Spying

43 Plotting

“Huh? Sister Lan, did Wenrang convince you?”

The first to react to Lan Youyin’s words was A Mang, who looked at her in surprise—she had clearly been opposed just yesterday.

“I didn’t say anything,” Yin Wenrang cut in before Lan Youyin could speak, raising his chin toward Ren Shaobai, whose expression had darkened. “She wasn’t persuaded by me to decide Okamura Neiji must die. She wants to drag Mr. Ren into this assassination plot so he can never betray us afterward.”

“Sorry for looking into your personnel file, but you checked mine too, so let’s call it even,” Lan Youyin said to Ren Shaobai.

She showed no remorse for publicly exposing his wounds, Ren Shaobai thought.

As he studied her face, an untimely curiosity struck him: How did she manage to be so cold-hearted, so single-mindedly focused on her goals, indifferent to others’ suffering? Realizing this, the turmoil in his heart eased, and he smiled. “I thought Chief Lan already had enough leverage.”

“Leverage is one thing. Whether I trust you is another,” Lan Youyin replied.

Ren Shaobai feigned regret with an exaggerated “Ah,” sighing, “I thought we were already partners. Otherwise, as early as yesterday, I should’ve called the Xuzhou Military Medical Department to report that this ‘Commissioner Gao’ isn’t surnamed Gao at all—oh, pardon me, what is your surname?” He suddenly turned to Yin Wenrang.

“No need for formalities—it’s Yin.”

“Ah, Brother Yin—I’m a few years older, so I hope you don’t mind me calling you that?”

“You flatter me, Brother Ren. Please, go ahead.”

Lan Youyin watched their sudden brotherly camaraderie with utter bewilderment.

Before she could interrupt their insincere pleasantries, a third person chimed in, as if afraid of being left out: “I’m surnamed Lu—like the deer. But you can just call me A Mang, Brother Ren.”

Ren Shaobai quickly extended a hand. “Pleasure to meet you! Might I ask if you’re from the Central Plains Lu clan or the Xianbei Lu clan?”

“No idea. But my old man said we’re distantly related to Lu Chuanlin, the Grand Councillor during Emperor Guangxu’s reign.”

“Good heavens! Then you’re also kin to Lu Zhonglin, one of General Feng Yuxiang’s Five Tiger Generals? Brother A Mang, my apologies for not recognizing your esteemed lineage—”

“Ren Shaobai, what are you doing?” Lan Youyin finally snapped as the conversation veered further off track.

Ren Shaobai grinned. “As Chief Lan said, since we’re plotting together, it’s only right to learn about each other’s backgrounds.”

Lan Youyin was speechless. After all her calculations, she had no choice but to work with Ren Shaobai—but why did he have to be so infuriating?

The infuriating man remained oblivious, continuing, “From what Brother A Mang said earlier, was it Brother Yin’s idea to assassinate Okamura Neiji? Then, if I may ask, why would Brother Yin take such a drastic step—targeting someone under the Defense Ministry’s heavy protection?” Ren Shaobai turned to Yin Wenrang, his heart full of vengeance for Lan Youyin’s earlier exposure of his family’s pain, yet his face wore an expression of genuine curiosity.

Yin Wenrang knew full well his own wounds had long since calloused over, so he played along emotionlessly. “Brother Ren and I share the same misfortune.”

Ren Shaobai sighed softly, then asked, “And what about Brother A Mang?”"Me?" A Mang instinctively replied, "I just follow Sister Lan—"

"Enough," Lan Youyin interrupted again. "This is an assassination mission, not a matchmaking session. Why so many questions?"

Everyone immediately fell silent, and the hierarchy among them was instantly established. Although Ren Shaobai hadn't yet uncovered the truth he truly sought, he knew that step by step, he would get closer to the answer.

After a while, it was the naturally cheerful A Mang who spoke up first: "So we're really going through with this? Okamura Neiji, who even the international court couldn't convict—we're the ones who'll take him down?"

It sounded almost like a joke, but the speaker's tone was earnest and his expression sincere, as if in his view, assassinating Okamura Neiji was no different from assassinating a Military Intelligence Section special agent. Besides, as with the words he'd been interrupted from finishing earlier, he always followed Lan Youyin.

As for Yin Wenrang, he continued studying Ren Shaobai. What puzzled him was how Lan Youyin, who had so vehemently opposed his "crazy" idea just the day before, could now stand on the same side of madness. Was it this seemingly ordinary man before them who had changed her mind? No, the reason behind this had to be more than just dragging him onto the same boat to avoid being exposed.

But Ren Shaobai seemed to accept this explanation.

He no longer denied his desire to assassinate Okamura Neiji—he didn't trust the military tribunal in Shanghai, didn't trust the presiding judge who had abruptly declared a trial without verdict after taking a phone call during the initial hearing, and least of all trusted that so-called president who was now solely focused on civil war, utterly disregarding the lives of soldiers and civilians.

According to Peng Yongcheng, the more worthwhile plan was to use Okamura Neiji's release to wage a propaganda war. But in such matters, whoever spoke first usually gained the upper hand. The exposé in Xinmin Evening News might have seemed revealing, but Li Helin was fully prepared, immediately holding a press conference. After a round of carefully crafted rhetoric, a few major newspapers would debunk the "rumors" and steer public opinion, and the matter would soon blow over.

After all, for a central government with a complete crisis response system, controlling public sentiment was the easiest thing in the world.

Ren Shaobai had no intention of continuing the discussion with Peng Yongcheng. Even if they sent a coded message to their superiors north of the Yangtze River, the back-and-forth would take time, and he might not get another opportunity like this.

In his view, discipline ultimately couldn't outweigh self-interest.

He pulled out a carefully reassembled map from his breast pocket—the hand-drawn chart of Black Tortoise Lake's Five Continents he'd torn up in front of Lan Youyin.

"Section Chief Lan was right earlier. Assassination is just a matter of practice making perfect."

This was undoubtedly a crazy plan, but by no means a pipe dream.

To avoid drawing attention, the Defense Ministry had kept security at Okamura Neiji's safe house deliberately low-key. In other words, it was far from impenetrable. Back when Sun Fengming attempted to assassinate Wang Jingwei, the security had been far more stringent.

If only Sun Fengming's marksmanship had been slightly better—if he'd hit a vital spot instead of allowing Wang Jingwei to linger for several more years before dying of sepsis—it would have gone down in history as a legendary successful assassination.Inside the photo studio, each of them harbored different thoughts, but when their gazes met, they ultimately settled on Lan Youyin's face.

"The Liang Isle Autumn Chrysanthemums bloom from Mid-Autumn Festival until the Double Ninth Festival, but Okamura Neiji may not stay in Nanjing for long. Xiao Wen will soon leave for Jinan again. We likely only have one chance," Lan Youyin said solemnly. "No—one shot."

The others froze.

The implication was clear: who would be the sniper?

This was a crucial question.

A true sniper needed daily shooting practice, yet Ren Shaobai had rarely visited the firing range since graduating from military academy. He suspected Lan Youyin's success in killing Yang Kaizhi had relied on the element of surprise—and hadn't it been said that without those expanding bullets, Yang Kaizhi wouldn't have died on the spot?

Still, Yin Wenrang and Lu A'mang were probably even less qualified than her.

After their eyes circled the room, everyone's gaze landed on Ren Shaobai again.

"A starved camel is still bigger than a horse," Lan Youyin remarked. "Your file mentions you placed third in the Central Military Academy's marksmanship competition."

Ren Shaobai's eyes widened. "What kind of file records something like that?!"

"Your own autobiography. You sounded quite proud when writing it."

Ren Shaobai had no choice but to fall silent.

"Who were the top two?" A Mang asked.

"The second-place winner died at Menglianggu. The first was Director Lu of the Confidentiality Bureau," Ren Shaobai answered.

"Seems like an unlucky competition," Lan Youyin mocked. "None of the top three met a good end."

She expected Ren Shaobai to retort, but he said nothing.

After a brief silence, Ren Shaobai asked, "The second problem—how do we get the rifle onto Liang Isle?"

Though rifles weren't as bulky as light machine guns, they still couldn't be concealed like handguns. Even if the chrysanthemum exhibition was a civilian event without heavy police security, Ren Shaobai couldn't exactly sling a rifle over his shoulder and strut openly to the sniper's nest, could he?

"We've already disassembled the rifle," Yin Wenrang replied. "The suppressor, scope, bolt in the chamber, then the barrel and stock—oh, and the bullets, of course. Each of us can carry a part, and we can reassemble it quickly."

As he spoke, Ren Shaobai's expression grew increasingly astonished. He couldn't help blurting out, "You prepared this beforehand. It wasn't originally meant for Okamura Neiji."

The other three remained silent.

Ren Shaobai nearly asked, "Then who was it for?" But Lan Youyin cut him off before he could speak.

"The rifle issue is settled. Next is the escape route." She looked at them. "We need to run a simulation."

Though the Mid-Autumn festivities hadn't begun, the chrysanthemums were already starting to bloom in full. From the second floor of the Naval Training Pavilion on Liang Isle's southeastern side, one could see Emerald Isle across the water. A few men patrolled Emerald Bridge—not in police uniforms, yet they stopped unsuspecting tourists who tried to cross.The simulation exercise was designed to have Ren Shaobai quickly assemble rifle parts brought by others, observe the situation on Emerald Bridge from a sniper's perspective, and then execute a retreat drill. The scenario assumed that Okamura Neiji would be shot from the direction of Liangzhou Embankment while on Emerald Bridge. By the time security personnel reacted, Ren Shaobai would have less than a minute to blend into the crowd and flee toward Ring Isle, the area closest to Xuanwu Gate.

A Mang would be waiting there with a car, ready to escape into the city before the park was locked down. Meanwhile, Lan Youyin and Yin Wenrang, stationed below the training platform as lookouts, were tasked with causing a commotion among the tourists to hinder police pursuit.

At four o'clock that afternoon, Ren Shaobai, Yin Wenrang, and A Mang arrived at their designated locations in sequence—only Lan Youyin was nowhere to be seen.

After waiting for nearly a quarter of an hour, Ren Shaobai sensed something was wrong. Lan Youyin was never late, even for work. Something must have happened. He instructed Yin Wenrang and A Mang to return to the photo studio first while he went to check Lan Youyin’s home.

"I'll go with you," Yin Wenrang said.

Ren Shaobai shook his head. "I'm the confidential secretary of the Second Department of the Ministry of Defense. If something really has gone wrong, my status will be more useful."

Yin Wenrang hesitated but didn’t insist.

When Ren Shaobai arrived at Lan Youyin’s home in Peach Blossom Village, he knocked for a long time with no response and assumed she wasn’t there. Just as he was about to leave, however, he heard an extremely faint sound— tap, tap, tap…

Without hesitation, he kicked the door open.

— Bang!

The next moment, he saw Lan Youyin lying lifeless on the floor. The only sign that she was still breathing was the faint, rhythmic tapping of her left index finger against the floorboards.

She had heard Ren Shaobai knocking but was too weak to make a sound. With the last of her strength, she could only signal him this way.

"Lan Youyin!"

Ren Shaobai rushed over and lifted her from the floor. Before he could ask what had happened, he saw her face deathly pale, her breathing ragged, her consciousness barely clinging on—as if she might slip away at any moment.

"Lan Youyin!" He called her name loudly, trying to rouse her, but to little effect.

Then he spotted two empty medicine bottles on the floor beside her. He grabbed them and read the labels—sleeping pills. Had she tried to take her own life? But he immediately dismissed the thought. Lan Youyin was trembling violently in his arms, a symptom inconsistent with a sleeping pill overdose.

"I’m taking you to the hospital!" he said.

Just as he was about to lift her, he felt her grip tighten weakly around his wrist. Ren Shaobai looked down and saw her lips trembling, struggling to speak. No sound came out, but finally, with immense effort, she managed the faintest shake of her head.

"What is it? What’s wrong?" Ren Shaobai leaned closer, pressing his ear to her lips, and at last caught her words—

"Tran…quilizer…"Ren Shaobai's heart tightened, but his arm unconsciously loosened. However, the next second, when he felt Lan Youyin's body slipping away again, he quickly pulled her close, letting her entire weight lean against him.

Then, he grasped her hand and said in a deep voice, "Lan Youyin, follow my lead now. Exhale—inhale—slowly, exhale slowly—inhale— You can hear me, right? Listen to me, you're safe now. You're at home, and I'm here with you. You'll be fine, you won't die—"

Ren Shaobai had heard others mention that this was a condition Western doctors called a "panic attack," often seen in soldiers discharged from the military—likely a battlefield aftereffect, triggered by some kind of obsessive disorder.

But Lan Youyin… Ren Shaobai looked down at the woman who had nearly frightened him to death, countless questions flooding his mind: Why do you have this condition? What caused it? What kind of sedatives are you taking? Have you been following the doctor's orders? Why, even after taking the medicine, are you still like this…

"Good, keep exhaling—inhaling—" Ren Shaobai's voice was steady and firm. As he guided her, he finally felt relieved to sense Lan Youyin's heart rate gradually stabilizing.