NABC Chapter 3 Changing the Password Book
Chapter 3 Changing the Password Book
Yan Shuo quickly familiarized himself with the system, swiping his finger across the virtual panel to confirm the functions before hurrying towards the public phone booth on the street corner. The booth was small, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares could be faintly heard from the street. He covered the receiver and lowered his voice, "Brother! It's me, Xiao Shuo!"
"My dear brother!" Victor's voice was tinged with laughter, and the faint sound of knocking at a bank counter drifted in the background. "It's so good to hear your voice! Your sister was talking about you last night, wondering when you'd be coming home."
"I'll come back after I'm done with this busy period. Is everything alright, sister?" Yan Shuo tapped his fingertips against the pavilion wall, trying to sound natural.
"All's fine, don't worry." Victor paused for a moment. "Call me again before I leave work, and let her talk to you."
"Okay." Yan Shuo changed the subject, "By the way, brother, do me a favor—subscribe to a month's worth of 'Xiyou Magazine' for 334 Tongwu Road in Shancheng. The contact number is 3589-654-55. My friend has been craving this magazine for a long time, but he can't get it locally. Tell him after you subscribe; his surname is Huang."
"No problem at all!" Victor readily agreed. "I'll have someone take care of it right away."
After hanging up the phone, Yan Shuo turned into the bookstore on the corner. The owner looked up and greeted him, "What would you like to look at, sir?" He casually flipped through a few novels and magazines, then picked up two newspapers from different publishers, and finally picked up a copy of "Drama Friends Magazine" and sandwiched it between his pockets. He paid for it, put it in his pocket, and walked back without stopping.
Judging by the time, it was about right. He slipped back into the phone booth and dialed a number in Xi'an. When the call connected, his sister Yan Ying's voice was urgent: "Xiao Shuo? Are you safe there?"
"Don't worry, everything is fine." Yan Shuo chatted casually, "Dad's medicinal herb business hasn't been affected, has it? You and your brother-in-law should take good care of yourselves." The siblings chatted about trivial matters for a few minutes, and then Yan Shuo hung up the phone without saying anything more.
Back in the mountain city, Zhang Jie was munching on a steamed bun when he received the subscription notification from the newspaper. Seeing the keywords "Drama Enthusiast Magazine," "surname Huang," and "No. 334 Tongwu Road," he nearly dropped the bun—instantly remembering Yan Shuo's parting promise, a cold sweat broke out on his back. Once the magazine was in his hands, he tore off the agreed-upon jump page without a word, clutched the magazine, and ran towards the central office, his leather shoes clattering on the stone pavement.
Upon arriving near Dai Li's office, he first made a phone call from a public phone and was led to Dai Li within minutes. Zhang Jie handed over the magazine with both hands, his voice trembling slightly: "Director, this is Yan Shuo's signal. We agreed that page 7 would be considered page 1, and the sample page numbers are P12, P27, and P31. We'll take even-numbered sequences, take words every other character, and assemble sentences in reverse order." He stood there, his legs trembling slightly, not daring to look up at Dai Li.
Dai Li stared at him and smiled for a few seconds, then turned to his confidant Mao Wei: "Arrange for someone to make contact, give him some money, and let him go in two hours."
"Yes!" Mao Wei led Zhang Jie to the pavilion in the backyard, where servants quickly brought out tea, fruit, and snacks. Zhang Jie gulped down his tea, muttering to himself, "You brat, don't try anything too exciting next time!"
The Military Intelligence Bureau's codebreakers were extremely efficient, deciphering hundreds of commonly used characters into new codes within two hours. Yan Shuo's task was even simpler; with a tap of his finger on the miniature transmitter he had redeemed through the system, a new code was generated in less than a minute. He turned on the machine, tuned the frequency, and heard a buzzing sound of electricity through his headset. Shortly after the call sign was sent, he received a response from Chongqing.
Fingers flew across the keys, and the message was transmitted: "Director, Red Bean reports, new password received. This code can be used once. Over!"
A few minutes later, a reply in Morse code arrived. Yan Shuo confirmed the new code was in effect and immediately compiled core intelligence: "Reporting to the Director, Hongdou reports that the Shanghai Military Intelligence Station was attacked at 13:00 today. The Special Operations Headquarters, the Military Police, and the Special Higher Police were all involved in the operation. I and Maodou escaped by changing lanes 100 meters from the scene. It is estimated that the station chief and more than 20 people inside the station were killed or arrested. I dare not contact anyone now, and it is difficult to distinguish friend from foe. I suspect there is a mole within the station, and the code has also been leaked. I fear there may also be problems at headquarters. I have exhausted my remaining funds for maintaining informants. I request the Director to give instructions on the mission, and to distribute funds and weapons and ammunition. All existing safe houses have been abandoned. Over!"
In Chongqing, Dai Li, upon seeing the telegram, slammed his hand on the table, the teacup rattling loudly. "Damn it!" he cried, his face ashen. "What kind of work has Lin Zhou done? He actually let headquarters be taken over!"
Mao Wei and several close associates kept their heads down, not daring to breathe, and no one dared to speak. Dai Li paced back and forth, thinking to himself: Yan Shuo and Li Zhiyao were both new recruits from the first batch of recruits in Linyi, with the rank of lieutenant. They had only been in Shanghai for half a year, and their internship and work experience meant they knew limited core secrets. Even if they trained informants for a few months, they wouldn't have accumulated much intelligence. Now that they were alive, they were probably terrified and wouldn't even dare to use the safe house.
"Open a HSBC account for them and transfer a lot of money over there." Dai Li stopped and instructed, "Have them keep things calm for now and check on the movements of No. 76. Find an opportunity to investigate the previous safe house and dead mailbox. If you're confident, transfer the supplies and information; if not, put it aside for now and reorganize when the new station chief arrives."
"Yes, Director!" Mao Wei immediately went to make the arrangements.
Not long after, Yan Shuo, as agreed, found the dead mailbox deep in the alley, took out the key wrapped in oil paper—his fingertips brushed against the dust inside the mailbox, and he cautiously looked around to make sure no one was following him before taking the key to HSBC Bank. Opening the safe, a heavy 2000 yuan in legal tender and a confidential mission letter landed in his palm. He quickly packed his things, his steps lighter, and turned to hurry back to his residence, preparing to discuss the next move with Li Zhiyao.
"The host has received 600 emotion points."
"The host has received 3600 emotion points."
"The host has received 1100 emotion points."
"The host has received 800 emotion points."
"The host has received 800 emotion points."
"The host has received 600 emotion points."
"The host has received 300 emotion points."
……
what!
"Xiao Zhi, where did all these emotion points come from?" Yan Shuo looked at the panel. It had only been a few hours, how come he had received over 10,000 emotion points?
"Host, this is the emotional value of a big shot at headquarters in the mountain city. It's just that you're too far away, so it's a bit lower. Um, inter-provincial roaming fees will be deducted, so it's been discounted. The discount varies depending on the distance. The farther away, the greater the discount."
"Oh!" Yan Shuo glanced at it, then looked at the date on the newspaper: November 4, 1938. Hmm, considering the history, something big must be happening now.
Never mind, let's compile a strategic-level intelligence report first. It's going to happen anyway, so we can't deny it.
Li Zhiyao went to the market to buy groceries and came back to find Yan Shuo drafting a telegram.
After glancing at the contents, Li Zhiyao exclaimed in surprise, "Is this true? How did you know?"
"Yes, my informant told me. You go cook first, I'll send the message in a bit. Keep an eye on things outside for me, this message is a bit long."