Chapter 38: Unfinished
Dai Su personally made a trip to Shanghai and arrived at the Seventh Division.
He interrogated Kuang Chenggong for a duration spanning two hours.
Kuang Chenggong's spirits had recovered. He answered whatever was asked of him.
The story, when spoken, is somewhat melodramatic.
During Kuang Chenggong's studies in Japan, he fell in love with a girl, impregnating her.
The girl's family beat Kuang Chenggong and expelled him from Japan.
Upon returning to China, Kuang Chenggong utilized his family's wealth to establish a local militia.
Eventually, the militia was reorganized into the Seventh Division, with Kuang Chenggong appointed as the deputy division commander and the leader of the third regiment.
At this time, the girl's brother came to China and found Kuang Chenggong.
The brother presented a photograph—a picture of a woman holding a child.
Accompanying the photo was a letter from the woman to Kuang Chenggong.
The woman informed Kuang Chenggong that the child was his son, named Kuang Siqin.
She recounted the pain of their separation.
After returning to China, Kuang Chenggong got married but had no children.
Therefore, the child born to the Japanese woman became Kuang Chenggong's only descendant.
The brother of the woman used the son as leverage, compelling Kuang Chenggong to serve the Japanese intelligence agency. If he refused, he would never see his son again.
In the Chinese tradition, "lack of filial piety comes in three, with having no descendants being the greatest."
In other words: there are three forms of unfilial behavior, with having no heirs being the most significant.
In the end, Kuang Chenggong yielded and agreed to work for the Japanese.
In these years, the Japanese did not approach him for any tasks, and he enjoyed a quiet life.
Since the Seventh Division moved to Shanghai, Kuang Chenggong's troubles began.
The brother of the Japanese woman came to Shanghai to see him once again.
This time, the brother did not seek information about the Seventh Division. According to him, the information about the Seventh Division was of no use.
If Kuang Chenggong could provide valuable intelligence, then he promised to bring his sister and son to Shanghai for a meeting.
Under this temptation, Kuang Chenggong provided information about the Seventh Division's plan to raid the Japanese ammunition depot, nearly resulting in the destruction of the entire division.
After hearing this, Dai Su cursed, "Nation or family, which is greater?"
Zhou Lin accompanied the interrogation and raised a question.
"I once tracked a Japanese special agent to the gate of the Seventh Division. The agent made a phone call at the public telephone booth outside the gate. Later, he met someone in a small grove. I've smelled the scent of that person before, but during my time in the Seventh Division, I never saw that person. Are there people from the Seventh Division not in the camp?"
Kuang Chenggong replied, "All of the Seventh Division's personnel are on duty, except for me in the hospital. There shouldn't be anyone like you described."
Zhou Lin said, "I personally witnessed the Japanese agent making a call, and then someone met him in the grove."
"How does that person look?" Kuang Chenggong inquired.
Zhou Lin truthfully replied, "He concealed himself well."
Kuang Chenggong said, "If my guess is correct, that person is not from the Seventh Division. Since you didn't see him leave through the main gate, he must have come from elsewhere. Perhaps after the phone call, he drove to the Seventh Division, concealed his car, and walked over."
Zhou Lin said, "But the information he presented was a detailed military deployment map of the Seventh Division, down to the platoon level."
Kuang Chenggong pondered and said, "There are two possibilities. One is that he is from a higher military command. Driving from there to the Seventh Division would only take twenty minutes. He lied to the Japanese agent, pretending to be from the Seventh Division."
Dai Su nodded, "That's a possibility."
"The other possibility is that he is not from the higher command but received the military deployment map from someone within the Seventh Division. He brought that information to deliver to the Japanese."
Zhou Lin admitted that Kuang Chenggong's analysis made sense.
Zhou Lin asked, "Is Jin Wei's family in Suzhou?"
"Yes! I had a niece take care of them. The address is 17 Huaqian Street, Suzhou. Can I ask you something?"
"Please."
"Did Jin Wei report me?"
Zhou Lin shook his head, "He's dead! Committed suicide by poisoning."
It took Kuang Chenggong a while to regain his composure. He sighed and said, "I owe him an apology! I have some money at home; please pass it on to his family."
Zhou Lin shook his head, "No need. We won't tell his family the true circumstances. We'll say he went to the Northeast. This way, his family will still have hope."
When Kuang Chenggong left, he said to Zhou Lin, "The Japanese who harmed me is named Kinmaru Sankichi. According to him, in China, he's not the only one serving for him."
In the interrogation room, only Dai Su and Zhou Lin remained.
Dai Su praised, "You, young man, are even stronger than the old agents."
Zhou Lin said, "This case is not closed yet."
"You mean the person hiding himself."
"Yes! I came to the Seventh Division and didn't find that person. This indicates he's not from the Seventh Division. But he can obtain information from the Seventh Division, proving he's a very capable person. This person poses a significant threat to us."
Dai Su said, "Do you want to continue?"
"Yes! I came to the Seventh Division originally to find him. Instead, I solved another case, but the person I was looking for has no leads. So, I have to keep looking, with finding him as my main goal."
Dai Su patted Zhou Lin's shoulder and said, "Then keep looking. Wang Hong and the others will still cooperate with your actions."
"Got it!"
Dai Su looked at Zhou Lin and said, "Your dad asked me to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"What's the deal between you and Xie Tingting?"
Zhou Lin smirked, "That's not my dad's style. He doesn't care about these things."
"Guessed right! I went to your house, and your mom asked me to inquire. Tell the truth."
Zhou Lin thought for a moment and said, "Beyond friendship, but not yet lovers."
"That's the spirit! I've seen her; she's a nice girl, a model wife."
Model wife and mold? What kind of talk is this?
Zhou Lin said, "It depends on her. By the way, Commander, how will the Seventh Division handle this major incident?"
"The internal cleanliness of the Seventh Division is still uncertain. Therefore, they will be transferred from Shanghai."
"To where?"
"Wuhan!"
Wuhan? Not bad!
In the evening, Zhou Lin was reading in his room when there was a knock on the door.
Zhou Lin opened the door and saw Xie Tingting standing outside.
In her hands, she held a bamboo box, from which the fragrance of dishes wafted.
"So fragrant!" Zhou Lin exaggeratedly said.
Xie Tingting said, "I made three dishes, busy all afternoon. Bring them over; let's taste them. I also know your mission is over. You'll leave the Seventh Division, so I came to talk."
Zhou Lin looked at the girl with those red eyes and advised, "I haven't received orders yet. Even if I leave, we can write letters, make calls, or send telegrams. Sending telegrams is much more convenient."
Xie Tingting immediately became happy, "I can write to you, make calls, and send telegrams?"
"Of course!"
After that, Zhou Lin took out three translated Chinese books, "I've translated these three books for you. Study them well. Perhaps in the future, you'll become a female general."
"Okay!"
(End of this chapter)