Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Early the next morning, many people received news of the attack on the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill the previous night.

At first, they were somewhat panicked, especially the workers in the factory.

They were amused when they learned that the petty thief had only thrown a few grenades from afar and then ran away.

With such limited skills, how could he be a spy?

Are you messing with me?

This is just making us workers look bad.

Similarly, they also learned about Factory Director Li Jiuzhou's defensive measures, and they all gave him a thumbs up.

The walls around my factory are all lit up, come on in, come on in if you dare...

Not only were the workers at the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill overjoyed, but all the people in Beiping who received the news were delighted.

Rumors in the city intensified, and in just one morning, they escalated into a story of Director Li outsmarting a foolish spy late at night.

The people of Beiping were overjoyed, and the higher-ups were also delighted when they heard the news.

What does this tell us?

This means it's a good thing!

Our own cadres have a good reputation and enjoy popular support.

Li Jiuzhou and his second uncle skipped breakfast and went to the factory together around 6 a.m., when it was just getting light.

Meanwhile, several other senior leaders from the factory went to see the bombed area first, and then held a routine meeting.

Despite the freezing weather, many leaders were sweating profusely, not from the heat, but from fear.

If the spy's operation had succeeded last night, then every single leader present here would have been in serious trouble.

This is a stain on one's political career, one that will be written into one's resume.

They might not get fired, but promotion will definitely be difficult.

At the same time, they were relieved that the spy's operation had failed, and looked at Li Jiuzhou with gratitude and respect.

Without the factory manager's foresight, something terrible would have definitely happened this time.

Li Huaide drank some hot tea to moisten his throat, then lit a cigarette and gently tapped the table with his left hand.

"Gentlemen, you all know what happened last night and you've seen the scene. Tell me, what measures should we take? The spies are determined to destroy us. What should we do next?"

Lin Gang, the head of the security department, spoke directly:

"Secretary, factory director, and comrades, security needs to be strengthened, otherwise I won't be able to sleep at night. I'll stay at the factory for now to keep an eye on things."

Li Huaide nodded:

"The incident happened suddenly, and the factory really needs you as the head of the security department to take charge of the overall situation. Comrade Lin Gang, thank you for your hard work during this period."

"Comrade Secretary, it's no trouble at all; it's all for serving the people." Lin Gang stood up, saluted the crowd, and then slowly sat down.

"Does the factory manager have anything to add?" Li Huaide asked, looking at Li Jiuzhou.

Li Jiuzhou coughed lightly:

"Then I'll add a few points."

"The entire factory is currently under martial law. To prevent spies from using underhanded tactics, I have decided to conduct a surprise inspection."

"Workers must be searched before entering the factory. This is not disrespectful to them, but rather for their safety."

"You have all heard about what happened at the Southern Steel Plant. The spies coerced the workers' families into bringing explosives into the plant, and I'm sure you all know what happened in the end."

"It's either blood and gore flying everywhere or the machines are blown to smithereens."

"We have no choice but to do this during this special period; these bastards are just too insidious."

"Comrades, we must be prepared for danger even in times of peace..."

When Li Jiuzhou said that, everyone present was drenched in sweat.

They naturally knew about the news coming from the south; it was terrifying, practically a terrorist attack.

So everyone started to respond:

"Factory manager, I support this, this is the way to do it."

"Yes, I support that too. Search me first, start with the leading cadres!"

Seeing that everyone agreed, the matter was settled, and the next step was to discuss some specific implementation details.

With tens of thousands of employees in the factory, the security department alone is not enough; we need to allocate more personnel.

It will be implemented this morning.

Therefore, all workers arriving for work underwent inspection before entering the factory gate.

Someone nearby was using a megaphone to explain the situation in order to prevent the workers from becoming agitated.

Grassroots cadres were all drawn up to coordinate and conduct inspections.

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong worked together as a team, with red cloths tied around their arms to indicate that they were inspectors working together.

Both of them were full of enthusiasm, after all, only cadres would be selected for this task, and ordinary people didn't even have that qualification.

At this moment, a middle-aged man in the queue had an uncertain expression. There were two people ahead of him, and it would be his turn soon. He did not expect that there would be an inspection this morning.

My fingers are starting to go numb...

That's right, he is the leader of that group of spies last night, a fifth-level fitter in the first fitter workshop, named Zhang Tiezhu.

I lost all face last night, and this morning I was ridiculed by everyone. Others may not know who he is, but does he not know himself?

I was absolutely furious! The whole of Beiping was laughing at them; they were a disgrace to the principal…

So he decided to get revenge. He came here today with the intention of dying, and his lunchbox contained two hand grenades.

He decided that when he went to work, he would throw one grenade onto the machine, hold another grenade in his hand, and then take several people down with him.

That's way too extreme.

Time passed slowly, and soon it was Zhang Tiezhu's turn.

Yi Zhonghai smiled at Zhang Tiezhu, after all, this was someone from his workshop, someone under his jurisdiction.

"Xiao Zhang, Pei, please cooperate. Open your pocket and lunchbox so we can check them. It'll be quick."

Facing Yi Zhonghai, Zhang Tiezhu gave a stiff smile. He hadn't figured out what to do yet, and it seemed he had no other choice but to explode on the spot.

Just then, Lin Gang, the head of the security department, walked by on patrol. He had sharp eyes and immediately noticed the unnaturalness and a hint of ferocity in Zhang Tiezhu's eyes. His heart skipped a beat.

He quickly called out:

"etc."

Lin Gang's shout startled Zhang Tiezhu, Yi Zhonghai, and Liu Haizhong.

However, Zhang Tiezhu was the first to react. He quickly took out a lunchbox from his pocket, opened it, and two black, shiny objects appeared in front of the group!

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong were standing close together, their faces turning green. Damn it, it was too late…

At the crucial moment, Yi Zhonghai calmed down and shouted:

"Old Liu, hold him down!" After saying that, he rushed forward and grabbed Zhang Tiezhu's left and right hands with both hands.

After realizing what was happening, Liu Haizhong grabbed Zhang Tiezhu and hugged him tightly.

"Damn it, Yi Zhonghai, you ruined my plans!" Veins bulged on Zhang Tiezhu's forehead as he kept bringing his hands closer to the grenade. He only needed to pull the pin to detonate it; it was just a few centimeters away.

But Yi Zhonghai was very strong, and he put all his strength into preventing Zhang Tiezhu's hands from getting close.

"Xiao Zhang, don't do anything stupid... Think about your family," Yi Zhonghai urged him through gritted teeth.

Zhang Tiezhu's face darkened:

"I'm a total bachelor, I don't have any family here, get out of my way!"

"No family? That makes things easier." Yi Zhonghai delivered a knee strike directly to Zhang Tiezhu's groin.

"Oh..." Zhang Tiezhu let out a miserable cry and deflated.

The incident happened in just a few seconds. By then, Lin Gang had arrived and knocked the two grenades out of his hand.

Once they were safe, Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong were both soaked to the bone and collapsed on the ground. They looked at each other and saw the look of relief in each other's eyes.

Lin Gang and his two companions immediately took Zhang Tiezhu away and then continued to control the situation.

"Take him to the interrogation room for further examination."

Security personnel immediately intervened, telling the workers not to panic and not to talk nonsense, which brought the situation under control.