Chapter 60: Background Investigation

“Wu Yuanfang.”

“Cheng Wufang.”

Cheng Qianfan shook hands with the other man, and the two exchanged smiles.

Both knew that the name the other was using was an alias.

“Deputy Director Yu Ping’an is the deputy director of the Commissioner’s Office. The director is Director Dai Chunfeng,” Wu Yuanfang suddenly said.

“Many thanks.” Cheng Qianfan cupped his fists in gratitude.

Wu Yuanfang smiled and said nothing more. This was no secret. The man would naturally learn it once classes officially began, so he did not mind doing him a small favor.

Wu Yuanfang led Cheng Qianfan to a room. “Brother Cheng, please.”

Cheng Qianfan nodded and stepped inside.

“Sit down.” It was a somewhat hoarse female voice. She wore a mask, making it impossible to see her face.

“Close your eyes.”

“Don’t move.”

Cheng Qianfan felt a somewhat burning liquid being spread across his face as the woman rubbed and worked it in.

About ten minutes later.

“Done. Go outside and get some air. Once it dries, it’ll be fine.”

Cheng Qianfan opened his eyes and saw that the person in the mirror had changed:

His handsome features had become weathered. The intelligence in his brows and eyes could no longer be seen, replaced by dullness.

His complexion had worsened as well.

Most notably, there was a dark red birthmark on his left cheek and a snake-shaped scar beside his mouth.

At a glance, the birthmark and scar were the most eye-catching features. People would instinctively focus on those two obvious characteristics and overlook everything else.

“Thank you.”

“Get out. Don’t disturb my rest.” The woman waved her hand impatiently.

Wu Yuanfang showed no surprise whatsoever at Cheng Qianfan’s altered appearance. Clearly, he had long since become accustomed to such things.

“Trainees are not permitted to communicate privately.”

“Do not inquire into each other’s backgrounds.”

“You are not allowed to wash your face.”

“Come here every evening for touch-ups. Your time slot is 7:15 p.m.”

“If you have any questions, you can find me in Room 201 of the Supervisory Office. The Supervisory Office is over there.” Wu Yuanfang pointed toward a row of tiled houses not far away.

“Understood.” Cheng Qianfan nodded.

“You need to change your speaking voice.” Wu Yuanfang glanced at him, then pulled a walnut from his pocket. “Put this in your mouth and try.”

“How about this?” Cheng Qianfan said. His voice became somewhat hoarse.

“Not enough. Make it rougher.” Wu Yuanfang said, “Figure it out slowly yourself. Remember, the best method is not to speak unless necessary. Don’t let anyone hear your real voice.”

“If your true appearance and voice are exposed, you’re planting a security risk for yourself.” Wu Yuanfang’s expression turned serious. “Do you understand what I mean?”

Cheng Qianfan nodded. He understood.

The special training class drew people from all over the country. They were all agents of the Special Service Office and would eventually be assigned to anti-Japanese fronts throughout China.

The situation was complicated. At any moment, someone might be exposed and captured. There was no way to know whether any of these classmates would defect to the enemy.

For the trainees of the special training class, including Cheng Qianfan, the very first danger they faced was, paradoxically, their own classmates.

It sounded deeply ironic, but in reality it was filled with bloodshed, cruelty, and helplessness.

Just as Song Fuguo had once told Cheng Qianfan: he trusted his comrades, but he did not trust torture instruments.

Under Wu Yuanfang’s guidance, Cheng Qianfan received two sets of police uniforms.

They were the black uniforms of the Zhejiang police.

Nominally, the special training class was attached to the Zhejiang Police Academy.

He also received a notebook, a fountain pen, and a bottle of ink.

As well as several envelopes.

“This room is reserved exclusively for trainees to write materials.” Wu Yuanfang pointed to a building guarded by two soldiers.

A sign hung above it:

Lounge.

Cheng Qianfan nodded, understanding what the man meant. If he needed to write his personal statement, he would have to do so there, ensuring that nobody could peek at it or leak information.

It was a six-person dormitory.

Three people had already moved in.

One was already lying in bed with his head covered by a blanket.

Another lay on his side facing the wall. It was impossible to tell whether he was asleep. Even when someone entered, he gave no response.

A third sat by his bed with a small lamp lit, reading a book.

Seeing Cheng Qianfan enter, the man looked up and gave a slight nod.

Cheng Qianfan nodded in return. The man’s face was covered with pockmarks, presumably another cosmetic disguise.

Lying on the bed, Cheng Qianfan pulled the blanket over himself and pretended to sleep.

He was reviewing every word and action from his meeting with Yu Ping’an, searching for any flaw.

Facing Yu Ping’an, Cheng Qianfan did not dare relax in the slightest.

Although he had never met the man before, he had heard the name from Comrade Zhulin and Comrade Nongfu. He was an exceptionally formidable individual.

After careful reflection, Cheng Qianfan became certain that there had been no mistakes in either his answers or his expressions.

A long breath of relief escaped his heart.

He had indeed been admitted to the infantry department of the Central Military Academy.

He had indeed withdrawn before graduation.

It was merely that the circumstances differed from what he had described.

At the beginning of his second year at the military academy, a traitor appeared within the Communist Party branch of the academy.

The branch secretary, He Yingsheng, was arrested after being betrayed.

He Yingsheng possessed the list of all undercover Communist Party members in the Tenth Infantry Class of the military academy.

The organization adopted emergency measures. Cheng Qianfan urgently requested leave from the academy under the pretext that his grandfather was gravely ill.

Afterward, as he had said, they “acted the play through to the end.”

His grandfather, who had always opposed his enrollment in the academy, used his connections and asked a close friend in the Jiangshan Nationalist Party headquarters to intervene. As an old member of the Tongmenghui and the father of a martyr, he wrote personally to Chiang Kai-shek, pleading for Cheng Qianfan and arranging the withdrawal procedures.

Later, through extensive investigation, the organization confirmed that He Yingsheng had died heroically and had never betrayed or exposed the organization before his death.

As a result, Cheng Qianfan’s Communist Party identity remained protected and undisclosed.

Afterward, Cheng Qianfan stayed in his hometown of Jiangshan caring for his grandfather. Only after his grandfather passed away did he return to Shanghai to continue his studies. During that period, he joined the Central Special Branch and worked directly under Comrade Zhulin.

It could be said that the most suspicious aspect of his past was his sudden withdrawal from the Central Military Academy.

If someone connected it with the He Yingsheng Incident, suspicions and speculation would inevitably arise.

Fortunately, Chiang Kai-shek’s personal endorsement had instead become his strongest protection.

Cheng Qianfan slept on the bed for roughly an hour before getting up and heading to the “Writing Room” to prepare his personal statement.

“Cheng Qianfan, a native of Jiangshan County, Quzhou Prefecture, Zhejiang, born in the fourth year of the Republic.

“My grandfather, Cheng Guzhi, joined the Chinese Tongmenghui in the thirty-fourth year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing dynasty.

“My father, Cheng Wenzao, and my mother, Su Zhifu, joined the Nationalist Party in the eleventh and twelfth years of the Republic respectively.

“They were martyred in Shanghai in the fifteenth year of the Republic...”

The personal statement was not merely intended to investigate his own past. It also examined family relationships.

This was a political background investigation.

Inside a private residence on Imperial Street in downtown Hangzhou.

The Communist Party Municipal Committee of Hangzhou was holding an emergency meeting.

“We have obtained information. The Hinomaru passenger liner will arrive in Hangzhou at noon tomorrow. The traitor Wen Changjian is aboard.”

“Secretary Fang, let me go.” A middle-aged man spoke emotionally.

He had been Wen Changjian’s sponsor when he joined the Party, and Wen Changjian had also once served as his courier.

After defecting in Northeast China and collaborating with the Japanese, Wen Changjian had caused the deaths of multiple comrades from the Anti-Japanese United Army and support networks in both Hangzhou and Shanghai at the hands of the Japanese invaders. The man had long been filled with grief and self-reproach, swearing that he would personally eliminate the traitor.