Anti-Japanese War Espionage: I Have an Omniscient Perspective

Lin Rui stubbed out his cigarette, the embers flashing briefly in the night, and walked away.

The winter evening wind was cold, reminding him that this was Shanghai in 1937, a place where chaos and opportunity intertwined, and survival and interests were at stake.

As he walked, Lin Rui repeatedly recalled every word he had heard through his supernatural ability.

Davis was asked by the boss to stop the arms trade. He had a batch of high-quality American weapons stuck in his hands. If he couldn't find a buyer, he would lose his job and have to go back to the United States.

He was unwilling to leave, partly because he was reluctant to give up his investment in the Far East, and partly because the predicament in the United States made it difficult for him to establish himself. Double taxation and strict labor laws meant that he could only hope to earn enough money in Shanghai to make a living in peace.

This is America's dilemma, but also his opportunity.

The key question is, who can buy this batch of weapons?

Lin Rui slowed his pace, mentally reviewing the various forces in Shanghai in 1937, eliminating unsuitable options one by one.

The National Army? No way.

He knew it all too well.

At this time, the Nationalist government was wholeheartedly promoting German-made equipment and spending a lot of money importing weapons from Germany, showing little interest in American arms.

Moreover, American weapons are expensive, and even if the National Army has a need for them, it would not be willing to pay a high price to take over the batch of goods from Davis, as they are far less competitive than German-made weapons.

Davis would certainly not agree to make such a losing deal.

The Communist Party? At this moment, the Communist army was short of funds and lacked supplies. It simply did not have enough money to buy a batch of American weapons. Even if it had the need, it was unable to afford it, so how could it make a deal?

As his thoughts flowed, Lin Rui's gaze gradually became clearer.

He looked at the lights on Avenue Joffre. In Shanghai in 1937, in addition to the regular army, there were also a large number of irregular armed forces. They had no official designation, no stable supply, but they had a strong demand for weapons and enough cash to pay high prices for hard goods that could save their lives and help them seize territory.

These are the ideal buyers, and the people Lin Rui can easily contact.

However, their needs are very dispersed, and it is impossible for a single force to absorb all of the American arms at once; they can only sell them little by little.

Davis himself was already doing this.

But as the Japanese army became increasingly aggressive, his superiors ordered him to stop.

That's the root of the problem.

If Davis can't sell those weapons, he'll lose his job, and his investment will be completely wiped out.

However, he himself was no longer able to continue the arms deal.

If he could act as a secondary agent and sell the weapons privately at this point, Davis's problem would be solved.

Of course, the best person to do this is the Loyal and Righteous Gang, not the one to sell it themselves.

Thinking of this, Lin Rui smiled knowingly, and he already had a clear direction in mind.

He quickened his pace and headed toward Belle Street.

........

After a night, Lin Rui got up early as usual, but did not go to see Davis.

Instead, he stayed at the film studio for most of the day, only leaving in the afternoon.

He went to the safe house, disguised himself, and headed to Avenue Joffre.

They went straight to the French Concession branch of Mobil Trading Company and waited there.

The branch was deserted with no business, and Davis sat there until the afternoon before leaving, just like yesterday.

Going home so early was out of the question, so he went back to the bar and ordered a strong drink.

Lin Rui followed him into the bar, sat down next to him, and said to the bartender, "Give me the same one as him."

Davis glanced at Lin Rui and said impatiently, "I said I'm not doing it anymore. Go find someone else."

Lin Rui didn't say anything, but waited for the bartender to bring over two glasses of strong liquor.

He raised his glass: "This wine is good, I like it very much." He then took a sip.

Davis froze, then picked up his glass and drank.

His face flushed slightly under the influence of alcohol.

Lin Rui smiled and said, "I understand your predicament. Actually, you really want to sell that batch of weapons, but you can't sell them yourself, right?"

How did you know?

"I know a lot of things, such as your investment in this batch of weapons, which will bankrupt you if you don't sell them."

Upon hearing Lin Rui's words, Davis picked up his glass and swallowed the entire glass of wine.

Even so, alcohol could not numb his fear.

Bankruptcy is the most unacceptable situation for Americans.

"Give me another one."

The bartender sighed and poured over another strong drink.

Lin Rui pressed down on Davis's hand.

He whispered, "Actually, it's not that difficult. You just need to find a secondary distributor."

Davis froze, looking up at Lin Rui: "You think it's that simple? Who would dare sell weapons for me? If the Japanese find out, they're dead. I contacted my middleman to do it. He wouldn't dare."

Meeting Davis's gaze, Lin Rui calmly said, "I dare. I can devise a reasonable and effective plan for you to sell all your weapons. Let's make a fortune together."

Davis had an idea and stood up: "Let's talk over there."

The two men, each with a glass of wine, walked to a quiet corner of the bar and sat down.

"Tell me your plan."

"It's not difficult at all. I have a channel, a gang within the concession. They need a way to make money. If you give them the authority to act as a secondary agent for arms transactions, they will be very willing to help you sell the arms."

"Gangs are easy to spot. What will happen to my goods if they get caught?"

"Therefore, you need your existing sales channels; they are only responsible for shipping."

Davis understood through their conversation.

As long as the gang doesn't seek out customers, they won't be discovered by the Japanese for improper operations.

The existing sales channels can then be reopened, and the transactions can still be controlled by Davis.

It's just that the method of shipping weapons has changed from Mobil to so-called secondary agents.

In reality, Davis was still in control of everything.

In this way, Davis would have no more concerns, but he did need such a way to solve the current problem.

It was practically a plan designed for him.

Davis smiled, a smile he hadn't shown in a long time.

"I really like this plan. So, what's the next step?"

"Tomorrow, I'll bring my men over to the same bar, and we'll settle this once and for all. But before that, I need your payment."

"What kind of compensation?"

"I need some weapons, not many, but the requirements are high."

"What kind of weapon?"

"Precision rifle, scope, suppressor—if you have any, you'd better sell them to me today."

Davis hesitated for a moment, but in order to solve his problem, he agreed.

"Alright, I'll take you to the warehouse. I hope you'll keep your promise and bring the person over tomorrow."

"Absolutely no problem."