Chapter 36: Liaison Officer Tailor Zhao

“Heh heh, this time I really owe you, brother,” Liu Fatty said, rubbing his hands together, his face full of ingratiating smiles. “I’ve received orders to take your file along, so from now on, the Shanghai station won’t have anyone like you anymore. Starting today, you’ll be directly under the direct jurisdiction of the Shancheng headquarters. Once I leave, headquarters will activate a deep-cover team equipped with radios, maintaining direct contact with Shancheng. From then on, the Shanghai station can neither command you directly nor locate you. Only you can reach out to them. You must be careful—unless absolutely necessary, never call their emergency number.”

“What about my future weapons and ammunition resupply after you leave?” asked Li Haibo.

“You haven’t fired a shot in two missions, have you?” Liu Fatty replied.

“Just because I haven’t used them before doesn’t mean I won’t need them later! You’re not going to let me go on missions empty-handed, are you?”

Liu Fatty thought for a moment and said, “Our Action Team Three has a safe house where all the weapons and ammunition are stored. Now that only the two of us are left from Team Three, I was planning to hand over the safe house to the Shanghai station before I left. But now, I’m entrusting it to you!” He pulled out a key and wrote down an address.

“What’s inside?” Li Haibo asked as he took the key and address.

“There are plenty of pistols and shotguns, plus two machine guns, all brand new, with plenty of bullets! There’s also a Browning heavy-caliber pistol in the drawer—that’s my personal weapon, but I’m giving it to you!”

“That’s more like it!”

“Tomorrow at 10 a.m., you need to meet your new contact. You can decide the secret code phrase. After I deliver the code this afternoon, I’ll be leaving Shanghai.”

The two huddled together, hashing out the code phrase before preparing to part ways.

“Brother, I’ll still be responsible for liaising with your team after I return to Shancheng. So, you better work hard! My future depends entirely on you!” Liu Fatty patted Li Haibo’s shoulder.

Li Haibo rolled his eyes and turned to leave, but after a few steps, he suddenly stopped and turned back.

Liu Fatty looked at him in surprise. “What’s up?”

“Bam!” Li Haibo punched Liu Fatty squarely in his big belly.

“Ugh—why’d you hit me again!” Liu Fatty bent over in pain, wincing.

“Nothing! Just worried I won’t see you again. Your big belly won’t be around for me to punch anymore—that’s a real shame,” Li Haibo teased with a mischievous grin as he patted Liu Fatty’s round face.

“Damn you!”

...

Leaving the small park, Li Haibo headed straight to the safe house.

Inside, he went directly to the corner drawer and found Liu Fatty’s Browning heavy pistol.

Then he opened the cabinet, and his heart lifted at the sight.

All the weapons were neatly arranged, even the angles of the barrels were identical—didn’t expect this fat guy to be such a neat freak!

There were ten pistols, fourteen shotguns, and two machine guns, all brand new, with plenty of ammunition stacked beside them.

In the corner of the cabinet, he also found a single melon grenade.

After all, this was the armory of an entire squad. Although they were just cannon fodder, their basic equipment was adequate. What disappointed him slightly was the lack of rifles and corresponding bullets.

Without hesitation, Li Haibo gathered all the weapons and ammo without a second thought.

In his mind, no safe house was more reliable than his own personal unlimited space.

...

In a quiet corner of Shanghai stood a cozy tailor’s shop.

This was a husband-and-wife business. Old Zhao, the tailor, had earned a small reputation in the neighborhood with his exquisite craftsmanship and reasonable prices.

Old Zhao’s wife was from the countryside and stayed in the shop every day, helping sort fabrics and assisting quietly, rarely stepping outside.

The couple had a four-year-old son—a cute little fellow, well-behaved, never crying or fussing, bringing much joy to the small family.

That night, the sky was as black as ink, dotted with stars.

Old Zhao had just returned after delivering clothes to a longtime customer.

He entered the dimly lit shop where his wife was focused on organizing fabrics.

Rubbing his hands nervously, he softly called out, “Honey, I have something to tell you.”

Without looking up, she replied, “What is it? Do you want money again? There’s none. These days, money’s hard to earn. Every cent has to be saved for our son.”

Old Zhao quickly waved his hands. “It’s not about money!”

She stopped her work and looked at him, puzzled. “If not money, then what?”

He hesitated before slowly saying, “Today... the Military Intelligence Bureau came looking for me.”

“What?” She widened her eyes in shock.

“Keep your voice down. Don’t wake the child!” Old Zhao urged.

Sitting down defeatedly, she complained, “It’s your fault. I told you to move, but you wouldn’t. Now they’ve come knocking again.”

Old Zhao sighed helplessly. “I didn’t expect this after all these years. I thought they’d forgotten me.”

She snorted, staring him down. “Don’t try to fool me. I know what you’ve been up to all these years behind my back.”

Old Zhao panicked. “I swear on my honor, I haven’t done anything! I’ve always been honest, never strayed— you know that!”

She snapped, “I’m not talking about straying. I’m talking about killing!

Don’t think I don’t know you’ve been sneaking out to kill people all these years!

You’re just a restless soul!”

Old Zhao’s eyes hardened. “Do you think I want to kill?

But I’m a man—I have pride!

Since the 1932 Battle of Shanghai, I’ve hated those little devils with every fiber of my being, wanting to kill them all.

Every time I read about their atrocities in the Northeast, it feels like a heavy stone pressing on my heart.

If I don’t go out and kill a few of them, I’d go crazy!”

Her expression softened. “That’s why I never stopped you. I just hope that next time you go out, you think about me and our son. You’re not the reckless youth you once were—you have a wife and child now.”

Old Zhao smiled, reassuring her, “Don’t worry, I use poison for killing—silent and unseen, very safe.”

She frowned, worried. “But the Military Intelligence Bureau people are unreliable!

When I struggled to leave the Lixing Society and followed you, it was because you were young and handsome, and I hoped for a normal life.

But after a few years, you’ve aged faster than me, and your youthful looks are gone.

Now they’ve come back again, and we’re back to square one. Why did I even bother?”

Old Zhao softly said, “Don’t worry, honey. This time, it’s the headquarters contacting me, only asking me to be a liaison, not an operative.

And I report directly to headquarters, no lateral contact with the Shanghai station, so it’s safe.”

She sighed. “I hope so. When you meet them, keep a low profile. Don’t act like you’re some big shot, okay?”

“I know, I know—hide my talents!”

...

The next morning at 10 a.m., Li Haibo arrived punctually at the small park.

His eyes quickly scanned the area and spotted a thin man in his thirties sitting on a bench.

The man wore a black felt hat, brim pulled low to shadow part of his brows.

He wore a faded blue long gown—though the color had dulled, it was still clean and tidy, with black wrist covers at the cuffs.

Dark circles rimmed his eyes; his gaze wandered, and he looked exhausted, clearly sleep-deprived, his entire demeanor somewhat dazed.

Activating his super hearing, Li Haibo took in every movement around him, finding no suspicious persons.

It was working hours; everyone was rushing about for their livelihoods, with passersby hurrying on without stopping.

Satisfied it was safe, Li Haibo, cigarette dangling from his lips, swaggered casually toward the bench.

The man on the bench looked up slightly at the footsteps.

When he saw Li Haibo in his police uniform, armed with a gun and baton, his eyes flickered nervously, and his body tensed up, visibly anxious.

Li Haibo stepped onto the bench, eyes sharp, exhaling smoke as he said, “Well, speak up?”

The man leaned back instinctively, avoiding the smoke, stammering, “Speak—speak what?”

Li Haibo glared. “Code phrase!”

“Ah—oh! Chick—chick—chick changes but the lotus stays the same!”

“Sign by quadrant!”

Upon hearing Li Haibo correctly respond, the middle-aged man visibly relaxed, his tense expression softening as he bowed slightly and respectfully said, “Greetings, officer! I’m Zhao Quangui, a tailor. I’ll be your liaison from now on.”

Li Haibo frowned. This guy wasn’t very reliable—his nervousness was written all over his face. How did he become a secret agent?

“Is it just you in the team?”

Zhao hurriedly shook his head. “There’s also a radio operator, Xiao Wang. The radio’s with him!”

“Have you been trained? How long have you been undercover in Shanghai?”

Zhao’s eyes flickered. “I had basic training seven years ago.

I’m a local here. During the first Battle of Shanghai, I was ordered to go undercover in the city. Back then, there was no Military Intelligence Bureau; the Lixing Society had just formed a few days earlier.

All these years, I hadn’t received new orders. I thought the superiors had forgotten me.”

This guy was a veteran!

“Married?”

Li Haibo looked at Zhao’s tidy clothes.

“Yes, with a four-year-old son!” Zhao’s face showed a trace of warmth, quickly replaced by worry. “I really thought I was forgotten. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gotten married. Didn’t expect to be reactivated after all these years...”

“Got any guns?”

“No.”

“Know how to use them?”

“I’ve only fired a pistol—ten rounds.”

“What about Xiao Wang?” Li Haibo frowned, uneasy about the team’s composition.

“Xiao Wang is twenty-one, also local. Came back undercover before the fall of Shanghai. Didn’t know him before; just connected yesterday. He sells fried buns and carries the radio.” Zhao answered in detail.

Li Haibo cursed inwardly. What kind of agents were these—amateurs?

But given the circumstances, he could only do his best.

He asked, “Is the funding enough?”

“Yes! Headquarters paid all back wages at once and gave some expenses to open a tailor shop near your place for easier liaison.”

Browning M1935, commonly known as the Browning heavy-caliber pistol (image from the web)