manynovel Chapter 25 Underground Passage
Chapter 25 Underground Passage
"Okay." Li Ranmo looked into Old Zhong's unwavering eyes and nodded. "We'll go with you, according to your plan."
Old Zhong's face remained expressionless; he simply grunted in response. "Pack your things, and leave now if you can. This place is no place to stay overnight."
Shen Qiushui immediately went to get the tin box. Li Ranmo stood up, supporting himself on the edge of the bed. The wound on his left arm was aggravated, and he gasped in pain.
"Can you hold on?" Shen Qiushui supported his arm.
"I won't die," Li Ranmo said.
Without wasting words, Old Zhong walked to the corner of the outer room, squatted down, felt around on the blue brick floor with his hands for a few moments, and then forcefully lifted it up.
A square blue brick was lifted up, revealing a dark hole underneath, and a cool breeze carrying the smell of earth rushed up.
"Get down," Old Zhong said. "I'll go first. Comrade Shen, help Dr. Li and stay close. There are many forks in the road inside. If you get lost, no one will be there to help you."
Li Ranmo walked to the edge of the cave and looked down. There was a very simple wooden ladder below, extending into the darkness, with no bottom in sight.
Old Zhong had already gone down, his figure quickly disappearing into the darkness.
Li Ranmo glanced at Shen Qiushui, who nodded, carrying the suitcase in one hand and tightly supporting Li Ranmo's uninjured right arm with the other.
"Down."
The wooden ladder creaked and groaned, clearly unreliable. Li Ranmo relied entirely on his right hand and Shen Qiushui's support to slowly descend. His left arm was completely useless, and each movement aggravated his wound; cold sweat quickly soaked through the back of his clothes.
After descending about two or three meters, his feet touched solid ground. It was a narrow passage, just high enough for Li Ranmo to stand up upright, but only wide enough for one person to pass through. The walls were rammed earth, damp and cool to the touch. Above, Old Zhong had already put the blue bricks back on, and the last bit of daylight disappeared, leaving only complete darkness.
chapped.
A small light appeared; Old Zhong had struck a match and lit a small kerosene lamp. The dim light could only illuminate a few steps in front and behind.
"Follow the light, don't touch anything." Old Zhong's voice rang out from ahead, muffled.
He started walking forward, with Li Ranmo and Shen Qiushui following closely behind.
The passageway was poorly ventilated and filled with a musty, earthy smell, and a faint...disinfectant mixed with the smell of blood.
The ground was uneven, and Li Ranmo struggled to walk, his breathing becoming increasingly heavy.
"Slow down," Shen Qiushui said in a low voice, almost carrying half of his body's weight on her shoulder as she walked.
After walking for about ten minutes, the path began to fork. Old Zhong always chose one path without hesitation.
As they crossed another fork in the road, Shen Qiushui tripped and almost fell. Li Ranmo pulled her back with force.
"What is that?" Shen Qiushui steadied herself and looked down to shine the kerosene lamp on it.
Under the light, there was a flattened cardboard box with faded foreign letters and small Chinese characters printed on it.
Shen Qiushui picked it up and examined it closely. "It's a sulfathiazole packaging box, made in the USA. It's very new; it's been sitting here for no more than three days."
Old Zhong, who was walking ahead, stopped and looked back. "Let it go, leave no trace."
Shen Qiushui threw the cardboard box back into the corner.
Li Ranmo, panting, asked, "Is this road frequently used for transporting goods?"
"Hmm," Old Zhong replied briefly, "Medicine, people, intelligence. We've been using them frequently lately."
He didn't say anything more, turned around and continued walking.
After several more turns, the passage began to slope upwards. Li Ranmo felt that the wound on his left arm might be bleeding again; the bandage felt damp and warm.
Just as his vision began to blur and he was about to give up, the old clock in front of him stopped.
He raised the kerosene lamp and shone it on his head. There was a wooden plank there.
Old Zhong tapped the wooden board rhythmically.
Thump, thump-thump, thump.
There was silence for a few seconds, then the sound of a door being pulled open could be heard. The wooden plank was lifted, and a faint ray of light shone down.
"Come on up," Old Zhong said, climbing up first.
Shen Qiushui first handed the box up, then lifted Li Ranmo up, almost pushing him. Li Ranmo gritted his teeth, used his right arm to pull himself up, and scrambled out of the cave entrance in a disheveled state.
He slumped to the ground, panting heavily. Before him was a small room, like a storage room for miscellaneous items, with only a tiny window that had been boarded up. A small oil lamp was lit in the room.
A middle-aged man dressed in coarse cloth and with an honest face stood to the side, nodded to Old Zhong, and then silently walked to the door to stand guard.
Old Zhong put the wooden board back in its original position and then dragged over a broken cabinet to block it.
"We're here." Old Zhong dusted off his hands and looked at Li Ranmo, who was slumped on the ground. "This is Outpost Seven, safer than the previous one. Wang Qingnian's men can't find this place."
Li Ranmo took a breath and looked around at this so-called "safe haven." Apart from a wooden bed, a broken table, and two stools, there was almost nothing there. The walls were thick, there were no windows, and only a hidden ventilation opening.
Shen Qiushui placed the tin box on the table and leaned against the wall, exhausted.
Old Zhong walked to the table, stared at the box, then turned to Li Ranmo and got straight to the point.
"Give me the stuff now."
Li Ranmo looked up: "What do you mean?"
"That means the original evidence of germ warfare that you intercepted will be taken over by the organization." Old Zhong's tone left no room for negotiation. "You've seen it all along; this line, this network, is valuable. The organization can use it to protect you, move you around, and even help you disrupt Wang Qingnian's plans. But the prerequisite is that you must prove you completely trust the organization. Hand over the originals, and you're one of us. The organization will use all its resources to protect you and send the evidence to where it's due. Don't hand it over..."
He paused for a moment: "You'll have to rely on yourselves to continue evading Wang Qingnian's pursuit. You'll only use that passage once."
The room fell silent.
Only the wick of the oil lamp occasionally crackled.
Li Ranmo slowly stood up, his face still pale, but his eyes were resolute. "I risked my life to get this. I know its importance, and I know where it should be sent. Shanghai, my superior 'Qingshan,' has direct channels to get this to the top, even to get it published in the newspapers. This is the fastest and most effective way."
"Your superior?" Old Zhong frowned. "I know Comrade 'Qingshan.' But he's in a precarious situation right now, with communication being intermittent. It's too risky to put all this crucial information on a potentially unstable line. Leave it to me; the organization has more reliable and secure multiple transmission plans."
"Even the most reliable plan takes time." Li Ran shook his head. "Wang Qingnian and the Japanese are getting impatient; they can't wait. Five days? Maybe less than three. We must use the fastest and most direct method to slap the evidence in everyone's faces, leaving them no time to react or destroy the evidence. Delivering it personally, or handing it over to a single, absolutely direct contact, is the fastest way."
"You're personally escorting him?" Old Zhong seemed to have heard a joke. "Look at yourself, you can't even walk steadily. How are you going to get out of Nanjing? How are you going to get to Shanghai? Even if you get out of the city, there are many checkpoints along the way. Wang Qingnian has definitely issued an arrest warrant. You're just sending yourself to your death."
The two stared at each other, neither willing to give in.
The air seemed to freeze.
Shen Qiushui, who had been silent until now, took a step forward and stood between the two of them.
"Comrade Zhong, Dr. Li," she said, her voice low but clear, "this argument will only waste time and lead to nothing."
She looked at Lao Zhong: "I understand that the organization needs to verify the authenticity of the evidence and Dr. Li's loyalty." She then looked at Li Ranmo: "You want to send the evidence out as quickly as possible to prevent a greater disaster, which is also understandable."
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Old Zhong asked.
Shen Qiushui took a breath: "A compromise. The original evidence, including documents and reagents, is too crucial to be moved easily, and it's best not to put everything in one basket. I suggest that I take copies of the documents, as well as... one or two reagent samples, and set off first to test the route to Shanghai. I can make the copies quickly. Repackaging the reagents is also not difficult."
She looked at Li Ranmo: "Dr. Li is seriously injured and needs time to recover. It's relatively safe for him to stay here, and he can do another important thing at the same time—decipher the deep codes or maps that may be hidden in the documents. The Japanese army usually uses multiple layers of encryption for their documents. We only cracked the first layer before, and there may be more specific drop locations, times, or personnel lists inside. Only Dr. Li can get these things out as soon as possible."
Finally, she looked at Lao Zhong: "In this way, the organization has obtained some evidence samples and copies, and can activate your delivery plan with multiple layers of protection. Dr. Li will also remain under the organization's protection and continue to contribute to deciphering the core intelligence. As for me, I'll go scout ahead. If my route goes smoothly, we can arrange for Dr. Li to follow along with more complete deciphered intelligence and the remaining original documents via a safer route. If my route encounters problems... the losses will be minimized."
After Shen Qiushui finished speaking, she looked at the two of them.
Old Zhong stroked his chin, pondering for a long while. "Made copies and repackaged samples... that's not entirely out of the question. At least it'll get us moving. But," he stared at Shen Qiushui, "it's too dangerous for you to do it alone."
"I'm a nurse, I have proper identification, and I have experience traveling all over the country to collect medicine. It's easier for me to get away with it than for a seriously injured, wanted man," Shen Qiushui said. "Besides, I'm just scouting ahead, not forcing my way in. If anything seems wrong, I'll turn back."
Old Zhong thought for a long time before finally nodding reluctantly. "...We can give it a try. But Dr. Li must stay here and completely obey arrangements, and," his eyes sharpened, "we will have someone 'look after' this place. I hope you understand."
This is what surveillance is all about.
Li Ranmo didn't object. He knew this was Lao Zhong's bottom line.
"Okay," Li Ranmo said. "But before Qiushui leaves, I must explain to her the parts of the documents that might be encrypted. Also, at the base, I need paper and pen, and... all the information you can gather recently about unusual movements of Japanese medical supplies or strange epidemic reports, even if it's just rumors."
Old Zhong was somewhat surprised: "What do you need all that bits and pieces of information for?"
"A jigsaw puzzle." Li Ranmo walked to the table and placed his hand on the tin box. "What I got might only be a corner of the whole painting. Wang Qingnian is in such a hurry to speed things up, which means the painting is almost finished, and they're afraid we'll see it. I need to know where the rest of the canvas is."