Chapter 410: The East Window Incident

Is Lingao safe after all?

Wu Mu stated: The security situation in Lingao is generally good and stable. 99% of sabotage cases are discovered and dealt with in advance. In addition to those discovered by specialized investigation agencies, a considerable amount of information is provided by the broad masses of the people, especially the naturalized citizens. This shows that the bad elements do not have the support of the people… Under the guidance of the Senate and the Executive Committee, and with the support of all Elders, our General Political Security Bureau…

The next headline was even more eye-catching: “Abandoning the Darkness for the Light, a Terrorist Voluntarily Surrenders, Frankly Admitting His Loss of Faith in the Ming Dynasty.”

Okamoto continued to the next article:

“To Be a Policeman is to Protect the Peace and Reassure the People of a Region”

“Doctor, I don’t have time for an IV drip. Just give me a few pills.”

“You can’t go anywhere. You must rest in bed, otherwise your life will be in danger!”

“Officer, work is endless. I’ve never seen anyone like you in my life.”

“Doctor, as long as we can protect the safety of the Senate and the broad masses of the people of Lingao, it’s nothing for us policemen to be a little tired and suffer a little! Chief Ran and Chief Mu often teach us this in meetings, and they themselves often stay up late, so we have nothing more to say.”

…Director Mu shed two lines of hot tears when he talked about how many policemen passed by their homes three times without entering, sacrificing their small families for the greater good…

Okamoto touched the knee he had bruised in the carriage in a moment of panic and began to complain, “For crying out loud, isn’t this just blowing your own horn! Do you have to be in such a hurry! If that’s the case, how did so many people sneak into Lingao? How did I almost get into trouble! Shameless!”

He continued reading, the third page. Another photo, a young boy with several Elders from the education department. The Elders were all beaming, while the little boy, though wearing a red flower on his chest, looked quite nervous. The headline read: “Heroes Have Always Come from the Youth - A Nanbao Primary School Student Outwits a Thug.” Next to it were several small articles: “Education Supervisor Achieves Remarkable Results in Grasping Ideological and Political Education,” “Each of Us is an Eye and Ear of the Senate - A Record of a Lively Moral Education Class”…

Enough, enough. Okamoto didn’t want to read any further. We who were attacked have hardly been asked how we are, and a whole bunch of people have jumped out to claim credit. What kind of a thing is this! Isn’t this just ‘treating a funeral like a joyous occasion’! With that, he threw the newspaper aside, too angry to even eat his breakfast.

While Okamoto was fuming, several policemen came to the Haixing Guild Hall and knocked on Lin Ming’s door.

Lin Ming answered the door, his eyes bleary with sleep. He hadn’t dared to go out at all yesterday. Although he didn’t know which hero was causing trouble again, he knew that in such a chaotic situation, it was best for him to stay out of it.

The sight of the policemen outside the door startled him, and his sleepiness vanished instantly. Have I been exposed? he thought. Then he thought, I haven’t done anything. The Aussies shouldn’t have investigated me. It’s probably a routine check or something. At this thought, he forced himself to remain calm and took out his temporary ID card and employment certificate.

The police checked his documents. The leading officer saluted. “We’re from the Dongmen Market Police Station. Please cooperate with our work and come with us.”

Lin Ming considered that he had done nothing since arriving in Qiongzhou, and his identity was relatively clean. No matter how skilled these Australian agents were, they couldn’t have investigated him so thoroughly so quickly. With this thought in mind, and drawing on his years of experience as a Jin Yi Wei officer, he forced himself to remain calm and felt much more at ease. He followed the officer.

A carriage was already waiting outside. Lin Ming was secretly suspicious. The Australian yamen, or police station, was not too far from his residence. It was only a short walk away. There was no need for a carriage.

“Get in!”

Lin Ming climbed into the carriage and saw that the carriage was divided into two sections, front and back, with an iron grille in the middle. As soon as he got in, the door was locked. The agents all sat in the front, their faces expressionless, without saying a word.

The carriage started slowly, the horse’s hooves clopping. The carriage was actually quite comfortable. When Lin Ming had been on official business in the capital, he had ridden in a large-saddled carriage, and it was so bumpy that “his brains were about to come out.” Moreover, he had to sit cross-legged, and after a long time, his legs would become so numb that he couldn’t stand up.

This carriage was not only comfortable to sit in, with his legs hanging down and able to stretch freely, but it also moved very smoothly. No wonder the Aussies all liked to use these carriages.

But the first time he was riding in a carriage, it was actually a prisoner’s transport… At this thought, Lin Ming couldn’t help but feel dejected.

After a long time, the carriage finally stopped. The door clanged open. Lin Ming got out and found himself in a large courtyard. The blue and white courtyard walls, under the faint light of dawn, looked like black bands painted on white walls, adding a sense of solemnity to the mysterious courtyard.

There were many carriages and two-wheeled vehicles parked in the courtyard. Many agents in black uniforms and soldiers in gray uniforms were gathered in groups of three or five, eating jianbing guozi, buns, and other food, either squatting or standing. There were also several large iron buckets on the ground, steaming. The aroma of hot soup wafted over, making his empty stomach rumble.

To the north of the courtyard was a row of small, square, nondescript red brick buildings, the most common type in Dongmen Market. Led by two police officers, Lin Ming passed through a small door, down a long flight of stairs and a corridor, and was brought to a small room with a sign that read “Preliminary Interrogation Room Two.”

The room was empty, as if there was nothing in it. The four walls were covered with white tiles, and the floor was also tiled. The bright gaslight illuminated the room so that there were no shadows. In the center was a chair fixed to the floor, and in front of it was a simple white wooden table, also fixed to the floor and immovable.

“Sit down!” With a shout, Lin Ming obediently sat down. His hands and feet were then shackled.

Lin Ming’s heart sank lower and lower. This was not just a casual questioning; it had the air of a “rigorous interrogation.”

In an instant, his empty stomach lost all appetite and even felt a little nauseous. He thought of the various cases he had participated in interrogating in the past, the scenes of various tortures, and he felt a sinking feeling in his lower abdomen, as if he was about to urinate.

After shackling him to the chair, the police left, leaving him alone. Lin Ming tried to calm himself. Although he didn’t know where this place was, it looked like it was probably the Aussie equivalent of the East or West Depots. Since he had been brought here, the best outcome would be to be flayed alive…

He tried to recall his journey and his actions after arriving in Lingao, and he considered himself to be invulnerable—besides, he hadn’t done anything in Lingao, except for secretly contacting his sister-in-law and leaving a secret sign.

Could the Aussies have already deciphered this secret sign?! At this thought, Lin Ming became nervous. Not to mention anything else, just the three words “Jin Yi Wei” were enough for the Aussies to “treat him differently”…

The small window on the door was opened from time to time, as if someone was peeking in, and then it was closed with a click. At these times, he could faintly hear some familiar sounds: the screams of men and women, uncontrolled crying, and harsh reprimands.

When he was presiding over interrogations, he had long become immune to such sounds and was completely undisturbed. But now, as “the fish on the chopping block,” these sounds were so terrifying.

Cold sweat began to drip from his forehead, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

After an unknown amount of time, the door finally opened. Two police officers walked in, one of whom was a sharp-looking female officer.

He immediately sensed an unusual temperament, or rather, an aura. It was an indescribable spiritual force. Lin Ming seemed to remember that many years ago, when the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Guangdong inspected Foshan, he, as a secret protector, had seen him from a distance. At that time, the feeling the Provincial Administration Commissioner gave him was… no, that’s not right. Compared to the Provincial Administration Commissioner, what Lin Ming felt from this police officer was not only this incredibly strong confidence, but also a sharp sense of being able to control everything at any time.

“So powerful!” Lin Ming quickly averted his gaze from the other person.

“Name?”

The male officer began the questioning.

“My name is Lin Ming.”

“Age?”, “How long have you been in Lingao?”, “What day did you arrive?”, “What boat did you take?”, “Who was the owner of the boat?”…

He asked a series of questions in one breath. Lin Ming secretly repeated to himself, “Stay calm, stay calm. You are not Centurion Lin, you are just an ordinary shop assistant.” But his mouth deliberately put on a nervous expression, then forced a smile, answering the female officer’s questions one by one. In his heart, he was truly nervous and carefully chose his words, afraid that he would say something wrong and not match his current identity.

The interrogating police officer asked detailed questions, and from time to time, he would whisper something to the female officer next to him. Lin Ming realized that she had been observing his facial expressions all along. Apparently, this woman was the case officer. The topic shifted from basic information to the most recent case: “Where were you yesterday?”, “Have you been to the stadium these days?”, “Have you been to Nanbao?”…

Lin Ming answered one by one. In fact, there was no problem. At least, this centurion hadn’t had time to do anything out of the ordinary. So he answered very calmly, and besides, he had been in the shop these past few days, and there were at least seven or eight people who could testify for him.

With this confidence, his answers were quick and his expression was calm. As long as the Aussies weren’t planning to “beat a confession out of him,” he was confident he could get through it.

At this moment, the police officer picked up a piece of cardboard and held it up on the table.

“Take a look, what is this?”

Lin Ming looked and couldn’t help but tremble all over. It was the secret sign he had left on the wall to contact his sister-in-law!

“The East Window Incident!” In an instant, his heart sank to the bottom. For the Aussies to produce this secret sign at this time, it meant they had already deciphered its meaning, and it was highly likely that they had already captured his sister-in-law!