A quack doctor goes to the battlefield; the first sharpshooter doctor in the Republic of China

Chapter 21 Deciphering Evidence

The light from the kerosene lamp cast long shadows of the three people onto the mottled earthen wall.

Li Ranmo spread the crumpled, slightly damp document he was holding onto the table. Shen Qiushui immediately moved closer, and Han Xiuyun also moved her chair forward.

"This is it?" Han Xiuyun pointed to the dense Japanese text and a bunch of incomprehensible symbols and numbers on the document. "What is this? Is it some kind of cryptic script?"

"The Japanese telegram is coded with commercial codes." Li Ranmo pointed to several places with his finger. "Here, and here, are the codes for the names and quantities of the medicines. This is where the handover location is written."

Shen Qiushui had already taken out a small notebook and pencil, her brows furrowed as she looked at them: "These code word formats... I feel like I've seen them somewhere before."

"The Department of Health has used similar methods in the allocation records of some special supplies in previous years," Li Ranmo said. "But this time it's more complicated, with an added layer of encryption."

"Can it be broken?" Han Xiuyun asked.

Shen Qiushui didn't answer immediately. She picked up the document and carefully examined the Japanese characters and annotations under the light. After a while, she looked up at Li Ranmo: "Something's missing. With just this, we can only guess roughly. This kind of encryption usually has a corresponding codebook or substitution table."

Li Ranmo nodded: "I know."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the gate to the courtyard opened.

Ah Bing led a man in; it was Chen Qitai. He was dressed in civilian clothes, his hat pulled low, and he closed the door behind him as soon as he entered.

"Vice Dean." Li Ranmo stood up.

Chen Qitai waved his hand, walked to the table, glanced at the documents, and his expression darkened further. He took out a thin booklet from his pocket and placed it next to the documents.

"Let's see if this works."

Shen Qiushui picked up the booklet and opened it. Inside were handwritten symbol tables and explanations of simple Japanese business terms. The handwriting was neat, but it wasn't Chen Qitai's.

"This is..." Shen Qiushui looked at Chen Qitai.

"An old friend of mine used to work in customs and had access to coded messages from Japanese trading companies," Chen Qitai said in a low voice. "He kept some of that information privately. I went to see him this afternoon, and he copied this part for me. Remember, burn it after you're done using it; don't keep it."

Shen Qiushui's eyes lit up: "It works! This symbol table matches the third column of the file!"

She immediately leaned back onto the table, flipping through the booklet with her left hand while quickly writing in the notebook with a pencil in her right, muttering to herself.

Han Xiuyun couldn't understand it and became a little anxious: "What exactly does it say?"

Li Ran stared at the words written by Shen Qiushui and slowly read them aloud: "Sulfathiazole, fifty boxes... Sulfamethoxazole powder, thirty boxes... Surgical instruments, two sets... Handover location: Xiaguan Wharf, Pier No. 3, Warehouse in Zone C... Time: October 23rd, 11 PM."

Han Xiuyun calculated: "Three days later."

"And one more thing," Shen Qiushui continued, her pen still holding the pen, a fine layer of sweat on her forehead, "these last few items... are incorrect."

She pointed to the last few lines of the document: "Special reagent, model B-7, quantity ten vials"... "Laboratory animal supplies"... "Storage location: basement of the West City Church Hospital, ready."

The room fell silent.

The kerosene lamp wick popped and sparked.

"B-7..." Li Ranmo repeated the code name, his mind flashing through some information he had seen in his previous life. "The Japanese Unit 731... had a B series in the early code names of bacterial warfare agents."

Chen Qitai took a deep breath: "You mean...?"

"Wang Qingnian wasn't reselling ordinary medicines," Li Ranmo said coldly. "He was transporting materials for the Japanese's bacteriological warfare. These 'special reagents,' and those animals, were for experiments and dissemination."

Han Xiuyun slammed her hand on the table, nearly turning off the light: "You son of a bitch! You've sold your country out of this much!"

"This," Shen Qiushui pointed to a Japanese katakana signature circled in red at the end of the document, "this signature matches the code name of the Japanese man in the previous recording. He's the one who contacted Wang Qingnian."

"The chain of evidence is complete," Li Ranmo said. "The recordings, the documents, and this batch of 'goods.' As long as we can intercept this batch of 'special goods,' catch Wang Qingnian red-handed, he'll be finished."

Chen Qitai shook his head: "It's not that simple. Xiaguan Wharf and Warehouse C are Wang Qingnian's territory. His inspection team patrols that area year-round, and they've definitely increased their manpower recently in order to search for you. Moreover..."

He paused, then pointed to a line of small print on the document: "Here, 'Guards: Specially Hired.' Wang Qingnian has most likely hired Japanese or their lackeys as bodyguards. If you go, you're just walking into the line of fire."

"We still have to go," Li Ranmo said. "This batch of supplies can't fall into the hands of the Japanese. We absolutely can't let them conduct bacteriological experiments in Nanjing. If we're too late, who knows how many people will die."

"How are you going to intercept them?" Chen Qitai looked at him. "Break through? You, one person, one gun, are you going to take on a whole squad of inspectors plus an unknown number of guards?"

Li Ran remained silent, walked to the window, and looked out at the pitch-black night.

A few seconds later, he turned around.

"Feint to the east while attacking in the west."

Han Xiuyun looked up: "How exactly do you use the feint attack?"

"Wang Qingnian wants to arrest me the most right now." Li Ranmo walked back to the table. "Let's make him think that I've appeared. We'll show up somewhere else and cause a big commotion to divert his main forces."

"And then?" Shen Qiushui asked.

"Then, taking advantage of the lax security at the dock, we'll go in and switch the goods," Li Ranmo said. "We won't just steal them, we'll switch them. We'll replace that batch of 'special reagents' with something else, or just take it away. We'll leave the fakes and let them transport them. By the time they realize something's wrong, the real stuff will already be in our hands."

Han Xiuyun stroked her chin: "A diversionary tactic... that's feasible. I have many men under my command; creating some commotion about 'Dr. Li's appearance' elsewhere won't be difficult. Those useless inspectors will definitely pounce on you as soon as they hear news of you."

Chen Qitai's brows were still furrowed: "Even if there are fewer guards at the dock, what's the situation inside? The warehouse structure? Where are the goods stored? How do we get in? How do we transfer them? We don't know any of this. Taking any action rashly is just suicide."

"So we need to do reconnaissance." Li Ranmo looked at Han Xiuyun. "Sister Yun, can you arrange for someone to go in and take a look at the dock? We don't need to lift a finger, just find out the structure of Warehouse C, the guard positions, and the shift change times."

Han Xiuyun thought for a moment: "Yes, I can. I have people among the dockworkers. It won't be difficult to sneak in and take a look. But it will take some time."

"Two days," Li Ranmo said. "We have two more days to prepare. Sister Yun, you'll be in charge of the reconnaissance. Qiushui, you continue studying this document to see if there are any overlooked clues, especially regarding that batch of 'special reagents.' If you can find out exactly what they are and how to identify them, that would be best."

Shen Qiushui nodded: "I'll do my best."

"Vice President," Li Ranmo looked at Chen Qitai, "keep an eye on Wang Qingnian's latest moves at the hospital and the Department of Health. Also, if we succeed, this batch of 'evidence'... needs to be sent out to an absolutely safe place."

Chen Qitai was silent for a moment, then finally sighed: "I have the place. But the condition is that you can bring the stuff out alive."

He glanced at the booklet on the table: "Use it and then dispose of it."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the door, but stopped at the door and looked back at Li Ranmo.

"Dr. Li."

"Um?"

"Come back alive," Chen Qitai said. "The hospital and the front lines still need you."

Li Ranmo nodded.

Chen Qitai opened the door and his figure disappeared into the night.

Han Xiuyun also stood up: "I'll arrange for someone to come over right away. By tomorrow night at the latest, they should have a clear understanding of the situation at the dock and send it over."

She left too.

Only Li Ranmo, Shen Qiushui, and the flickering kerosene lamp remained in the room.

Shen Qiushui carefully put away the booklet that Chen Qitai had brought, and then continued to read the documents.

Li Ranmo sat in the chair opposite her, closed his eyes, and went over the plan in his mind.

There are many vulnerabilities.

Will Wang Qingnian fall for it?

Even if some of the dock guards are transferred, how many will be left?

How do I get in? How do I exchange the item? How do I get out after exchanging it?

If any link in the chain goes wrong, it's game over.

"Li Ranmo," Shen Qiushui suddenly called out to him.

Li Ranmo opened his eyes.

Shen Qiushui pointed to a very inconspicuous corner of the document, where there was a small handwritten number: "Look at this."

Li Ranmo leaned closer to take a look.

"This is..." He squinted.

"Does this look like a warehouse floor plan number?" Shen Qiushui asked. "Or perhaps it's the number of a specific area within the warehouse? 'Warehouse C, location B-7'?"

Li Ranmo took the document, carefully examined the number, and then looked at the surrounding text.

"That's possible," he said. "If that's the case, that batch of 'special reagents' might be stored in a fixed, numbered location. That would save trouble; we wouldn't have to search the entire warehouse."

"But the risks are also greater," Shen Qiushui said. "A fixed location means there's likely someone watching over it, or it might have a special lock."

"A lock can be opened," Li Ranmo said. "What we're afraid of is people."

Neither of them spoke again.

After a while, Shen Qiushui asked softly, "Are you scared?"

Li Ranmo looked at her and asked, "What are you afraid of?"

"die."

Li Ran smiled faintly, almost imperceptibly.

"I'm afraid," he said, "but some things, even if you're afraid, you have to do them."

Shen Qiushui lowered her head and continued reading the documents, the pencil scratching on the paper.

Li Ranmo closed his eyes again.

He was thinking about the terrain of the dock, the structure of the warehouse, how to get in, and how to get out.

I wonder what exactly those things codenamed B-7 are.

If it really is a biological warfare agent...

He suddenly opened his eyes.

"Autumn Waters".

"Um?"

"Tomorrow, try to get some high-concentration alcohol and bleach, the more the better," Li Ranmo said. "If we're going to handle that batch of stuff, we need to take precautions. At the very least, our hands and faces can't come into direct contact. We also need to deal with our clothes and shoes afterwards."

Shen Qiushui was stunned for a moment, then understood what he meant. Her face paled, but she quickly calmed down.

"Okay. I'll think of something."

The sound of the night watchman striking his clapper came from outside the window.

It's already past midnight.

The night is still long, but time waits for no one.

Three days.

Seventy-two hours.

We must either intercept the evidence, bring down Wang Qingnian, and prevent a disaster.

Or, die in some cold warehouse at the Shimonoseki docks.

Li Ranmo blew out the kerosene lamp.

In the darkness, he heard Shen Qiushui's soft breathing.

And my own steady heartbeat.