Chapter Fifty-two Walnut

  Pain is terrible, but what's even more terrifying is the imagination of one's own body being brutally tortured. Therefore, those who have been subjected to cruel punishment usually collapse mentally first, and even if they are finally released, they will carry varying degrees of mental trauma for life, some of which can be cured, while others will leave lifelong scars.

  For Huai Jin, the bloody and mangled body was not scary, what was scary was that a face which used to be rational and wise had now become bewildered, as if abandoned by this world and transformed.

  This face seemed to still have some consciousness, heard the sound, and even raised an eyebrow. Huai Jin seemed to see her own shadow in those eyes, she waited, but those eyes were as calm as a dead water, not even blinking, and then fell again.

  Huai Jin's heart violently tightened. What kind of temperament would allow someone to steady their gaze and the situation even when they were physically and mentally crippled?

  She walked back to the other corner of the table, once again flipping through the interrogation records. Blank, everywhere was blank, yet it seemed not to be. Deep and shallow crimson soaked through the paper, overflowing around her.

  She slightly closed her eyes, put on the headphones, and in the recording, there was mostly silence, with only a few calm sentences at the beginning: "You don't need to bother, I won't say anything." Fast forward, play, fast forward again, play. Long stretches of silence, blankness, interspersed with the interrogator's threats, insults, and sinister laughter.

  Put down the headphones, Huai Jin left a sentence: "Continue the trial," and then walked out in big strides. The people in the interrogation room were accustomed to reacting this way to their superiors who came for inspection. It was a deep sense of frustration, but they didn't know that at this moment, Huai Jin's heart wasn't just filled with frustration, but also shock, admiration, and a deep sorrow beyond party affiliation.

  This is a civilian alley on the south side of Xuanwu City, where Dong Zhiyu carried a string of oil-paper wrapped miscellaneous goods, trying to make this visit look like a casual gathering between relatives and friends.

  On the drying platform of a residential building at the entrance of the alley, two men lazily smoked cigarettes, their eyes sharply fixed on the door that Dong Zhiyu was about to knock open.

  The door opened, and Dong Xun's gentle and thin face appeared behind the door. "Huh, little miss," his eyes showed a mixture of joy and worry, his hand grasping the door without moving, as if he didn't know whether to let her in or not.

  "Dong Shu, I heard that something happened with Dou Xiang's boat, so I came to take a look at you."

  Dong Xun finally opened the door, "Little miss, for this period of time, don't look for me, it's not safe."

  Dong Zhiyu walked in and said, "I know you're being monitored, Old Man Tu has been caught."

  Dong Xun deliberately left the door open, and at this moment his heart was quite conflicted. The person in front of him was both the young mistress he had watched grow up, as well as the interpreter who did things for the traitorous Wang.

  "Dong Shu, I have two questions for you," Dong Zhiyu lowered his voice. "First question, is Boss Tu reliable?"

  Dong Xun looked into Dong Zhiyu's eyes. This question was very dangerous and he couldn't answer it directly, "Little miss, what are you worried about?"

  "I'm worried about Uncle Dong, and also worried about Huai Jin."

  Dong Xun was taken aback, this sentence had a strong implication of concern for himself, possibly a test, but saying he was worried about Huai Jin, then she must know something, how did she know, could it be that she is also from the Yu Pei side... "If you're worried about Huai's strategy, in my understanding of Mr. Tu, he's actually a man who upholds his credit, as for me, I didn't have anything to worry about anyway."

  "Dong Shu, this is my second question, are you the same kind of person as Tu Lao Ban?" Dong Zhiyu looked at Dong Xuan with a clear and firm gaze.

  "How is it possible! Young lady, don't dare speak nonsense." Dong Xun glanced at the door with his eyes.

  "Dong Shu, tell me the truth, if you are the same kind of person as him, I will surrender to you."

  "What?" Dong Xun's surprise was no small matter, "Do you know what kind of person Old Man Tu is?"

  "He is from Anping."

  "So you want to defect?"

  "Not bad, I've had this intention for a long time. The Wang Group has disappointed me thoroughly, and I'm also looking for new hope. Uncle Dong, if you understand the way, don't hesitate to guide me on a path."

  Dong Xun thought about her words, got up to make tea for her, thus extending his own thinking time.

  "Dong Shu, can you help me?" Dong Zhiyu saw his reaction and felt like he had taken a tranquilizer.

  Dong Xun brought the tea back, carefully placing it in front of Dong Zhiyu. "Miss, do you know what it means to join the Red?" He still couldn't believe that this delicate missy in his eyes would actually want to take this path.

  Dong Zhiyu smiled slightly, "I think it's necessary for me to reintroduce myself to you, Uncle Dong: Dong Zhiyu, a member of the Red Empty Party. When I was undercover in Yupei with Xuan Tong, my alias was Dong Xiaonian. I used to be the superior of Chen Xianzhi, an underground party member in Yupei District. Unfortunately, Comrade Chen sacrificed himself last September. That night, I was sent by Xuantong to Shanghai to infiltrate the puppet regime, and since then, I have lost contact with the organization."

  Dong Xun's face changed with the wind and clouds, until finally fixed into a cluster of smiles, his eyes bursting out excited light, "Little miss, you found the organization!"

  "You should call me 'comrade'."

  Dong Xun rubbed his head, "It's really a bit uncomfortable... Comrade Dong Zhiyu, I am Dong Xun, a hidden member of the Red Sky Party in Xuanwu. Before Boss Tu was captured, he was my direct superior, codename 'Captain'." When mentioning Boss Tu, his eyes dimmed again.

  "All right, Comrade Dong Xun, I'd like to ask you again, will you and Huaijin be in danger?"

  "Alas," Dong Xun sighed, "Old Man Tu is a comrade with unyielding determination. He was chosen by the organization to lead this stronghold after going through layers of scrutiny, and I personally believe in him. What pains me is that my every move is under the enemy's surveillance, and wanting to rescue him, I am at a loss for what to do." As he spoke, Dong Xun revealed a hint of puzzlement, "So you are hiding with a dual identity within the puppet regime, this isn't simple at all!"

  "So far, my true identity has not played a role. I don't know about Mr. Tu's affairs, can I help?"

  Dong Xun hesitated for a moment, "I'd like to ask first, what kind of person is Huai Jin?"

  Dong Zhiyu's face showed a hint of loss, "From what I observed, she is just a person from the Xuan Tong Temple."

  Dong Xun nodded, "What a pity, she was someone who could have accomplished great things."

  "Can she save Mr. Tu?"

  Dong Xun thought for a moment, "I'm afraid no one can be saved. The traitors and the Japanese hate the Red Party the most. For the people of Yu Pei, they will try to win them over, but once our people fall into their hands, especially those who refuse to cooperate, there is only one dead end."

  Dong Zhiyu thought for a moment, "Alright, Uncle Dong, I'll use my position to help investigate the situation with Tou Lao Ban. If there's any unfavorable news," she paused, unfavorable news wouldn't be good for Uncle Dong, if even Uncle Dong was exposed, Huai Jin would probably also be in trouble, "if I find out any unfavorable news about you, I'll think of a way to notify you as soon as possible."

  "Dong Xun sighed, 'Miss, please don't do anything that puts your own safety at risk. Setting aside the revolutionary cause, if you were to get into danger for my sake, I wouldn't be able to explain it to the Dong family. But I also can't let this thread you've finally found break again. So, if one day I'm imprisoned, there's something here... wait a moment,' he said, walking into the inner room and quickly coming out with a walnut-shaped object in his hand. 'If I meet with danger, take this to Saint Heart Hospital and find a doctor named Ren Zhi Xing. He'll tell you what to do.'"

  " Sacred Heart Hospital, Dr. Ren..." Dong Zhiyu felt a sense of familiarity with this name, but couldn't think of where he had heard it before.

  "Yes, don't come looking for me again until the enemy's surveillance on me is lifted. We'll plan for the long term later."

  "Dong Shu, I hope I'll never have to use this walnut again." Dong Zhiyu's eyes shone with tears, for all the people she cared about.

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