Chapter 82

When Wu Xingchen returned to the Shanghai headquarters of the Heaven and Earth Society with Chai Qingguo, no one paid much attention. Over the past few years, Wu Xingchen, as an "outsider," had not been very successful. This time, he went to the north, and many people believed that Wu Xingchen would likely not return. Unexpectedly, he reappeared after just over two months, leading many to think that Wu Xingchen had failed in the north and returned to Shanghai in disgrace. Many people felt a particular sense of satisfaction.

"Brother Wu, why are these people looking at us like that?" Chai Qingguo whispered, seeing no one around. Chai Qingguo had been in the underworld for a long time and was very sensitive to the attitudes of these people. However, he often did not understand the behavior of people like Chen Ke.

"Shut up," Wu Xingchen said in a low voice. "This isn't a meeting of the People's Party where you can say whatever you want. Walls have ears, and you must be very careful here."

After spending so much time with Chen Ke and his group, although they were always drawing blueprints and talking about "air-to-air" plans, the atmosphere of those discussions was something Wu Xingchen had never experienced before. Wu Xingchen was a practical person. The main reason he initially joined the People's Party was to make money by selling medicine, and secondly, he was interested in the party's platform. Even with such personal reasons, the Heaven and Earth Society, which provided neither economic benefits nor political recognition, and where he did not feel like an equal member, had made Wu Xingchen increasingly distant.

No matter what he thought in his heart, he could not show it on his face. When an old man in his fifties entered, Wu Xingchen immediately stood up respectfully and greeted him according to the rules of the Heaven and Earth Society.

The old man waved his hand. "Sit down."

After sitting down respectfully, Wu Xingchen said, "Uncle Liu, a few of my friends are in the prison in the concession. Uncle Liu, you have many connections. I want to ask you to pass some messages to them."

The old man was named Liu Chengxu, one of the key figures in the Shanghai branch of the Heaven and Earth Society. He was usually the easiest to approach. If it were any of the other leaders in Shanghai, Wu Xingchen would not have dared to ask for their help.

"Are they the people from the Huangpu Book Club who were arrested a few days ago?" Liu Chengxu said with a sinister smile. Wu Xingchen looked up at Liu Chengxu and saw him smiling insincerely. Wu Xingchen, who had been in the underworld for a long time, knew from this smile that Liu Chengxu was not reliable.

"Yes, those people," Wu Xingchen said, since the other party had already named them, he could not deny it.

"Xingchen, I heard you are quite a leader in the Huangpu Book Club now," Liu Chengxu said.

"I do business with them, and having a position makes it more convenient," Wu Xingchen said frankly.

"That's true. Having some status there isn't a bad thing," Liu Chengxu nodded. "By the way, Xingchen, I mentioned to you before about performing the apprenticeship ceremony here. What do you think about it?"

Hearing this casual remark, Wu Xingchen couldn't help but purse his lips. The Heaven and Earth Society had strict rules, especially regarding apprenticeship. Betraying one's master was a major taboo. Once the apprenticeship ceremony was performed, the hierarchical relationship was set. Wu Xingchen came from a prominent family in the northern branch of the Heaven and Earth Society, where the society was relatively weak, so the few major families were the backbone. Strictly speaking, Wu Xingchen had never performed the apprenticeship ceremony with any master. He was only accepted as a member of the society. After his father's death, that implicit relationship was "automatically dissolved." Now, Wu Xingchen could perform the apprenticeship ceremony.

But this was precisely what Wu Xingchen could not accept. Coming from a family in the underworld, he disliked the absolute control that masters had over their disciples. If the orders came from his father, there would be no problem. But if the orders came from others, especially from the Shanghai branch of the Heaven and Earth Society where he was staying, Wu Xingchen could not accept it. Since coming to Shanghai, Wu Xingchen had maintained a position of independence without a master. Although he didn't earn much money, he at least had enough freedom. If he performed the apprenticeship ceremony, that freedom would be greatly reduced. Moreover, Liu Chengxu's words clearly indicated that he was after the drug trade that Wu Xingchen controlled.

Seeing Wu Xingchen's expression, Liu Chengxu knew his attitude. He smiled and said, "Xingchen, those people from the Huangpu Book Club, who usually act so arrogantly, now think of us for help when they get into trouble. Since you mentioned this, I would like to help you for your sake. But they don't bow to the mountain, nor do they bring gifts. They just send you to talk. If I help you, how can I explain it to the other brothers? And you should also think about what the other brothers will say. Some people are already talking behind your back. They say all sorts of things. I think you should think carefully about this."

Listening to this conversation, Chai Qingguo knew that Wu Xingchen would not achieve his goal this time. Although the brothers in the underworld were said to be loyal, this loyalty was only for their own group. For other groups, if they were not part of the group, it was already good if they didn't stab you in the back. When he met Wu Xingchen again in the north, Chai Qingguo felt that something was wrong. However, out of respect, he did not say much to Wu Xingchen. Before coming, he thought Wu Xingchen had a certain status in the Shanghai branch of the Heaven and Earth Society. Hearing this, he understood that Wu Xingchen was just trying to see if there was any hope.

Realizing this, Chai Qingguo became worried about Wu Xingchen. Was Brother Wu really going to follow Chen Ke and the others? In Beijing, Chai Qingguo knew about the People's Party. After being harassed by the Beijing party cell, he had a deep distrust of such organizations. When he arrived in Shanghai, he found that the party cell members were just officials, students, and merchants, with no real underworld heroes. He did not understand why Brother Wu would stay in such an organization and not start his own group after learning so much.

While thinking, Chai Qingguo listened to Wu Xingchen and Liu Chengxu. Since their positions had no common interests, the matter was already decided. After a few meaningless words, Wu Xingchen got up to leave.

After walking far from the Heaven and Earth Society, Chai Qingguo asked, "Brother Wu, from your attitude, it seems you are determined to follow Chen Ke and the others."

"Yes," Wu Xingchen replied in a low voice.

"Why? I don't think Chen Ke and we are on the same path."

"You're right. They are fighting for the country, while you just want to be a local leader. Who do you think I should follow?" Wu Xingchen replied irritably. After being firmly rejected by the Heaven and Earth Society, Wu Xingchen knew his days there were numbered. Although he was not too attached, leaving the environment he had been in since birth was still hard to accept.

"But they just talk about going to the countryside, but they don't do anything," Chai Qingguo argued.

"Go to the countryside to be bandits?" Wu Xingchen countered.

"Being bandits is better than just staying in the city," Chai Qingguo argued stubbornly. However, this was just talk. After staying in Beijing with Chen Ke for so long, working in factories and attending party meetings, Chai Qingguo's horizons had broadened. Without this experience, he might have been misled by the bustling city of Shanghai.

Wu Xingchen swallowed his words. In Beijing, Chai Qingguo had not seen the layout Chen Ke had made. But the party had confidentiality rules, and the detailed discussions at formal party meetings could not be told to Chai Qingguo. Thinking about this, Wu Xingchen just grunted, "Qingguo, this time we are going to participate in the killing of foreigners. If you don't want to do it, that's fine."

"No, no, Brother Wu, you are my brother," Chai Qingguo quickly said. Killing foreigners was Chai Qingguo's long-standing wish. When Yuan Shikai suppressed the Boxers, he borrowed several thousand foreign soldiers. Thinking about those days, the hatred in Chai Qingguo's heart would rise. Too many brothers had died at the hands of foreigners. He would not miss any opportunity for revenge.

When they returned to the school, they saw that a meeting was already in progress in the conference room. A few people were gathered around a table, with Wang Bin in the middle, drawing something on a piece of paper. After greeting everyone, Wu Xingchen joined them. The paper was a map. Wang Bin was adding and subtracting on it while explaining.

"I have already seen the map from the Municipal Engineering Bureau. This is the design of the police station prison. The male prison is here," Wang Bin pointed to a black box on the map.

"Huishen, you have been inside. See if there are any differences from the actual situation," Chen Ke smiled.

Qi Huishen carefully studied the map. "There are guards here and here," he said, marking the spots with a red pencil according to his memory. "The guard room is here." He marked the key points one by one.

"The last time I saw them was here," Shi Juexing pointed to a black box.

Wu Xingchen had never seen such a map and could not understand it at first. He stood quietly and watched the discussion. Chai Qingguo also could not understand it, but he did not have Wu Xingchen's patience. After listening for a while, he could not help but mutter, "What's the use of just looking at this map?"

"Of course, it's useful," Chen Ke replied. "Comrade Chai Qingguo, how long would it take you to run from the main gate to the prison gate?"

"I haven't been there, how would I know? So, with the map, I will draw the prison layout on the playground. We will practice the rescue steps according to this layout. After many tests, everyone will know how long the entire operation will take."

"Is that possible?" Chai Qingguo asked, hearing this for the first time.

Chen Ke did not answer Chai Qingguo's question and continued calmly, "Also, this rescue will involve killing. We need to practice the methods of killing."

Everyone was stunned by Chen Ke's calm attitude and did not immediately understand the implications. When they realized, everyone's eyes widened, and some, like Shi Juexing, could not help but swallow.

"Do you need methods to kill?" Chai Qingguo, who had killed before, was not as shocked. He did not care about Chen Ke's mysterious tone.

"How to open doors is a big deal. And there are different ways to kill pigs, heads, and butts. We need to be very careful about the methods of killing. I know some methods, but I have never tried them myself. So, we need to prepare thoroughly and practice well," Chen Ke said as if explaining how to mix fruit juice. His brows furrowed slightly, thinking about his lack of experience, but he looked very sincere.

Most of the people present were stunned. Although they knew that a forced rescue would result in casualties, they did not expect Chen Ke's attitude to be so matter-of-fact.

"Is there really no other way?" Qi Huishen asked, his voice strained. Chen Ke's words had deeply shaken this young man who had never even killed a chicken.

"I have already talked to Mr. Yan Fu. He told me that the foreigners are determined to give the comrades a severe sentence. Mr. Yan Fu has tried, but the foreigners in other places have compromised with the government, except for this case. They are determined to use these comrades to set an example," Chen Ke said. He had visited Mr. Yan Fu with his new wife. Mr. Yan Fu had met He Ying and knew that his old friend's granddaughter had married Chen Ke, so he was pleased. Chen Ke had asked how to rescue the comrades in prison. Mr. Yan Fu had tried, but the Shanghai consular corps was firm on this issue. Yuan Shufan had also given up on demanding the release of the comrades. The matter was already decided.

However, some things could not be said in front of the probationary members. Chen Ke had already discussed the armed rescue plan with Mr. Yan Fu, who was only concerned about the possibility of failure. Two of the four comrades were students at Fudan University, so Mr. Yan Fu agreed to arrange for Chen Ke to visit the prison.

"The guards at the police station are not very strict. If they are sent to the official foreign prison, the rescue will be much harder. We need to prepare quickly," Chen Ke said.

Chen Ke originally planned to send Hua Xiongmou to Anhui, but after talking to Mr. Yan Fu, he realized the rescue needed to be done quickly. He kept Hua Xiongmou. Hua Xiongmou also looked serious when Chen Ke explained the situation and said, "Since that's the case, let's hurry. The longer we wait, the more problems we might have."

True to his word, in the afternoon, Chen Ke drew the layout of the police station on the playground with lime lines, with the help of a few comrades who had just been released. The school had just been built, and there were still many bricks. The walls were represented by bricks on both sides of the route. Then, the selected rescue team members began to practice the simulated rescue.

No one had participated in such training before and thought it was a game. Chen Ke first measured the distance from the entrance to the prison and had everyone run ten laps on the cinder track. Everyone found it easy and ran as fast as they could. Chen Ke calculated the longest time and then had everyone return to the drawn layout, requiring them to complete ten laps from the entrance to the prison and back within that time. They were not allowed to knock over any bricks outside the lines. If they did, they had to start over. This seemed simple but was actually very difficult. Running straight and running in curves were completely different. Controlling the force at the turns was especially challenging.

Chai Qingguo initially thought he was the best and wanted to compete with Chen Ke. However, he could not run as fast as Chen Ke in a straight line or in the curve laps. Chen Ke could complete the laps within the time. Chai Qingguo did not believe Chen Ke could do it, so he learned to use a stopwatch and timed Chen Ke himself. He still lost to Chen Ke. The distance was only a hundred meters, but Chen Ke was more than five seconds faster. Chai Qingguo's performance was not only worse than Chen Ke's but also slightly slower than Hua Xiongmou's. Hua Xiongmou followed Chen Ke's instructions closely and ignored Chai Qingguo's unfriendly looks, focusing on completing Chen Ke's tasks.

In just two hours, Chen Ke had everyone thoroughly trained. This was what he had learned in physical education class. The first training session must be compressed, with a large volume of exercise to make the muscles capable of handling sufficient intensity. After such a session, the muscles would inevitably be sore, but after a few days, the body's functions would be activated and capable of handling the required movements. Regardless of whether everyone completed the task within the time, Chen Ke calculated that everyone had completed twenty curve laps and then had them do five rabbit jumps on the actual map.

The last person finally jumped back to the finish line, almost collapsing. Seeing Chen Ke move easily, everyone initially thought it was easy, but it was not.

After instructing the cafeteria to prepare more meat, Chen Ke took the exhausted comrades back to the conference room. He did not let them rest and immediately started a course on human anatomy. Since everyone had followed Chen Ke's training regimen, he explained muscles and related physiological knowledge.

As Chen Ke had expected, the next day, everyone's legs were sore and their tendons uncomfortable. Seeing this, Chen Ke, without any mercy, drove them to the playground for "recovery training," which was the same as the previous day's training, except the rabbit jumps were reduced from five to one.

To prevent anyone from slacking off, Chen Ke called You Gou and He Ying to join the running. Although everyone had the idea of taking it easy, seeing the two ladies participate made them feel embarrassed. In those days, there was no concept of gender equality. Men being physically superior to women was a given. Despite their sore muscles and tendons, everyone tried their best.

After the exercise, the training continued. Chen Ke asked if anyone wanted to dissect a corpse to see the internal organs and blood vessels. This suggestion scared almost everyone. Although death was common, dissecting a corpse was a major taboo. Chen Ke's suggestion was rejected.

So, Chen Ke bought some chickens and rabbits, killed them, and explained what arteries, veins, and nerves were. In the winter, he even found hibernating frogs and explained nerve reactions. Seeing a headless frog with a bamboo