Cholera

In April of the twenty-seventh year of the Republic, rain fell over Shanghai for the entire month, a dense, suffocating wet net soaking the streets and alleys of Hongkou, its eaves and flagstone roads, until they seemed to sag under the weight.

Warm vapor from the Cherry Blossom Hot Springs mingled with the mist, condensing into droplets on the lintel before dripping from the upturned eaves and striking puddles on the flagstones, sending out tiny ripples. Most of the customers coming and going were Japanese merchants and officers in kimonos, their wooden clogs clacking through puddles as they spoke quietly in Japanese.

Shen Yan sat in his second-floor office, holding a steaming cup of sencha. Droplets gathered on the pale celadon cup and slipped between his fingers, soaking his cuff, but he did not notice.

His gaze passed through the window at the end of the corridor and fell on the courtyard below, hazy with rain. Slanting threads of rain cut across the dim yellow lantern light, blurring everything into an indistinct haze.

He had felt a vague unease since the day began, so as soon as he got off work, he had hurried straight to the hot springs.

If anything happened, he could get firsthand news here.

Footsteps soft as falling rain approached. Kobayashi hurried over with his body bent, the boy's face a little pale and tension poorly concealed in his eyes. He stopped before Shen Yan. "Captain, something came up in private room two. I wrote it all down. Both men had high ranks. Judging by their shoulder boards, they were at least lieutenant colonels."

Shen Yan tilted his head slightly and took the note.

It read clearly: private room two, 3:15 to 4:40 p.m. Two Japanese men, surnamed Satō and Miyamoto. The central topic of their conversation was "special cargo" being shipped from Harbin to Shanghai, intended for onward transport to Hankou.

"Satō: Miyamoto, you're a busy man these days! It's getting harder and harder to get you out for a drink!"

"Miyamoto: Don't remind me! With the fighting deadlocked, my side has huge quantities of supplies to transfer every day. I've worked overtime for a week straight!"

"Satō: Couldn't you just leave it to your subordinates?! It's only weapons and ammunition. All of Shanghai is ours now, and you're still worried something might go wrong?"

"Miyamoto: Have you forgotten the Hongkou arsenal incident a while back? Besides, the next shipment is special supplies. We have to be extremely careful!"

"Satō: Special supplies? Geishas prepared for the superior officers?"

"Miyamoto: Get lost! Don't go making jokes about the superior officers... It's epidemic prevention medicine, shipped from Harbin. It'll reach Shanghai in three days."

"Satō: Epidemic prevention medicine?! That's a hot potato. I almost feel sorry for you!"

"Miyamoto: It's not so bad. We'll receive it at a freight yard in the Suzhou suburbs and take it straight to the docks to load onto a ship. It won't take long. Once I'm through this stretch, I'll treat you to a proper drinking session!"

The rest of the conversation had turned to inconsequential talk of women and pleasure. Kobayashi had stopped recording it, noting only at the end, "Conversation ended. Both men went to the baths."

Shen Yan read it several times, then took out a lighter and set the note alight, watching it turn to a pile of ash in the ashtray.

"You did very well. Keep it up."

Kobayashi bowed in acknowledgment and turned to withdraw without a sound. His footsteps were barely audible, and he soon disappeared into the shadows at the end of the corridor.

Silence returned to the office. Shen Yan placed the cooled tea on the windowsill beside him, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it. The flame flashed in the dimness, illuminating his composed profile.

Epidemic prevention medicine.

From Harbin.

It was a biological weapon!

Memories from his previous life surged back like a tide: the Kwantung Army Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply Department, those hellish laboratories hidden in Harbin, experimenting on living people, cultivating all manner of virulent strains, and dumping the agents into rivers and wells. Wherever they went, corpses littered the ground and epidemics raged. He had seen villages ravaged by cholera and plague, entire populations wiped out across a thousand miles, not a blade of grass left growing. Those desperate cries and those shriveled, blackened corpses still haunted his mind.

If these weapons were deployed, the consequences would be unthinkable.

The Battle of Wuhan was imminent. If the Japanese army failed to take the city after a prolonged assault, it would surely stop at nothing, using biological weapons to slaughter soldiers and civilians and epidemics to break the defensive line.

Shen Yan took the last drag of his cigarette and pressed the butt into the ashtray on the windowsill. His fingertips pressed down slightly, grinding it to pieces. Just then, a pale blue system panel suddenly opened before his eyes, its faint light glaring in the dim corridor and breaking the surrounding silence.

[Ding! A consecutive mission has been triggered-]

[Mission name]: Detoxification

[Mission objective]: Seize or destroy the biological weapon supplies being transported from Harbin to Shanghai

[Mission reward]: Unlock the exclusive Poison Physician Skill (allows targeted modification of bacterial biological weapons and the addition of attributes. Also makes the host immune to all poisons.)

[Follow-up mission]: Automatically unlocked upon completion of this mission

[Failure penalty]: None (but allowing the biological weapons to be transported to Wuhan will result in the needless deaths of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians)

Shen Yan's gaze settled on the words "Poison Physician Skill." A faint glimmer flashed through his eyes, almost too quickly to catch. Targeted modification of biological weapons-this was not only a means of destroying the agents, but also a weapon to use against the Japanese army.

He raised a hand and closed the system panel. The pale blue light vanished instantly, as though it had never appeared. Shen Yan turned and went downstairs, his footsteps steady as a clock, each step firm. The calm around him was at odds with the warmth inside the hot springs, as if the astonishing secret that could shake all of Shanghai were no more than an ordinary matter to him.

Fang Yuan was already waiting in a black sedan outside the hot springs, the car concealed in the deep shadows at the mouth of the alley, blending into the night.

The windshield wipers swept rhythmically back and forth, clearing the rainwater. Dim yellow streetlights shone through the dense curtain of rain, casting mottled, shifting light across the windows.

Shen Yan reached the entrance and was about to leave when a drunken man stopped him.

"Shen, leaving so soon? Come have a few drinks with us. We're not going home sober tonight!"

Shen Yan's icy expression changed in an instant, and he refused with warm enthusiasm.

"You're too kind, Inukai! I'm afraid it's really not convenient today. Another day, we'll share a drink and enjoy ourselves! Manager, put Inukai's bill on my tab tonight. Make sure he and his friends have a good time!"

"Yoshi! Shen, you're a true friend of our empire!"

"Haha! It's my honor!"

Shen Yan opened the car door and climbed into the back seat, bringing with him the warmth of the hot springs and a faint scent of smoke. His jaw tightened, and the unapproachable chill returned to him.

"Let's stop by the bookstore. I need to buy a few copybooks for the little girl," Shen Yan said, his voice flat and even, without any extra inflection.

Fang Yuan silently pressed the accelerator, and the sedan slowly pulled out of the alley and slipped into the rain without a sound. The wheels rolled through a puddle, sending up two small sprays that vanished in an instant on the dim street, leaving no trace.

Shen Yan leaned against the seat, eyes half closed, fingertips tapping his knee in a steady rhythm.

The information he had was far too scant: the secret special train would arrive in three days, and the handover would take place at a secret station outside Suzhou.

But the train's exact arrival time, the composition of its escort, and its detailed timetable were all unknown.

To intercept this shipment of deadly agents, he had to establish every detail. There could not be the slightest mistake.

The intelligence could not come from the Special Higher Police; the risk of exposure was too great. That left only the underground Party and the Military Statistics Bureau.

The sedan slowly entered the French Concession and came to a stop at the mouth of a quiet lane. The light was still on in the bookstore inside the lane, and its dim yellow glow offered Shen Yan a measure of comfort in his anxiety.

Shen Yan pushed the door open and immediately saw Qian Bin bent over, wiping the counter.

Qian Bin looked up. Seeing Shen Yan, he paused in surprise, then smiled.

"Captain Shen, what a rare visitor. Have you come so late to buy your daughter a few books?"

Shen Yan smiled ruefully. "A few copybooks. My girl's handwriting isn't much better than chicken scratch these days. I'm worried sick!"

"She's a child. It's normal for her to be a little naughty. I just got a shipment of copybooks in the last few days. They're in the storeroom in back. Captain Shen, would you like to come take a look?"

"Let's have a look. I don't even know if they'll help. Getting her to practice her characters now is like asking for her life!"

Still complaining, Shen Yan followed Qian Bin to the back.

Once they reached the back room, Qian Bin was about to pour tea when Shen Yan stopped him.

"There's no time for tea. This is urgent, and it's a matter of life and death!"

Qian Bin immediately grew serious and looked at Shen Yan.

"In three days, a secret military train will arrive in Shanghai. It'll stop briefly at a secret station outside Suzhou. The train is coming from Harbin, and I suspect it's carrying biological weapons developed by the Japanese!"

"How sure are you?"

"Ninety percent, at least. It's not convenient for me to investigate, so I need you or the Military Statistics Bureau to find the details as quickly as possible. Make sure the people at the Military Statistics Bureau understand how serious this is. Once biological weapons are deployed, it won't just be a hundred or two hundred people who die!"

Qian Bin's face turned livid, and he began pacing around the room.

"Those fucking Japanese devils! They're trying to wipe us out! I understand. Go back first. I'll get word to you as soon as I can!"

Shen Yan nodded. "The sooner the better. Once the military train reaches Shanghai, it'll be hard for me to make a move. If the weapons explode in the city, there's no telling how many of Shanghai's people will survive!"

Late the following night, torrential rain swept across Shanghai again, and Qian Bin's secret message finally arrived on time.

Fang Yuan braved the downpour, soaked to the skin, and delivered a neatly folded note to Shen Yan. It had been written in invisible ink. Shen Yan struck a match and held the note close to the flame. A faint blue light flashed, and clear lines of writing gradually appeared, precise and concise.

The information on the note was plain at a glance: the special train would pass through the Su-Kun Curve at ten p.m. on March 22, next Wednesday, taking a little-used track around the Suzhou suburbs. It would not enter central Shanghai, stopping only briefly at a hidden freight station in the suburbs. Its escort consisted of one major from the transport section of Unit 731's Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply Department and ninety-eight elite troops in a reinforced squad, including four specialist Unit 731 attendants. They were equipped with heavy weapons, including light and heavy machine guns and grenades, and security was tight. The cargo ship for onward transport was docked at a private wharf on the Huangpu River and would depart late at night for a hidden base outside Hankou. The Military Statistics Bureau Shanghai Station had received orders from Wuhan and was willing to cooperate fully, placing itself under Shen Yan's command throughout.

After reading the note, Shen Yan tightened his fingers around it, then struck a match. Flames licked across the paper, quickly reducing it to ashes.

He took out a map, his gaze sharp as a blade, his eyes utterly calm.

The Su-Kun Curve was open ground without cover, a natural place for an ambush-and a burial ground for the Japanese troops.

"Fang Yuan, pass on my orders." Shen Yan's voice was steady and forceful, carrying an authority that brooked no objection. Every word rang clear. "Have Shopkeeper Qian arrange for underground Party personnel to block the west side of the railway. Seal off the Japanese reinforcement route from the west completely, and don't let a single Japanese soldier near the train;

"Have the Military Statistics Bureau arrange personnel to block the east side of the railway and intercept Japanese patrols and reinforcements coming from the east.

"Both sides must stay on full alert and hold their lines to the death. They must not withdraw until they see my signal, and they must not let a single Japanese soldier get anywhere near the train."

"Yes, sir."

"Also," Shen Yan paused, then added, "I'll position some heavy firepower at both locations beforehand, with plenty of ammunition. Let them use it freely. Once the mission is complete, take whatever they can carry and blow up everything they can't! As for the military train... I'll handle it alone. Neither the underground Party nor the Military Statistics Bureau is to let anyone interfere or come near. Tell them that's an order, and there will be no objections."

Fang Yuan had reservations. The danger of Shen Yan facing ninety-eight elite Japanese soldiers alone was easy to imagine.

But he also knew that Shen Yan was always meticulous, and since he had made these arrangements, he surely had his reasons. Fang Yuan answered in a low voice, "I'll pass on the orders immediately."

March 22, night.

The rain had finally stopped. The night sky was dark as spilled ink, with neither stars nor moon. Only the searchlights at a distant Japanese garrison swept back and forth across it, like the watching eyes of evil spirits, radiating a bone-chilling cold. On either side of the railway curve between Suzhou and Kunshan lay open fields, thick with mud. There were no villages or passersby, and the clear view made it a natural place for an ambush.

Shen Yan stood atop a high earthen slope, dressed in black night clothes, his figure straight as a pine. A black cloth covered his face, leaving only his calm, sharp eyes exposed.

In a makeshift emplacement beside him stood a tripod supporting an MG42 general-purpose machine gun. The gun, freshly purchased from the store, had a famous name during the Second World War-Hitler's buzz saw! Its rate of fire was extremely high, reaching 1,200 rounds per minute, and when fired it produced a buzzing roar like a chainsaw. Its killing power was terrifying!

A long ammunition belt hung from the side of the gun-two thousand 7.92 mm armor-piercing rounds.

These rounds could easily punch through light armor within a hundred meters, let alone the thin sheet metal covering the train.

Shen Yan held binoculars to his eyes, watching the distant railway tracks intently. An icy killing intent radiated from him as he blended into the night.

He had already put a section of the track directly ahead of him into his space. The military train was going nowhere tonight!

On both sides of the railway, the underground Party and Military Statistics Bureau personnel had long since taken their positions, hidden in the shadows of the rice paddies. Several Maxim heavy machine guns were aimed at the main roads farther out, ready for battle.

They wore civilian clothes, their movements brisk and their eyes resolute. Though they belonged to different camps, at this moment they shared a goal-to intercept the biological weapons and stop the Japanese plot.

Shen Yan raised his hand and glanced at his watch. It was 9:45 p.m. Fifteen minutes remained until the special train arrived.

He activated Heavenly Eye, and a pale blue glow spread before him. The points of light within a one-thousand-meter radius were clearly visible: on the east and west sides, the underground Party's and Military Statistics Bureau's hidden sentries were arrayed in order, their defensive lines secure. In the distance, the lights in the Japanese blockhouses had gone out, and only a searchlight swept back and forth. Because it was so far away, it looked like a naughty child playing with a flashlight. There were no civilian points of light along the railway, so there was no danger on that account.

At 9:55, a low, drawn-out whistle sounded in the distance, piercing the dark night and echoing across the empty wilderness.

The rails began to tremble, and the gravel around the sleepers bounced lightly. A special train disguised as a battlefield medical supply train slowly approached.

Thin smoke curled around the locomotive, and ten carriages followed it in a line. One in the middle was a sealed, concealed metal carriage, its doors locked tight and armed sentries standing guard. Security was strict, every post was manned, and watchful eyes swept the surroundings. Labels reading "medical supplies" were pasted on the carriages, making them look ordinary.

The train entered the curve and slowed as required. Its wheels scraped against the rails with a piercing screech, especially sharp in the silent night.

Shen Yan slowly placed his finger on the machine gun's trigger. Looking through the sights, he locked his gaze on the locomotive cab and the sentries at the concealed carriage door.

At that moment, by the light of the train's headlamp, the driver keenly spotted that a long stretch of track ahead had inexplicably vanished. Both rails and sleepers were gone!

"Baka!"

The driver hurriedly slammed on the brakes and sounded the whistle as a warning.

The wheels braked hard, sending sparks flying beneath the train, dazzlingly bright in the night.

The Japanese soldiers inside the carriages were caught off guard. The tremendous impact flung them into a pile, leaving them dazed. Some were trapped at the bottom, unable to move, and let out piercing screams.

Morikawa Kenta clambered up from the carriage floor in disarray, his military cap knocked off and blood running from his temple. His face was disheveled and fierce. He roared and waved his command saber, trying to restore formation: "Enemy attack! Quick! First squad, guard the concealed carriage! Second squad, set up your guns! Third and fourth squads, get off the train and form a defensive line immediately! Radio operator, call for reinforcements at once!"

Before he had finished issuing orders, Shen Yan opened fire.

"Bzzzzzz..."

A long whip of fire tore through the air and pierced Morikawa Kenta's chest with precision. Blood burst into a cloud of red mist. Morikawa Kenta's body stiffened, the fierce expression freezing on his face. He looked down at the wound in his chest in disbelief, then raised his head toward the earthen slope, his eyes full of unwillingness and fear. He fell heavily onto the muddy tracks and moved no more.

The first burst killed the Japanese officer in charge of the escort, cutting off their command.

Immediately afterward, the whip of fire swept toward both sides of the train. With Heavenly Eye locking on, Shen Yan located every Japanese soldier with precision: a gunner who had just set up a Type 11 machine gun, a radio operator clutching his set and preparing to transmit, a sergeant waving his saber to rally troops, and sentries holding fast at the concealed carriage door. Every target was shredded into bloody pulp by the dense stream of armor-piercing rounds.

Having lost their command and seen their comrades turn into clouds of blood before their eyes, the Japanese troops fell into chaos. Some fired in panic, some fled in all directions, and others hid beneath the carriages, too frightened to move.

Several key Japanese soldiers stepped forward and tried to rally the men, hold the concealed carriage, set up firing positions in the carriages' blind spots, and launch a counterattack.

Shen Yan's gaze remained cold, his hands on the machine gun steady as a rock. He calmly swept it back and forth, from the locomotive to the last carriage and back again, over and over, until only the four yellow points he had deliberately left alive remained in the middle carriage on the minimap.

Meanwhile, on both sides of the railway, the Japanese blockhouses blazed with light and piercing alarms rang through the sky. Reinforcement squads rushed out in disarray and began making their way over.

But before they could get close, the Military Statistics Bureau and underground Party blocking forces opened fire.

Gunfire shook the air, and bullets rained down on the Japanese reinforcements. In just a few minutes, more than half the squad had fallen, and the rest retreated toward the blockhouses, wailing.

Shen Yan put away the machine gun, slid down the slope, and walked calmly toward the military train, as though taking a stroll after dinner.

At the door of the concealed carriage, Shen Yan took out a Type 98 tear gas grenade. He gently pulled the pin and tossed it through a window near the top of the carriage, then stood quietly to one side, a Colt M1911A1 semiautomatic pistol in his hand.

"Hiss..."

In less than a minute, smoke billowed through the cramped carriage, and violent coughing and curses came from within.

Two minutes later, the carriage was opened from inside. Four disheveled figures rushed out waving katanas and pistols, then fell prone on the ground, coughing incessantly, their faces covered in tears and mucus.

Shen Yan raised his pistol and fired controlled shots. The four fell to the ground and stopped breathing.

Once the smoke had cleared from the carriage, Shen Yan took out the flashlight he carried and switched it on, illuminating the inside of the concealed carriage.

Rows of sealed iron boxes were stacked neatly inside, each bearing a red stamp reading "Epidemic Prevention and Water Supply Department: top secret," their seals intact. Shen Yan hurried forward and pried one open. Inside were cylindrical sealed steel canisters, each bearing a clear Japanese label: "Cholera stock solution (cholera). Do not damage. Do not expose to water. Do not open."

Cholera.

Cholera.

Shen Yan's gaze darkened. His suspicion had been confirmed. The Japanese army had indeed chosen this virulent waterborne epidemic, clearly to pave the way for the coming Battle of Wuhan, hoping to slaughter Wuhan's soldiers and civilians with disease and break the Nationalist army's defensive line.

He hesitated no longer. He quickly carried out one box of sealed steel canisters and silently stored it in his Portable Space.

He would keep this box of cholera stock solution and use the Poison Physician Skill he was about to unlock to modify it in a targeted way and develop an antitoxic serum. At the same time, he could turn it into a trump card against the Japanese army.

Shen Yan then methodically placed the high-yield incendiary bombs he had brought evenly around the boxes of agents. These bombs were enormously powerful, capable of instantly producing high-temperature flames that would burn the agents to nothing without leaving a trace, preventing leaks and secondary harm.

Once the bombs were in place, Shen Yan lit the fuse. Watching the flame spread along it bit by bit, he immediately turned and hurried away from the military train, running toward the high earthen slope.

Reaching the slope, Shen Yan took out a flare gun, aimed it at the night sky, and pulled the trigger hard.

"Whoosh-!!"

A red flare streaked through the black sky and burst into a dazzling blaze, clearly visible as it illuminated the entire battlefield.

Seeing it, the Military Statistics Bureau and underground Party personnel on both sides immediately understood. They withdrew while firing, moving briskly and leaving the battlefield in an orderly manner without a trace.

The Japanese soldiers in the blockhouses had already been scared out of their wits. Not one wanted to give chase. They hid inside, waiting for reinforcements.

Shen Yan stood on the slope, looking down at the military train.

"Boom!"

Flames shot into the sky, and a raging fire engulfed the entire train. Thick smoke rose overhead, the firelight turning half the night sky red. Muffled explosions followed one after another as the searing flames consumed the carriages and the deadly cholera stock solution within.

Fang Yuan ran over to Shen Yan and looked at the military train burning fiercely in the distance, a trace of relief appearing on his face.

Shen Yan gave a slight nod, his gaze resting on the distant flames, his eyes utterly calm.

Successfully intercepting this shipment of agents was only the beginning. The Japanese army would never let the matter rest, and the Unit 731 laboratory in Harbin was still cultivating all manner of biological agents in a steady stream. To stop this catastrophe completely, the source had to be rooted out.

Just then, the pale blue system panel opened before his eyes again, its faint light especially conspicuous against the fire.

[Ding! Stage mission "Cholera" completed]

[Cholera stock solution seized: 1 box]

[Cholera stock solution completely destroyed: 39 boxes]

[Japanese army major Morikawa Kenta and ninety-eight elite soldiers killed. Good and Evil Points accumulated: +10010]

[Reward skill: Poison Physician (beginner) unlocked]

[Skill description: Allows targeted modification of bacterial biological weapons and the addition of attributes]

[Consecutive mission two automatically unlocked]

He closed the system panel, turned to Fang Yuan beside him, and said, "Withdraw."

The two hurried down the earthen slope and got into the waiting sedan. It slowly drove away from the battlefield, heading toward the city of Shanghai.