Chapter 2: The Astrologer of the Soviet

  "Comrade Grennev, I think you want me to say 'I am a spy for German fascism', right?" Chu Si Nan's eyes stared unwaveringly at Grennev across from him, and after gazing coldly for a moment, he said lightly, "However, I'm afraid I have to disappoint you, you probably won't get that answer from me."

  "Ah, Comrade Chusunnan, you've misunderstood us. How could we possibly think you're a German spy?" Grinev said with a chuckle, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. "It's just that this whole thing is a bit strange. Are you saying it was all just a guess? That's quite a coincidence, isn't it? Hmm, maybe you can guess the direction of the German army's attack and even their approximate time of attack, but how did you know their troop strength so accurately? Comrade Chusunnan, don't you think you should give a slightly more reasonable explanation?"

  "Explain? Of course!" Chu Si Nan smiled, his two eyes narrowing into a line as he shook his head and teased, "I said I dreamed of it, or maybe I guessed it. Hmm, it's also possible that I calculated it, figured it out by reading the stars. Comrade He Luo Xiao didn't say so himself? He said I'm like Hitler's astrologer, haha, but let me correct him a bit - I'm much stronger than Hitler's astrologer, he can't compare to my awesomeness."

  Grennev's face changed, and he was apparently enraged by the teasing. However, this kid is also a deep-hearted person, and soon he returned to normal. He smiled faintly and tapped his hand on the table, saying in a lukewarm tone: "Well, let's say you guessed it in your dreams or divined it from the stars. Why don't you guess again, dream again, or divine again? See what developments our war will have next?"

  "If it's a guess, then I need time to think about it. If it's a dream, then I need to go to sleep first. And if it's based on astrology, then I need to look at the stars first. So, for what you're asking, I'm afraid I won't be able to give you an answer right now." Chu Si Nan shrugged his shoulders and said with an extremely relaxed tone.

  "That's all right, we don't have anything else here, but there are plenty of empty rooms. Comrade Chusnan, you can rest assured that you can stay here without being disturbed by anyone. Hehe, this is also personally arranged by Comrade He Luoxiao." Grinev stood up from his seat and said with a smile.

  Chu Si Nan understood his meaning, he was being secretly detained by these secret police, and the mastermind behind the scenes was that smiling tiger-like He Luo Xiao Fu. He himself was too impulsive that day, and his arrogant attitude when leaving must have offended this narrow-minded, vengeful little man.

  Without saying much, Chu Si Nan did not want to defend himself. He stood up from the chair with a smile and said calmly: "That's great, Comrade Greeniev, please tell me where my room is?"

  "Kryuchkov, take Comrade Chus to his room," Grennev said with a collected face, "and see that everything he needs is ready for him. I think he should be prepared to stay here for a long time."

  Kryuchkov nodded and reached out to grab Chusov's arm, leading him out of the cramped interrogation room.

  "Comrade Chusin, you really shouldn't have spoken to Glinkov like that. He's a petty tyrant and well-known here; whatever he says goes around here. You've offended him, and from now on your life won't be easy." Kryuchkov suddenly said at the foot of a long staircase.

  "Ah," Chu Si Nan felt astonished, he didn't expect that this young man beside him was also at odds with that hypocritical Grinev, what a great phenomenon. That Grinev is now simply the running dog of Comrade Pikhurov, an enemy, and the enemy of an enemy is a friend, this sentence is so reasonable. Chu Si Nan felt a bit relieved in his heart, after all, having one's own person in this ghostly place was much better.

  "Comrade Chu Si Nan, in fact, this time's move was... was Comrade Grynnev's private decision, and Comrade Belyaev's instructions were only inquiries, not interrogations, let alone detention." Kryuchkov fell silent for a moment before continuing, "However, Grynnev listened to the persuasion of some comrades upstairs and took this inappropriate action. I think if this matter is known by those upstairs, his days will be difficult."

  Kryuchkov's words, tinged with a hint of schadenfreude, suddenly enlightened Chuson, no wonder this seemingly kind-hearted young man was so enthusiastic about himself, it turned out that he wasn't motivated by sympathy for himself, but rather he wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to overthrow his superior and rise to power.

  Seeing Chusov's unnatural face, Kryuchkov patted his shoulder and sincerely comforted him: "Friend, you don't have to worry too much. After all, you are still a hero who has just been awarded the medal by Comrade Stalin. Even if Grinev is very bold, he dare not use excessive means against you. And here, I will take care of you. Although my power is not great, some small things can be done, such as sending letters and running errands."

  Kryuchkov's tone was full of implications, meaning that if Chusov had any connections, he should find them quickly and have him transmit. However, Chusov could hear the hidden meaning behind this, which was that the guy in front of him was probing to see if he had any background or relationships. If Chusov really had any connections in the Soviet Union at this time, he would have gone to find them without hesitation, but unfortunately, he didn't, he had nothing here, not even a sense of belonging, so under Kryuchkov's "good intentions" reminder, he remained silent.

  "It doesn't matter, there's no way out anyway. I believe that facts are facts, and even if Grekhnev is all-powerful, he can't make white black. You'll be able to get out eventually." Kryuchkov's eyes flashed with a hint of disappointment, but he quickly covered it up, patting Chusov's shoulder and speaking in a gentle tone.

  Because both of them had their own thoughts, the atmosphere was somewhat depressing for a while. After finally walking through two long corridors in this depressing atmosphere, Klyuchikov stopped in front of an iron gate with guards on duty.

  "Alright, Comrade Chusonan, we've arrived." Kryuchkov gestured to the two guards to open the door and said to Chusonan, "You may be staying here for a while, but don't worry, the conditions are tolerable. You'll have two hours of exercise time every day. Just one thing to keep in mind: try not to get too involved with the people inside. They're all serious offenders, enemies of the state who plotted against our Soviet government. It's not good for you to associate with them."

  Chu Si Nan nodded absent-mindedly and then walked into the iron gate that was like an open tiger's mouth.

  "Ah, there's a new person coming in, and it's a young Chinese guy."

  "Oh, really, how could they lock up such a young kid? Has the great Comrade Stalin gone mad? He's taken this poor little thing for Trotsky reincarnate?"

  "No, I think it's that self-indulgent, petty-minded fellow who is sneering at us. We are all people of strong will, Lenin's comrades-in-arms, tempered in blood and fire. To lock him up with us would be an absolute insult to us, a naked insult."

  As Chu Si Nan walked through the iron gate, the inside of the gate suddenly became lively, with loud and clear voices shouting, all of which were old but powerful.