Chapter 32: Zhang Anping: I Really Don't Want to Sabotage the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Part 1)

Zhang Anping had received his "letter of appointment."

Head of the Propaganda Section.

Clutching the appointment document issued by the Personnel Division, Zhang Anping went to find his superior. It was not at Cen Anyan’s residence, but at the *Xinmin Daily* newspaper office.

Inside the office, Zhang Anping looked at Cen Anyan with a beaming smile. "My deputy section chief, I’ve handled your onboarding paperwork for you. You should find some time to go to the Secret Service Office to complete the formal process."

Cen Anyan was speechless.

Well, well. Two Communists were now in charge of the propaganda work for the Secret Service Office. Was this, perhaps, the best joke of the year?

Cen Anyan composed himself and asked, "What are my primary responsibilities?"

"I’m just a figurehead for the Propaganda Section; you’re the one who will actually run things. The Secret Service Office and *Xinmin Daily* have negotiated an arrangement: from now on, one-quarter of the 'Story Collection' page will be reserved for you. You are responsible for recruiting a writing group specifically tasked with creating 'suspense-themed' stories. At least half of the monthly issues must feature your work."

Zhang Anping coughed deliberately and continued, "Writing is a profession that relies heavily on inspiration. After some senior colleagues submitted an application to the Director, your writing group has been granted permission to access the archives to seek inspiration for your stories."

"Of course, there are conditions! The files you examine must be at least two years old, and you are strictly forbidden from leaking them to the outside world—though anything you create based on these files is not subject to this restriction! Additionally, if circumstances permit, your writing group may send people along to observe during future arrest operations."

Zhang Anping wasn't lying; it was actually other mid-to-high-level officials who had pushed for the writing group to access the archives—they were desperate for the group to stumble upon files involving their own past operations and use those as prototypes for stories.

It was Zhang Anping who had suggested to his uncle-in-law that the files accessible to the writing group should be limited to those from two years prior. This was a patch Zhang Anping had intentionally applied. The reason was simple: as a future "King of Spies," how could his uncle-in-law allow others to rummage through the archives? His uncle-in-law understood the dangers of intelligence leaks better than anyone. Even if he agreed now, he might regret it and terminate the authorization once he had a clearer picture of the situation. But with Zhang Anping's patch in place? His uncle-in-law would certainly not object or backtrack.

After hearing what sounded like a "tall tale" from Zhang Anping, Cen Anyan was visibly stunned, followed immediately by an ecstatic thrill.

To put it bluntly, it was like placing a vat of sesame oil right in front of a mouse. Though comparing himself to a mouse was derogatory, compared to the benefits, such an insult meant nothing!

Although the files were restricted to those from two years ago, for the underground party, there was a wealth of information to be gleaned from such documents. The key was that he had the power to recruit his own people, and having his own people examine the secret files of the Secret Service Office was simply... absolutely insane!

*Calm down! Calm down! Calm down!*

Cen Anyan repeated the mantra dozens of times to himself, finally managing to suppress his wild excitement.

"Is it... going to be difficult to recruit people?" Cen Anyan asked tentatively. The subtext was clear: *Give me an idea, how should I get our own people in?*

"How could there be anyone the Secret Service Office can't recruit?" Zhang Anping laughed. "You are responsible for selecting the candidates and inviting them. If you can get them to join, fine. If there's someone you can't invite, just give me the list, and I will 'find a way' to 'invite' them!"

Cen Anyan understood clearly. The key points in Zhang Anping’s words were: "find a way" and "invite."

Translated, it meant: *Give me the list of our people, and I will use coercive measures to pull them in! When the time comes, no matter what happens, it won't be linked back to us!*

Cen Anyan understood instantly.

The two exchanged more "small talk." To outsiders, it was normal social interaction, but in private, they used Morse code to pass hidden messages.

Cen: *A has moved to Point 3, do not worry.* (A is the code name for Yin Liming, and Point 3 is the code name for a safe house—a concept Zhang Anping proposed for hiding party members.)

Zhang: *Let him recover, then send him abroad.*

Cen: *The tea deal is settled, it arrives in five days, we will transport it ourselves, do not worry!* (The production line matters are settled, it arrives at the port in five days, our side will handle the transport.)

Zhang: *Understood.*

After completing the intelligence exchange, Zhang Anping left behind an outline of the mission and walked away.

Once Zhang Anping was gone, Cen Anyan picked up the plan. It was a proposal for counter-espionage propaganda, primarily aimed at educating the public through *Xinmin Daily* on how to identify and report spies. It also proposed a reward scheme of fifty yuan—for every successful report of a spy, the Secret Service Office would provide a cash reward of 50 yuan in legal tender in the name of *Xinmin Daily*.

Of course, this was targeted solely at Japanese spies—as anti-Communist work could not be brought out into the open. The plan was detailed, covering nearly the entire workload of the newly established Propaganda Section for several months.

Looking at the comprehensive plan, Cen Anyan sighed inwardly: *It’s fortunate that Zhang Anping is one of our own. If he were to serve the Secret Service Office wholeheartedly, he would be a significant headache for our Party!*

...

Zhang Anping was very satisfied with his current status. In the two months since returning to the country, he had achieved a career leap within the Secret Service Office. While a section chief might be considered a low-level rank in later times, in the Secret Service Office, which was currently a bureau-level organization, he had managed to grasp the tail-end of the mid-level management.

When the Party Affairs Office split off to form the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics the year after next, and the Secret Service Office expanded to become the Military Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, his Propaganda Section would at least be upgraded to a division, right? He would then be a proper Division Chief!

*Since I'm a Section Chief now—no, wait, start over! Since I've become a Section Chief, it's time for a general amnesty!*

Zhang Anping chuckled at his own joke. Returning to Guanwang Temple, he began to tie up the loose ends of the previous photo studio incident. Excluding the two "undercover" agents from the Party Affairs Office, there were still seven "suspicious individuals" left at Guanwang Temple.

Under Zhang Anping’s direction, the guards provided them with a way out: each person could be released after paying a bail of ten yuan. Once this path was opened, the seven innocent victims, who had suffered tremendously, naturally scrambled to scrape together the money. Soon, they were all released after paying bail. Zhang Anping, the capitalist, continued to exploit these "free student laborers" to monitor the seven.

Naturally, there would be no results, but as long as he dragged it out until the General Affairs Office stopped approving funding, the matter could be closed completely. This was standard practice for intelligence agencies: after long-term surveillance failed to yield progress, cases were hastily closed to avoid further expenditure of funds and manpower.

Zhang Anping understood this set of rules perfectly.

The two agents from the Party Affairs Office also received their "imprisonment subsidies" for the period and happily returned to their office to resume their duties. Lu Qiaoshan would be contacting them soon—these two unlucky fellows were destined to be suspected by the Party Affairs Office, and Lu Qiaoshan would naturally take the opportunity to complete their "defection," turning them into moles for the Secret Service Office within the Party Affairs Office.

After finishing all the accumulated work, Zhang Anping threw himself back into his teaching with great enthusiasm.

A few days later, Zhang Anping fulfilled his promise and treated the members of the Guard Section to a meal at the Anle Restaurant. Since Zhang Anping was now a section chief, the Guard Section naturally gave him face—everyone except the poor soul on duty went to feast and drink at the restaurant.

Zhang Anping still maintained his lack of bureaucratic airs, which thrilled his former colleagues. In their excitement, everyone rushed to toast him. Yao Jiangjie intentionally provoked him, and Zhang Anping, playing the role of a "young and hot-headed" man, refused to back down. He accepted every toast—without eating a single bite of food, he downed two catties of white liquor.

He then vomited until he was a mess and collapsed like a pile of mud. The former colleagues from the Guard Section won the "battle," and as victors, they were naturally responsible for carrying the incapacitated Zhang Anping back to Guanwang Temple.

...

In the dead of night, Zhang Anping, who had been "drunk" to the point of collapse, opened his eyes. His clear gaze held no trace of intoxication.

He changed out of his alcohol-soaked clothes into a common outfit and slipped quietly out of Guanwang Temple.

The final loose end of the photo studio incident still needed to be addressed: Fan Renzheng.

This traitor to the underground party was currently living well as an agent for the Party Affairs Office. The Jixing Photo Studio was a secret transit station for the Municipal Committee. Although the party had suffered no losses due to Zhang Anping’s intervention after the man’s betrayal, Fan had seen many leaders of the Municipal Committee. If he were to spot them again, the consequences would be unthinkable. Therefore, he had to die!

Although Cen Anyan had warned Zhang Anping not to intervene, saying the Municipal Committee would find a way to eliminate the traitor, Zhang Anping decided to handle it himself.

During the handover, Zhang Anping had asked the Party Affairs Office to deploy a dragnet around Fan Renzheng to lure the underground party into a trap. The Party Affairs Office would have done so anyway, but because of the "God of Plague's" warning, they had raised the protection level. Zhang Anping naturally did not want his comrades to take such risks, so he decided to perform the "weeding out" himself.

At worst, he would just apologize to Old Cen and promise not to do it again—he was very familiar with that routine!

Tonight’s banquet for the Guard Section, where he had been drunk into a stupor, served as the perfect alibi—though Zhang Anping was 99% sure no one would suspect him.

After leaving Guanwang Temple, Zhang Anping moved quickly along the walls and soon reached the small courtyard where Fan Renzheng lived. He had participated in the security arrangements, so he knew the layout by heart and easily bypassed the negligent sentries of the Party Affairs Office, slipping into Fan's residence.

Crouching outside, Zhang Anping listened intently and almost laughed out loud.

Fan Renzheng was actually hiding under the bed to sleep!

Unfortunately, such a trick could not fool Zhang Anping, whose hearing had been enhanced by the system. He pried open the window with a dagger, slipped into the room silently like a cat, avoided the early-warning traps Fan had carefully set, and reached the bedside.

He crouched down, covered Fan Renzheng’s mouth and nose, and the terrifying strength in his hands instantly stifled any struggle.

Fan Renzheng woke up in a panic. The sensation of suffocation made him struggle instinctively, but his body was firmly held by Zhang Anping. Just as he was about to die from asphyxiation, Zhang Anping let go at the critical moment.

Having walked through the gates of hell, Fan Renzheng begged for mercy: "Spare—"

But before he could finish the word, a sharp pain silenced him.

A dagger, controlled by Zhang Anping’s left hand, pierced Fan Renzheng’s side, punctured his spleen, and then twisted. Fan Renzheng struggled in despair until his movements slowly ceased.

Just as he was breathing his last, a familiar voice whispered in his ear:

"In your next life... be a good person!"

Fan Renzheng’s pupils contracted sharply.

He recognized the voice.

Unfortunately, in the next second, the Grim Reaper took him to hell.

This was intentional on Zhang Anping’s part. Dying twice was the punishment for a traitor—if conditions had allowed, he would have preferred to let the traitor taste those despair-inducing tortures.

To ensure there were no mistakes, Zhang Anping snapped Fan Renzheng’s neck before quietly leaving the courtyard.

For Zhang Anping, all loose ends regarding the Jixing Photo Studio were now completely tied up.

But for the Party Affairs Office, the trouble... had only just begun.