Chapter Eighty-Nine: Twin Stars

Chapter Eighty-Nine: Twin Stars

"Old Lu, what do you think?" Liu Xiaobing asked with a smile after Lu Tiankang finished examining Ye Weitian's body.

"Ruthless enough," Lu Tiankang said softly, only two words.

"I told you before: Little Bai could never have leaked our information. After all, I have known him since our military academy days. I know exactly what kind of person he is." As Liu Xiaobing spoke, a trace of relief could not help but loosen his heart as well.

"Now that the man is dead, the leads we wanted to pursue are cut off too. We can only close the case," Lu Tiankang said with a nod. "Still, this fellow was a big fish too. The credit won't be small."

"Mm."

That afternoon, taking advantage of work, Bai Zeshao left the Intelligence Office and chose an upscale teahouse in Shanning, renting a private room and waiting quietly for Mr. Li to arrive.

"Why did you choose such a place?" Mr. Li asked as he came in, somewhat puzzled.

"It's not appropriate for me to go to you now, and I wanted to see you as soon as possible, so I could only make the appointment here," Bai Zeshao explained.

"All right. Is it something urgent that you wanted to see me about?" Mr. Li asked curiously.

"Ye Weitian's case has an outcome," Bai Zeshao said, glancing at Mr. Li. Taking a deep breath, he spoke slowly.

"What did you find out?"

"No need to investigate anymore. This morning, in the interrogation room at the Intelligence Office, he died in my arms. He took my gun and killed himself, staging it to look as though I had shot him." Bai Zeshao spoke slowly, his tone heavy.

After hearing him, Mr. Li said nothing for a long while. The atmosphere in the room grew solemn and grave.

"Old Ye and I worked together for several years. I never thought he would leave like this. You look to be in good shape, and that puts my mind at ease. Remember, for the revolution to win, every one of us in the Communist Party must fear no sacrifice," Mr. Li said as he stood and patted Bai Zeshao on the shoulder, his voice firm.

"Oh, right. Do you know where Old Ye was buried?" Mr. Li asked with concern.

"I had people keep watch. The body should have been dumped in the mass grave on the western outskirts of the city. Later, I'll have someone bury him properly," Bai Zeshao said.

"That's good. When I have time, I'll go pay my respects to him," Mr. Li said sadly.

"I know. There's one more thing I wanted to discuss with you today. I think Liu Xiaobing may have begun to suspect me," Bai Zeshao said, frowning.

"Why would he suspect you for no reason?" Since this concerned Bai Zeshao's safety, Mr. Li was also deeply concerned.

"I suspect it's because when Old Ye was arrested, I showed up to try to rescue him. Although I was masked and they didn't see my face clearly, the timing was too coincidental, so they may have started to doubt me," Bai Zeshao roughly explained what he knew.

"You were too reckless," Mr. Li sighed, shaking his head.

"Still, Old Ye's self-sacrifice ended up helping me, so for now I've managed to get past this hurdle," Bai Zeshao continued.

"Never do such things again in the future. Since we have time today, I have something to tell you as well. I hope you're prepared," Mr. Li suddenly changed the subject, his tone turning serious.

"What is it?" Bai Zeshao asked instinctively.

"Like I mentioned earlier, I'm about to leave Shanning. Before your new contact arrives, you will remain in a silent state, until the new liaison awakens you. The contact code will be the same as before between us," Mr. Li explained.

"If I discover valuable intelligence, or need to contact the organization, what should I do?" Although Bai Zeshao felt a great deal of reluctance at Mr. Li's departure, he did not show it. Instead, he asked the important questions.

"Place a missing-person notice in the Shanning Evening News. Someone will see it," Mr. Li instructed.

"I understand. Then when are you leaving Shanning, Mr. Li?" Bai Zeshao asked with concern.

"In as few as three days, at most five. I will be leaving. You must remember everything I told you before," Mr. Li instructed once more.

"I understand. I hope we still have the chance to fight side by side," Bai Zeshao said, giving Mr. Li a tight embrace, his voice tinged with sorrow.

"We will. Certainly we will. You are an excellent young man, and I hope that even elsewhere, I will still hear news of you. Be careful. I should go now," Mr. Li said, patting Bai Zeshao on the shoulder before turning and leaving.

Watching Mr. Li recede into the distance, Bai Zeshao felt a little heavyhearted. Yet as a special operations officer, he quickly controlled his emotions, and soon afterward he also left the teahouse.

Three days later, a piece of news that shocked both home and abroad spread across all of China: Old Jiang, who had been detained in the city of Chang'an by Generals Yang and Zhang, had successfully returned to Shanning, and he had also delivered a declaration of resistance against Japan.

In an instant, the entire nation was in uproar. And with Old Jiang's safe return, the atmosphere inside the Intelligence Office also grew subtle and tense.

This was because Boss Dai, who had gone all the way to Chang'an to take part in the rescue of Old Jiang, had returned. During the time Boss Dai had been away, currents had been surging beneath the surface within the Intelligence Office.

At first, many people had not been optimistic about this operation of Boss Dai's. Yet who could have imagined that at such a dangerous moment, Old Jiang would actually turn peril into safety? Boss Dai's expedition had gone out in disappointment and returned in triumph.

With the credit of rescuing Jiang, and with Old Jiang already trusting Boss Dai to begin with, Boss Dai, now back in Shanning, began to thoroughly reorganize the Intelligence Office, using all manner of methods to deal quietly with those who had previously stepped forward.

In no time, the atmosphere in the Intelligence Office was cleared, and Boss Dai's control over it became even more complete.

In such an environment, the general assembly of the Intelligence Office was held in the conference hall.

After the routine speeches, the meeting reached a small climax. Under everyone's witness, Bai Zeshao and Liu Xiaobing received Boss Dai's commendation and were granted promotions in rank. Both were raised to second lieutenant.

The reason was simple. Liu Xiaobing had captured Ye Weitian, while Bai Zeshao had seized the printing plant manager, Wu Xiaoming. Though they had only recently joined the Intelligence Office, they had repeatedly distinguished themselves in battle.

To set an example within the organization, the two were promoted beyond the usual norms and made second lieutenants. Though they held rank without authority, for many people it was still a considerable leap.

For a time, the two of them were in the spotlight, so much so that people privately joked they were the Intelligence Office's "Twin Stars."

Both Bai Zeshao and Liu Xiaobing were naturally delighted by this, and even Liu Peiru, seeing how promising his own nephew was, wore a face full of cheerful pride.