"It really was not my intention to be late and miss our rendezvous," Fang Jibai said.
"I naturally know you didn't do it on purpose, but there has to be a reason," Liu Antai said. "Besides, Comrade Great Sage, you must understand—when you failed to appear, I was terribly worried, even prepared to relocate at a moment's notice."
"I suddenly had to work overnight overti—" Fang Jibai began, then caught himself and abruptly clamped his mouth shut. "Due to unavoidable circumstances, I couldn't make it in time."
While setting traps with his words and demeanor, his attention remained intensely focused, secretly watching and catching every possible sign of suspicion.
From a minute change in Wildcat's breathing rate, he caught an almost imperceptible anomaly.
Earlier, the moment he had said "the afternoon," Wildcat's composure had faltered. Although the man had concealed it well and quickly recovered, Fang Jibai had still caught it.
Why had that happened?
Had something unusual occurred during the afternoon?
For safety's sake, he had not gone to Boyun Teahouse in the afternoon—had that decision caused him to miss some critical clue?
Even so, he felt no regret. Scenting potential trouble, going to Boyun Teahouse for the rendezvous in the afternoon would have been utter stupidity.
***
"Did you follow me this afternoon and find out I lived here?" Liu Antai asked, glancing toward Great Sage in the dark.
"Yes," Fang Jibai said. Then came another cough. Covering his mouth with his right hand, he thumped his chest and forcibly suppressed it once more.
Behind his cloth mask, Fang Jibai fixed his gaze on Comrade Wildcat's eyes, studying the man's expression.
Upon entering, Fang Jibai had deliberately chosen a seat with his back to the light, leaving Wildcat no choice but to sit opposite him. Moonlight crept in through the cracks; faint as it was, when cast across a face in the darkness, it had a strangely discernible effect.
"Comrade Great Sage, do you realize this behavior of yours is a grave violation of organizational discipline? Tailing a comrade sent by higher levels to make contact is an extremely dangerous act!" Liu Antai grew furious, his voice abruptly rising into a stern, heavy reprimand. "This conduct of yours is a serious mistake. I will report this matter faithfully to the organization, and you will await their disciplinary decision!"
Wildcat seemed very agitated.
Yes, his anger was understandable, but—
Wasn't he reacting a little too agitatedly?
"Understood. I accept all criticism and discipline from the organization," Fang Jibai said with a nod.
"Why come to see me in the middle of the night?" Liu Antai asked. "Since you followed me and confirmed my residence, you could easily have come earlier in the evening."
"My dear Comrade Great Sage!" He tapped lightly on the table. "In the dead of night, you're lucky you didn't bump into anyone dressed like that. If anyone had seen you, they'd have mistaken you for a burglar breaking into an empty house!"
"There was a situation," Fang Jibai said.
"What situation?" Liu Antai asked in alarm, immediately leaning forward.
"When I followed you to Shipopo Lane, I noticed the shoe repair stall outside No. 19 next door," Fang Jibai said. "There was something wrong with it. That spot isn't suitable for a cobbler to set up a stall."
As he spoke, Fang Jibai felt around for his cigarette pack and flicked out a smoke. A cigarette accidentally dropped to the floor. Fang Jibai looked down, but naturally couldn't find it in the dark.
"Let me turn on the light," Liu Antai offered.
"Forget it, no need," Fang Jibai said. "Turning on a light this late can easily attract unwanted attention."
Saying so, he squeezed the pack; it was empty. Fang Jibai gave a cough and shook his head.
"Do you have a cold?" Liu Antai asked with concern.
"Caught it from a coworker." Fang Jibai suppressed a cough. "Back to the shoe repair stall. I suspected something was off about it, so to avoid drawing the enemy's attention, I quickly withdrew."
"Nonsense. Seeing ghosts where there are none," Liu Antai said with a frown. "If there were really something wrong with that stall, how could I have failed to notice?"
He showed an air of dissatisfaction. "Comrade Great Sage, the man sitting before you is also a battle-tested Bolshevik fighter with rich experience in struggling against the enemy."
"I didn't mean it that way." Fang Jibai frowned and waved a hand. He started to explain, but being a man of few words, he simply held his tongue.
***
"You were mistaken," Liu Antai said.
"What?" Fang Jibai was somewhat surprised and puzzled, his mind racing so much that he even forgot to cough.
"That shoe repair stall wasn't aimed at me at all," Liu Antai said.
"What do you mean?" Fang Jibai asked, his voice raspy as he pondered the words.
"Just around dusk, the female tenant at No. 19 was robbed right outside her door. The thieves who robbed her were none other than the cobbler and his customer," Liu Antai said. "I had noticed that shoe repair stall long before, and naturally recognized that their target was the female tenant next door."
"It seems I fell into an empiricist trap." Fang Jibai furrowed his brow, a tone of self-reproach creeping into his voice.
Liu Antai raised an eyebrow.
That was the right flavor.
This was precisely the type of comrade he knew and was familiar with:
Cautious, sensitive, suspicious, often trusting only themselves—or rather, more inclined to trust their own judgment.
Yet once they realized they had made an operational mistake, they were equally prone to falling into self-reproach and self-criticism.
A contradictory temperament, yet in a person like this, entirely understandable.
"Underground work does indeed require rich experience against the enemy," Liu Antai sighed. "It's just that your experience led you to the wrong conclusion this time."
"Still..." He waved his hand. "In any case, staying vigilant is never wrong."
"I made an error, and I won't shirk from it," Fang Jibai said.
*Stubborn. Rigid.*
Liu Antai added new tags to his assessment of Great Sage.
***
"Comrade Great Sage, the organization sent me to Nanjing this time primarily to contact and locate lost comrades," Liu Antai said, "and using them as a core foundation, rebuild the local Nanjing Party organization."
"Resolute... I will resolutely obey the organization's decision." Fang Jibai coughed. "Comrade Wildcat, if only you knew how glad I am."
Liu Antai could hear it—Great Sage was truly glad. Even with his normally cold manner of speaking, Great Sage's voice held an unmistakable lilt when he said the word "glad."
"The organization is also very glad to reestablish contact with you all," Liu Antai said happily. "Comrade Great Sage, are you able to reach any other comrades on your end? Or do you know anything about the situations of other disconnected comrades?"
Fang Jibai fell silent.
Though an eager urgency stirred within Liu Antai, he did not press, waiting calmly for Great Sage's answer instead.
"Comrade Wildcat, what time is it?" Fang Jibai asked abruptly.
Liu Antai pulled out his pocket watch and moved to the window. Examining it closely by the moonlight, he said, "It's almost quarter to two in the morning."
"Comrade Wildcat," Fang Jibai said, suddenly standing up.
"What is it?" Liu Antai asked, startled.
"I have to go back," Fang Jibai said.
"What?" Liu Antai's mouth dropped open.
*Was I finished talking?*
*Did you even answer my question?*
*Did you come here for a rendezvous, or are you just rushing between gigs?*
No sense of protocol whatsoever, no organization, no discipline!
He had never seen a comrade come to a rendezvous like this.
Chapter 8