A few times during the conversation, Tetsuo made audible changes to his tone, which indicated surprise and interest. It was killing Chase not to ask what the hell they were talking about. It had been fifteen minutes now, and he had yet to provide a translation. All Chase could make out was the occasional English-sounding acronym and once — he wasn’t completely sure — he thought he’d heard them say “Jinshan.”
Finally, Tetsuo turned to Chase, his eyes narrowing. “Do you speak Chinese?”
“No,” Chase said. “Of course not.”
Tetsuo leaned toward Chase, speaking quietly. “Then why haven’t you said anything? What have you been doing this whole time?”
“You said to be quiet,” Chase whispered back.
Tetsuo looked at Dr. Wang, who smiled. Tetsuo looked pained. “Forgive us. We will continue in English, if you please.”
Chase reddened.
“Dr. Wang is here in Japan with a Chinese envoy, accompanying Secretary Zhang, whom he works for. President Wu has decided to make Cheng Jinshan and Admiral Song’s trial public, as a way to provide maximum impact in reducing Jinshan’s power.”
Dr. Wang said, “He hopes this public trial will serve as a turning point.”
Chase said, “The two are in jail.”
“Yes, but unfortunately, Jinshan still wields influence. Jails for the Chinese elite are not the same as jails for the commoners, I’m afraid. Jinshan has many friends, even now. But Secretary Zhang and President Wu are working to curb that remaining power.”
Tetsuo turned between Chase and GIANT. He said, “Dr. Wang, we are concerned that some of Jinshan’s military plans may still be in motion. What are you seeing on your end?”
Dr. Wang said, “Secretary Zhang and President Wu have been forced to send out inspection teams to various locations. Men that they trust. Because like you, we are also getting reports that Jinshan’s men are still operating under his separate instructions.”
“What have the inspectors seen?”
“Nothing that provides evidence of a continued conspiracy. Each place they go, teams loyal to Jinshan or Admiral Song are there already. Records have been cleaned up. Factories and military bases made to look appropriate. Without Jinshan tried and convicted, he is too powerful to entrap. All we have are rumors and secondhand reports.”
“Well, what do those say?”
GIANT’s face went dark. “That the island is still operational. That factories in Guangzhou are pumping out militarized shipping containers. That the air force has been training for a classified mission. That some of our most elite special operations groups are at a secret base in Liaoning — training for a mission that Jinshan commissioned.”
Chase had read the reports while at Langley. This was what they were hoping to find out about.
“What are they doing at Liaoning?”
“We don’t know. But my sources tell me that it is very important to Jinshan. There are two locations that seem to be central planning centers for his operation. The island is one. The special operations training camp at Liaoning is the other.”
Tetsuo said, “Dr. Wang, how is it that you don’t know if any of this is true or not? Why haven’t your inspections identified—”
Chase saw a flash of frustration. “Excuse me, young man, but things are not so simple right now. The Chinese people are angry, and so are many of the politicians. There are some who say that Jinshan was the one who was protecting China from Western hostilities. Many military leaders and politicians are openly supportive of Jinshan, even now. Others pledge loyalty to Wu, but we suspect they are secretly working for Jinshan. It is difficult to know who can be trusted in this environment. As head of the Central Committee for Discipline Inspection, he helped to place many of these politicians in their current roles. And do not forget, Cheng Jinshan controlled much of the censorship for state media.”
“Controlled or controls?”
GIANT shrugged. “Who can say for sure? But if you control the censoring agency, you control the message. You shape opinions. There is a great anti-Western sentiment among many Chinese right now. It is not easy to choose the unpopular path in a communist state. The populace gets their news and opinions from social media and state news on their phones. The 3PLA has programs that control what articles are posted and shared on these platforms. Guess whose company monitors those programs?”
“Jinshan.”
Wang nodded. “President Wu was wrong to trust him. The Central Committee allowed Jinshan to become too powerful. Now, we are all paying the price.” He paused. “But there is something else. Another reason that it is hard to know whether Jinshan’s operations are still being conducted.”
“What reason is that?”
“Cheng Jinshan practices compartmentalization to the extreme. He segments up his teams and decentralizes command. Apart from Jinshan, Admiral Song, and Lena Chou, there were almost no personnel — at least that we are aware of — who were versed in all of Jinshan’s day-to-day operations.”
“So you have Jinshan and Admiral Song.”
“They are not cooperating.”
“What about Lena Chou? Do you know where she is?” Chase said, leaning forward.
Dr. Wang looked confused. “You haven’t heard? Lena Chou is dead.”
Chase felt oddly numb. While he no longer harbored the same feelings for Lena Chou that he once had, the news was shocking.
Tetsuo glanced at Chase, then said, “This is the first we are hearing of this. Can you elaborate?”
Dr. Wang went on to tell of a Chinese satellite intercepting a radio transmission in the Eastern Pacific. The intelligence organization concluded that Lena Chou had attempted to escape from Chinese military police by hitching a ride out of the region with Colombian drug smugglers.
Wang said, “There was some sort of gang war between rival smugglers. A gunfight on the boat. It is our understanding that Lena was killed on board. This is the information we have received from the Colombians, and…”—he looked embarrassed—“and by looking at reports from your own agencies. Your Coast Guard is investigating the matter.”
Tetsuo and Chase looked at each other. Chinese cyberoperations were reviewing US government reports in search of Lena Chou.
Tetsuo said, “Do you have any way to verify that she is really dead?”
“Chinese intelligence is attempting to do so now. Secretary Zhang and President Wu had seen Lena Chou as a potential ‘star witness’ in the case against Jinshan. Although she would not be likely to testify against him, the information that she knows could be very useful as we put a stop to any of Jinshan’s ongoing plans.”
“And now?”
“If Lena Chou is truly dead, this will be much more difficult, for reasons already stated.”
Tetsuo looked frustrated. “Is there a way that you can get us more solid information on these rumored military training operations?”
GIANT looked unsettled. “I have given this much thought. If I were to go myself, under the authority of Secretary Zhang, perhaps I could inspect one of the two locations — either the camp at Liaoning or the island.”
Tetsuo shook his head. “That sounds too dangerous. You shouldn’t be the one—”
GIANT held up his hand. “The inspectors we are sending are turning up nothing. No one wants to stick their neck out because Jinshan is still too dangerous. But he will go to trial soon. His power will recede. If I could conduct a surprise inspection during Jinshan’s trial, then I could provide you with the information which you desire. I could tell you how deep his conspiracy goes. And whether there are any remaining military plans in progress.”