Anti-Japanese War Espionage: I Have an Omniscient Perspective

Fang Dongcheng went outside to wait, and Lin Rui picked up the bundle and took out the clothes inside.

It was a light blue long gown, made of ordinary coarse cloth, and starched clean.

After changing his clothes, Lin Rui examined himself in the full-length mirror in the room.

With the change in clothing, the soldier's sharpness was instantly shed, but he also lacked the gentle and taciturn nature of an ordinary person.

He looked in the full-length mirror and imitated the mannerisms of ordinary people he had observed outside the school during this period, then messed up his hair to cover the ridges of his forehead.

Looking at it this way, it does seem a bit like someone who wears this kind of clothing.

He straightened his clothes, pushed open the door, and Fang Dongcheng looked him up and down, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes. He smiled and said, "Good, very good. If you walked down the street like this, no one would give you a second glance. This is exactly what a person in hiding should look like."

Lin Rui stood with his hands at his sides, his posture respectful, and his tone indifferent: "It's all up to the team leader's arrangements."

Fang Dongcheng nodded: "The training center isn't safe either. There are Japanese spies watching from outside. We'll go out through the back gate. From now on, when we travel together, you must address me as the manager in front of outsiders, and you must not reveal any clues."

The two walked one after the other through the alley behind the training center, avoiding the crowds on the main street, and strolled slowly along the side streets and lanes within the French Concession.

Fang Dongcheng walked ahead at a leisurely pace, occasionally nodding to familiar vendors on the street, looking just like an ordinary merchant. Lin Rui lagged half a step behind, his gaze seemingly casual, but in reality, he was quietly memorizing the street layout, intersection checkpoints, and shop locations along the way.

As an undercover agent, familiarity with the surrounding environment is crucial.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the two arrived at a not-so-bustling street. At the street entrance stood a black lacquered wooden plaque with the three large characters "Huichuntang" written in gold lacquer.

The shop wasn't grand, but it was very tidy, with two bamboo baskets filled with herbs placed at the entrance.

"From now on, this will be where we stand." Fang Dongcheng pushed open the shop door and led Lin Rui inside. "I am Zhou Manfu, the manager of Huichuntang. Everyone calls me Lao Zhou. You are a distant relative of mine. You have come to rely on me as a shop assistant. I will provide you with food and lodging, and the wages will be meager. This is reasonable and no one will suspect anything."

"It's the team leader." Lin Rui looked around the store's layout.

Upon entering, you can see a tall medicine cabinet with numerous drawers covered with the names of medicines written in black on red paper. A strong aroma of herbs wafts out, mixed with a faint scent of mugwort.

The shop is simply furnished. The front room is where you get medicine and consult a doctor, while the back room is where you decoct medicinal herbs and store valuable medicines. Further back, there is a small side room.

Fang Dongcheng pointed to the side room: "I won't be living in the shop. You'll be keeping watch at night, so you'll be staying here from now on. There's a bed and bedding provided. If you don't like it, you can buy your own set."

"Okay." Lin Rui looked around the store and suddenly became alert.

Someone arrived. After using his superpowers for a long time, even without activating them, he was very sensitive to changes in his surroundings.

Immediately afterward, footsteps were heard from the back room, and several figures emerged one after another.

There were four people in total, all of different ages and appearances: a seemingly shrewd accountant, a porter dressed in shorts, a street vendor wearing a round hat, and a woman dressed in plain clothes with a gentle face.

When the crowd saw Lin Rui, their gazes varied, but none of them said anything; they simply stood quietly.

Fang Dongcheng introduced, "This is Lin Rui, a new member of our group. He will be responsible for liaison work within the group. From now on, everyone needs to support each other, keep secrets, and face the national crisis together."

He introduced everyone to Lin Rui one by one. Behind each name was a carefully designed disguise, as well as their respective intelligence area and mission:

Chen Shan worked as an accountant at the "Yongfeng Money Exchange" on Rue Edward in the French Concession.

Zhao Erzhu worked as a temporary porter at the "Tong He Xing" moving company in the French Concession section of the Shiliupu Wharf.

Sun Xiaoliu worked as a cigarette vendor on the outskirts of the Central Market in the French Concession.

Su Wan worked as a nurse at Tongren Hospital on Avenue Joffre in the French Concession, and also served as an officer of the "Shanghai Women's Salvation Charity Association".

Lin Rui bowed to each of them with a humble attitude, making sure to remember their appearances, identities, and responsibilities.

He knew in his heart that these people would be his comrades-in-arms who would later infiltrate enemy territory and walk on the edge of a knife alongside him, and that the life of each of them depended on their mutual trust and caution.

"Lin Rui is a novice and not yet familiar with infiltration. Please guide him in the future." Fang Dongcheng's gaze swept over everyone, and his tone was solemn. "The situation in Shanghai is deteriorating. Once it falls, although the French Concession may be temporarily safe, it will not be a safe haven. Japanese intelligence agencies will definitely infiltrate everywhere. We must walk on thin ice with every step we take."

Everyone responded in unison, their expressions extremely solemn.

After the others dispersed and returned to their disguised posts, Fang Dongcheng led Lin Rui to familiarize himself with everything at Huichuntang.

He patiently taught me everything, from the names, locations, and properties of the hundreds of herbs on the medicine cabinet, to the techniques for picking, weighing, grinding, and wrapping the herbs, and even the etiquette for receiving guests and the excuses for dealing with inquiries.

Lin Rui learned extremely quickly. He was already meticulous and had an excellent memory. In just half a day, he had memorized the location and effects of commonly used herbs. He also became skilled at grasping and weighing herbs. The paper packets for wrapping herbs were square and the knots were tied tightly and neatly, which was not at all like that of a beginner.

Fang Dongcheng observed this and nodded inwardly, increasingly convinced that Director Wen's appreciation of this person demonstrated exceptional insight.

In the time that followed, Lin Rui completely settled down and took on the role of a pharmacy clerk.

He gets up before dawn every day to clean the shop, organize the medicinal herbs, and start a fire to decoct the medicine. When customers come in, he bows his head and responds, dispensing the medicine according to the prescription. He is taciturn and respectful, appearing to be a diligent and honest shop assistant without the slightest flaw.

Occasionally, police officers from the concession would enter the shop, and Lin Rui would always handle them appropriately, following the script Fang Dongcheng had taught him, neither humble nor arrogant, and never revealing any flaws.

During the day, he devoted himself to studying the business of the pharmacy, completely immersing himself in this identity;

As evening falls and the shops close and the streets quiet down, he would change into an even more inconspicuous coarse cloth outfit and go out on the street under the pretext of buying groceries or taking a walk to clear his head.

On the surface, he was just a restless fellow, strolling around the streets and watching the bustling city life.

In reality, following the contact codes and routes given by Fang Dongcheng, they quietly contacted the members of the group one by one and familiarized themselves with the environment within the French Concession.

Gradually, Lin Rui had completely integrated into this disguised role.

.........

Until November.

The Shanghai battle, which had been in a passive defensive posture, suddenly took a dramatic turn!

The Japanese army landed at Jinshanwei and other places on the north bank of Hangzhou Bay, and then flanked the Kuomintang troops from the flank, forming a situation where they were surrounded on three sides and attacked from both sides.