After finishing his tasks, Qin Shuli returned to Victoria Peak to rest, feeling lighthearted. However, the Commander who received his telegram was left in a state of confusion.
At 5:30 in the morning, the confidential office decoded the classified cipher on the telegram and immediately called Qi Yu. Fortunately, Qi Yu lived in the military compound and arrived at the office shortly after, where he read Qin Shuli’s telegram. He felt a surge of panic; Qin Shuli had only been in Hong Kong with Yan Qijun for a few days—could something have gone wrong? They had agents in Hong Kong and knew about the massive fire in the Yau Tsim Mong warehouse district, but they had no idea how that fire had started or if it had any connection to Qin Shuli.
Clutching the telegram, Qi Yu hurried to the Commander's residence with a grave expression. Others could not translate Qin Shuli’s telegram; the codebook was in the Commander's possession. The Commander had just woken up and, seeing Qi Yu’s grim face, asked curiously, "Secretary Qi, why the sour mood so early in the morning?"
Chapter 397