THE WHITE FILES: THE MANY
LIVES OF LU HERUO, TAIWANS
FIRST LITERARY TALENT

Chapter 24: Lü Heruo Faces a Series of Deadly Plots

82

Inside the dormitory, the dim yellow glow of an oil lamp flickered in the corner, casting mottled shadows across the walls. Several thick Japanese novels lay scattered on the desk, their pages slightly curled from frequent reading. Outside, the wind gently tapped against the old window frame, producing faint, unsettling sounds.

Lü Heruo had just pushed open the door when he frowned slightly. At a glance, he noticed a piece of paper bearing Japanese writing tucked beneath the desk mat. He pulled it out and studied several lines carefully. His expression changed.

"Be extremely cautious of Chen Danghe and Dong Zhiqian. They may intend to harm you and put your life in danger. Name withheld."

His fingers trembled slightly. He immediately slipped the note back into a book and murmured to himself, "This handwriting... It definitely belongs to Xue Li." He raised his head and gazed at the flickering shadows cast by the lamp. A faint, bitter smile appeared on his face.

"I, Lü Heruo, have never been afraid of an argument, nor have I ever pursued personal gain. All I have ever wanted is to speak a word of justice... Yet even that has brought me such deadly danger?"

He returned to his desk and sat silently for a while, but he could not bring himself to pick up his pen. His inspiration had slipped away amid the oppressive atmosphere. Finally, he simply lay down on his bed, resting his hands behind his head as he stared blankly at the ceiling.

As the night deepened, the dormitory grew increasingly desolate. Beyond the window, the mountains stood black as ink, while moonlight slanted across the wooden window lattice. The heavy silence seemed almost suffocating.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from the hallway.

"Scuff... scuff..."

The steps were faint and eerie, as quiet as someone treading on fallen leaves in the wind.

Lü Heruo turned over and sat up, his brows tightly furrowed. He did not turn on the light. Instead, he pressed himself against the wall and held his breath, listening intently.

Two dark figures quietly approached from outside the window, one tall and the other short. Their shadows stretched into strange, elongated shapes beneath the moonlight. Peering through a narrow gap, he saw the taller, thinner figure carrying a heavy burlap sack over his shoulder.

"Hurry up. Once it's done, we'll leave," the man whispered.

Creak...

The window was pushed open slightly, and someone reached inside to empty the contents of the sack. After a rustling sound, several black, writhing snakes slipped out of the sack and into the room. Their eyes glimmered eerily as they hissed.

The two figures chuckled furtively and hurried away. Their footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Lü Heruo clenched his fists, veins bulging at his temples. He carefully got out of bed, struck a match, and lit the lamp. In the newly illuminated room, he saw several venomous snakes coiled in the shadows on the floor.

Taking a deep breath, he pulled an iron shovel from the corner of the room. Suppressing his fear and fury, he struck down the snakes one by one.

"Well, well, Chen Danghe and Dong Zhiqian! So this is the despicable trick you've resorted to!"

The night was dark and hard as iron. He sat down against the wall, his eyes vacant, exhausted and furious as he stared at the ceiling.

"I have fought so hard to defend my ideals, only to be repaid with such a vicious attack... Can comrades like these still be trusted? Is a political party like this still worth devoting my life to?"

He remained lost in thought until dawn.

The first birds began to sing outside. Morning light filtered through the gaps in the window, illuminating the dormitory floor, where the dead snakes lay scattered everywhere.

Just as he was about to close his eyes and catch up on some sleep, someone knocked at the door. Exhausted, Lü Heruo struggled to his feet and opened it.

It was Liao Xueli. He was carrying a teapot and looked concerned.

"Director, you look terrible. Are you sick?"

Lü Heruo replied in a subdued voice, "I... didn't sleep well last night." As he spoke, he pointed toward the side of the bed, his tone heavy with weariness.

"Are you homesick?" Liao Xueli walked into the room, closed the door, and sat down on the edge of the bed, speaking gently.

Lü Heruo shook his head. He turned around, took a burlap sack from beside the wall, and opened it, revealing the twisted bodies of the dead snakes inside.

Liao Xueli's expression changed dramatically. He sprang to his feet.

"Good Lord! Where did these come from? Did you catch them up in the mountains?"

Lü Heruo said expressionlessly, "Someone secretly dumped them through my window in the middle of the night. Judging by their builds, they were precisely the two men mentioned in your note."

Liao Xueli clenched his teeth, veins appearing on his forehead.

"Hmph! I knew those two good-for-nothings were up to no good. I knew they would eventually make a move. I just didn't expect them to act so soon..."

"I recognized your handwriting the moment I saw the note you left," Lü Heruo said with a faint smile, though he still looked exhausted.

"Are you going to report this to Chairman Chen?" Liao Xueli asked.

Lü Heruo shook his head, his tone firm.

"There's no need. We are in the open, while they operate in the shadows. Without catching them in the act and obtaining evidence, I'm afraid they might turn around and accuse us of making trouble out of nothing."

Liao Xueli frowned deeply, his voice filled with indignation.

"If it were up to me, I'd make sure they paid for what they did."

"I understand how you feel," Lü Heruo replied calmly. "But I believe a gentleman can afford to wait three years to exact his revenge. I won't forget this grievance. When the time comes, I'll settle every score. For now, don't let this get out. Let's wait and see what else they have planned."

Liao Xueli slowly sat down and nodded.

"Director, I'll do as you say. From now on, I'll keep an eye on them discreetly and make sure they don't get another chance to strike."

Lü Heruo gazed through the window at the gradually brightening sky. His eyes were resolute, and his voice was low but powerful.

"Staying alive matters more than anything else. As long as I draw breath, I will make sure the truth is written into history."

83

The living room of Chen Qiwang's home was dimly lit and gloomy. Several kerosene lamps cast faint halos of light. A yellowed calendar print hung on the wall. The cooking smoke had not yet completely dissipated, and the air still carried the smell of smoke from the kitchen mixed with the bitter aroma of tea.

Lü Heruo sat in a rattan chair, his hands folded together, his gaze fixed on the floor. Chen Ruyu sat beside him, gripping the hem of her skirt tightly and keeping her head bowed in silence.

Chen Qiwang stood opposite them with his arms crossed and his brows tightly furrowed. Liao Musheng paced back and forth between them, serving as a mediator.

"Qiwang and Ruyu, tonight I'm acting as the mediator between you two siblings," Liao Musheng said firmly, stopping between them. "Both sides must speak rationally. No letting emotions get the better of you."

"Musheng, I'll do my best!" Chen Qiwang replied, suppressing his anger. His words sounded calm, but the hostility beneath them was unmistakable.

Liao Musheng turned toward Lü Heruo, softening his tone.

"Director Wang... No, I should call you Mr. Lü. What are your plans for the future with Ruyu?"

Hearing this, Lü Heruo pressed his lips together and gave a bitter smile.

"So you all know my real identity. Sigh... A man on the run like me, what kind of future plans can I possibly have? I'll just have to take each day as it comes."

Chen Qiwang's expression changed dramatically. He suddenly slapped the bamboo tea table, making the teacups rattle sharply.

"If you have absolutely no plans for the future, how can you drag my little sister down with you?"

Hearing this, Chen Ruyu immediately grabbed Lü Heruo's arm and pleaded anxiously.

"Brother, Lü Heruo has no intention of dragging me down with him. He's not that kind of person!"

"Little sister, I want to hear what he has to say. Don't interrupt," Qiwang said, raising a hand. His voice was cold and stern.

Lü Heruo raised his head and met Qiwang's gaze. His voice was composed.

"Brother Chen, I understand my own circumstances. I have no right to accept Ruyu's feelings, and I've never intended to drag her down with me."

Chen Qiwang gave a cold snort and leaned sideways against the doorframe, his hands on his hips.

"At least you have enough sense to understand that. Mr. Lü, as long as you leave Ruyu alone, I don't intend to make things difficult for you. You can still stay here from now on."

Ruyu suddenly stood up, her eyes turning red.

"Brother, what you're saying is clearly an attempt to break us apart!"

"Ruyu, do you realize that you're paving the way to your own ruin?" Chen Qiwang's anger was now evident, and his voice rose. "If Mr. Lü has a family, then he's only hiding here temporarily until the danger passes. Once he's free to return, he'll surely go back to his lawful wife or his former lover. What will that make you? Will you have a recognized place in his life? Will you have any standing at all?"

Lü Heruo lowered his eyes, his voice heavy.

"Brother Liao, everything you've mentioned has already crossed my mind. The truth is, for the foreseeable future, I cannot make any promises to Ruyu."

"I don't want any promises!" Ruyu blurted out, tears welling in her eyes. She turned to look at Lü Heruo. "As long as I can be with you, I'm not afraid of anything."

"You're being so foolish!" Chen Qiwang shook his head, his eyes filled with both affection and anger. "Do you really think you can live on love alone? When reality finally hits you, you'll learn what it means to suffer."

Seeing that the situation was about to get out of hand, Liao Musheng clapped his hands and stepped between them.

"Qiwang, matters of the heart often can't be settled through reason alone. I've thought of a solution. If Mr. Lü is willing to accept it, you should let these two be together."

Qiwang asked coldly, "Let's hear it."

"Since Mr. Lü has already assumed a false identity and concealed his past, why not have him stay in our village and completely cut ties with everything that came before? Rather than forcibly separating them and losing a little sister, why not gain a brother-in-law instead?"

"But if he already has a wife and family, what if his wife or mistress comes looking for him here one day? Then things could..." Qiwang remained hesitant.

"That won't be a problem." Liao Musheng patted Lü Heruo on the shoulder and declared firmly, "As long as he doesn't leave this place, he's your brother-in-law. This village is so remote that nobody from the outside world will come here to interfere."

Chen Qiwang looked at Lü Heruo, his eyes filled with conflicting emotions and careful consideration. Finally, his tone softened.

"All right... If Mr. Lü promises to stay here, then I... I suppose I can reluctantly agree to this marriage."

Liao Musheng turned toward Lü Heruo.

"Mr. Lü, what do you say?"

Lü Heruo slowly nodded, his expression composed and his voice resolute.

"Outside this place, the world may be vast, but there is nowhere else left for me to call home."

Ruyu pressed her lips together as two streams of tears ran down her cheeks. They were tears of relief and joy intertwined.

Liao Musheng smiled and clapped his hands.

"Good! Since you two love each other, I'll serve as your matchmaker. We'll pick an auspicious day and arrange for you to be formally married."

The room finally fell silent. Only the ticking of the old clock on the wall could be heard, marking the uncertain future ahead. Yet, at that moment, they chose to believe that somewhere in these mountains and wilderness, there might still be room for a love bound by fate to find refuge.

84

Inside a thatched hut, Chen Danghe and Dong Zhiqian were busy shelling peanuts and drinking homemade liquor.

Chen Danghe said resentfully, "Lü Heruo is one lucky bastard. He managed to escape this time."

Dong Zhiqian put on a flattering smile.

"If one scheme fails, I've got plenty of other ways to finish Lü off."

Chen Danghe asked, "Dong, what kind of plan do you have? Let's hear it."

Dong Zhiqian said, "Come closer. I'll whisper it in your ear."

The two men whispered to each other for several minutes.

Chen Danghe praised him, saying, "I never expected you to come up with such a vicious scheme—framing someone, shifting the blame, and getting someone else to do the killing. It actually sounds like it could work."

Once their plan was settled, Chen Danghe and Dong Zhiqian went their separate ways to put it into action.

The sky was growing dark at dusk. Low-hanging clouds covered the sky, and a breeze blew slowly from the western side of the camp, carrying the smell of sulfur, gunpowder, and damp earth. The camp was surrounded by barbed-wire fences and high walls. Patrol soldiers moved in and out of sight, their footsteps overlapping in the distance. From a small building with a corrugated metal roof near the ammunition depot came the sounds of laughter and drinking.

Chen Danghe wore a somewhat shabby gray shirt. He carried two jars of locally made rice wine in his left hand and a bag of braised meat in his right. With steady steps, he entered the small office beside the ammunition depot.

Inside, the lighting was dim and yellow. Li Huoyan, the ammunition depot custodian, was reclining in a rattan chair. His eyes were half open, his face flushed, and wine stains clung to the corners of his mouth. An unopened bottle of kaoliang liquor sat on the floor beside his feet.

"Huoyan!" Chen Danghe called out cheerfully, his laughter booming as he stepped forward and placed the jars of rice wine heavily on the desk.

"Don't let the bottom of your cup become a home for goldfish! We're brothers, so let's enjoy ourselves tonight. Come on, I'll drink to you. Let's drink until we're dead drunk!"

Drawn by the aroma of the wine, Li Huoyan's eyes immediately lit up. He staggered to his feet, steadying himself with one hand on the desk while reaching for a wine jar with the other.

He laughed drunkenly, slurring his words.

"D-Danghe... Cheers... Let's... let's drink!"

He opened the jar and tilted it, pouring the wine into bowls. The liquor was clear and amber-colored, its aroma spreading through the room.

The two men drank several bowls together. Chen Danghe deliberately kept him entertained with jokes, then picked up a piece of braised beef shank and put it into Huoyan's mouth.

"My old mother braised this herself. I guarantee it's delicious. Take your time eating. I'll just move your chair closer to the desk."

As he spoke, he deftly moved behind Huoyan. While steadying the chair with one hand, he secretly reached toward the ammunition depot keys hanging on the wall. He took out a piece of wet soap he had prepared in advance and quickly pressed it against the keys to make an impression.

The entire movement was as effortless and inconspicuous as a passing breeze. Huoyan was too busy drinking to notice anything.

As he left, Chen Danghe carried the now-empty wine bag. A sinister smile appeared on his face. He kicked the mud off his boots and muttered to himself:

"Lü Heruo, I refuse to believe you can escape me this time."

Meanwhile, at the other end of the camp, under the cover of darkness, Dong Zhiqian had already changed into a maintenance worker's uniform and infiltrated the Organization Department office.

He moved swiftly down the corridor. The door handle turned silently. After peeking inside to make sure no one was there, he slipped into the room.

The clock on the wall ticked steadily, as though providing the soundtrack to this act of espionage.

Beside the desk, he put on a pair of gloves and opened Chen Danghe's drawer. From a small box at the very bottom, he took out a document sealed with a red label.

The title on the document was unmistakable:

"List of Base Comrades."

Dong Zhiqian's eyes were sharp, and his movements calm and deliberate. He took a small camera hidden in his sleeve, adjusted the focus, and quickly photographed the document page by page.

His fingers remained perfectly steady, and he carefully controlled even his breathing. Occasionally, a police dog barked in the distance outside the window, but he remained completely unfazed.

After finishing the photographs, he returned the original document to its exact position, stepped back, and closed the drawer.

He murmured softly to himself:

"One piece of paper is enough to change the entire course of events."

85

Early the following morning, he concealed the developed film inside a package of dried tofu and delivered it to a contact working for the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics in town. The entire exchange took less than two minutes. The two men appeared to be relatives who knew each other well, chatting casually in the market as they exchanged packages. No one noticed the vigilance and silent understanding in their eyes.

Meanwhile, Chen Danghe still had no idea that he had already invited a wolf into his own home. Driven by his own selfish desires, his conspiracy had not only failed to consolidate his power but had instead pushed all the comrades at the base into an extremely dangerous situation, placing them directly in the line of fire.

At the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics' Counterintelligence and Surveillance Division office, dark clouds blanketed the sky outside. Slanting winds and drizzle beat against the glass windows, while the national flag hanging on the wall trembled slightly in the breeze. The atmosphere was grim and oppressive. The lighting inside was cold and harsh. Several boxes of documents marked "CONFIDENTIAL" were piled in a corner, and the steel filing cabinets were securely locked. The wooden floor creaked faintly under the weight of years of footsteps.

Gu Zhengwen, dressed in a neatly pressed military uniform, sat behind his desk, continuously twirling a fountain pen in his hand. His eyes were as sharp as blades as he glanced toward the doorway.

A messenger opened the door and reported in a steady voice, "Reporting to the section chief! Liao Qingwen and his wife, Wu Zu, have arrived!"

The couple entered the room nervously. The man was of medium build with a lean face, while the woman kept her eyes lowered and her hands tightly clasped together. Although their clothes were neat, they were slightly wrinkled from the long journey.

Gu Zhengwen pointed to the two hard chairs in front of his desk and said coldly, "Sit down."

Liao Qingwen and Wu Zu immediately bowed respectfully before carefully taking their seats. They sat upright, daring not to lean against the backs of their chairs. Wu Zu discreetly tugged at her husband's sleeve, her eyes filled with apprehension.

Gu Zhengwen spoke in a deep voice, his tone carrying unquestionable authority.

"Liao Qingwen, do you know why I specifically sent someone to bring you and your wife back from Hong Kong?"

Liao Qingwen pressed his lips together and replied with his head lowered, "No, sir. Please enlighten me."

Gu Zhengwen slowly put down his fountain pen and leaned slightly forward, resting both elbows on the desk. His sharp gaze pierced straight into Liao Qingwen's eyes like a needle.

"Your hometown is Lukou Village, correct? The village chief, Chen Qiwang, is your brother-in-law, isn't he?"

Liao Qingwen nodded, his voice trembling slightly.

"Y-yes, sir."

"According to the intelligence we've obtained, following the February 28 Incident, a band of Communist insurgents has been operating underground in Lukou Village for a long time. Your brother-in-law's family has been financing and sheltering them, providing them with money, supplies, and protection."

At these words, Wu Zu raised her head in astonishment, wanting to speak but hesitating.

Liao Qingwen's eyes widened in disbelief. His voice rose slightly.

"N-no, that can't be right! Sir, my brother-in-law... He's just a simple tea farmer. He's spent his entire life growing tea. How could he possibly be involved with Communist insurgents?"

Gu Zhengwen showed no sign of being moved. He merely gave a cold smile and tapped his fingertips against the desk three times.

"Of course I have sufficient evidence. I wouldn't falsely accuse anyone without reason."

He paused, his tone turning ominous.

"If you don't want to stand by and watch your brother-in-law's entire family face destruction, I expect you to cooperate fully with us."

Liao Qingwen lowered his head and gripped his knees tightly with his fingers. After remaining silent for a moment, he raised his head again, his eyes now resolute.

"If... if cooperating with you can save my brother-in-law's family, I'm willing to do it."

Wu Zu tightened her grip on her husband's arm and whispered in a lowered voice, "Qingwen, are... are you sure about this?"

Seeing their reaction, Gu Zhengwen suddenly changed his tone, speaking as though he were discussing a business deal.

"I know you used to run a tea business in Xiamen. That will provide you with the perfect cover. I want you to return to Lukou Village under the identity of a tea merchant. Find a way to win your brother-in-law's trust and persuade him to invest in your business, thereby cutting off his financial support for the group of Communist insurgents at the base.

"At the same time, you must secretly find out who else in the village is colluding with them or harboring sympathy for them, and report each person to me individually."

He stood up, walked around the desk, and stopped in front of Liao Qingwen. Looking down at him, he spoke in a deep, forceful voice.

"This is not only an opportunity to save your brother-in-law's family. It is also the only way to ensure the safety of your own family."

Liao Qingwen stood up as well. He stumbled slightly but quickly regained his balance and nodded.

"I understand, sir."

Gu Zhengwen waved toward the doorway.

"An intelligence officer will take you to another conference room and explain the details of your assignment."

The messenger came in, opened the door, and gestured for the couple to follow him.

Liao Qingwen turned back and took one last, long look at Gu Zhengwen, as though trying to find a trace of compassion in that hard, unyielding face. But Gu Zhengwen's eyes remained as cold as stone.

The couple followed the messenger out of the room, leaving behind a silence that filled the entire office.