The train driver in the courtyard

Generally speaking, important suspects like Liu Laodao need to be taken back to the weather station for interrogation, and someone needs to be assigned to take notes.

Unless, the suspect's psychological defenses have already been breached.

Working in meteorology is different from other jobs.

When it's time to follow procedures, you have to do it step by step.

However, when flexibility is required, one must never be rigid.

At this moment, seeing Liu Laodao's eagerness to confess, Lao Mao and Li Aiguo exchanged a knowing glance.

Old Cat immediately told the militia captain and the commune members to step back and called a weatherman to stand guard outside.

If anyone dares to approach, shoot them.

After the area was cleared, Li Aiguo grabbed Liu Laodao by the collar of his tattered Taoist robe and dragged him into the dilapidated house.

The closed door shut out the eeriness of the cemetery, but the interior felt even more sinister.

Li Aiguo took out a match from his pocket and struck the kerosene lamp on the table.

The flickering, weak flames hissed and burned, emitting a dim, yellowish light.

The light and shadow fell on Li Aiguo's face, flickering and making his originally resolute face appear sinister and terrifying.

"Now you can confess. Remember, you only have one chance."

Old Liu was lying on the ground, his eyes darting around, trying to figure out if he could downplay the seriousness of the matter and make up another story to stall for time.

But upon hearing Li Aiguo's words...

Looking up again and meeting those eyes that seemed to see right through people, all my little thoughts vanished instantly.

“Governor, I confess… I confess everything.”

Actually, I'm just a fake Taoist priest.

But later... later he met a mysterious person on the street, and by a twist of fate he became a real Taoist priest.

This is the same person who put me in charge of keeping an eye on Zhang Tao and reporting his whereabouts to him at any time!

Li Aiguo raised an eyebrow, took out a cigarette from his cigarette case, put it in his mouth, and instead of lighting it, gestured for Liu Laodao to continue.

Old Liu wiped the cold sweat from his face and began to recount his rise to wealth as if pouring beans from a bamboo tube.

Like many charlatan Taoist priests in this world, Old Taoist Liu was born in a time of war and chaos. He was an orphan from a young age and lived a life where he never knew where his next meal would come from.

Seeing that he was starving to death, he hardened his heart, went to the pawnshop, spent a few coins, and bought a tattered Taoist robe that someone else had pawned.

Then he found a bamboo pole, tore up a fortune-telling banner, and planned to disguise himself as a Taoist priest to swindle and cheat people in the countryside to make a living.

In the beginning, he was quite cautious, relying on people's birth charts and palm readings.

Or they could trick old ladies in the countryside into predicting the sex of a baby or choosing a burial plot, and occasionally they could earn a few loose copper coins.

However, once greed takes hold, it is impossible to suppress.

If you want to eat meat and drink a lot of alcohol, you naturally have to do some "big business".

Often walking by the river, how can there not be wet shoes?
Old Liu's rudimentary tricks were often exposed on the spot.

If you encounter a victim with a bad temper, they might just pin you to the ground and beat you mercilessly until your skin is torn and bleeding. That would be considered a stroke of good luck.

If you encounter a ruthless character with connections, just tie him up and send him to the security force.

After suffering repeated setbacks, Liu Laodao realized that he didn't have the talent and thought about changing careers.

But just when he was preparing to retire from his life of crime, he encountered someone.

To be precise, it was a back view that he still couldn't see clearly.

"That was in a black market in the capital."

In the middle of the night, the man saw that I was dressed as a ragged Taoist priest and called out to me in the dark alley.

He said he had something good to sell me, and that with it, he guaranteed I could be transformed and become a true Taoist priest!

Upon hearing this, Li Aiguo's eyes widened, his face filled with curiosity.

Good heavens, such a magical artifact exists in this world?
Could it be that they're selling legendary Daoist relics or some kind of cultivation manual?
As a result, when Liu Laodao revealed the answer, Li Aiguo almost couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Old Liu stood up and pulled out a bunch of bottles from a hidden compartment.

These bottles were filled with powders and pills of various colors.

"I don't know many words, so I don't know what kind of magical medicine these are."

Liu Laodao pointed to one of the bottles filled with white powder and said in a serious tone.

"However, that master taught me a secret."

He said that this drug only needs to be lit in an incense burner and then secretly inhaled during the ritual.

People will immediately experience dizziness and a disorienting feeling as if their soul has left their body!
I gave it a powerful name: 'Spiritual Powder'!

Li Aiguo curiously picked up the small bottle, unscrewed the cap, and gently smelled it.

A pungent, familiar smell rushed into my nasal cavity.

Li Aiguo's expression instantly became extremely interesting.

Damn it, what kind of magical powder is this? It's just powder made from mothballs used to repel insects!
Old Cat, who was standing nearby, also came over to take a look and couldn't help but twitch his lips: "No way, you think you can fool the people by inhaling some mothballs and making yourself dizzy?"

Upon hearing this, Old Liu gave him a professional look that said, "You don't know anything about this stuff," and slapped his thigh.

"Oh, my sir!"

Do you think it's easy for us in this line of work?
When you are 'possessed by a deity,' if you are lucid, others can tell at a glance whether you are truly insane or just pretending.

I used to try to imitate those experts and pretend to be a master, but every time I went a little too far, the smart people below would see through my act and I'd get a good beating!
Later I took this stuff...

Hey! Guess what? As soon as the mothball hit my head, my brain started buzzing, so I lay down on the ground, foaming at the mouth and pretending to be crazy.

No matter how shrewd the master was, he never saw through me!
You tell me, isn't this medicine powerful?

Li Aiguo and Lao Mao looked at each other in bewilderment.

Indeed... quite professional.

It seems that these days, even if you're a fake Taoist priest, you can't make a living without taking some drugs to yourself.

Li Aiguo suppressed a laugh and muttered something to himself.

He then casually pointed to another bottle containing yellow powder on the table: "Alright, alright, stop bragging about your acting skills."

If I'm not mistaken, this contains sulfur, right?

What use is this thing to you?

Old Liu laughed and said, "Sir, you are wise! This sulfur has many uses."

When the ritual reached a critical moment, I secretly lit this thing in the brazier, and it immediately emitted billowing white smoke with a pungent, evil aura!

At that moment, I shouted, "The Yin energy has appeared in the world, retreat immediately!"

The homeowners had never seen anything like it before. They were so frightened that their crotches were wet with sweat, and they obediently handed over stacks of silver dollars, begging me to avert disaster!

The subsequent small items, after being examined by Li Aiguo and Lao Mao, were basically similar to sulfur and white phosphorus.

They were all just quack chemicals used by itinerant magicians to deceive villagers; nothing special about them.

Just when Li Aiguo thought this was just a charlatan's toolbox, he picked up an inconspicuous dark glass bottle from the corner.

It smelled it and made a sound like "ee".

"Is this chloral hydrate?"

"What do you mean 'all'? I don't know. This is talisman water. Just drop a little on the talisman paper, trick the owner into drinking it, and they will become disoriented and feel like a ghost is watching them. They will hear ghostly cries. It's incredibly effective," Old Liu explained.

After listening, Li Aiguo nodded solemnly.

Chloral hydrate is a potent sedative-hypnotic agent. If used in excess or improperly, it can indeed cause severe hallucinations and mental confusion, which is exactly the effect described by Master Liu.

The problem is that mothballs and sulfur can still be easily bought on the black market.

However, chloral hydrate is already considered a highly specialized controlled substance in this era!
Although the management of such psychotropic drugs in China is slightly more relaxed now than in later generations.

But it's definitely not something that ordinary street thugs can easily get their hands on.

The "mysterious person" behind this is definitely not simple!
Then, when Li Aiguo examined the next drug, his suspicions were completely confirmed.

Liu Laodao called this medicine a "sedative elixir," saying that it would induce arousal after consumption, and he used it as an aphrodisiac.

"Oh, so you've even slept with women?" Old Cat's eyes widened.

Old Liu waved his hands repeatedly: "No! Even if you gave me ten lives, I wouldn't dare to do such a heinous thing!"
I'm just a fake Taoist priest seeking wealth, not a womanizer!
I only used this medicine to scare the villagers!

I secretly added some medicine to the tea beforehand, and when the women drank it and the effects took hold, I took the opportunity to fabricate a vicious story that it was caused by 'evil spirits possessing them' or 'lustful spirits entering their bodies'.

When the host saw that his female relatives were blushing and behaving abnormally in broad daylight, he dared not make a fuss in order to save face.
They can only beg me to quickly perform a ritual to exorcise the evil spirits!

Li Aiguo picked up the bottle and examined it closely.

This stuff is atropine, which doesn't actually have any aphrodisiac effect. People often mistake flushed face, hot body, and burning skin for being in heat.

After confirming Liu Laodao's statement, he did not dwell on the drugs but went straight to the point.

"So, you took these professional drugs given to you by that mysterious person and, on his behalf, kept a close eye on Zhang Tao in secret."

"And then yesterday you found out he was drunk, and immediately reported that information?"

"Yes...that's how it is." Old Liu dared not hide anything and honestly confessed.

"Zhang Tao has no other faults, except that he is extremely superstitious, especially after he encounters bad luck."

I casually showed off a couple of skills, and we quickly became familiar with each other.

Later, he became quite obedient to me, and he would tell me about any troubles he had.

"Just the day before yesterday afternoon, Zhang Tao came to me and told me that he was going to drink with some friends that night and might get too drunk to come here to burn incense on time."

Upon hearing this news, I did what I had done countless times before, following that person's rules, and reported it.

"How was it reported? What was the exact location?" Li Aiguo's eyes narrowed.

"It's just... just tear off a random note, write down Zhang Tao's whereabouts for the night, and then put it under the third loose brick in the alley behind the Changxindian Supply and Marketing Cooperative."

Li Aiguo did not pursue the matter of the note further.

We'll find out the exact location of the dead mailbox later when we send an investigator to the back of the Changxindian Supply and Marketing Cooperative. That will tell us whether Old Liu is lying.

The key question now is which mysterious person.

Li Aiguo lit a cigarette and asked, "Old Liu, you're an old hand at this too."

It's obvious these drugs aren't something an ordinary person can provide. Didn't you even think about finding out who was selling them?

"Oh my, sir! Who said I hadn't thought of that!" Old Liu slapped his thigh suddenly, his face full of grievance and lingering fear.

"After I got these potent drugs, I easily landed several big deals and made a lot of money."

I'm not stupid; I know that all this wealth is thanks to these drugs.

"If this mysterious man stops supplying me medicine one day, won't my business as a fake Taoist priest be completely ruined?"

"So I figured I had to find out the details of this money-making machine, so I could just get the medicine myself later!"

"And then? You followed him?" Old Cat pressed from the side.

“They were following us!” When Old Liu mentioned this, a look of fear appeared on his face.

"After that intelligence exchange, I took advantage of my familiarity with the hutongs of Beijing and secretly followed behind.

But...but that person was wearing a large black cloak, and their head was completely covered, so I couldn't tell whether they were male or female, old or young!

"What's even stranger is that I had only followed him through two alleyways, and I was staring at his back... when she... she walked into a dead end, right under my nose, and in the blink of an eye, she vanished in a flash!"

At this point, Old Liu suddenly looked up at Li Aiguo and Old Cat and asked, "Officers... do you think... there really are ghosts in this world? Was that person... a manifestation of some powerful deity?"

"There's nothing fishy about it! I think you're just feeling guilty! Plus, they have strong counter-surveillance capabilities, so they managed to shake you off, you old codger!"

After reprimanding Liu Laodao, Lao Mao, just to be on the safe side, checked Liu Laodao's testimony from several different angles and repeatedly in different orders.

It can be basically confirmed that what Liu Laodao said was true; he was indeed just a tool being used and knew nothing about the mastermind behind it all.

At this point, Old Cat was also in a dilemma. This was only half a clue. How should he continue the investigation?
"Let's take Old Liu back to the weather station first, then we'll have a meeting," Li Aiguo said.

"Yes!"

Just as Li Aiguo led his men back to the weather station.

In a secluded alley in Changxindian Town.

Inside what appeared to be an ordinary house, the doors and windows were tightly shut.

There were no lights in the room, only a single candle flickering on the table.

In the dim light, a black figure dressed in coarse gray cloth could be vaguely seen sitting cross-legged on a reed mat.

The man was holding a thread-bound ancient book in his hands, and was turning the pages by the dim candlelight.

Suddenly, a very faint, hurried sound of footsteps came from outside the courtyard.

The footsteps paused strangely as they approached the courtyard wall, then with a soft "whoosh," it seemed as if something had gracefully leaped over the top of the wall.

Immediately afterwards, the courtyard fell completely silent, as if the sound from before had been an illusion.

"Michiko, you're back?"

The black figure, sitting cross-legged on the mat, didn't even raise his head, nor did he pause turning the pages of the book. He simply asked in an extremely calm voice, "How did the mission go?"

The door was then pushed open from the outside.

A figure darted in and respectfully bowed to the figure in black.

"Teacher... the mission failed."

The woman, known as Michiko, lowered her head, her voice trembling slightly.

"Huh? Michiko, you're quite skilled, and your marksmanship is top-notch. How could you miss?" The voice of the black-clad figure wasn't loud, but it was extremely intimidating.

Michiko couldn't help but shudder, her knees buckled, and she knelt directly on the blue brick floor: "Teacher, I was already absolutely certain of success."

As a result, the weather station crew arrived, and one of the young men was particularly skilled; he actually discovered the location where I was lying in ambush.

I had no choice but to shoot, but he kicked Old Liu away, saving his life.

After saying this, Michiko pressed her head deeply to the ground: "Teacher, it was my carelessness that led to the failure of the mission to eliminate them! Please punish me severely!"

The black figure stared at her silently for two seconds: "Fine, get up. I'll let you off this time."

Michiko felt somewhat disappointed, as if the absence of punishment itself was a form of punishment.

"Teacher! I..."

"I'm asking you," the figure in black interrupted her, his voice still calm, "does that old fool Liu Laodao know your true identity?"

"I have absolutely no idea! Teacher, I was strictly following your orders and carefully disguised myself every time I came into contact with him."

"That's good. You can go back now. They won't be able to find anything."

"Yes"

Michiko stood up, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Teacher, have the drawings I gave you been sent out?"

Upon hearing this, the figure in black snorted coldly.

"Not yet. Based on my initial assessment, it's likely just part of some kind of large mechanical wheel device, and its significance is not great."

Even if I risk sending the blueprints out now,

The higher-ups wouldn't think we'd done anything significant, and we had no way of getting tickets home!

After saying that, the black-clad figure emphasized, "Michiko, you need to understand the current situation!"
It's the kind of devastating thing that exploded in our hometown back then!
It caused countless casualties.

If they complete Project 639, it will be harder than climbing to heaven for us to regain our former glory!

Therefore, you must continue your efforts to find out the specific implementation time and location of Project 639.

This is the highest mission entrusted to us by the Lord of the Bereaved Families! Even if it means being shattered to pieces, we must complete it!

"Hai!"

Michiko was stunned by her teacher, straightened her back, and bowed deeply.

A few minutes later.

Michiko backed out of the house and carefully closed the door again.

When she stood alone in the dark alley, the respect on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a deep weariness.

The Changxindian Locomotive Factory was responsible for special trains, so the technicians there had little access to information related to the 639.

The technicians, in particular, were very vigilant.
However, it would be worth any price to go back with the teacher.

Thinking of this, Michiko clenched her fist and quickly walked out.

Outside the alley, it was brightly lit, and people were bustling about.

Michiko, like a drop of water flowing into the ocean, lowered her head and blended into the crowd.

Soon it became impossible to tell which ordinary female worker she was.

"What exactly is Dieter's identity?" Inside the weather station, Li Aiguo wrote these words on the blackboard.

Old Cat and the others all looked at Li Aiguo.

Just now, Li Aiguo suddenly suggested that he might have found a clue about Dieter.

Everyone felt both happy and somewhat incredulous.

After all, there are hardly any useful clues left.

Li Aiguo did not wait for their reply and continued writing: "Old Liu said that the mysterious person disappeared in the blink of an eye. Excluding supernatural factors, this shows that the person was agile."

However, considering that Liu Laodao said the other party was wearing a large cloak to conceal his size, we can boldly speculate that this person is most likely a woman!
Because if it were a strong, adult man, wearing a cloak in the middle of the night would be too conspicuous; it's more reasonable to use it to conceal a woman's petite figure.

"A woman?" Old Cat paused for a moment, stroked his stubble, and nodded thoughtfully.

Li Aiguo continued:

"This person's access to tranquilizers and similar drugs suggests they are likely a medical professional."

"This person has been providing medicine to Liu Laodao since before the liberation, which shows that his identity has not changed much."

"This person knows Zhang Tao; otherwise, he wouldn't have attacked Zhang Tao."

Zhang Tao himself is not good at socializing, and his interpersonal relationships are mostly limited to the Changxindian Locomotive Factory, and if we expand a little further, it's limited to Changxindian itself.

As Li Aiguo listed out these seemingly unrelated clues, a sudden flash of inspiration struck the people in the conference room!
Those originally tangled clues were suddenly connected by an invisible thread, becoming clear and distinct!
A woman, a medical worker, who has worked in the Changxindian area for a long time, and knows Zhang Tao!
The veteran meteorologists looked at Li Aiguo with undisguised admiration and awe.

As expected of a top-notch investigator, he quickly pieced together the clues.

Li Aiguo continued, "Now, based on these four characteristics, immediately mobilize all resources! Conduct a comprehensive screening of all eligible medical personnel throughout Changxindian!"

"Yes!"

When handling these counter-espionage cases, the thing we fear least is hardship and fatigue, and the thing we fear most is being completely clueless with no leads.

With a clear portrait and clues, everything becomes much easier on this red land!
Especially in this era of burning passion, the power of the masses is boundless when an order is given.

The neighborhood committees of every street in Changxindian, the personnel departments of every factory, and every unit all welcomed a gray Zhongshan suit carrying orders.

The screening process was completed in the afternoon.

Three people matched the portrait; all of them worked in the medical department. Li Aiguo picked up the third one.

The owner of this file is named Lin Jingshu.

It says in the file.

Female, 27 years old this year, a native of Beiping.

At the age of eighteen, just before the liberation, she came to work as a nurse in the clinic of Changxindian Locomotive Factory thanks to her excellent nursing skills, and has been working there ever since.

Changxindian Locomotive Factory is a large-scale national key military and civilian factory with thousands of workers.

To ensure production, the factory's medical clinic is actually about the same level and size as a regular small hospital outside.

The medicine receiving slip in the clinic contains controlled drugs such as atropine and chloral hydrate!

Most importantly, according to Chen Hua, the section chief of Changxindian Locomotive Factory, just six months ago, Zhang Tao was injured in the workshop, and it was Lin Jingshu who was responsible for bandaging him.

"There's another thing: after Zhang Tao recovered from his injury, he often went to the infirmary to chat with Lin Jingshu."

I had previously asked the technicians who knew about it, but they didn't want to involve an innocent nurse, so they kept it a secret.

This was a mistake on my part, and I apologize for it.

Section Chief Chen Hua added.

Li Aiguo did not blame Section Chief Chen Hua.

If all the people were so vigilant and cooperative, able to see through the spies' disguises at a glance, then Dieter would have been out of the picture long ago.

"Wow! They all match up!"

Old Cat, standing nearby, slapped his thigh excitedly and stood up: "Let's go bring Lin Jingshu back now!"

"No, let's wait a little longer." Li Aiguo unexpectedly shook his head.

"Wait?" the old cat asked, puzzled.

Li Aiguo laughed and said, "If Lin Jingshu is really that Dieter, she's already trapped and can be moved at any time. The key question is, what if she has someone backing her?"

The room fell silent instantly upon hearing this.

Yes, even if Lin Jingshu is arrested, there's no guarantee that we can get her to talk.

"you mean"

"I'd like to use a trick to lure the snake out of its hole."

Li Aiguo stood up, a hunter's smile playing on his lips, and turned to look at Section Chief Chen Hua: "Section Chief Chen, let's go."

I'd like to go to the security department of your locomotive factory again, and make the trip myself.

At this moment, in the medical room of Changxindian Locomotive Factory.

As always, I'm extremely busy.

Although there are seven or eight doctors and a dozen nurses here, as a factory with thousands of workers, all of whom are engaged in manufacturing work, injuries happen frequently.

Strangely, these grown men with minor injuries, instead of going to the spacious surgical emergency room outside, all preferred to line up in the small office furthest inside on the east side.

There was no other reason than that a very gentle and lovely nurse named Lin Jingshu was sitting inside.

"Oh, Nurse Lin, your skills are amazing! The bandaging didn't hurt at all!"

"Whoever marries you will be incredibly lucky," a male worker joked.

"Brother Zhang, you're making fun of me again."

Lin Jingshu wasn't annoyed. She skillfully tied a pretty bow while gently instructing, "Brother Zhang, remember, don't let the wound get wet these next few days, and get plenty of rest."

"Hehe, Nurse Lin, don't worry, I can ignore everyone else, but I'll listen to you." The male worker laughed and left.

Lin Jingshu maintained her smile as she watched him leave.

The smile on her face vanished instantly only after the worker's figure disappeared at the end of the corridor. A flash of disgust crossed her eyes as she disdainfully flicked the iodine swab in her hand.

The hands of the wall clock pointed to noon.

Lin Jingshu stood up, straightened her white coat, and took her iron-waisted lunchbox to the cafeteria to get her food.

At that moment, another figure walked in.

Upon seeing the person who arrived, Lin Jingshu paused for a moment, then immediately put on a concerned smile: "Oh, it's Technician Chen! I haven't seen you for several days."

The visitor was Chen Xingyi, a key member of the factory's core technology department.

Chen Xingyi looked somewhat listless, with dark circles under his eyes: "Don't even mention it. A couple of days ago, there was a misunderstanding with the security department. They insisted that our department was suspected of leaking secrets and locked up several of us for interrogation."

Fortunately, the matter has been investigated and found to have nothing to do with us, so they were all released this morning.

"It's about Tech Zhang, isn't it? He was such a good person, how could he just be gone like that? What's so good about alcohol? Drinking can kill people, why couldn't Tech Zhang change his ways?"

Lin Jingshu looked regretful.

"Ahem, this isn't something we should be discussing." Chen Xingyi sat down.

"Ah, yes, yes, Chen, where do you feel unwell? Should we wait for the doctor to come and take a look?" Lin Jingshu saw that Chen Xingyi was not injured.

"I just want to buy some medicine, do you have any that can help me stay alert?"

"What's wrong, Tech Chen? Are you busy?"

"Don't even mention it. We're under a lot of pressure with our work. They said it has to be finished within five days, then the parts need to be loaded onto the truck and sent to Fengtai Railway Station. We've been delayed a bit these past few days, so we need to get over here quickly." After saying that, Chen Xingyi seemed to realize something and quickly added.

"You absolutely mustn't tell anyone, otherwise, those old guys in the confidential office will start nagging again."

Lin Jingshu laughed so hard she nearly fell over.
"Technician Chen, you're really joking. What did you just say? I'm hard of hearing, I was so focused on finding the medicine that I didn't hear anything!"

"Yes, yes, yes! They didn't say anything! They didn't say anything!"

Lin Jingshu stood up and got Chen Xingyi a few anti-fatigue tablets, instructing him: "This medicine is extremely effective; one tablet will keep you energetic all day."

However, due to the significant side effects, its use has now been explicitly prohibited by the authorities.

This is still from previous stock, so don't tell anyone.

"Don't worry." Chen Xingyi thanked Lin Jingshu and left the infirmary with the medicine bottle.

Lin Jingshu stood quietly in place, staring at Chen Xingyi's back.

"Testing to be completed within five days... Parts loaded onto trucks and sent to Fengtai Railway Station..."

It's really hard to find a place to break through the iron shoes, and it takes no effort to get it!
Unexpectedly, this classified information came to us on its own!
Lin Jingshu took a deep breath to calm her excited emotions.

Holding the iron-waisted lunchbox, he followed Chen Xingyi from a distance until Chen Xingyi entered the technical department, then he headed towards the canteen.

Lin Jingshu arrived at the director's office as soon as she started work in the afternoon.

"Director, I just checked, and we're running low on several of our medications. I'd like to go to the health center this afternoon to get some more."

"You handle this. I trust you to get things done. Go write down the types and quantities of medicines that need to be inventoried and bring them to me. I'll sign and stamp them for you."

"Okay, thank you, Director."

Lin Jingshu had always been in charge of picking up the medicine, and the director agreed without hesitation.

He didn't notice that Lin Jingshu had a sinister smile on her lips as she left the office.

(End of this chapter)