Anti-Japanese War Espionage: I Have an Omniscient Perspective

"Guess who this is next to me?" Su Wan said with a smile.

Sun Xiaoliu and Zhao Erzhu's eyes both fell on Lin Rui.

Lin Rui wore a navy blue long gown today, his hair was neatly combed, and he was wearing glasses, looking very refined.

The two had never seen this outfit before and didn't recognize it at first, their eyes filled with doubt.

After a while.

"You are... Brother Lin Rui?" Sun Xiaoliu lowered his voice, his tone full of surprise.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Erzhu took a closer look and nodded in agreement.

Lin Rui realized his disguise skills were still lacking. He glanced around and saw that the stall owner was busy serving other customers and no one was paying attention to them. He then whispered, "Everyone, pretend you don't know each other." With that, he waved to the owner, "Boss, two bowls of plain noodles."

The four sat in silence until the owner brought out four steaming bowls of noodles. Only then did they begin to speak in hushed tones while eating.

"After Team Leader Zhou was arrested, I made contact with the Shanghai station. I was appointed as the acting leader of the 3rd Undercover Team, and we were given new identities and a base." Lin Rui's voice was low, mixed with the surrounding noise, but still audible. "You two should go back and pack your things as soon as possible. Meet me outside the Xiafei Road Police Station first thing tomorrow morning. Remember, go alone, do not go together, and avoid suspicious people."

Sun Xiaoliu and Zhao Erzhu exchanged a glance and both nodded in agreement.

After a while, Sun Xiaoliu put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and said, "Then I'll be going now."

He got up and headed west. Zhao Erzhu finished his soup in big gulps, said, "See you tomorrow," and then got up and left, also heading in the direction Sun Xiaoliu was going.

It seems that the two are hiding in the same place.

After they left, two more diners sat down opposite Lin Rui and Su Wan.

After Lin Rui and his companion finished their noodles, they got up to pay the bill and headed east.

...........

The next morning, the streets outside the Xiafei Road police station gradually became more crowded with pedestrians.

Lin Rui and Su Wan were already waiting there. Not long after, Chen Shan, wearing a long gown and carrying a wooden box, hurried over. Then, Sun Xiaoliu and Zhao Erzhu, each carrying a bundle, arrived one after the other.

The group of people kept a few steps apart, exchanging glances but not approaching each other to speak.

"According to the rules of the Special Service Department, you are all grassroots undercover agents and cannot directly contact the Shanghai Station and liaison points." Lin Rui walked to the group and said in a voice that only they could hear, "You wait here. I'm going to the Shanghai Station to report to Team Leader Li and will be back soon." After saying that, he turned and walked towards the small brick building where the Shanghai Station was located, leaving the four of them to wait in place.

Half an hour later, Lin Rui followed Team Leader Li out, with a secret agent in tow behind him.

The three walked to the outside of the police station. Team Leader Li glanced at Su Wan and the other three, and after confirming that they were indeed the right people, he gave a wink to his subordinates behind him.

The subordinate stepped forward and handed Lin Rui a rattan box, the same box Lin Rui had left at the station, containing gold bars, legal tender, a pistol, and identification documents.

"Everything's inside," Team Leader Li said in a low voice. "Now, send them to Lianhua Film Studio. I'll go there first to arrange the handover." With that, he turned and left with his men, quickly disappearing into the crowd.

Lin Rui, carrying a wicker trunk, walked up to the four men and said in a deep voice, "Lianhua Film Studio, 172 Beile Road. Everyone will depart in batches and meet there. Does anyone not know how to get there?"

The three male group members said they knew how to get there, but Su Wan whispered, "I've never been there before, and I'm afraid I'll get lost and waste time."

"Come with me. Okay, let's get started."

The male group members dispersed and walked to the location.

After they left, Lin Rui took Su Wan over.

...........

Rue Belle is the main north-south thoroughfare in the French Concession, starting from Rue Edward in the north and ending at Xujiahui Road in the south, where it intersects perpendicularly with Rue Joffre.

It takes about 20 minutes to walk from the police station to the intersection.

Lin Rui and Su Wan turned into Beile Road.

The two walked slowly forward.

Looking at the buildings on both sides, Su Wan became more talkative. "My cousin often comes here. I was originally planning to have her bring me, but now I don't need to."

Lin Rui looked around at the buildings on the street.

This is the core area of ​​the French Concession, a place where art, commerce, and residence are mixed. There are artistic venues such as the Lafayette Grand Theatre and the Lyceum Theatre, as well as Chinese teahouses and bars run by Russians. In the alleys of the streets, there are many young men and women dressed in trendy clothes or student clothes. These people are probably members of the drama clubs and art groups on this street.

"What will you do if you run into your cousin after you change your identity?"

"It's no big deal if we run into each other. She only cares about herself and has never even asked what I did in the past."

Lin Rui was slightly taken aback by the thought of having a cousin like this, but didn't say anything more.

After walking for a while, the two arrived at 172 Belle Road.

This is a typical Shikumen alleyway in the French Concession.

However, it was transformed into a whole property.

It is composed of three interconnected two-story brick and wood structure Shikumen buildings.

A small brick building is sandwiched between an alleyway, with iron gates at both the front and back.

The entrance is marked with a wooden sign that reads "Lianhua Film Studio Branch," and the lintel is in the classic style of Shikumen architecture in the French Concession.

Chen Shan, Sun Xiaoliu, and Zhao Erzhu had already arrived and were standing scattered around.

Where is Team Leader Li?

Lin Rui did not go in, but waited outside the door.

After a while, Team Leader Li and a man in a long robe walked out from the side of the alley. He saw Lin Rui and waved, "Come in, all of you."

Lin Rui gestured to his team members, and they entered the Lianhua Film Studio together.

The man in the long robe looked outside, then closed and locked the iron gate.

Afterwards, the group went upstairs to a large room on the second floor.

Team Leader Li then pointed to the man in the long robe and said to Lin Rui, "This is the alias I used for this operation."

"Chen Mo, let me introduce you. This is Uncle Xiang, the manager of Lianhua Film Studio. He's always been in charge of all the big and small affairs in the studio."

Uncle Xiang quickly stepped forward and bowed slightly to Lin Rui: "Mr. Chen, I'm entrusting the factory's affairs to you from now on."

He paused, his gaze shifting to Team Leader Li, his expression becoming more earnest, and his tone lowering slightly. "Team Leader Li, you must keep your word about what we agreed on last time. To be honest, my three men—a clerk, an accountant, and a warehouse manager—are all long-time employees who have worked for me in the factory for several years. They've stayed in the concession to help me, and I can't let them down. The situation in Shanghai is dangerous right now; the Japanese devils might invade the concession any day now. We're really terrified. I beg you to be merciful and help us make arrangements to leave Shanghai, even if it's just to Suzhou."

Upon hearing this, Lin Rui understood. These three people corresponded perfectly to the new identities of Su Wan, Chen Shan, and Zhao Erzhu, which meant that everyone remaining at the United Film Studio had been replaced, saving a lot of trouble.

Team Leader Li pretended to be hesitant and did not immediately agree.