Spy game? Stop guessing, I really am an undercover agent!

Chapter 258 I'll Invite You to Rob Them

In a corner of a café on Yabei Road in the French Concession of Shanghai, where laid-back jazz music is playing...

Sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow on the tabletop.

Shen Qingyao wore an elegant moon-white cheongsam and a delicate net hat, looking like a wealthy lady enjoying a leisurely afternoon.

She slowly stirred the coffee in her cup, her gaze frequently glancing towards the door, her pale fingertips slightly cold from the tension in her heart.

At the request of special envoy Zhang Jianliang, Shen Qingyao, through secret communication signals, very discreetly conveyed to Chen Yang, the vice minister of the Ministry of Transport, a signal seeking "special business cooperation."

This wasn't the first time the two had dealt with each other. Lin Xueli obtained resources from Hong Kong Island and delivered them to Shen Qingyao through Chen Yang's transportation network.

The tungsten ore transaction for the Red Party was also handled by Shen Qingyao, who signed the transaction contract with Chen Yang.

Shen Qingyao knew that Chen Yang was a man who only cared about money and not people; if you did business with him, you had to be prepared to spend a lot of money.

The base is now facing a critical shortage of supplies. Conventional channels are fraught with increased risks and limited quantities. The transportation authority that Chen Yang holds is the only shortcut that could potentially allow him to quickly obtain a large quantity of supplies.

It's a bit pricey, but it's safe. Besides, if the goods are damaged while doing business with Chen Yang, he'll be responsible for all the losses.

Before his thoughts could settle, a tinkling sound rang out; the bell on the door chimed softly, and a figure dressed in casual clothes and wearing a gray hat appeared in the doorway.

The newcomer's gaze swept around, quickly surveying the surroundings before spotting their target: Shen Qingyao...

"Miss Shen, it's been a long time. How have you been?" Chen Yang sat down opposite Shen Qingyao with a relaxed demeanor, his voice calm and devoid of any emotion.

Shen Qingyao pushed the black coffee in front of her towards him, then asked the waiter for another one. After the waiter left, the small booth was left with only the two of them.

"It is my honor that Minister Chen has taken time out of his busy schedule to meet with me." Shen Qingyao smiled slightly and said in a gentle tone, "I'm sure Minister Chen has guessed the purpose of my invitation."

"Minister Chen has extensive connections; would you be so kind as to do me a favor?"

Chen Yang gently stirred his black coffee, the rising steam blurring his vision behind his glasses. "Miss Shen, this isn't the first time we've dealt with each other, there's no need to be so subtle,"

"High-demand goods naturally come with high-demand prices. May I ask how much of the goods Miss Shen needs, and what type?"

Shen Qingyao knew that the other party was probing her, so she carefully chose her words and gave a quantity that far exceeded the needs of ordinary merchants, covering grain, medicine, cloth, and even subtly mentioning some "hardware parts," which were actually military components.

After listening, Chen Yang showed no surprise on his face. He simply put down his coffee spoon and quietly looked at Shen Qingyao.

“Miss Shen has quite an appetite.” After a long pause, Chen Yang’s lips curled into a meaningful smile as he slowly said, “These supplies, especially the last few, can’t be obtained just by having money. Even for me, it would be extremely risky.”

"Minister Chen, please feel free to name your price. As long as the goods are in good condition, the price is no problem either!" Shen Qingyao calmed herself down, preparing to face an astronomical figure.

However, Chen Yang's next words completely surprised her.

Money is important, but sometimes it doesn't have to be!

"I can take care of these things for you, and I won't charge you a penny. However, I have one small request."

"please say."

“I know Miss Shen has the ability to do some unusual things, so I’m asking you to rob her…”

"The target is a special train departing from Shanghai and heading north!"

"What?!" Even with her resolute mind, Shen Qingyao nearly lost her composure at this moment: "Minister Chen... are you joking? Robbing the Imperial Army's supply train? This..."

“It’s not out of fear, it’s not from the Imperial Army, it’s from the South Manchuria Railway.” Chen Yang interrupted her and said clearly, “The supplies specially mobilized by the South Manchuria Railway are enough to supply two divisions for a month. Train number K-739, five days from now, late at night, via the northern section of the Jinpu Railway. I can give you the specific time and coordinates of the route.”

Shen Qingyao's mind raced. Was Chen Yang planning to double-cross her? Use someone else to do his dirty work?
Why did he do this? Was it to embezzle the supplies, or to strike at a rival within the Kwantung Army? Or was it all a carefully designed trap?

"Minister Chen, this matter... is far too risky," Shen Qingyao tried to decline. "We're just business people seeking profit; this kind of dangerous business..."

"The risks are high, but the rewards are high too." Chen Yang's tone left no room for doubt. "After it's done, all the supplies on the train will be split 30/70 between you and me."

The profits will be split 30/70! Shen Qingyao was shocked once again.

Even if we only take 30%, it will be enough to support the operation of the base for a considerable period of time!

Moreover, in addition to the supplies we received, there were also the supplies from this transaction, which together are of immeasurable value.

The temptation was too great, too terrifying.

"Why us?" Shen Qingyao asked the crucial question. "Minister Chen, you hold power; you could easily..."

“I have my own inconveniences,” Chen Yang interrupted her, his tone indifferent. “Too many people are watching my position. There are some things that are not suitable for me to do personally.”

"But I don't want to miss this opportunity, so..."

“You…have the motive, the capability, and most importantly, you are ‘clean’ enough that you can’t trace it back to me.”

“This is a collaboration, Ms. Shen. You get much-needed supplies and wealth, and I get what I want… the ‘cleanup’ effect. It’s a win-win situation.”

"These are my conditions. If you agree, I will arrange the 'goods' you need as soon as possible and guarantee the relative safety of this route. If you don't agree... then, Miss Shen, let's pretend we never met."

A deathly silence fell over the booth. The jazz music still lingered lazily, but Shen Qingyao felt as if she were in an ice cave.

She looked into Chen Yang's unfathomable eyes, trying to find traces of conspiracy, but all she saw was a cold calm.

Hijacking a special train controlled by the Japanese army was undoubtedly like pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth; if it failed, the participants and the organization behind it would face annihilation.

However, the potential gains from success, and the possibility of obtaining Chen Yang as a stable source of supplies, were irresistible to the base area, which was in dire straits.

Should one refuse, preserving temporary safety but potentially missing the opportunity to turn the tide? Or should one agree, risking everything to gamble on a future filled with unknown dangers?

Shen Qingyao clenched her fists tightly under the table, her nails digging deep into her palms.

After a few seconds of silence, she took a deep breath, raised her head, and met Chen Yang's gaze. "Minister Chen, this is a very important matter. I can't make the decision on my own. Give me a day. I will give you a definite answer by noon tomorrow."

“Of course, no problem. However, I must remind you that you don’t have much time!” Chen Yang smiled and picked up his coffee, gesturing to Shen Qingyao.

I hope your answers won't disappoint me.

The night was deep, like thick ink splashed over the Shanghai Bund. Only a few scattered neon lights stubbornly pierced through the darkness, illuminating the distorted prosperity of the Bund.

In an unassuming old-style Shikumen building in the French Concession, a narrow wooden staircase leads to a hidden attic.

This is one of the backup safe houses where Shen Qingyao can make emergency contact with her superiors.

The attic was low, with only a sliver of light filtering through a single window, and the air was filled with the smell of dust and old wood.

A small table lamp covered with a thick cloth was placed in the center of the floor, its dim yellow light barely illuminating the two people sitting around it.

"Comrade Special Envoy, this is the situation." Shen Qingyao lowered her voice and reported to Zhang Jianliang in detail about her meeting with Chen Yang at the coffee shop during the day and the content of their conversation.

Although her voice was calm, the knuckles of her tightly clenched fingers were slightly white, revealing the turmoil in her heart.

"Chen Yang proposed an extremely dangerous condition: he wanted us to hijack a special train, numbered K-739, that was transporting supplies, and we would split the profits 30/70 after the operation was completed."

"He promised that as long as we agreed, he could 'get rid of' the supplies on our previous list for free through his channels."

Zhang Jianliang listened quietly, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper. "Hijacking a military train... or rather, a special train supplying provisions to the Kwantung Army..."

"Comrade Qingyao, this is too risky! This is tantamount to stirring up a hornet's nest! If we fail, not only will our underground organization in Shanghai suffer a devastating blow, but it could even jeopardize the safety of our base areas in Jiangsu and Zhejiang!"

His concerns were reasonable; any attack on the Japanese supply lines would provoke fierce retaliation and an unprecedentedly thorough search.

“I understand the risks, Comrade Jianliang.” Shen Qingyao met his gaze, her eyes clear and resolute…

“But do we have a better option? I’ve already contacted the German businessman Hermann, but he can only provide 150 pounds of sulfanilamide powder produced in Germany right now, and it will have to be shipped in three separate trips via different routes. That’s a drop in the bucket!”

“That old man, that vampire, is demanding exorbitant prices and insists on a full gold transaction. Our funds are almost depleted!”

"The quantity and quality of Master Chang's weapons are inconsistent, and the internal relationships within the Green Gang are complicated, so trouble could happen at any time."

“Jin Dayou, Qiao Zhenhuai’s goods are priced at twice the market price, and we don’t have enough funds.”

"If that batch of oil could appear on the Shanghai Stock Exchange right now, we would still have a chance, but that's impossible. We must face reality."

"Comrade Special Envoy, we have no choice. Our comrades in the Taihang Mountains and Yimeng Mountains are bleeding and starving every day!"

"The Japanese 'Three Alls' policy is designed to starve us out! Without enough medicine, the wounded will die in agony; without bullets, how can our soldiers fight the heavily armed Japanese with empty guns? We can't wait any longer!"

Zhang Jianliang remained silent; every word Shen Qingyao spoke struck his heart like a hammer blow.

He was well aware of the hardships faced by the base area. He had just returned from there, where he had witnessed firsthand the dire situation of lacking medical care and medicine, and felt the anxiety of the soldiers about the shortage of ammunition.

"The conditions Chen Yang mentioned..." Zhang Jianliang pondered, pointing to the northern section of the Jinpu Railway on the map. "Sigh, how should I put it? We just can't figure this person out. Why would he do this? Is it merely to steal that shipment of supplies and eliminate dissidents?"

"Or...is there a deeper purpose? Could this be a trap, using us to do his dirty work, and then..."

“I’ve thought about this question repeatedly,” Shen Qingyao calmly analyzed. “The possibility of it being a trap exists, but it’s not 100% certain.”

"First, if he really wanted to target us, he could have used a simpler method instead of going through such a roundabout way and promising us supplies."

"Secondly, his target was the supplies mobilized by the South Manchuria Railway. I heard some inside information that the Southern Transport Department and the South Manchuria Railway seem to be vying for control of the transportation. It would be much more covert for us to sabotage them than for him to do it himself."

"Third, and most importantly, he does indeed control the channels through which we urgently need to obtain supplies. This is something that none of our other routes can match at present."

"My idea is that perhaps we can turn the tables on them."

"We should take advantage of this opportunity to not only get the 30% of supplies that we are entitled to, but also to find out some of Chen Yang's secrets and operating methods."

"If he keeps his word, we'll have a relatively stable lifeline; if he's a trap... we might still have ways to retaliate, at least we can get some real supplies to tide us over!"

Zhang Jianliang stood up and paced a few steps in the cramped attic, the dim light casting his shadow long and short.

Finally, he stopped and sat back down on the floor, looking intently at Shen Qingyao: "Comrade Qingyao, your analysis makes sense. It seems that Chen Yang's proposal, although dangerous, is indeed the most likely way to obtain a large amount of supplies in a short period of time."

"We cannot ignore the predicament of our base area because we are afraid of risks."

"However, the operation must be meticulously planned! First, the location of the carjacking must be carefully selected, in a place where the enemy's defenses are relatively weak and where we can quickly move and hide."

"Second, the personnel involved in the operation must be highly skilled and absolutely reliable comrades. Before the operation, repeated drills must be conducted. After the operation is successful, the transportation and concealment of the supplies must be carried out immediately, and no one should be left on site."

"Last and most importantly, we must remain extremely vigilant against Chen Yang! When handing over supplies, we must ensure safety to prevent him from double-crossing us."

“I agree!” Shen Qingyao nodded heavily. “I will try to get more accurate information from Chen Yang about the details of the operation.”

"At the same time, I would like to request the organization's permission to activate our most concealed transportation lines and make preparations for the interception in advance."

"Good!" Zhang Jianliang said earnestly, "Comrade Qingyao, this mission concerns the lives of countless comrades and the survival of our base! We can only succeed, we cannot fail!"

"I guarantee the mission will be completed!" Shen Qingyao's voice was deep and powerful.

(End of this chapter)