Chapter 74: Miyazaki-kun, It’s Actually You!?!

The inn’s young attendant delivered the hot water.

Cheng Qianfan locked the door from the inside, washed up, and pretended to turn off the light and go to sleep.

About ten minutes later, he opened the window and climbed out, casually closing it behind him and tying it shut from the outside with a thin cord.

This was the second floor.

There was a reason he had chosen this room and this particular window.

The second floor of the inn connected to the second floor of a neighboring shop.

From this window he could climb down, cross the tiled roof of the shop, and continue forward.

Near the building stood a tree.

He could descend from there without anyone noticing.

After nine o’clock at night, the streets of Hangzhou were already deserted, with only the occasional chirping of cicadas.

The moonlight was quite good tonight.

Over his suit, Cheng Qianfan wore a black trench coat with the collar turned up.

He wore a black fedora and held a cigarette between his lips without lighting it.

It was a Hardamen cigarette he had bought locally in Hangzhou.

With a cigarette in his mouth, he could stop at any moment under the pretext of lighting it, observing his surroundings while doing so.

Cheng Qianfan circled through two streets and went to the place where he had hidden his gun.

The dog dung plastered over the wall had already dried.

Cheng Qianfan pried out a brick and reached inside to pull out a wooden box.

First, he placed the spare magazine into his trench coat pocket.

Only then did he take out the brand-new Mauser pistol and carefully inspect it by moonlight and touch, confirming that it was in excellent condition.

Afterward, he cautiously returned the wooden box, replaced the brick, and concealed everything again.

Cheng Qianfan knew where Luo Six lived.

He had not deliberately inquired.

Luo Six was a quiet man.

The two of them had only been temporary partners and were not familiar with one another.

Asking too many questions would arouse suspicion.

Other agents from the Hangzhou District Action Team of the Special Service Office had mentioned during casual conversation that Yunrong Theatre had begun staging a new opera.

One agent had said he would go listen when he had time.

Someone casually mentioned that Luo Six’s courtyard shared a rear wall with Yunrong Theatre, allowing him to listen to operas for free every day.

Another person added that Luo Six listened to nothing at all, because the family next door had just had a fat baby boy who cried day and night.

Before returning to the inn, while eating at the restaurant, Cheng Qianfan had deliberately brought up the new opera at Yunrong Theatre and quietly learned its location from the other diners.

With that, he could roughly determine where Luo Six lived.

Zhong’an Road.

Yunrong Theatre was a fairly large opera house.

At this hour it was completely dark, though the signboard could still be seen clearly enough under the moonlight.

Cheng Qianfan circled halfway around it and arrived at the street behind Yunrong Theatre.

A row of residential houses stood there.

Four houses shared a rear wall with the theatre.

A bamboo pole outside the third house from the left held damp diapers.

The baby had probably wet them before bedtime, and the mistress of the house had casually washed and hung them outside.

Luo Six’s house was adjacent to this household with the newborn child.

Now he needed to determine whether Luo Six lived on the left side or the right side.

The house on the left was messy.

There was more rubbish and more dirty water outside.

The house on the right was much cleaner.

Logically, the cleaner house should belong to Luo Six.

After all, he was an agent of the Special Service Office.

That identity carried enough intimidation that even police officers treated such people respectfully.

Naturally, no one would dare throw garbage outside his door.

Then again, perhaps not.

What if Luo Six himself was sloppy and the rubbish belonged to him?

Therefore, he could not rely on guesswork.

Cheng Qianfan had his own method.

He intended to hide nearby, where he could not be seen, pinch his voice, and call out:

“Luo Six!”

It was somewhat disturbing to the neighbors, but would not arouse suspicion.

Special Service Office agents frequently received assignments in the middle of the night.

Being summoned from home was perfectly normal.

Any neighbors would already be accustomed to it.

Just then, flashlight beams appeared in the distance, accompanied by footsteps and voices.

Cheng Qianfan was greatly surprised.

Who would be out so late?

Keeping low and moving along the wall, he reached a corner and hid behind a tree.

Dressed entirely in black, he would remain invisible unless someone deliberately searched for him.

Luo Six was deeply annoyed.

He had wanted to pretend to be drunk, then go home and feign sleep, thereby creating an alibi window for himself.

Unexpectedly, after leaving the drinking session, he ran into Old Han from the police station.

Old Han also lived near Luo Six’s home.

Seeing the Special Service Office agent drunk, he eagerly offered his assistance and insisted on escorting him home.

Luo Six wanted to say he did not need help.

But faced with Old Han’s enthusiasm, he could not refuse.

Luo Six was normally taciturn, but his temper was not bad.

Nor did he have any habit of drunken rampages or throwing drunken tantrums.

At this moment, Luo Six hated himself a little.

Why had he never pretended to have a tendency toward drunken misbehavior?

He realized that some of his habits would need adjustment for future operations.

Thus, instead of immediately reporting the urgent intelligence to the Municipal Committee leadership, Luo Six had no choice but to stagger home under the escort of Policeman Old Han.

Yes.

Underground work feared exactly this sort of unexpected situation.

Nothing could ever be calculated with complete precision.

You never knew what unforeseen complication might suddenly appear.

“I’m home now, Old Han. Thanks.”

Luo Six let out a drunken belch and added:

“Want to come in and have some water?”

“Sure!”

Old Han was delighted.

He felt that all his efforts to ingratiate himself with Luo Six had finally paid off.

At last, he was about to latch onto this powerful connection.

Luo Six wanted to slap himself.

Why had he added that extra sentence?

As a result, Old Han remained in Luo Six’s house for nearly another ten minutes, repeatedly praising Brother Luo’s tea as exceptionally delicious.

Only when Luo Six pretended to be overwhelmingly sleepy did Old Han finally “take the hint” and leave.

After Old Han departed, Luo Six did not immediately go out.

He placed a large lampshade over the desk lamp, dimming the light so that it would be difficult to notice from outside.

He planned to leave in five minutes.

Several minutes later, just as he was preparing to depart, a light knock sounded at the door.

Luo Six’s entire body tensed.

Swiftly and expertly, he drew a Mauser pistol from beneath his pillow and quietly approached the door.

“Who is it?”

No one answered.

At that moment, he heard a faint rustling sound.

In the dim glow of the desk lamp, he could see an envelope being pushed through the gap beneath the door.

Luo Six frowned.

He was astonished.

However, he neither moved nor picked up the envelope.

Holding the pistol with both hands, he kept it trained on the door.

Silence.

No sound at all.

Several minutes passed.

Still nothing happened.

Luo Six carefully pulled the envelope completely inside.

Then he gently opened the door while quickly positioning himself behind it.

Still no movement.

Only then did he cautiously poke his head out.

Darkness filled the space outside.

There was no one there.

Only then did he confirm that the visitor had already left.

Luo Six quickly shut the door and secured the bolt.

Picking up the envelope again, he squeezed it lightly.

There seemed to be a thin object inside.

Experience told him it was a note.

Luo Six removed the note and brought it beneath the desk lamp.

It was a strip of paper cut from an ordinary sheet of white paper.

The moment he saw the writing on it, Luo Six sprang to his feet.

His scalp tingled with shock and tension.

Meanwhile, having successfully “delivered” the intelligence to Luo Six, Cheng Qianfan felt considerably relieved.

After walking about two streets, he was about to turn at an intersection when he spotted a patrol of policemen conducting inspections in the distance.

His heart suddenly lurched.

Immediately, he turned away quietly and slipped into another alley.

After proceeding some distance through the alley, he was nearly at the far end.

Then, without warning, a dark figure ran into the alley entrance and collided directly with him.

Cheng Qianfan instinctively reached for his gun.

There was a streetlamp at the alley entrance.

Both men raised their heads simultaneously.

Cheng Qianfan was utterly astonished.

The other man displayed an expression of delighted surprise.

His eyes seemed to shine with excitement as he whispered emotionally:

“Miyazaki-kun, it’s actually you!”