novelODS Chapter 51 The Shadow of the Sun
Chapter 51 The Shadow of the Sun
At this moment, the popularity in Lin Wan's live broadcast room was rising like a tidal wave.
Countless viewers are glued to their screens, watching with great interest as the female protagonist in the game tries out the spy thriller game "Invisible Guardian" that she herself stars in.
The game's opening black-and-white visuals convey a sense of historical weight and solemnity, accompanied by a deep, somber narration:
[We have already arranged work for you at the Asia-Pacific News Agency. Your organization has only one order: do everything possible to infiltrate the upper echelons of Japanese power, and then await further instructions.]
As the narration ended, the scene abruptly shifted to a tense press conference held by the Japanese army.
The speaker on the stage was a stern-faced Japanese officer, but before he could utter a few words, a passionate patriotic young man in the back row suddenly stood up and loudly interrupted his hypocritical speech.
The young man stood on a wooden chair and delivered a passionate speech on resisting Japanese aggression, instantly igniting the entire venue.
The camera switched back and forth in the chaotic press conference, finally pausing for a moment on a special shot: a Japanese girl in an elegant kimono, with red lips and white teeth, her eyes revealing a naive innocence and confusion.
Upon seeing this, the live stream chat was instantly flooded with the first wave of frenzied comments:
"Wow, what a beautiful girl! Wan'er, do you have her contact information? Could you secretly give me a tip?"
"Am I the only one who thinks Tang She and Wan'er are a good match? Look at Tang She wearing those gold-rimmed glasses, sitting in front of the camera deep in thought, he looks absolutely stunning, doesn't he?"
"Raise the sugar pill banner high! Those with gold-rimmed glasses are killing me!"
Lin Wan glanced at the comments and chuckled irritably, saying:
"Focus on the plot, don't try to create unnecessary connections! Also, the actresses in the show are so pretty, where am I supposed to get their contact information?"
At this point, the game's story is still ongoing. In the scene,
The impassioned patriotic youth was quickly and roughly dragged away by two expressionless Japanese soldiers. The Japanese spokesperson on the stage, his momentary gloom dissipating, donned a polite but respectful smile, attempting to smooth things over:
[There's been a slight commotion; please don't mind it. Who's the next reporter to ask a question?]
However, the atmosphere in the audience had already reached freezing point. All the Chinese reporters present had their heads bowed, gripping their pens tightly. After the young man's angry rebuke and passionate outburst, their inherent courage had kept them silent. No one was willing to step forward at this moment to ask the Japanese questions or defend them.
[Does no one want to ask any more questions?]
The Japanese representative's voice echoed in the empty auditorium, carrying a subtle sense of pressure.
The next second, the scene suddenly froze, and two golden options appeared in front of the protagonist, Xiao Tu.
"Brothers, even if we don't raise our hands at this point, the story can still continue."
Lin Wan looked at the screen and began to analyze and explain with a serious expression.
"But my mission now is to lie in wait, and I have to do everything I can to get his attention. So, I definitely have to raise my hand here. I have to raise my hand to get his attention."
As she spoke, Lin Wan manipulated the mouse and decisively clicked the option to raise her hand.
In the footage, Xiao Tu slowly raised his right hand. In that instant, all the Chinese reporters in the room turned to look at him, their eyes filled with anger, contempt, and scrutiny, as if they were looking at a hopeless traitor.
Similarly, his abrupt action instantly attracted the attention of Junko Muto, a Japanese girl in a kimono in the front row.
Xiao Tu calmly introduced himself amidst the attention of everyone, and then posed a seemingly trivial question that could even be seen as giving the Japanese representative a way out.
"Don't rush to criticize, this is called a stealth rhetoric."
Lin Wan explained to the comments section while watching the plot.
"This question, on the surface, is flattery, but in reality, it's giving the Japanese representative a way out. That Japanese person who could do this is naturally a shrewd old fox; he understood the ladder Xiao Tu offered and readily accepted it."
As expected, the Japanese representative on stage began fabricating stories, following Xiao Tu's lead. But before Lin Wan could even breathe a sigh of relief, the cunning Japanese man cleverly threw the question back at him at the end of his answer:
What does Reporter Xiao think?
Two options reappeared on the screen.
The first option is to continue the war and completely eliminate the anti-Japanese forces.
The second option is peaceful negotiations, resolving the dispute through diplomacy.
Lin Wan instinctively wanted to choose the first one, feeling that it sounded more impressive.
But when she looked closely at the contents of option one, she almost spat the mouthful of water she had just drunk onto the computer screen.
"Ahem... What do you mean by 'completely eliminating anti-Japanese forces'? No, isn't that going a bit too far as a traitor?!"
Lin Wan patted her chest and complained to the camera with a look of despair.
"If I choose this option, my ashes will be scattered by the audience. There's no way I can choose this!"
As the mouse clicked, a notification popped up on the side of the screen indicating increased favorability: [Muto Shio, favorability increased by one.]
Upon seeing this notification, Lin Wan patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew... It seems this person is at least a normal person. He hasn't gone too far, at least he's willing to maintain a facade of peace."
However, the unfolding plot ruthlessly shattered the positive impression Lin Wan had just built. Although she had a role in the film, she only received her portion of the script and was completely unaware of the side stories of the other characters or the subsequent plot developments.
In the scene, Muto Shigeo, with a gloomy expression, asks Xiao Tu for the names of the reporters and editors who have written articles about the dark side of Japan.
Two more options are presented on the screen, but to everyone's dismay, neither of them is a rejection. One says "I can definitely do it," and the other says "I'll do my best."
"This is practically forcing me to betray my fellow countrymen..."
Lin Wan gritted her teeth.
"I can only choose to 'do my best,' at least it shows that I still have some hesitation and conscience."
However, after she clicked "Do your best," the system notification popped up again: "Muto Shio's favorability has decreased."
The camera then cuts to the dim light in the basement.
Xiao Tu stood before the table, staring at the list, his heart filled with immense turmoil. He knew, however, that his own undercover mission was far more important. To gain the enemy's trust and infiltrate higher levels, he had no choice but to compromise and ultimately decided to hand over the list.
Moreover, he was still unable to fathom Muto Shio's true intentions.
After submitting the list, Muto Shigeo's trust in Xiao Tu seemed to have recovered somewhat.
A few days later, he gave Xiao Tu a seemingly easy but actually subtle task: to take his daughter, Junko Muto, shopping.
Sunlight streamed down the old streets of Shanghai, and young Junko Muto was filled with curiosity about this unfamiliar and ancient country.
The crisp sound of leather shoes and wooden clogs mingled on the bluestone path. As the two strolled along, a little girl in tattered clothes timidly approached, holding flowers in her hands, and said shyly:
Brother, please buy flowers for sister.
Xiao Tu looked at the pitiful child, his eyes softening, and readily agreed. He took out money to buy the flowers, then turned and handed the fragrant bouquet to Junko Muto beside him.
Junko Muto accepted the flowers with a smile, lowered her head to smell them, and then sighed with some relief:
Thank you, Xiao Jun. Before coming to this country, I thought everyone hated the Japanese...
Upon hearing Chunzi's naive yet almost sarcastic words, Xiao Tu in the scene instantly fell silent.
"The emotions here are too intense."
Lin Wan rested her chin on her hand and explained softly.
"Xiao Tu looked at the ruins before him, at the little beggar selling flowers, and then at this Japanese young lady living in an ivory tower... For some reason, he wavered."
Perhaps unwilling to let her continue living in a world of falsehoods, Xiao Tu finally chose to tell the girl the bloody truth: the devastation and hatred that filled the streets were all thanks to her compatriots.
Junko, who was initially very happy, lost her light instantly upon learning the truth, and fell into a state of great confusion and shock.
However, as a naive young girl, she didn't know what to do.
On their way home, the two encountered a familiar figure at a street corner – it was Fang Min, the female lead played by Lin Wan.
When Fang Min, dressed in a blue and white Republic-era school uniform and exuding a pure and innocent charm, appeared on the screen, the live stream chat instantly exploded with comments:
"Holy crap! Wan'er is online!!"
"As expected of Wan'er, this school uniform is simply the epitome of a beautiful, unattainable girl!"
"Fang Min's wife is so beautiful! Wan'er's acting is superb!"
However, Fang Min in the play is anything but gentle. She looks at Xiao Tu and Chunzi walking side-by-side, her eyes filled with disbelief and anger.
Her finger trembled as she pointed at Chunzi, and she angrily and bitterly rebuked Xiao Tu:
【You actually brought a Japanese woman shopping... I'm disgusted!】
"Waaaaah, I'm so sorry, Minmin, I was on a mission!"
Lin Wan clasped her hands together in a gesture of respect while explaining the situation with a wry smile in the live stream.
"At this point, Xiao Tu fully understood the importance of infiltration, and he had to harden his heart."
In the scene, Xiao Tu's face was cold. He shoved Fang Min away and left with Chunzi without any mercy.
After returning to the Muto mansion, the still-shaken Muto Junko spoke a few words with her father before listlessly going upstairs to rest.
The cunning Muto Shigeo didn't let Xiao Tu off the hook. Instead, he offered him a hefty monthly salary of 300 yuan, officially making him work for the Japanese. Xiao Tu had no choice but to agree, even though it was a reluctant offer, in order to continue his undercover work.
A few days later, the facade of calm was completely shattered.
Muto Shigeo suddenly visits and invites Xiao Tu to go on a "mission". When the car stops in a familiar street, Xiao Tu's pupils suddenly contract. The location of the mission is his teacher's residence.
A large number of fierce Japanese soldiers quickly surrounded the teacher's residence.
The once peaceful study was violently smashed open, and a group of terrified students and Teacher Fang were surrounded by heavily armed Japanese soldiers.
One of the hot-blooded students, upon seeing Xiao Tu walk in with Muto Shio, immediately became furious, mistakenly believing that Xiao Tu had betrayed their teacher.
He roared and raised his fist, ready to attack Xiao Tu.
"Be careful!"
Lin Wan couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
However, the Japanese soldiers behind him didn't give the student any chance to get close. They smashed him down with the butt of their rifles, knocking him unconscious instantly.
Faced with this sudden turn of events, Xiao Tu suppressed the turmoil in his heart, tried his best to make his voice sound calm, and asked Mutou Shio beside him:
[Consul, what exactly is going on?]
Muto Shio did not answer directly, but instead shook his head with a half-smile, staring at him meaningfully:
[You came back from Japan, and this is the first place you visited, right?]
The lurking, menacing probe seemed to freeze the air. Xiao Tu had no choice but to answer earnestly, admitting his whereabouts.
Just at this critical moment, the teacher seemed to realize something.
In order to protect his most valued student and prevent Xiao Tu's undercover identity from being exposed, the teacher took the initiative to step forward and began to curse Xiao Tu, denouncing him as an incorrigible traitor and sellout.
Xiao Tu instantly understood his teacher's good intentions. Even though his heart was bleeding, he could only continue to pretend and retort.
Muto Shio, who was standing to the side, watched this farce of the falling out between master and disciple with a cold eye, and suddenly laughed in a sinister way.
He exhaled a smoke ring and revealed the cruel truth hidden in the shadows:
[Your teacher is a member of the underground Communist Party. How could you be completely unaware?]
Just as Xiao Tu was about to explain himself, the teacher opposite him, in order to completely solidify Xiao Tu's "innocence," suddenly rushed forward and pushed Xiao Tu to the ground. To outsiders, this looked exactly like a teacher's hysterical rage after being "betrayed."
Seeing this, the surrounding students also rushed forward in anger, and the scene instantly descended into extreme chaos. In the midst of this pushing and shoving, a black pistol fell coldly to the ground from nowhere.
The flow of the image abruptly stopped, and three scarlet options slammed onto the center of the screen:
Option 1: Pick up the gun and aim it at Teacher Fang.
Option 2: Pick up the gun and take Muto hostage.
Option 3: Pretend to be terrified and do nothing.
The live stream chat exploded instantly, with viewers, always eager for drama, starting to rant and rave:
"Choose three! Might as well chicken out and be an innocent bystander!"
"Taking Muto hostage now, brothers, gets the blood pumping!"
"Blindly guessing that choosing three will trigger a hidden storyline, Wan'er, charge!"
Amidst the chorus of cheers from the comments section, Lin Wan gritted her teeth and finally chose option three: pretend to be terrified and do nothing.
As a result, the moment the mouse clicked, before Xiao Tu could even disguise himself, the Japanese soldiers swarmed around him. Because he did nothing in the chaos, Muto Shigeo considered him a "worthless and suspicious piece of trash" and took him directly back to the Japanese army's interrogation room, where he endured endless torture.
Lin Wan patted her forehead in anguish and sighed.
"You bunch of haters, I acted in this scene myself, do you think I wouldn't know what to choose?"
Lin Wan rubbed her temples, returning to that crucial decision point from before.
This time, she suppressed her smile, chose option one with a serious expression, picked up the gun, and aimed it at Teacher Fang.
In the scene, Xiao Tu trembles as he picks up the gun from the ground, the dark muzzle pointing straight at the teacher who had once been so kind to him.
Seeing this, Muto Shigeo, standing to the side, curled up a playful yet cruel smile, quietly enjoying this scene of the destruction of humanity.
The teacher looked at the dark muzzle of the gun and saw the deepest hesitation in Xiao Tu's eyes.
But this noble revolutionary knew better than anyone that Muto Shigeo was scrutinizing Xiao Tu, and there was no time left for Xiao Tu to prepare himself mentally.
If Xiao Tu hadn't fired, both of them would have died, and the organization's infiltration plan would have been completely ruined!
In Muto Shio's blind spot, the teacher rushed forward, grabbed Xiao Tu's hand tightly, and pulled the trigger hard for him in a corner where Muto couldn't see!
"Bang--!"
A muffled gunshot echoed through the study. Amid Fang Min's heart-wrenching screams, and beneath the teacher's deliberately stunned and incredulous expression, maintained to finish the play, blood seeped out like ink.
And so, he fell to the gun of his proudest student.
Tears streamed down Lin Wan's face as she watched the video. Although she already knew the plot, her tears were for the underground workers who had actually worked behind enemy lines back then. At the same time, the previously noisy chat in the live stream instantly went silent, falling into a deathly stillness.
In the scene, Xiao Tu felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, but he could not react in any way.
He had to act like a true, ruthless traitor, expressionlessly reaching out and slowly wiping away the scalding blood splattered on his clothes—the blood of his mentor.
Muto Shio turned his head to look at him, then revealed a playful smile, gently patted Xiao Tu's shoulder, and praised him:
[Xiao Jun did a good job.]
After saying this, Muto Shio led the Japanese army away from the scene with satisfaction, while Xiao Tu, as if he had lost his soul, mechanically followed the main force away from the blood-stained ruins.
The scene shifts, and a light drizzle begins to fall. Xiao Tu, alone, staggers into a dark, deserted alley. With trembling hands, he lights a cigarette, leans against the cold brick wall, and takes a deep, forceful drag.
"If he hadn't done that, Teacher Fang wouldn't have been able to survive either..."
Lin Wan's voice was a little hoarse, and her eyes were slightly red as she explained to the audience in a low voice.
"What awaited Teacher Fang was either betrayal of the organization or endless torment. Teacher Fang used her own life to pave the way for Xiao Tu's continued advancement in the high ranks of the Japanese army..."
However, this was Xiao Tu's first time killing someone. And the person he killed was none other than Teacher Fang, who had always cared for him.
Even more cruelly, after killing his teacher, he even had to pretend to be indifferent and a traitor seeking credit and reward. This deep-seated despair and sense of being torn apart was conveyed to everyone without reservation through the screen.
Just then, a series of light footsteps came from the alley entrance.
A low-ranking official from the Wang Jingwei regime swaggered over, saw Xiao Tu leaning against the wall, pale-faced and smoking, and immediately flashed a greasy smile of someone with a long history. He stepped forward, patted Xiao Tu on the shoulder, and said mockingly:
It's okay, everyone's like this the first time they kill someone.
Immediately afterward, Muto Shio also witnessed this scene, stepped forward, and patted Xiao Tu on the shoulder again. Everything seemed to have come to a close amidst bloodshed and admiration.
But Xiao Tu alone stubbed out his cigarette, his gaze coldly fixed on the unfathomable night sky. He knew very well that his teacher's whereabouts were always secretive, and the Japanese would never come knocking on his door without a reason.
Beneath this seemingly calm ocean, things are far from over. Xiao Tu knew that the real culprit who betrayed his teacher's information and was lurking in the shadows had not yet been caught.
The screen slowly dimmed. Meanwhile, in Lin Wan's live stream, a deluge of comments flooded in once more, everyone gasping in awe at the thrilling and emotionally resonant plot...