Chapter Forty-Seven: Painting the Past Once More

Back in Wei Liangbi’s office, Ning Zhiheng laughed heartily and said, "Senior brother, you really went all out this time. You’ve given Qian Zhong a nasty cut—he’ll be aching for days! Ha ha ha!"

Wei Liangbi was in high spirits as well. He walked behind his desk, plopped down into his chair, stretched his limbs, and said with satisfaction, "Is this a big deal? It’s his own fault for being blind. I want him to feel the pain, so he’ll remember next time. He dared to try and cheat us out of our money. A thug like him, whose eyes turn green at the sight of money—without a seat at the table, he’d never have gotten this far!"

Wei Liangbi was always proud and looked down on those who climbed the ranks via connections, and he despised Qian Zhong for his greed even more.

Ning Zhiheng settled into his own chair, tapping his fingers rhythmically against the armrest, thinking aloud, "When we left just now, it seemed Huang Xiansheng was at his limit. Such an important criminal dying in his custody—whether from wounds or otherwise—he’s bound to be reprimanded by the chief. It’ll be a hard lesson for that money-grubber!"

Having achieved his goal, Ning Zhiheng felt thoroughly satisfied. He had timed his lethal move against Huang Xiansheng perfectly. Qian Zhong had tampered with the medicine for Huang’s wounds long ago, so Ning had just been waiting for his death. The exact cause would be covered up; no forensic examination would be allowed. If there were an autopsy, it would easily reveal the tampering with the medicine. Thus, no one would notice the hidden fracture in Huang Xiansheng’s throat, giving Ning Zhiheng invisible cover.

After all, who would believe someone would kill a man already doomed to die? It made no sense and defied explanation—but Ning Zhiheng had done just that. Since the logic didn’t add up, he had no worry that anyone would trace it back to him.

Ning Zhiheng and Wei Liangbi chatted a bit longer before Ning excused himself, claiming fatigue from his overnight train journey and saying he needed rest. Wei Liangbi, knowing he had rushed back to Nanjing day and night, quickly urged him to go home and recuperate.

Ning Zhiheng left the Military Intelligence Bureau without delay and hurried home. Once inside, he locked the door, took out blank paper and a pencil from the drawer.

He wanted to capture while his memory was fresh the portrait of the young officer from Huang Xiansheng’s recollections.

Ning Zhiheng’s drawing skills were exceptional, especially after years of persistent practice in his previous life, which only honed his talent further. Last time at Liu Molin’s house, he had reconstructed Huang Xiansheng’s portrait from the couple’s description, achieving nearly ninety percent likeness. This time, the image of the young officer was imprinted directly in his mind, making the task even simpler and more intuitive. His pencil flowed swiftly and confidently across the page.

After two hours, the face of the young officer emerged, flawless and accurate.

He meticulously refined and adjusted the details, making the portrait ever closer to reality. At last, satisfied, he put down his pencil—the image matched almost perfectly with the figure in his memory.

Suddenly, he recalled the third image from Huang Xiansheng’s memories: the Japanese middle-aged officer. Clearly a superior, this man must have been a high-ranking intelligence operative in Tokko. Perhaps Ning should also keep a portrait of him, though this was a memory from twenty years past. The man would now be two decades older.

But that didn’t matter. Generally, despite aging, a person’s facial features—the spacing of the eyes and brows—remain largely unchanged. Barring loose skin or changes in weight, Ning could easily identify him from the old image, perhaps reaping benefits in the future.

Ning Zhiheng was exceedingly cautious, never willing to overlook a single clue. Especially, every person in Huang Xiansheng’s memories was of critical importance; one day, any of them might play a pivotal role.

He picked up his pencil again and, using the remembered image, sketched out the Japanese officer with the distinctive mustache.

Finally, he took a new sheet of paper, intending to draw the woman appearing in the photo held by the young officer in the fifth scene. But the impression in his memory was unclear. He spent a long time, barely managing a passable portrait, yet it remained vague and distant from the true image.

Upon reflection, Ning Zhiheng realized the reason: he was accessing Huang Xiansheng’s life memories. Characters deeply impressed upon Huang's mind yielded clear and vivid images—meaning the Japanese officer and the Chinese young officer were people he often encountered. The woman in the photograph, however, was only remembered as beautiful and delicate; the details faded in recollection, indicating Huang Xiansheng was unfamiliar with her or rarely met her.

This explained why Ning’s impression of the woman was indistinct, resulting in a portrait far less lifelike than the previous two.

He laid out the three portraits, scrutinizing them carefully, then stored away the images of the Japanese officer and the woman. Only the portrait of the Chinese young officer remained. Closing his eyes, he began to recall in detail the five scenes he had glimpsed today.

The first scene was clearly from Huang Xiansheng’s childhood, walking along a mountain path in a kimono with his mother, revealing his true identity as undoubtedly Japanese.

The second portrait was more peculiar. The town in the valley, with its architecture and clothing, was unmistakably Chinese. Yet the youths in the memory, dressed like rural Chinese boys and speaking awkward Mandarin, were clearly mimicking Chinese customs. Strangely, their speech, mannerisms, and actions all strained to imitate local youths, and the surrounding people ignored it, accustomed to the sight—an oddity indeed.

Ning Zhiheng had a bold hypothesis, terrifying yet plausible given Japanese meticulousness. He suspected this was a training base built in a Japanese valley, modeled entirely on a Chinese town. The boys were being trained from childhood to mimic every aspect of Chinese behavior and lifestyle. By living, studying, and working in such an environment for years, they would become indistinguishable from real Chinese youths, their true identity as Japanese spies impossible to detect.

These youths would become valuable pawns, able to infiltrate all levels of Chinese society swiftly and effectively. If this guess were true, it was chilling. The mastermind behind such a scheme must be a genius.

Considering how the Japanese, in preparation for invading China, invested decades and immense resources in gathering intelligence, even mapping the country under the guise of tourism, producing maps more accurate than those created by the Chinese themselves, their persistence and thoroughness were evident. Therefore, devising such a spy training program was not surprising at all.

The third scene was easy to understand: Huang Xiansheng abandoned the identity of Tetsuya Ryohei, officially assuming the persona of Huang Xiansheng, codename "Puppet," and began his true career as an agent.

The fourth scene likely depicted his experiences on the Chinese battlefield. His file showed that during more than ten years in the Chinese army, he had repeatedly distinguished himself, rising through the ranks due to his outstanding abilities. These years were the most unforgettable and formative of his life. The trials of war and countless brushes with death shaped him into an operations staff officer in the Nationalist Central Army, laying a solid foundation for his later espionage work.

The final scene, Ning Zhiheng could largely deduce: it showed Huang Xiansheng using the woman in the photo to threaten or recruit the young Chinese officer. She was clearly someone of great importance to him—whether a lover or relative, Ning could not tell.

Huang Xiansheng used her to force the young officer into compliance, eventually making him an asset.

This was Ning Zhiheng’s most crucial lead at present. His next task was to find this young officer—another hidden mole!