Chapter 1062
Fireworks as Brilliant as Life Itself
Wang Tianfeng emerged from behind a large tree.
The tree was about forty meters away from the grave. Because it was an open space and Zhang Anping had let his guard down while spending time with his family, he did not discover that someone was hiding there in advance!
Upon seeing Wang Tianfeng, Zhang Anping immediately realized that this trap was aimed at him!
A shadow fell over his eyes. His own perilous situation was nothing compared to the danger he faced with his two children and wife…
At this moment, Wang Tianfeng had one hand hidden behind a tree, while the other hand held a box of matches.
"Oh? It's Uncle Wang!"
Wangwang and Xixi exclaimed with joy at the same time. They knew Wang Tianfeng. In their eyes, Wang Tianfeng was the Uncle Wang who was used to being cold-faced, but when he was with them, he would always give them lucky money and pick them up.
Before Zeng Moyi and Zhang Anping could speak, the two little ones skipped and hopped over, vying with each other. Wangwang, however, didn't compete with Xixi for who would get the matches first. Instead, she bowed to Wang Tianfeng to greet him, and then asked curiously:
"Uncle Wang, what's that thing you're pressing on your hand? It looks a bit like a telephone!"
Wang Tianfeng smiled and said to Wangwang, "This is called a detonator; it's used for setting off fireworks."
Looking at him with a bewildered expression, Wang took the matches and asked innocently, "Uncle Wang, are you going to set off fireworks?"
"But Grandma said that it hasn't been three years since my great-uncle was buried, so we can't set off fireworks in front of his grave."
After Wang Tianfeng chuckled self-deprecatingly, he reached out and patted Wangwang's little head, urging the two little ones, "Go and pay respects to your great-uncle first."
Xi Xi asked, puzzled, "Uncle Wang, aren't you going to kneel down with us?"
“I have already paid my respects—you two hurry over there, your father is getting impatient.”
"Oh."
The two little ones had no choice but to obediently turn back. The two brothers, who returned to the grave, did not notice their mother's heavy heart at all.
Although they were about forty meters apart, Wang Tianfeng and Wangwang's conversation was clearly heard—the words "detonator" were especially clear.
Faced with the two returning children, Zhang Anping said nothing, but Zeng Moyi involuntarily stepped forward and hugged the two children in her arms, then said to Zhang Anping:
"Our family is together."
She didn't tell Zhang Anping that she was scared, but rather said:
We're a family together, there's nothing to be afraid of.
Zhang Anping smiled and nodded, then said, "Let's burn the paper money first."
Just like before, offerings were placed, people knelt, kowtowed, and burned paper money. Zhang Anping held a wooden stick and stirred the churning flames without the slightest panic.
After a long time, the flames subsided, leaving only a pile of ashes, with a few black specks occasionally rising into the air.
After the family of four got up, Zhang Anping gently patted the heads of the two children: "Wait here for me, I'm going to see your Uncle Wang."
"Ah."
After the two children agreed, Zhang Anping smiled and said to his wife, "Don't worry, I'll take care of everything."
Zeng Moyi revealed a playful smile:
"I know."
Zhang Anping then turned around and walked step by step toward Wang Tianfeng.
Wang Tianfeng's gaze remained firmly fixed on Zhang Anping, his nerves visibly tense. When Zhang Anping approached within five meters, the hand holding the detonator began to exert slight force.
Zhang Anping stopped at the opportune moment, glanced around, and, not seeing any recording equipment, calmly said:
"I'm a little surprised."
Wang Tianfeng stared at Zhang Anping:
"I don't know why you can kneel so calmly—aren't you feeling guilty?"
Zhang Anping chuckled:
"We have only one faith and cannot tolerate any other faith."
The Kuomintang (KMT) adheres to the Three Principles of the People—but the party is steeped in superstition. Even Dai Chunfeng's use of an alias reveals a strong superstitious element.
People with a guilty conscience always place their hopes on things that are vague and unreal.
Zhang Anping's words were undoubtedly an admission to Wang Tianfeng of something:
I am a Communist!
Faced with Zhang Anping's candor, Wang Tianfeng closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them and stared at Zhang Anping: "I didn't expect that."
Zhang Anping shook his head: "I didn't expect that either!"
Wang Tianfeng's "I didn't expect it" means "I didn't expect you to be Katyusha," while Zhang Anping's "I didn't expect it either" means "I didn't expect you to be so certain."
Faced with the deadly trap set by Wang Tianfeng, Zhang Anping understood that there was no point in arguing.
He wasn't afraid of death, but he wanted to find a way to survive for his wife and children.
Wang Tianfeng let out a long sigh:
"You are terrifying."
Zhang Anping calmly said, "If I remember correctly, the Japanese have expressed this sentiment countless times."
This wasn't Zhang Anping boasting, but rather telling Wang Tianfeng a fact:
I have never wavered!
During the War of Resistance against Japan, didn't the Japanese want to recruit Zhang Anping?
I'm going crazy!
But did Zhang Anping ever waver?
So he used these words to tell Wang Tianfeng: I will not waver.
Even now.
Wang Tianfeng narrowed his eyes slightly: "Is this your answer?"
"Correct."
Wang Tianfeng knew that Zhang Anping was not all bark and no bite; he realized Zhang Anping's attitude from the orderly process of the worship ceremony.
Right now, it's just a matter of confirmation.
He took a deep breath: "I have many questions."
Zhang Anping nodded: "I know."
Zhang Anping has been creating a fact, or rather, demonstrating a fact through his actions:
The threat of death will never shake me!
He understands the cruelty of being a secret agent, and he also understands that the bottom line for secret agents is: there is no bottom line!
Since Wang Tianfeng chose this method, he must have been prepared to perish together with his opponent.
Especially at times like these, it's crucial to stay firm in your stance, otherwise Wang Tianfeng will demand even more—but right now, what Wang Tianfeng really wants is just one thing:
He had so many questions that needed to be answered.
Zhang Anping grasped this point:
I am not threatened, and I can face death directly, even if it is a family of four!
Therefore, don't try to find answers this way.
This was the only chance he could fight for for his wife and son.
"Let them go, and you'll answer my question?"
Zhang Anping gave Wang Tianfeng a deep look and slowly nodded:
"can!"
"Let them go."
Zhang Anping turned his head: "Mo Yi, take the child and go back to the car first!"
Upon hearing Zhang Anping's voice, Zeng Moyi clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white.
"it is good!"
She held a child in each hand, and as the two little ones asked her in confusion, she whispered, "Listen to Daddy."
After saying that, she took the child's hand and walked away step by step without looking back.
It wasn't a resolute decision, but rather a fear that if she turned around, she wouldn't be able to resist running towards her husband.
The husband who became weak in order to protect himself.
Beside the tree, Wang Tianfeng suddenly said:
"Is she also your comrade?"
Zeng Moyi's performance was so calm and composed!
Zhang Anping did not deny it.
As Wang Tianfeng took a deep breath, he also realized something:
Zhang Anping once transmitted intelligence to Zeng Moyi right in front of him!
A hint of self-deprecation appeared:
"I did not lose unjustly."
Zhang Anping did not answer.
"You are Katyusha?"
"Correct."
"You were a Communist before you joined the Secret Service?!"
"No—" Zhang Anping shook his head:
"However, during my time in the United States, I provided funds to the organization through remittances. After returning to China, I officially joined the Secret Service around the same time I joined the Secret Service."
Wang Tianfeng's eyes widened. Zhang Anping had boldly gone to the United States at the age of fourteen, which meant that he had chosen the Communist Party at the age of fourteen?!
By the way, fourteen years old, or rather, the traditional Chinese age!
"why?"
Wang Tianfeng gritted his teeth and stared at Zhang Anping, repeatedly asking, "Why?!"
At the age of fourteen, why did you choose them when they were almost too busy to take care of themselves?
why!
“Because…” Zhang Anping said slowly:
"The Northeast fell to the Japanese, yet the Nationalist government did not choose to recover the lost territory! Is this reason sufficient?"
"Because I have personally witnessed what unwavering faith looks like, is that reason enough?"
"Because I see no hope in the Nationalist government, is that reason enough?"
"Because of the current situation! Is that reason enough?"
What is the current situation?
Wang Tianfeng closed his eyes heavily. Yes, the person in front of him was a strategic genius who wrote "Blue Star Animal Kingdom." He saw further ahead.
But he was not willing to give up!
"How can you face your boss?"
Zhang Anping laughed:
"Do I need to be worthy of him?"
"Because of his kindness in recognizing my talent?" Wang Tianfeng countered, "Isn't that right?"
Zhang Anping casually said four words: "I am very rich."
Wang Tianfeng was taken aback.
“I’m really rich, extremely rich—not through dirty tricks, just through doing business, um, global trade, and I’m the boss behind the scenes.”
"But these are just tools to me."
Zhang Anping said leisurely:
"My cousin is the down-on-his-luck man who slept on the floor with me for two years."
"Boss Dai of the Military Intelligence Bureau has the blood of Chinese Communist Party members on his hands, so how can I be worthy of him?"
Wang Tianfeng was deeply shocked. The identity of the boss behind global trade was too shocking.
He also understood why Zhang Anping revealed this card:
He wasn't cold-blooded; rather, his beliefs made him true to himself!
After a long silence, Wang Tianfeng asked again:
"Then, how can you face the brothers who risked their lives for you?"
"What are they in your eyes? The price of your faith?"
Zhang Anping stared at Wang Tianfeng, as if trying to see through Wang Tianfeng's true thoughts. First he emphasized that he was sorry to Dai Chunfeng, and now he said he was sorry to his brothers in the Military Intelligence Bureau—this was clearly an attempt to destroy his spirit!
Unfortunately, this is precisely what Zhang Anping excels at!
"I have a plan, and the chief aide has already agreed."
"Operation Conceal the Edge—a plan centered on betrayal, its so-called purpose being to hide agents of the Secret Service. What do you think of this plan?"
In an instant, Wang Tianfeng saw through the true Hidden Edge Plan from those few dozen words.
Concealing one's sharpness, hiding one's edge?
Do not!
It was to protect the special agents who fought for the country and the nation on the battlefield against the Japanese invaders!
They are the agents who clean up those underground party members whose hands are stained with blood!
What a brilliant concealment of skill!
A mouthful of blood suddenly spurted from Wang Tianfeng's mouth.
The moment he spat out blood, Zhang Anping, who had been calm, rushed towards Wang Tianfeng like an arrow released from a bow.
Wang Tianfeng was already under immense pressure, and when faced with Zhang Anping's sudden attack, his instinctive reaction was to fight back.
He's extremely bad at fighting!
Before the fight, Wang Tianfeng repeated this fact in his mind.
But the moment they clashed, Wang Tianfeng was stunned.
A tremendous force emanated from Zhang Anping's fist. Before he could even be shocked, he was sent flying into the air, forcefully knocked away.
bang
Wang Tianfeng crashed to the ground, staring at Zhang Anping in disbelief.
Your skills are...that strong?
"Ahem, you've been hiding it too well..."
Spitting blood, Wang Tianfeng looked at Zhang Anping with self-deprecating humor. He held a firm belief in his mind:
Zhang Anping's marksmanship is superb, but his physical skills are terrible.
But I never expected that I would learn what it means to keep something hidden from others through my own experience.
In fact, Zhang Anping revealed one shocking truth after another in order to make Wang Tianfeng lose his composure. However, he didn't expect that Wang Tianfeng would lose his composure to the point of vomiting blood before he even revealed many more secrets.
Seeing Wang Tianfeng coughing up blood, Zhang Anping calmly reached out: "Give me the razor blade in your mouth."
Upon hearing this, Wang Tianfeng suddenly burst into laughter, spat out the razor blade from his mouth, and said mockingly, "It's fireworks."
"Real fireworks."
Zhang Anping was stunned for a moment, then turned around and tugged at the wire buried in the soil. Sure enough, with a little force, he pulled out the short end of the wire, which was less than two meters long.
He asked, taken aback, "What were you thinking?"
All that painstaking planning turned out to be a trap set up with fireworks?!
"Just like you said, it's hopeless." Wang Tianfeng said with a bitter smile, "Since it's hopeless, why bother with so much explosives?"
He coughed up blood and laughed loudly, his laughter filled with mockery.
It's not a mockery of Zhang Anping, but a mockery of this corrupt regime.
Three years!
To be precise, it was less than three years, and what was the result?
Much of our beautiful land has been lost, and our elite army is almost entirely wiped out.
They were right after all.
Zhang Anping looked at Wang Tianfeng with pity. He understood Wang Tianfeng's thoughts—his obsession was Katyusha, and he wanted to know who Katyusha was.
He only has these two obsessions; he doesn't care about anything else!
He gently shook his head:
"Why bother?"
Wang Tianfeng did not answer the question, but instead asked in return, "Wasn't it you who tried to assassinate me that time?"
Zhang Anping nodded in agreement: "Yes. My makeup skills are better than you think."
"Has the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics been infiltrated to the point of being like a sieve?"
Zhang Anping admitted: "It wasn't just the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics—there was also the Party Communications Bureau and the Second Department."
"So, Mao Renfeng was your puppet from beginning to end?"
"Yes."
This answer made Wang Tianfeng laugh mockingly once again.
He stared blankly at the cemetery not far away, and said mockingly:
"Everyone says the boss is the king of spies, but that's... a huge joke."
Zhang Anping looked at him silently, waited for a while, and when he didn't get a reply from Wang Tianfeng, he asked:
"Is there anything else you'd like to know?"
Is there anything else you'd like to know?
Wang Tianfeng looked at Zhang Anping, remained silent, and after a long while shook his head:
There were originally many problems.
"But now, it's gone."
"I already know everything I wanted to know."
As he spoke, he looked at Dai Chunfeng's grave again, examined it carefully, and then turned to Zhang Anping and said:
"There's a pit 30 meters to the east."
"Just bury me there, don't leave a tombstone, don't... leave a grave."
"Let me stay quietly with him."
Zhang Anping gave a concise answer:
"it is good."
After making a swallowing motion, Wang Tianfeng laughed and said:
I thought you would feel guilty.
"Unfortunately, you're more than I imagined..."
Black blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but he seemed oblivious. His waning life force made speaking extremely difficult, yet he still forced himself to finish:
"More, more, more...determined..."
After saying what should have been three words, Wang Tianfeng's head, which had been held high, suddenly collapsed to the ground.
The colors vanished from his eyes, leaving only gray.
Only at the corner of his mouth, a smile that was neither mocking nor relieved hung stiffly yet vividly.
Zhang Anping slowly stepped forward, knelt down gently, and closed his eyes with his palms.
Immediately after, he applied force with his palm, and a cracking sound came from Wang Tianfeng's neck.
After carefully searching the surrounding area and confirming that there were no hidden listening devices, Zhang Anping carried Wang Tianfeng's body and found the pit that he had dug and hidden.
He glanced at the still-smiling corpse with a complicated expression, then gently tossed it into the pit.
The pit was very deep, more than three meters deep, and inside was a set of clothes mixed with sweat and mud.
Zhang Anping whispered:
"During the War of Resistance Against Japan, your contributions to the country and the nation..."
"Without a doubt."
He knew that Wang Tianfeng didn't care about his reputation after death. How could a madman who didn't even care about his own life care about his reputation after death?
But he still gave the other party a proper final verdict.
“However, you shouldn’t follow this corrupt regime.”
After saying that, Zhang Anping picked up the shovel that Wang Tianfeng had prepared and began to bury the soil, shovel by shovel.
He respected Wang Tianfeng's last wishes and did not erect a grave mound.
Only a scar-like mark remains – before long, when spring arrives, this place will surely be covered with flowers and weeds.
Perhaps, the flowers here will bloom even more brilliantly.
After doing all this, Zhang Anping began searching for the "explosives".
Just as Wang Tianfeng said, those weren't explosives, but rather one after another... fireworks.
In this world, fireworks seem expensive compared to human lives.
Zhang Anping gathered the fireworks together, took out matches, and lit them one by one.
Whoosh—bang
The brilliant fireworks, which should have been launched and exploded under the cover of night, were still dazzling to Zhang Anping, who was looking up at them in the daytime.
That brilliance, like life itself. (End of Chapter)