Chapter Five: Composite Sketch

After returning to Jinling, Song Yingge reported the situation to Zhou Weijiang.

"Tell me, what are your plans for the next step?" Zhou asked.

Song knew this was a test. "The top priority is to take Xu Zhong into custody. First, it prevents him from actually attempting to assassinate Suma Yoshirō, which would trigger a diplomatic incident and give the Japanese invaders a pretext. Second, this is also for his own protection. If he were to act, regardless of success, he would certainly lose his life. Afterward, we can follow the trail of Xu Ling and investigate until we uncover the truth."

Zhou nodded in approval. "Proceed as you suggested."

Once Song left, Zhou’s expression darkened. He remembered his own early days in intelligence, when he was completely clueless—a stark contrast to Song’s capability. Song possessed both talent and social finesse. As for background, while Zhou was part of Dai Li’s faction, he could hardly be considered a confidant. But Song? Everyone in the Secret Service knew of Dai Li’s favoritism toward him. As the saying goes, it is best to prepare for a rainy day. Zhou found himself forced to consider whether he would be a willing stepping stone or a stumbling block. With this in mind, he picked up a box of tea and headed toward Wei Si’s office.

...

That evening, after luring Xu Zhong out of school, Song secretly detained him and transferred him to the Secret Service holding facility.

"Do you know why you were arrested?" Song asked.

Xu was startled, though he remained mostly composed. "Who are you people?"

"Xu Ling," Song replied with just those two words.

"Are you lackeys of the Japanese?" Xu asked, trembling with rage.

"Do you believe that with just those words, I could destroy your entire family?" Song said coldly.

"Who exactly are you?" Xu pressed.

"You plan to assassinate Suma Yoshirō to avenge your sister, don't you?" Song said.

Xu stared at him without answering.

"Foolish! Do you think you can achieve justice through the rash courage of a common man? And you, a top student at Central University, no less. I can assure you that if you act, you will undoubtedly die. Such impulsive, naive bravado accomplishes nothing, nor does it avenge anyone. It would only provide the Japanese with a pretext to stir up trouble," Song continued.

"Then what should I do? I am just an ordinary person, powerless and without influence. Besides my life, what else do I have?" Xu cried out in grief and anger.

"An ordinary person? A student of Central University is an ordinary person? Many of your classmates come from powerful and influential families. Your teachers are giants in the academic world, and they associate with the elite. Even a child knows to call their parents when they lose a fight. Is all you can do to act in a fit of rage?"

Xu opened his mouth, but no words came out. There was one thing Song didn't say: Xu’s quiet, solitary nature was merely a defensive mask. His impoverished background had made him insecure since childhood; he avoided others only because he feared being looked down upon.

"If you truly want to avenge your sister, you must cooperate with us. Tell me, how did you discover that Xu Ling was sold to the Japanese?"

After a moment of silence, Xu began. "During the school break in August, I returned home to find Xu Ling had been sold. I took a knife and confronted the creditor, and under duress, he revealed she had been sold to the Yingchun Pavilion on the Qinhuai River—a brothel. I posed as a patron and snuck in, asking everyone, but no one knew anything. I tried twice more, but still found nothing, and was beaten for my trouble. From then on, I watched the building every day, hoping to see my sister. After three or four days, a street vendor took pity on me and whispered that some wealthy guests didn't visit in person. If they encountered a virgin, these powerful men would buy her first night at a high price, and the pavilion would have her delivered to their residence. I spent two days figuring out who was responsible for the deliveries."

Xu stopped there. Song, quick-witted as ever, understood his hesitation. "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Aside from this case, I will not concern myself with anything else."

Relieved, Xu continued. "The man responsible for the deliveries is named Ma San. I waited at a corner on his route home, knocked him out with a club, and kidnapped him. After some threats, he talked. He said there was only one virgin in July, and at the end of the month, she was sent to the Japanese Consulate. Before I could investigate further, I received the terrible news."

Song pondered for a moment. "How did you plan to carry out the assassination?"

"According to the consulate’s tradition, they hold a banquet every New Year's. I planned to sneak in and poison them," Xu said.

Song recalled that Xu was a chemistry student; concocting something lethal would be trivial for him. "Stay here and rest. You will be fed three meals a day. I will arrange a leave of absence from your school. Once this matter is resolved, you will be released."

Instead of throwing Xu into a prison cell, Song settled him into a guest room and then headed straight for the Qinhuai River with Sun Xi.

The ten-mile Qinhuai River is a place of spring dreams and six-dynasty romance. Since ancient times, it has been a haunt for poets and scholars, the site of countless romantic tales. Even now, with the nation caught in internal strife and external threats, the area remained a place of song, dance, and revelry. Song felt a pang of the sentiment: "The singing girls know not the sorrow of a fallen nation."

As a high-end establishment, the Yingchun Pavilion was well-known, and they found it by simply asking a passerby. They didn't enter but waited in a nearby teahouse for Ma San to appear. As his name implied, Ma San was covered in pockmarks, making him easy to identify.

Before long, they spotted a pockmarked man greeting patrons outside the building. Sun Xi approached him to confirm his identity. When night fully descended, they waited for Ma San to step away to relieve himself, then swiftly dragged him into their car.

Song toyed with his pistol and threatened, "I have a few questions. Can you answer them truthfully?"

"Master, please, ask away! I will tell you everything I know," Ma San stammered, terrified.

"A reminder: the end of July, the Japanese Consulate," Song said.

Having been mugged by Xu before, Ma San recalled the incident immediately and spilled everything. The process was largely as Xu had described, with one difference: the Japanese had not bought just Xu Ling’s first night, but the girl herself.

Was Xu Ling truly sent to the Japanese Consulate? Song felt a sliver of doubt. The consulate was essentially the headquarters for Japanese intelligence in Jinling, and the Secret Service had many eyes there. It was unlikely the Japanese wouldn't know. Even if they had been arrogant enough to act openly, a living person being moved in and out could not have escaped the notice of their surveillance agents.

Song set that thought aside for now. "After she was delivered to the consulate, to whom did you hand her over?"

Ma San hesitated. Song didn't waste words; he cocked his pistol and aimed it at the man. "Next time you hesitate, I will pull the trigger."

"Don't shoot, I'll tell you! His name is Sugiyama Hakusuke, a consulate attaché," Ma San blurted out.

"You know him?" To be able to name him so quickly suggested they had met more than once.

"He has a lover at the Yingchun Pavilion and visits once or twice a month. But he always disguises himself when he comes. Since his Chinese is excellent, everyone thinks he is a local," Ma San confessed.

This immediately caught Song’s attention. If he had to disguise himself as a Chinese man just to meet his lover, Song didn't believe it was merely a simple affair. He pulled out a sketchbook and a pencil. "Describe Sugiyama Hakusuke's appearance."

Based on the description, Song quickly sketched the man’s features. "Does he look like this?" he asked, holding the portrait before Ma San.

Ma San had never seen such a magical skill, and his eyes shifted with awe. "It looks exactly like him!"

Sun Xi was also left speechless. Even in the 21st century, forensic sketching is a skill mastered by only a few experts. During his training at the Central Police Academy, there was a course on rapid sketching. Through practice and study, Song had mastered the technique so thoroughly that even his instructor had been humbled and asked him for guidance.