Agent Number Forty

This novel tells the moving story of Chinese Communist intelligence agents risking their lives during the War of Resistance. Cheng Zhuo is ordered to infiltrate the Japanese puppet government and become mayor of Shicheng. He faces scorn from his own family, assassination attempts by the Eighth Route Army's armed work team, attacks by the Kuomintang's Special Services team, and assassination plots by the cunning Japanese military intelligence section. Surrounded by danger on all sides, Cheng Zhuo nevertheless endures humiliation, matches wits with his adversaries, remains steadfast, and is willing to give his life without ever wavering in his beliefs, all to obtain vital intelligence about the enemy. Told from a fresh perspective, the novel has a twisting, suspenseful plot. Cheng Zhuo faces threats from the armed work team, the Special Services team, the Japanese military intelligence section, and his family's misunderstandings. He appears meek and compliant, but is strong-willed and adaptable within. Friendship and love intertwine, as do hatred and unwavering faith.