Chapter 26: The Undercover Agent's First Trial (Part II)

Zhang Anping moved the 8:00 PM lecture to noon. The students gathered outside the hastily converted interrogation room, waiting for his instruction.

"Today’s lesson is on interrogation."

Zhang Anping wrote the word "Interrogation" on a mobile blackboard and said, "As intelligence officers, interrogation is an indispensable subject. When you capture an enemy agent, you must interrogate them. When you are captured, you must withstand interrogation. Therefore, this lesson is crucial."

Zhang clapped his hands. Lin Nansheng and Yu Zecheng brought in the prisoner, Yin Liming, and secured him to a prepared interrogation chair.

"The purpose of interrogation is to extract information or turn the subject to our side. Regardless of the goal, we must prioritize urgency. If the situation is mild and slow, we focus on preserving the subject's life. If it is urgent and critical, we prioritize speed, in which case we have no need to preserve their life."

"This man is a Communist. His information is already useless, so we will use him as a specimen. Watch him! Do not look away! You are intelligence officers, not students. Inflicting and enduring torture are things you will inevitably encounter."

The students, who usually loved Zhang Anping’s lectures, were uncharacteristically resistant. Facing a compatriot tortured beyond recognition, most were unwilling to watch. But Zhang Anping used a stern, unprecedented tone to force them to look at the unyielding underground operative.

"I am focusing on the slow, methodical approach. This method aims to break the subject's will. It takes a long time, but the results are usually exceptional—"

[Damn, I’ve read so much about interrogation that I can’t handle it myself. You all can imagine the rest; I’m not writing this out. If I do, it’ll probably get censored. I can only say that the underground operatives are truly made of iron. To survive such inhuman torture! If it were me, I’d probably have confessed before the 'honey trap' even began...]

Zhang spent a full four hours detailing over ten types of torture. The students turned pale; though he only demonstrated briefly on Yin Liming to avoid killing him, the mere experience was chilling.

"This slow method is best for turning agents," Zhang explained. "Once their will is broken, flipping them becomes easy. Once a person’s moral bottom line is crossed, you can push it lower and lower until they have no bottom line left. That is when the turning is complete."

"Such turned agents are often more vicious than you are. The Bureau of Investigation and Statistics has many such people. They were Communists, but once they betrayed their party, they treated their former comrades with even greater cruelty."

"So, if you encounter such people, it is best not to fall into their hands if you want to avoid unnecessary suffering."

Li Ya stood up and asked, "Teacher, are you speaking of counter-interrogation?"

"Correct. Students, remember: the best way to counter interrogation is not to hold out until death, but to avoid being captured in the first place."

"And if we are captured?" Li Ya pressed.

"That is the next topic. Let’s discuss it now." Zhang pointed to Yin Liming, who had been brutalized once again. "He is very tenacious; he has confessed nothing. But nine out of ten people cannot do what he does! Fear of pain is human instinct, which is why interrogation is the primary tool. It is hard to survive torture that ignores the value of life."

"The best way is to confess, then find an opportunity to die. Compared to the suffering of interrogation, death is the simplest thing. When you are unwilling to betray, death is the best option."

"Confess?" The students were stunned. Their teacher was telling them to confess?

Zhang wrote the word "Purpose" on the blackboard. "The purpose of interrogation is to get information. When you have the information they want, you gain an opportunity to approach death. Suppose I am captured and cannot hold out under torture, but I don't want to betray them—what do I do? I confess!"

"I would use pre-prepared false intelligence to buy myself time. I might even prepare a fake safe house. If they need me to lead the way, I will take them there and use a trap I left behind to ensure my death. Don't find this laughable; when you cannot bear the torture, death is a relief that is hard to come by!"

Zhang pointed at Yin Liming. "Do you think it is better for him to be alive or dead?" The students fell silent. For this man, death was indeed a release.

"As the interrogators, our goal is to keep him alive so he can continue to endure our abuse." Zhang motioned for his top student, Xu Zhongyi, to stand. "Do you understand why I had you hire a doctor now?" Xu swallowed hard and nodded repeatedly.

"The doctor has checked him; he won't die from a bit of torture yet. Yin Liming, I’ll give you one chance: tell me everything you know, or else..." Zhang looked at him with a threat.

"Dream... on!" Yin Liming stared back coldly.

Zhang didn't mind. He smiled and said, "Then let’s move on to the next part! Now, I will discuss urgent, high-intensity interrogation. The goal here is simple: rapid information extraction. We don't care about the subject's survival; we only need to use every means necessary in the shortest time to break their will."

"I intended to use a Japanese spy for this, but the ones in the office are still useful, so we must start with him. Always start with the most painful and vulnerable parts—I suggest the fingers."

"If conditions allow, pull out the nails. If not, crush the fingers, joint by joint. Don't crush them all at once!"

Even after four hours of education, the students were terrified. The pain of ten fingers! Crushing them joint by joint—how painful that would be!

"Eyes open!" Zhang roared. "Whoever closes their eyes will be the next to take his place!"

The students trembled. Zhang calmly tied Yin Liming’s hand to the chair, isolated a finger, and picked up a hammer. He raised it high. Yin Liming closed his eyes in despair, biting his teeth shut.

*Bang!*

The hammer fell. Yin Liming screamed, but stopped after a few seconds. There was no intense pain. He opened his eyes and saw the hammer had hit the armrest of the chair, not his finger.

Zhang watched Yin Liming from the corner of his eye. He was certain this man was legitimate, not a plant from the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. Because he had spent four hours instilling the idea that he meant what he said, and yet Yin Liming had not exposed himself even when faced with the hammer—he was truly an underground operative.

Zhang scanned the students. Many had closed their eyes. Only a few, including Zheng Yaoxian, had kept them open. Clearly, Zheng had made a mistake no deep-cover mole should make, though he was skilled enough to cover it up for now.

Zhang noted those who hadn't closed their eyes. *Either they are psychopaths or bloodthirsty monsters. They will be the die-hard elements of the Military Statistics Bureau, never my comrades.*

As time passed, the students slowly opened their eyes. Seeing Yin Liming sitting there, unharmed, they breathed a sigh of relief. Zhang was the teacher they dreamed of—witty, gentle, loyal. They didn't want him to become a monster.

Zhang understood their expectations, but as a deep-cover operative, he had to maintain his persona. Cruelty and anti-communism were essential. He sneered, "Afraid to look? If war breaks out, our enemies will be a thousand times more brutal than what I just did! If you can't handle this, then you are a bunch of losers!"

"I’m leaving him to you. Divide into ten groups and interrogate him in turns over the next ten days. I don't care what methods you use; I want him alive, and I want the information!"

Zhang assigned the groups. The students looked miserable—they actually had to do it!

...

After handing Yin Liming over, Zhang invited Fan Renzheng to his office to "consult" him on Communist matters. Having "audited" the previous hours, Fan looked at Zhang as if he were the devil himself, answering every question with extreme humility.

According to Fan, he was the owner of the Jixing Photo Studio, but all important intelligence passed through the courier, Yin Liming. He knew little of the high-level leadership. Under Zhang’s pressure, he provided information on seven other underground members.

Lu Qiaoshan, returning from an investigation, overheard the interrogation. Seeing the list, he asked excitedly, "Teacher, shall we go arrest them?"

"Don't be stupid. Do you think the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics will leave any meat for us to eat?"

Lu realized his mistake. "I was too simple-minded."

"Having the heart is enough. Take Mr. Fan to rest. Qiaoshan, tell me about Cen Anyan at the newspaper office."

Lu handed over his notes, respectfully. "I interviewed over a dozen employees. They all signed it."

Zhang flipped through the notes. Work performance was rated highly, but his private life was criticized. Several people emphasized that Cen could not be a Communist, as he was a well-known anti-communist who wrote the recent articles attacking the Party.

"The Xinmin Daily is bold to give such guarantees," Zhang sneered. "Who do they think they are? Qiaoshan, I have a task for you. Form a surveillance team with Li Ya, Zhao Jianzhi, Song Xiaoan, Li Bohan, Sun Dapu, and Gong Shu. Monitor Cen Anyan and see who he contacts. Can you do that?"

Lu was thrilled. "Teacher, rest assured, I will be diligent!"

"Good. Go join Gong Shu’s group for the interrogation of Yin Liming. You missed today's lesson; learn well from him."

"Yes, teacher!"

As Lu left, Zhang toyed with the notes, smiling to himself. *Old Cen, still think the persona I gave you is useless? Look at these evaluations! Worth every bit of effort I spent cross-dressing to meet you!*

He focused on the current case. *The Bureau has finished squeezing Fan Renzheng; they must have moved in after last night. Zheng Yaoxian certainly sent the intelligence out; our comrades should have evacuated safely. Once Ming Cheng returns from Shanghai, I can use him as an excuse to release Old Cen. Fan Renzheng is a liability; once this case ends, he must be silenced forever. Yin Liming... brother, hold on for two more days. I will get you out!*

Zhang’s gaze grew deep.