Chapter 003: Buying a House and Opening a Pharmacy Upon Arrival

“Aoki! Aoki?”

“What?” Chen Jiehua’s recollections were abruptly interrupted.

“We’ve arrived at Headquarters, Aoki!”

“Oh! Alright!”

“Sir Aoki, the Commander is waiting for you in his office on the fourth floor,” the lieutenant driving the car reminded him.

“Thank you.”

“Lieutenant Okuda, please come with me. I’ll take you to check in.”

The driving lieutenant led Okuda Chisato away to complete his reporting procedures. It seemed that because of Aoki Jo’s special status, the Commander wished to receive him personally.

Chen Jiehua made his way alone to the fourth floor, found the Commander’s office, and knocked on the door. The secretary inside opened it, and, upon seeing a handsome but unfamiliar face, politely inquired about his identity. “Sir Aoki, the Commander has been waiting for you. Please, come in.”

“System deity, why is there no indicator in the upper left of my vision now?” Upon seeing the secretary, whom he didn’t recognize, and noticing the system had failed to provide any marker, Chen Jiehua habitually asked the system in his mind, only to remember a moment later that the system deity had already departed.

Upon entering, he was greeted by a middle-aged general, no taller than one meter sixty.

“Commander! Cadet Aoki Jo, graduate of the Imperial Army University, reporting in!”

“Excellent! Aoki Jo, honored with a name by the Emperor himself, the ‘Shimazu War God’ personally bestowed by the Empress—I know who you are!”

“Sir, you are too kind!”

“No need to be so formal. The old men at Headquarters called personally to remind us not to mistreat their precious protégé. You’ve come to look over the vacant positions—see for yourself which one you’d prefer.”

“As a soldier, obedience to orders is my foremost duty. I await your assignment, Commander!”

“You really are just as old Miyaji described—rather dull! Fine then, you’ll go first to the First Section of the Senior Staff. Work with Kawamoto Daisaku and learn from him. Off you go.”

“Yes, sir!”

Leaving the Commander’s office, Chen Jiehua followed the directions to the First Section Chief’s office on the third floor. After knocking and finding no one inside, he checked the main office across the hall, but everyone was busy and paid him no mind.

He considered his situation: with his current status, he could practically walk unhindered in Lushun, the seat of the Kwantung Army’s headquarters. Since the section chief wasn’t in, there was no need to rush his report. He could use the time to explore the city, get a sense of the layout, and perhaps rent some lodgings. Three would be ideal—a wise rabbit has three burrows—two could serve as safe houses.

As he walked out of the headquarters compound, he could feel the eyes from the fourth floor watching him. He didn’t look back, pretending not to notice. Since they were keeping tabs on his movements, he’d proceed with caution, taking things one step at a time. The first step was to rent a house near headquarters as his official residence.

Strolling through the streets, he paid particular attention to bookstores, pharmacies, medical clinics, tailor shops, and watch stores. Why these? Because, having watched many spy dramas, he knew that the early underground agents of the Communist Party often favored such establishments for their cover. Bookstores saw few customers and were convenient for storing codebooks; pharmacies and clinics were useful for obtaining medicine and treating wounds; tailor shops made it easy to change disguises; watch stores were excellent sources for radio components.

Generally, whether it was the Tokko, Unit 76, or the forerunners of the Military and Central Bureaus, they tended to overlook such shops—though in later years, these became the first places to be investigated. But that was a concern for another time. It was late 1927, and theoretically, the Party’s underground network should have already entered key cities in the Northeast such as Lushun and Fengtian. If he followed this thread, he should be able to locate them.

Most early underground agents were driven by passion alone, lacking any formal training, and their sense for covert operations was weak. Perhaps because he was wearing a Japanese uniform adorned with a lieutenant colonel’s insignia, no Chinese dared approach him as he wandered. Yet, as a new face in a Japanese uniform, he did attract the attention of a Japanese expatriate, who inquired if he was looking to rent a house.

“I’d like to rent a residence and a storefront—ideally together. If you have a good property for sale, I might consider buying as well.” (in Japanese)

The expatriate’s eyes lit up—here was a big deal!

“Lieutenant Colonel, I happen to have two excellent properties, both with attached storefronts. One in particular has both residence and shop together, though it’s rather large and expensive, so there’s been little interest.”

“The shop is on Yamakata Street, right between Headquarters and the Military Police Command. It’s a bustling area—our compatriots and your officers alike love to stroll there!”

“Perfect! I want to see that house and shop first.”

Chen Jiehua’s luck was excellent. The property was just as the expatriate described—south of the Kwantung Army Headquarters, north of the Military Police Command, spacious, and still faintly smelling of medicine inside.

“This used to be a pharmacy. The owner sold the business and moved south.”

“Excellent! Just what I need. I don’t care how you acquired it—I’ll take both the shop and the house behind.”

He was delighted with the location; it had formerly been a pharmacy, which fit perfectly with his own plans. It was almost as if the system had arranged it for him. After all, he had backing from the “Western Heart Pharmaceuticals” in America—opening a pharmacy would be entirely aboveboard, no need to hide from the Japanese Kwantung Army. Even the Emperor and Headquarters knew he could acquire American medicines; running a pharmacy was only natural.

He neither inquired about market rates nor feared being overcharged by the expatriate agent. Wearing a lieutenant colonel’s uniform, he knew the agent wouldn’t dare demand an outrageous price unless he had powerful backing, in which case negotiations would be pointless. Best to be direct.

The agent was surprised at his generosity—no haggling, just a straightforward agreement. Thus, when Chen Jiehua made additional requests, the agent agreed without hesitation.

“Once the paperwork is done, get all new fixtures and counters for the shop, and furnish the residence behind—beds, furniture, the works. You’ll be well compensated in yen.”

So, the official residence was settled—right under the headquarters’ nose, hiding in plain sight. As for the other two safe houses, he’d need to think carefully and find them himself; for those, he couldn’t rely on Japanese agents.

Securing this property and shop pleased both Chen Jiehua and the agent. With the documents in hand, Chen Jiehua pretended to retrieve money from his backpack and went straight to process the transfer.

By the time the paperwork was complete, night had fallen. He checked into a Japanese-run inn for the night. Winter nights in Lushun were bitterly cold, and the streets emptied after dark. After a simple meal at the inn, Chen Jiehua retired to his room for a well-earned rest.