Chen Miao turned on the faucet and let the surging tap water pour on his head.

He had a fever.

The fever was severe, very uncomfortable, and my mind was almost blank.

Lying on the edge of the pool, panting for breath, like a fish starved of oxygen, looking up at himself in the mirror, a white face like a dead man, with deep eye sockets, hair like grass nests, and chapped lips.

Reaching out and picking off the bloody shirt on his body, a piece of bloody gauze on his left shoulder blade, uncovering the gauze, you can clearly see a finger-sized hole, and some blood is oozing out.

This is a gunshot wound, the bullet is still inside, because of the hot weather, the wound is already a little red and swollen, and pus is flowing.

Whoop, whoop......

He kept panting, although the stimulation of the cold water just now brought him a trace of clarity, but the blood loss from the gunshot wound and the high fever, a strong feeling of exhaustion poured out of his body.

His feet suddenly went limp, and he hurriedly pressed the edge of the pool with his elbow, otherwise, he would have been afraid that it would be difficult for him to get up again.

The wound has not been treated, and if it is not treated, his life will be lost.

"Knock Knock ......"

There was a very regular knock on the door, Chen Miao knew that it was Xiao Qi who came back, his knock was very distinctive, ordinary people couldn't hear it, and only after getting along with him for a long time did he know.

"I'm back." Chen Miao struggled to walk over and open the door, and a slender figure squeezed in at once, stepping on the floor without making a sound at all.

"Third brother, how are you?" Xiao Qi suddenly helped the crumbling Chen Miao, "Come, I'll help you over and lie down." ”

Chen Miao shook her hand: "Did you get the medicine?" ”

Xiao Qi smiled: "Xiao Qi's errand, third brother, are you still not at ease?" ”

Xiao Qi took out a burden from his back, put it on the table, and untied it, there were a lot of things in bottles and jars, saline and glucose, as well as gauze and bandages.

"Go, bring the medicine box at home." Chen Miao sat up.

Xiao Qi took a cowhide box from the cupboard and opened the buckle.

Alcohol lamps, scalpels, scissors, needles and threads......

Chen Miao took off her shirt, revealing the wound on her left shoulder, and glanced at Xiao Qidao: "How to do it, don't you need me to teach you again?" ”

Xiao Qi nodded, took a scalpel and burned it on the sakai lamp for a short while, and then said, "Third brother, I'm here, you bear with it." ”

Chen Miao took the rolled up white towel and bit it, and nodded at Xiao Qi.

"Uh......h Ho ......"

The pointed pliers reached in, clamped the warhead, and pulled it out fiercely, and Huang Cancan's bullet was taken out, accompanied by a stream of dirty blood that shot out, almost splashing Xiao Qi's face.

"Cut off the inflamed flesh on the side, quick!" Chen Miao's head was covered with beads of sweat, and he said hurriedly.

"Oh, good ......" Xiao Qi's hands trembled a little, and his head was sweating profusely with nervousness, but under the guidance of Chen Miao, he still completed the procedures of cutting meat, stopping bleeding, applying medicine and bandaging.

"Xiao Qi, can you do something for me?" Chen Miao took off the towel in her mouth, took a slight breath and asked.

"Third brother, what do you say, as long as Xiao Qi can do it, I will definitely do it for you." Xiao Qi said obligedly.

"You know where I live, right?"

"Yes, Maggie's Apartment 503."

"You help me get something, but you can't alarm anyone, you know I've been targeted by No. 76......" Chen Miao commanded in a low voice.

"Understood, it's easy, I promise to help you get everything out." Xiao Qi nodded solemnly, this kind of work was originally what he was good at.

"It doesn't matter if you can't get it back, don't be reckless, your safety comes first." After speaking, Chen Miao couldn't hold on to falling asleep any longer.

By the time he woke up again, it was dark outside the window, the needle in his arm had been removed, and two empty pill bottles were seen on the table.

The room had been cleaned up, including his bloody shirt.

Xiao Qi is very careful, working as a printer and typesetter in a newspaper office, because he has to catch up with the next day's newspaper printing, so his working hours are mainly at night.

Reached out and touched his forehead, it seemed that the fever had subsided a little, but his stomach was as uncomfortable as being burned, and he had been a day. There is no rice in the water at night.

He was so hungry that he desperately needed a bite to eat.

Xiao Qi rarely fires at home, he searched for a long time, but only found half a cold steamed bun, and then ate it with the cold boiled water on the table.

Lighting a cigarette and leaning his right shoulder against the window, Chen Miao silently stared at the neon lamp post not far away, not far away is Nanjing Road, the most prosperous road in Shanghai, with busy traffic, singing and dancing.

On the windowsill is a hand-torn calendar, the latest page of which says July 14, 1939.

It has been two years since the outbreak of the all-out war of resistance against Japanese aggression, and after the Japanese invaders occupied Shanghai, countless refugees poured into the isolated islands of the concession, and the population skyrocketed, which also brought a kind of abnormal prosperity.

Noisy music, well-dressed men and women, bright lights, drunk and dreaming of death.

Under the glitz, those darkness and killings seem to be constantly staged.

Chen Miao works in the Concession Horse Racing Association, is young, has an enviable salary, and can get a large tip from those lavish gamblers from time to time, and lives an enviable life.

In fact, he didn't like the job, it was full of speculation and unearned gains, which would make people completely lose themselves and be tempted by money.

He must always keep a clear head.

"Ugh yo ......"

The fireworks had burned to his fingers, waking him up from his thoughts.

Xiao Qi can't stay here, although not many people know about his relationship with Xiao Qi, the longer he stays, the danger it will bring to Xiao Qi.

Xiao Qi is very careful, he actually prepared a set of old clothes for him a long time ago, and put some money in his pocket, although it is not much, it can at least let him stand up for a while.

……

Downstairs, I saw a grocery store around the corner.

Chen Miao walked over slowly, grabbed the public telephone on the cabinet, and dialed a number: "Hey, it's me." ”

"Chen Sanshui, where have you been this day......" An irritable voice came from the other end of the phone, and Chen Miao subconsciously moved the earpiece in his hand away a little.

"Manager, I'm sorry, I'm sick, pneumonia and high fever, at least a week, cough cough ......" Chen Miao lowered her voice, hung up the phone directly after speaking, took money from her pocket and put it on the counter, took a pack of "Hardmen" cigarettes, and left.

Just last night, he suddenly received a call from Chen Mingchu, chief of the personnel section of the Shanghai District of the Military Command, asking him to meet him at the Lido Grand Ballroom on Methes Road.

In an instant, he felt that something was wrong, Chen Mingchu was an internal staff like him, and he had always acted alone, which was different from the action team, so he immediately got up and left, but he was still discovered when he passed by the door.

He ran as hard as he could, but he was shot in the left shoulder.

He understood that if his deeds were not exposed, it was Chen Mingchu who had betrayed and rebelled.

He didn't know if the phone call he made before he went to Xiao Qi's house for temporary refuge was useful, so he planned to go and see if he could contact someone he was familiar with.

Chen Mingchu was the core figure of the Shanghai District of the Military Command, and he was in control of the list of personnel and the address of the organization of the Shanghai District of the Military Command.

In addition, he was the intelligence editor of the Shanghai District of the Military Command, and he was also responsible for keeping the confidential documents of the Shanghai District.

Chen Miao rented a room in the Maggie's apartment in the French Concession, a place that Chen Mingchu knew, he had been here many times, and they had drunk and played mahjong together.

This place, he can't go back.

Of course, the most important cipher machine, Chen Miao kept an eye on it, he did not hide it in the apartment where he lived, but put it in another place.

The cunning rabbit is active in the heart of the enemy, how can he not be prepared at all.

Sitting on the rickshaw, passing by the door of Maggie's apartment, with years of experience in watching people, the people walking around at the door of the apartment and shouting and selling cigarettes, and the rickshaw driver waiting at the door are all disguised by the spies of No. 76.

"Master, turn left ahead and go to Tivens Cafe."

"Okay, uncle gives money, you can go wherever you say." The rickshaw driver who pulled the cart smiled, and ran a little faster than just now.

……

"No need to look for it." Chen Miao got out of the car and handed the rickshaw driver five cents.

"Thank you, uncle, will you still use the car for a while, I can wait for you here?" The rickshaw driver happily took it, and everyone likes to be generous.

"No, my house is nearby, just walk back in a while." Chen Miao sighed lightly.

The waiter with a bow came up and asked enthusiastically: "Sir, how many are you?" ”

"Two of you, table nine." Chen Miao nodded slightly.

"Okay, please come here." The waiter nodded, stretched out his hand and made a guiding gesture, and the service attitude was really not enough.

Chen Miao bowed slightly, and followed the waiter inside, there are not many guests at this time, there are not many guests at night, they are mainly young men and women.

The café serves Western food, so there aren't many people who actually drink coffee at this time.

"A cup of black coffee, thanks." After Chen Miao sat down, he commanded.

"Wait a minute."

took out his pocket watch and glanced at the time, Chen Miao casually picked up a "good friend" pictorial on the table, and pretended to flip through it aimlessly.

"Sir, your coffee."

"Thank you." Chen Miao thanked him and glanced at the door.

After waiting for about seven or eight minutes, a middle-aged man in a gray robe walked in, still holding a black umbrella with water dripping from it.

With a Chinese face, a pair of black-rimmed glasses, and two books under his arms, he looks like a teacher.

The steps are very calm, giving people a sense of calmness.

"When I came out, it happened to be raining." The middle-aged man walked up to Chen Miao and put down his book, sat down and said.

Chen Miao pushed the black coffee in front of him: "I'll order it for you." ”

"Aren't you drinking?" The middle-aged man asked strangely.

Chen Miao put down the pictorial and pointed to his left shoulder: "I can't drink it." ”

"You're hurt, what's going on?" The middle-aged man suddenly became nervous when he saw the bleeding gauze inside Chen Miao's shirt.

"It's okay, I can't die yet." Chen Miao grinned, "My immediate boss defected to the enemy, and I was almost implicated by him, but fortunately, I found out in time and escaped the catastrophe." ”

"Chen Mingchu has betrayed and rebelled?"

"Well, I don't know the specific situation, yesterday afternoon, I received a call from him, saying that there was something to ask me to discuss, let me go to the Lido Ballroom at half past six in the evening, but I saw the person, but he was not the only one who came, fortunately I arrived ten minutes early, otherwise, at this moment I am afraid that I am already in the preferential room at No. 76." Chen Miao said with a sigh.

"And what are you going to do next?"

"Some of the confidential documents and an Enge cipher machine in the Shanghai area of the military command are still in my hands, and I must take them back, once they fall into the hands of the Japanese Xiante and No. 76, the consequences will be unimaginable." Chen Miao said.

"Enge cipher machine, this is a good thing......" Lao Fan's eyes showed a hint of excitement.

"Old Fan, I can't give you this thing yet, I'll have to talk about it later." Chen Miao said, "Chen Mingchu defected, and the military command of the Shanghai District is only afraid that there will be big changes in the future, so I suggest that the family immediately make corresponding arrangements." ”

"Well, okay, what do you suggest?" Lao Fan asked.

"I wondered if I could take this opportunity to break into No. 76!" Chen Miao paused for a moment, then looked at Lao Fan's eyes very seriously and said.

Note: The book begins in July 1939, before the official establishment of the headquarters of Agent 76.