Chapter 2: Saint Mary

  Three hours before the shooting, in the office of Zheng Sihuang, the head of the Military Bureau's training department, the air was filled with an unusual solemnity and tension, as if the smoke from the cigarette held between his fingers had solidified.

  "Dong Xiaonian," Zheng Xilin slowly looked at the file in his hand, actually he didn't need to look at anything, everything was clear in his mind. "Before 1937, your name was Dong Zhiyu, that's your real name."

  A flicker of surprise flashed in her eyes, which did not escape Zheng Xilin's attention. After all, the Military Commission is the Military Commission, and checking a name is not even a thing. The idea flashed quickly, but he smiled and replied: "Director Zheng, the student used to be called Dong Zhiyu, it's true. The student is ignorant, the name is just a symbol, there is no truth or falsehood. Working in the Military Commission Bureau, having multiple names is just an extra layer of protective color."

  Zheng Xi Lin nodded, what she said was true. Director Dai Li had more than a dozen aliases, big and small. When he met with Secretary Yu Shu Heng, they were like glue and lacquer, so he used the alias "Yu Long", meaning the son-in-law of the Yu family who rode the dragon quickly.

  "Not bad, your name change at the beginning actually helped our current plan," Zheng Xilin finally remembered to take a sip of his cigarette. "Now we need you to change your name back, Miss Dong Zhiyu, and we will arrange for you to return to Shanghai."

  "Shanghai?" Dong Zhiyu couldn't help but exclaim, memories of Shanghai were frozen in time at the White Lily South Road aristocratic church school for girls, seven years of closed education, some classmates had their families' cars pick them up every weekend, while she herself only went to her aunt's house once a month, she understood that she was just a guest under someone else's roof, although her parents had left her a considerable amount of money after they passed away. In the 25th year of the Republic of China, she entered Fudan University, and the following year Shanghai fell, she followed the faculty and students of Fudan to relocate to Chongqing...

  "That's right, Shanghai. The mobile phone terminal premiere address: When you arrive in Shanghai, your uncle Yu Weili will arrange for you to meet Tang Shengming, who has defected to Wang Jingwei."

  Dong Zhiyu fell silent, and these names were like several heavy hand grenades that had been thrown into her heart lake, creating a huge splash and fog. Her uncle was just the head of a department at Citibank, and after Shanghai fell, her aunt's family moved to the French Concession, never having any connection with any political party. But now that Zheng Xilin had mentioned it, it seemed that her aunt's family had been implicated. Wang Jingwei collaborated with Japan and established a puppet government in Nanjing this March, flying the flag of "peace, anti-communism, and national construction". And Tang Shengming was the younger brother of General Tang Shengzhi, who had gone to Shanghai a few months ago to join the Japanese puppet regime and was closely connected with the people at 76 Jessfield Road, the headquarters of the Shanghai Special Operations Bureau. The Chongqing side had already publicly condemned him, and Tang Shengzhi had declared that he had severed his brotherly relationship with him... But how could she and her uncle be linked to these names?

  Zheng Xilin observed Dong Zhiyu's reaction, seemingly calm, although he was definitely puzzled in his heart. He felt that this was a quality that a sleeper agent must possess. Tang Shengming was a big mole planted by the Military Bureau in Wang's puppet regime. This person had always been quite a playboy and had good relationships with Wang Jingwei, Ding Mocun, Li Shiqun and others. It was reasonable to say that he would return to the bright lights and bustling streets of Shanghai, where he would live a life of luxury and pleasure. However, Zheng Xilin did not tell Dong Zhiyu this, as it was a huge secret within the Military Bureau. Even if Dong Zhiyu were also sent to infiltrate Wang's puppet regime, she could not be allowed to know. Of course, if she passed future tests and there was a need for her to know, then it would be possible to let her in on the secret.

  "After you get familiar with Tang Shengming, you will naturally get to know Ding Mervillage, Li Shizhong and other Japanese puppet agents. You and your cousin Zeng Jiali need to build a good relationship with the wives of these agents." Zheng Xilin pinched the cigarette in his hand, "Shanghai is still that dazzling metropolis, your cousin Zeng Jiali wants to catch a golden turtle son-in-law among the young talents in politics and business, while you want to get a salaried job in the new government. Of course, this is all our arrangement, remember, Shanghai is just your transit station, and your final destination is Nanjing."

  Dong Zhiyu looked straight at Zheng Xilin, and that was it. It turned out that the Military Commission wanted her to infiltrate the Nanjing government of Wang Jingwei. Nanjing, her hometown, with its majestic Purple Mountain and ten miles of Qinhuai River. For over a decade, she had been drifting outside, and how many times had she dreamed of being back in her family's old mansion, studying with her husband, while her mother was in the front hall giving instructions to the steward Dong Xuan about some trivial household matters, and the maid Lan Ma carefully took care of her own wooden box of fine cloud-patterned satin shoes...

  It's just... "The student is not talented, there is one thing that is unclear."

  "Please go on."

  "Why was I chosen?" To think that in the eyes of Military Intelligence, I should just be a student who graduated from Spy School not long ago.

  Zheng Xi Lin smiled wryly, having expected this question all along. It was also the same question he had in his mind when Yu Shu Heng asked him to recommend this woman to Dai Li.

  "Firstly, you are fluent in English and have some knowledge of Japanese. The Nanjing government has just been established and is actively developing its diplomatic relations. As far as we know, they are looking for a group of foreign affairs personnel to expand their fake Foreign Ministry. You received seven years of all-English education from foreign teachers at Shanghai St. Mary's Girls' School, including one year of preparatory class and six years of formal study, with excellent grades throughout.

  Secondly, during your time in the spy training class, you demonstrated a special skill that no one else had: having a photographic memory. The instructor reported to me that after giving you a small booklet to flip through once, when asked about the content of the second-to-last page's last paragraph, you were able to recall it accurately and without error."

  Dong Zhiyu smiled humbly, but Military Intelligence had already investigated all the details of her past and she was no longer a mystery.

  "Language and memory skills are two sharp tools for doing intelligence work. Secondly, the environment in which you grew up is either rich or noble, which is enough to guarantee that you will be able to socialize with ease with the number one figures of Wang's puppet regime and their wives in Shanghai in the future, without revealing any flaws. In addition, given your uncle's social status in Shanghai, it is reasonable for him to know Tang Shengming and other special agents of Wang's puppet regime No. 76."

  Dong Zhiyu nodded, not bad, these conditions are not available to everyone, unfortunately, Auntie's family was eventually drawn into this espionage game, and she had some hidden worries in her heart.

  "There are still some factors that are the icing on the cake for the entire plan. These factors include the fact that you are originally from Nanjing and wanting to return to Nanjing is reasonable, also including the fact that you changed your name when you came to Chongqing, we have made some arrangements in your file, remember, you are called Dong Zhiyu, and have never been to Chongqing before, in 1937 when Fudan University relocated, you stayed in Shanghai."

  "Yes, I will carefully follow the instructions of the elder. Then, what is the task after arriving in Nanjing?"

  "This you don't need to worry about for now, when everything is ready, someone will notify you. For the time being, your task is to find a job for yourself in the Nanjing puppet government in Shanghai. You are not fighting alone, we have already arranged for people to secretly assist you," Zheng Xilin thought for a moment and felt that the task had been fully assigned, "Is there anything else you don't understand?"

  "It's all gone."

  "Alright, now go back and pack up, we'll set off tomorrow!" Zheng Xi Lin smiled and patted Dong Zhi Yu's shoulder, but in that instant he realized again that the other was just a weak female student. He hoped she would complete her mission without incident.