Su Sansheng vanished from under the noses of Bi Zhong Liang and Chen Shen. No one knew what he was up to until one day, he arrived at the Direct Action Squad's headquarters at No. 55 in a car. That day, Li Xiaonan happened to drop by the squad to see Chen Shen, and the two of them were standing on the second-floor balcony, smoking and chatting about movie star Hu Die’s hairstyle. Looking down from the balcony, they saw Su Sansheng step out of a brand-new black Buick, his shiny black shoes hitting the pavement, followed by his equally slick black hair emerging from the car. He glanced up at the building, sunlight pouring from the eaves directly into his chest, and smiled. He turned to one of his men, who had opened the car door for him, and said, "Tell Captain Bi that the Second Squad is requesting an immediate meeting."
In the narrow meeting room of the Direct Action Squad, only four people attended the meeting: Su Sansheng, Bi Zhong Liang, Chen Shen, and secretary Liu Meina. They sat together like a few chess pieces in the middle of an unfinished game. Su Sansheng kept pointing at a 1932 map of Shanghai, striking a pose that resembled a military commander. After a while, Su Sansheng grew thirsty and pinned a thumbtack into the location of the Dafang Hotel on the map. He asked for a glass of water, sat down, and his sharp gaze quickly scanned each person's face.
Su Sansheng said, "That’s all I have to say. As for how to proceed, I’ll defer to Captain Bi."
Chen Shen's fingers tapped rhythmically on the table, his gaze fixed on the map. In his mind, the blocks on the map quickly transformed into alleys, streets, shops, hotels, and homes, all hiding deadly dangers. His tension grew. It suddenly occurred to him that Su Sansheng had already made the plan, like cooking a batch of steamed buns, and was now asking if they should eat them or throw them away. Finally, Chen Shen looked at Bi Zhong Liang, who, feeling cornered, cleared his throat and said, "Six o'clock this evening."
Su Sansheng checked his watch and said calmly, "It’s three o'clock now. Before six, no one from the squad is allowed to leave, and all phones will be disconnected. Anyone using the phone or trying to leave will be suspected of collusion with the enemy."
Bi Zhong Liang was displeased with Su Sansheng’s overbearing attitude, feeling that Su had no respect for him. Nevertheless, he approved of Su Sansheng’s plan. Bi also hoped Su would carry out the operation smoothly, as Su’s success would reflect well on the Direct Action Squad as a whole. But Bi Zhong Liang was already planning his next move. If Su Sansheng could take down Tang Shan Hai, then one day, that same axe could be used to take him down as well.
At that moment, Tang Shan Hai was already being held captive in the secret residence Su Sansheng had rented. Sitting at a desk, shackled hand and foot, Tang Shan Hai occasionally asked the agents guarding him for a cup of coffee or a light for his half-smoked cigar. The room where he was held was dim, but a bit of light filtered in through the cracks. Sometimes, a sparrow chirped on the roof. Tang Shan Hai imagined the bird's light footsteps as it hopped across the tiles. Ever since the Military Command’s entire network in Shanghai was destroyed, Tang Shan Hai had been urging Dai Li to quickly rebuild the Shanghai intelligence station, while also transmitting intelligence to Chongqing according to their prearranged plan. Chongqing had sent an operative codenamed "Owl," who often met with Tang Shan Hai at the Kaisiling Café. They always wore matching black hats, hanging them on the same coat rack without exchanging a word. They drank coffee, listened to jazz, and read the day's paper, before quietly retrieving the other’s hat and leaving. Hidden in the hats were vital messages or orders. They had no idea that Su Sansheng had been surveilling Tang Shan Hai and had finally uncovered the trick of switching the hats. Su laughed quietly in his rented hideout, his laughter growing louder and louder until it filled the room. When he finally stopped laughing, his face regained its usual calm. He softly repeated the first words he had ever said to Tang Shan Hai at their meeting in the Sassoon House: "Mr. Tang, even before you arrived in Chongqing, I admired you from afar."
On the vast stage of Shanghai, Tang Shan Hai was like a solitary figure, leaving only the impression of a man with a cigar between his lips. Little did he know that an out-of-control bicycle would crash into Owl, knocking him to the ground. The cyclist helped Owl up, picked up the hat, and carefully placed it back on his head, even paying him ten yuan in compensation and bowing deeply in apology. Owl had no idea that his hat had been secretly switched, along with the note hidden inside. The note, written in Su Sansheng's own hand, read: "All personnel transferred to Shanghai must arrive at Room 302 of the Dafang Hotel by 6 PM tomorrow." Su Sansheng had written it carefully, proud of his calligraphy. After admiring his work, he smiled, thinking that with a few more years of practice, his handwriting could rival that of the great calligraphers.
Before Tang Shan Hai even reached his doorstep, two men suddenly leapt out from behind a telephone pole and dragged him into a car. They placed a black hood over his head, and as Tang Shan Hai screamed and cursed from inside the car, a man’s voice spoke up: "If you think yelling will help, go ahead and keep yelling."
Tang Shan Hai quickly fell silent after hearing the voice, realizing that something had changed. The car drove off, stopped shortly after, and he was soon locked in a pitch-black room, never again to wear that hat. He knew there was a strong chance he would never leave that dark room alive, and a profound sense of sorrow washed over him. He began to miss Xu Bicheng.
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