Anti-Japanese War Espionage: I Have an Omniscient Perspective

The room on the left side of the stairs on the second floor is where Lin Rui said he kept the money and opium.

Huang Dazhu gestured for the two men to guard the stairwell, while he led them into the room. Inside, there were more than a dozen opium boxes and a heavy wooden box in the corner, which was the box containing money. The two guards were chatting idly next to the box. When they saw Huang Dazhu and his men suddenly barge in, their expressions changed drastically, and they quickly got up to draw the short knife from their waists.

"Attack!" Huang Dazhu shouted and charged forward, engaging in combat with one of the guards.

He had been a soldier and was agile. He dodged the guard's knife and punched the guard in the face with his backhand. The guard staggered back a few steps, and Qian Laoliu Zhao Lin took the opportunity to step forward, put a knife to his throat, and subdue him. Another brother also fought with the guard and soon subdued him as well, binding his hands and feet and gagging him.

"Quickly, call the men in, rob the money box, and burn the opium!" Huang Dazhu gave the order, and the brothers immediately sprang into action. Two brothers lifted the heavy money box and carried it to the stairwell; Da Niu opened the wooden bucket on his back and poured lime water into the opium box. When the lime water met the opium paste, white smoke instantly billowed out, and a pungent smell filled the air. The opium paste gradually melted and deteriorated, becoming unusable.

Huang Dazhu carefully inspected the room, confirming that the opium had been completely destroyed by the lime water, leaving no residue. He then glanced at the subdued guards and said in a deep voice, "Go, hurry up!"

The group carried the money box downstairs and went straight out of the opium den through the front door, running quickly through the back alley.

This is also the most dangerous moment; if anyone witnesses where they are going, the operation will be abandoned halfway.

Lin Rui, who was in the teahouse, was worried about them. He then stood up and said, "Su Nian, you should go back by yourself. I have something to do."

"Okay, you go ahead. I'll treat you to this tea." Su Wan felt much better after Lin Rui's encouragement.

Lin Rui didn't hesitate and went straight downstairs.

He strode along Belle Street, while in the parallel back alleys in a three-dimensional perspective, seven people were running quickly, protecting a money box.

Under the cover of night, they turned into a narrower, dark alley and disappeared from the sight of passersby.

Lin Rui could still see them. The seven of them circled around and quickly headed towards the warehouse. This route, lacking streetlights, became their best escape route.

Then, the two went out to check and confirmed that no one was at the alley entrance. Everyone then quickly entered the warehouse.

Back at the warehouse, everyone quickly closed the door, placed the money box on the ground, and opened it with a crowbar. Inside, they found a lot of copper and nickel coins, as well as a small amount of legal tender and silver dollars.

The brothers' faces lit up with joyful smiles. This was the first time they had so much money since they fell on hard times, and it was also the first money their Loyalty Gang had ever earned.

They then took out the coins and counted them in several piles.

After counting for a while, I finally knew the result of this operation: a total of 300 legal tender.

Huang Dazhu looked at the pile of money in front of him, then at his excited brothers beside him, and a simple, honest smile spread across his face: "Brothers, we've succeeded!"

"Alright! We'll work with you, Big Brother! We'll eat and drink well from now on," the crowd whispered.

Suppressed low laughter echoed through the room in waves.

Their eyes were full of excitement and anticipation as they whispered about how to spend the money. Some said they wanted to buy a clean cotton-padded coat, some said they wanted to eat more bowls of braised pork noodles, and others said they wanted to save some money to get married.

Lin Rui, who was on the street, saw this scene but had no intention of making contact with it. He turned around and returned to the film studio.

Back at the film studio, Lin Rui closed the office door and dragged the bed out.

He sat on the bed, pondering what to do next.

The Loyal Gang robbed the opium den not only for money, but also for fame.

A gang that can only engage in robbery has no future and is not what he wants.

The reason Huang Dazhu was allowed to seize the opium den was to prepare for the next step: to demonstrate his loyalty to the Du family.

Now, after numerous frictions and conflicts, the relationship between Wan Heilin and Zhang Xiaolin has deteriorated to the point of being irreconcilable.

However, the forces on the Du family's side were clearly no match for those of the Zhang family; they needed someone like Huang Dazhu who was both capable and competent.

Therefore, the next step is to find an opportunity to connect Huang Dazhu with the Du family.

..........

The next day, Lin Rui went out again, disguised himself, and met Huang Dazhu in the alley where Huang lived by using hand gestures.

He walked in front, and Huang Dazhu followed behind. The two walked out of the alley and came to another street.

An anti-Japanese demonstration was taking place on the street, and police officers were blowing whistles to disperse the crowd.

The two stood on the side of the street, talking in hushed tones.

"Master, the matter is settled. All the opium has been burned. There's still 300 yuan left. What should we do with this money?"

"I'll take 100; you can keep the rest in the gang."

"Boss, I want to tell the brothers that you are the true leader of our Loyalty Gang."

"No, our relationship is something only the two of us should know. This is to protect both of us. Remember, you must never tell anyone about our relationship."

"Alright then. Boss, what should we do with the rest of the money?"

"What are your plans?"

"I think we should each get 20 yuan, enough for everyone to buy some warm clothes and have a few full meals; the rest of the money should be used to buy food and send it to the refugee camps to share with the most pitiful people. After all, we all came from the refugee camps, and only we know their suffering."

Lin Rui was stunned. From Huang Dazhu's words, he heard a simple yet noble character.

Although the other party probably doesn't know how chivalrous your actions are.

But this isn't bad either. Huang Dazhu's gang needs fame, so it's not unreasonable to use the stolen money to buy food and supplies for the refugees.

He whispered, "Okay, but you have to do one thing."

"What is it?"

"When distributing the items, tell them that they were made by the Loyalty Gang."

"Boss, is this alright?" Huang Dazhu asked somewhat awkwardly.

"Whether it's good or bad, just do as I say."

"OK."

Just as they were talking, the police came to arrest them again. The two dodged the police and went to the other side.

"There's one more thing. The day after tomorrow, wait for me outside Gujiazhai Park on Luban Road. I'll talk to you again and arrange what you need to do next."

"Okay." The two parted ways.

...........

That evening, Huang Dazhu led his brothers to a grain store in the southern part of the French Concession, where they used the remaining money to buy two full sacks of coarse grains and several bags of cornmeal.

Seeing them buy so much coarse grain and noticing their ordinary clothing, the grain store owner couldn't help but wonder, "What are you going to do with all this coarse grain?"

Huang Dazhu smiled vaguely, "Boss, don't ask too many questions. We just want to share some food with the poor people around us, to put our minds at ease." Seeing this, the boss didn't ask any more questions and quickly helped them load the food onto the truck. He also secretly gave them an extra bag of dried sweet potatoes, saying in a low voice, "These days, there aren't many people who are willing to help refugees. This little bit of dried sweet potatoes is just a token of my appreciation."

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Huang Dazhu led six brothers, pushing a grain cart, and quietly arrived at the refugee area on Beile Street.

The refugee camp was still filled with cries of despair. The refugees stared blankly into the distance. When they saw a few people pushing a food cart, a glimmer of hope gradually appeared in their eyes, but no one dared to step forward.

"Brothers, distribute the grain, giving priority to the elderly and children!" Huang Dazhu gave the order, opening the sack first, grabbing a handful of coarse grain, and handing it to a child next to him who was so thin he was just skin and bones.

The child timidly reached out and took the coarse grains. Before Huang Dazhu could speak, he began to wolf them down, his mouth covered with crumbs.

Seeing this, the refugees slowly gathered around, whispering their thanks and extending trembling hands to accept the food handed to them by Huang Dazhu and the others.

Some elderly people received the food, bowed deeply to them, and tears streamed down their faces; some women held their children, feeding them while repeatedly saying, "Thank you, benefactors."

Two sacks of food are just a drop in the ocean for hundreds of thousands or even millions of refugees; even in this refugee camp, it's only enough for one meal.

But this meal was much better than what they had eaten before.