The Possibility Regarding the Russian

“Using Huangpu in Guangzhou as a base, uniting the forces of Guangdong and Guangxi.”

Rebecca began to carefully explain her thoughts, making sure those around couldn’t hear.

“Striking up from Jiangnan to the Central Plains, seizing Nanjing and grasping China in her hands.”

“It’s basically the Northern Expedition.”

“It’s a plan following the precedents of Zhu Yuanzhang and Chiang Kai-shek. Especially since Chiang Kai-shek carried out such a Northern Expedition, military powerholders in the Guangdong region have always been viewed with sharp eyes. In fact, the local positions that the central government replaces most frequently are the military district commanders of Guangdong and Guangxi.”

“The actual military power in this region might be in Huangpu…”

“Chiang Kai-shek’s entrance ceremony speech this year was unusual. You remember, right?”

“Prepare for a China without Chiang Kai-shek. It was a powerful message. Everyone knows. Chiang Kai-shek told you all to prepare for a China without him. Doesn’t that mean Chiang Kai-shek himself will now start preparing for a China without Chiang Kai-shek? He’s human too. He must be feeling his age.”

Rebecca Katerfeld nodded in agreement to my words.

“Zhou Lizhi’s claim might be right. It’s possible that Barbara Tikhonov’s admission was decided by Zhou Lizhi’s suggestion and Chiang Kai-shek’s acceptance. But what if it’s not? If this was Chiang Kai-shek’s unilateral decision? The possibilities are endless. Thinking of a few representative scenarios, there’s a possibility that Chiang Kai-shek, worrying about local commanders rising up after his death, is trying to establish friendly relations with the Soviet Union.”

“He secretly brought in Tikhonov to establish friendly relations with the Soviet Union…”

“It would be fortunate if that were all. The problem is, why Guangzhou? Why Huangpu? I’ve looked into various things, but there’s no talk of a Russian male student entering Beiping. That’s probably because Beiping is like another capital of China. There’s no independent force in the thousand-year capital of the empire that has been the capital since the Yuan dynasty.”

“Which means?”

“It means that even if something happens in China, the possibility of North China rising up separately from Nanjing is low. Whoever gets Nanjing gets Beiping too. But whoever gets Nanjing getting Guangzhou… that can’t be so certain.”

“Are you suggesting that Tikhonov might be a spy placed by Chiang Kai-shek to pressure and monitor Zhou Lizhi? Not a Kremlin spy but a Nanjing spy?”

“I’m saying it’s a possibility. If Chiang Kai-shek has ideas about succession plans, he would start moving now. If so, he needs to prepare at least one means to control the strong figures who might rise up after his death. Barbara Tikhonov is the most sensitive and delicate opponent from Zhou Lizhi’s standpoint. She can’t make her an ally, nor can she eliminate her. What if Russia promised to use Tikhonov to eliminate Zhou Lizhi if she attempts to rise up? I’m saying that even seemingly impossible treaties aren’t out of the question.”

“That’s a troubling story. But it’s full of baseless speculation.”

However, it’s also true that there aren’t many other explanations that come out under these premises. Chiang Kai-shek directly ordered a Soviet colonel to be brought into Huangpu. Zhou Lizhi, who seems to be the actual power holder in Huangpu, didn’t know about it and was excluded from the decision-making authority.

If so, this kind of personnel appointment is a means to suppress the actual power holder of the Pu region. Katerfeld’s speculation has some logic to it.

“Let’s discuss this issue further when more information is gathered. Is there any progress on the Chen Yayuan case?”

“There are limits to my personal investigation. No. There’s no progress yet. Unfortunately.”

“Do you have any plans to make progress?”

At my words, Katerfeld smiled slightly. I noticed that this psychic had some thoughts in her mind.

“There’s Chiang Kai-shek’s birthday on October 31st. That’s when the whole school will be busy.”

“…It seems like you want to seize that opportunity, but what do you want to do?”

“I’m going to infiltrate Chen Yayuan’s personal dormitory room, which we’re not allowed to enter. Currently, it’s completely closed off and no one is allowed to enter, but on Chiang Kai-shek’s birthday, security will inevitably be looser. More important than who killed her is why she was killed. To find that out, we need clues about what Chen Yayuan was absorbed in usually. I’ll divert materials from the investigation process, directly investigate that room, and find anything that could be a clue. Then we might be able to find out why she had to die.”

“Certainly… yes, the reason for death is more important than the identity of the culprit.”

Because given the circumstances, the reason she died is likely related to ‘what she was going to say’. Information that could lead to World War II… that’s what Chen Yayuan herself said. I doubt she would have left such crucial information in documents or records, but we might be able to find evidence to estimate that clue.

“Then we’ll have to wait until the end of October.”

“That’s right. Until then, let’s not meet too often. There are already students who look at us suspiciously. Since you were once suspected of murder, Lieutenant, it wouldn’t be good if it looks like I, who proved your innocence, am conspiring too much with you.”

Considering that one of the main grounds for my release was this psychic’s ‘lie detection’, it was a valid point.

“Today is October 8th. It would be better if we don’t contact each other closely for at least 3 weeks or more.”

“That’s right. If anything happens in the meantime, I’ll send you a message. Well then, goodbye.”

Rebecca gulped down the remaining coffee in her cup and got up. I remained there for a while, lost in thought.

On the 31st, taking advantage of the commotion at the school to raid Chen Yayuan’s room… If there were any suspicious clues, Zhou Lizhi would have already seen them. If I become close enough to her to be called a real lover, digging into Zhou Lizhi herself might yield more clues than picking up what’s left after the investigators have gone through.

But… Zhou Lizhi is not a woman to be ignored or underestimated. If she really has political ambitions and is satisfied with the low rank of major, forgoing opportunities for promotion to general, and is building her power here…

She is a tiger. A very young, energetic, and even vicious tiger. Is even the widely known image of a ‘pervert’ something she created? Is the image of a lesbian womanizer who can’t stand not hitting on women she likes just another franchise of a funeral home dog?

…Am I showing her more than I’m getting from her? Is the reason she’s getting close to me because she suspects my identity?

We mixed bodies. Very intensely. In the seduction missions I’ve done so far, the consummation of sexual relations meant that the mission was almost successful. Women who opened their bodies soon opened their hearts. Modest people only opened their bodies after opening their hearts, and even open-minded people often sold their hearts soon after opening their bodies.

Among them, only Mayumi died due to things going wrong, but the others were all abandoned by me after I got what I needed. I never gave my heart while embracing contact targets other than Mayumi, and usually, as the mission neared success, I would just rejoice.

But what is this sensation?

Getting close to Zhou Lizhi was part of the mission given by Jefferson. I should be nearing the resolution of the Zhou Lizhi issue since I embraced her and even subdued her. That’s how I usually work. But it’s different. Despite embracing that major, the issue with Zhou feels like it’s not revealing its bottom but rather getting deeper and deeper.

This school is a strange place. People strong enough to manipulate an era are gathered too densely in one place.

Let’s let Katerfeld do her own work. If she shows more interest in the Chen Yayuan issue, I should investigate the Tikhonov issue a bit more.

It’s dangerous to directly confront Tikhonov herself. I remembered her babbling to me in Russian. I don’t know on what grounds she thought I could speak Russian, but for whatever reason, she tried to probe me. I might already be under her suspicion.

“I should meet Duey…”

In some sense, she’s a woman who gives off a bad feeling even more than Tikhonov.

But in the current situation, if there’s someone who gets along well with Barbara Tikhonov, it’s only her. If I want to find out even a little about Tikhonov’s purpose for coming to this school, I must hear from Duey.