That made sense. How could Reinitz only have two underlings when he held such a high role and used such cruel methods?
Reinitz noticed Gu Nianzhi suddenly losing all her energy, so he smiled subtly and took out his phone to open an encrypted document. He passed it to Gu Nianzhi and said, “Cereus, I know that you’re the smartest person around. I don’t think anyone besides you will be able to guess the meaning behind this poem.”
Gu Nianzhi didn’t really want to bother with Reinitz, but she read the poem out of the corner of her eye. It was the beginning of the poem on the note that Reinitz had handed her last time.
Pursing her lips, Gu Nianzhi finally accepted the phone from Reinitz.
She was honestly curious about the item her grandfather Gu Haoze had stolen from the Gestapo. What was this item, and why did the Gestapo have to pursue it relentlessly for half a century…?
Also, Reinitz even knew the name of her grandfather, and this was information that Huo Shaoheng and his personnel were unable to find out.
She had no idea if He Zhichu knew her grandfather either…
The thoughts ran wild in Gu Nianzhi’s head as she began to read intently.
Reinitz was showing her a high-resolution photo of a letter.
From the look of the paper, the letter must be very old. The page was slightly yellowed, but the writing was very crisp. This was written by her father, Gu Xiangwen.
Gu Nianzhi’s irritated mood was alleviated when she saw the neatly flowing English handwriting on the page.
Gu Nianzhi looked down at it.
“…Father – I have thought about this for a long time, but I still don’t agree with your perspective.
“This item is far too important. Germany and Japan still haven’t stopped pursuing it to this day, so we must consider this very carefully.
“I don’t want this to cause trouble for my child in the future, nor do I want to see the thing you risked your life for all those years ago become meaningless. Because of this, I put it in a place far away from my home.
“If someone decides to look for it one day, they must pass my test.
“This item can absolutely never fall into the wrong hands.”
…
The letter ended with a poem that Gu Nianzhi was all too familiar with.
It was “The Eternal Teardrop: The Taj Mahal” by the Indian poet Tagore.
…
“This was the hope in your heart,
Built of gems, diamonds, and pearls,
Like the magic shimmering of rainbows in empty horizons,
let it be hidden,
Only let this one teardrop,
Glisten pure upon the cheek of time,
This Taj Mahal.”
Gu Nianzhi scrolled through to the second page and saw it was another poem written by Tagore, entitled, “The Most Distant Way in the World.”
“The most distant way in the world,
is not the way from birth to the end,
it is when I sit near you,
that you don’t understand I love you.”
It was only the first four lines of the poem and written in a completely different handwriting from Gu Xiangwen’s. The paper also appeared much newer, so it was not a yellowed letter.
This photo shouldn’t have any connection to Gu Xiangwen.
Gu Nianzhi didn’t even need to think about who this was related to.
She only took one glance before nonchalantly scrolling back to the previous page. She then passed the phone back to Reinitz and asked, “Is this poem your only clue?”
Reinitz felt very conflicted when he took his phone back. He wanted to ask Gu Nianzhi if she saw the poem on the second page, but he swallowed the words down when he noticed the look on her face.
Shutting off his phone, he nodded and said, “I’ve already seen all your father’s earliest letters and transcripts. This item is the closest thing to what we are investigating. We concluded that the location of the item is related to this letter.”
Gu Nianzhi considered this in silence, then asked, “…Can you even tell me anything about what the item is?”
Aside from the Gestapo chasing after it for half a century, her father also wrote a letter to her grandfather discussing whether or not to keep the item. He also mentioned that he didn’t want it to cause trouble for his child…
Gu Nianzhi wasn’t sure if she had been born by the time Gu Xiangwen wrote that letter.
Reinitz hesitated for a very long time, so Gu Nianzhi snapped impatiently, “If you don’t tell me, how am I supposed to help you find it without any clues at all? I don’t care if you’re wasting your own time, but don’t waste my time. Also, I need to remind you again that this item belongs to my family! My family!”
Reinitz chuckled, then shook his head. He quietly replied, “…It is a set of data.”
Gu Nianzhi’s heart dropped; she already knew it had something to do with data…
“Was it scientific research? What kind of scientific research was it?” Gu Nianzhi feigned curiosity.
“I am not very sure about that.” Reinitz immediately rejected her request. “It’s not a very large set of data. It’s about a hundred or so letter pages.”
“That’s not considered a lot?” Gu Nianzhi was shocked. “Are the pages A4 or letter size?”
A4 was the standard paper size in the Huaxia Empire, while letter size was the American standard.
Reinitz considered it. “It should be letter size,” he said.
“Why would all those things be hidden in a place like this?”
Gu Nianzhi’s head began to throb painfully. She looked around the Taj Mahal, then made a request. “I haven’t walked here before; can I take a look around?” she asked.
“Of course you can.” Reinitz walked over to her, then grabbed her hand. “But you must listen to me and stay together. Otherwise, all my little friends hidden everywhere won’t be very happy to see you wandering around alone.”
He was warning Gu Nianzhi against sneaking away with the excuse of sightseeing.
Gu Nianzhi, “…”
She had already given up on that idea a long time ago!
However, Reinitz didn’t believe her and insisted on holding her hand. They began wandering around the empty Taj Mahal together.
Once they left the main hall, they had already explored more than half of the Taj Mahal.
They then looked at the small halls and clock tower, as well as the beautiful architecture of the Taj Mahal. It didn’t take them very much time at all.
However, Reinitz held her hand the entire time. So, from a far distance, they looked like a young couple doing some sightseeing.
Gu Nianzhi’s thoughts were still on the poem as she contemplated how she would crack it, yet Reinitz was purposely being intimate with her.
He was aware of someone spying them.
He was waiting for them to lose their patience.
…
The truth was, He Zhichu was just about to explode in anger.
First, he was ambushed from behind by Reinitz and had nearly lost his entire team.
Now, he watched Reinitz boldly take Gu Nianzhi’s hand and walk around the Taj Mahal like they were lovers.
He Zhichu peered through his binoculars and wanted nothing more but to take a knife and cut Reinitz’s hands off.
After watching some more, he threw down the binoculars with anger and took out his phone. He dialed a number given to him by Huo Shaoheng.
This was not the number that Huo Shaoheng typically used, but a temporary number generated for the mission.
The communications signal was completely reliant on the Huaxia Imperial developed Nandou Satellite Communication and Navigation System, so they didn’t need to worry about foreigners spying on them or leaking information.
The phone rang three times before it was picked up.
The answering voice must have been altered by a voice changer since it didn’t sound like Huo Shaoheng at all.
“…Professor He, was there something you needed?” The tone was still Huo Shaoheng’s.
He Zhichu suppressed his rage and asked in a quiet voice, “…Just how long are you planning to wait?! Have you arrived in India yet?!”
“Of course, I’m here,” Huo Shaoheng replied evenly. “I can see everything that you see.”
He Zhichu was quiet for a minute. “…So, you’re not angry?”
Huo Shaoheng shook his head and said, “Can’t you tell that he’s doing this on purpose? Also, the target is not in any danger. They should be looking for clues right now, so don’t go making trouble.”
“All you care about is the mission! The mission! So, does that mean you won’t react to anything as long as it’s for your mission?!”
He Zhichu was completely infuriated by Huo Shaoheng’s self-assured composure. “I better not be wrong about you! I’m telling you that I can change my mind at any minute!”
Huo Shaoheng pursed his lips. He was currently hiding amongst the branches of a huge tree, so the thick foliage concealed the bodies of him and his soldiers.
He vigilantly looked ahead and was fully aware of everything that happened inside the Taj Mahal.
“Professor He, please don’t worry. We already prepared so long for this, so why should we ruin it at the last moment?” Huo Shaoheng rummaged for a cigarette and put it in his mouth. He wanted to smoke but remembered that he was in a tree and decided not to. He kept the cigarette in his mouth to quell his craving.
He Zhichu heard Huo Shaoheng’s words and sneered, “Fine then, you are the great general who is strategizing from a tent thousands of miles away, while I am just an unsightly little soldier. But I still need to tell you that if the target is in danger, our agreement will be nullified!”
This meant that if Gu Nianzhi was in any danger, He Zhichu would abandon his partnership with Huo Shaoheng and engage directly with Reinitz.
Huo Shaoheng took the cigarette out of his mouth, crushing it into powder. Jumping off the tree, he scattered it in the water.
…
Inside the Taj Mahal, Gu Nianzhi and Reinitz walked hand in hand to the front corridor.
It was already evening time. The sun set in the west, and the last remnants of the light scattered before the Taj Mahal to bathe it in a sea of red.
Gu Nianzhi walked a few steps along the corridor before setting her eyes on the reflection of the pool beside the corridor.
From this angle, the reflecting pool happened to display the entire Taj Mahal and the gold border emblazoned by the setting sun.
When she looked at the reflecting pool, the afterglow of the sun was like a gorgeous jeweled crown glowing iridescently.
Gu Nianzhi thought it was incredibly beautiful, so she quickly took her phone out with her other hand and said to Reinitz, “Can you let go of my hand? I want to take a picture of the Taj Mahal.”
Reinitz let go of her hand, so Gu Nianzhi used both hands to hold the phone and found the right angle. The camera shutter sounded as it took several photos.
After taking the photos, she opened the album and scrolled through each one. Suddenly, she let out a quiet gasp.
Backing up a few steps, she looked at the Taj Mahal, then the reflecting pool again. She also looked at the photos on her phone and showed them to Reinitz in amusement. “Look for yourself. Doesn’t the reflection of the Taj Mahal in the pool look like the head of a young girl wearing a crown?”
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