Chapter 35: Brother Fan...

Chapter 35: Brother Fan...

Zhou Hongsu did not relight the kerosene lamp.

Several comrades picked up two quilts and draped them over themselves.

They lay on the floor and switched on flashlights.

Zhou Hongsu did not read the newspaper first.

He looked at the photograph first.

The moment he saw the photograph, Zhou Hongsu’s expression changed.

An immense wave of grief surged through him.

It was Old Liao.

He remembered this veteran comrade from the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army.

Everyone in Old Liao’s family except himself had died fighting the Japanese invaders.

When the Organization arranged for Old Liao to come to Shanghai for medical treatment, it was Zhou Hongsu who had been responsible for bringing him into the Organization’s network.

After that, the two never crossed paths again.

The next news he received of him was news of his sacrifice.

Suppressing his grief, Zhou Hongsu picked up the newspaper and read it carefully.

Before long, his expression changed again.

One hour later.

Inside an elegant garden apartment on Avenue Massenet.

“Old Zhou, this is a violation of organizational discipline.”

Peng Yu’ou criticized him with a serious expression.

Today was not a scheduled contact day.

According to organizational discipline, Zhou Hongsu should not have come here.

“Old Liao has been killed.”

Zhou Hongsu offered no explanation.

He simply produced the photograph.

Back then, it had been Peng Yu’ou who arranged for Old Liao to be received.

As a leader of the Municipal Committee, Peng Yu’ou had personally overseen and arranged Old Liao’s medical treatment.

Now that something had happened to Old Liao, Zhou Hongsu felt it necessary to report immediately.

Sure enough, Peng Yu’ou stopped criticizing him for violating discipline.

Instead, his expression changed dramatically.

“Comrade Old Liao? How was he killed?”

Zhou Hongsu gave a detailed report of everything he had managed to learn.

Peng Yu’ou was both grieved and enraged.

Old Liao had not fallen on the front lines among the snowy mountains and dark waters of the Northeast while fighting Japanese invaders.

Instead, he had died at the hands of Nationalist agents.

What a tragedy.

What a cause for fury.

“Based on my judgment, Old Liao was probably preparing to meet one of our comrades at the time.”

Zhou Hongsu voiced his speculation.

“Comrade Old Liao chose to sacrifice himself in order to protect his comrades.”

Peng Yu’ou let out a long sigh.

Zhou Hongsu understood immediately.

For Old Liao to sacrifice himself with such determination, the comrade he had been protecting must have been extremely important.

“Old Peng, had Old Liao been operating in the French Concession all along before his death?”

“What are you trying to ask?”

“Old Peng, Comrade Luo Yannian...”

Thinking of a question that had long puzzled him, Zhou Hongsu immediately spoke.

“Old Zhou, organizational discipline!”

Peng Yu’ou said sternly.

Last month, the Political Department of the French Concession police had planned to secretly arrest Comrade Luo Yannian, an important Municipal Committee leader.

The Organization received a warning half an hour in advance, allowing Luo Yannian to escape by a narrow margin.

And that was not the only incident.

Even before then, the Organization had repeatedly obtained important intelligence from within the French Concession.

Zhou Hongsu had always been puzzled.

He was responsible for intelligence work within the French Concession.

Yet he knew absolutely nothing about these intelligence reports.

Therefore, he had concluded that the Organization must possess intelligence sources unknown to him.

“Old Peng, of course I understand organizational discipline.”

After a moment of thought, Zhou Hongsu continued.

“Old Liao is dead now. What we need to do is investigate the cause of his death and determine whether that line is still secure.”

“If that line remains reliable, I request that it be transferred to my control.”

Since he was responsible for intelligence work in the French Concession, he believed the request was reasonable.

Peng Yu’ou shook his head.

“Old Peng.”

Zhou Hongsu spoke urgently.

“That’s enough, Old Zhou. That line cannot be handed over to you. This is organizational discipline.”

Peng Yu’ou’s tone left no room for argument.

Seeing this, Zhou Hongsu could only sigh helplessly.

He did not persist.

Peng Yu’ou had repeatedly emphasized organizational discipline today.

That meant the intelligence line behind Comrade Old Liao was extraordinarily important and special.

He had to obey the Organization’s decision.

Peng Yu’ou smiled bitterly inwardly.

It was not that he was unwilling to transfer the line to Zhou Hongsu.

The problem was that the line was not under his control at all.

This intelligence line belonged directly to the Second Section of the Central Special Branch.

The Central Special Branch had entrusted its temporary management to the Shanghai Special Branch.

The Shanghai Special Branch and the local Shanghai Party Organization operated on two separate tracks.

After Comrade Zhulin of the Shanghai Special Branch was killed,

Peng Yu’ou, through arrangements left behind by Zhulin before his death, temporarily obtained the right to receive intelligence from this line.

However, Peng Yu’ou only knew Old Liao.

He knew absolutely nothing about Old Liao’s superior contact.

He did not even know that person’s codename.

All contact had been concentrated in Old Liao.

Now that Old Liao was dead, the line had been severed.

For Peng Yu’ou, even the fact that the line was not under his control had to remain a strict secret.

He could not reveal a single word of it to Zhou Hongsu.

This was discipline forged in iron.

Discipline paid for in blood.

“Old Peng, take a look at this newspaper as well.”

“Tomorrow’s Shen Bao?”

Peng Yu’ou picked up the newspaper.

He could still smell the strong scent of fresh printing ink.

His eyes swept over the date.

“That’s right. A comrade from Shen Bao delivered it a little over an hour ago.”

[An Outcry of Grief! Anti-Japanese Hero Trapped Behind Bars, Bringing Sorrow to Loved Ones and Joy to Enemies. How Has It Come to This?]

The headline immediately caught Peng Yu’ou’s attention.

He quickly read the entire article.

“Despicable and shameless!”

Peng Yu’ou slammed the table heavily.

“’Bringing sorrow to loved ones and joy to enemies.’ Well said indeed!”

“Old Peng, we must move quickly to rescue this comrade.”

Zhou Hongsu said emotionally.

“I know.”

Peng Yu’ou nodded.

“We will definitely try to rescue him, but there are several things that must first be clarified.”

“Go ahead.”

Zhou Hongsu nodded.

Although anxious, he understood that underground work required extreme caution.

Nothing could be rushed.

“First, we need to verify this comrade’s background as thoroughly as possible. We cannot simply believe whatever the newspaper says.”

“Agreed. There are many refugee students at National Tongji University. They should know something.”

“Second.”

Peng Yu’ou paced as he spoke.

“Even if he is not one of our comrades, as long as he is a patriotic anti-Japanese activist, we should still do everything possible to rescue him.”

“Of course.”

“Third, the comrades at Shen Bao should make contact with that journalist friend again and gather as much detailed information as possible.”

“I’ll arrange it.”

Zhou Hongsu nodded.

“Fourth, I will arrange a meeting with Lawyer Song Liu as soon as possible. We will retain her as legal counsel, request prison visitation rights, establish direct contact with Mr. Zhu Yuan, and provide his defense.”

“Fifth, the arrest operation on Route Père Robert, the arrest of that Shen Bao journalist, and the shooting of a police officer on Avenue Amiral Bayle, all occurred on the same day. We need to determine whether these incidents are connected and whether they signal the beginning of a new wave of arrests.”

After a pause, he continued.

“We must identify the two people who escaped from Avenue Amiral Bayle if at all possible. They may very well be our comrades.”

“Sixth.”

A look of sorrow appeared on Peng Yu’ou’s face.

“We must do everything possible to uncover the truth behind Old Liao’s murder. A comrade’s blood cannot be shed in vain. We must avenge our fallen comrade.”

The next morning, a dreary rain fell steadily.

Cheng Qianfan did not carry an umbrella.

Instead, he wore the standard-issue raincoat provided by the police station.

“Brother Fan...”

A half-grown boy came running through the drizzle, shouting loudly.

Cheng Qianfan skillfully grabbed hold of him.

The neighbors burst into laughter.

This had become one of the daily amusements of Yande Lane.

None of the residents noticed that today the boy had not shouted “Help.”

The boy’s screams came from behind him.

Cheng Qianfan pulled down the hood of his raincoat, covering his police cap.

Rainwater dripped from the brim, concealing the coldness in his eyes.

One of his hands had already quietly opened the holster.

Click.

The safety catch had been disengaged as well.