Chapter 148: Inside the Door, Outside the Door

Peng Yu’ou’s emotions were far from calm.

About an hour earlier, gunfire had suddenly erupted from the direction of Route Tardy.

At first there were only sporadic shots.

Soon afterward, the gunfire intensified.

Then came the sound of an explosion.

What followed was even fiercer gunfire.

Finally, there was another explosion.

After that blast, everything returned to silence.

He was worried.

Comrade Wang Jun, the Minister of the Municipal Committee’s Anti-Japanese Relief Preparatory Department, lived on Route Tardy.

He did not know whether the gun battle had anything to do with Wang Jun.

Now that Comrade Xinghuo had come for a late-night visit, Peng Yu’ou’s concern only deepened.

There was no communication channel between Comrade Xinghuo and himself.

Strictly speaking, for Xinghuo to come see him, and for him to agree to meet Xinghuo, both of them were violating regulations.

But Peng Yu’ou knew that only a matter of the utmost urgency could have compelled Xinghuo to take such a risk and come in the middle of the night.

At the same time, he also felt a trace of encouragement and reassurance.

Since Xinghuo had delivered that intelligence report a month ago, there had been no further news.

This had caused Peng Yu’ou no small amount of worry.

Cheng Qianfan waited outside the door.

His emotions were equally stirred.

Since Old Liao’s sacrifice, he had been fighting alone.

Surrounded by enemies on all sides, one wrong step would send him plunging off a cliff and shatter him completely.

He longed desperately to meet his comrades.

Even a single sentence would bring him peace of mind and make him feel that he had roots.

Peng Yu’ou opened the door a crack and asked softly, “Are you Mr. Qian Xinghuo?”

“Professor Peng, it’s me.”

A hoarse voice came from outside.

“Where has Mr. Qian come from?” Peng Yu’ou said quietly. “We are complete strangers. Do you have any proof or token of identification?”

“In the bedroom of the neighboring house, move the wooden bed aside. Using the bedside cabinet as a reference, take five steps west. There is something beneath a brick against the wall.”

Cheng Qianfan spoke in a low voice.

The voice was soft and hoarse, yet every word carried weight and came through with remarkable clarity.

Peng Yu’ou was excited.

Yes.

Yes.

The person outside truly was Comrade Xinghuo.

This sentence was one of the messages Xinghuo had conveyed during that previous late-night contact.

“Comrade Xinghuo!”

Excitedly, Peng Yu’ou reached to pull the door open.

Suddenly, a hand extended and gripped the edge of the door.

The hoarse voice sounded again.

“The family elders have instructed that the weather is cold and unsuitable for meeting. Only when spring flowers bloom may Qian reunite with his family.”

Peng Yu’ou immediately understood Cheng Qianfan’s meaning.

Comrade Xinghuo had not received organizational approval.

According to Party discipline, he could not meet Peng Yu’ou face to face.

Peng Yu’ou took a deep breath.

He could feel the surging emotions within Comrade Xinghuo outside the door.

A comrade fighting alone deep inside the enemy’s nest longed so much to meet him, drink a cup of hot tea together, chat and laugh freely, and discuss the fate of the nation.

Yet he could not do so.

As a senior Communist leader in Shanghai, Peng Yu’ou himself strictly obeyed organizational discipline.

But at this moment, his heart ached.

The comrades working deep undercover endured far too much.

The door opened halfway.

Inside, Peng Yu’ou stood behind the door while the light from the room shone outward.

Outside, Cheng Qianfan stood beyond the doorway, his body in the pitch-black night casting a shadow under the indoor light.

“Mr. Qian, how has your health been recently?” Peng Yu’ou asked.

“Thank you for your concern, Professor Peng. I am in excellent health.”

Suppressing the emotions surging within him, Cheng Qianfan replied.

Both men spoke in very low voices.

At a distance of two meters, nothing could be heard.

“What brings Mr. Qian here tonight?” Peng Yu’ou asked again.

“I have come because Professor Peng has yet to answer a matter I previously entrusted to him. I could only visit personally to seek guidance.”

Cheng Qianfan answered.

“And what matter would that be?” Peng Yu’ou asked.

“Previously I asked Professor Peng to help find a renowned physician for a friend surnamed Liu. May I ask how that friend’s condition is now?”

Cheng Qianfan asked.

“So it is that matter.”

Peng Yu’ou replied.

“Friend Liu had long since reached the point of no return. Please accept my condolences, Mr. Qian.”

“So it was indeed the case. What a pity.”

Cheng Qianfan’s expression shifted slightly.

“Should we see Friend Liu off on his final journey?”

“No need.”

Peng Yu’ou said.

“I understand.”

Cheng Qianfan replied.

“Does Mr. Qian have any other business?” Peng Yu’ou asked.

“My visit is abrupt, and some matters are difficult to express in words. I have therefore written a letter, which Professor Peng may read later.”

Cheng Qianfan said.

Peng Yu’ou watched as a hand extended a sheet of paper.

He accepted it.

Without reading it immediately, he slipped it into his pocket.

“On my way here, Route Tardy was rather lively.”

Cheng Qianfan said.

“Friend Wang received a bit of a fright and suffered some scrapes, but there is no serious harm.”

“Thank you for informing me.”

Peng Yu’ou let out a long sigh of relief.

He had been worried that something had happened to Wang Jun.

As expected, enemies had indeed gone after Wang Jun on Route Tardy.

Fortunately, Comrade Xinghuo had informed him that Wang Jun and the others had suffered injuries but no life-threatening harm and had escaped danger.

The burden weighing on his heart finally lifted.

“Friend Wang does not know my identity. I hope Professor Peng can help conceal it.”

Cheng Qianfan said.

“Naturally.”

Peng Yu’ou replied.

“Professor Peng, take care.”

Cheng Qianfan took a deep breath and gently pushed the door.

He heard the lock mechanism click into place.

The door closed tightly.

The light from inside was blocked by the door, and everything before him once again sank into darkness.

His nose stung with emotion.

Yet he did not hesitate in the slightest.

With a single step, he descended the stairs and quickly crossed the short stone path through the courtyard.

The shrubs lining both sides of the path stood silently.

A faint floral fragrance drifted through the air.

It came from the wild daisies growing along the stone walkway.

Inside the house, Peng Yu’ou also let out a long sigh.

“You must take care of yourself, Comrade Xinghuo.”

Cheng Qianfan rode his bicycle onward.

A gentle breeze brushed against him and soothed his heart.

It was already deep into the night.

Everything was quiet.

Occasionally, workers finishing the night shift hurried home.

He was thoroughly familiar with the patrol schedules at every intersection and successfully avoided the constables on night patrol.

He returned to Yande Lane.

First, he carefully stored the bicycle away.

Cheng Qianfan looked around attentively.

There was no one nearby.

Nimbly, he climbed over the wall and crossed the rooftop until he reached the second-floor window of his own house.

The cat keeping watch by the window glanced at him.

Slowly rising, it rubbed gently against his trouser leg and let out a soft Meow.

Warmth appeared in Cheng Qianfan’s eyes.

He bent down and picked up the cat.

Opening the window, he lightly climbed inside while carrying it.

After setting the cat down, it found a corner in the darkness and quietly settled there.

Cheng Qianfan closed the window and drew the curtains.

He did not turn on the light.

In the darkness, he removed his outer clothing and stuffed it beneath the bed.

He placed the Webley-Scott pistol beside the pillow and lay down on the bed to think.

His visit to Avenue Massenet had been a decision made under emergency circumstances.

Originally, his intention had been the same as before, to secretly pass the intelligence to Wang Jun, who would then deliver it to Peng Yu’ou.

He had never expected to stumble upon the Party Affairs Investigation Department’s secret operation to arrest Wang Jun and the others.

The situation had arisen completely without warning.

He could not simply stand by and watch Wang Jun and the others be captured.

He had no choice but to act immediately.

Because Cheng Qianfan knew Wang Jun’s identity.

If Wang Jun fell into enemy hands, the Shanghai Communists, who had not yet recovered from the massive roundup at the end of the previous year, would face another crisis.

This had nothing to do with whether Wang Jun would remain steadfast and loyal to the Red cause.

According to organizational regulations, if a leader of Wang Jun’s rank were arrested, the entire upper leadership of the Shanghai Communists would have to relocate.

Cheng Qianfan had no choice but to intervene.

The person who rescued Wang Jun was Chenzhou of the Communist Party Special Branch.

Theoretically, members of the Special Branch had a duty to protect mid- and high-ranking Communist leaders.

Therefore, from a procedural standpoint, Chenzhou’s rescue of Wang Jun did not violate organizational discipline.

After rescuing Wang Jun and the others, Cheng Qianfan had originally intended to proceed with the original plan and hand the intelligence over to Wang Jun.

At the last moment, however, he decisively abandoned that idea.

Under those circumstances, such a course of action was inappropriate.

He could allow Peng Yu’ou to guess that Xinghuo and the person who rescued Wang Jun were the same individual.

But he could not let Wang Jun know.

At Wang Jun’s level, there were certain secrets he was not permitted to access.

Whether it was Chenzhou’s identity or Flame’s identity, both were top secrets of the Central Special Branch.

Any action that carried even the slightest risk of exposing those identities had to be avoided at all costs.

Furthermore, he could not be certain that Wang Jun and the others would ultimately escape safely after leaving.

Under such circumstances, allowing Wang Jun to carry the intelligence away would have been an enormous risk.

Therefore, after rescuing Wang Jun and the others, he could only make an emergency late-night visit to Peng Yu’ou.

Peng Yu’ou was a senior Communist leader in Shanghai.

His rank was sufficiently high.

Under certain circumstances, Cheng Qianfan delivering information directly to Peng Yu’ou could be explained as an expedient measure.

Following this meeting, Peng Yu’ou would inevitably form various conjectures.

He would deduce that Comrade Xinghuo and the comrade who rescued Wang Jun were one and the same.

This was not Cheng Qianfan violating organizational discipline by telling him.

It was simply something Peng Yu’ou had inferred.

It was a compromise born of necessity.

Rules were fixed.

People were flexible.

Of course, when matters of principle were involved, organizational discipline had to be obeyed strictly.

Peng Yu’ou only knew him as Qian Xinghuo, Comrade Xinghuo, and a man of exceptional skill.

Peng Yu’ou did not know that he was Flame.

Nor did he know that he was Chenzhou.

In fact, Peng Yu’ou did not even know the codename Flame.

Peng Yu’ou knew of the famous Comrade Chenzhou from the Special Branch.

But he did not know that Qian Xinghuo, the man who rescued Wang Jun, was Chenzhou.

Still less did he know that Cheng Qianfan, Acting Deputy Patrol Inspector of the Third Patrol Division of the French Concession Central Police Station and Captain Cheng Qianfan, leader of the Special Service Office Shanghai District Special Undercover Group, was Comrade Flame and also Comrade Chenzhou.

Almost no one would imagine that Flame and Chenzhou were actually the same person.

And that was precisely the masterstroke of Comrade Zhulin.

Cheng Qianfan’s codename and identity remained under strict secrecy.

Therefore, strictly speaking, he had not violated organizational discipline.

At that very moment, in Peng Yu’ou’s home on Avenue Massenet,

Peng Yu’ou repeatedly read and pondered the intelligence left behind by Comrade Xinghuo.

His expression changed again and again.