My exam strategy was to maintain an upper-middle rank. Even in the upper-middle rank, it’s about third place in the class. Excluding Duey and Tikhonov, who obviously prepared in advance, it means top rank.

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to contact CIA headquarters. Since there’s no branch of our organization in the entire city of Guangzhou, even the U.S. intelligence agency couldn’t have established a communication network all the way to Huangpu.

So I chose the ‘most ordinary-looking’ option. I’ve already taken the path of being favored by the instructor anyway. It would be strange if someone like me maintained too average grades. I added some settings to my identity profile provided by headquarters, creating a character with good basic physical abilities that quickly picks up shooting skills, martial arts, etc.

No matter how perfectly headquarters creates a character, it can’t really be a perfect description. It becomes a real character when I interpret it and accept it in my own way. Since there was already a setting that I attended a good university in Seoul, I could more or less explain getting high scores in pop quizzes and other subjects.

My intention to become a student befitting my position as platoon leader and being favored by Zhou Lizhi, since I’ve already become one, worked out fairly well.

I deliberately missed some targets I could hit, placing in the middle ranks for shooting. I competed for first or second place in Chinese literature and history, and received grades in math that were evaluated as good enough to be an artillery officer. It was a midterm exam that gave the impression of being a fairly good student, though not enough to be called ‘the best honor student’.

And after the first semester midterm exams, there was a big event in China.

It’s not a traditional holiday or anything like that. Chiang Kai-shek’s birthday, born on October 31, 1887, was approaching his 100th birthday on October 31, 1987.

The atmosphere at Huangpu was bustling, and the Chinese seemed more focused on decorating the school to celebrate their country’s emperor’s birthday than on the midterm exams.

Zhou Lizhi said this in her interview with me:

“If you’re going to attend this school for a long time, never miss the October exam. Chinese students tend to not focus at all on exams held right before the Generalissimo’s birthday. In fact, even the exam writers tend to recycle questions that have already appeared before because they can’t properly create new problems. So if you have the will, exchange students can get higher scores than Chinese students.”

“For something like that, your questions showed no mercy.”

“Is there any reason I should show mercy?”

“Still, you’re a National Revolutionary Army officer, don’t you have something to do for the upcoming day?”

At my words, Zhou Lizhi quietly closed her mouth for a moment and looked at me.

“Of course I’m busy. But what I love is China itself. I take pride in the work I do. It’s all for China, to ensure that China continues to exist in the future.”

“Hmm…”

“The Generalissimo said to prepare for China’s future without him. Should we celebrate the fact that the Generalissimo is only getting older? Or should we be sad that despite him turning 100 years old, no heavyweight who can take his place in the party has shown up at all?”

“Isn’t that a dangerous statement?”

“That’s why I’m only saying this to you.”

Zhou Lizhi grumbled. She didn’t seem to be lying. She didn’t seem to be trying to test me either.

She was… arbitrarily feeling comfortable with me. Is it because I’ve been repeatedly tying her up, knocking her down, and teasing her since the beginning of the semester? Even though I haven’t properly touched her since then, she acted quite conciliatory or affectionate whenever she saw me.

From my perspective, with some experience with women… that looks like she’s interested in me and trying to make a good impression, whether consciously or unconsciously.

The first girl I dated also, at first she acted cold but gradually like this…

“What’s wrong? Your expression doesn’t look good. Did you think I was testing you by talking about the Party?”

“Ah, um… well… yes. To be honest, Major, you’re a soldier, and if you’re thinking of trying to draw out unfavorable statements about the Party or the Generalissimo’s office from me, I…”

“I think I’ve told you several times that I have no such intention towards you…”

Zhou sighed. She seemed to know herself that there was no way to make me trust her completely no matter what she said.

“But it’s probably meaningless anyway. In a situation where I’m the one who advised you to doubt everything.”

In fact, Zhou Lizhi’s concern that there’s no one to replace Chiang Kai-shek in the Party is not wrong. According to information obtained by the CIA, complaints occasionally surface within the high ranks of the Kuomintang that there’s no succession work being done at all for the position of China’s Generalissimo.

About 60 years ago, Chiang Kai-shek’s sudden seizure of power over all of China was not simple. Although he awakened extraordinary superpowers and brought down Japan and even made the Soviet Union tremble, superhumans didn’t appear only in the National Revolutionary Army, the direct army following Chiang Kai-shek.

Numerous warlords who were still dividing China. Among them, powerful figures like Li Zongren, Yan Xishan, and Feng Yuxiang attempted to maintain independence from Chiang Kai-shek by gathering their own superhumans.

But Chiang Kai-shek was resolute. He wasn’t originally a person who liked to cruelly purge political opponents who stood against him, but he showed no mercy to Zhang Zuolin and his son Zhang Xueliang, who had brought Japan into Manchuria to confront the National Revolutionary Army.

Unlike Wu Peifu, who received respect from Chiang Kai-shek and returned to private life, the Northern Expedition generals trembled in fear as they saw the Manchurian Fengtian clique leaders being executed one after another. After the Chinese army advanced into the Korean Peninsula, Chiang Kai-shek directly pulled out and ordered the execution of the Five Eulsa Traitors of the Korean Empire who had taken the lead in signing the Eulsa Treaty in 1905, which sold Korea’s diplomatic rights to Japan, showing a strong will to liquidate acts of treason.

At that time, voices praising Commander Chiang Kai-shek were high in Korea, saying it was satisfying, but looking back now, the fact that we couldn’t even bring those who sold our country to trial with our own hands might have foreshadowed the 60 years of China’s protectorate that would follow.

Due to some of Chiang Kai-shek’s performances, the Chinese Communist Party completely gave up activities within China and fled to the Soviet Union, and the anti-Chiang warlords couldn’t disobey the central government’s order to ‘send all superhumans you have to Nanjing’.

Even after carrying out the orders, many generals were forced to retire dishonorably, and even Wang Jingwei, who came forward to politically check Chiang Kai-shek, received an expulsion order from China. By the 1940s, there were no more big names who could militarily or politically oppose the Generalissimo.

Chiang Kai-shek didn’t leave any soil in China where factions opposing him could grow. The only political mentor that could exist in China was Sun Yat-sen, the father of the nation, and those who served other political mentors all fell, being treated no differently from ‘Chen Duxiu’s descendants’, that is, communists.

China has been maintained until now thanks to ruthless suppression and simultaneous economic prosperity and elevated international status.

But who will be next?

This question has still not been resolved. There aren’t many notable people among the Chinese generals with superpowers, and there are no overwhelming figures among the governors in charge of each province, so theories about China’s disintegration after Chiang Kai-shek’s death are openly circulating in countries other than China.

It must be a concern for Zhou Lizhi, another superhuman officer of China.

Hmm, this seems like information worth digging into. I asked:

“Major, …perhaps you sometimes receive love calls…”

“Love calls?”

“Ah, I’m sorry if it was an impertinent question. But I was curious why you’re worrying about after the Generalissimo’s death at a time like this…”

“The Governor of Guangdong Province.”

Zhou said abruptly. I blinked and tilted my head.

“Pardon?”

“A close associate of the Generalissimo’s son, Chiang Wei-kuo. The Khan of Mongolia. The Governor of Liaoning Province. The Governor of Xinjiang Autonomous Region. If we include foreigners, there’s also the Prime Minister of Vietnam and the Governor-General of British India.”

“…Those names just now are?”

“A rough list of big shots who have approached me, asking for help in case of an emergency in China. If we include the smaller fries, there are many more. The commanders of the National Revolutionary Army’s military regions have each come to me once, asking me to take the position of chief of staff in their units. I’ve even received offers to be a corps commander. I wonder how many ranks they’re offering to promote me.”

It feels like I’ve heard something incredible.

Even while working in the intelligence department, I’ve never heard of such circumstances.

“…If, if, if you receive such proposals, wouldn’t their heads fly off immediately…”

“Why? Do you think I report everything to the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics? Mr. Director, today the Governor of Liaoning Province tried to draw me to his side. It seems he’s preparing for rebellion after the Generalissimo’s death, so we need to purge him quickly. Do you think I would meekly go and report everything like that?”

“Uh…”

“I know what you’re thinking, but you’re wrong. Personally, I even liked the proposals made by the Khan of Mongolia and the Governor of Liaoning Province. But I still have a lot I want to do at Huangpu. Isn’t it better to think about emergency situations when they actually occur?”

I could feel the blood draining from my face through my body temperature. Zhou Lizhi looked at me and gave an attractive smile.

“If you’ve heard enough, you should know what things to keep quiet about. Don’t go blabbing too much this time. Even if it’s to that intimate roommate of yours.”

Saying that, she slightly rose and thrust her face close as if to kiss me. I should have avoided it, but the story I had just heard was somewhat too shocking for me, making it difficult to move my face.

“Your defense is weak for someone who’s been playing around and toying with me all this time.”

Zhou said, looking straight into my eyes.

“If I had aimed for it just now, your lips would have been mine.”

I acted nonchalant.

“Go ahead. It’s not like it wears out, and it’s not my first kiss either. But I didn’t brush my teeth before coming here since I was called in a hurry, so I’m not sure if that’s okay with you.”

“Do you worry about bad breath for just pressing lips together?”

“If you were planning to stop at just that, I think I’d be very disappointed.”

“Pfft.”

The major moved her face away from me again and straightened her back.

“Go back and rest. Good work on today’s interview too. Well, it’s not like you made any necessary reports as a platoon leader, though.”