Code Name Scavenger? Then What Does That Make Us?

The first pale light of dawn was just appearing on the horizon, and Shanghai's morning mist still shrouded the streets and alleys of Zhabei.

A piercing police siren shattered the silence.

Japanese and puppet patrol cars raced toward Fangua Lane in convoys, their wheels rumbling thunderously over the cobblestones. The once-deserted shantytown was instantly surrounded by Japanese soldiers and Chinese collaborators, with no way in or out.

Satō, a major in the Special Higher Police, stood grim-faced in front of Ground-Rolling Dragon's ransacked shack. His right hand gripped the military saber at his waist so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

Overnight.

The ambush he had painstakingly laid had been wiped clean without a sound.

The bait had escaped, the big fish had not been caught, and more than twenty elite agents had vanished into thin air-not a drop of blood or a single belonging remained.

Satō's vision kept darkening, and he could not shake the feeling that a pair of eyes was watching him from the shadows. That unseen enemy was laughing freely at his stupidity and incompetence.

"Seal off all of Zhabei and search every house! Arrest and interrogate anyone suspicious!"

Satō roared hysterically, his eyes red and bloodshot.

As soon as he finished speaking, an agent hurried over, stood at attention, and bowed.

"Major, sir, the chief orders you to return to headquarters immediately for an emergency meeting!"

"Understood!"

Satō gritted his teeth, turned back, and snapped out orders.

"You stay here and continue the search. Thoroughly check every road in and out of Zhabei, and notify the puppet police and the police station to cooperate fully! If you let a single person escape, you'll face military punishment!"

"Yes, sir!"

The atmosphere in the meeting room at the Japanese Special Higher Police headquarters was as oppressive as a deep freeze, and even the air carried a bone-chilling cold.

At the head of the table, Special Higher Police chief Kuroiwa Masao wore a sinister expression, his brow tightly furrowed and an air of hostility warning everyone to keep their distance. Beside him sat Satō, his cheeks slightly swollen and five distinct finger marks still visible on his face. Clearly, the chief had just punished him severely.

Everyone attending the meeting was present: Asano Makoto, chief of the Intelligence Section, the captains of the field teams, and the director of the puppet police. They all sat stiffly upright, staring straight ahead, not daring to breathe too loudly.

"Satō, brief us on the situation."

Kuroiwa Masao gave the order in a deep voice.

"Yes, sir!"

Satō immediately stood at attention, his back rigid, his eyes full of humiliation and resentment.

"Five days ago, we received a reliable tip and successfully destroyed a Communist underground liaison station. But they put up fierce resistance, and we failed to capture any of their key personnel."

He cleared his throat awkwardly and continued his report.

"The day before yesterday, we located two fugitives again. One of them was seriously wounded. Our unit decided to lay an ambush and wait for a Communist rescue team, intending to capture them all in one sweep. But..."

"But last night, the two agents tracking and watching them, along with more than twenty Imperial elites participating in the ambush, all disappeared! The two Communists also slipped completely out of our surveillance!"

Kuroiwa Masao slammed the table and sprang to his feet, making the teacups rattle.

"This is the result of all your painstaking efforts?!"

Satō immediately bowed at a ninety-degree angle.

"I'm sorry, teacher! I have failed to live up to your expectations! I am willing to accept any punishment, including... seppuku!"

Kuroiwa Masao waved a weary hand, his expression exhausted.

"If seppuku could destroy the enemy, I would be the first to die. Sit down."

He looked around the room, his voice low and grave.

"Gentlemen, this is not the time to assign blame. Though Zhabei has been sealed off, I believe the enemy has long since escaped. Our priority is to identify the enemy and find out where they came from!"

With that, Kuroiwa Masao turned his gaze to Asano Makoto, chief of the Intelligence Section.

Asano Makoto wore a crisp uniform and thin-framed glasses perched on his nose. His eyes were sinister and guarded. Holding a thick investigation report, he spoke in a deep voice.

"Chief, the ambush site in Fangua Lane has been thoroughly examined. Twenty-three Special Higher Police elites disappeared without a trace-there were no shell casings, bloodstains, or signs of a struggle at the scene. Only the back wall of the shack was riddled with bullet holes. The evidence shows that the enemy made precise kills through the wall."

"Speak your mind. This incident is baffling to begin with." Kuroiwa Masao motioned for him to continue.

"Yes, sir!"

Asano Makoto paused, his tone growing even more measured.

"In my judgment, there are only two possibilities for how the enemy precisely located the people behind the wall. First, they had a professional spotter working with accurate supporting fire. Second... the enemy possesses detection abilities beyond ordinary reason. For example... the ability to see through walls."

He furtively raised his eyes to study Kuroiwa's expression. Only when he saw that the other man was not angry did he continue.

"I lean toward the first possibility. The enemy acted professionally and was well equipped. This is definitely beyond the capabilities of local Communist or Kuomintang forces. I suspect an outside power was involved-the Soviet Union, Germany, or the United States are all possibilities."

Kuroiwa Masao nodded in satisfaction.

The Intelligence Section's analysis was thorough and very reasonable.

"Make the arrangements immediately. All six field teams are to deploy in plain clothes and focus on checking unfamiliar faces who have recently entered the country, especially Westerners. The puppet police are to cooperate fully. The Intelligence Section is to contact the Germans and check whether they have records of similar special operations teams. Move out at once!"

Everyone rose and prepared to leave.

The director of the puppet police, who had been ignored all this time, suddenly raised his hand and spoke with a fawning smile.

"Chief, sir, I have a suggestion. Why not give this enemy force a code name? Since they don't leave a single trace after they strike, how about calling them 'Scavenger'?"

The remark instantly ignited Satō's anger.

He leaped to his feet, rushed up to the director, and slapped him three times in quick succession. Each slap rang out sharply.

"Baka! Scavenger? Then what does that make the Empire's elites? Garbage for someone to sweep away?!"

"That's enough."

Kuroiwa Masao coldly stopped the enraged Satō, saving the bewildered director, whose mouth was bleeding.

"The code name will be 'Lone Wolf.' Satō, come to my office."

With that, Kuroiwa left the meeting room without looking back. As the others gathered their documents, they all discreetly mocked the director for being too clever for his own good before hurrying away.

The director held his stinging cheek, growing angrier the more he thought about it. He raised a hand and slapped himself, muttering a curse under his breath.

"Serves you right for opening your mouth! Next time there's a meeting, I'll keep quiet even if it kills me! Sss-those Japanese bastards really hit hard!"

Someone leaked the story, and it soon spread through the streets of Shanghai.

The code name "Scavenger," which the Japanese had rejected, spread even further instead. Everyone knew that an extraordinarily capable anti-Japanese hero who specialized in killing Japanese soldiers had appeared in Shanghai, and they all clapped and cheered.

Meanwhile, Kuroiwa Masao took his student back to his office.

"Sit down."

"I'm not worthy of sitting!"

"Sit down. To tell the truth, you made no major mistakes in handling this incident. This enemy really is difficult to deal with. You were simply unlucky to run into them."

"Thank you for your understanding, teacher!"

Satō picked up the kettle and filled the cup in front of his teacher before sitting down.

Kuroiwa Masao took a sip of water and slowly began to speak.

"I asked you here to remind you of something. The Intelligence Section's second theory just now seemed absurd, but it was quite interesting."

"Teacher..."

Kuroiwa Masao waved a hand to interrupt him.

"China's history is far too long, and every dynasty has had many extraordinary people and strange occurrences. If we want to occupy China for the long term, we must study China and understand it. Go make contact with the Green Gang. They move among the common people and have good sources of information. They know more about these strange tales and secrets than we do."

"Yes, sir! Thank you for the lesson, teacher!"

Satō bowed in acknowledgment, turned, and strode toward the door. Just as he reached for the handle, Kuroiwa Masao's voice rang out coldly behind him again.

"By the way, there's one more thing."

Satō immediately stopped, turned around, and lowered his head to receive his orders.

"Please instruct me, teacher."

A flash of disgust crossed Kuroiwa Masao's eyes, and his tone turned icy and cutting.

"Find someone reliable and plant him in the puppet police as deputy director. The current director is useless. He can't accomplish anything, but he's good at ruining things. If he weren't the puppet mayor's brother-in-law, I would have shot him long ago-keeping him around is a waste of food."

"Yes, sir! I'll take care of it immediately. I'll be sure to select someone loyal, reliable, and efficient. I won't disappoint you, teacher!"

Satō bowed again, pushed open the door, and hurried away.