Chapter 25: The Undercover’s First Trial (Part Two)

The next day, Zhang Anping summoned Lu Qiaoshan early in the morning.

"Lu Qiaoshan, you identified this person as a suspect—tell me, what makes him suspicious?"

Lu Qiaoshan couldn't help but panic. He certainly couldn't admit that he only thought the man looked suspicious because he wore glasses and didn't look like a "good guy." At this stage, Lu Qiaoshan was still a novice, and his flustered expression under Zhang Anping’s gaze betrayed him. Yet, Zhang Anping acted as if he noticed nothing, waiting for his answer.

"Sir, I saw him shopping with a female companion. They kept a certain distance and were constantly scanning their surroundings, so I concluded he was problematic. Was I wrong? Should I apologize to him?" Lu Qiaoshan asked, suppressing his anxiety.

"Apologize? Have you forgotten who you are? Why on earth would you apologize to him?" Zhang Anping’s protective remark left Lu Qiaoshan deeply moved. "Go to the Xinmin Daily and inquire about Cen Anyan’s background."

"Understood." Lu Qiaoshan agreed without hesitation.

As Lu Qiaoshan turned to leave, Zhang Anping called him back. "By the way, I recall Ming Cheng is from Shanghai, right?"

"Yes, he is, and he’s the second son of the Ming family in Shanghai."

"Tell him to come over."

A bewildered Ming Cheng arrived at the office shortly after. "Sir, you sent for me?"

"I have a mission for you. Go to Shanghai and investigate Cen Anyan. Find out why he left his previous job—he used to teach at the Tongji Affiliated Middle School," Zhang Anping instructed.

"Yes, sir!"

"Dig as deep as you can!"

Ming Cheng nodded. After he left, Xu Baichuan approached curiously, "Brother Shihao, have you made a breakthrough?"

"Not exactly, but this man is connected to me. He was my teacher at Tongji Affiliated Middle School, and I even asked my father to help him land his current job!" Zhang Anping said solemnly. "I’ve had an idea for a while, and I originally intended to use him to test it. If he really is a Communist, then my eyes have truly failed me!"

Xu Baichuan patted Zhang Anping on the shoulder. "Don't worry. Communists don't have the word 'Communist' written on their foreheads. If you feel there's a problem, just investigate."

"Brother Baichuan, I’m going to go see him."

"Take Lao Liu with you. He’s experienced; if this man really is a problem, he won't escape Lao Liu's sharp eyes."

"All right."

Zhang Anping smiled inwardly; this was exactly the result he had wanted.

Zhang Anping removed his facial disguise—he had been wearing it to hide his appearance, and very few in the secret service knew his true face. He accompanied Zheng Yaoxian to the dormitory where the sixteen suspects were being held.

All sixteen were bound, their mouths gagged. If not for the guards helping them with their basic needs, they would likely have gone insane by now. Seeing the two men who orchestrated their capture enter, they became agitated, letting out muffled cries.

When Cen Anyan saw Zhang Anping, he rushed toward him, ignoring his dignity and groaning loudly.

"Teacher Cen?" Zhang Anping feigned shock and hurriedly removed the gag.

Finally able to speak, Cen Anyan shouted emotionally, "Anping, I'm innocent! I'm not a Communist! Please, help me get out of here!"

"Teacher Cen, don't be anxious. Please, sit down—" Zhang Anping noticed the room lacked chairs, so he ordered the guards to bring one in. However, Cen Anyan couldn't stop talking, continuously insisting on his innocence. He played the part of an innocent man caught in a net perfectly.

Zhang Anping smiled inwardly. As he steadied Cen Anyan, he tapped Morse code onto his arm: *You have not been exposed.*

He continued to console Cen Anyan verbally. Gradually, Cen Anyan’s agitation subsided, though a look of indignation and anger remained—even an old fox like Zheng Yaoxian couldn't detect anything amiss.

After a while, seeing that Cen Anyan had calmed down, Zhang Anping said, "Teacher Cen, let's talk outside. Come with me." He glanced at Zheng Yaoxian, who gave a nearly imperceptible nod to show he understood.

Cen Anyan followed Zhang Anping outside. Zhang Anping pretended to be troubled. "Teacher Cen, there is a Communist among you. The higher-ups are taking this very seriously. Getting out will be difficult; you’ll have to suffer for a little while longer." Although they were outside, their voices carried into the room, and in the quiet, everyone inside could hear them.

"Anping, I have money! I have money! Go to my house, at the very bottom of my cabinet..." Cen Anyan frantically tried to offer his belongings.

Zhang Anping stopped him. "Teacher Cen, this isn't about money! Until the Communist among you is found, none of you can leave. Don't worry, I will do my best to ensure you aren't mistreated."

"Mistreated? What? Anping, will I be mistreated? I... I am truly not a Communist!"

"Teacher Cen, I know you aren't. But there really is one among you. Don't be impatient. I will pull some strings to delay your interrogation. You know how the secret service is—it's just like the imperial prison of the Ming Dynasty. It's impossible not to suffer a little bit here." Zhang Anping spoke with intentional intimidation, while his fingers tapped Morse code onto Cen Anyan’s body:

*There are two enemy agents among you.*
*Do not reveal any flaws.*
*Does anyone at the photo studio know you?*

Cen Anyan replied in Morse code while trembling:

*Understood.*
*No one knows me.*

Zhang Anping used the code for "you," and Cen Anyan responded in kind.

After a while, Zhang Anping sent Cen Anyan back. Before entering, Cen Anyan asked cautiously, "Anping, I’m dying of thirst. Could I have some water?"

Zhang Anping tapped his own head and quickly ordered the guards to bring a bowl of water. After Cen Anyan finished it, he turned red and said he was hungry, so Zhang Anping had the guards bring breakfast for everyone inside.

Cen Anyan thanked him profusely as he went back in. Zhang Anping didn't interrogate the others, but when two men lunged forward trying to say something, Zhang Anping kicked them both to the ground. The others didn't understand, but Cen Anyan did—these were the two agents Zhang Anping had warned him about.

Zheng Yaoxian, who knew the identity of one of them and suspected the other was also from the Party Affairs Bureau, looked at Zhang Anping with curiosity, thinking that this was clearly done on purpose.

As they left the dormitory, Zheng Yaoxian remarked, "Brother Anping, those last two seemed to have something to say. Why didn't you listen?"

"Just dogs from the Party Affairs Bureau, why listen to their barking?" Zhang Anping replied dismissively. Zheng Yaoxian laughed, "I thought I was the only one who had a secret plan to take down their scouts." This was clearly a move to build rapport, covering his own actions while trying to bond with Zhang Anping.

Unfortunately for him, Zhang Anping knew his true identity, making this tactic useless. Zhang Anping smiled, "Many thanks, Brother Zheng, for venting my frustrations for me!"

After expressing his gratitude, Zhang Anping changed the subject. "When I was speaking outside, did anyone inside react abnormally?"

It was a redundant question—even if there had been a reaction, Zheng Yaoxian would have denied it. "No. Either the Communist is very well hidden, or we haven't caught them at all."

Zhang Anping didn't respond. The truth was, they *had* caught the target—a "big fish" at that. Sister Qian, the woman who would eventually protect Zheng Yaoxian after the liberation, had been caught. Zhang Anping felt a sense of irony; his presence as a butterfly was truly causing a storm. However, since he was in charge of this case, Sister Qian would be safe. His task now was to "clear" Cen Anyan’s name and give him cover within the secret service.

...

Around nine in the morning, several agents from the Party Affairs Bureau arrived at the Guanwang Temple with two prisoners. One was the owner of the photo studio, who showed no signs of torture and was almost certainly a turncoat. The other was covered in wounds, clearly having been subjected to brutal interrogation. Yet, from the way he looked at everyone with disdain, it was clear the enemy had failed to extract anything from him.

The team was led by Tian Hu, who had once whipped Zhang Anping. Tian Hu assumed Zhang Anping had been unconscious at the time and wouldn't recognize him, so he walked in arrogantly and approached Zhang Anping directly.

"Section Chief Zhang, this is Fan Renzheng, the owner of the Jixing Photo Studio and the head of the Communist transportation station. He has defected to our side and is now one of our men. We are here to cooperate with your investigation. This is the courier, Yin Liming; he has a tough mouth, and we haven't gotten a word out of him in three days."

He called him "Section Chief" as a jab, referring to Zhang Anping’s unofficial role as the deputy chief of the "Interrogation Section"—a subtle threat implying they knew everything about him.

Zhang Anping looked at the mangled Yin Liming, feeling a pang of pain, but he displayed only disdain. "Is that all the Party Affairs Bureau is capable of?"

Tian Hu took a deep breath, telling himself not to lose his temper. "The people are handed over to you. Here are the files. Section Chief Zhang, two of our men were mistakenly apprehended by your department; I need to take them back."

Tian Hu expected Zhang Anping to refuse, but to his surprise, Zhang Anping admitted, "They were indeed captured by us! But you cannot take them yet!"

"Why?"

"They are staying with the other suspects and can serve as my eyes and ears. Once this case is settled, I will have them sent back. Any problems with that?"

Facing this logic, Tian Hu had no choice. Since Zhang Anping admitted to holding his men, he assumed they would be safe. Seeing his goal reached, he prepared to leave.

"Wait!" Zhang Anping called out.

Tian Hu turned back. "Anything else, Section Chief Zhang?"

Zhang Anping looked around, and finding nothing else, he walked straight up to Tian Hu.

*Bam!*

A punch landed squarely in Tian Hu's stomach, causing him to double over in pain. The accompanying agents reached for their guns, but Tian Hu stopped them through the pain.

"Section Chief... Zhang... is that... enough?" Tian Hu gritted out.

"You've got a tough hide!" Zhang Anping sneered and kicked him, sending him stumbling back several steps. "That’s for the whipping! I’ll be waiting for you to come back for revenge!"

Zhang Anping was acting with the utmost arrogance. Tian Hu, seething with hatred, muttered, "Section Chief Zhang, we shall meet again!"

"Tell Gao Zhanlong: don't think that hiding in Xi'an will save him! Three days! If he can survive three days in my hands, I'll call our accounts even!"

Zhang Anping’s overbearing attitude infuriated the Party Affairs Bureau agents, but they dared not provoke him further. Led by Tian Hu, they left in frustration.

Watching them go, Zhang Anping commanded, "Xu Zhongyi, go to the hospital and find a few surgeons. Have them take a few days off and stay at the Guanwang Temple!"

Xu Zhongyi was confused but obeyed.

Zhang Anping watched Tian Hu's departing figure, his eyes deep and contemplative. Tian Hu was a man of great cunning; he hadn't lost his composure even after being struck twice. Was sending these two crucial figures over really just a handover? Or was there an ulterior motive? Because of Zhang Anping’s interference, the Party Affairs Bureau had failed their stakeout at the photo studio—were they testing him now? If so, who was the stone used to probe the path? The traitor Fan Renzheng? Or the unyielding Yin Liming?

For the first time, Zhang Anping felt the true danger of being an undercover agent.