Chapter 14: Rendezvous
In the afternoon, Zhou Lin once again stood before that wall.
The turtle; that's what was being referred to.
Upon Zhou Lin's arrival, he noticed a change.
Something extra had been added to his turtle drawing.
On the drawing, just above the main river, six digits were written: 125621.
Seeing these numbers, Zhou Lin smiled.
Finally, the rendezvous.
These were digits, but more precisely, a telephone code.
Anyone who saw this drawing wouldn't think it was a phone number because Shanghai's phone numbers are four digits, while these numbers are six.
In Sato's memory, this was a phone number.
Add the first digit to the second, then add the sixth digit to the fifth.
The modified numbers are 3563.
After reading, Zhou Lin turned and left. After walking fifty meters, he entered a phone booth and dialed the number.
The call connected, answered by a woman.
"Who are you looking for?" she asked.
Zhou Lin said, "Yesterday, I caught a turtle. Do you want it?"
The woman replied, "A turtle? Good stuff. An hour later, on the second floor of Defeng Teahouse, there's a woman in a red qipao holding a copy of 'Camille.'"
After that, the call ended.
Checking his watch, Zhou Lin had enough time.
Leaving the phone booth, he took a yellow cab to the Great World.
He didn't go directly to Defeng Teahouse; being followed was a risk. Going to the Great World first, checking for pursuers, and then proceeding to Defeng Teahouse was a safer plan.
Arriving at the Great World, he confirmed no one was tailing him before heading to Defeng Teahouse.
Don't underestimate military intelligence. The Central Intelligence Agency and other special agents don't care whether you belong to military intelligence; if they can snatch intelligence sources, they'll kill.
Moreover, Zhou Lin was currently disguised as a Japanese spy.
At the agreed time, Zhou Lin entered the second floor of Defeng Teahouse.
On the left side by the window sat a woman.
She was in her twenties, wearing a red qipao, and holding a book – 'Camille.'
Observing the surroundings, Zhou Lin approached.
Reaching the woman, he said, "Just finished a deal, sorry for being late."
Without looking up, the woman closed the book and handed it to Zhou Lin. "I returned your book. If you're late for a date, you're not serious. Goodbye."
The woman walked away.
Zhou Lin felt many eyes on him; those people seemed to take pleasure in his misfortune.
Holding the book, he prepared to leave.
A waiter stopped Zhou Lin: "Sir, your girlfriend hasn't paid for the tea."
Zhou Lin paid the tea bill and left the teahouse angrily.
Outside, he felt something was amiss.
Why would this happen if she arranged to meet me?
If she didn't want to meet, there was no need to leave a phone number or set up a meeting at Defeng Teahouse.
At a wall, Zhou Lin took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a puff.
Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.
Could it be this book?
Immediately, Zhou Lin opened the book.
Indeed, a note was tucked inside.
The note contained a string of numbers.
Seeing the numbers, Zhou Lin was puzzled again. What do you want?
The last time, the numbers were a phone number.
This time, it surely wasn't a telephone code; there were too many numbers.
Numerous digits in a row, no discernible pattern.
Zhou Lin grasped onto two words: pattern.
As a special agent, he was sensitive to numbers, especially those with patterns.
Morse code!
Zhou Lin quickly counted the sixty digits on the note.
Dividing by four, exactly fifteen sets of numbers.
Four digits formed one character; this meant fifteen characters.
With a code in hand, but no password.
Zhou Lin looked at the book, wondering if 'Sato' held some unknown information.
Immediately, he accessed Sato's memories again, scrutinizing every detail.
After three thorough examinations, Zhou Lin finally noticed a neglected detail.
It was the place where Colonel met Sato.
The room, the desk, and the items on the desk.
Besides office supplies, there was a book.
At that time, Sato only glanced at it and lost interest. The memory was faint, fleeting.
Because it was a Chinese book.
Sato, being Japanese, wasn't interested in Chinese books, so he looked away.
Now, reviewing it, Zhou Lin saw the title: "Golden Powder Family."
"Golden Powder Family," acclaimed as the "Red Chamber Dream of the Republic," a novel by Zhang Henshui.
"Golden Powder Family" was even more famous than Zhang Henshui himself, influencing several generations.
At 29, Zhang Henshui became famous with the novel "Spring Ming's External History," which was serialized for five years. Just as "Spring Ming's External History" concluded, "Golden Powder Family" was about to be published. Serialized in the "World Daily" for five years and four months, readers eagerly awaited each installment...