Chapter 26: A New Mission from the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics

Li Haibo frowned, teasing, "You fat pig, have you lost your mind? Meeting up in the middle of the day on the street? You’ve got some nerve—how have you managed to stay alive this long?"

Fatty Liu chuckled, "Don't be so tense. The more natural you act, the less suspicious you look. I left a note in the tree hollow behind your house for you to meet me, but you never showed up, so I had to take the risk and wait for you here."

Li Haibo shrugged. "You never told me that tree hollow was a 'dead drop' last time."

Fatty Liu sighed. "My fault for not making it clear. Well, remember this: that tree hollow is our dedicated dead drop from now on. You need to check it at least once a day."

Li Haibo rolled his eyes. "And if I leave a note in the hollow, will you check it every day?"

Fatty Liu waved his hands frantically. "That won't work. I live far away from your place; I can't be trekking all that way just to peek at a tree hollow every day."

Li Haibo glared at him. "Then what am I supposed to do if I need to reach you?"

"How about this? I'll set up a 'number two mailbox' so you can contact me in time."

After some discussion, the two finally turned to the business at hand. Fatty Liu’s expression turned solemn. "There's a new mission."

Without a second thought, Li Haibo refused outright: "No."

"This mission is critical. The higher-ups are paying close attention, and the allocated funding is quite generous!" Fatty Liu said with a straight face.

Li Haibo looked skeptical. "Don't you still have a team under your command? Why not let them do it?"

Fatty Liu fell silent, his expression turning slightly awkward. Seeing this, Li Haibo was shocked. "Don't tell me they're all dead again?"

Fatty Liu sighed helplessly and whispered, "Not all of them. Two are left."

Li Haibo flared up. "You people really don't treat human life as anything at all!"

Fatty Liu scrambled to justify himself. "The whole nation is at war; how can there be no casualties? It couldn't be helped."

Li Haibo scoffed, "Then why don't you do it yourself?"

Fatty Liu stammered, "I... I am on the front lines here too. I gave up a comfortable life in the Nationalist-controlled areas to hide out here in Shanghai. I live every day in fear, never knowing if I’ll see tomorrow—it hasn't been easy for me. Can't you see I've become much thinner?"

Li Haibo looked at Fatty Liu’s belly, which seemed to have grown even larger, and curled his lip. "Let's talk about the mission first!"

Fatty Liu regained his seriousness and reported, "The target is a man named Wu Yi. He’s a businessman from Hangzhou and one of the first traitors to defect to the Japanese. He’s come to Shanghai to lobby for a position, aiming to become a deputy mayor in the Shanghai municipal government. He’s been here for over ten days, and he bought a villa in Zhabei the moment he arrived. He has a driver and bodyguards—six people in total. Here are his photo and address." He handed over a photo.

Li Haibo took the photo with the address, tucked it away, and asked, "Buying a villa as soon as he lands—he's quite wealthy!"

"Not just wealthy, but confident. He’s certain he can land a government post; the only question is how high-ranking it will be."

"Tell me about his bodyguards."

Fatty Liu frowned. "They’re all cutthroat bandits and underworld hitmen, and they are armed."

Li Haibo was puzzled. "A foreign businessman who turned traitor—people like that are a dime a dozen now. Even if you wanted to kill them all, you couldn't. Why has the Military Bureau targeted him? And why is it a must-kill?"

Fatty Liu leaned in and lowered his voice. "Well, it’s mostly because he offended a very important person. That person reached out to Boss Dai, and the order came down from above: he must die in Shanghai!"

Li Haibo immediately grasped the reason. "So, it's a personal vendetta?"

Fatty Liu nodded and continued, "Of course, he is a traitor, so killing him is only justice. You'll get three hundred silver dollars for completing the mission!"

Li Haibo shook his head dismissively. "Five hundred. I’m not doing it for a penny less."

Fatty Liu’s eyes widened. "Three hundred, and I’ll arrange for my two men to help you out!"

Li Haibo was firm. "Five hundred. I’ve always worked alone; I don't like collaborating with people I don't know!"

Fatty Liu’s chubby cheeks twitched. He gritted his teeth and hissed, "Fine, five hundred. I'll pay the difference out of my own pocket, but you must complete the mission within two weeks!"

Li Haibo responded crisply, "Deal. I’ll take the job. What about weapons?"

"Didn't I give you a gun last time?"

"Give me a break! The target has six or seven experts; a single Mauser won't cut it! I need at least two broomhandle Mausers and a hundred rounds of ammunition!"

"Fine! I'll have them delivered to you tomorrow!"

As Fatty Liu turned to leave, Li Haibo grabbed him. "Wait, the 'good citizen' identification cards you mentioned last time—we can process those now."

Fatty Liu asked, "How much?"

Li Haibo held up a finger and shook it. "Ten silver dollars apiece!"

Fatty Liu gasped, "That expensive?"

"Expensive?" Li Haibo frowned, his eyes showing a touch of annoyance. "You have no idea how tedious the paperwork is."

"To get the card, I first need the village head to sign off, right? Those guys aren't easy to deal with. If you don't grease their palms, their pens are as heavy as lead—they won't move an inch. Can you save that money?"

"I suppose not."

"Once it's signed, I have to get it stamped by the Public Security Division. Those people look down on everyone. You think they’ll stamp it without a bribe? That money has to be paid, right?"

"It has to be."

"After the stamp, it needs a steel seal, and then the records have to be filled out. Most importantly, the file has to be sent to the archives for verification. Every step of the way requires money to grease the wheels. Only a certificate processed this way can stand up to inspection. That’s what makes it a *real* certificate!"

"It must be real!"

"Do you want a fake? Fakes are cheap—two yuan in fapiao, and you can get any Green Gang thug on the street to make one!"

"Definitely not!"

"So, is ten silver dollars really that expensive?"

"It’s a fair price!"

"Hey... that's the spirit! Tell me, how many do you need?" Li Haibo asked, patting Fatty Liu on the shoulder.

Fatty Liu gritted his teeth. "Real certificates, yes! Give me thirty!"

Li Haibo was secretly overjoyed—a big score. But he kept his face impassive. "Alright. Next time we meet, I’ll bring the blank certificates and the corresponding files. You can fill out the details and attach the photos yourself, then send them back. Remember, don't fill out the village head’s signature or the serial number; I'll handle the rest."

"Don't wait for next time—bring them here tomorrow!" Fatty Liu urged.

"In such a rush? Fine, tomorrow it is. I'll bring them over early tomorrow morning. Pay half the deposit first!" For the sake of the money, Li Haibo was very proactive. If it hadn't been inconvenient to reach into his spatial storage in front of Fatty Liu, he would have done it right then and there.