Chapter 11: Passing the Test
The captain also thought so: "Disturbing small fry may alert the big fish. Let's leave it for now. We'll deal with it together later."
Zhou Lin lit a cigarette and said, "There's a serious issue."
"What happened?"
"Last night, I followed Oshima, the owner of the pork shop, to the island."
The captain asked anxiously, "Him going out is not a good sign."
"Yes! He went to meet someone, probably from the Military Statistics Bureau."
"Many people from the Military Statistics Bureau are in trouble."
Zhou Lin continued his report, "Oshima secretly took a photo of me. He went out to deliver the camera to a person from the Military Statistics Bureau, so they could develop the film and confirm who I am."
The captain lit a cigarette and said, "What do you think?"
Zhou Lin looked out the window and said, "I don't know how many people know about me."
The captain said, "You're not from the Military Statistics Bureau headquarters or various stations. So, there's no file on you at the headquarters or stations. In the Special Operations Unit, due to everyone having a sense of inevitable death and the harsh environment, it was decided not to keep records for the team leader and members below. Mainly to prevent trouble for the families of Special Operations Unit members after sacrificing themselves."
Zhou Lin asked, "So, I have no file?"
"Not for now!"
Zhou Lin felt relieved, "How many people know about my situation?"
"You were handed over to me by the Bureau Chief, and others don't know, including the heads of the departments. People outside don't recognize you and don't know your background. Among our unit, only I, your squad leader, and the members of the Twenty Team know your background. But don't worry, the members of the Twenty Team are gathered and waiting for a mission. No one acts alone."
Zhou Lin felt a bit more at ease. "Captain, if the Military Statistics Bureau comes to investigate, how will they do it?"
"They will check the Military Statistics Bureau headquarters, then check the various stations. However, by checking the headquarters, they can skip checking the stations. The personnel files of the Military Statistics Bureau stations are compiled at the headquarters."
Zhou Lin thought the Military Statistics Bureau should have its people at the headquarters; otherwise, how could they ensure daily investigations?
However, he was certain that they wouldn't find the Military Statistics Bureau Special Operations Unit in one day.
With this in mind, Zhou Lin felt reassured.
Perhaps they would investigate his home, but at school, he used an alias, and neither the school nor his classmates knew his real identity. The person from the Military Statistics Bureau might not think of this.
In such a short time, it was impossible to uncover the truth.
Zhou Lin shared his analysis with the captain.
The captain also thought the same, "In that case, I'll send someone to the meeting point to prepare and guard against any unexpected situations."
Zhou Lin disagreed, "Those two are agents from the Military Statistics Bureau and Japanese intelligence. They are highly skilled. If someone is ambushing around there, they will notice. In that case, they will become more suspicious of me. So, I suggest not paying attention to them. This time, let them go and see what their final actions are."
"Alright! Be careful."
After speaking, Zhou Lin quickly finished his tea. As for the tea, he poured it out of the window twice.
In the end, the tea became very weak.
At this point, Zhou Lin opened the door and called the waiter.
"Check, add takeaway snacks."
The waiter asked, "What snacks would you like?"
Zhou Lin pointed to the finished tea points and said, "One of each."
A few minutes later, Zhou Lin, holding a bamboo box with four snacks, left the entrance of the old Guangzhou restaurant.
After leaving, Zhou Lin waved and hailed a yellow cab, stating the address, and then got in.
The person who was tailing him also hailed a yellow cab and followed Zhou Lin.
Upstairs in the restaurant, the captain observed everything outside the gate. He noted the person tailing Zhou Lin.
Back at the pork shop, Zhou Lin handed the bamboo box to Oshima.
Oshima opened it and laughed, "Saved a meal today at lunch."
After saying that, he started eating in the shop.
Zhou Lin greeted him and went into the backyard.
After Zhou Lin left, Oshima came to the gate.
Outside the gate, the person who was tailing Zhou Lin was waiting.
Oshima asked, "Any updates?"
"What updates? Wasted trip. After leaving, he went straight to the old Guangzhou restaurant, ate and drank alone, and then packed a meal to bring back." The person pointed at the snacks in Oshima's hands. "It's these."
Oshima asked again, "Did he go to any other places? Did he have contact with others?"
"Does the restaurant staff count? He interacted with them."
Oshima slapped his palm. Afterward, he took out five yuan and handed it over to the person.
Taking the money, the person happily left.
Oshima was also happy, returned to his stall, and continued to eat the preserved egg and lean meat porridge.
In the evening, Oshima prepared a table of good dishes, different from yesterday.
Pork patties steamed with eggs! White radish stewed with pork! Braised pork! Spare rib vermicelli soup.
On the dining table, Oshima strongly encouraged Zhou Lin to drink.
Knowing he would go out at night, Zhou Lin agreed to drink. He drank almost two bottles and finally got drunk.
If it weren't for Oshima grabbing him quickly, Zhou Lin would have crawled under the table.
Oshima drank less than a bottle.
He helped Zhou Lin into the room, laid a quilt on the floor, and put Zhou Lin on it.
Anyway, this room had been renovated. On the original floor, a layer of wooden flooring was added 50 centimeters above.
In this way, sleeping on the floor wouldn't be damp.
As soon as Zhou Lin's head touched the bedding, he immediately fell asleep.
Oshima left Zhou Lin's room and went to the toilet's roof just like yesterday.
This time, he had a plan. After climbing the tree, Oshima didn't climb forward. He hugged a branch for ten minutes.
During these ten minutes, his eyes were fixed on Zhou Lin's door.
If Zhou Lin came out, Oshima would see him.
Ten minutes passed, and Oshima didn't see Zhou Lin come out.
So, he climbed down from the tree.
After climbing down, he walked more than a hundred meters. He repeated the same routine, climbing in that place. He lay on the ground like a frog.
Another ten minutes passed.
Oshima stopped bothering and stood up, quickly leaving.
While drinking so much, Zhou Lin still wasn't drunk. All that alcohol flowed out from his feet.
While climbing the tree, Zhou Lin heard it.
Keep in mind that a person weighing over 190 pounds climbing on a tree branch will make the branch squeak.
The fat pig is too heavy! The tree couldn't bear it!
Knowing this, Zhou Lin didn't care and wouldn't follow.
He knew what Oshima was going to do tonight. Why bother joining in the fun?
Even if the person from the Military Statistics Bureau finds issues with Zhou Lin, he can't change the result. If the person from the Military Statistics Bureau can't find anything, there's no point in following them.
In any case, Zhou Lin was confident: you won't find out my details!