The train driver in the courtyard

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

As gunshots rang out, the crowd erupted in applause and cheers.

Those who have no deep-seated hatred can never understand the feeling of witnessing their enemy being attacked and driven to the brink of defeat.

He Yushui's little hands were bulging red from clapping. She looked around and said somewhat dejectedly, "It's so lively today, but I wonder where Brother Aiguo went?"

"They should be at work, Yushui. Let's stop looking, or we'll have nightmares tonight." Chen Xueru saw the team members throwing the body onto the truck, took He Yushui's hand, and prepared to leave.

"I am a real soldier, how could I be afraid of such a scene?"

Although He Yushui was stubborn, she still obediently followed Chen Xueru back.

She was worried that Aunt Liu would be too busy taking care of several children by herself at home.

At this point, the crowd began to disperse one after another, everyone was very excited after having eaten their fill of gossip.

No one noticed that a middle-aged man wearing silver-rimmed glasses gave the truck a deep look before slipping over and disappearing into the crowd.

Li Aiguo had a feeling that someone was watching him. He turned his head to look, but found nothing unusual, only a huge crowd of people.

He climbed into the jeep and ripped off his hood: "Notify the comrades in the local armed forces department to send the body to the crematorium."

In those days, crematoriums had a more fitting name: cremation workshops.

Beijing is a megacity, and countless people die every day from illness or accidents.

There are four crematoriums in the suburbs of the city—Babao, Dongjiao, Daxing, and Shunyi—where smoke rises year-round, emitting the last warmth of humankind day and night.

These unusual bodies were designated to be sent to the most remote Daxing Crematorium.

This place had long been designated as a temporary "fixed-point processing unit" by the local armed forces department.

Workshop director Huang Youwen had already received a notification from the local armed forces department. Upon hearing the roar of the truck, he immediately put down his newspaper and went to greet it.

"Welcome, comrades. Everything is arranged."

Deputy Leader Chen didn't exchange many pleasantries, but solemnly instructed his entourage: "Unload the body and store it in the morgue. We'll handle it together when we start work tomorrow morning. Be sure to keep a close watch on it and don't let anything go wrong."

This was Li Aiguo's first time visiting a crematorium. He took the opportunity of delivering a body to learn about the crematorium's operations.

There are a total of 6 crematorium furnaces here, all of which are Shenyang chain-type 82B crematorium furnaces, which are modeled after Czech furnaces.

Using this type of furnace, the ashes can only be collected a week after cremation.

Thick white smoke always rises from the workshop when the bodies are cremated.

The smoke was so thick it could envelop a person. The workers moved through the smoke, and could only be seen as blurry shadows swaying back and forth, like ghosts floating in the fog. No one could make out anyone else's face.

"Comrades, you've really worked too hard." Li Aiguo sighed sincerely as he looked at the pile of ashes in the corner.

Huang Youwen wanted to add a polite remark like, "It's all about serving the people."

But when he looked at the body being sent into the crematorium, he swallowed his words, gave a dry laugh, and turned his head away.

Li Aiguo also felt this wasn't a good place to chat, so he wandered around for a bit and then left.

At this time, it was also time for the cremation workshop to close. After burning the last batch of corpses, Huang Youwen personally turned off the switches of the six cremation furnaces.

The roar gradually subsided, and the last trace of residual heat dissipated from the furnace opening. The entire cremation workshop instantly fell into a deathly silence, with only the dim yellow light bulbs overhead swaying slightly in the night wind, casting long shadows.

According to the rules, only one elderly man is on duty at night.

The old man on duty was too lazy to move around much. This place was in the middle of nowhere. Apart from the vehicles that brought corpses, even stray dogs rarely came here. Who would run to this dirty place?

Thieves were out of the question; the workshop was filled with corpses and ashes, and stealing anything there would be considered bad luck.

The old man on duty carried the wine jar around, took a satisfying sip, turned and went into the duty room, where he lay down on the table and started snoring.

Just then, a dark figure emerged from the shadows of the back wall of the workshop.

The figure walked close to the wall, its steps as light as a cat's, clearly knowing the layout of the crematorium like the back of its hand.

He avoided the window of the duty room, went around to the back door of the morgue, took out a thin wire from his pocket, and quickly picked the lock.

The morgue was pitch black, with only moonlight filtering in through the high windows, casting a pale white glow on the floor.

Dozens of corpses covered with white sheets were placed side by side on an iron rack. Under the moonlight, the outlines under the white sheets were vaguely visible, like lurking ghosts.

The dark figure didn't turn on the lights, but walked straight to the innermost iron frame by the moonlight and squatted down.

"You can wake up now."

If there were any living people here right now, they would probably be scared out of their wits on the spot.

The morgue is full of people who have already died. Who is he talking to?

But what happened next was even more unbelievable.

The corpse's fingers twitched slightly.

Then, the white cloth was slowly lifted.

A figure sat up from the iron frame, stiffly moved his limbs, and said in a hoarse voice, "Comrade Patriot, thank you."

The moonlight fell perfectly on her face.

That face was deathly pale, yet clearly recognizable as Liu Cui, who had been announced to have been executed by firing squad during the day!

Inside an office at the "Chiyoko Inoue" weather station, Captain Zhang of the overseas operations team stood up.

"Please call me Comrade Liu Cui, or my new name, Moriguchi Yuko." Liu Cui bit her lip, straightened her chest, and corrected Captain Zhang's words.

Captain Zhang looked the woman who had come back from the dead up and down, hesitated for a moment, and nodded: "Ms. Yuko Moriguchi, before you go to the notebook, you will need to undergo rigorous training under the guidance of experts."

If you fail the assessment, we will cancel this program.

"Understood!" Liu Cui replied firmly.

She was determined to complete the training, even if it meant risking her life.

Captain Zhang looked up at Li Aiguo.

The meaning is clear: he is in charge of this project, so he should say a few words.

Li Aiguo stood up and walked up to Liu Cui, staring intently into her eyes: "Who are you?"

"Yuko Moriguchi!"

"What's the mission?"

"Find Yingzuo and kill him." Liu Cui's eyes were bloodshot.

"No, you are a member of the action team. Your mission is to follow orders and carry out tasks assigned by your superiors."

Li Aiguo said coldly, "If you don't have this self-awareness, you'll only be throwing your life away when you get to the other side. I can force you now to save time."

Upon hearing this, Liu Cui's breathing quickened. She gritted her teeth and shouted, "Report to the captain! My mission is to obey orders at any time, even at the cost of my life!"

"Very good!" Li Aiguo sat back down and nodded to Captain Zhang.

"Go and rest first. Training starts tomorrow." Captain Zhang called over a team member and led Liu Cui out.

After the door closed, Captain Zhang sat down, took a cigarette from the pack, and tossed it to Li Aiguo.

"This woman has too much hatred in her heart; she is not suitable for this mission."

Li Aiguo took the cigarette, struck a match, lit it, flicked out the match head, and chuckled, "Hatred is a double-edged sword; it can wound yourself or destroy your enemy, it all depends on how you use it. Also, you have to understand this girl."

Captain Zhang nodded.

Indeed, Liu Cui's fiancé was killed by the Japanese devils, and she was tricked into coming here and suffering all kinds of torture. If it were an ordinary woman, she would probably have had a mental breakdown long ago.

Liu Cui, however, took the initiative to suggest going to the notebook to find that Shadow Slayer and take revenge.

Just then, the weather station suspected that Kagesa had planted people here and was planning a big operation.

Instead of passively defending, it's better to launch a counterattack and catch the opponent off guard; you might gain unexpected benefits.

Thus, a plan called "Revenge of the Dead" was born.

Some people at the weather station thought the name was weird, while others thought it was very sophisticated.

Of course, Liu Cui still needs to undergo rigorous training to grow into a true warrior before she can be sent out.

By the time I finished all these things, it was nearly midnight.

Considering that Chen Xueru had already rested, Li Aiguo returned to his dormitory at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot to prepare for the night.

Recently, a large number of employees have been transferred to the motorcycle workshop, and the 131 crew has also had their vacation canceled. Lao Zheng and Liu Qingquan are both sleeping in the dormitory.

The next day, after driving around the Qianmen Locomotive Depot and the steel rolling mill, Li Aiguo got on his motorcycle and headed home.

I've worn these clothes for two days and they're starting to smell; it's time to change them.

It was already past ten o'clock when I got home.

The courtyard had quieted down. Two planks were placed on the threshold, one inside and one outside, just enough to push the motorcycle across.

With this high barrier, it's inconvenient for everyone to get in and out, and Li Aiguo also wants to cut it down.

Later, considering that the house would probably become a historical relic in the future, the plan was abandoned, but the iron threshold is something that can be done.

Weld two iron plates together, with a channel steel in the middle, so that it can fit perfectly onto the threshold.

I'll ask him to fix it when he has time.

With these thoughts in mind, Li Aiguo finished fixing up his motorcycle and went inside.

Xu Jixiang and Chen Xueru were sitting on the sofa against the wall, with Xu's mother chatting with Aunt Liu beside them.

As soon as Li Aiguo entered the room, everyone looked over.

Aunt Liu stood up and said, "Aiguo, why didn't you come back yesterday? Old Xu waited all night."

Upon hearing this, Li Aiguo knew that Xu Jixiang and his wife must have gone to see Aunt Liu because of Xu Damao's matter.

Aunt Liu has a flaw: she's soft-hearted. She also has a good relationship with the Liu family, so she probably agreed to plead on their behalf.

Li Aiguo hates this kind of thing the most, and he also hates it when work-related matters involve relatives and friends.

Seeing that Xu Jixiang and his wife both looked dejected, he refrained from getting angry for the time being.

Li Aiguo put down his canvas bag, took the washbasin from Chen Xueru, and quickly washed his face before sitting down.

Xu's mother couldn't help but say, "Aiguo, my son Damao is in real trouble this time. If the steel mill really investigates, he'll probably be fired. Aiguo, I heard you have a good relationship with the leaders of the steel mill. Could you put in a good word for him?"

As she spoke, Xu's mother began to wipe away tears.

"Da Mao finally had a child. If he gets fired, Liu Lan will definitely divorce him. How will he live in the future?"

Li Aiguo initially disapproved of their actions, but seeing Xu's mother's expression, his anger dissipated.

After having children, Li Aiguo personally experienced the love that parents have for their children, and it was genuine love.

Of course, those beasts who are unfit to be parents are an exception.

Many elderly people these days believe in reconciliation rather than separation. Aunt Liu also spoke up: "Da Mao did make a foolish mistake, but the child is innocent."

"Auntie, what exactly happened with Da Mao?" Li Aiguo hadn't been paying attention to Xu Da Mao these past two days.

Xu's mother looked up at Xu Jixiang, her expression somewhat embarrassed.

After all, what Xu Damao did was too shameful.

"Sigh, things have come to this point, what can't be said?"

Xu Jixiang said, "We inquired and found out that the problem still lies in the fact that Da Mao left the door half-closed."

Li Aiguo pondered for a moment and then asked, "When did Da Mao find the half-closed door?"

"I forgot to ask this. Does this have anything to do with it? After all, Da Mao only opened a half-closed door." Xu Jixiang was a little confused.

"This relationship is very significant. If Xu Damao found a semi-private partner before marrying Liu Lan, when he was single, he could have done some work and it would have been considered as dating.

"If you find someone else after you get married, then Uncle Xu, you should go back as soon as possible. No one can help you with this."

He's not a pushover without principles. He's willing to lend a hand if he can, as long as it doesn't cross the line. But he'll never ask for help if it involves crossing a red line.

Hear this.

Xu Jixiang's emotions suddenly became excited: "Yes, yes, yes, if you ask me, it has to be patriotic and resourceful. He immediately found the key to the problem."

Xu's mother stopped wiping away her tears.

Li Aiguo tapped the table: "You guys hurry up and go find out the news, don't waste any more time."

The meaning is clear: don't come to our house for no reason and cause trouble for the whole neighborhood.

"Yes, yes, yes," Xu Jixiang realized what was happening and hurriedly left with his mother.

After the two left, Aunt Liu helped Chen Xueru pick vegetables. Chen Xueru looked outside and said, "Liu Lan doesn't know about this yet. If she did, she would definitely file for divorce."

"They'll definitely make a scene, but it's not like they'll get a divorce," Aunt Liu shook her head.

Chen Xueru looked up in surprise and asked, "Liu Lan also has a fiery temper, how could she tolerate Xu Damao?"

"It's not a matter of whether you can bear it or not, it's a matter of having no other choice."

Aunt Liu put down the beans in her hand and sighed, "Now that they have Xu Hua, if they really divorce, who will Xu Hua go with?"
With Da Mao, a grown man, he can't even take care of himself, how can he take care of a child?
"Following Liu Lan, she's a woman supporting Hailong and Haitao, plus Xu Hua—three children to feed. Can she really manage on her meager temporary job salary at the steel mill?"

With a touch of emotion, Aunt Liu said, "Life isn't like a grand opera performance where you can act however you want on stage. Life offstage is sewed up stitch by stitch and fed bite by bite."

Even if Liu Lan is very angry, she still has to consider the future of her three children.

If they really divorce, how will she, a young widow with three children, manage to survive in this courtyard, in this world?

After saying that, Aunt Liu paused, turned to look at Li Aiguo, and said, "Aiguo probably saw this, which is why he helped Old Xu and his wife come up with ideas."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xueru's doubts vanished instantly.

Li Aiguo has always been too lazy to deal with these messy things, so why is he helping out today? Oh, so that's where the problem lies.

****
In the afternoon, after finishing his lunch, Li Aiguo hurriedly returned to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

After a period of busy work, the first batch of scooter motorcycles has been assembled and will depart from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot this afternoon to be transported to the port city.

To ensure a smooth loading process, Yang Jizong and other key technicians, including wild vehicle experts, came to the station to help.

This time there were a total of 20,000 vehicles, and more than a dozen railcars were used. The loading work was not completed until evening.

"Patriotism, please sign your name here."

After the comrades sent by the ministry counted the number, they took out a list and handed it to Li Aiguo.

Li Aiguo signed his name on it, and the train received the dispatch order, slowly started, and left the capital.

It was already past closing time, and after leaving the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, Li Aiguo went to the meteorological station.

At this time, Yuko Moriguchi's training had already begun. Yuko Moriguchi herself had received special training from the Zhuzhu organization, and she was an expert in intelligence gathering, hand-to-hand combat, and marksmanship.

The training she received was mostly based on the situation of the Komoto family, which was provided by members of the Komoto family to prevent Moriguchi Yuko from being exposed when she returned.

Another aspect is ideological education, which is arranged and reviewed by the station.

Seeing Li Aiguo arrive, Moriguchi Yuko seemed very happy and quickly ran out to greet him: "Comrade Aiguo, I've given myself a code name."

"what?"

"Takiyasha-hime!" Yuko Moriguchi exclaimed with anticipation.

Takiyasha-hime?
Onyx mouse?
Li Aiguo paused for a moment before remembering.

Takiyasha-hime is a yokai from the Heian period legends. She learned demon magic out of resentment, transformed into a demon woman, and organized a rebellion against the imperial court.

Her situation is somewhat similar to that of Yuko Moriguchi.

"It sounds nice." Li Aiguo nodded at Moriguchi Yuko.

"I knew you would agree! Thank you so much, Comrade Patriot!"

It was just a simple word of approval, but Yuko Moriguchi was like a child who had received candy, her eyes and brows beaming with joy, and even her previously tense shoulders relaxed.

This acceptance is not about forgiving her past or ignoring her identity, but about accepting "her as she is now"—accepting her little wish to give herself a pseudonym and redefine herself.

Yuko Moriguchi added in a rambling manner, "I've looked up this legend. Although she became a 'demon woman,' she initially only wanted to protect the people she wanted to protect... Later, it turned into revenge. I think I also want to be that kind of person, to live up to your and the organization's trust."

"As long as you work diligently, more people will naturally recognize you in the future. This code name is good; use it when carrying out missions from now on."

After a few casual words, Yuko Moriguchi needed to continue her training, while Li Aiguo rode his motorcycle back to the courtyard house.

As soon as I reached the door, I heard bursts of crying and fussing coming from inside.

"Xu Damao, you bastard, you actually went to a half-closed door, and I was worried about you."

"Liu Lan, let me explain. That's all in the past. Besides, I'm not looking for a lover; we're dating."

"Wow, you actually dated a prostitute from the Eight Great Hutongs!"

Upon hearing the voice, Li Aiguo knew that Xu Damao had been released.

When he pushed his motorcycle into the courtyard, the central courtyard was already surrounded by people.

In the center of the crowd, Liu Lan was pointing her finger at Xu Damao and cursing him, while Xu Jixiang and his mother stood by trying to persuade her.

Yan Jiecheng was watching with great interest when he saw Li Aiguo coming over, and he quickly gave up a good spot.

"Brother Aiguo, your return is just in time, it was wonderful."

"What's wrong?" Li Aiguo walked over.

Yan Jiecheng pointed into the crowd and recounted the whole story.

It turned out that in the afternoon, Xu Jixiang and his mother went to the security department of the steel rolling mill and suggested that Xu Damao and Liu Cui might not have a simple money transaction relationship, but were dating.

The security department considered this claim to be utter nonsense.

However, Liu Cui is now at gunpoint and can no longer verify the information.

In addition, Xu Jixiang was willing to pay a fine of up to 500 yuan. After consulting with the weather station, the security department decided to give Xu Damao a lighter punishment.

Xu Damao was fined 500 yuan, given a major demerit, and barred from promotion for three years before being released from the security department.

This should have been a happy occasion for everyone.

but.

Liu Lan somehow found out that Xu Damao had just returned and they started arguing.

As Yan Jiecheng spoke, the battle in the crowd escalated again.

Jia Dongxu then approached and egged them on, saying, "Xu Damao, you bastard, dating someone with a half-closed door, aren't you ashamed?"

Xu Damao was already wondering who had told Liu Lan about his affairs, and his eyes lit up instantly upon hearing this.

"Jia Dongxu, is it you who reported me?"

Jia Dongxu realized he had gotten a little carried away and wanted to deny it, but after thinking about it carefully, he gritted his teeth and said, "It was me who did it, so what? You did something shameful, and you can't even let others talk about it?"

"You're the first person in Beijing to date someone who's only half-open at the door, aren't you?"

"Fuck your mother!" Xu Damao was furious. He didn't even bother to go home and put on his steel pot. He charged at Jia Dongxu.

Jia Dongxu was feeling smug and had no idea that Xu Damao would attack him. It was too late for him to escape.

Xu Jixiang and his mother also hated Jia Dongxu to death, so it was impossible for them to organize anything.

Yi Zhonghai was also in the crowd. Logically, he should have been able to stop Xu Damao, but for some reason, he didn't.

That's how it is.

Jia Dongxu was kicked to the ground by Xu Damao.

Before Jia Dongxu could get up, Xu Damao plopped down on him, grabbed his fist, and unleashed a flurry of punches on Jia Dongxu's face.

Although the wild punches were ugly, they were quite powerful. In no time, Jia Dongxu's face was bruised and swollen, and blood was coming from the corner of his mouth.

"Jia Dongxu, I'll fight you to the death!" Xu Damao was still not satisfied, so he picked up a brick and smashed it hard against Jia Dongxu's forehead.

A hand reached out from the side and grabbed his wrist.

Xu Damao looked up and saw that it was Li Aiguo. The anger on his face immediately disappeared: "Brother Aiguo, Jia Dongxu is a real scoundrel. I'm going to cripple him today."

"So what if he's crippled? Who's going to raise Xu Hua for you? Didn't you see Liu Lan hasn't mentioned divorce yet?"

Li Aiguo's words reminded Xu Damao.

Despite Liu Lan's loud arguments, she never actually asked for a divorce.

Xu Damao instantly snapped out of it and ran toward Liu Lan, accidentally stepping on Jia Dongxu's face in the process.

"Wife, I'm so sorry. I promise you, I've never cheated on you since we got married."

"Guarantee? How can you guarantee that?"

Now Xu Damao was in a dilemma again. It was obvious that Liu Lan wanted to take this opportunity to manipulate him.

In the past, Xu Damao would definitely have been unconvinced, but now that he was in the wrong first, it wouldn't be appropriate for him not to back down.

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"If you dare to do these kinds of messy things again, you'll be kicked out of the house with nothing, and Xu Hua will be raised by me!"

Liu Lan was seething with anger, but for the sake of her two children, especially her daughter, she had to suppress it.

"Okay, okay," Xu Damao readily agreed, eager to calm things down.

But Liu Lan wasn't stupid and wouldn't be fooled by his words: "How about this, since words alone are not enough, let's draw up a written agreement and have the old man in charge of the compound as a witness."

"Let's forget about the written agreement."

"Huh?!" Liu Lan's eyes widened.

Xu Jixiang slapped Xu Damao on the forehead: "You made a mistake, and Liu Lan is already being kind by forgiving you. You're still acting all aggrieved here. Are you trying to make me angry?"

"Dad, I'll write the agreement, please!" Xu Damao nodded quickly.

The third uncle also didn't want to see Xu Damao and Liu Lan divorce, so he offered to write the papers on their behalf.

Liu Haizhong and Xu Damao were allies. Seeing that Xu Damao had passed through safely, he immediately brought ink from his home.

When Yi Zhonghai saw the two stewards starting to get things done, he realized he should do something too.

He stepped forward with his hands behind his back and said, "Da Mao, Liu Lan, I am very pleased that you two can make up. As an old man, I am very pleased. Harmony in the family brings prosperity in everything. How about I help you draft the terms?"

Liu Lan smiled at Yi Zhonghai: "No need, I would like to ask Brother Aiguo for help."

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai felt his face being slapped hard by Liu Lan's shoe sole.

The onlookers chuckled to themselves.

Everyone knows that Jia Dongxu knew that Xu Damao was dating Banyanmenzi because Yi Zhonghai leaked the information to him.

This old man stirred up all this mess behind the scenes, and now that it's all resolved, he's come out here playing the good guy.

Yi Zhonghai opened his mouth several times, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say anything and left angrily with his hands behind his back.

Liu Lan invited everyone into the house, set up a table, and Li Aiguo drafted the terms, which Xu Damao then signed and sealed.

Everyone left quickly, and Jia Dongxu lay on the ground, saying, "What about me?"

****
In the following days, the compound returned to calm.

Xu Jixiang and his mother also went back.

Before leaving, he gave Xu Damao a good scolding, telling him to be more mindful of his wife and children and to focus on his work.

Xu Damao verbally agreed, but felt extremely aggrieved inside.

At home, he is now a convict, and Liu Lan often disciplines him.

At the steel rolling mill, Xu Damao was in a very difficult situation because he was disciplined and lost his chance for promotion.

And the person who started all of this was Jia Dongxu.

Xu Damao almost hated Jia Dongxu to death.

Jia Dongxu was also very frustrated. He had originally planned to take this opportunity to sow discord between Liu Lan and Xu Damao, but instead he got beaten up.

Jia Dongxu did not believe he had done a poor job, but instead blamed Yi Zhonghai for it.

If it weren't for Yi Zhonghai's instigation, he wouldn't have provoked Xu Damao.

Yi Zhonghai was even more frustrated. He had originally thought that he could deal with Xu Damao and make Li Aiguo lose an ally in the compound, but instead, he aroused the resentment of the residents.

The small courtyard house appears peaceful, but intrigues are constantly brewing.

However, Li Aiguo didn't care about any of that, because today was the day Liu Cui was to set off. No, her current name should be Moriguchi Yuko.

After this period of training, Yuko Moriguchi has acquired the ability to carry out tasks.

In addition, the meteorological station sent more than a dozen veterans to conduct a detailed evaluation of her, which ultimately confirmed her loyalty.

According to the plan, Yuko Moriguchi will disguise herself as an escort to arrive in the port city, then change her identity and go to Komoto's house.

Under the pitch-black night sky.

Wearing a staff uniform, Yuko Moriguchi saluted Li Aiguo: "Comrade Aiguo, this parting may be the last time we see each other. I am very glad to have met you."

After saying that, Yuko Moriguchi saluted Old Cat and the others, then turned and boarded the train.

A loud whistle sounded, the train slowly started moving, sped along the tracks, and finally disappeared into the darkness.

(End of this chapter)