The train driver in the courtyard

It's early morning now.

The farmer had already rested when his assistant woke him up. When he answered the phone, his voice sounded very tired and weary.

"Tell me, what's the situation?"

Old Cat finished reporting the case in a rapid-fire manner, and then there was a brief silence on the other end of the phone.

Only after the report was finished did the farmer slowly ask, "In your opinion, in which area might this mysterious person be now?"

It has been seven days since the train cars were detached. Given the speed of railway operations, the other party may have already left Yunnan and may have traveled north to Zhengzhou, or even all the way to the Northeast.

Heading southeast, they might have infiltrated the heart of East China.

Old Cat couldn't make up his mind for a moment, so he turned to look at Li Aiguo beside him.

Li Aiguo took the phone and said, "Teacher, we cannot pinpoint the exact location at the moment. I suggest we immediately notify the railway systems in the southeast, central and northern regions to strengthen patrols along the lines, and at the same time issue a notice for assistance, focusing on checking people without valid documents, speaking with accents from other places, and whose travel routes intersect with the border."

"Understood, I'll arrange it right away," the farmer said before hanging up the phone.

Li Aiguo put the microphone back in its place, lit a cigarette, and sat back down in his chair.

Although the direction of the investigation is clear, the scope of the investigation is too broad, and there are no physical characteristics of the mysterious person, which is no different from looking for a needle in a haystack.

Old Cat knew this too, and took a few deep drags on his cigarette: "Let's take turns resting for a while, and continue interrogating Duan Ping after dawn. Maybe we can dig out some details that we missed."

It was already close to midnight, and Li Aiguo still hadn't returned to the guesthouse.

He had two blankets brought by the security department of the locomotive depot, and spent the night curled up in a recliner in the office.

The sound of train whistles from the distant locomotive depot could be heard, intermittently until dawn.

Just as Li Aiguo fell into a deep sleep, phone calls and radio waves kept shuttling across the land of China.

The phone calls and telegrams differed in content, but both contained the phrases "coming from the border" and "strict inspection."

Passengers waiting to board trains at Kunming Station, Zhengzhou Station, and Wuhan Station noticed many comrades wearing red armbands at the station entrances.

A large net was cast out.

Early in the morning, Li Aiguo was awakened by the comrades from the security department of the locomotive depot who brought him food.

The meal was plentiful, including large white steamed buns, a fried egg, and the staple food was local specialty chicken soup rice noodles.

Just as Li Aiguo finished eating, Zhou Ke stormed in, his face flushed red: "Aiguo! The second group interrogated Duan Ping three more times last night, and that kid still gave the same answer, insisting that he knows nothing!"
"If it weren't for his smuggling activities that led to all this trouble, Dieter wouldn't have been able to slip through the cracks. I really wanted to teach him a lesson!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Old Cat pushed open the door and entered, letting out a heavy sigh: "I just called the weather station, and the railway systems in various places have been mobilized, but so far no suspicious persons have been found."

Li Aiguo had anticipated this outcome and was not particularly anxious.

On the third day, there was still no progress in the case.

Old Cat called the farmer again, asking if he could ask the farmer to investigate Old Kan's situation through official channels.

Even more so, we could send people to capture Lao Kan and find out the origins of the mysterious man.

The farmer said he would try to mediate, but both Lao Mao and Li Aiguo knew that the chances were slim.

Firstly, we've never liked interfering in our friends' affairs.

Secondly, the internal situation of the Wolf Tribe is also chaotic, especially in the border region, so even if the Wolf Tribe government wanted to help, it would be impossible.

On the fifth day, there was still no news.

Not only in the railway system, but also in local areas, there have been no cases related to Dieter's sabotage.

Standing before the railway map, Li Aiguo gazed at the crisscrossing lines and murmured, "What is your purpose in coming here? Is it just to take a stroll, for tourism?"

Old Cat walked into the office and said to Li Aiguo, "There's still no movement from the railway system. You should write a case summary first." Li Aiguo understood.

This means that the investigation in Kaiyuan is about to come to an end, and the mysterious person can only be left to the follow-up departments for continued investigation.

He looked up and asked, "This person's identity is unknown, he doesn't even have a name, shouldn't we give him a code name?"

"What do you think would be a suitable name?" Old Cat asked.

"He sneaks in like a lone wolf, so let's call him 'Lone Wolf'."

"It's a good code name, let's go with that."

This code name is not meant to belittle the opponent; on the contrary, it is somewhat complimentary.

This is what Lao Mao truly admires about Li Aiguo: giving his opponent enough respect is also respecting himself.

The writing of case summaries is quite meticulous, requiring the sorting out of all clues and doubts, as well as providing direction for subsequent investigations.

Li Aiguo spent half a day carefully considering every word and sentence before finally finalizing the draft.

He rubbed his sore wrists and stood up to stretch his stiff shoulders.

“Comrade Patriot,” Ma Dele from the railway bureau knocked on the door and came in, “Liu Ping’an has been released. He plans to go back to his hometown to rest for a few days and wants to see you before he leaves.”

Although Lone Wolf wasn't caught this time, it was enough to clear Liu Ping'an of suspicion.

Li Aiguo was well aware of the impact of such "crime-related" experiences on train drivers, and had suggested two days earlier that Liu Ping'an be released first.

After Lao Mao approved it, he even sent a team member to the Kaiyuan Locomotive Depot to clarify the situation to the comrades there and clear his name.

Liu Ping'an's elderly mother lives in a county town a hundred miles away, and he is worried about her and eager to go back to visit her.

“Okay, I’ll see him off.” Li Aiguo had nothing to do, so after handing the case summary to a colleague at the meteorological station, he followed Ma Dele to Liu Ping’an’s dormitory.

Liu Ping'an is packing his luggage.

Upon seeing Li Aiguo enter, he quickly put down his bundle and went to greet him, his eyes reddening: "Comrade Aiguo, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I would have been in big trouble this time."

"You're too kind, Master Liu. The truth will come out eventually." Li Aiguo patted his arm.

Seeing that the luggage was already packed, he smiled and said, "Come on, I'll take you to the train station."

He has always been interested in the old-fashioned railway facilities at Chicken Street Station.

After leaving this time, I probably won't come back again in my lifetime. I'll take this opportunity to see it off properly.

"Okay, okay, okay," Liu Ping'an nodded hurriedly.

After learning about this, the Kaiyuan Locomotive Depot sent a GAZ jeep to take Liu Ping'an and Li Aiguo to the train station, accompanied by Zhou Ke, Liu Ping'an's apprentice.

The group chatted and laughed as they headed towards Chicken Street Railway Station.

This is at the ticket window of Jijie Railway Station at this moment.

A middle-aged man took a ticket from the ticket seller and said thank you.

A few passengers were scattered around the lobby. The middle-aged man glanced around discreetly and found a quiet corner to sit down.

A smug smile crept across the middle-aged man's lips as he glanced at the address on the ticket.

"We've successfully completed the first mission. Next, it's time to head to the Northwest. The 'surprises' there are sure to be rewarding."

(End of this chapter)