‘Secondly, given Abing’s performance in the test, we have ample reason to believe in his abilities; but immediately assigning him to work without proper preparation does not necessarily mean that his talents will simply take over and be on full display – it doesn’t necessarily follow that such a gambit will bring us victory. There is a chance, perhaps a fairly good chance, that Abing will succeed; but I don’t feel that putting all our eggs in one basket is a chance worth taking. If he suffers one defeat, given his character, quite possibly our defeat would be total. As everyone has already agreed, we cannot view Abing as a normal person. If he were normal and yet still had this exceptional ability, then for sure we could think of victory; we could easily overlook his lack of training and send him off to find the enemy’s broadcast stations. If that worked, it would be great. If it didn’t, then we could take some time and train him properly, and then put him back to work. The problem is, Abing isn’t a normal person: we can’t just put him to work; we can’t just use him like this. Who’s to say that if we did that he wouldn’t develop some sort of psychological complex regarding this kind of spy work? Who’s to say that later on, if he were to hear a radio broadcast, he wouldn’t go into a rage like a madman? A talent such as this could in fact bring Unit 701 crashing down. Is there anyone who would dare to guarantee that if we put him to work immediately he will definitely succeed; that in a very short period of time he will identify all of the enemy’s radio stations? Does anyone know how long his patience will last? One day? Two? Or perhaps only half a day? Or maybe even only an hour or two? So I want to say let’s not be so hasty: let’s give him time to be trained, let him understand the importance of the situation first, before we send him out onto the front lines …’

The lingering sounds of my voice hung in the air, waiting for a response from the Director. He stared at the people around him, stood up and made his way over towards me. He spoke in a measured voice. ‘I’ve heard you, and so I give him to you. From this moment on, all of the personnel and facilities of Unit 701 are at your disposal; only make sure that his training works.’

‘How much time will you give me?’

‘How much do you need?’

I thought for a moment. ‘Two weeks.’