Chapter 333: The Mysterious 'Australian Outfit'

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Zuo Yamei said proudly, seeing her envious gaze.

“Yes, it’s beautiful. Is this a new Song-style design?”

“I suppose so. It’s not for sale at the cooperative yet,” Zuo Yamei said. “This is our school’s ‘casual wear’.”

“‘Casual wear’?” Li Yongxun had never heard this term before.

“It’s the clothes we wear in our spare time,” Zuo Yamei said. “What do you think? Our school’s designs are very bold, right?”

“They are very bold,” Li Yongxun said sincerely. “It’s just that the skirt is too short…”

“What’s the big deal? We wear much less than this when we go swimming,” Zuo Yamei said nonchalantly. “Besides, we’re learning from the chiefs. Don’t you see the female chiefs all wear short skirts and shorts? Even the male chiefs wear shorts on the street in the summer.”

Li Yongxun was speechless. Indeed, the Yuanlao were famous for their “shocking” attire. In comparison, Zuo Yamei’s outfit was nothing.

Zuo Yamei quickly packed her things and left with a small wicker suitcase. She was alone in the dormitory again.

Li Yongxun lay on her bed, her mind racing. The matter of Xin Nachun had put her at ease, but the matter of her colleagues had made her anxious again. She was worried that her colleagues would drag her cousin-in-law into trouble.

From Xin Nachun’s behavior, it was clear that the local “colleagues” were in a desperate situation, grasping at straws. Lin Ming’s appearance was like a savior from heaven to them. They would surely cling to him.

As she was lost in thought, the sound of an emergency assembly whistle suddenly came from outside. Li Yongxun quickly got out of bed and ran to the window. The courtyard was brightly lit and the atmosphere was tense. Police officers were assembling in the courtyard. Messengers on bicycles were constantly coming and going.

Something had happened! Li Yongxun’s first thought was that something had happened to Lin Ming. She quickly put on her uniform, got dressed in a hurry, and rushed out of the dormitory.

Nearly two hundred police officers had already assembled in the courtyard. Pan Jiexin stood under the eaves, his expression serious. Seeing her arrive, he nodded. “You’re here, good. Go to your post.”

Li Yongxun didn’t dare to ask any questions and quickly joined the ranks. Her heart was pounding. She didn’t know what had happened, but from the scale and speed of the assembly, it couldn’t be a small matter.

Soon, all personnel had assembled. Pan Jiexin gave a brief mobilization speech, saying that “a group of vicious criminals” was planning to commit a crime in Dongmen Market, and ordered the National Police to “strike first, capture them all in one fell swoop or kill them on the spot.”

With his order, the police officers set out in several groups, on foot, on bicycles, and in carriages, all heading towards Dongmen Market.

---

In the backyard of Haixing Store, Lin Ming was waiting anxiously.

Early this morning, he had seen a new secret sign on the street, summoning him to meet at a ruined temple outside the city tonight. Lin Ming knew this must have been sent by his colleagues. Since his sister-in-law knew the embankment was not safe, she would not use a secret sign to contact him again.

To go or not to go, he hesitated for a long time. In the end, he decided to go once. It wasn’t out of any “loyalty” or “collegial friendship,” but purely for his own safety.

Since his colleagues had already contacted him, they would not let him go easily. If he didn’t show up, what if they became angry and reported him? Although he could deny it, if the short-hairs arrested him for “interrogation,” he might not be able to endure it. He knew all the cruel tortures of the Jinyiwei, and the short-hairs’ methods would only be more sophisticated.

So, after much thought, he decided to go and meet them, to find out their background and then decide what to do.

He followed the instructions on the secret sign and arrived on time at a small temple outside Dongmen Market.

The temple was very small, with only one hall. Inside was a shrine to the Earth God. Because there were many Earth God temples in Lingao, the incense was not very strong. There was only a half-deaf, half-mute temple keeper. The hall was dark, with only a small oil lamp in front of the shrine, barely illuminating the surroundings.

Lin Ming quietly entered the hall. A person emerged from behind the shrine and said in a low voice, “Immeasurable Longevity Buddha.”

Lin Ming cursed inwardly. When did the Jinyiwei’s password become this! But he still followed the rules and cupped his fists, saying, “Our own brother.”

“Which office is brother from?” the person asked.

“Foshan office.”

“Your waist plaque?”

Lin Ming cursed inwardly again. His waist plaque was specially made, with his unique number on it. One look and they would know who he was. Now he couldn’t deny it even if he wanted to.

He reluctantly took out his waist plaque from his bosom. The other person took it, held it up to the oil lamp to look, then took out a flint and steel, blew it alight, examined it carefully, and returned it to him.

“So it’s Brother Lin from the Foshan office,” the person said very politely. “I am from the Nanjing head office…”

“So you’re a brother from the head office. My apologies for the disrespect.” Lin Ming was even more surprised. Someone from the head office!

How could someone from the head office come to Lingao? It wasn’t strange for the branch offices and centurion offices in Guangdong to send people to gather information, but for the head office to send someone directly was a major matter.

“…My humble name is Liang Cunhou. I came to Lingao this time to avenge my dead brothers!” the person said with great passion, his voice tinged with a sob. “…There were more than twenty of us, and now I am the only one left…”

Only then did Lin Ming realize that they were the ones involved in the recent “major case” that had been cracked in Lingao. He couldn’t help but curse his luck. How did he get involved with this bunch of stray dogs!

But since things had come to this, he could only play along. He said a few perfunctory words about “loyalty to the country” and then asked about his future plans.

Liang Cunhou said that he was now “trapped with no way out.” He wanted to return to the mainland but lacked the travel expenses; he wanted to continue to “accomplish something great” in Lingao but lacked the manpower. So he wanted to ask Lin Ming to “join him in a great undertaking.”

Lin Ming immediately declined, saying that he had only come to Lingao to “look for a relative” and had no “official business,” so it was inconvenient for him to participate.

“…Brother, don’t you worry. Our brothers cannot die in vain. The head office already knows about the situation in Lingao. Reinforcements will arrive soon. Then we will sweep through this place and wipe out all these overseas monsters! Brother, as long as you help me, when the time comes to report our merits, I will not forget your contribution!” Liang Cunhou said, spittle flying.

Lin Ming cursed inwardly. This was truly “sitting at home, and disaster falls from the sky.” This group of people was seeking their own death and wanted to drag him down with them.

He had made up his mind and would not participate in this matter. So he remained silent.

Liang Cunhou said many more words about “loyalty to the monarch and serving the country” and “promotion and wealth.” Seeing that he remained unmoved, he became a little anxious, and his tone became stern:

“Brother Lin! Could it be that you are a coward who fears death?!”

“Brother Liang, you speak too seriously.” Lin Ming knew that if he continued, they would fall out. He had no choice but to say, “It’s just that this matter is of great importance. Please give me a few days to consider it.”

Liang Cunhou nodded. “Alright, it’s good for you to consider it. But don’t you try to fool me. Although this Lingao is a dragon’s den and a tiger’s lair, if I, Liang, want to crush an ant like you, I can still do it!”

Lin Ming cursed inwardly: “Fuck!” But he said, “I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare.”

The two then agreed on the secret sign and the time and place for their next meeting. Only then did Liang Cunhou let him go.

Returning to Haixing Store, Lin Ming was restless. This Liang fellow had latched onto him. After thinking for a long time, the only solution was to “run away.” As long as he took his sister-in-law and left, no matter how capable Liang was, he couldn’t do anything to him.

But he couldn’t find his sister-in-law now, and he couldn’t actively look for her. As he was in a dilemma, a commotion suddenly started outside, followed by someone knocking on the door.

“Mr. Lin! Mr. Lin!”

It was Wang Xinglong’s voice.

“What is it?”

“The police! The police are here to check the rooms!”