Fusion System: Rebirth in a Courtyard - Bird Fighting Chronicles

In the early summer of 1965, the mornings at the Hongxing Courtyard were always shrouded in a faint smell of coal smoke. Lin Chen woke up just as dawn was breaking, clutching Jia Zhangshi's crookedly written letter in his arms, the edges of the pages wrinkled from the sweat of his palms. He quietly pushed open the window and saw that the pomegranate tree in the middle courtyard had just sprouted new leaves. The wooden door to Yi Zhonghai's house was tightly closed, and the "Labor is Glorious" couplets pasted on the lintel last year had long faded, the edges curled into wavy shapes—behind that door lay a secret that could ruin the reputation of this eighth-grade fitter.

"Good morning, Junior Brother Lin." Qin Huairu's voice came from the corner of the courtyard. She carried a cloth bag containing sweet potato porridge for Yi Zhonghai—according to her plan, she wanted to use the excuse of asking for technical advice to find out the location of the hidden compartment under the bed. Her eyes were a little dark, obviously she hadn't slept well last night, and the blue hair clip tucked behind her ear was askew, revealing a few strands of unkempt hair. "The porridge is a little too thick, Master Yi likes this texture," she said softly. There was also a small "福" (fortune) character embroidered on the cloth bag, a pattern that Lin Chen had casually designed for her last year when he taught her sewing.

Lin Chen nodded, his gaze sweeping across the front yard—Yan Bugui was squatting by the door counting coal briquettes, drawing a line on the wall with chalk every five, muttering to himself, clearly calculating this month's coal consumption. From the backyard came Liu Haizhong's scolding voice; Liu Guangfu had probably knocked over his rice bowl again. "Good morning, Master Yan," Lin Chen deliberately raised his voice, "The neighborhood committee said yesterday they're going to inspect fire prevention, so your coal stove needs to be kept away from firewood." Yan Bugui glared at him, then quickly lowered his head to count the coal briquettes again, muttering, "I know, I know, even more long-winded than the neighborhood committee officials," but the chalk in his hand paused unconsciously—Lin Chen was reminding him that something important was happening in the yard today, and he shouldn't get involved.

Sha Zhu came in from outside carrying an empty lunchbox, his face showing some fatigue, but his eyes were shining. "Everything's arranged," he said in a low voice as he walked up to Lin Chen. "I told the head chef in the cafeteria that I'd be delivering midnight snacks to the workers in the workshop who are working overtime tonight. I can go back to the factory around 10 p.m. and keep an eye on Yi Zhonghai's movements then." He shook the lunchbox, revealing a small screwdriver hidden inside. Lin Chen had used the system to fuse scrap steel and polish it yesterday. The screwdriver's tip was sharp and small, just enough to pry open the latch of the hidden compartment.

Just after seven o'clock, Yi Zhonghai's door opened. He was wearing his faded blue overalls, the collar buttoned up tightly, and carrying a tin lunchbox, heading towards the workshop. Seeing Qin Huairu standing at the door, his expression softened slightly, but a flicker of wariness flashed in his eyes. "Little Qin, what's up?" His voice carried its usual authority, his fingers unconsciously tracing the scratches on the lunchbox—scratches from the chain when he repaired Sha Zhu's bicycle last year.

"Master Yi," Qin Huairu quickly handed over the cloth bag, "I cooked some sweet potato porridge, please take it for breakfast. Also, the metalworking marking technique you taught me last time, I can't quite get the angle right, I'd like to ask you for some more pointers." She lowered her head, revealing fine beads of sweat on the back of her neck, acting just right—like a humble apprentice seeking knowledge, yet with a touch of timid reverence.

Yi Zhonghai took the cloth bag, weighed it in his hand, and forced a smile. "Okay, I'll teach you when I get back tonight. I need to go to the workshop now. The polishing equipment that Lin Chen improved yesterday is going to be put into trial production, so I need to keep an eye on it." He was about to leave when he paused, turned back to look at Qin Huairu, and asked, "Have you been getting quite close to Lin Chen lately?" His tone was subtly probing.

"Junior Brother Lin is willing to teach me real skills," Qin Huairu quickly explained. "Last time, he was the one who taught me how to polish military parts." She deliberately mentioned military parts, knowing that this was the project that Yi Zhonghai cared about most. Sure enough, Yi Zhonghai's expression softened, and he waved his hand: "Study hard. If there are any openings for permanent positions in the workshop later, I'll keep an eye out for you." After saying that, he quickly walked out of the courtyard gate, the hem of his work clothes swaying with his steps, revealing the worn-out socks at his ankles.

Lin Chen, hiding behind his door, saw everything clearly. He knew Yi Zhonghai hadn't completely let his guard down, and he needed to be even more cautious that night. He went back inside, opened the system panel, and the "Skill Inheritance" function, which he had unlocked yesterday, was flashing a pale blue light. He tried to input the basic points of the "Precision Forging" skill into the system, and the panel immediately displayed "Inheritance package generating, can be transferred via physical contact"—this was an unexpected bonus, making it much easier to teach Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu the skills in the future.

At nine o'clock in the morning, Lin Chen arrived at the workshop on time. As soon as he entered the precision forging group, he saw Director Zhou and several technical staff members surrounding the improved polishing equipment, their faces full of joy. "Little Lin, you've finally arrived!" Director Zhou took his hand and pointed to the test report next to him, "Ra0.1 precision, the military industry just called to praise you, saying they'll give you a special banner!" The surrounding workers gathered around to congratulate him. Liu Haizhong squeezed into the crowd, his face showing a complex expression, both envious and somewhat ashamed—last time, his crankshaft forging only passed the test because Lin Chen secretly taught him quenching techniques.

Yi Zhonghai stood beside the equipment, his face as gloomy as a dark cloud. He held a wrench in his hand, pretending to inspect the equipment, but his eyes kept glancing at Lin Chen. "Little Lin," he suddenly spoke, "I think there's room for improvement in the meshing of the gears on this equipment." He squatted down and pointed to the gaps in the gears, "If we add a wear-resistant bushing here, the service life can be doubled."

Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat—Yi Zhonghai wanted to interfere with the equipment improvement and take the opportunity to seize the core technology. He smiled and squatted down, taking out the 3D drawings generated by the system: "Master Yi is right, I thought of that a long time ago. This is the design drawing of the bushing, which uses chromium-manganese alloy, three times harder than ordinary steel." He handed over the drawing, deliberately turning it to the back, where there was a small mark—a secret code he and Sha Zhu had agreed on, representing "everything goes smoothly".

Yi Zhonghai took the blueprints, his eyes lighting up instantly. He ran his fingers over the blueprints, muttering to himself, "This is good stuff. If we patent this process, the factory will definitely reward us handsomely." He looked up at Lin Chen, his eyes filled with greed. "Lin, lend me these blueprints for a couple of days to study. I'll help you optimize the details."

"No problem," Lin Chen readily agreed, "but I need to take it back tonight to revise some data, I'll give it to you tomorrow." He knew Yi Zhonghai would definitely study the blueprints while he was away, which would buy him time for the operation that night. Sure enough, Yi Zhonghai's expression softened, and he nodded: "Okay, I'll go home early tonight, you can come and get it."

At lunchtime, Sha Zhu ran over carrying a lunchbox full of braised pork, followed by Jia Geng. "Lin Chen, look who's here!" Sha Zhu put the lunchbox on the table, and Jia Geng stood timidly behind him, clutching a crumpled piece of paper. "Uncle Lin," Jia Geng whispered, handing over the paper, "Grandma asked me to give this to you secretly, saying it's the key to the hidden compartment."

Lin Chen unfolded the crumpled paper, inside which was a small brass key, about the size of a fingernail, with the character "Hai" engraved on it. His heart sank—Jia Zhangshi had even hidden the key; it seemed she had known Yi Zhonghai's secret all along, but hadn't said anything, waiting to use it as a bargaining chip at a crucial moment. "What else did your grandmother say?" Lin Chen asked Jia Geng.

"Grandma said the hidden compartment is under the wooden board under the bed. You have to move the bricks next to the bed legs first." Jia Geng said, kicking pebbles on the ground. "She also said that if you can get her out early, she knows other secrets about Grandpa Yi." Lin Chen patted Jia Geng's head, took out a piece of candy from his pocket and handed it to her: "Don't listen to your grandma anymore. Study hard and learn a trade when you grow up." Jia Geng took the candy, nodded, and ran away quickly—since Jia Zhangshi went to the labor camp, she no longer had to sneak around in the yard. Grandpa Wang and Grandma Li often gave her food.

Sha Zhu watched Jia Geng's retreating figure and sighed, "That kid has it tough too." He placed a piece of braised pork in Lin Chen's bowl. "At ten o'clock tonight, I'll wait for you at the back door of Yi Zhonghai's house. He goes to the public toilet in the courtyard every day at this time, and it takes him about five minutes. Qin Huairu said she would knock on the door in advance, pretending to ask for advice on techniques, to keep him occupied for a while."

Lin Chen nodded, about to speak, when he saw Yi Zhonghai walk over with a lunchbox, his face somewhat grim. "Shazhu," he said, putting the lunchbox on the table, "Why didn't you tell me you were giving Qin Huairu cornmeal yesterday?" Shazhu was taken aback, then realized—Yi Zhonghai was testing him, seeing if he still listened to him as before. "It's not easy for Senior Sister Qin to raise three children," Shazhu said calmly, "What's wrong with me giving her some cornmeal? I can't just watch the children go hungry."

Yi Zhonghai's face flushed instantly. He hadn't expected Sha Zhu to dare talk back to him. "Have you forgotten who hired you in the cafeteria?" He slammed his hand on the table, his voice booming. "If it weren't for me, you'd still be picking through trash on the streets!" The surrounding workers all looked over, their eyes filled with curiosity. Lin Chen quickly smoothed things over: "Master Yi, Sha Zhu meant well. Let's eat, we have a trial production this afternoon."

Yi Zhonghai glared at Sha Zhu, picked up his chopsticks, and started rummaging through his rice bowl, but barely ate anything. Lin Chen noticed that his hands were trembling and his eyes were somewhat panicked—it seemed that Jia Zhangshi's letter had made him uneasy. He secretly scanned Yi Zhonghai's lunchbox with the system; the panel displayed: "Emotions: Anxious + Vigilant, Items Carried: Workshop Archives Key (Copy), Objective: Transfer the blueprints before 7 PM." Lin Chen's heart tightened; it seemed Yi Zhonghai was about to act ahead of schedule.

The afternoon's trial production went smoothly. The improved polishing equipment operated stably, and every military-grade part produced was of high quality. Director Zhou was overjoyed and immediately announced bonuses for Lin Chen and the workers who participated in the improvement. Yi Zhonghai stood to the side, his face expressionless, but he kept glancing at the clock on the wall, clearly his mind was no longer in the workshop.

At six o'clock in the evening, Yi Zhonghai left work early. Lin Chen pretended to go to the restroom and secretly followed him. He saw Yi Zhonghai enter the courtyard and go straight home, without going to the middle courtyard to chat with the neighbors as usual. He quickly ran back to the workshop, found Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu, and explained the situation. "It seems he's going to move the blueprints ahead of schedule," Lin Chen said. "We need to act early. We should start at eight o'clock tonight. Qin Huairu, go knock on the door and tell him Lin Chen asked you to deliver the improved blueprints. He'll definitely open the door."

Qin Huairu nodded, a hint of nervousness in her eyes. "I understand. I'll try my best to stall for time." She took out a small rag doll from her bag, sewn from scraps of cloth. "This is a toy I made for Huaihua. I'll just say Huaihua is clamoring to see Grandpa Yi, so he'll lower his guard." Lin Chen took the doll and saw a small "Chen" character sewn on it. He knew this was a secret code Qin Huairu had made, meaning "it's time to act."

It was eight o'clock in the evening, and the sky was completely dark. Most of the neighbors in the courtyard had already gone to sleep, except for Yan Bugui's house in the front yard, where the light was still on, and the faint sound of an abacus clicking could be heard—he was probably calculating the month's income and expenses again. Lin Chen and Sha Zhu hid in the woodshed in the back yard, watching the light in the middle yard. "They're here," Sha Zhu whispered, pointing to the middle yard, where Qin Huairu was standing at the door of Yi Zhonghai's house, holding a folder in her hand, which probably contained fake blueprints.

Qin Huairu knocked on the door, and Yi Zhonghai's voice came from inside: "Who is it?" "Master Yi, it's me, Qin Huairu." Qin Huairu's voice was timid. "Junior Brother Lin asked me to bring you the improved bushing blueprints, saying you want to study them." The door creaked open, and Yi Zhonghai poked his head out. When he saw the folder in Qin Huairu's hand, his eyes lit up, and he quickly let her in.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lin Chen and Sha Zhu slipped out of the woodshed and crept along the wall to the back door of Yi Zhonghai's house. Sha Zhu took out the key he had made beforehand, gently inserted it into the lock, and turned it. With a "click," the lock opened. The two held their breath, pushed open the door, and went inside—the room was filled with a faint smell of kerosene, and a kerosene lamp sat on the table, its light dim.

"Quick, under the bed!" Sha Zhu whispered, and the two hurried to the bedside. Following Jia Geng's instructions, Lin Chen moved a blue brick next to the bed leg and sure enough, he saw a small hidden compartment underneath with a brass lock that fit the key given to him by Jia Zhangshi. He carefully inserted the key, turned it, and with a "click," the hidden compartment opened.

Inside the hidden compartment was a tin box with the word "Confidential" engraved on it. Lin Chen opened the box, and sure enough, there was a stack of blueprints inside, labeled "Military Precision Gear Machining Blueprints," along with Yi Zhonghai's signature. Just as he was about to take the blueprints out, he heard Yi Zhonghai's voice from the front hall: "You said Lin Chen asked you to deliver the blueprints? Why didn't he come himself?"

"Junior Brother Lin is working overtime in the workshop, so he asked me to bring it over first." Qin Huairu's voice was a little nervous. "Master Yi, look at these blueprints..." "Just put them there, I'll look at them tomorrow." Yi Zhonghai's voice was impatient. "You go back first, I still have some things to study." Lin Chen and Sha Zhu exchanged a glance, quickly put the blueprints back in the tin box, locked the hidden compartment, moved the blue bricks back, and then walked quickly to the back door, gently closed the door, and hid in the woodshed.

Just as they found cover, they saw Qin Huairu emerge from Yi Zhonghai's house. She winked towards the woodshed and then quickly returned to her own home. Not long after, Yi Zhonghai also came out, carrying a cloth bag and looking flustered as he walked towards the gate. "He's moving the blueprints!" Lin Chen whispered, and the two quickly followed.

Yi Zhonghai walked all the way to the back gate of the steel rolling mill, where there was an abandoned warehouse. He looked around to make sure no one was watching, then pushed open the door and went inside. Lin Chen and Sha Zhu hid in the haystack outside the warehouse, watching the light coming from inside. "What do we do?" Sha Zhu whispered, "Should we just go in and grab him?"

"Wait," Lin Chen said, "We have to wait for him to produce the blueprints and get solid evidence." He took out the simple recording device integrated with the system and turned it on—this device was modified from an old radio and tapes and could record an hour's worth of sound.

After a while, Yi Zhonghai's voice came from the warehouse: "Old Zhou, I brought the blueprints. Don't forget what you promised me." A strange voice rang out: "Don't worry, as long as the blueprints are genuine, I'll arrange a job for you in the south, with double the salary here." Lin Chen's heart sank—it turned out that Yi Zhonghai not only stole the blueprints but also intended to sell them to others!

"The blueprints are absolutely genuine," Yi Zhonghai said smugly. "It took me half a year to get my hands on them, and they even have my signature on them." "Okay, let me see," a stranger said, followed by the sound of papers turning over. Lin Chen winked at Sha Zhu, and the two quietly pushed open the door and went inside.

Inside the warehouse, a man in a Zhongshan suit was examining blueprints, while Yi Zhonghai stood beside him, his face full of anticipation. "Yi Zhonghai, how dare you!" Lin Chen shouted, startling both Yi Zhonghai and the man, who turned around. Seeing Lin Chen and Sha Zhu, Yi Zhonghai's face instantly turned deathly pale: "You...you're here?"

"If we hadn't come, how would we have known you were selling military blueprints?" Sha Zhu stepped forward, snatched the blueprints, and said, "Yi Zhonghai, do you think you've lived up to the factory's trust in you? Do you think you've lived up to Director Zhou's high regard for you?" The man in the Zhongshan suit tried to run, but Lin Chen grabbed his wrist: "Trying to leave? Not so easy!"

"Lin Chen, I beg you, please let me go!" Yi Zhonghai knelt down with a thud, hugging Lin Chen's leg and wailing, "I have no choice, my son is sick in the south and needs money for treatment!" His face was covered in tears and snot, and he looked extremely pitiful. Lin Chen, however, remained unmoved—he had already checked with the system and found that Yi Zhonghai had no son at all, only a daughter who had married and moved away many years ago.

"Stop pretending," Lin Chen said coldly. "You don't have a son at all. You just want to use the money from selling the blueprints to go south and enjoy a life of luxury!" He took out a recording device. "I've recorded your conversation with him. This is the evidence!" Yi Zhonghai's face turned ashen instantly. He slumped to the ground, unable to say another word.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the warehouse, and Director Zhou rushed in with several security guards. "Xiao Lin, Sha Zhu, what happened?" Director Zhou's expression changed when he saw Yi Zhonghai on the ground and the captured man in the Zhongshan suit. Lin Chen handed over the recording equipment and blueprints: "Director Zhou, Yi Zhonghai stole military blueprints and wanted to sell them to this person!"

After listening to the recording and looking at the blueprints, Director Zhou trembled with rage: "Yi Zhonghai, I was blind to have trusted you for so many years!" He told the security guards, "Arrest them both and take them to the police station!" The guards stepped forward, grabbed Yi Zhonghai and the man in the Zhongshan suit, and carried them out. As Yi Zhonghai passed Lin Chen, he glared at him fiercely: "Lin Chen, I won't let you get away with this!" Lin Chen sneered: "You've done something illegal; no one can save you!"

It was already 11 p.m. when they returned to the courtyard. The neighbors were all awakened and gathered in the middle courtyard, discussing the matter. Yan Bugui, holding an account book, wrote as he did so, saying, "Yi Zhonghai brought this on himself. Stealing military blueprints is a crime punishable by imprisonment!" Liu Haizhong stood to the side, his expression complex—he had always been jealous of Yi Zhonghai's status as an eighth-grade fitter, but seeing him end up like this, he felt a pang of resentment.

Qin Huairu stood in the crowd, holding Jia Huaihua, her face full of relief. Since escaping Yi Zhonghai's control, she no longer needed to feign pitifulness and scheme against Sha Zhu; she could support her three children with her skills. "Junior Brother Lin, thank you," she whispered as she walked to Lin Chen's side. "If it weren't for you, I'd still be being played by Yi Zhonghai like a pawn."

Lin Chen smiled. "No need to thank me, he did it himself." He looked up at the sky; the moon was full, its light illuminating the entire courtyard. Suddenly, a notification popped up on the system panel: "The host has successfully exposed Yi Zhonghai's crime of stealing military blueprints, dismantling the core members of the retirement group, completing the 'Act of Justice' mission, earning +5000 points. Current points: 26000. New feature unlocked: Equipment Blueprint Generation (can generate basic equipment blueprints as needed)."

Lin Chen was overjoyed. The equipment blueprint generation function was a powerful tool, providing a technical foundation for future entrepreneurship. He glanced at Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu, who were chatting with their neighbors, their faces full of relaxed smiles. He knew that with Yi Zhonghai gone, the core of the retirement community was gone, and life in the courtyard would finally be peaceful.

Just then, there was a knock at the gate. Opening it, he saw a police officer from the local police station. "Are you Comrade Lin Chen?" the officer asked, handing him a notification slip. "Jia Zhangshi has performed well in the labor camp and has also received commendations. She's being released half a month early and can come out tomorrow." Lin Chen took the slip, a thought flashing through his mind—what commendations had Jia Zhangshi received? Did she know some other secret? He gripped the slip tightly, his eyes resolute—it seemed the story of the courtyard house wasn't over yet.