The switch

Chang Jiu froze for a moment. "That's right, his name was Chen Zhongming. Gao Laoquan said his father was an itinerant merchant who worked alone. He did business in Shanghai in his early years, but later Boss Du's men caught him reselling smuggled goods in the French Concession."

"After that, there was no more news of him. I heard he went to Jinling."

"Master Rong, you knew him?"

"More than knew him..." Rui Qingrong sneered. "Chen Fan, Chen Fan. I kept wondering why that name sounded so familiar. So it really is him. Enemies really do keep crossing paths."

"Well, well. The father left, and now the son has come back."

"In that case, that batch of smuggled goods and this Chen Trading Company of his are aimed squarely at us."

"I wondered how he had the nerve to swallow up both Old Knife Handle's goods and his distribution channels. Turns out he's been waiting ten years for his revenge..."

Chang Jiu understood at once. "Brother Rong, you mean this kid has a grudge against you..."

"Of course he does. A blood feud, at that..." Rui Qingrong sneered. "But a wet-behind-the-ears brat like him won't find it so easy to deal with me."

A blood feud? Where had that come from?

Seeing the confusion in Chang Jiu's eyes, Rui Qingrong rose, walked over to the statue of Lord Guan behind him, picked up the incense sticks in front of it, lit them, and placed them in the shrine before him.

He then pressed his palms together and bowed devoutly.

Only then did he turn around and say slowly, "Old Knife Handle was the one who sent this kid's father on his way."

Chang Jiu asked in confusion, "Old Knife Handle was involved in this too?"

An odd expression flickered across Rui Qingrong's face. He said slowly, "I thought that since Old Knife Handle had him working for him, he must at least have been on guard against him. I never expected him to fall at this kid's hands anyway."

"The kid went to Old Knife Handle and made a scene over what happened back then, but nothing came of it in the end."

"This time, he came back with nothing in his hands, and there's even less chance that he knows the inside story."

"But when it comes to Old Knife Handle and Jin Xiangyu's disappearance, this kid looks like the biggest suspect."

"If you ask me, Old Knife Handle hasn't disappeared. The kid most likely killed him."

"Heh. So young, and already so ruthless."

At this, a vicious look appeared on Chang Jiu's face. "Master Rong, should I take some men and kill him?"

"Kill him? You?" Rui Qingrong scoffed. "It's not that I look down on you, but he could beat ten of you and still have strength to spare."

Uh... Chang Jiu's eyes bulged in fright...

Rui Qingrong continued, "When Ye Zhuoshan and I arrested him three years ago, I saw with my own eyes just how well this kid could fight."

"He put Boss Du's best fighters on the ground within a few exchanges."

"If we hadn't had guns, he really would have been trouble."

"With your third-rate skills, don't go making fools of yourselves."

"Well, heh, heh..." Chang Jiu chuckled sheepishly twice.

"Then what do we do? Master Rong, this kid is coming for you."

"According to Gao Laoquan, that batch of smuggled goods hasn't appeared on the market since Old Knife Handle disappeared."

"If this kid really did rob another crook, the goods are most likely in his warehouse."

Rui Qingrong frowned. "Old Jiu, do you know where his warehouse is?"

Chang Jiu replied, "I've found out. It's in Zhujiaji, not far from Huishan Wharf."

"The warehouse used to belong to Zhu Youfu. It sat unrented for a while, until the kid rented it the month before last."

"Good." Rui Qingrong's expression hardened. "Gather the men. Tonight, we'll flatten his warehouse."

"Once we find those goods, we'll have the initiative. If he dares sell smuggled goods in Shanghai, it won't just be us. Boss Zhang won't let him off either."

"You're going to kill with a borrowed knife?" Chang Jiu leaned closer as he spoke.

Rui Qingrong glared at Chang Jiu. "Old Jiu, you're getting more and more talkative."

"Tell the brothers: bring the goods back, and I'll reward each man with a hundred silver dollars. If anything goes wrong, don't blame me for showing no mercy..."

Shanghai, Military Police Headquarters.

After five, the offices at Military Police Headquarters were noticeably quieter.

Yoshino Tomokazu made his way to the office of the head of the Logistics Department with practiced familiarity.

"Come in," a stern voice called.

Yoshino Tomokazu entered, first giving a proper bow before sitting down opposite Yoshino Takehiko.

"What is it? Did you need something?" Yoshino Takehiko did not even look up. He continued reviewing documents, waiting for Yoshino Tomokazu to explain why he had come...

Yoshino Tomokazu said respectfully, "There is something. It's about Chen Fan. He would like to buy a batch of arms from us for self-protection."

"Self-protection?" Yoshino Takehiko's hand paused.

Yoshino Takehiko looked up at Yoshino Tomokazu. "What happened? Why does he need to protect himself?"

Yoshino Tomokazu said slowly, "Yamada went to see him this morning. Based on Yamada's account and the information we have,

"his need for self-protection is most likely connected to a confrontation with Shanghai's underworld forces."

"Inoue brought in a report at noon. Old Knife Handle of Shengping Theatre, the middleman who worked with us last time, has disappeared."

"His subordinate Li Wenxiang has now taken over Shengping Theatre."

"Judging from Yamada's interactions with Chen Fan, Old Knife Handle has most likely already been killed by him."

"He wants to use Old Knife Handle's channels to work with us over the long term."

"I think we could lend him a hand at this point."

"If he can establish a stable footing, it will benefit our future development as well."

Yoshino Takehiko frowned. "Didn't your earlier investigation files say his background wasn't complicated?"

"Why do your last two reports make his connections seem far more complicated than we imagined?"

"Tomokazu, do you think this man is suitable for continued cooperation?"

Yoshino Tomokazu froze for a moment. After a brief silence, he nodded.

"Uncle, at least so far, I haven't found another partner who could replace him."

"We do have to take some risks by placing our bets on him."

Yoshino Takehiko tapped lightly on his desk. "You have that much confidence in this Chen Fan?"

Yoshino Tomokazu shook his head. "Uncle, I never put my confidence in anyone. I only want to find someone suitable."

"He appeared at exactly the right time and happens to meet all our needs."

"That's all."

Yoshino Takehiko seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Tomokazu, it's good that you can remain rational."

"In the business you're doing now, there is no absolute trust. The only person you can trust is yourself."

"So, how do you intend to help him solve his weapons problem?"

Yoshino Tomokazu had come prepared. He took a neatly folded draft allocation form from the inside pocket of his overcoat and spread it on the desk.

Pointing to two amended lines, he said, "Training weapons for the Peace and National Salvation Army on Panshi Road."

"The higher-ups approved them just last week. Forty-seven crates in total, mostly Hanyang Type rifles and a few old light machine guns, along with a batch of ammunition."

"The shipment is still sitting in Warehouse Seven at Huishan Wharf. It hasn't been formally handed over."

"Under the procedure, our Materials Allocation Section should issue a transfer order in two days, then you sign off on it, and a convoy delivers it to the barracks on Panshi Road."

"I'd like to hold back some of it..."

Yoshino Takehiko asked impassively, "On what grounds?"

Yoshino Tomokazu answered, "Losses in transit..."

"Nonsense..." Yoshino Takehiko immediately rejected it. "You want to use losses in transit as your excuse?"

"Do you know that the army has specific regulations governing those words, 'losses in transit'?"

"You're responsible for allocation, but to report material losses, you must attach an accident report, the military police's inspection and acceptance records, and the signatures of everyone involved in the handover and warehousing."

"You may be able to buy off Shimura, but can you buy off everyone involved in all those procedures-release from Warehouse Seven, vehicle transport, accident review, handover, verification, and inspection?"

"If you really had that much influence, you wouldn't need to smuggle. How much easier would it be to take things straight from the warehouse..."

Yoshino Takehiko's words left Yoshino Tomokazu drenched in cold sweat. He had thought that with Yamada collecting the goods and Shimura receiving them, reporting losses along the way would solve everything. Now it seemed he had oversimplified things.

Yoshino Takehiko took a breath and looked at Yoshino Tomokazu. "How much time do you have left?"

"Yamada promised him around dusk."

"That Yamada really knows how to make trouble for me." Yoshino Takehiko sighed. "Reporting losses as you suggested definitely won't work, but there is another method we might try."

Yoshino Tomokazu's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked, "What method?"

Yoshino Takehiko said, enunciating every word, "Pull a switch..."