Han Jiang returned to Tang Feng and the others, everyone saw the lipstick mark on Han Jiang's mouth, and they all understood what was happening, Han Jiang hurriedly wiped the lipstick mark on his mouth, and then handed the ticket to a few people, Tang Feng looked at the ticket, it was 4:15 in the afternoon, and it was still early, so the four people had to sit on the bench and wait for the international train to enter the station.

Tang Feng felt that time was moving very slowly, he looked at his watch from time to time, and touched the backpack containing the jade interstitial screen and Misha notebook. Where they were sitting, not many passengers passed by, only occasionally passing by passengers who came out of one of the side doors of the station.

Just when the four of them were bored, a Russian man with a big shoulder and a round waist walked from the other side of the station, Tang Feng and Han Jiang both noticed this person, this person looked not much younger than Makarov, but he was extremely well maintained, full of red light, and in good spirits, and then looked at the dress, he knew that he was a successful person.

The Russian man dragged a trolley bag and walked slowly towards Tang Feng and them, the man seemed to have noticed Tang Feng and the others, this person swept over the four people sitting on the bench one by one, when his gaze touched Han Jiang's gaze, Han Jiang chuckled in his heart, "This person's eyes are definitely not human!" Han Jiang thought to himself, raised his vigilance, the man finally stopped his eyes on Makarov's body, his steps became slower and slower, slower and slower, and finally simply stopped in front of Makarov, Makarov also looked at the old man in front of him, suddenly, the old Russian man in front of him, exclaimed: "Ivan, are you Ivan?" Do you remember me? ”

"You are ......"

"I'm Pavel!"

"Oh! Pavel ,...... Mongolia. ”

"Yes! We've worked together in Mongolia, we haven't seen each other for so many years, you haven't changed much, I recognized you as soon as I saw you! ”

"You've changed a lot, look at your outfit, where did you post it!"

"Hehe," the man laughed, "yes, we worked for the KGB all our lives, and we ended up empty-handed, and after the KGB was disbanded, I did it myself, first sold some business intelligence, and then opened a consulting company, no, just came back from Moscow." ”

"Looks like you're still doing your old job!"

"You can't afford to lose business! Where are you going? Who are those guys? ”

"Oh! I'm going to accompany those Chinese friends to Moscow for a tour. Makarov lied.

The person named "Pavel" stared at Tang Feng, Han Jiang and Xu Renyu again, and then suddenly changed his face and said to Makarov: "It seems that you still have a lot of Chinese friends, do you remember those Chinese at the base back then?" ”

"Base?" When Makarov heard this word, his face suddenly changed drastically, and his face, which was still smiling, suddenly froze, and then he saw that the man pulled Makarov and hid in a secluded place at the station, where he whispered to Makarov.

Han Jianghu looked at Makarov and the man suspiciously, and turned back to Tang Feng and Xu Renyu to ask, "What did they just mutter?" Who is that man? ”

"It seems that he was also from the KGB before, and I don't understand it very well, so let's talk about it by the doctor." Tang Feng Road.

Xu Renyu glanced at the man not far away and Makarov, and said, "If I heard correctly, the person just now was Makarov's former colleague, and he and Makarov hadn't seen each other for many years and exchanged a few pleasantries, but then the man said to Makarov that 'Do you remember those Chinese at the base?'" Then Makarov's face changed, and I don't know what they were referring to. ”

Tang Feng and Han Jiang listened to Xu Renyu's words, turned their heads and glanced at Makarov and the man, the two of them didn't finish speaking, they saw that the more energetic the man said, the more ugly Makarov's face became, until finally, the man left, Makarov returned to Tang Feng with a gloomy face, Tang Feng saw Makarov's brows tightened, his face was extremely ugly, and he hurriedly asked Makarov with concern: "Old Ma, what's wrong with you, how ...... your face is"

Makarov waved his hand at Tang Feng, sat down, and looked at the railroad tracks not far away in a daze, and after a long time, he said slowly: "That person just now is my former colleague in the KGB, and he mentioned to me a past, a terrible past!" How did I meet him here, it's fate! ”

"A terrible past? What exactly? ”

Makarov looked at Tang Feng, as if he was considering whether to tell the story, and finally, Makarov sighed and said, "Then it starts with my visit to Lubyanka Square No. 11 again." ”

"Lubyanka Square, 11, KGB headquarters!" Tang Feng immediately became interested.

"Yes! ......" Makarov leaned heavily in his chair, recalling his years in the KGB decades ago.

2

……

Shelepin's loss of political power made Makarov panic all day long, but he never expected that just when he was at a loss, a letter of transfer from Moscow brought him to Lubyanka Square No. 11.

As in the first visit to Lubyanka Square 11, this time, Makarov felt more trepided, uneasy and depressed than he had ever felt before, and he was taken into the office of the new chairman of the KGB, Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov, a large and luxurious office, located on the third floor of the KGB headquarters building, overlooking the entire Dzerzhinsky Square, with a row of telephones on a large desk, a direct line to the Politburo, a direct line to the Ministry of Defense, and a direct line to the departments of the KGB. Of course, the most important thing is the special line that goes directly to the Kremlin.

When Makarov first saw Andropov, he could not tell from behind Andropov's wide glasses that the new KGB chairman would later rise to the pinnacle of power. At this time, in Makarov's eyes, Andropov, dressed in a black suit and wearing wide-rimmed glasses, was more like a university professor or an engineer at some factory.

Andropov was reviewing the documents sent by the secretary, he stroked the glasses on the bridge of his nose, glanced at Makarov in front of him, and said calmly: "Comrade Makarov, please take a seat!" "Andropov does not have as sharp eyes as Sherepin, at least, not in front of Makarov! His words are kind and his eyes are fatherly, which may be the different impressions left by the two prominent figures in the political arena on Makarov.

Makarov's heart was still uneasy, a trace of sweat oozed from his forehead, he did not understand what was important that would make the chairman of the KGB personally summon him in his busy schedule! After reading the last document, Andropov looked up at Makarov, looked at it carefully, and then directly said Makarov's name and patronymic: "Comrade Ivan Petrovich, do you know why you were invited here?" ”

Makarov was shocked, it seemed that the big man on the other side already knew him well, he fixed his mind, and replied in a soldier's tone: "I don't know." ”

Andropov saw the nervousness in Makarov's heart, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "Ivan Petrovich, don't be nervous, relax, before you came, I have read all of your files, and there are two points in your files that have attracted my attention, first, you are indeed very good, and your abilities are outstanding in all aspects, which is very good; Secondly, before you joined us, you served in the 39th Army of the Baikal Military District, as well as in Outer Mongolia and China, which attracted me even more. I think it was these two points that attracted my predecessor, Comrade Sherepin. ”

When Andropov mentioned Shelepin's name, Makarov couldn't help but tremble, his brain, just now was trying to speculate about Andropov's intention to summon him, but it was already blank at this moment, Makarov's subtle changes could not escape Andropov's eyes, Andropov put away his smile, and said again expressionlessly: "With all due respect, Ivan Petrovich, recently, I have received a lot of unfavorable remarks and reports here......" Hearing this, Makarov's whole body has begun to stiffen, He didn't hear Andropov's words at all, because at this moment he remembered the souls who died in the Lubyanka during the "Great Purge" in the thirties.

3

Just when Makarov thought that bad luck was coming, Andropov suddenly stood up from the chair behind his desk, Makarov was startled and stood up too, Andropov continued: "Although these reports and unfavorable remarks are very unfavorable to you, I have never easily believed that you can rest assured that all the reports and unfavorable remarks against you will come to me, even if they are over." Andropov paused for a moment, and then, walking to the huge map hanging on the wall, Andropov looked at the huge map for a long time, and suddenly turned around and asked Makarov: "Do you want to go to the East again?" ”

"Oriental?" Makarov was confused.

"That's right! Vostochny, Baikal, Tuva, Mongolia, and China! ”

"China? Aren't we strained with China right now? Do you want me to sneak into China? Makarov's heart became more and more nervous.

"Nope! I don't have this plan yet, I mean, it's just possible! You probably also know a little bit about the domestic situation in China, which is going on a ...... In the words of the Chinese themselves, called the 'unprecedented Cultural Revolution,' they are so well guarded that you simply don't have a chance to infiltrate China." ”

Makarov's heart calmed down a little, and he saw Andropov pointing to the Sino-Mongolian border on the map and said to Makarov: "Here's the thing, for several months, the Mongolian border guards have frequently reported to our intelligence officers there that there have been illegal crossers from China in the past few months. ”

"Illegal border crossers? Is it a herdsman on the border? ”

"Nope! Not only herdsmen, but also many so-called 'educated youth'. ”

"Educated youth? I've heard that they are all young students from the city! ”

"Yes, they're not locals, so ...... So it's suspicious. ”

"You're worried that these people are infiltrated by Chinese intelligence agents."

"Hmmm! It's possible, but my gut tells me it's not that simple. ”

"Then my task is ......"

"Your task is to go to Outer Mongolia to investigate the details of these people, and if there are indeed Chinese intelligence agents among these people, you must understand their intentions and report to me at any time; In addition, if possible, we can also develop our people among these people, and then send them back to China, dear Ivan Petrovich, you should also know that since the breakdown of our relations with China, it has been very difficult for our intelligence agents to penetrate China, so you must remember that after understanding the details of these people, it is very important to develop our people among these people! ”

Makarov roughly understood his mission, and his heart, which had just calmed down, became entangled again, and sent himself to distant Mongolia, from Leningrad to Mongolia, thousands of miles, which was obviously to branch himself far away, which is an important task? It's just a disguised exile for him, he understands that he has completely fallen out of favor in the KGB, and if this mission does not satisfy the leadership, then what awaits him will be even more serious consequences!

Thinking of all this, Makarov straightened up with a heavy heart, saluted Andropov, and said: "Please rest assured, chief, I promise to complete the task." ”

Andropov nodded in satisfaction, then picked up the phone and instructed the secretary on the other end: "Call Buldenko in." "Burtenko? Makarov wondered, what kind of person is this Burtenko? After a while, the door to the office of the chairman of the KGB opened, and a tall, thin man in a colonel's uniform appeared at the door.

4

Andropov pointed to the colonel who came in and introduced Makarov: "This is Comrade Bultenko, he will be your deputy and cooperate with your actions." ”

"What? I'm sorry, Comrade Chairman, I heard me right, my military rank is only major. "Let a colonel be the deputy of the major, for such an arrangement, Makarov was puzzled.

"Nope! That's right, although Comrade Buldenko has a higher rank than you, this time he is guilty of meritorious service, so you are in charge of this mission, and Comrade Buldenko will give you full support in your work. ”

"Guilty of meritorious service?" Makarov was taken aback again.

"Yes, this time I am guilty of meritorious service, Comrade Makarov, I am happy to carry out this mission with you." As he spoke, Buldenko kindly extended his hand to Makarov and introduced himself: "Yuri Pavlovich Bultenko. ”

"Ivan Petrovich Makarov." Makarov also stretched out his hand, although Buldenko's words were very polite, but Makarov felt a chill from his cold hand.

Without allowing Makarov to think too much, Andropov said: "Comrade Buldenko will explain to you some specific matters, and I hope that your operation will be successful!" ”

Makarov and Buldenko stood upright and saluted, and then, the two exited Andropov's office and walked through the complex corridors of the KGB headquarters building. What did he do wrong?

The two of them came to a white Volga car downstairs in silence, and Buldenko spoke first: "How is it, is there something wrong?" If it's okay, go somewhere with me. ”

"Where?" Makarov asked rhetorically.

"Lenin Hill!"

"Lenin Mountain?" Makarov hesitated for a moment, and Burdenko explained: "It's Moscow University." ”

"What are you doing at Moscow State University?" Makarov was confused.

"Isn't this going to Mongolia? I'm going to borrow some books and materials on the subject, and I have some questions to ask the professors at Moscow University. Buldenko's explanation made Makarov feel that this man was not as rigorous as an ordinary agent.

The two got into the car, and while Burdenko was driving, he stared at the depressed Makarov in the rearview mirror and asked: "You seem to be a little unhappy?" ”

"It's a little. The thought of going so far away......" Makarov stopped talking.

"Hehe, I see that you sit in the office in the office all day long, and go out of the house...... Why, reluctant to have a wife and children?

"I don't have children yet."

"Hehe, that's reluctant to have a beautiful wife. What department were you in before? ”

"In the counterintelligence department of Leningrad."

"Let me say, sure enough, you are sitting in the office, but this is strange, you are doing a good job in Leningrad, how could the headquarters send you to carry out this mission?"

"Because before joining the KGB, I served in the 39th Army of the Baikal Military District and went to China once. Of course, this is only a superficial article, and the real reason is only known to the chief, maybe I have offended someone......"

"Oh! Have you ever been to China before? Burdenko interrupted Makarov and asked.

"Yes, though, it was a long time ago, a painful and horrible memory." Makarov frowned.

"Painful and horrible memories? What's going on? Burtenko asked curiously.

At this moment, listening to Buldenko's question, Makarov suddenly had an urge to confide, and really wanted to confide in this colleague who had just met about his bizarre encounter in China back then, but his ears soon sounded again Sherepin's admonition to him, "No! I can't say, because that's a state secret. ”

"Oh! Since it's confidential, then I won't ask. There was silence in the carriage.

5

After a suffocating silence, Makarov broke the dullness: "Which department are you again?" ”

As soon as Buldenko heard Makarov ask himself, he sneered, laughing so much that Makarov was uncomfortable, and after laughing, he only heard Buldenko say: "You ask me, hum!" I have stayed in many places, a few ups and downs, I first served in the border troops under the General Directorate of Border Guards, speaking of which, it is quite close to the place where you served. ”

"Baikal?"

"Yes! Desolate and cold Siberia and Baikal have been places of exile since ancient times, but we are closer to the border. ”

"And then?"

"Later, I made a meritorious service and was promoted to the General Directorate of Border Defense, and then because of a mistake, I was kicked out by the General Directorate, and just like that, I was transferred to the thirteenth inning."

"Thirteen rounds! I've been here for a few years and I've never heard of a thirteenth game under the KGB? ”

"Yes! Of course you haven't heard of it, because this thirteenth game has been revoked. ”

"Redone?"

"Well, the game was cancelled, and I was kicked out again, and after that, I went to the tenth place."

"The Tenth Division, which is responsible for managing archives and documents?"

"Yes, it's the ghost place that everyone calls 'Archives', and I work there every day with a bunch of yellowed files, and I've been there for three years, three whole years, precious youth!" Burtenko couldn't help but lament.

"Seeing that you are not much older than me, I didn't expect that you have such a rich experience."

"That's not all, two years ago, I was transferred from the 10th Division to the 1st General Directorate."

Makarov was shocked when he heard this: "The First General Bureau, that is a place to collect intelligence from the outside world, and you have been sent abroad?" ”

"Hmph, I was sent abroad, but it's not the spy capital of Vienna, Paris, or London as you imagined, but the distant and desolate Mongolia, where there is no grand ball as you imagined, beautiful women like clouds, no secret joints, speeding chases, and no valuable information; Receiving awards for meritorious service never belonged to me, and I was accompanied only by the Gobi, the grasslands, and the wind and sand, some boring, worthless little information, and false information. You can hear that Burdenko is full of complaints.

"No wonder we both went together this time, I understand a little, one is that we have all been there before, and we are familiar with the situation there, which is of course a high-sounding reason, and two, we are both excluded people, I think this is probably the real reason." Makarov suddenly had the feeling of meeting a soulmate.

"Hehe, you're so right, that's what it's all about. There's one thing you might not have thought of yet, though! ”

"What?"

"I simply don't believe that this trip to Mongolia will yield anything, let alone send our people to China."

"Yes! As far as I know, the Chinese border is now very well guarded. ”

"So, this time we probably didn't make it back, which is okay, if something goes wrong, then ...... Hmph, there's no such thing as 'guilty meritorious service'! ”

"Just now the chief said that you are 'guilty and meritorious' this time! What exactly are you doing wrong? Makarov remembered again what Andropov said to himself in the chairman's office.

Buldenko looked at Makarov and explained: "This is a long story, and I can't say a word, but if you stay with me for a long time, you will find out slowly." ”

It seems that Buldenko did not want to mention this, Makarov did not ask any more questions, and soon the "Volga" came to the main building of Moscow University on Lenin Hill.

6

Buldenko came to the School of Oriental and African Studies of Moscow University, unfortunately, the professor he was looking for went abroad to give lectures, and Buldenko and Makarov came to the Gorky library with some frustration, where he borrowed several books on Mongolian and Chinese history, including two Chinese books, and Makarov asked him curiously: "Can you understand Chinese?" ”

"I've learned some before, and I might be able to use it this time, but I've almost forgotten it now."

"I really can't see it, not only do you have rich experience, but you are also very knowledgeable, and your military rank is higher than mine, who is in command of whom this time?" Makarov said half-jokingly.

"Of course, I am under your command, I am just guilty of meritorious service." Burtenko replied unequivocally.

Makarov lingered in the vast collection of books in the Gorky Library, he casually opened a Chinese book, this is a "Zizhi Tongjian", looking at those unfamiliar square words, Makarov suddenly had a sense of déjà vu, he remembered his Chinese friend - Liang, Liang Yunjie, I don't know, how is he now? That terrible night......

Makarov closed the book and closed his eyes, that is, from this moment on, Makarov was determined to start systematically learning Chinese, and when he opened his eyes again, he suddenly remembered, what about Burtenko? Where did he go?

Makarov walked through the rows of tall bookshelves, looking for Burdenko, and when he came to the corridor outside, he found Burdenko talking to a strange man at the end of the corridor of the library, who looked about his age, with a suit and leather shoes, a well-groomed beard, glasses, and a scholar's appearance. He walked over to Burdenko and the man, who saw Makarov coming and waved at him in a friendly manner, but the strange man bowed his head, passed by Makarov, and disappeared into the corridor, Makarov asked Burdenko suspiciously: "Who is this man?" ”

"An international student."

"Foreigners?"

"That's right! American, he is a bit introverted, very sensitive, and does not want to socialize with people more, so, just ......"

"And how did you meet him?"

"Hehe, speaking of which, this matter is not a secret now, I can tell you that back then, I used to spy on this American student in that unfortunate thirteenth bureau that has been revoked, and it was suspected that he was a spy infiltrated by the United States......"

"Wait! If I'm not mistaken, this kind of work should be done by our counterintelligence department, how ......" Makarov asked puzzled.

Burdenko laughed dryly twice and replied: "Yes, this kind of work is generally done by the counterintelligence department, but the surveillance of this American student is indeed within the scope of the work of the 13th Bureau, and I don't know if other departments were involved at that time." ”

"What kind of unit is this thirteenth bureau?"

"I can't say that, because it's still classified."

"It's kind of mysterious! It seems that we both have things that need to be kept secret from each other. ”

"Yes, since the day we joined the KGB, we have countless secrets to keep, and until the day we declassify them, no one can tell them to our friends or family, but in fact, the secrets we know are only the tip of the iceberg, and we will never know the secrets of the entire KGB, and no one can do it."

Buldenko's words made Makarov nod frequently, "Then what happened?" ”

"Later, we investigated for a long time and proved that there was no problem with this international student, so we lifted the surveillance on him, because during the investigation, I had deliberately approached him, so we knew each other, of course, my public identity to him was a middle school teacher."

"A secondary school teacher? Hehe, he probably didn't know he had been investigated by you. ”

"Yes, that's what we do, what we live, and sometimes I can't even figure it out." While talking, the two walked out of Moscow University, stood on Lenin Hill, overlooking the whole of Moscow, their thoughts had flown to the far east, but they didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse?

……

The roar of the train interrupted Makarov's memories that the train they were going to get on came. So, the four of them hurriedly packed their luggage and hurriedly climbed the mountain to the international train to the east. And Ilyugin was still waiting at the airport with people stupidly.