Anti-Japanese War Espionage: I Have an Omniscient Perspective

Huang Dazhu worked very diligently for Lin Rui.

In the afternoon, he arrived at the film studio.

Zhao Erzhu smiled and said, "Chief Huang, here to chat with Manager Chen again? The manager said that if you come, you don't need to announce yourself, you can just go upstairs."

He opened the iron gate, and Huang Dazhu went straight upstairs.

The office door was open, and he entered and said directly, "Boss, I've found out everything."

Lin Rui raised his hand to stop him, stood up and closed the door, then spoke up: "Tell me, what exactly is going on with the arms deals in the concession?"

"Boss, I've asked around in the Du family, and the information is absolutely true. The French Concession is now an isolated island; the arms trade is chaotic, but there are still rules."

He paused, then explained carefully: "There are four main types of arms dealers in the concessions. The first type is foreign firms, such as those from Britain, France, the United States, and Germany, and foreign arms dealers. They have legitimate channels for their goods, mostly stockpiled before the fall of the concessions. These are expensive, but their reputation is relatively good. They keep their clients' identities confidential and generally don't engage in double-crossing. The second type is gangs, such as Du Men and Zhang Xiaolin's Tongfu Society, as well as some smaller gangs. They have goods, but they are mostly old guns, and it's easy for them to be exposed. They are too deeply involved with various forces, and once you buy a gun from them, it won't be long before others find out. The third type is speculative brokers. They don't have a fixed source of goods; they just buy and sell, and they set wildly high prices. They are also prone to double-crossing, and you can easily get caught up in their schemes. The fourth type is the big merchants in the concessions. They privately stockpile some weapons for self-defense and occasionally sell a few, but in small quantities."

Lin Rui calmly asked, "Does the foreign trading company you mentioned have any good goods on hand right now?"

"Yes, Mobil Oil has some," Huang Dazhu said immediately. "I heard from Du Men's brother that Mobil Oil has stockpiled a batch of American goods, but because they are too expensive, and Americans don't dare to sell them openly, there aren't many buyers."

Lin Rui's heart skipped a beat. Of course he knew that the United States had enacted the Neutrality Act in 1937, which prohibited the sale of weapons to belligerent countries. However, merchants were driven by profit, and the smuggling and resale of arms never stopped. Standard Oil sold guns secretly, and the prices were naturally high. After all, their main business was the oil business, which made money just like arms, and they did not rely solely on arms for profit.

Since Huang Dazhu has found out that they have a good reputation, then Mobil Trading Company is a suitable choice. Perhaps they have rifles suitable for long-range sniping.

"What are the transaction details?" Lin Rui pressed. "Where was the transaction conducted? What was used for payment?"

"The transaction will take place in the warehouse behind the Standard Oil Company. We need to have the middleman make an appointment a day in advance. Payment must be made in francs or US dollars, not silver dollars or legal tender," Huang Dazhu explained one by one. "I have already found a middleman. He is an old clerk who works odd jobs in the foreign firm. He is very reliable. As long as we are sure we want it, I will have him make the appointment."

Lin Rui shook his head slightly, "No rush, let's wait." He knew that all forces were watching Tongfu Lane, and his every move could be monitored. If he went to make a transaction rashly, and was discovered by the Special Higher Police or the Shanghai Station, he would not only fail to buy a gun, but also expose his identity.

There's also the issue of safe houses. The safe houses in the new concession area are too far away, and it's not convenient to go there multiple times. I need to find another safe house nearby so that I can quickly change clothes and travel after leaving the film studio.

Then, Lin Rui instructed, "Go back and have Zhang's apprentices continue to keep an eye on things in Tongfu Lane. Report any unusual activity immediately. Tell them to be careful; something's not right there. As for the Mobil middleman, don't make an appointment yet; wait for my notification."

"Understood!" Huang Dazhu replied and left Lianhua Film Studio.

After seeing Huang Dazhu off, Lin Rui also left the film studio.

He wandered through the back alleys of Belle Street, looking for a suitable target.

After walking around, I ended up in the alleys behind the film studio.

Deep in the alley, outside a small courtyard with a sign that reads "Yuhe Sauce Factory," there is a yellowed rental notice that reads "Small courtyard outbuilding for rent, monthly rent 5 yuan."

Lin Rui's eyes lit up. This place was not far from Lianhua Film Studio and was well hidden.

He stepped forward and gently knocked on the door of the sauce factory.

A moment later, the door opened a crack, and an old man in a worn cloth shirt with a wrinkled face poked his head out, looking at him warily: "Who are you looking for?"

"Sir, I saw you have a house for rent here, so I came to ask about it." Lin Rui smiled and said, "I work nearby and want to find a place to live close by, somewhere quiet."

The old man sized Lin Rui up and down, and seeing that he looked calm and didn't seem like a bad person, he opened the door: "That house used to be for the servants. It's not big, just one bedroom and one stove. If you don't mind, you can take a look."

"Okay."

"Then come with me." The old man didn't let Lin Rui into the courtyard, but instead led him around to the back of the courtyard.

"Grandpa, why is your sauce factory closed?" Lin Rui asked casually as he followed the old man inside, subtly observing the surroundings.

The old man sighed, his voice full of helplessness: "What's the point of keeping it open? Shanghai has fallen, and the French Concession is blockaded by the Japanese. We can't get soybeans, flour, or other raw materials in, so my sauce factory has to close down. I bought this house from a Frenchman who returned from abroad; it was there when the concession was first built. Now that the sauce factory is closed, my wife and I are thinking of renting out the outbuildings to earn some extra money."

As they spoke, the two walked to the back of the courtyard, and the old man pointed to a door in the wall, which was locked.

"This is the room. The door isn't in the yard; it opens outside. You can come and go whenever you want without bothering me. The monthly rent is 5 yuan, with a deposit of one month's rent and three months' rent paid upfront. If you're interested, we can sign the contract right now."

Lin Rui's eyes lit up. The door was on the outside, so he didn't have to go through the soy sauce factory yard to enter or exit, which greatly reduced the risk of exposure. This was exactly what he wanted.

"The price is fine, I'll take a look at the houses first."

The old man nodded and unlocked the door with his key.

The door opened, and the two went inside.

The space inside is not large, but it is fairly clean. There is a wooden bed in the inner room and a simple stove in the outer room.

"This is the one, I'll rent it." Lin Rui immediately made the decision. "Sir, let's sign the contract now."

The old man was surprised by his quick agreement and hurriedly went back to get paper, pen, and inkpad. The two signed a contract on the spot. Lin Rui paid the deposit and three months' rent. The old man handed her the key, gave her a few more instructions, and then turned and went back to his own house.

Holding the key, Lin Rui closed the door of the small house. After confirming that no one was around, he activated his superpower and habitually conducted a thorough inspection of the room—a habit he had developed recently, always checking for hidden dangers in any unfamiliar environment.

His supernatural power slowly spread, covering the entire small house. Just then, his eyes narrowed slightly.

The supernatural ability detected that the floor beneath the inner room was hollow, and there was a hidden space.

Could there be some secret hidden underneath? Lin Rui's heart stirred, and he quickly walked to the bedside and moved the bed aside.

The floor under the bed is flat and appears to have no gaps.

"Sealed off?" he muttered to himself, activating his supernatural ability again to carefully observe the structure of the ground. He discovered a movable wooden plank beneath the soil, but it was sealed by the soil above. Without digging out the layer of soil, it would be impossible to find.