Anti-Japanese War Espionage: I Have an Omniscient Perspective

Lin Rui went to the left side of the company building and first went to check out the dressing room.

He entered the dressing room, walked past the dressing mirror, and went straight to the wall where a white cloth was hanging, which conveniently blocked the cabinet.

He tore off the cloth, and dust rushed into his face. He instinctively covered his face and nose, and waved his hand to fan away the dust.

Once the dust had settled, he stepped forward and opened the cabinet door.

The clothes inside are all women's clothing, including cheongsams, skirts, and matching hats and scarves.

Lin Rui squatted down, picked up the mailbox, opened it, and took out a stack of letters inside.

These were correspondence between a filmmaker from the Republican era and his family and friends.

The letters contain both familial and friendly sentiments, as well as indignation at the current situation.

For some reason, this person left these letters here and never came back to retrieve them.

Lin Rui put it back in its original place, closed the cabinet, hung up the apron, and went out to the third-floor attic via the escalator at the end of the building.

The front half of the attic was empty, and at the end, there was a wall.

When everyone came to see this place with Uncle Xiang before, they all thought it was the outer wall, but it wasn't; there was another space inside.

Because it was well concealed, Lin Rui didn't see where the door was.

He activated his supernatural ability, using it to observe the wall structure and locate the door.

Actually, the door was covered by a wooden board the same color as the wall, so it looked perfectly legitimate.

People who make movies are quite good at handling props.

Lin Rui moved the wooden board aside, revealing the recessed lock behind it. Without the key, the only options were to call a locksmith or break it down by force.

At this point, it's definitely not advisable to call a locksmith to unlock it.

He went downstairs, got an iron bar, and pried open the door.

Then we entered this hidden space, which was only 2 meters wide, and saw the iron box.

Looking at the box, he couldn't help but activate his supernatural ability again, trying to see through it.

It still didn't work.

He couldn't help but ponder.

It seems that my superpower is not omnipotent; metal objects seem unable to penetrate it, which should be the same concept as radiation rays.

His special ability is a kind of X-ray vision that cannot penetrate high-density metallic substances.

It could be used in tanks before because rays could pass through the observation port. It was a completely sealed metal box, so supernatural abilities couldn't see through it.

I wonder if I'll ever have the chance to upgrade my superpower and see through metal?

Brushing aside his thoughts, Lin Rui used the iron bar to pry open the lock on the iron box and check what was inside.

As the box was opened, a smell mixed with film and camphor wafted out.

Lin Rui stepped back and waited for the smell to dissipate before bending down to look through it.

Instead of the secret letters and private accounts he had expected, the box was filled with stacks of movie master tapes, piled up layer upon layer, almost filling the entire iron box.

He reached out and pulled aside the top layer of master tapes. Each roll was wrapped in a dark brown kraft paper sleeve, with the film title, shooting date, and even simple notes clearly marked in ink on the sleeve.

The first master tape reads: "Song of a Loving Mother," preserved after its premiere at the Jincheng Grand Theatre, in 3 volumes;

Next to the master tape of "Spring Comes to the Human World" was a small clipping of the movie poster, with neat handwriting.

The master tapes of "So Prosperous" and "Old Man Wang" were stacked together, with the latter's cover still marked "Anti-Japanese Propaganda".

Lin Rui had heard Xiang Bo mention these films; they were the last few works released by Lianhua before it ceased production.

Lin Rui put the master tapes aside and continued to look at the ones below.

Most of the remaining film reels did not have complete packaging, but they all had instructions attached.

There are scattered master tapes of "Artistic Scenery", marked "Incomplete, contains clips of "Film City" and "Drama Troupe", lacking post-production editing";

There is a test shoot master tape of "Sunrise" that was shelved before filming even started, with the note "only location scouting and audition footage, script attached";

There are also some master tapes of footage from "The Wilderness" and unfinished exterior shots from "The Roar of China".

These unfinished master tapes are valuable to film companies, and they may continue filming in the future.

That's why it's kept here.

Unfortunately, due to the chaos of war, people left in haste, or perhaps some accident occurred during the handover, so Uncle Xiang was unaware that these things were here.

Lin Rui couldn't help but wonder, what use would these unexpectedly discovered master tapes be to him?

It's useful; the films can be re-screened in theaters on Belle Road, which will provide an opportunity to establish connections with theaters of all sizes on Belle Road.

Wouldn't that solidify one's identity?

He went downstairs, called his team members, and they moved the master tapes into his office.

Afterwards, he and Zhao Erzhu went outside to a Russian-owned general store to buy bedding, rice, flour, cooking oil, meat, and vegetables for their accommodation.

That evening, the four members of the undercover team cooked dinner together.

They then went back to their rooms to rest.

........

After a night, Lin Rui got out of bed.

He put on his long gown, fastened the buttons on the hem, and then carried the basin containing his toiletries downstairs.

There is a tap water pipe downstairs, which uses water supplied by Dongjiadu Water Plant.

There is also a backup well.

Lin Rui turned on the tap, filled a basin with water, and washed his face with a towel.

The cold water brought him back to his senses.

Given the current situation, many households in the concession have lost their water supply and can only buy water for daily use from water carriers. It's already quite good that the tap water here is still usable.

Zhao Erzhu, who came out of the gatehouse, stretched and pretended to have just seen Lin Rui.

"Manager, you're up so early. And washing your face with cold water isn't good. How about I boil water for everyone every morning from now on?"

Lin Rui put down the towel. "Okay."

"Could I get a bigger allowance?" Zhao Erzhu asked with a fawning smile as he approached, rubbing his hands together.

Lin Rui finally understood that Sun Xiaoliu, Zhao Erzhu, and Chen Shan were all cunning and ruthless, and all they cared about was money.

He replied, "Sure. I'll give you an extra 10 francs per month as a duty allowance."

"Okay, I'll go boil water and cook right away." Zhao Erzhu happily went off to get busy.

After washing up, Lin Rui carried the basin upstairs, put his things away, and left the office, preparing to go outside.

Su Wan climbed down the ladder from the attic, carrying a washbasin in her hand.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Lin Rui asked.

"It's alright, except there are rats."

"Aren't you afraid of mice?"

"I'm not afraid, even if I kill you."

"Wow, what a heroine!"

The two went downstairs together, and Lin Rui walked straight out of the film studio.

Although he planned to visit the clients that Uncle Xiang had introduced yesterday to build connections and prepare for his future actions.

But it's not the right time yet.

Belle Road was already starting to feel lively in the early morning.

Shops on both sides of the street gradually opened for business.

A Russian merchant stood by the door, a shop assistant in a long gown was busy sweeping in front of the door, and an old woman was selling steamed buns with a bamboo basket.

Occasionally, police officers in dark blue uniforms would stroll leisurely, carrying batons, their eyes occasionally sweeping over pedestrians and shops along the roadside.