Chapter 1156 - The Sisters

While events in Kaohsiung unfolded, a different kind of drama was playing out in Lingao—one that would have far-reaching consequences.

Li Huamei, the woman who had called herself Li Chun when she worked at the South Sea Agricultural Cooperative, was living a double life.

On the surface, she was a model naturalized citizen. She worked diligently at the Women's Cooperative, managing a team of seamstresses who produced uniforms for the Fubo Army. Her daughter attended Fangcaodi School and was doing well. She had bought a small apartment in the workers' residential district and lived a quiet, respectable life.

Beneath this surface, however, she was still playing a dangerous game.

Li Huamei had been sent to Lingao years ago by Li Siya—the mysterious pirate queen who operated in the South China Sea. Her mission then had been reconnaissance: observe the Australians and report back on their capabilities and intentions.

That mission had failed, in a sense. Li Huamei had been absorbed into Australian society, had genuinely come to appreciate the opportunities it afforded, and had gradually stopped sending reports. When Li Siya's organization tried to reactivate her, she had hesitated.

But blood was blood. Li Siya wasn't just her employer; she was her younger sister.

The three sisters—Mo, Huamei, and Siya—had been separated in childhood when their parents, servants to a wealthy Macau merchant, died. Mo had been taken in by the merchant's household. Huamei had run off with a sailor who turned out to be a pirate. And Siya, the youngest, had been raised by the Macau merchant himself.

They had found each other again only recently. Mo was now a doctor—trained by the Australians themselves—working at Bairen General Hospital. Huamei was the seamstress with a hidden past. And Siya was the pirate, operating somewhere in the shadows.

Li Huamei's conflicted loyalties had reached a crisis point.

Li Shun, the informant captured in Kaohsiung, had been part of the network that Li Siya's organization used to gather intelligence. Though he didn't know Li Huamei directly, the connection existed. If the Political Security Bureau followed the thread far enough, it might lead to her.

She needed to act.

Her first move was to contact her younger sister through a carefully constructed communication channel. The message was simple: Li Shun is captured. Clear the network. I may be compromised.

Li Siya's response came within days: Understood. Stay quiet. Do nothing to attract attention. I will handle it.

But Li Huamei wasn't satisfied with passive waiting. She needed insurance.

She went to visit her elder sister, Mo.

Mo worked in the medical section of the Bureau of Naturalized Citizens' Affairs. She was a skilled physician, originally trained in traditional Chinese medicine but now proficient in Australian methods. She had no idea about either sister's espionage activities—or so Li Huamei believed.

"Sister," Mo said warmly when Li Huamei appeared at her door. "It's been too long. Come in, come in."

They sat together drinking tea, catching up on trivial matters—Mo's patients, Li Huamei's daughter, the weather. But beneath the pleasant conversation, Li Huamei was probing, trying to assess whether Mo had heard anything about the Kaohsiung investigation.

"I heard there was some trouble in Taiwan," Mo mentioned casually. "A foreigner was killed?"

Li Huamei's heart skipped a beat. "I heard something about that too. Terrible business."

"The hospital received an inquiry about a body—someone wanted medical records compared. Apparently the killer was Japanese."

"Is that so?" Li Huamei kept her voice level. "Well, I don't concern myself much with such matters. My work keeps me busy enough."

Mo studied her sister's face for a moment. There was something in her eyes—suspicion? Concern? But she said nothing more about it.

After an hour of conversation, Li Huamei excused herself and departed. She was more anxious than before. Mo had mentioned the investigation unprompted. That could mean she knew something, or it could be mere coincidence.

Either way, Li Huamei would have to be very careful in the coming weeks.

What she didn't know was that her visit had been noted. Mo had long harbored suspicions about her middle sister's past. The vague stories about a pirate husband who had died, the mysterious years unaccounted for, the occasional lapses in her story—it all added up to something hidden.

And now, with this strange visit arriving right after news of the Kaohsiung incident broke, Mo's suspicions were stronger than ever.

She said nothing to anyone—not yet. But she began to watch, and to listen, and to remember.

The three sisters were on a collision course, though none of them knew it yet.

(End of Chapter)