Anti-Japanese War Espionage: I Have an Omniscient Perspective

"Don't move, get back here!" the tall, muscular man who was bending over said in a trembling voice.

The four thugs looked at each other, then put away their daggers and clubs and retreated.

Lin Rui did not fire his gun. Guns were prohibited in the French Concession, and firing a gun in a public place would have had far-reaching consequences.

He raised his pistol and kicked the tall, muscular man in the buttocks, causing the man to stumble forward a few steps before stopping.

The tall, burly man steadied himself, turned around, and although his face was deathly pale, he feigned toughness: "Kid, you've got guts! We'll remember you, you'll get what's coming to you! Let's go!"

He then hurriedly left with his men.

After watching the thief leave, Lin Rui locked the safety lever back into his inner pocket of his long shirt.

The young man in the blue cloth robe beside him finally snapped out of his daze.

He bowed deeply to Lin Rui, his tone solemn: "Thank you so much for saving me, sir. I am deeply grateful! My name is Su Mingzhe. May I ask your esteemed name, sir?"

"Let's leave here first," Lin Rui said.

Immediately, he and Su Mingzhe, both masked, quickly left. After they left, several people emerged from the alley next door; they were the thieves who had just run away.

............

After running 200 meters, Belle Street was just ahead.

Lin Rui, having used his supernatural abilities to observe behind him and confirm that no one was following him, slowed down and removed his mask and handkerchief.

He then introduced himself: "Chen Mo, manager of Lianhua Film Studio."

"So it's Manager Chen!" A hint of surprise flashed in Su Mingzhe's eyes. Lianhua Film Studio was quite famous in the Beile Street area, and he had naturally heard of it, but he didn't know that the manager in charge was so capable. "Thank you so much, Manager Chen, for your righteous help. If it weren't for you, we probably wouldn't have escaped this calamity today. Those people should be Japanese devils. Recently, several groups of patriotic art troupes in the concession have been harassed and beaten by them, and it is said that some people have gone missing."

"I just happened to be passing by and saw you in danger, so I helped you out." Lin Rui said, his expression turning serious. "Your courage is commendable, but it's too blatant. In the French Concession, overt anti-Japanese propaganda was already prohibited, and with the suppression from the Japanese devils, it was very dangerous for you to conduct such a roadshow so rashly."

Su Mingzhe's face showed a hint of bitterness: "We know it's dangerous, but we have no other choice. The Japanese invaders trampled our land, and countless compatriots were displaced. Although we cannot go to the front line, we still want to do something, even if it's just to awaken the patriotism of a single person, it's worth it."

Lin Rui's heart stirred. He couldn't help with the patriotic students' roadshow, but he could help with rehearsals. And now was the perfect time. He slowly said, "Lianhua Film Studio has some unused studios that are usually unused and secluded, making them easy to avoid being discovered. If you don't mind, you can rehearse there in the future. This will help you avoid being chased away by the police and harassed by those thugs."

A glint of light flashed in Su Mingzhe's eyes, his face filled with surprise and gratitude. He bowed to Lin Rui again: "Really? Thank you, Manager Chen! If we could have such a secluded rehearsal space, we could rehearse in peace and better promote the resistance against Japan!"

"It was nothing," Lin Rui waved his hand. "The most important thing right now is for you to get out of here. Those thugs won't let this go. If you stay here any longer, they might come back to cause you trouble."

"Manager Chen is right." Su Mingzhe nodded, then said, "Our art troupe is located in an abandoned warehouse in an alley on North Street. Manager Chen, if you don't mind, would you like to come with us? That way, we can properly thank you and discuss the rehearsal venue with you."

Lin Rui pondered for a moment, then nodded and replied, "Alright, I'll go with you to take a look."

Su Mingzhe was overjoyed and quickly stepped aside to lead the way: "Manager Chen, please follow me!"

He put his fingers in his mouth and whistled. A group of students followed the sound of the whistle, and when they heard that it was the manager of Lianhua Film Studio who had come to their aid, they thanked Lin Rui with admiration in their eyes.

Lin Rui smiled and responded, then followed Su Mingzhe north along Beile Road.

Before long, the group walked to the depths of a quiet alley. Su Mingzhe stopped and pointed to a house with a shabby sign and mottled doors and windows. He said in a low voice, "Manager Chen, this is our art troupe."

As he spoke, he stepped forward and gently knocked on the door.

The door creaked open, and a bright-eyed girl in a coarse cloth dress peeked out. Seeing Su Mingzhe and the others, she glanced at Lin Rui beside her, a hint of wariness flashing in her eyes: "Mingzhe, who is he?"

"Xiaoyan, this is Manager Chen Mo from Lianhua Film Studio. He's the one who saved us just now and even promised to provide us with a rehearsal space!" Su Mingzhe quickly explained.

The wariness in the young woman's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a hint of gratitude. She quickly opened the door and stepped aside, saying, "Manager Chen, please come in!"

Lin Rui nodded, pulled down his hat brim, and followed Su Mingzhe into the shop. The students behind him followed one after another, gently closing the door to temporarily shut out the noise and danger outside.

It wasn't very big inside; it was probably a warehouse converted from a residential house by a small business owner, and they had already moved their things out long ago.

The room was kept clean and tidy by the students. There were a few old tables and chairs against the wall, some simple props and sheet music piled up in the corner, and a few handwritten anti-Japanese slogans pasted on the wall. Although simple, they were full of patriotism.

Lin Rui spoke with them, asking, "Where are you students from?"

"I am from Myron High School."

"I am from Yanmo Girls' School."

"I am from Hujiang High School Affiliated to Shanghai University."

Chengzhong Middle School.

The students then shared the names of their respective schools.

Su Mingzhe, fearing Lin Rui might not know, added, "We all studied at middle schools in Zhabei. After the Japanese occupied Zhabei, we fled to the foreign concession with our families."

Looking at the young faces before him, Lin Rui felt a surge of emotion. "I know you're in the foreign concession, but your hearts are with your country. That's admirable, but the more you're like that, the more you need to learn to protect yourselves." He paused. "Lianhua Film Studio has some spare dance studios. It's safer to rehearse there than outside. Come find me at the studio in a couple of days, the day after tomorrow afternoon, and I'll show you the facilities."

Upon hearing this, the students' faces lit up with excitement, and they cheered softly. Su Mingzhe was so moved that his eyes reddened, and he bowed again to express his gratitude: "Thank you so much, Manager Chen, for your thoughtfulness! We will definitely follow the rules and will not cause you or the film studio any trouble!"

Lin Rui waved his hand, glanced at the sky outside the window, and said, "It's getting late, I should head back. Be careful these next few days, and don't rehearse in the alley anymore."

After saying that, he stood up, pulled down the brim of his hat, and turned to walk out of the warehouse.

The alley was quiet. Lin Rui used his supernatural ability to carefully investigate the surroundings and, after confirming that there was nothing suspicious, he quickly walked towards Lianhua Film Studio.