wind in the dark night

Chapter 284 Showdown
"As far as I can remember, our family was the poorest in the village. Our family members' clothes were patched up with patches, and our meals were vegetarian all year round. Only on New Year's Eve could we eat dumplings stuffed with pork and sauerkraut, which were so delicious..."

Jiang Bin thought about it for a while before saying, "Qi Yue, do you know what being poor means? It means that your life is full of discrimination. Discrimination comes from almost everyone, not just outsiders, but even your relatives at home."

Qi Yue said: "Except your third uncle, when he passed away, I saw that you were very sad."

Jiang Bin sneered, "That was all pretense. I wish he would die soon! His family is a landlord, and they are considered wealthy in the village. There were a few times when the family couldn't make ends meet, and my father went to his house to borrow rice. Not only did he refuse to lend it, he also said cheap things, like "lending is for emergencies, not for the poor, a little rice is for gratitude, a little rice is for grudges, etc." I am his nephew, but when he sees me, he acts as if he didn't see me... I have long seen through the fickleness of human nature and the indifference of the world!"

Qi Yue said: "With such poor family conditions, it is not easy to be admitted to the police academy."

Jiang Bin said: "I have to thank Marshal Zhang for this. Although he was a rough man with little education, he attached great importance to education during his tenure in the Northeast. For those from poor families, he waived tuition and miscellaneous fees and provided them with monthly food and accommodation subsidies. I relied on the subsidies to survive for more than ten years and finally passed the entrance examination to the Central Police Academy. It's a pity that Marshal Zhang died young. If he hadn't died, the Northeast would still be China..."

At this time, snowflakes began to float in the sky, scattering and flying all over the sky.

Qi Yue parked the car on the side of the road.

Jiang Bin continued, "You also know that the Xinjing Central Police School is very expensive. Although there are subsidies, the tuition fees have to be paid by yourself. In order to raise this money, within a month, my mother sold blood three times and my father sold blood five times, 500 milliliters each time. The last time, my father fainted on the way home..."

Jiang Bin couldn't continue, turned his head to look out the window, and calmed down for a while: "From that time on, I swore in my heart that no matter what, I must be rich, let my parents live a good life, and let my descendants no longer suffer from poverty!"

"Is this why you joined the Cheka?"

"Yes. I had no choice in this matter. They gave me a large sum of money. With this money, my parents no longer have to sell blood, and I can continue to study in the police academy."

Qi Yue said: "At that time, you asked me to borrow money every now and then. Since Su Lian gave you enough money, why did you still ask me to borrow money?"

Jiang Bin said, "My family is poor, and almost everyone knows that. If I suddenly become rich, I will definitely attract suspicion. The Japanese instructors at the Central Police Academy have sharp eyes. If they target me, I will be exposed sooner or later. I asked you to borrow money, and even lived frugally on weekdays, all for show."

“Is that when you learned Russian?”

"Yes."

Qi Yue said with emotion: "Jiang Bin, I have to say that you are really good at hiding it from everyone. But is it worth it?"

Jiang Bin said: "I am afraid of being poor. Everything I do is for money. I will help anyone who gives me money - except the Japanese."

Qi Yue asked: "What about Manchuria?"

Jiang Bin snorted coldly: "What a bullshit Manchukuo. Northeast China is Chinese territory. The remnants of the Qing Dynasty thought that they could do whatever they wanted with the support of the Japanese. Just wait, when the liberation comes in the future, all the traitors, running dogs and traitors will be forced to follow suit, and no one can escape!"

Qi Yue smiled and said, "It sounds scary. With my status, I will definitely be the first to bear the brunt. However, the Chiang Kai-shek government has retreated to Chongqing. If it retreats further, it can only retreat to Burma. I'm afraid it will become a government in exile. How can we restore the country? Restoring it with words?"

Jiang Bin glared at Qi Yue: "You don't have to be sarcastic here. Let me tell you, China has 450 million people. As long as everyone is united, sooner or later, we will drive the Japanese out of China!"

Qi Yue said: "Don't dream. Judging from the current situation, it is impossible."

"We are not on the same page. I have nothing to say to you. I, I..."

Jiang Bin looked anxious.

Qi Yue said: "There is another question, besides Su Lianren...what's wrong with you?"

Jiang Bin was breathing rapidly, and even in winter, cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He trembled as he took out the syringe he carried with him from his arms, skillfully tied the rubber band around his arm, pierced the needle into the blood vessel, and injected the morphine solution in the syringe into his body. When he finished the injection, Qi Yue said, "I can understand that you work for the Su Lian people for money, but I can't understand why you, as an agent, became addicted to drugs. As an old friend, can you tell me why?"

Jiang Bin's pale face gradually turned rosy, and his eyes also became bright. He took a deep breath and said calmly, "I don't need to tell you that we are not friends either."

Qi Yue said: "Do you remember that one year, the entire Central Police Academy went out for training, and I got separated from the team. On the way, we encountered bandits. Fortunately, you arrived in time, and we worked together to drive away the bandits. I have always remembered this incident."

Jiang Bin smiled and said, "I'll tell you the truth, so you don't get carried away. Those bandits are fake. Their appearance was arranged by the Cheka in advance. They have only one purpose: when I'm in danger, I'll have a friend who can act as a shield at any time - that's you."

Qi Yue was silent for a moment: "You could have kept this a secret."

Jiang Bin said: "Now that my identity has been revealed, I don't want to be friends with a traitor anymore. I think it's cheap!"

Qi Yue took out his gun, loaded it with bullets, and pointed the black muzzle at Jiang Bin: "Aren't you afraid that I will kill you?"

Jiang Bin didn't care: "You can't kill me. I have the Su Lian identity. If you kill me, it will be a serious diplomatic incident. You can't afford the consequences. In addition, Qi Yue, you don't have to play dumb here. Knowing my Cheka identity, with your intelligence, you should be able to connect it to the fact that saving you that time was probably a trap set up in advance. I admit it openly because I don't want us to continue playing dumb here."

Qi Yue frowned: "What do you want to say?"

Jiang Bin said, "Put your gun down first. If it goes off accidentally, it's no joke... Let me put it this way, even if you don't look for me, I will look for you when my wounds are healed."

"What do you want from me? To take revenge on me?"

Qi Yue put the pistol back into the holster.

Jiang Bin said, "You were also following orders at Taiping Bridge, so I don't blame you. Qi Yue, as long as you are willing, I will take any intelligence you have, no matter what it is about, and you can name any price. How about that?"

Qi Yue sneered: "You want to instigate rebellion?"

Jiang Bin said seriously, "It's not about subversion, it's business. Just like me, joining the Cheka is also a business. Qi Yue, I just want to ask you one question, what is the purpose of being an official?"

Qi Yue asked: "What do you think?"

Jiang Bin said, "Money. You may say that it's about punishing evil and promoting good, and upholding justice. I tell you, that's all nonsense. Take you for example. You were transferred to the Special Agents Department because of the bonuses. If you didn't get paid, would you be a policeman? Absolutely not, am I right? So, in the end, life comes down to one word: money!"

"That's your idea. There are things in this world that are more valuable than money."

"Have it?"

Qi Yue said, "You just said that you would help anyone who gave you money, except the Japanese. You see, at least in your heart, money is still slightly inferior to your patriotism. You will not sell out your self-proclaimed conscience for money."

"These are two different things..."

"It's the same thing."

Jiang Bin thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I can't argue with you, but Qi Yue, I want to remind you that if you continue to be our enemy, you will not end well. Kitahara Masao is a ready-made example!"

Qi Yue pretended to be puzzled: "As far as I know, the assassination of Director Beiyuan was done by the Communist underground organization. What does it have to do with the Cheka? Could it be that you have something to do with the Communist Party?"

(End of this chapter)