The train driver in the courtyard

The Langley top-floor office was filled with the misty smoke of cigars.

Director Langley is listening to a report from his senior executives.

“We have received news from Hong Kong that the Red Star, the largest ocean-going vessel under Red Star Shipping, has now departed from Singapore and is returning to Kwai Chung Terminal.”

The ship, captained by Zheng Xianfeng, the son of the manager of Hongxing Shipping, was presumably intended to carry the batch of Tyrannosaurus Rex SUVs.

The bureau chief, cigar in mouth, excitedly slapped the table: "Good! Those good-for-nothings on the island have finally done something decent!"
After the first few failures, President Kenneth grew increasingly dissatisfied with Langley, and the director faced increasing pressure.

Langley also wanted to send people in there again, but because the defenses there were so tight, he couldn't find a suitable opportunity.

A few days ago, news suddenly came from the island that the gang they had planted in the port city had developed an informant in the Hextech factory and learned important information.

And it is also related to the transportation of Tyrannosaurus Rex off-road vehicles.

The director, and indeed the entire Langley community, are troubled by this matter.

This story begins with the three major car dealers from the United States suffering a defeat in France.

Huaxing luxury tour buses made a stunning debut, directly shocking Xiao Ou's family's tour companies and securing a large number of orders.

These travel companies were originally long-term clients of the three major car dealers.

The three major car dealers were driven out of the large off-road vehicle market from the Ou family, and now they have lost the touring vehicle market as well. They can only try to operate in areas that Hextech has not yet covered.

With rising oil prices, the Art family became the most in-demand consumer in recent years, naturally attracting the attention of the three major car dealers.

Unexpectedly, before the three major car dealers had even delivered their luxury cars, Yang Jizong signed an order with Art's for 1,000 Tyrannosaurus Rex SUVs.

The three major automakers realized that if the deal went through, Hextech would eventually take over the market of Arter and even several neighboring Middle Eastern countries.

This is almost a matter of life and death for the three major car manufacturers.

then.

The three major automakers put pressure on President Kenneth.

Ultimately, the task fell to Langley.

“Now that we have the Red Star’s precise route, as long as we contact Black Jack, we can intercept him halfway…” The executive’s words trailed off with a sinister smile, the rest of the sentence needing no further explanation; everyone in the office understood without a word.

Hextech will certainly have to pay a large ransom at that time.

The pirates received the money and were to give Langley a cut, of course, all of which was done through private accounts.

Years ago, when Xiao Mei’s family’s merchant ship was hijacked by Black Jack, Langley’s personnel intervened as negotiators. Black Jack asked for two million dollars, but Langley directly offered two and a half million dollars and asked for a check for five million dollars.

Blackjack needs Langley's weapons and ammunition, and Langley needs Blackjack to do the dirty work. The two have long since reached a dirty tacit understanding and become a community of interests that exploit each other.

After the director and executives finalized the details of the operation, they immediately dispatched Specialist Smith to contact Black Jack.

When Blackjack first heard about the plan to intercept ocean-going freighters, he immediately nodded in agreement.

Upon hearing the words "Hextech," his expression changed drastically, and he immediately tried to kick Smith out.

"Sir, we pirates rob cargo ships to make money, not to lose our lives. Hextech will definitely send its mining protection force to escort us."

“Those guys have rocket launchers and other heavy weapons; we are no match for them.”

"My African friends told me that the mine protection army is incredibly powerful and ruthless. They took care of all those mercenaries before."

"We don't want to die in vain."

Smith panicked and quickly raised the price to persuade him, even offering that Langley would not take a cut, as long as Black Jack hijacked the cargo ship and sank it.

But Blackjack refused to budge.

He was a pirate, not a fool. He knew that his few dilapidated ships were no match for the Red Star without the support of regular warships.

“Smith, we’re old friends. If you’re into women, feel free to pick any you want, take them all. But this business deal is off.”

Smith glanced at the women, shook his head, turned and went back to the hotel to relay the information back to Langley via encrypted telegram.

The bureau chief was prepared to claim credit, receive rewards, and earn extra money, but when he learned that Blackjack had quit, his face instantly darkened.

"Chief, these pirates must have been terrified by the mine protection forces," a senior executive said in a low voice.

"No, no, no, Blackjack is very cautious. We can't be careless either. Let me think of a way."

After hanging up the phone, Director Langley took a deep drag on his cigar, feeling a bit of a headache, and reconvened the high-level meeting.

The executives looked helpless when they heard that Blackjack had quit.

"Why don't we just send warships to take them out?"

"Absolutely not! President Ken is still wrestling with the Corn Emperor. There's no way he'll agree to this. Have you forgotten what happened on the northern front?"

At this moment, a high-ranking official raised his hand and said, "Director, although we can't send warships, we can send submarines."

Upon hearing this, the executives in the conference room were taken aback at first, then nodded excitedly.

"That's right, a submarine only needs a few torpedoes to blow up the triangular basket of Red Star Shipping."

"Then we'll pin all the blame on Blackjack, and they won't have any evidence to prosecute us."

"I think we can also blow up Blackjack while we're at it. He knows too much and is becoming increasingly disobedient."

“We’ve already bribed Blackjack’s second-in-command. As long as Blackjack is gone, we’ll get at least half more of the cut next time.”

Amidst the discussion.

Director Langley's brow gradually relaxed, and he took a puff of his cigar, saying, "This plan is indeed feasible, but I need to report it to President Ken."

The bureau chief stood up and went to the next room to make a phone call, returning a moment later.

"President Ken is unaware of this matter; Mr. Hurley will be responsible for the follow-up."

Hurley is a close confidant of the Grand Chancellor and currently holds an important position in the Five Corners.

Upon hearing this, all the high-ranking officials understood that President Ken wanted to distance himself from the matter, and that if they failed, President Ken would not protect them.

"Don't worry, everyone. Mr. Hurley will dispatch the Balabelle Blackfish to deal with the Red Star ocean freighter."

Upon hearing this news, all the executives perked up, and the atmosphere in the conference room immediately eased.

The Barabelle is a Whitefish-class submarine that entered service two years ago. Although it cannot be compared with nuclear-powered Blackfish, its speed is among the highest of conventional submarines.

Most importantly, the Barabella had six 533mm torpedo tubes and 18 torpedoes.

Such powerful firepower against the Red Star Freight Cargo Ship is like an eagle attacking a chick.

"Hey, you know what, our symbol is a bald eagle, while the map over there just has a little rooster. This time it matches up perfectly."

"Hahahaha!"

"Yes, but I suggest the torpedo launchers on the Balabel be careful not to sink the Red Star ocean freighter directly, or we'll still need to collect the ransom."

"Yeah"

Upon hearing this, Director Langley clapped his hands and waited for the room to quiet down before speaking: "Gentlemen, this is Langley's best opportunity. We must take over the Red Star ocean liner."

"To prevent leaks, starting now, all external communication channels for offices above the 15th floor will be cut off, and personnel at the deputy manager level and above are strictly prohibited from leaving."

The officials were slightly taken aback, but immediately understood what the bureau chief meant.

In recent years, Langley's operations against that area have repeatedly failed. The former director once suspected that there were rats within Langley and sent someone to catch them, but ultimately to no avail.

After the new director took office, he also launched a rat-catching operation, but still failed to catch it.

But everyone doubted that the rat actually existed.

The blockade plan devised by the bureau chief serves two purposes: first, it maximizes secrecy; second, it allows them to determine whether there are rats among personnel at the deputy director level or above.

Simply kill two birds with one stone.

After the meeting ended, it was lunchtime, and the high-ranking officials went to bars to celebrate.

This place is very luxurious, offering a variety of gourmet foods, as well as whiskey and vodka.

Tucker ordered a glass of whiskey and savored it contentedly.

"Why are you so happy today?" An Asian man walked over with a wine glass in his hand.

Upon seeing the Asian, Tucker was overjoyed: "Lee, you haven't gone back yet? Oh right, I forgot, this place is under lockdown."

"blockade?"

The helmsman paused for a moment, but his expression remained unchanged. He smiled and asked, "Is there some kind of operation? Why is it sealed off?"

Before Tucker could reply, the helmsman quickly said, "Look, I'm making the same old mistake again. I like to concern myself with things that have nothing to do with me."

“Li, it’s nothing really. We’ve just deployed a submarine to the ocean.” Tucker didn’t seem to care at all.

The Easterner in front of me is a good person. As the deputy director of the East Asia Policy Research Office, he is very knowledgeable about the situation in Russia, Europe, and South America, in addition to East Asia.

He is also very helpful; if any department has a problem, just go to him and he will definitely help you enthusiastically.

How could someone like that be a bad person?!
The submarine… The helmsman’s heart sank, but his expression remained calm.

He had a few drinks with Tucker before slowly getting up and returning to his office.

As soon as the door closed, the helmsman's expression turned serious.

"The hometown definitely doesn't know about the submarine. If it's just the mining protection army, the Red Star ocean freighter will have no way to escape."

"Langley's actions are ruthless; the director will definitely issue the order to sink the Red Star ocean-going cargo ship."

"What to do now?"

Hearing the faint footsteps outside, the helmsman quickly pulled down the blinds and peeked out, only to see several young men in suits already set up in the corridor.

They all had bulging waists.

It seems this is what Tucker meant by a lockdown.

"This is a huge problem." The helmsman had originally planned to risk rushing out, even if he was discovered, just to send the message back, but now that was no longer an option.

The helmsman sat back in his chair, picked up the phone, and the phone line was physically cut off.

After a moment's thought, the helmsman suddenly pulled open the bottom drawer, inside which was a miniature emergency transmitter disguised as a radio.

Although the telegraph machine had low power, it was still able to notify the personnel at the weather station.

But when he pressed the switch, the indicator light did not respond.

Radio signals across the entire floor were clearly blocked.

"It seems Langley is fully prepared this time." The helmsman sat back heavily in his chair, worried about the Red Star ocean liner.

When Li Aiguo learned that the helmsman had lost contact, he was busy in the workshop.

"We have already mobilized other informants within Xiaomei's company to investigate. There haven't been any major changes within Langley, but it's said that senior executives at the deputy director level and above are temporarily unable to leave or make external communications. Analysts believe that Langley must be taking some major action to be so cautious."

Old Cat sat in the chair, took the cigarette Li Aiguo offered, and said with a frown.

"It seems Langley already knows the news of the mine protection army's return." Li Aiguo narrowed his eyes.

Li Aiguo has already contacted Hongxing Kaituo, and team leader Liu Tiehan and his team are on their way back.

"Yes, the weather station thinks Langley will definitely mobilize other forces, and this voyage is very dangerous." Old Cat also couldn't persuade Li Aiguo to cancel the deal.

The higher-ups have taken notice of this matter and have instructed that every effort must be made to send the large off-road vehicle there.

This is not just about earning foreign exchange, but also about our strategic layout in the Middle East.

If you can't even deliver a large off-road vehicle, how can people like Art and Ata dare to build good relationships with you?
Now the Indian family spends all day crying and complaining in their extended family compound.

Although the American and Russian families haven't publicly stated their support, they secretly support the Indian family. This support is now quite important.

"If it's going to rain, it's going to rain; if a mother wants to remarry, she wants to remarry. Let them come if they want." Li Aiguo stood up, took the wrench from Chief Engineer Liu, and began to assemble the landing gear.

Old Cat then noticed the helicopter, his expression changing slightly: "You don't mean to..."

“Don’t overthink it. This is a helicopter we built ourselves in our workshop. It’s for civilian use. I’ve heard that fires happen on ocean-going cargo ships from time to time, and we’re planning to equip them with helicopters. What do you think?” Li Aiguo said as he assembled the landing gear.

"..." The old cat was silent for a moment, then said, "That's a good idea."

After Lao Mao left, Li Aiguo continued to work with Chief Engineer Liu on helicopters. They had just manufactured a machine gun to equip the small plane with weapons, which they could install first.

The military industry also sent several sample bombs. Since they are samples, they are free. They can be installed on helicopters, so there shouldn't be any problem.

Finally, install the equipment left over from the previous manufacture of armed helicopters.

Li Aiguo took two steps back, looked around, and felt that something was still wrong.

“Patriotism, since it’s a civilian aircraft, shouldn’t we identify ourselves?” Zong Xianfeng asked.

“Yes, yes, Xianfeng, go find some red paint and paint the words ‘Hextech Civilian’ on this helicopter.” Li Aiguo had always thought that Zong Xianfeng was particularly clever.

Zong Xianfeng turned around and busied himself with work.

Li Aiguo worked in the workshop until the end of the workday before he finally finished working on a helicopter.

In fact, Li Aiguo had planned to equip ocean-going cargo ships with helicopters a long time ago. Helicopters can be used to rescue crew members who have fallen into the water and to handle some emergencies.

The deck area of ​​ocean-going freighters is large enough to facilitate berthing.

The studio was just too busy with other tasks, so I didn't have time to spare.

Having encountered such a great opportunity, I naturally couldn't miss it.

While Li Aiguo was busy tinkering with the helicopter.

In the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai gathered Uncle San, Liu Haizhong, and several other residents together.

Yan Bugui looked puzzled: "Old Yi, what are you doing? Holding a meeting? We'll have to wait until Aiguo comes back."

Although Yi Zhonghai still holds the title of "old man," he has long since lost the power to convene meetings.

Liu Haizhong was also afraid that Yi Zhonghai would cause trouble, so he made an excuse: "Old Yi, my Guangqi is coming back from the Northwest today. I have to go to the train station to pick him up. I'll go first."

Seeing that the group was about to leave, Yi Zhonghai became anxious and quickly stepped forward to stop them.

He couldn't care less about maintaining his airs as an old man anymore, and said with a worried look, "Captain Jia, cough... Jia Zhangshi! You all know about her picking fights every day, right?"

"I know, I know, Yi Zhonghai, you've been beaten to a pulp." Xu Damao from the crowd immediately chimed in sarcastically.

Yi Zhonghai wanted nothing more than to give Xu Damao a good beating, but he had to hold back at this moment.

Wait until Sha Zhu comes out, you'll see.

Yi Zhonghai suppressed his anger and forced a smile: "I'm really at my wit's end. I'd like to ask you guys for some advice. We can't let her keep making a scene like this, can we?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong's expressions changed slightly, and they both took a half step back.

They knew perfectly well that Yi Zhonghai was trying to use them as scapegoats!

Madam Jia is acting like she's possessed. If she finds out they're giving Yi Zhonghai advice, she'll be in big trouble.

"Old Yi, what can we do?"

"Yes, you're the boss, you're the one who makes the decisions most of the time."

Yi Zhonghai cursed the men inwardly for being cunning and sly, and was about to speak.

Xu Damao raised his hand high: "Yi Zhonghai, I say, why don't you find a way to marry off Jia Zhangshi?"

Yi Zhonghai instinctively wanted to refute, but upon closer reflection, he realized that it made perfect sense.

The reason why Jia Zhangshi wanted to cause trouble for Yi Zhonghai was so that she could return to the capital.

If Jia Zhangshi gets married, wouldn't that achieve the goal?

"Hey! Da Mao, your idea is really good!" Yi Zhonghai rarely praised Xu Da Mao.

After the group dispersed, Yi Zhonghai went out with his hands behind his back. There was no need to look for Jia Zhangshi; the guy would definitely come out on his own.

Sure enough, after taking only a few steps, a dark figure rushed out and blocked Yi Zhonghai's path.

"Sister-in-law, don't worry, I have a way to get you back to the capital," Yi Zhonghai said quickly when he saw that Jia Zhangshi was about to make a move.

"Pah! You're trying to fool this old woman again? I only went back to that wretched Jia family village because I believed your lies!" Jia Zhangshi ignored her completely and kicked Yi Zhonghai in the stomach.

Just as Yi Zhonghai thought the trouble was over and let his guard down, the kick landed squarely on his backside. He cried out "Ouch!" and fell to the ground with a thud.

"Old sister-in-law."

"Clap!"

Jia Zhangshi did not expect him not to dodge. When she saw him fall to the ground, she immediately pounced on him, straddled him, and swung her arm around him, slapping him several times.

"You dare lied to this old woman!"

It was rush hour, and the residents of the compound, seeing people fighting, became curious and gathered around.

When they realized it was Yi Zhonghai and Jia Zhangshi, they immediately burst into laughter.

"It's those two again."

"Yeah, how many games is this already?"

"But I've already seen fifteen games."

Li Aiguo has just returned from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot on his mountain bike.

Seeing the two fighting, he couldn't help but frown.

"Yi Zhonghai, Jia Zhangshi, you two are old enough to be fighting in broad daylight in front of everyone! What kind of behavior is this!"

Upon hearing Li Aiguo's voice, Jia Zhangshi was startled and quickly got up.

Yi Zhonghai, clutching his stomach, stood up in a disheveled state and complained, "Aiguo, I'm wronged! I was just trying to help Jia Zhangshi with good intentions, but she didn't appreciate it and even hit me!"

"Patriotism! Don't listen to this old geezer's nonsense! He's lying to me!" Jia Zhangshi hurriedly defended herself.

Li Aiguo frowned: "What did I lie to you about?"

"I...I...how would I know!" Jia Zhangshi blushed, a rare sight for her.

Actually, her hitting Yi Zhonghai had nothing to do with old grudges anymore; it had simply become a habit, she just wanted to hit him.

"Listen to this! Listen to this! She's completely unreasonable!" Yi Zhonghai was indeed in a bad state at this moment, with a bruised and swollen face and several locks of his hair pulled out.

Li Aiguo then looked at Yi Zhonghai: "How do you plan to help Jia Zhangshi?"

"I'll introduce her to someone!" Yi Zhonghai puffed out his chest.

Li Aiguo was stunned.

The onlookers were stunned.

Jia Zhangshi's eyes lit up at first; this old man who had no descendants had finally spoken a sensible word!
But as soon as the thought crossed her mind, her cloudy eyes widened suddenly.

Yi Zhonghai tricked her into going to the countryside back then, and now he's eager to marry her off; he clearly wants to get rid of her, this burden!
"You old bastard! You cheated my son and now you're cheating me?!" Jia Zhangshi yelled and jumped up, spitting all over Yi Zhonghai's face.

Wow!
The residents were so shocked by the furious outburst that they took a half step back, and then burst into laughter.

"Oh dear, is Madam Jia embarrassed?"

"I think I hit the nail on the head. Look at the look in her eyes just now!"

"Yi Zhonghai's move is quite vicious! He's like saying, 'Once a married woman is gone, she's no longer like water spilled from a bowl.'"

Li Aiguo finally understood Yi Zhonghai's plan.

"Fine, this is a matter between the two of you, you can resolve it yourselves."

Li Aiguo also wanted to see what kind of partner Yi Zhonghai could find for Jia Zhangshi, so he could enjoy some juicy gossip.

Li Aiguo turned around and went back into the courtyard. Chen Xueru hadn't returned yet, so he lit the stove, intending to cook some tomato and egg noodles.

Before they could even sit down to sit on the stainless steel pot, Liu Haizhong brought Liu Guangqi in.

"Patriotism, Guangqi is back."

Li Aiguo turned around and saw that it was indeed Liu Guangqi, who looked several years older than before, but much more energetic.

"Brother Aiguo," Liu Guangqi greeted Li Aiguo.

Liu Haizhong also explained the reason for Liu Guangqi's return: Liu Guangqi plans to get married to a female worker who was supporting a third-line factory and whose family is from Beijing.

"That's great news! Congratulations, Guangqi."

"We've already registered our marriage at the factory, but my dad insists I hold another wedding in Beijing," Liu Guangqi said somewhat embarrassedly.

Li Aiguo understood Liu Haizhong's thoughts, because Liu Haizhong had lost face due to Liu Guangqi's previous marriage.

Now that Liu Guangqi is getting married again, Liu Haizhong naturally wants to hold a grand and lavish wedding.

After finding out which weekend it was, Li Aiguo readily agreed.

"Your sister-in-law and I will both go then."

"Thank you, Patriot Brother."

The news of Liu Guangqi's marriage and Yi Zhonghai's introduction of a potential partner to Jia Zhangshi quickly became the headlines in the courtyard.

Some young people have also started thinking about it. Work positions in Beijing are becoming increasingly scarce. For example, there are many positions in the workshops under the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, but they require children of railway workers or older employees who are educated and experienced.

They'd rather go to a third-tier factory in the Northwest than stay in Beijing.

After dinner, the young men gathered around Liu Guangqi and chatted about the Third Front factory.

As usual, Liu Haizhong made Liu Guangfu, Liu Guangtian, and Banggeng stand in a row with their buttocks sticking out, and then took turns whipping them with belts.

The three boys stripped off the gunpowder and stuffed it into Liu Haizhong's cigarette, turning Liu Haizhong's face blackened with soot.

Meanwhile, Yi Zhonghai was also inside the house, pondering what kind of partner he could find for Jia Zhangshi.

Despite Jia Zhangshi's constant refusals to remarry, Yi Zhonghai knew she was just putting on an act.

Li Aiguo sat leisurely, sipping tea and appreciating the lively atmosphere of everyday life.

"Patriotic brothers!"

at this time.

Suddenly a shout came from afar, followed by a series of synchronized footsteps.

Li Aiguo looked up and his heart immediately filled with excitement.

"Comrade Iron Man!"

Indeed, the person who came was Liu Tiehan, the captain of the mine protection team. Behind him were two young members of the mine protection team, each carrying a bag.

The residents in the compound were all surprised when they saw this scene. Their laughter and chatter stopped abruptly, and no one dared to say a word.

It was simply because Liu Tiehan and his teammates possessed a fierce and intimidating aura.

That's the kind of murderous aura that only those who have seen real bloodshed and survived life-or-death situations possess.

(End of this chapter)