. Otherwise, you’d have walked right into a trap and we’d be meeting in the interrogation room.”

After regaining his composure, Zhou Yongsu reported Liu Junze’s current location, then informed Aoki Qiao of Liu’s discovery.

“What? Tell me everything in detail!” Chen Jiehua locked the door and pulled Zhou Yongsu into the secret chamber.

Zhou Yongsu recounted Liu Junze’s words, adding his own deductions.

“If that’s so, Zhao Shiyu could really be one of the Reds. Here’s what you’ll do, Yongsu: make another trip to Fengtian, bring this radio to Liu Junze and have him hide it, then agree on a frequency and schedule for communication.”

“Then have him take you to meet Zhao Shiyu, sound him out, and confirm his allegiance.”

“What if he isn’t with the Reds? What if he’s from the South, or the Comintern?”

“Don’t worry, let me think. Wait—this isn’t right, Yongsu, you seem to know quite a lot. Has someone approached you?”

“Qingxuan, don’t be paranoid! No one has reached out to me, and I haven’t joined any organization. It’s just that you’ve never told us your true identity, so I’ve been piecing things together—by relaying messages quickly and keeping up with the news, I’ve gotten to know the various groups.”

Fearing a misunderstanding, Zhou Yongsu hastened to explain.

Chen Jiehua regarded Zhou Yongsu thoughtfully. If he didn’t come clean with these two, misunderstandings could arise down the line; it was imperative to solidify their loyalties.

Cowards cannot make revolution!

“Yongsu, since you want to know, I’ll tell you formally: I am Chen Jiehua, a member of the Communist Party of China!”

“!” Zhou Yongsu was too stunned to speak. A Japanese, with such deep connections in Japan, now telling him he was with the Communist Party of China!

“Due to special circumstances, though, I’ve lost contact with the Party organization.”

“I understand! Chen Jiehua! Back then, you killed Aoki Qingxuan and took his place! Only that hothead Zhao Yiyue nearly ruined your plan.”

“Smart man!”

“Chen Jiehua, I pledge my allegiance to you! Your cause is my cause—I want to join the Communist Party of China as well!”

“Good! Brother!” The two men embraced, tears streaming down their faces.

“From now on, keep calling me Aoki Qingxuan or Aoki Qiao. Like we discussed before, never breathe a word of ‘Chen Jiehua’ again.”

“I understand! I’ll take it to my grave if I have to!”

“You must have noticed my arrangements—I’ve kept nothing from you and Liu Junze. I trust you both. Now, throughout the Northeast, all the grassroots runners are our eyes and ears! Next, we’ll covertly seize control of the entire military police system.”

“Our most urgent task now is to reestablish contact with the organization, then have trusted people infiltrate our pharmacy system.”

“That way, the organization will have everything it needs—intelligence, medicine, and funds!”