David Bolton or Richard Clark, they are both just symbols. What he truly cares about is the intention behind David Bolton approaching him.

If David Bolton used a false name to avoid him feeling obliged to repay a favor, or to prevent any psychological burden, then he would be very grateful.

However, David Bolton's behavior last night didn't seem like the normal actions of a hotel owner, did it?

After work, Andrew Carter went to the Chinese district.

Speaking of which, it's necessary to introduce the various foreign concessions in Haigu.

In 1860, Britain was the first to establish a concession in Haigu, followed by France, the United States, Germany, Japan, Russia, Italy, Austria-Hungary, and Belgium, each successively carving out their own concessions in Haigu.

By the early 20th century, Haigu astonishingly had concessions from nine countries, with a total area of over 23,000 mu, more than eight times the size of the old city—a situation unparalleled anywhere else in the world.

The American scholar Luo Fuyun used the concept of "super-colony" to describe modern Haigu, the "Chinese treaty port with the most foreign concessions," in order to reveal "the potential implications when multiple forms of colonialism divide the space of a single city."

Of course, now only the British, French, Italian, and Japanese concessions remain in Haigu.

Among them, the British concession is the largest in area, has the largest population, and the best public security.

Compared to the Chinese district, the concessions are practically another world.

But to Andrew Carter, he feels much more at home in the Chinese district. After all, this is where he grew up.

After entering the Chinese district, Andrew Carter first went to his own home in Zhianli, Guangshan Street.

Since his mother passed away, he hadn't returned for over a month.

It was a standalone house with a yard, the last inheritance his parents left him.

Andrew Carter entered the house in the dark, skillfully took off his clothes, changed into a gray long gown, and swapped his leather shoes for cloth shoes.

Before leaving, he took a pair of square-framed glasses from his pocket and used his hand to part his hair to the other side.

After these simple adjustments, Andrew Carter looked like a completely different person.

Some of these techniques he learned at the Haigu Police Training Institute, and some he figured out himself.

Of course, there were also some taught by others.

Some things may seem ordinary, but actually contain great knowledge.

After leaving Zhianli, Andrew Carter walked for a while, and only after turning at an intersection on Guangshan Street did he hail a rickshaw.

Getting off near No. 26 Tangshan Road, close to the Haigu Public Security Bureau, Andrew Carter walked several hundred meters along Tangshan Road.

Near a small alley, he entered an unremarkable little teahouse.

On the second floor of the teahouse, Andrew Carter met his superior, who was also his party introducer: William Thompson.

William Thompson was tall and thin, wore glasses, and liked to adjust them from time to time, but the eyes behind the lenses often flashed with intelligence.

In 1929, William Thompson, a special agent directly under the provincial committee, infiltrated the Haigu Public Security Bureau as a senior officer in the pretrial department, specializing in rescuing revolutionary comrades.

Because William Thompson was experienced in interrogation and strong in theory, the Haigu Police Training Institute specially hired him as a teacher to teach courses in interrogation and psychology.

At the Haigu Police Training Institute, Andrew Carter was influenced by William Thompson and came into contact with communism.

As early as 1932, he joined the Communist Party of China, swearing to keep secrets, obey discipline, sacrifice personal interests, engage in class struggle, strive for revolution, and never betray the Party.

At this time, Andrew Carter was already a Communist Party member with two years of party experience, willing to dedicate his life to communism and always ready to sacrifice everything for the Party and the people.

"Teacher Thompson, the one who has been lending me money, 'Richard Clark', whose real name is David Bolton, is the owner of the Guangfa Hotel in Ren'anli, Kangbonan Road." Upon seeing William Thompson, Andrew Carter immediately lowered his voice and told him about David Bolton using an alias.

"You investigated him?" William Thompson asked in surprise.

But after thinking it over, he felt reassured. Ever since joining the Party, Andrew Carter had become extremely sensitive to things around him.

Or rather, Andrew Carter was very alert.

This is a quality an underground worker should possess, and it made him very pleased.

Although Andrew Carter was only in his early twenties, he was bold, thoughtful, quick-witted, and calm.

Such a personality was very suitable for underground work.

At the Police Training Institute, Andrew Carter not only received all kinds of police skills training, but William Thompson also carefully taught him the experience of underground work.

Back in middle school, Andrew Carter actively participated in various student movements to resist Japan and save the country.

However, William Thompson asked Andrew Carter to stay away from these activities as much as possible in the future.

Now, Andrew Carter carried a special mission.

As a patrol chief, he had to do more work for the Party.

For this reason, Andrew Carter distanced himself from his former classmates at Tieyi Middle School, as well as some friends he had grown up with.

These classmates and friends couldn't understand Andrew Carter's actions, and even had conflicts with him.

Especially after Andrew Carter became a patrol chief in the British concession, some even scolded him to his face, asking if he wanted to be a lackey for foreigners, a running dog, and if he planned to do it for life.

Ever since Andrew Carter secretly joined the Communist Party of China and became an underground Party worker, he knew he would inevitably have to endure much misunderstanding and grievance.

No matter what, he had no regrets.