pertwk Chapter 80 Successful Transfer
Chapter 80 Successful Transfer
He pointed to a gap at the back of the house, where the wooden planks had been blasted open by artillery fire, revealing a narrow alleyway outside. "Go this way. There are no enemy ambushes in that alley. I've already scouted it out beforehand."
After saying that, he took the lead and walked towards the gap.
Yingzi and Huzi exchanged a glance, both seeing resolve in each other's eyes.
Tiger bent down and carefully carried Honggang's body on his back, with Yingzi supporting him and following closely behind Yan Shuo.
The three of them moved quickly and silently through the gap, arriving at the alley outside.
A black Ford sedan was parked at the alley entrance. Yan Shuo walked over quickly, opened the car door, and said to the two men, "Get in! I'll take you to a safe place."
Yingzi paused for a moment, then hesitated, "Is this your car? Isn't it too conspicuous? What if the enemy sees it..."
"Don't worry, this car has a French Concession license plate. The Japanese army and the 76th Division usually don't check it." Yan Shuo patted the car door. "Hurry up and get in, we can't afford to waste any more time."
Yingzi and Huzi no longer hesitated and carefully lifted Honggang's body onto the back seat of the car, and the two of them got in as well.
Yan Shuo started the car, the engine gave a low roar, and the car sped off like an arrow, quickly weaving through the alleys and avoiding several streets patrolled by the enemy.
More than half an hour later, the car stopped in front of a secluded courtyard.
This place is far from the hustle and bustle of the city, surrounded by low-rise houses, and has a quiet environment.
Yan Shuo opened the car door and said to the two of them, "We're here. This is a safe house I prepared. It's absolutely safe for now. Please settle in."
Hu Zi and Ying Zi first carried Hong Gang's body off the car and into the courtyard.
The courtyard is small but very clean. It has four rooms in total: a kitchen, two bedrooms, and a storage room.
There was a small vegetable garden in the corner of the yard, where some green vegetables were planted, and two apple trees with lush branches and leaves were planted in the corner of the wall.
Yan Shuo followed them in and helped them place Honggang's body on the door panel of the storage room, then covered it with a white cloth.
After doing all that, he turned around, walked to the car, turned on the tap, and began to scrub the bloodstains off the car.
Seeing this, Hu Zi immediately went over to help, picked up a rag from the corner of the wall, and started wiping the car.
He was honest and straightforward, not good at talking, and not good at dealing with people. Usually, Yingzi and Honggang were responsible for the team's communication and negotiations, while he only cared about charging into battle and doing physical labor.
"Don't bother, come and sit down."
Yingzi looked at Yan Shuo with a questioning look in her eyes, "Now can you tell us who you really are? You know so much about us and can bring out so much good equipment, you must not be an ordinary person."
Yan Shuo turned off the tap, shook the water off his hands, and smiled as he reached out to unbutton his disguise jacket, revealing a sharp, high-end suit underneath. The gold watch on his wrist gleamed in the sunlight, instantly transforming him from a "江湖人士" (a person from the underworld) into a refined businessman.
"My name is Liu Jie, and I am the finance officer of Ximei Trading Company in the French Concession."
"Liu Jie? Ximei Trading Company?" Yingzi's eyes widened in surprise. She stared at Yan Shuo's suit and gold watch, then at his previous attire, and couldn't help but ask, "How did your appearance change so quickly? What's the secret?"
"It's just a little trick, a disguise and some kind of clothing." Yan Shuo smiled. "If you learn this, it will make your missions less troublesome. At least you won't be easily remembered by the enemy and be accurately tracked."
Yingzi nodded vigorously: "That's right! If we had known this earlier, we wouldn't have been betrayed by that traitor He Danming and had nowhere to hide."
She composed herself and introduced herself earnestly: "My name is Zhao Ying, everyone calls me Yingzi. This is Huang Xiaohu, you can just call him Huzi. The one who sacrificed his life is Li Honggang, our branch secretary."
She paused, looked directly into Yan Shuo's eyes, and said solemnly, "We are underground party members. If you know this, aren't you afraid of being implicated by us? The people of No. 76 are notoriously ruthless. Getting involved with us can easily lead to trouble."
"Implicate? I'm not afraid." Yan Shuo smiled nonchalantly, took out a cigarette case from his pocket, lit a cigarette, and said, "This isn't the first time I've rescued underground party members. I have comrades of yours in my Ximei Trading Company. I even help you transport supplies. You guys can fight the Japanese army and the agents of No. 76. You must be people who are capable of great things. I feel at ease dealing with you."
"You even helped us transport supplies?" Yingzi was even more surprised. "Did you help us get those medicines and surgical instruments we bought from the West American Trading Company last month?"
"Exactly." Yan Shuo nodded. "Besides Ximei Trading Company, I also run Fengming Records and Film Company and a beverage factory. I usually use these businesses as a cover to help you transport urgently needed supplies. So, those supplies didn't run into any problems, did they?"
"No problem, no problem!" Yingzi waved her hand hurriedly, her face showing excitement. "Those medicines saved the lives of many of our comrades. Our leader even said that when we have the chance, we must properly thank the kind people from Ximei Trading Company. I never expected it to be you!"
Tiger stopped what he was doing and looked at Yan Shuo with gratitude in his eyes. Although he still didn't say anything, he had completely let down his guard.
"We're all Chinese, it's only right that we help each other." Yan Shuo flicked his cigarette ash, then changed the subject, "Let's not talk about that. Is it convenient for you to discuss your mission this time? If there's anything I can help with, just let me know."
Yingzi shook her head: "I can't reveal the details of the mission; it's organizational discipline. But we do have something we'd like to ask for your help with." Her tone turned somber, and a flash of grief and indignation crossed her eyes. "Could you help us find out the whereabouts of that traitor, He Danming? We must find him; we can't let him continue to harm our comrades."
"He Danming's whereabouts? No problem." Yan Shuo agreed immediately. "Tell me his physical characteristics first. I have a few acquaintances at No. 76. It's not difficult to find someone."
"He looked like a student, thin and fair-skinned, always wearing a faded long gown and black-rimmed glasses," Yingzi recalled carefully, her voice trembling slightly with anger. "His face was delicate, his eyes were quite large, and his hair was always neatly combed and parted to the side. This seemingly frail person was captured by 76 and betrayed us within days, revealing everything about us!"
"That traitor is despicable!" Tiger couldn't help but interject. "Because of him, our three contact points were wiped out, and more than a dozen comrades were either killed or captured, their fates unknown. It's only been less than three days, and we've already suffered such heavy losses. If we don't find him soon, who knows how many more comrades will suffer!"
"I understand. I'll have someone investigate as soon as I get back." Yan Shuo's eyes turned cold. "After we find him, what do you want to do with him? Dead or alive?"
"It would be better if he were dead!" Yingzi said through gritted teeth. "This kind of traitor who betrayed his comrades and the revolution is a menace even if he were alive. Our most urgent task now is to activate the emergency procedures and notify comrades at other contact points to evacuate. Otherwise, our safe house may also be exposed, and the losses will be even greater then."