Chapter 7: Chen Miao's Promotion

I came to see you and let Xiao Wu take a look at your wound as well

Recalling the hardships that Ye Yuru endured to save him, Lin Shiqun also felt emotional, his eyes reddening: "Madam, I have a purpose for not capturing this Chen Miao. Please allow me to explain. This Chen Miao is from the third phase of the Hong Gong Temple project, and he has been sitting idle in the Shanghai district for four to five years..."

"Alright, there is no need for pleasantries," Zheng Jiayuan waved his hand, signaling Chen Miao to sit down, and said, "Given your current position, you are now authorized to know the contents of this confidential telegram."

Regarding the control over No. 76, although Ding Mohan is the chief director, he is not as capable as the deputy. He has always prided himself on being the master of No. 76

"Have you seen clearly? Is it him?" Lin Shiqun's lips curled slightly. How could he let go of the person Ding Mohan and Chen Mingchu were focused on? Moreover, he had already investigated Chen Miao ahead of time.

You should let Xiao Wu take a look at your injury

Chen Miao extended his hands to receive the telegram from Zheng Jiayuan, and upon scanning its contents, he could not help but show a hint of surprise

"What? Have we been targeted?" Zheng Jiayuan and Wu Xin instinctively showed a hint of tension, as there have been recent signs of alarm and vigilance all around.

Maiyang Road, the Shikumen building rented by Chen Miao, after returning from Xiaoyao Pool, he did not go out again, he needed to rest for a while and sort through the events of the past two days in his mind

Then why did you choose this person

Alright. After a series of operations by Chen Miao, the original coded message was replaced with another set of numbers, which were directly printed out using a typewriter

As long as one masters the formula for encoding, it is actually not difficult; one just needs to find someone who understands a bit of mathematics to learn it, and it becomes quite easy. Chen Miao said, "I will write down the formula for you now."

Yes, it was I who recommended you to District Chief Qu. Your timely warning regarding Chen Mingchu's betrayal and treachery has prevented significant losses to the internal staff and personnel of the district headquarters. We have already reported your commendable actions to the bureau headquarters. The commendation from the bureau headquarters will be forthcoming.

"Trust your intuition, I had a brief encounter with him when I was in Nanjing, and I felt that we are kindred spirits," said Lin Shiqun

The large man is named Wu Yunfu, a native of Jinghai. He is robust and stocky, with a face full of flesh that gives an unsettling impression at first glance. In his early years, he drove for the Qing Gang leader Gao Xinbao, and later honed his excellent marksmanship. Through an introduction, he became the bodyguard of Ji Yunqing. His greatest fortune, however, is that he married a beautiful wife

"Elder brother, that kid with the surname Chen whom you mentioned indeed went to the Listening to Snow Pavilion to find that Liang Xueqin. He stayed there for an entire night and only came out early this morning." Wu Yunfu said as he took a seat.

The only person who can directly call Lin Shiqun by his name is his wife, Ye Yuru

In addition to Lao Zheng, I also met Wu Xin

After encoding, convert the numbers into text using the compiled codebook

Zheng Jiayuan could not hide the look of shock that appeared on his face after just a glance at the content of the telegram

Is this true, Old Zheng? Even if Director Wang had past disagreements with our district chief, he wouldn't go so far as to do this, would he

My injury is fine, it has already been treated, so you don't need to worry. Chen Miao declined, as Liang Xueqin had bandaged it well, and there was no need to remove it and redo it. Moreover, it is not yet time to change the dressing.

Chen Miao felt a stir in his heart, thinking that this was a very good opportunity. After a moment of contemplation, he said: "I believe it would be better to start with the people around these two."

As for the shortcomings, at times they can actually be seen as advantages. If he did not have so many shortcomings, how could he be so dependent on you

Of course it is true, do I have any need to deceive you

Since you have brought the cipher machine, I will now proceed to transfer it

After finishing, Wu Xin directly handed the telegram to Zheng Jiayuan.

... ...

Zheng Jiayuan took a glance and then handed it over to Wu Xin beside him

Hmm. Chen Miao nodded, realizing that some things cannot be said directly, but can be conveyed indirectly. He believed that with Lao Zheng's experience, he would certainly not only consider this point.

It is I, Old Zheng

A cipher machine is essentially an encryption process, where both the sender and receiver must possess identical cipher machines. They must establish the method of encryption, converting text into numbers, which follow a certain pattern. For instance, the number 9, after being encrypted by the cipher machine, may result in the number 5. This number is then transmitted via radio waves, and upon being received by the receiving machine, it is processed in reverse through the cipher machine to reveal the original number.

"Is what you said true?" After listening to Lin Shiqun's explanation, Ye Yuru finally stopped sobbing

"So what do you mean? You have already severed ties with them, and they would love nothing more than to see you dead. That person named Ding is currently keeping an eye on us. If he were to find any incriminating evidence against us, you know what kind of person Ding is, don't you? If he had reached out to help you back then, I wouldn't have had to..." Before she could finish, Ye Yuru began to cry in grievance.

This is correct; this matter must remain confidential and should not be mentioned to any third party

It should not have been discovered. On that day, after having breakfast in the morning, he went to the tea house to drink tea and listen to stories. At noon, he dined alone at a restaurant. In the afternoon, he went to the Xiaoyao Pool for a bath. After coming out, he returned to the house he rented under the alias 'Fang Wen' on Maiyang Road and did not go out again.

"Old Zheng, Miss Wu, what brings you here"

I would like to express my gratitude to District Chief Qu and Boss Dai for their cultivation

Feel free to express your thoughts; it doesn't matter if you say something incorrect

I have a confidential telegram sent from the headquarters here; please encode it so that Xiao Wu can translate it." Zheng Jiayuan took out a piece of telegram paper from his pocket and handed it to Chen Miao

By chance, this wife is the goddaughter of Ji Yunqing, a big shot in the Shanghai Green Gang. With this, he has struck it rich. Lin Shiqun, the notorious troublemaker in the western part of Shanghai, committed crimes in Shanghai back in the day and became a disciple of Ji Yunqing, which allowed him to escape a calamity.

Let him in. Lin Shiqun nodded slightly. Although the Lin residence is not large, it resembles a maze; this was designed by him. Having never been here before and with no one to guide him, he would certainly get lost on his first visit

Wu Yunfu was the first to seek refuge, and he can be considered one of the few direct subordinates of Lin Shiqun at No. 76. The two were also sworn brothers.

Lin Shiqun is different from Ding Mohan; he did not settle at No. 76. In fact, he is unwilling to live across from Ding Mohan, as the two have long been at odds despite appearing cordial on the surface

"We have obtained it, but none of us know how to use this thing; we still need you to do it." Zheng Jiayuan let out a bitter laugh, as not everyone is capable of using a cipher machine

Chen Miao sat calmly across from him; from beginning to end, he had no intention of looking at the contents of the coded message.

Dong dong ... ...

Next, he will face the most perilous "struggle for survival," where even the slightest misstep could lead to irretrievable consequences

Old Zheng, did you manage to retrieve the items I asked you to get from my office

However, you need not be anxious. The Shikumen residence I am renting has several households living in it, and those who are watching me do not dare to come close for fear of being discovered by me. I also do not know what the two of you are up to.

"Shiqun, the big guy has arrived." A young and beautiful woman dressed in a black satin qipao pushed open the study door, holding a cup of fragrant coffee, which she gently placed on the desk

... ...

However, with the opening of No. 76, the expansion of power, the distribution of interests, and various other factors, the small rift between him and Ding has grown increasingly larger, to the point where they are now in a state of mutual hostility.

"Are you suggesting to subvert the people around him?" Upon hearing this, Zheng Jiayuan's eyes immediately flashed with a glimmer of light

"Old Fang, the district seat and the bureau headquarters intend for you to succeed Chen Mingchu as the assistant secretary of the district headquarters and concurrently serve as the head of the Personnel Section," Zheng Jiayuan signaled Wu Xin to keep watch at the door, lowering his voice to speak to Chen Miao. He had always referred to Chen Miao as Old Fang, which was also to protect Chen Miao, as it was essential not to let Wu Xin know too much.

I serve as the assistant secretary and the head of the personnel department. Lao Zheng, you must be joking, right? Chen Miao truly did not expect to be promoted at this moment

No. 67, Daxilu, Ling Mansion

However, since the person had arrived, it was impossible not to meet them. After a moment of contemplation, Chen Miao decided to walk over, open the door, and let the person in

Understood. Wu Yunfu stood up to take his leave, saying, "That's fine, elder brother, I will head back first"

Now, but I do not have a password machine

Chen Miao revealed a hint of surprise; he had informed Zheng Jiayuan of his hiding place, but he had not instructed him to come directly to find him

This person is useful to me; you just need to keep an eye on him and must not act rashly!" Lin Shiqun glanced at Wu Yunfu with an inscrutable expression and warned.

"Elder brother, since this Chen is from Chongqing, why don't we just arrest him directly for the first trial? Then we would have everything we need," Wu Yunfu asked in confusion.

Shiqun is relatively restrained when it comes to women, whereas Ding Mohan has much weaker self-control. This guy can simply be described as a 'hungry ghost in lust'.

At this moment, Wu Xin at the door cast a glance, indicating that someone had returned downstairs

"Elder brother, I have come to report on my work to you." Wu Yunfu is a person of little education, unafraid of anything, and looks down on everyone. He is older than Lin Shiqun, yet he calls Lin 'elder brother.' At home, he is afraid of his wife, and at No. 76, he also listens to Lin Shiqun, his sworn elder brother, without question.

What was his reaction

"Old Zheng, it is likely very difficult to seek opportunities from the outside. One of these two is very familiar with our internal situation, and the other is our former superior and an expert in operations. In front of him, we are all students; how can students compete with their teacher?" Chen Miao said with difficulty.

Understood, I will listen to my elder brother

Upon arriving in Shanghai, Lin Shiqun's first action was to pay a visit to the elder Ji Yunqing. Subsequently, after establishing connections with Japan, he leveraged this master-disciple relationship to recruit a considerable number of Ji's disciples, forming the initial core of the 76th group.

"Keep an eye on the person for me, and report any actions immediately," Lin Shiqun instructed.

"Big guy, sit down and don't be so reserved around me." Lin Shiqun chuckled. Although someone like Wu Yunfu was quite crude and sometimes caused him trouble, such people were easy to work with, loyal, and devotedly followed you. This was far better than those outside who harbored various ulterior motives.

"Who?" Chen Miao sat up from the bed and asked with a hint of nervousness, his hand quietly reaching under the pillow where a handgun was concealed

Without the password machine and the encryption formula of the password machine, it is very difficult to decipher. If an additional layer of manual encryption is added, the deciphering becomes even more challenging

"It is him, no doubt about it. My people have carefully compared the photo and confirmed it is indeed him," Wu Yunfu stated with certainty.

In order to ensure that communications are not intercepted, various encryption methods have been devised to guarantee the security of confidential communications

"Shiqun, are you trying to make a move on the queen of pingtan, Liang Xueqin?" Lin Shiqun's wife, Ye Yuru, entered from the doorway and questioned him directly.

After receiving it, Wu Xin took a blank piece of paper, asked Chen Miao for a pencil, and began to write on it with a flurry of strokes.

"I have brought the cipher machine." Zheng Jiayuan gave Wu Xin a glance, and Wu Xin turned around to place a small leather case she had been carrying on the table

Upon seeing their attire, it is evident that they are a couple, and moreover, they have applied makeup, which should prevent them from being recognized

The confidential telegram sent by the headquarters, could there be any mistake? Zheng Jiayuan said with a serious expression, Furthermore, the bureau chief has ordered us to sanction Wang Tianheng and Chen Mingchu, what are your thoughts?

"You really should not have come; I am already being watched," Chen Miao said

Madam, you are overthinking it. I have no such thoughts at the moment," Lin Shiqun hurriedly denied.