The Hardest Person to Defeat Really Was Yourself

On the morning of the operation, Shanghai saw its first rain since the beginning of winter.

The rain was light and fine, as if sifted from the gray sky. It fell on the bluestone road, splashing up a pale mist, and pattered against the bare branches of the plane trees. Few pedestrians were out. Now and then a rickshaw rolled past, its puller hunched beneath a straw hat pulled low, the wind lifting the hem of his rain cape to reveal heavily patched cotton trousers.

Shen Yan stood at his office window, looking out at the gray sky.

"Captain, here's today's patrol schedule," Yamada said behind him.

Shen Yan turned, took the folder, and casually flipped through it.

"All Special Operations Squad activities are suspended today. No one is allowed to leave. After lunch, collect your equipment from the equipment office. We have a major operation today!" He closed the folder and glanced at Yamada. "You're all switching to Mauser C96s. The Type 14 Nambu's firepower is too weak; it's no use in alley fighting."

"Yes, sir!"

"One more thing." Shen Yan's voice was quiet, but every word was clear. "I know you're one of the empire's elite, but in the Special Operations Squad, you're my man. You will obey my orders to the letter. Do you understand?"

Yamada was silent for a moment. "I understand."

"Go on."

At four that afternoon, in the Special Operations Squad quarters.

The fifteen newcomers were checking their equipment. Some cleaned their guns, others loaded ammunition, each using the work to suppress his nerves. Their newly issued black police uniforms didn't quite fit yet, but every one of them tightened his belt again and again and polished his holster over and over.

Old Chen sat in a corner with a map of the French Concession spread out before him, marking it with a red-and-blue pencil. His police uniform had been washed nearly white, its buttons fastened neatly. The holster at his waist was old but polished to a shine. His teacup sat at his elbow, untouched, as he stared intently at the map.

"Listen up." He looked up and swept his gaze over every newcomer. "For tonight's mission, you're responsible for the outer blockade. Captain Li will lead the main assault from the front, while Captain Shen takes the assault team in from the side to support him. Your job is to hold every intersection. No one gets in or out."

He pointed to several red circles marked on the map. "You, take two men and hold this intersection. You, hold this side. Remember, if you see anyone trying to break out, fire a warning shot. Aim for their legs or arms, not their vital spots. The Japanese have ordered us to take them alive whenever possible. If anyone gets carried away, don't say I didn't warn you! And... don't get too worked up. Your parents didn't have an easy time raising you. Every one of you, take care of yourselves."

The newcomers nodded.

Old Chen checked the map once more to make sure nothing had been missed, then picked up his cup and took a sip. The tea had gone cold. He frowned but swallowed it anyway.

Fang Yuan stood in the middle of the group, cleaning his gun as he silently listened to Old Chen's deployment. His movements were practiced: cleaning the gun, loading it, testing his aim, all in one smooth sequence. It was obvious he had served in the army. Old Chen gave him an extra glance but said nothing.

At seven that evening, on the eastern stretch of Avenue Joffre in the French Concession.

The rain had stopped, leaving the air damp. Shen Yan and the assault team crouched behind a three-story Western-style building, less than two hundred meters from the target. The four men were dressed in black, pressed against the wall and blending into the night.

"Captain, confirmed activity at the target hideout." Yamada kept his voice low, binoculars pressed to his eyes. "Three on the second floor, at least four on the first. There's a hidden sentry at the front door and another at the alley entrance."

Shen Yan nodded.

"Yamada, Matsumoto, when the operation begins, climb over the wall on the left. Takahashi, Miyamoto, take the right. Do not open fire without my order."

"Yes, sir!"

The four were just about to disperse when a car engine sounded at the entrance to the alley. A black sedan rolled slowly toward them with its headlights off and stopped nearby.

The door opened, and Lu Tinghui climbed out.

He wore a dark gray overcoat with the collar turned up. Moonlight fell on his face, but his expression was impossible to make out.

Shen Yan's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he hurried over.

"Director, what brings you here?"

Lu Tinghui glanced toward the target building in the distance. "This is your first time leading a raid since your training. I was a little concerned, so I came to see for myself."

He looked at Shen Yan, his tone level. "Has Li Kui arrived?"

"He has. He's standing by at the front."

Lu Tinghui nodded and said nothing more. He walked behind a low wall and stood with his back against it.

Shen Yan returned to his position and crouched down.

With Lu Tinghui there in person to oversee the operation, things had become more complicated.

But better, too.

When putting on a show, the more distinguished the audience, the better!

The corner of Shen Yan's mouth twitched, then quickly returned to normal.

At 9:10, at the front.

Li Kui crouched behind a military truck, looking at his watch with a confident smile. Behind him stood twenty squad members, all in black police uniforms, Mauser pistols at their waists and rifles in their hands.

"Captain, Shen Yan's team is in position."

"I know." Li Kui snorted.

He glanced at his watch: 9:10. There were fifty minutes left until the agreed time.

"Check your equipment. We're moving early, at 9:30."

"Captain?" The squad member stared at him. "Director Lu said ten-"

"I'll explain it to Director Lu." Li Kui's tone brooked no argument. "I intercepted the intelligence. Why should Shen Yan get half the credit? Do as I say. If anything goes wrong, I'll take responsibility."

Meanwhile, in an abandoned warehouse several hundred meters away, a figure in a short gray cloth jacket and trousers stepped out of the shadows, his face covered with black cloth. His footsteps were light, as silent as a cat's, as he followed the base of the wall toward the building.

It was Shen Yan's clone.

His original body was still crouched in the alley, but his consciousness had split into two streams, controlling both bodies at once. It was a strange feeling, like being alive in two places at the same time.

Inside the building, five people sat around a table in a second-floor room.

The kerosene lamp on the table had been turned down as low as it would go, its dim yellow light illuminating only a small patch of the tabletop. A map of Shanghai hung on the wall, covered in red and blue pencil marks.

Their leader was a man in his forties, with a square face, thick eyebrows, tightly pressed lips, and a strong jaw. He wore a long gray cotton gown with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, exposing sturdy arms and a faint scar on his wrist.

His name was Fang Zheng, the man in charge of the Military Statistics Bureau Shanghai Station's Avenue Joffre contact point. He had attended Whampoa Military Academy and served under Dai Li. He had spent three years undercover in Shanghai, commanded more than a dozen men, and had never made a mistake.

Three very soft knocks came from downstairs.

Everyone froze at once.

Fang Zheng's hand had already gone to the Mauser at his waist, his eyes sweeping over everyone in the room.

The knocking came again. Three knocks, evenly spaced and moderately firm.

It wasn't a Japanese or puppet-regime raid-they wouldn't knock.

Fang Zheng made a gesture, and a young man silently slipped over to the window. He lifted a corner of the curtain and peeked outside.

"One person," the young man whispered.

"Who is it?"

"I can't tell. His face is covered."

Fang Zheng frowned and tightened his grip on his gun. "Open the door."

The door opened.

A man in a short gray cloth jacket and trousers stood on the threshold, his face covered with black cloth. He stood tall, broad-shouldered, like a tree rooted to the ground. Above the cloth, a pair of eyes showed, calm and sharp as a pool in the depths of winter.

"Who are you?" Fang Zheng's voice was quiet but commanding.

"Let me in and we'll talk! There are so many of you. Are you afraid of one man?"

After confirming once again that he was alone outside, Fang Zheng nodded. A Military Statistics Bureau member stepped aside to let the masked man in, keeping his gun steadily trained on his head, not daring to let his guard down for an instant.

"Director, another man just went in. From the look of it, the Military Statistics Bureau people don't know him either."

"It doesn't matter."

Lu Tinghui gave a cold laugh.

"Our net is big enough. The more fish, the better!"

The masked man now stood in the courtyard, his gaze sweeping over everyone there before settling on Fang Zheng's face.

"I'm the Scavenger."

The courtyard fell silent for a moment.

Fang Zheng tightened his grip on his gun. "The Scavenger? How can you prove it?"

The masked man said nothing. He took a folded sheet of paper from inside his clothes, unfolded it, and laid it on the stone table in the courtyard. Then he stepped back several paces and gestured for Fang Zheng to look.

Fang Zheng walked over and looked down-

The paper was densely covered with nineteen names. Each was followed by an alias, a meeting place, and the identity of the person above them in the chain of command. At the bottom was a line of small print: List of undercover personnel at the Military Statistics Bureau Shanghai Station. Source: top-secret Special Higher Police documents.

Fang Zheng's hand began to tremble.

He had seen this list before. Last month, station chief Chen Mingzhi had mentioned it at a secret meeting: someone had slipped a list through a crack in the door, saving nineteen lives at the Shanghai Station. That person's name was the Scavenger.

"You... it was you?" Fang Zheng's voice was slightly hoarse.

The masked man retrieved the paper and tucked it inside his clothes.

"You've been exposed. The Japanese have already surrounded this place. Li Kui of the puppet police is leading them, with Shen Yan of the Special Operations Squad supporting him from the side."

Fang Zheng's face went white. "Is the information reliable?"

"It is," the masked man said. "You have less than half an hour. If you leave now, you can still make it."

Fang Zheng fell silent, looking at everyone in the room.

They had spent two years establishing this hideout. He had touched every brick and every beam. He was unwilling to abandon it just like that.

But the masked man was right. The Japanese knew where it was; if they didn't leave, they would die.

"Take the secret passage." Fang Zheng finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "Everyone, pack up within five minutes."

The people in the room immediately got moving. A young man went to the corner and lifted a loose floor tile, revealing a pitch-black entrance. It was narrow enough that only one person could pass through sideways, and the faint smell of damp earth drifted from within.

They had dug the escape tunnel two years ago. It led straight to an abandoned warehouse three streets away. It had taken four full months to dig, and they had worn out more than a dozen shovels.

Before Fang Zheng went down into the passage last, he looked back at the masked man.

"Mr. Scavenger, aren't you coming?"

"I'll cover your retreat," the masked man said. "Buy you some time."

Fang Zheng gave him a long look, then nodded, bent down, and slipped into the passage. The floor tile was closed from below, fitting perfectly into place without leaving a trace.

The masked man did not leave.

He went to the front door on the first floor, crouched down, and took something from inside his clothes-

M3 / M3A1 antipersonnel fragmentation mine (WWII standard U.S. Army issue)

Lethal radius: approximately 9 m (30 feet) (in completely open terrain)

Effective radius: approximately 30 m (fragments still capable of killing)

He placed the explosives inside the threshold, above the doorframe, at the base of the courtyard wall, and at the load-bearing points of the walls. He connected them with thin wire, concealing everything in cracks and behind wooden boards.

When he was done, he stood up and dusted off his hands.

Then he went to the back alley and vanished into the night.

At 9:30, on the eastern stretch of Avenue Joffre.

Shen Yan sensed that his clone had finished the preparations and quietly reported to the director.

"Director, something's not right! After that man went in, the hidden sentries at the alley entrance and outside the door withdrew, and there's no movement inside."

Lu Tinghui raised his binoculars and watched carefully.

"It's all right. There's been no activity at the outer blockade, which means the fish are still in the net. But... your caution isn't without reason. I'll send someone to notify the military police and add another blockade to make absolutely sure nothing goes wrong!"

Before he finished speaking, the two men heard hurried footsteps coming from the front.

Lu Tinghui peered over the low wall and glanced at his watch. His face darkened.

"Li Kui's moving early. That's insubordination!" Shen Yan said under his breath, his tone full of restrained anger.

Lu Tinghui said nothing, merely watching the front with a cold gaze.

"Director, I'll go stop him-"

"It's too late." Lu Tinghui's voice was calm, but every word was like a shard of ice. "We're moving early. Go!"

Shen Yan nodded and signaled for them to attack from separate directions, then dashed out in a crouch.

At 9:35, Li Kui and his men crept up to the building's front door.

Two squad members crouched beside the door and raised their feet at the same time-

"Bang!"

The door was kicked open.

"Charge!" Li Kui drew his Mauser and was the first to rush inside.

The twenty squad members followed close behind, pouring into the building-

"Boom! Boom! Boom..."

Explosions erupted one after another, deafeningly loud. Flames shot from the front door, and fragments, dust, and smoke filled the entire space in an instant. Screams, cries, and the sounds of things breaking mingled together.

The blast hurled Li Kui to the ground. He lay there staring blankly at the sky, unable for a moment to tell where he was.

When Shen Yan reached the front, he found a scene of hell.

He stood at the entrance to the alley, his face ashen. Lu Tinghui followed behind him, looking expressionlessly at the wounded and debris covering the ground.

"Li Kui!" Shen Yan strode over and seized Li Kui by the collar. "Have you fucking lost your mind?! Director Lu told you to move at ten, and you charged in half an hour early?!"

Li Kui opened his mouth but couldn't speak. His gaze passed over Shen Yan and landed on Lu Tinghui standing behind him. His face instantly turned deathly pale.

"Look at your men!" Shen Yan pointed at the wounded wailing across the ground, his voice trembling. "Twenty men, and at least half are down! How can you face them?!"

Li Kui lowered his head, not daring to look at him, much less at Lu Tinghui.

Shen Yan let go, and Li Kui slumped to the ground.

"Matsumoto, Takahashi!" Shen Yan turned and roared. "Take some men inside and search! See if any of our brothers are still alive! Watch out for secondary explosions!"

"Yes, sir!"

Five minutes later, Matsumoto ran out of the building.

"Captain, we found a tunnel entrance in the kitchen! The Military Statistics Bureau people escaped through it!"

Shen Yan strode into the building. The kitchen was a wreck, and a floor tile behind the stove had been lifted, exposing a pitch-black opening. A squad member was crouched beside it, one foot already inside.

"Don't go down!" Shen Yan shouted sharply.

The squad member jumped and hurriedly pulled back.

Shen Yan picked up a piece of broken brick from the ground and hurled it into the opening.

The brick tumbled several times in the darkness-

"Boom!!"

An explosion sounded deep in the tunnel. The blast rushed out of the opening, and the dust was so choking that no one could open their eyes.

The squad member's legs went weak, and he almost fell to the ground.

Shen Yan stood up and dusted off his hands, his gaze cold as a blade. "Next time, use your brain."

"Someone's over there!"

One of the squad members guarding outside shouted.

Shen Yan sprinted out of the courtyard and looked in the direction the man was pointing.

A masked figure stood on a rooftop two hundred meters away, quietly watching them, as if admiring his own handiwork. Though his face was covered, everyone could feel it-he was smiling!

When he saw Shen Yan emerge, the masked man casually waved at him, then turned and jumped off the roof.

"After him!" Shen Yan was the first to charge out.

The four Japanese men hesitated for a moment, then followed.

The shadow knew the terrain in this area like the back of his hand. Every fork and every corner was etched into his bones. He darted through the night so fast that only an afterimage remained.

Shen Yan led the pursuit, holding his Mauser C96 level, its muzzle trained on the shadow's every move.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A three-round burst skimmed past the wall. The shadow twisted his body in a strange motion, and every bullet missed.

"Split up and surround him!" Shen Yan barked. "Yamada, Matsumoto, circle around to the left! Takahashi, Miyamoto, advance with me on the right!"

The four men instantly scattered, forming an encirclement.

The shadow suddenly stopped short, spun around, and fired two shots in response.

Shen Yan threw himself against a stone pillar. Bullets struck the stone, sending fragments flying. Takahashi was half a beat too slow, and a streak of blood burst from his shoulder.

"Get under cover!"

Shen Yan pulled him into cover, raised his gun and fired three suppressing shots, then reached back and drew a grenade from his waist. He pulled the pin, held his breath, waited two seconds, and sent the grenade flying in an arc.

The shadow burst out from the corner and rolled through the air before landing, narrowly avoiding the center of the blast.

"Boom-"

Flames shot skyward, and smoke and dust filled the entire alley.

"Captain! The left flank is sealed off!"

Yamada and Matsumoto advanced from the side, their two Mausers laying down a crossfire that pinned the shadow behind an abandoned stall.

The shadow exposed only the hand holding his gun, its muzzle steady as a rock.

"Bang-" Matsumoto was shot in the right shoulder, and his sidearm flew from his hand.

"Bang-" Yamada's ear cartilage was pierced, and half his face was instantly covered in blood.

"Bang-" Miyamoto was shot in the thigh and fell heavily to his knees.

"Bang-" Just as Takahashi leaned out, he took another bullet in the lower abdomen.

All four Japanese soldiers were wounded.

Shen Yan seized the chance to charge out of cover, pulling the trigger repeatedly as he ran.

The shadow also leaned out from behind cover and returned fire.

Two bullets crossed paths in midair.

Shen Yan's left leg jolted as though struck by a sledgehammer, and blood instantly soaked through his trouser leg. Agony swept through his body, but he clenched his teeth and did not retreat half a step.

At the same instant, his bullet struck its target.

A spray of blood burst from the shadow's right arm, and his pistol flew from his hand.

Both men had been shot at the same time.

"Captain!"

Old Chen arrived with his team, more than a dozen gun barrels pointing straight ahead.

The shadow looked at Shen Yan, let out a low shout, and spun around, vanishing into the darkness.

Shen Yan raised his gun. "Bang! Bang!" Both shots struck the wall.

"After him! He's wounded; he can't get far!"

Old Chen and his men raced after him. Shen Yan slid down against the wall and sat, tearing off his sleeve and binding it tightly around the wound in his thigh.

A moment later, Old Chen returned. "We followed him to the river and lost his trail. A vehicle was there to pick him up."

Shen Yan nodded slightly, his face as pale as paper.

Footsteps drew closer. Lu Tinghui approached, his gaze sweeping over two trails of blood on the ground-one stretching into the distance, the other pooled at Shen Yan's feet.

"Are you badly hurt?"

"It went straight through. It didn't hit the bone," Shen Yan said through clenched teeth. "He got away. I hit him once-in the right arm. He's badly wounded, but someone was there to pick him up."

He lowered his head, a note of shame in his voice. "Director, I was incompetent. I let him get away."

Lu Tinghui crouched down, looked at the blood on the ground, then at the wound on Shen Yan's leg, which was still seeping blood. He was silent for a moment.

"Do you know who you wounded?"

Shen Yan raised his head, a puzzled expression on his face.

Lu Tinghui picked up a spent casing from the ground, placed it in his palm, and held it out to Shen Yan.

"A Colt M1911, using .45 ACP rounds. As far as I know, there's only one resistance fighter who has been using American-made weapons exclusively during this period."

Shen Yan's expression changed.

"The Scavenger?" His voice was filled with shock and disbelief.

Lu Tinghui nodded, stood up, and patted him on the shoulder.

"The man you wounded was the Scavenger. The Special Higher Police put a bounty of five thousand silver dollars on him and sent out over a hundred men to search for him for months without catching so much as a glimpse. Tonight, you shot him in the right arm. He won't be able to operate for at least a month."

He looked at Shen Yan, a rare note of approval in his voice.

"That wasn't incompetence. It was an unexpected bonus."

Shen Yan froze. The shame on his face slowly changed into an expression that was hard to describe-something like lingering fear, but also relief.

"I... I didn't know it was him. I just thought he was too skilled to be an ordinary Military Statistics Bureau agent... He shouted something at me at the end..."

"What did he say? It might be a clue."

Shen Yan thought for a moment, then spoke hesitantly.

"Ai wei you bi bai ke..."

Lu Tinghui turned to Takahashi, who had stayed by Shen Yan's side the whole time. Takahashi also nodded weakly. That seemed to be what he had heard too.

"Ai wei you bi bai ke... Ai wei you bi bai ke..."

Lu Tinghui lowered his head and mulled over the words again and again. Suddenly, understanding dawned, and a trace of exasperation appeared on his face.

"Shen Yan, once your wound has healed, I'll find you a teacher. You should learn some English!"

"Huh?"

"What do you mean, 'ai wei you bi bai ke'?! That was English-'I will be back!' It means he'll return! Lone Wolf was issuing you a challenge! But that indirectly confirms our original guess. Lone Wolf, whether he's a person or an organization, really does come from the West!"

He paused, glanced at the wreckage strewn across the area ahead, then looked at Shen Yan.

"Li Kui attacked against orders and suffered heavy losses. You led a team in pursuit and wounded Lone Wolf. This time, not only were you not at fault, you earned credit."

Shen Yan lowered his head. "Thank you, Director."

Lu Tinghui waved a hand and turned toward the mouth of the alley. After a few steps, he stopped and looked back at Shen Yan.

"Go to the hospital first. Take good care of your wound. I'll report the matter of Lone Wolf to the section chief."

"Yes, sir."

Two military policemen brought a stretcher and placed him on it. As they passed Yamada, Shen Yan glanced at him.

Half of Yamada's face was covered in blood. He stood beside the stretcher, looking at the wound on Shen Yan's left leg, which was still seeping blood. His lips moved.

"Captain," he said, his voice a little strained, "was that man... really Lone Wolf?"

Shen Yan glanced at him and spoke quietly. "The director says he was. With skills and marksmanship like that, who else do you think it could be?"

Yamada fell silent.

He thought back to the gunfight-under attack by the five of them, that man had wounded four of them on his own, then exchanged fire with Shen Yan, both of them taking a bullet.

He had never seen skills like that before.

If that man really was Lone Wolf...

Then we were lucky to escape with our lives tonight.

"Take care of your wounds," Shen Yan said quietly. "The four of you were very brave this time. I'll recommend you for commendations when we get back."

Yamada froze.

He looked at the pale face on the stretcher, at the blood-soaked trouser leg-

This man had been shot in the leg, but he had not retreated.

He and Lone Wolf had fired and been hit at the same time, but he had not fallen.

He had wounded Lone Wolf.

He had saved the four of them.

Yamada lowered his head and bowed deeply to the stretcher.

"Captain, please take care of your wound."

Shen Yan did not answer.

The stretcher was loaded into the ambulance. The moment the doors closed, he opened his eyes and looked at the white ceiling of the vehicle.

The corner of his mouth curled up slightly.