Chapter 132: Ah Hai

Inside the editorial office on the fourth floor of the Shen Bao Building.

The smile on Ah Hai’s face stiffened.

Looking at the smiling Fang Muheng, it felt as though a voice inside him were roaring:

Young Master Fang, this is not how revolutionary work is done!

Fang Muheng was a returned overseas student, highly educated and open-hearted.

What was particularly rare was that despite his wealthy background, he was kind by nature and deeply sympathetic toward poor people.

He also hated the Japanese invaders with all his heart.

Ah Hai was an underground Communist Party member in Shanghai. He had quickly noticed the revolutionary enthusiasm of this capitalist’s son who had returned from overseas and had immediately reported Fang Muheng’s situation to the organization.

The organization was likewise inclined to recruit and guide Fang Muheng onto the glorious road of the Red revolution.

All along, Ah Hai had been quite satisfied with Fang Muheng.

He believed that this passionate young man would gradually grow into a true Red fighter.

However, Fang Muheng’s actions today made Ah Hai realize his greatest flaw.

This hot-blooded Young Master Fang’s revolutionary enthusiasm was beyond doubt, but he was simply far too reckless.

At this moment, Fang Muheng gave Ah Hai the impression of being far too naïve and immature, completely unaware of the cruelty of revolutionary work and the severity of the situation.

“Muheng, who did you tell? What exactly did you say?”

Ah Hai lowered his voice and asked with a serious expression.

“Yesterday I met two friends, two heroes worthy of admiration. Yes, I consider them heroes.”

Fang Muheng failed to notice Ah Hai’s serious expression and spoke excitedly.

“Do you know? The two of them joined forces and killed a Japanese man.”

Looking at Fang Muheng, whose words revealed obvious admiration, Ah Hai could not help rubbing his forehead.

Leaving aside whether the story was true or not, there was one issue alone.

The fact that those people had mentioned something as serious as killing a Japanese person should have prompted Fang Muheng to exercise a degree of secrecy.

Yet he was discussing it openly with him in a public place.

It was far too careless.

“Muheng, I need to move some things from the storage room now. Come help me.”

Ah Hai said.

“No problem.”

Fang Muheng understood that Ah Hai wanted to find a private place to talk.

He immediately felt the thrill of participating in underground work.

The storage room was located in the basement level.

Next door was the printing factory.

Since it was noon, nobody else was in the storage room.

“Muheng, tell me exactly what happened.”

Ah Hai said sternly.

Seeing Ah Hai’s exceptionally serious expression, Fang Muheng finally realized something was wrong.

“Ah Hai, what’s happened?”

“Tell me what happened first.”

Fang Muheng began recounting the events of the previous day.

Ah Hai repeatedly interrupted him to ask for specific details.

“So you’re saying these two men were police officers from the police station, and they killed that Japanese rōnin Miyamoto Saburo?”

Ah Hai asked.

“Yes. Unlike a reactionary police officer I know, they are patriotic officers.”

Fang Muheng emphasized this point before continuing.

“He Guan and Liu Bo were furious that Miyamoto, who had insulted and harmed their fellow countrymen, was acquitted and released. They decided to eliminate him themselves.”

“How exactly did they do it?”

“Liu Bo pretended he wanted to discuss business with Miyamoto and lured him out. He Guan was already lying in wait there. He launched a surprise attack and killed Miyamoto Saburo.”

Fang Muheng said.

“This really happened. You know about Miyamoto’s death yourself.”

Ah Hai nodded.

Of course he knew.

Miyamoto Saburo’s acquittal and release had aroused enormous public anger.

When news of Miyamoto’s death spread yesterday, the newspaper office had learned of it immediately and even dispatched a reporter to photograph the place where the body had been discovered.

Many Chinese employees, including Ah Hai, had found the news immensely satisfying.

“How credible do you think their story is?”

“Absolutely beyond doubt.”

Fang Muheng raised his voice.

He was somewhat angry that Ah Hai would question his friends.

“Don’t be angry. I just need to verify it.”

Looking at the angry Fang Muheng, Ah Hai felt a headache coming on.

“Muheng, revolutionary work cannot tolerate even the slightest carelessness. We cannot accept something merely because someone says it. We need verification from multiple sources.”

“I believe they weren’t lying. The hatred He Guan and Liu Bo have for the Japanese cannot be faked. I could tell.”

Fang Muheng said.

“I’m not some fool who believes whatever he’s told. I analyzed it carefully. He Guan personally arrested Miyamoto, which proves he’s an upright officer. Later, they were enraged by Miyamoto’s release and eventually decided to execute him themselves. The entire sequence of events and motive make perfect sense.”

“I agree with your analysis.”

Ah Hai nodded.

“I also believe Miyamoto was probably killed by them. However, according to organizational principles, I will report this matter to the organization. Everything will be judged according to the organization’s investigation.”

Looking at Fang Muheng, Ah Hai patted him on the shoulder.

“Muheng, revolutionary work requires the utmost rigor. Our revolutionary environment is extremely harsh. We cannot afford carelessness.”

“I understand.”

Looking into Ah Hai’s profound gaze, Fang Muheng nodded.

“Why did you tell them that you knew who killed Old Mo?”

Ah Hai asked.

He felt somewhat relieved.

At least Fang Muheng had not revealed Ah Hai’s name or any other more detailed information to those two men.

Thus he had not yet committed an even more serious mistake.

“Wasn’t that traitor Old Mo eliminated by your people?”

Fang Muheng asked in surprise.

“When did I ever say we eliminated Old Mo?”

Ah Hai demanded angrily, his tone becoming much harsher.

“Didn’t you say before that your anti-traitor squad had just accomplished something major...”

“That was our...”

Ah Hai stamped his foot in frustration and shook his head.

However, he stopped himself before finishing the sentence.

“In any case, the truth is that we did not eliminate Old Mo. You passed false information to your friends, and most importantly...”

He paced back and forth, carefully considering his wording.

Fang Muheng was not yet a Communist comrade.

When dealing with a passionate patriotic youth like him, one had to pay attention to methods and attitude.

Placing both hands on Fang Muheng’s shoulders, Ah Hai spoke earnestly.

“Muheng, remember this. As far as our affairs are concerned, unless the organization has approved it, or to put it another way, unless I have approved it, you must not mention them to any outsider.”

“Outsider doesn’t just mean your two friends. It also includes your parents and family members. In short, everything must be kept secret.”

Ah Hai said earnestly.

Fang Muheng found it difficult to understand.

He could not understand why he could not tell He Guan and Liu Bo.

In his view, more inspiring stories like these should be shared in order to attract more patriotic people like He Guan to join them.

“I understand.”

However, seeing that Ah Hai’s expression was more serious than ever before, he knew he had genuinely angered him.

Ah Hai was normally an easygoing person.

When someone who rarely became angry suddenly lost his temper, Fang Muheng unexpectedly felt somewhat intimidated.

“As for these two police officers, I will report them to my superiors and ask the organization to investigate thoroughly.”

Ah Hai said sternly.

“Before receiving further instructions from me, you’d better not meet them again.”

A low grunt emerged from Fang Muheng’s nose.

Ah Hai shook his head.

He felt it necessary to suggest to the organization that patriotic and progressive individuals like Fang Muheng should indeed be recruited.

However, the implementation process still required improvement.

At the very least, they needed to be taught organizational discipline and principles of secrecy beforehand.

That afternoon, Ah Hai worked overtime.

He wanted to finish the day’s work early so that he could leave immediately after work.

He intended to meet his superior, Comrade Wang Jun of the Municipal Committee, as soon as possible and report this matter.

When the workday ended, Ah Hai was just about to pack up and leave.

“Ah Hai, your efficiency is excellent. Perfect timing, there is still some more work here. Hurry up and finish it.”

Watching the chief editor walk away with his hands clasped behind his back, Ah Hai angrily scratched his hair and cursed in his heart:

Damn capitalist.