Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Death of Guo Xiaofei

Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Death of Guo Xiaofei

Inside the abandoned distillery.

Mr. Li and several others casually chose a room and walked in. After checking his watch, Mr. Li said, “Alright, now we can talk about what happened.”

“Mr. Li, shouldn’t we deal with their matters later? After all, it’s time to meet with the special agent, and that’s the most important thing right now,” Mrs. Wang suddenly reminded him.

“Yes,” Zhou Shan echoed.

“What if I tell you there is no special agent, nor any rendezvous? Everything today was merely a ruse to catch the traitor among us. So don’t be too surprised,” Mr. Li swept his gaze across the group, revealing a truth that left everyone stunned.

Not just Mrs. Wang and Zhou Shan, even Ye Weitian was taken aback. He truly hadn’t expected that the supposed meeting with the special agent was a fabrication.

Earlier, when Mr. Li discussed the plan with him, he’d only mentioned using an opportune moment to expose the mole.

“A traitor? Old Li, you mean…” Zhou Shan, regaining his composure, glanced at Guo Xiaofei and Lu Tiankang.

“Speak up, what’s really going on?” Mr. Li didn’t answer Zhou Shan’s question but instead looked at Guo Xiaofei and Lu Tiankang, waiting for their explanations.

“Mr. Li, just before we reached the distillery, I saw Captain Guo acting suspiciously at a phone booth. I went in to ask him about it, but unexpectedly, he pulled a gun on me,” Lu Tiankang quickly interjected.

“Lu Tiankang, you…” Guo Xiaofei truly hadn’t expected Lu Tiankang to twist the facts and turn the truth upside down.

“Old Guo, what about you? Any explanation?” Mr. Li didn’t offer his own judgment but turned to Guo Xiaofei, awaiting his response.

“Old Li, you know who I am. If I were really a traitor, the lot of you would’ve been locked up in the secret police’s prison long ago. And what Lu Tiankang said is utter nonsense. He was the one making the call; I went to check on him,” Guo Xiaofei said bitterly.

“Captain Guo, I think you chose the wrong profession. With such talent, you’re wasting it—not acting is truly a pity,” Lu Tiankang replied calmly and lightly, in stark contrast to Guo Xiaofei’s outrage.

Zhou Shan, Mrs. Wang, and Ye Weitian all looked toward Mr. Li.

“I received word that the secret police already knew about our supposed rendezvous with the special agent by last night. Only those present here today were privy to that information,” Mr. Li paused as he spoke, heightening the tension and anticipation among the group.

“And last night, aside from you two, Old Guo, no one else went out. Everyone else stayed put until six this morning,” Mr. Li continued quietly.

As soon as he finished, everyone’s attention focused on Guo Xiaofei and Lu Tiankang. At the same time, curiosity about Mr. Li’s source of information grew—could there be someone from the Red Party inside the secret police?

Still, everyone knew the rules. Since Mr. Li hadn’t revealed his source, they tacitly refrained from asking.

After Mr. Li finished, Lu Tiankang burst into laughter.

His laughter left the others bewildered, but before they could speak, he explained, “Now it makes sense why Captain Guo insisted we split up when scouting last night.”

“I only wanted to save time and avoid drawing attention,” Guo Xiaofei replied, his face flushed, though his words sounded like a futile last struggle, weak and powerless.

“Is that so? But if I remember correctly, we split up for about twenty minutes. When I returned to our meeting point, you weren’t there—you arrived more than ten minutes late,” Lu Tiankang retorted coolly.

Guo Xiaofei didn’t answer Lu Tiankang’s question. Instead, he raised his head and addressed the group, “Whether I, Guo Xiaofei, have betrayed the revolution, time will tell. I want only to ask—do you believe I am a traitor?”

He scanned the faces of his comrades, but none met his gaze.

Inside the abandoned distillery, the atmosphere grew heavy, falling into silence broken only by the harsh whistling of the wind.

Mr. Li said nothing, merely lowered his head and smoked, unhurried and contemplative. When his cigarette was finished, he flicked away the stub.

Click.

The sound of a bullet being chambered drew everyone’s attention. Mr. Li had drawn his pistol, loaded it with a click, and everyone’s breath caught.

He raised his gun and aimed at Lu Tiankang, asking quietly, “Any last words? Or anything to confess? The organization can grant your wishes.”

“Mr. Li, I am not a traitor, please believe me,” Lu Tiankang stammered, facing Mr. Li’s calm expression and the dark barrel, struggling to keep his composure.

Mr. Li looked deeply at Lu Tiankang, then shifted his aim to Guo Xiaofei. “And you?”

“I have nothing to say,” Guo Xiaofei replied, closing his eyes tightly.

A sigh, heavy with resignation and sorrow, escaped Mr. Li’s lips. He extended his arm, weighed down, and said, “Farewell.”

As he spoke, his index finger hovered over the trigger, ready to fire.

“Wait!” Suddenly, Zhou Shan lunged forward, colliding with Mr. Li.

Bang!

Caught off guard, Mr. Li’s finger instinctively squeezed the trigger. The bullet fired, but was knocked off course, flying harmlessly into the air.

“Mr. Li, I think we shouldn’t act so rashly. We should investigate further. Old Guo has worked with us for so long—if he truly betrayed the revolution, I would not hesitate, but we lack definitive evidence,” Zhou Shan said quickly, signaling Guo Xiaofei as he spoke.

“Are you finished?” Mr. Li replied coldly.

“Yes,” Zhou Shan nodded, standing in front of Guo Xiaofei.

“Then step aside,” Mr. Li remained calm.

“I…” Zhou Shan looked helplessly at Ye Weitian, hoping for support, but Ye Weitian merely shook his head gently.

“Move aside. You know the discipline and methods of the organization. We never show mercy to traitors,” Mr. Li sighed and addressed Zhou Shan.

Defeated, Zhou Shan slowly stepped away, revealing Guo Xiaofei behind him.

“Nothing more to explain? No defense?” Mr. Li asked, unwilling to let go.

Guo Xiaofei said nothing, only closed his eyes.

Bang!