The train driver in the courtyard

Inside the cage car room at the entrance of Mine No. 5.

Sun, the mining team leader, leisurely smoked a cigarette and chatted idly with Chen, the deputy head of the production department, beside him.

"The security department is becoming increasingly inhumane. They even interfere with us sneaking a drink to warm up when we go down into the mine. They're taking this way too seriously."

"Sigh, who can argue with that? Section Chief Wu relies on his good relationship with the mine leaders and doesn't listen to our production increase team at all." Deputy Section Chief Chen said perfunctorily while keeping a close eye on the door. When he caught a glimpse of a figure wrapped in a raincoat pushing the door open and entering, he noticed that the person was wearing a cotton gauze mask, so his appearance was not clear.

"Old Sun, this is Technician Bai from the ventilation department. Take him down into the mine later."

Captain Sun frowned, looking troubled. "Section Chief Chen, you know that the security department has set up checkpoints at the entrance, and everyone going down into the mine is being strictly checked. How about we have the ventilation department talk to the security department?"

Deputy Section Chief Chen sighed and lowered his voice: "Old Sun, you don't know this, but the security department has been keeping an eye on our production increase team for a long time. Once we submit a report, they'll definitely use this as an excuse to delay production."

Old Bai braved the rain in the middle of the night to check for ventilation hazards and ensure the miners' safety.

Seeing that Captain Sun was still hesitant, Deputy Section Chief Chen said, "Captain Sun, don't worry. He's just going down to inspect the ventilation ducts. It'll be over in an hour at most. He won't be the first to know and won't cause you any trouble. Our mine is going to build staff dormitories, right? You're a veteran employee, so you should be given priority."

Captain Sun knew perfectly well that Deputy Section Chief Chen coming over in the middle of the night was definitely not up to anything, but he never expected that Chen was going to take people down into the mine without permission.

This clearly violates the rules for safe production.

But he couldn't afford to offend Deputy Section Chief Chen.

Captain Sun found it strange; Bai Jishu had been silent ever since he came in, which seemed odd.

I just thought that Bai Jishu was a tech guy, and that such people are usually dull-witted, so I didn't think much of it.

He finally gritted his teeth and stood up: "Fine, but you have to follow my instructions the whole time and don't wander around."

"Understood." A subtle smile appeared on Bai Jishu's lips.

Captain Sun turned and shouted to the operator of the cage car, summoning the cage car up.

The two bent down and crawled into the cage car. Just as the iron door closed, a shout came from outside.

The cage truck had just reached the mine entrance when it was stopped by the security officer on duty.

The officer held a miner's lamp, its beam sweeping across the two men.

"Captain Sun, it's past midnight, why are you still going down into the mine?"

Captain Sun calmly explained, "Hey, Xiao Wang from the third shift had an upset stomach. I took him to the infirmary to get some medicine, and he felt better after taking it. Now I'll take him back to the cave to continue working. We can't delay the progress."

The security officer remembered that a miner had indeed come up earlier clutching his stomach, and seeing that the white-clad technician was wearing a raincoat commonly worn by miners, he didn't ask any more questions and stepped aside to let him pass.

The cage car rumbled as it drove deeper into the mine.

In the dim light, the smile on the person's face, hidden behind a cotton mask, grew even more intense.

The cage car arrived at the bottom of the mine shaft, and the dull sound of a coal cutter could be heard in the distance.

Captain Sun glanced around warily, and seeing that no one was paying attention, he leaned close to Technician Bai's ear and whispered, "Old Bai, hurry up and fix it. Be quick and don't let anyone see us. I took a huge risk bringing you down here today."

Technician Bai remained silent, simply nodding quietly, picking up his tool bag, and walking briskly into the depths of the mine.

She walked along the tunnel until she reached the depths of the dense coal seam, where she selected a fault zone that connected to the coal mining face.

She took a sealed glass jar from her canvas bag, carefully placed it into the crevice, then moved a few pieces of coal to cover it. Only after confirming that it was hidden did she turn and leave.

She did the same thing, placing several more glass jars in secluded spots along the way, before heading straight for the ventilation shaft.

This is the safety center of the entire mine. If the ventilation fan stops, the gas will accumulate rapidly and exceed the standard, with unimaginable consequences.

Technician Bai squatted down, took another can out of his bag, unscrewed the cap, and used a dropper to drip a few drops of clear liquid into the bearing of the ventilator.

"Even if you die in this mine, don't blame me. Blame yourselves for being unlucky."

"Don't worry, when I get back, I'll get you a memorial tablet and place it under the cherry blossom tree."

Just then, a strange chill crept up my spine and spread throughout my body.

The white-clad technician felt a chill run down his spine, and a strong sense of fear rose within him.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a cold shadow suddenly appear behind her, overlapping her own shadow in the halo of the miner's lamp.

She looked up abruptly and saw a young man squatting beside her, staring intently at the rapidly spinning impeller of the ventilation fan.

"Who...who are you?!" Technician Bai's throat tightened, and he blurted out instinctively.

As soon as she opened her mouth, Technician Bai realized something was wrong, because she was speaking in a woman's voice.

Li Aiguo, however, seemed oblivious, pointing with great interest to the impeller and smiling as he said:

"If I'm not mistaken, you dripped concentrated sulfuric acid into the bearing, right? Sulfuric acid will slowly corrode the inner wall of the bearing, increasing the operating resistance, and eventually causing the fan to stop silently."

At first, the miners would just assume the strange noises were normal wear and tear. By the time they realized something was wrong, they would have already fled the Linxi Mine.

It must be said, they've calculated things very shrewdly.

"Who...who are you?!" Technician Bai's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in shock. This was a meticulously planned scheme by that person; how did they know about it?

She stood up abruptly, her face pale, her voice filled with panic.

"Hello, my name is Li Aiguo, a train driver at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot." The young man slowly stood up and gave her a faint smile.

To Bai Jishi, that smile was like the smile of a demon.

"Li, the leader of the Li Aiguo investigation team!" She froze on the spot for a moment, then realized what was happening and turned to run wildly into the depths of the alley.

But just as she started running, there was a "smack".

Li Aiguo reacted extremely quickly. As she turned around, he had already raised his foot and kicked her precisely in the back.

The kick was very powerful, and the technician lost his balance, falling heavily onto the coal dust-covered ground.

At this moment, Zhou Ke, who was lying in ambush nearby, rushed over with several security officers upon hearing the commotion.

Seeing that the technician was still struggling to get up, Zhou Ke stepped forward and gave her two heavy punches.

She was beaten until she saw stars, and instantly lost the strength to resist, obediently being pinned to the ground.

Zhou Ke ripped off the cotton gauze mask from Bai Jishu's face, revealing a pretty woman's face underneath.

"Damn it, you're a woman! You're Pan Jinyue!"

"Hahaha, that's right, I am Pan Jinyue! You've all been fooled!" Surprisingly, Pan Jinyue didn't panic at all; instead, she suddenly threw her head back and burst into laughter.

Laughter echoed through the mine, tinged with a hint of madness.

The technician, Bai, was supposed to be there, but instead a woman was there, leaving everyone stunned.

Li Aiguo seemed oblivious, and gestured with his chin towards Zhou Ke: "Pull her up."

Pan Jinyue was helped to her feet, slowly brushing the coal dust off her body, a cold, sinister smile curling at the corner of her mouth.

"I never thought I'd fall into your hands, but don't get too cocky, we're all going to die here today!"

Before she finished speaking, Pan Jinyue suddenly pulled a lighter out of her pocket.

Zhou Ke's heart tightened, and he immediately reached out to grab it, but Pan Jinyue had already pressed the lighter.

There was a "click" sound.

Pale green flames shot up, reflecting on her contorted face.

"Long live the Heavenly Emperor!" Pan Jinyue roared, her eyes burning with fervor as she awaited the anticipated explosion.

However, one second, two seconds, three seconds...

Inside the mine, only the sound of the ventilation fans could be heard; nothing else was happening.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Pan Jinyue's beautiful face froze instantly, replaced by extreme panic.

Pan Jinyue frantically pressed the lighter repeatedly, the green flame flickering in the dim mine, illuminating the terror and disbelief in her eyes.

"Patriotism, we recovered a total of five glass jars, and they're all here."

At this moment, Section Chief Wu walked in with several security officers, carrying a sealed bag containing the glass jar that Pan Jinyue had placed there.

Li Aiguo walked to the sealed bag and pointed to the jar inside: "Pan Jinyue, this contains concentrated ammonia, right?"

By using concentrated ammonia to accelerate methane volatilization, and then stopping the ventilation fans, the entire mine became a ticking time bomb—a truly ruthless scheme.

Upon hearing this, both Zhou Ke and Section Chief Wu gasped, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on their backs.

Only now did they realize that the mine had been on the verge of destruction.

Pan Jinyue felt her body go limp upon hearing this, and could no longer support herself. She slid down the ventilation fan support and sat on the ground, the lighter in her hand falling into the coal dust with a clatter.

The flames went out instantly.

"Alright, Pan Jinyue, can you tell me now where Bai Jishu has escaped to?" Li Aiguo strode forward, squatted down in front of her, and asked condescendingly.

"You can forget about catching Teacher Bai!" Even though Pan Jinyue was already slumped on the ground, her tone remained extremely firm.

"Really? Don't you think that Bai Jishu had you impersonate him so that he could run away?"

"Impossible, Teacher Bai went to rescue someone." Pan Jinyue wanted to swallow the words back as soon as they left her mouth.

However, after thinking about it, a smile appeared on her lips.

Now that she has sacrificed herself, it's enough to save Teacher Bai and Chen Liushui.

"Even if you know, it doesn't matter. Now that Teacher Bai and Liushui have left Linxi, it doesn't matter if I die here. My only regret is that I can't see the cherry blossoms of my hometown."

"Save someone? Do you really think your teacher Bai would save someone? Who is this person?" Li Aiguo clapped his hands.

Footsteps echoed from the alleyway entrance.

Several security officers escorted a young man over.

The dim light of the miner's lamp shone on the young man's face. He was pale and looked like Chen Liushui.
“Liushui! What are you doing here? Weren’t you already released and left with Teacher Bai?” Pan Jinyue’s expression changed drastically.

"I was indeed released, but Teacher Bai didn't contact me, Jin Yue. We've been tricked," Chen Liushui said weakly.

He originally thought that he could escape this predicament by enduring the investigation, but he did not expect that the security department had already used him as bait.

What chilled him to the bone was that Teacher Bai had never intended to take him with her.

“No, it’s impossible. Teacher Bai would never abandon you. He’s like my father. He promised me.” Pan Jinyue’s face showed disbelief as she murmured to herself.

"What do you think Bai Jishu wanted you to do in his place in the mine? Wasn't it just so you could escape?"

"I"

Scenes from the past flashed before Pan Jinyue's eyes.

Those promises now felt like sharp knives, piercing her heart.

She smiled wryly and said, "I don't know where Teacher Bai went either."

“Then tell us everything you know! This isn’t to help us, it’s to help yourself, you should understand that,” Li Aiguo said sternly.

Chen Liushui also said, "Jin Yue, those comrades told me everything. I don't blame you. You were also deceived by Teacher Bai, which is why you did those things."

Pan Jinyue looked at Chen Liushui and was now completely convinced that she had been abandoned by Teacher Bai. All the fervor in her heart collapsed like a snow mountain.

She hesitated for a moment before saying, "As you probably already know, I'm not from here. My original name was Fujita Sadako."

My father was Fujita Takashi, the captain of the First Battalion of the Special Defense Department, in charge of the defense of Linxi Mine. Later, some people in the mining area caused trouble and attacked Linxi Garden. My father and mother were killed in the attack. "They died a worthy death!" a security officer shouted sternly.

"Yes, it was a fitting end. After my father and mother passed away, I became a child without a home. I wanted to return to the little notebook, but I was refused."

Teacher Bai's real name is Shirakawa Kazuo. He was originally a technical expert from that side. Because he was unmarried and had no children, he took me in as his goddaughter.

I lived a peaceful two years, and I thought I could live a safe and uneventful life like this forever.

Unexpectedly, we were defeated so quickly. At that time, there were still many people who persisted, and some even shouted the slogan "Better to die a glorious death than live a shameful life".

Teacher Bai knew that failure was inevitable, and that Yongjian Ren and other high-ranking officials had already reached an agreement with the other side and would be pardoned, leaving with their belongings.

People like us have already been abandoned by the higher-ups, and the consequences will be dire.

So while the bombing was taking place, the teacher and I found the remains of the miners who had been killed and used their identities to impersonate them.

In addition, Mr. Bai had some friends at the higher levels, so we quickly transformed into people working at the mine.

I also got the opportunity to study, and it was at school that I met Liushui Jun.

I originally thought that Fujita Sadako was dead, and that Pan Jinyue was the only one left in the world.

Unexpectedly, in recent years, due to Xu Zongtang's case, inspections in the mining area have become increasingly strict, and they have even begun to investigate past events.

Around that time, Teacher Bai contacted an organization affiliated with the Little Notebook group, who promised to take us back if we helped them with something.

"What organization?" Li Aiguo asked.

"I don't know."

Pan Jinyue shook her head. "All the contacts were handled by Teacher Bai. I never asked about them."

"Besides you, does Shirakawa Kazuo have any other accomplices in the mining area? How do you think he might leave Linxi?"

"I... I really don't know. Oh right, when Teacher Bai met me a while ago, she asked me if I liked traveling by train."

"Train!" Li Aiguo's eyes narrowed.

At this moment, Captain Sun of the mining team heard the commotion and rushed over with several miners.

When he saw Pan Jinyue lying limp on the ground, he was visibly stunned.

"Officer Pan, what brings you in?"

"She's the one you brought in."

"The man I brought in is a friend of Deputy Section Chief Chen." Halfway through his sentence, Captain Sun realized something, and his voice choked up.

Section Chief Wu waved his hand angrily: "Arrest him."

"Yes!"

Several security officers rushed forward.

Only then did Captain Sun realize the enormity of his mistake. His face turned ashen, and he dared not even think of resisting. He obediently surrendered.

After being tightly bound with thick hemp ropes, Captain Sun, along with Pan Jinyue and Chen Liushui, were put onto a cage truck and sent to the ground.

The guard at the cage storage room witnessed this scene and was so frightened that he didn't dare to breathe. He dared not go forward to ask questions, let alone reach out to stop them.

A thunderous roar followed, and lightning flashed across the sky.

Torrential rain.

Large raindrops pounded the ground, splashing up half a foot of water.

The group rushed back to the security office in the rain.

Li Aiguo completely disregarded the meeting that was originally scheduled to be held.

With the mastermind still at large, every minute is crucial.

"Immediately seal off the entire mine and conduct a thorough search, inside and out!"

"Arrest Deputy Section Chief Chen immediately! If he dares to resist, kill him without mercy!"

"Zhou Ke, Xiao Zhao, Xiao Wang, come with me, let's capture Shirakawa Kazuo!"

As Li Aiguo issued his orders, everyone took charge and sprang into action.

Pan Jinyue, Chen Liushui, and Captain Sun were escorted back to the security department and locked in solitary confinement under strict guard.

The guards at the cage car station and all the miners inside the mine were also placed under control and were not allowed to move around freely.

These finishing touches weren't too difficult.

The real key lies in the capture of Kazuo Shirakawa.

With only the vague clue of "train," pinpointing his exact hiding place is by no means easy.

Section Chief Wu said with some concern:

"Aiguo, judging from the timeline, Shirakawa set off on the coal train, and it's probably already out of Linxi territory by now."

“No, he has no chance.” Li Aiguo took out his pistol and checked the bullets in the magazine.

Section Chief Wu was taken aback at first, then his pupils shrank sharply, as if he had suddenly realized the key point, and he exclaimed in surprise: "Did you seal off the coal yard a long time ago?"

“Not only the coal yard, but all means of transportation around Linxi have been suspended, and militia have been deployed to set up checkpoints on the main roads. He has no way to escape.”

As soon as Li Aiguo finished speaking, without waiting for Section Chief Wu to respond, he turned around and rushed out, his figure quickly disappearing into the rain.

Section Chief Wu stood there dumbfounded for a long time, then suddenly laughed:
"I should have expected this. To be able to persuade all the leaders in the mine to cooperate fully, this kid must have come prepared."

At this moment, not only did Section Chief Wu just realize what was going on, but even Shirakawa Kazuo, who was hiding in the coal truck, sensed that something was wrong.

He had meticulously planned his escape route six months in advance, and this coal truck was the one he had carefully selected.

The bus departs from the coal yard at 6 p.m. sharp every week and arrives at a secret factory in the suburbs of Guangzhou two days later.

Once there, he only needs to change into the clothes and fake documents he prepared in advance, and he can leave openly. When he reaches the beach, someone will meet him.

but.

It's already 8 p.m., and the coal trucks haven't left yet; in fact, there's a lot of noise coming from afar.

Kazuo Shirakawa struggled to climb out of the coal truck's cab. The rain outside was pouring down harder and harder, and the large raindrops stung his face.

He didn't care about any of that anymore, climbed to the front of the truck bed, and climbed down along the guardrail.

My feet had just touched the ground.

A cold voice came from behind: "You've hidden yourself quite well."

Shirakawa Kazuo stiffened and slowly turned around: "It seems you've been keeping an eye on Pan Jinyue for a while now. She should be captured by now, right?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ke's eyes widened suddenly: "So your purpose wasn't to blow up the mine at all, but to use Pan Jinyue as bait to lure us into a trap so you could escape!"

"You can say that, but I still hope Pan Jinyue succeeds. If she does, the organization will reward me. It's such a pity. My plan was flawless; who discovered the clues?"

Kazuo Shirakawa's gaze swept across the faces of the group, quickly settling on Li Aiguo.

"It must be you, right?"

"Comrade Li Aiguo from Beijing, there's something I don't understand. Why did you anticipate that I would run away?"

As Shirakawa Kazuo spoke, his left hand silently slipped into his waistband.

"boom!"

Gunshots were fired.

The bullet pierced precisely through Shirakawa Kazuo's arm.

Before he could even react, excruciating pain swept over his entire body.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two more gunshots rang out in quick succession, the bullets striking his shoulder and thigh respectively.

Kazuo Shirakawa's legs went weak, and he could no longer support his body, falling into the mud. He struggled for a few moments before losing all strength.

A pair of feet wearing work boots slowly walked up to him.

Li Aiguo bent down, reached out and groped around his waist for a moment, then lifted the hem of his clothes to reveal a bundle of explosives strung together.

"Good heavens, are you planning to take us all down with you?" Zhou Ke was startled when he saw this and quickly stepped forward to carefully remove the explosive charge.

The packaging had words printed on it, suggesting it was likely taken from the tunnels in Linxi Garden.

Shirakawa Kazuo lay on the ground, panting, staring at Li Aiguo, and continued to ask the same question: "Why did you anticipate that I would run away?"

Li Aiguo smiled and said, "Now I can tell you, an old fox like you will not hesitate to run away as long as there is a chance to escape."

"Long live the world" is just a slogan you use to fool that ignorant woman.

I'm pretty sure the fuse on your explosive charge wasn't even threaded through, was it?

Li Aiguo had seen far too many people like this, who were driven by self-interest and afraid of death, and was no longer surprised by them.

Zhou Ke picked up the explosive charge, examined it, and exclaimed in surprise, "This fuse is indeed only one section long. Well, this dog Dieter is trying to scare us!"

"Since you've already seen through it, why did you still fire? And three shots at that?" Shirakawa Kazuo's face darkened.

"Would you believe me if I said I wanted to test my marksmanship?" Li Aiguo asked frankly.

Kazuo Shirakawa nearly coughed up blood; his face turned even more ashen.

Many Japanese soldiers in the mines back then couldn't escape the miners' cleanup, but he, a technician, was able to hide quietly, relying on his intelligence and resourcefulness.

Little did he know, every step he took was part of someone else's plan.

Even the man standing in front of him accurately predicted his actions.

This person is absolutely terrifying!

Kazuo Shirakawa collapsed onto the muddy ground, utterly exhausted.

When Li Aiguo and Shirakawa Kazuo returned to the Linxi Mine Security Section in the rain, Section Chief Wu and a group of leaders were anxiously waiting for them.

As they entered, enthusiastic applause erupted inside the room.

"Old Wu, immediately put Shirakawa Kazuo in solitary confinement and have someone keep an eye on him 24 hours a day."

"Understood!" Section Chief Wu also understood the importance of Shirakawa Kazuo, and immediately led his men to take him away.

Li Aiguo went to his office and contacted the weather station by phone.

"The rat in Linxi Mine has been caught. It's particularly fat, and it's said that this rat has a close relationship with the rats outside."

"Understood, we will send someone to bring the rat back immediately."

The rain outside had stopped sometime ago.

It seems that tomorrow will be a sunny day for Linxi Mine.

(End of this chapter)