Chapter Seventy-Four: News

Chapter Seventy-Four: News

Bai Zeshao sat quietly in his office chair, slowly recalling the scenes that had just played out. Whether it was Ye Mao’s uncharacteristically harsh interrogation methods, his repeated efforts to prevent Bai Zeshao from torturing An Guoming, or the interactions between An Guoming and Ye Mao during the ordeal—when he pieced all these events together, Bai Zeshao became increasingly convinced of An Guoming’s betrayal. Of course, in the end, these were still just his suspicions. Fortunately, Bai Zeshao had already thought of a way to confirm An Guoming’s true identity and determine whether he had indeed betrayed the revolution.

In the interrogation room, after Bai Zeshao left, Ye Mao hurriedly untied An Guoming. Seeing An Guoming’s pale face, Ye Mao said with concern, “Can you hold on? I’ll get a doctor to bandage your wounds.”

“Thank you, I can manage for now. If you hadn’t spoken up in time, I’m not sure I could’ve held out,” An Guoming replied weakly.

Ye Mao patted An Guoming’s shoulder without saying more, but inwardly he was troubled. He didn’t know exactly what the superiors’ plan was, but An Guoming’s current state was worrying. At any moment—even the next—An Guoming might break under the punishment and spill the truth about his betrayal. If that happened, it would undoubtedly ruin their leaders’ plans.

Judging from today, there was little hope that An Guoming could endure much longer; if he were capable of holding out, he wouldn’t have become a traitor to the Red Party in the first place. Glancing at An Guoming, who had his eyes closed, Ye Mao’s gaze flickered with contempt. No matter the side, no one likes a traitor. Ye Mao gave An Guoming some last instructions, then left the interrogation room to report the situation to his superiors.

Meanwhile, back in his office, Bai Zeshao was not only pondering An Guoming’s case but also another matter: the mission An Guoming had brought with him to Shanning. To be honest, Bai Zeshao found it hard to believe that anyone, in such turbulent times, would rashly attempt to kidnap Old Jiang.

Though Old Jiang had always been less than honorable—ignoring the looming threat of the Japanese while relentlessly attacking the Red Party at every turn—Bai Zeshao nevertheless carried out Mr. Li’s orders with dedication. Throughout the day, he’d had Monkey keep a vigilant eye on any developments in the Special Service Division, but nothing of note had happened. Bai Zeshao wasn’t particularly disappointed; even if the Special Service Division had received such intelligence, they would verify it from many sources, and to avoid unnecessary turmoil, this information would only be circulated among a select few.

By a little after six in the evening, the sky had already darkened and the workday was over. Bai Zeshao grabbed a quick bowl of noodles outside, but instead of heading home, he returned to the Special Service Division and began reviewing the files on his desk.

The phone on his desk suddenly rang. Bai Zeshao picked it up, and Sun Yanjie’s hearty voice came through, “Xiao Bai, the matter you asked me to investigate a few days ago—there’s finally a lead.”

“What matter?” Bai Zeshao, preoccupied with his plans, was momentarily caught off guard.

“You’ve been working yourself to exhaustion, haven’t you? I’m talking about the guy who got into a shootout with the Red Party in broad daylight and jumped into the moat. There’s finally a clue about him,” Sun Yanjie chided, then explained.

“Brother Sun, do you mean you’ve caught him?” Bai Zeshao shot up from his seat, probing for more information.

Bai Zeshao had been worried ever since Lu Tiankang, the vice-captain of the Red Party’s underground action squad, escaped from Mr. Li. As someone with access to so many Red Party secrets, Lu Tiankang posed a significant threat. Even though the Red Party had worked quickly to render all information known to Lu Tiankang obsolete, it couldn’t be accomplished overnight. So, when Sun Yanjie mentioned news of Lu Tiankang, Bai Zeshao immediately became alert.

“No, if I’d caught him, he’d be in prison by now,” Sun Yanjie replied, rolling his eyes.

“So, Brother Sun…?” Bai Zeshao pressed, holding back his anxiety.

“Alright, enough teasing. Our men found some clues three kilometers downstream from the moat. Everything points to the man who jumped into the river. The scene was a mess, but I can confirm that the man got away—and he escaped alive.”

“He got away alive?” Bai Zeshao asked in surprise, growing even more wary of Lu Tiankang’s tenacity.

“That’s right. By all accounts, he took several bullets and was soaked in the river for a long time. Yet, he survived. Still, without a period of recuperation, it’ll be hard for him to recover,” Sun Yanjie said with a sigh.

“What about further leads, Brother Sun?”

“Nothing. The trail went cold. Even confirming the man who left was Lu Tiankang was no easy feat.”

“Alright. If you hear anything else, please inform me immediately,” Bai Zeshao said, pushing down his concern.

“Don’t worry. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything.”

After hanging up, Bai Zeshao glanced at the clock—it was already half past seven, and night had fully descended. In the entire Special Service Division, only the duty officers remained; everyone else had long since left. Turning off his office light, Bai Zeshao closed the door behind him and headed toward the prison where An Guoming was held. The moment An Guoming saw Bai Zeshao arrive alone, a sense of dread welled up inside him.

“Meeting again. Well, do you have anything you wish to confess, or are you determined to hold out?” Bai Zeshao asked with a faint smile.

“I want to see Chief Ye,” An Guoming replied, a chill running down his spine at Bai Zeshao’s demeanor, but he made his request nonetheless.

“There’s no rush to see Chief Ye. Let’s talk about your own situation first,” Bai Zeshao said, then had An Guoming brought out of his cell and escorted to the interrogation room.

“So, this is your last chance. Is there anything you want to confess?” Bai Zeshao threatened.

“There’s nothing,” An Guoming replied, shaking his head.

The moment he finished speaking, Bai Zeshao pressed a red-hot iron block to An Guoming’s chest. The flesh that had been torn the day before was seared anew, and the scent of burning meat drifted through the air.