5. Disguised Connector

Having prepared everything, Zhou Hongyi changed into his trench coat early and went to bed fully dressed. Although he only slept for three hours, fortunately, the cooldown on his Insight Eye skill had already reset.

Outside, the sky remained dim. Zhou checked his bullets, hid his gun inside his trench coat, put on a wide-brimmed fedora, opened the window, and slid down a jujube tree in the courtyard.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, five purebred German Shepherds surrounded him, tongues out and tails wagging.

“Shh... good boys, don’t make a sound. I’ve brought you something tasty.”

Luckily, the dogs recognized Zhou’s scent and didn’t mistake him for a thief.

Zhou took out some jerky he had prepared earlier and tossed it into a corner. After scanning the area, he climbed over the wrought-iron fence and sneaked toward the early morning black market in the shantytown.

The situation in Shanghai in 1940 was complex, with rampant black market trading. Some daring merchants, smugglers, or those colluding with various factions obtained weapons through different channels and sold them on the black market.

Of course, besides weapons, as long as you had money, you could buy anything you wanted here.

Handguns, bullets, grenades.

Rice, flour, sugar, cooking oil.

US dollars, British pounds, dried fish.

Perfume, watches, black stockings.

Even scarce medicines like antibiotics were available.

Following the memories of the original body, Zhou twisted and turned through the maze of alleys, finally stopping in front of an abandoned warehouse.

Four gang members were gathered outside the door, some sitting, some standing. They looked at Zhou warily as he approached. One of them opened his coat, revealing an axe and a pistol at his waist.

Seeing this, Zhou quickly whispered the meeting password.

“Benevolent wisdom, great enlightenment.”

Upon hearing the correct password, the gang members’ hostile expressions softened. They closed their coats and made way.

Zhou lowered his hat brim and passed between them. The gang members didn’t even glance at him, as most who came here didn’t want their identities known. They only cared about making money; who the other party was didn’t matter.

Stepping into the abandoned warehouse, Zhou felt like he had entered another world. Although it was only 4 a.m., the black market hidden in the alley was already bustling with people.

Here were sellers, buyers, many gang members, and even foreigners. Everyone was quietly browsing their desired goods.

However, despite the abundance of items, many were counterfeit, and there was no such thing as after-sales service here.

Feeling that just a trench coat and fedora wasn’t enough disguise, Zhou bought himself a fake beard, a pair of glasses, and a silver-inlaid walking stick.

He also found a gun dealer and bought two fully loaded magazines for his Browning M1910, feeling slightly more secure.

“Sir, you’ve been buying bullets quite frequently lately. Planning something big?” The dealer, dressed similarly with a wide-brimmed hat, dark coat, and sunglasses like a blind man, asked.

Zhou frowned slightly, deliberately lowering his voice, “Mind your own business. Just take my money.”

The dealer quickly raised his hands, “Sir, no offense meant. I’m just saying... if you’re doing something big, maybe consider some heavier firepower? Like... machine guns or grenades?”

Zhou was silent for a moment. Was the dealer mistaking him for a gangster? He was doing undercover work—what would he need a machine gun for? How would he hide that?

“No, thanks. Not needed for now,” Zhou said perfunctorily, but the dealer didn’t give up easily.

“Well... if you ever need anything, remember to come to me. My name’s ‘Blind Man.’”

“Blind Man? Got it,” Zhou replied.

After paying, he loaded his magazines and was about to leave when suddenly, arguing broke out outside the black market warehouse, followed by gunshots.

“Who’s shooting?”

“What’s going on?”

“Bad news! The military police are here to catch people!”

“Ah? Run!”

The chaos outside quickly spread inside. Both buyers and sellers in the black market preferred to stay under the radar, and upon hearing the military police’s arrival, pandemonium ensued.

Zhou cursed silently, lowered his hat, and prepared to flee.

At that moment, the “Blind Man” opposite him rolled up his goods and tugged at Zhou’s sleeve.

“Sir, follow me. I know a way out.”

Zhou glanced at him, intending to use Insight Eye to verify his identity, but he had a more important mission today and needed to save his skill for the crucial moment.

After weighing the pros and cons, Zhou decided to follow the “Blind Man,” squeezing through the chaotic crowd to a corner of the warehouse.

The “Blind Man” looked around before lifting a torn cloth covering some crates and squatting down.

“Sir, this is a secret exit reserved for a few people. Follow me.”

He pushed open a gap in the crates, revealing an empty space connected to a hole in the wall leading outside.

Without hesitation, Zhou followed him through the escape route.

Once free, they didn’t stop but moved swiftly through the alleys to confirm safety before sitting by the roadside to catch their breath.

“Phew... it should be safe here now. Sir, feel free to go. If you need anything next time, just come find me.”

The “Blind Man” patted his chest, slung a package over his shoulder, and was about to leave.

Zhou suddenly called out, “Hey, wait. Thanks. If I need supplies again, besides here, where else can I find you?”

The “Blind Man” smiled inwardly and lowered his voice.

“If you want to buy again, come to Pier Seven after 8 p.m. Find anyone wearing sunglasses and carrying an axe. Just say, ‘Blind Man’s Uncle,’ and they’ll know where to take you.”

“Blind Man’s Uncle? Understood.”

Zhou memorized this, exchanged nods, and parted ways.

By the time he returned to the main road from the alley, it was already past 8 a.m. He hailed a rickshaw heading straight to his destination for the day—the Florence Café.

This café, located on Suzhou Road by the Wusong River, was decorated in an exquisite, romantic French style.

Through the spotless glass in the small garden, Zhou saw two tables already occupied. He wondered why anyone would come for coffee so early.

He took a deep breath, activated Insight Eye mode, and entered the elegantly decorated café.

Disguised, Zhou walked straight to the innermost window table used as a contact point, leaned his walking stick against the chair, and quietly told the waiter in a white shirt, “Blue Mountain coffee, no sugar.”

The waiter paused slightly but said nothing more than, “One moment, please.”

With Insight Eye active, Zhou scanned the other patrons and found nothing suspicious. Behind the bar, the man making coffee had a label floating above his head identifying him as Luo Xuesong, codename “Bodhi.”

Zhou casually arranged the fork and knife in front of him to resemble a clock showing “9:10.”

Behind the bar, the waiter whispered something to the barista, who nodded and soon prepared a cup of Blue Mountain coffee.

While waiting, Zhou’s mind was abruptly filled with an exciting notification sound:

[Ding~ Successfully checked in at Florence Café, skill “DCM Instinctive Shooting” activated.]

[DCM Instinctive Shooting: Increases agility, reaction speed, draw speed, and shooting accuracy. Once every 24 hours, activates “Gunfire Mode.” While active, the user possesses “Instinctive Shooting,” “Double Shot Rapid Fire,” “Central Axis Lock Targeting,” and “Mozambique Shooting.”]

“Yes! My first combat skill!” Zhou thrilled inwardly. This skill, activated in the café, perfectly compensated for his lack of fighting ability.

Moreover, the “DCM Instinctive Shooting” was impressive and somewhat familiar.

He recalled this close-range rapid draw shooting style resembled the moves from the movie John Wick starring Keanu Reeves.

However, Zhou’s skill was even more formidable, allowing him to shoot relying solely on natural reflexes without aiming sights.

“Double Shot Rapid Fire” let him fire two bullets in rapid succession.

“Central Axis Lock Targeting” merged man and gun, enabling target switching with minimal body movement.

The “Mozambique Shooting” technique allowed him to handle close-range threats calmly—shooting two bullets into the torso, then quickly shifting to the head for a follow-up shot, just as portrayed in the film.

With Insight Eye and Gunfire Mode combined, Zhou could guarantee at least ten minutes daily in a nearly invincible state.