Walking out of the main gate, Yu Zecheng's face remained impassive, but his back was already drenched in cold sweat.
As an elite agent of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, the director of the Tianjin Station's confidential office, and someone personally awarded by Director Dai, Yu Zecheng's abilities were by no means low.
As he walked outside, he tried hard to recall his two meetings with that man.
Deep down, Yu Zecheng didn't believe he had been exposed, yet he had a faint intuition that the other party knew his true identity.
There was no logical reason for this suspicion, yet Yu Zecheng was convinced of it.
He relied on this intuition to evade the enemy's roundups many times; vigilance had become an instinct flowing in his blood.
He was exposed, and he was exposed to someone whose identity, purpose, and everything else were unknown.
The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became. What was the other party's identity? The Internal Affairs Department of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, the Central Statistics Bureau's Investigation Bureau, or perhaps the Plum Blossom Agency?
No, that man's style didn't seem like a regular agent; his sense of purpose was too obvious.
But then he thought that he couldn't rule out the possibility that the other party was deliberately creating an image of knowing nothing, an old hand posing as a newcomer.
His thoughts were a bit scattered. Even though Yu Zecheng was a veteran of a hundred battles, he was momentarily without a clue.
Confusion, like a dark cloud, loomed deep within his heart; he simply couldn't figure out how he had been exposed.
"I can't panic. The other party can't possibly have evidence; maybe this is just a probe! A probe, fine, I'll play along and see if you drag me out first or if I investigate you thoroughly first." Yu Zecheng was a clever man, and for a moment, he overthought things.
On the other hand, Wang Xu didn't think that much. He was still eating his Lotus Leaf Chicken, thinking about his grand plan to get rich.
After all, the Chinese language is profound; the same sentence can have two or even three meanings.
He had no idea that Yu Zecheng had completely misinterpreted things by now, and quite severely at that.
"Boss, the bill!" Wang Xu paid, took his bag, and walked out. He hailed a rickshaw at the door and headed straight for the French Concession.
During the War of Resistance, France had four major concessions in China: Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hankou. There were Police Stations within the concessions, and generally, the Japanese would show them some respect.
In this era, if there were any relatively safe places, it would be these foreign concessions.
The rickshaw sped along. The puller had a towel draped over his shoulder and chatted idly with Wang Xu about everything under the sun, from the Wang Jingwei Puppet Government in Nanjing down to Widow Dong on South Street giving birth; there seemed to be nothing he didn't know.
Feeling bored and seeing the puller boasting so enthusiastically, Wang Xu casually asked, "Do you know that rickshaw puller who picks up fares in front of the old Lotus Leaf Chicken shop?"
"You mean Da Chengzi!" The puller's face broke into a smile as he nodded repeatedly. "I know him. He's a pretty good guy, very warm-hearted, just a bit lazy."
"Lazy?" When Wang Xu asked this, the puller continued, "Yeah, Da Chengzi is a famous slacker. He won't go to places too far away, and he won't go to places that take too much time. How can you make money like that? In our line of work, of course, the further the better. I'd love to pull you to places like Beijing or Shanghai; the further you run, the more money you get!"
"That makes sense."
Wang Xu smiled in agreement, but his heart stirred slightly.
The puller at the Lotus Leaf Chicken shop was indeed an intelligence officer. Only an intelligence officer wouldn't dare to run too far away.
After all, intelligence work is different from other jobs; it requires speed, accuracy, and urgency. What's the point if you're playing missing all day? He probably wouldn't even run to nearby places if he wasn't afraid of exposure; he'd likely want to guard the intelligence station all day.
Of course, these things couldn't be said aloud; it was enough to know them in his heart.
Throughout the story of 'lurk', people from various organizations like the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, the Central Statistics Bureau, the Underground Party, the Plum Blossom Agency, and the Sakura Agency appeared one after another.
After seeing Yu Zecheng's contact, Wang Xu now saw everyone as a potential agent. Even this talkative puller in front of him, who showed off everything he knew, he couldn't be sure if he was a real puller.
"Sir, we've reached the French Concession." After running for over half an hour and crossing a bridge, the French Concession came into view.
It was now 1940, and the Japanese offensive was in full swing; even the French Concession was affected.
At a glance, at least two squads of Japanese soldiers were standing at the Shimen Bridge at the entrance of the French Concession. Although they weren't conducting searches, their presence there with live ammunition showed their designs on the French Concession.
Clearly, after occupying Tianjin, the Japanese were becoming increasingly impatient with the French Concession, this city within a city.
"Take me to a hotel, a safer one." Wang Xu withdrew his gaze and tightened his grip on the leather bag in his arms.
Nothing went wrong along the way, and he arrived smoothly at the Spindrift Hotel.
The Spindrift Hotel was a French property, magnificently decorated, and cost two silver dollars a night.
Wang Xu was very satisfied with this place because the Police Station was right next to the hotel, ensuring security. Compared to his safety, spending a little money was nothing; the world outside was not peaceful.
"Hey friend, you look like a new face. Just arrived in Tianjin?" Just as Wang Xu finished booking his room, a man in suspenders who spoke with a bit of a stutter walked over with a wine glass.
Wang Xu squinted his eyes to look; the newcomer was an acquaintance—the Central Statistics Bureau agent and information broker, Xie Ruolin.
Xie Ruolin lived downstairs from Yu Zecheng. He was originally from the Central Statistics Bureau, but he loved money like his life; he would sell his intelligence to whoever paid the most.
In the entire story of 'lurk', he was the first person to suspect that Yu Zecheng had a special identity.
In the end, he was one move short in their battle of wits; because of his own greed, he was set up and eliminated by Yu Zecheng.
It could be said that among the many agents who appeared in 'lurk', Xie Ruolin could at least rank in the top ten in terms of ability alone.
If it hadn't been for his greed, Yu Zecheng might not have been able to get rid of him. The battle of espionage and counter-espionage between the two was a highlight of the entire plot.
"Brother, from the first m-moment I saw you, I knew you were in a t-tough spot. Let me introduce myself, Xie Ruolin, a b-businessman. I take any kind of w-work." Xie Ruolin held his red wine. Although he stuttered, his aura was not weak, and he spoke with the air of a great general. "If you need anything, f-find me. I can settle things in both the b-black and white worlds. It works!"
"You can tell I'm in a tough spot?" Wang Xu was surprised. He knew Xie Ruolin was capable, but he hadn't expected him to be so capable that he could even read faces.
Xie Ruolin waved his hand, and this time he didn't stutter as he smiled, "Of course..."
"If there's a chance, let's sit down together sometime." Although Wang Xu was surprised, Xie Ruolin was different from Yu Zecheng; this man would do anything for money and was truly not worth trusting.
Xie Ruolin didn't mind. He took out a pen and paper, wrote down his contact information, waved, and walked away.
Wang Xu looked down at the address, thought for a moment, and put it in his pocket, thinking that such a person might come in handy.
As it turned out, during that brief delay, Xie Ruolin's voice came from the corner of the corridor again.
"Friend, you look like a very n-new face. Just arrived in Tianjin, right? From the first m-moment I saw you, I knew you were in a t-tough spot. Let me introduce myself, Xie Ruolin. I can settle things in both the b-black and white worlds. If you need anything, f-find me. It works..."
Wang Xu: "..."
He finally realized that it wasn't that Xie Ruolin could read faces; he just said that to every stranger he met. Regardless of whether it was useful or not, he'd bluff whoever he could.
Sure enough, people in intelligence couldn't be trusted. This routine—it was just too much of a routine. If he had been bluffed just now and directly asked for his help, he'd probably have been eaten alive. He'd go in like Heshen and come out like Hai Rui, without even enough money left for a bus ride home.