Regarding the young man in short clothes and the middle-aged man wearing a top hat who were both following Yuan Zuocai, Lin Chuang believed that one of them must be Japanese, while the other was most likely an underground party member.
It is obvious that in the current China, apart from the Republic of China government, that is, Japanese spies and underground parties are operating secretly, there are no other forces.
The goal of both parties is that huge sum of money.
Lin Chuang was not surprised at all that the underground party was able to obtain the 200,000 French currency defrauded from Yuan Zuocai. Because he knew that the underground party was very powerful in the hidden front, with very strong mobility and rich experience.
This is due to the weak position they have been in during the long and cruel struggle. It is this weak position that forces them to continue to explore and grow stronger.
Just like the accompanying text for a picture of a bullet-riddled airplane in later generations: If you don’t experience a hail of bullets, how can you have rough skin and thick flesh?
So, what is the identity of this young man in short clothes?
In Lin Chuang's view, there are only three possibilities.
One is that he is neither an underground party member nor a Japanese. His appearance behind Yuan Zuocai is purely coincidental.
The second type is Japanese;
The third possibility is the underground party.
Regarding the first possibility, Lin Chuang believes that it can basically be ruled out.
Those engaged in intelligence work do not believe in coincidences. Anything that seems to be a coincidence is highly likely to be inevitable.
So is he an underground party?
It is actually very easy to prove this. Lin Chuang has two ways to prove it.
The first, the simplest, is to find a reason to arrest him, beat him up, torture him until he is extremely mentally exhausted, and then use a unique trick - mental hallucination to make him speak out.
The second method is also simple. You can try using the Japanese contact code. If they don't respond at all, it is most likely an underground party. If they are stunned for a moment, it means that they are Japanese.
Both methods are extremely simple, but the difference is that they also face many dangers.
For example, in the first case, if the young man is an underground party, what should he do after learning his true identity? If he is released, how can he be released so as not to attract other people's attention? Especially now that Chen Huaijun is interfering, it is not easy to hide it from him.
For another example, if the young people are underground members, that would be the best. You only need to remind them not to show up again, and you can eliminate their danger invisible. But what if they are Japanese? Wouldn't it be wrong?
Revealed?
Of course, Lin Chuang doesn't have to rush to verify their identities, but if they are really the organization he is looking for, it will be too dangerous for them.
Because Chen Huaijun would not let them go, and he could not catch the Japanese, it was no small feat to catch a few Communists.
Unable to think of any other good way, Lin Chuang decided to go in and take a look first. If it didn't work, he would just take the risk, and he couldn't just watch the organization suffer.
He walked to a corner, opened the safety of the pistol, inserted it into his waist, and then entered the "Yonghui Warehouse".
There were only two people in the warehouse. A middle-aged man in a robe and glasses was sitting on the counter with an abacus and accounting. The young man Lin Chuang was following was sorting out the goods.
As soon as Lin Chuang took a quick look, he could tell there was something wrong with this warehouse.
The so-called warehouse is actually a commodity distribution center, mostly concentrated on water and land terminals. The warehouse's business method is to buy bulk goods from cargo ships or trucks, store them first, and then sell them to retailers in the city. This business method
Similar to wholesalers in later generations. Therefore, the goods in warehouses are generally of various types and in large quantities.
In addition, the warehouse also has the function of storage and providing food and accommodation. There must be a warehouse and guest rooms behind the store.
And this warehouse is in the wrong location. Although it is not far from Zhongshan Gate and is considered a convenient place for transportation, it is still too far from the dock and does not meet the basic requirements of a warehouse.
However, if it is regarded as a secondary wholesaler, this position can still be explained.
What makes people even more suspicious is that the items in the warehouse are relatively simple, including coal stoves, diesel stoves and kerosene lamps. The quantity does not seem to be very large, and there are no customers yet. It is not an exaggeration to describe it as empty.
When Lin Chuang entered the store, the shopkeeper and the young man were busy working on their own and did not see him, so they had to say hello first.
"Shopkeeper, are you busy?"
"Hey, sir, welcome to our store." The shopkeeper raised his head and saw a stranger entering the store, and quickly came out from the counter to greet him.
"Sir, what do you want to buy? Do you want wholesale or retail?"
"I want to buy some coal stoves. Is this all we have in stock now?" Lin Chuang said casually.
His purpose was to take a look at the warehouse and guest rooms behind the store.
"Well, to be honest with you, sir, our store has difficulty with capital turnover. We only have so much inventory. If you, sir, want to buy in large quantities, our store does not have the ability to do so at the moment." The shopkeeper sighed and replied.
This sentence suddenly dispelled Lin Chuang's idea of going to the back to take a look.
"Shopkeeper, why did you build the warehouse in this location? Isn't it too far from the dock?" Lin Chuang asked.
"Alas, sir, I don't know something. The shop is small and the scene in Nanjing city cannot open up. Therefore, we can only buy goods from others, mainly selling them to the counties and countryside below." The shopkeeper replied.
Lin Chuang nodded, this explanation was reasonable.
Lin Chuang noticed that during his conversation with the shopkeeper, the young man dressed as a waiter cast wary glances at him from time to time.
Lin Chuang couldn't help but get suspicious: "Did he see me just now? It's impossible. It's so far away and he didn't look back. It's impossible to find me. What's the reason? No matter what the reason, there must be something wrong with this warehouse.
It doesn’t feel like it’s mainly about selling goods, but rather like a transit station built specifically for storing and receiving customers.”
At this point, Lin Chuang was basically sure that this was not opened by the Japanese.
Because the Japanese specialize in spying on intelligence, wouldn't it be unnecessary to have a warehouse and guest rooms?
Then, their identities are almost ready to be revealed.
Thinking of this, Lin Chuang decided to take a risk and try it out again.
"Okay, let me buy two coal stoves and two kerosene lamps first. How much do they cost?"
"Ten dollars in total."
"Are you going to deliver the goods? It won't be easy for me to come out alone."
"Of course, but if you live far away, sir, please give me a few bucks."
"I live in Shuanglong Lane, Baotai Street."
"Oh, that's not close." When the shopkeeper heard the address, his eyes flashed.
"How about adding an extra dollar for footwork?"
"Then thank you sir for the reward. What's your name sir?"
"My surname is Chen, and my name is Chen Tianyi. You will find out when you get there."
Lin Chuang bit out the words "Chen Tianyi" very clearly and stared at the shopkeeper for a moment. At the same time, he stretched his hand to his waist and quietly held the handle of the gun...