Siheyuan: Hang Jia Dongxu, smash Banggeng to death!

"You have to lure out your superiors and trade their lives for yours."

Lin Tian hoisted the axe onto his shoulder, and Old Zhang was stunned for a moment, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face.

"But... the rendezvous is in three days..."

"Three days later?"

Lin Tian smiled.

"Don't tell me you have to wait three days. I know you must have an emergency contact method."

Unless something truly major happens, waiting until news is delivered only once a month would likely mean that everything has already been settled.

Old Zhang opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but found himself speechless.

Only because

Lin Tian is right.

In ancient times, there was even an urgent delivery service that could travel 800 li (approximately 400 kilometers).

If they were to discover the Lou family's treasure now, they would definitely report it immediately.

Wait three days?

The daylily has gone cold; anything can happen.

"I……"

Old Zhang swallowed hard, looking at the child in front of him, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

How does he know everything?

"Okay, I promise."

Old Zhang gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and said, "It's better for me to die than for my friend to die. But you must let me go."

Lin Tian nodded, his smile turning amiable: "Don't worry, I've always been a kind-hearted person, and all the readers who have read this far can attest to that."

Upon hearing this, Old Zhang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

To survive, betraying one's superiors is nothing.

Those Japanese soldiers ran away faster than anyone else when they surrendered, leaving these unofficial personnel behind as spies.

They also possess evidence that they have infiltrated enemy intelligence, meaning they could be abandoned at any time if they disobey.

For years, I've lived like a rat, hiding in the gutter, constantly worried about being caught or silenced.

Now that we have the chance to get rid of all this, why not take it?

Old Zhang's last remaining loyalty shattered into dust in the face of his will to survive.

"Let's go," Lin Tian said.

Old Zhang nodded, got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and walked down the mountain.

Lin Tian followed behind him.

Outside the city of Sijiu.

This morning, Beijing was a little different; there were checkpoints under martial law everywhere.

Long queues formed on the road outside the city gates, with men, women, young and old, carrying loads, pushing carts, and leading children, all waiting to be inspected before entering the city.

The police officers stood on both sides of the checkpoint, their expressions serious and their eyes piercing.

Everyone entering the city was thoroughly questioned, had their documents checked, and was even searched.

Within the queue, some locals whispered curiously:

"What's going on? Why are they suddenly checking so strictly?"

A middle-aged man lowered his voice and said, "I heard from the mistress of the wife of the eldest brother's son of my aunt's cousin next door that the people from the courtyard house at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang have collectively escaped from prison."

"prison Break?"

The person next to him gasped, "There were twenty people there."

"That's right. I heard the police are conducting a city-wide manhunt."

Another old woman came over and said mysteriously, "I heard they were targeted by an evil spirit. That evil spirit killed more than forty people, and they were so scared that they ran away."

"Evil spirits? There are no evil spirits in this world. I heard it was the work of enemy agents."

"Of course they are! My nephew was at the police station; he saw them disappear into thin air with his own eyes!"

Shh! Keep your voice down, don't let anyone hear.

The murmurs gradually subsided, but everyone's face still held a mixture of fear and curiosity.

Old Zhang stood in the queue and glanced back at the outside of the city.

Lin Tian stood under a large tree in the distance, neither moving nor following.

Old Zhang's heart skipped a beat:

He's not coming in?

Is he about to commit a crime?

If that's really the case, then I'll be in trouble...

The thought of escaping was quickly put off by Lao Zhang himself.

It's nothing... it's fake.

If he disobeys and reveals that he is an enemy agent, the police will still arrest him.

And that kid is so powerful, who knows what other tricks he has up his sleeve?

Old Zhang knew very well that he had no way out.

The only way to survive is to pray that Lin Tian keeps his word and is truly a "kind-hearted" person.

The procession moved forward slowly.

Old Zhang is not a wanted criminal; there is no photo or information about him in the public security system.

The police simply asked him for his identity, looked at his ID, and let him go.

Old Zhang walked through the city gate, but he felt no relief whatsoever.

He glanced back at the outside of the city.

Lin Tian remained standing in the same spot, silently watching himself without moving.

Old Zhang withdrew his gaze and continued walking inside.

Cross the street and enter a small alley.

The alley was quiet, with only a few stray cats sunbathing against the wall.

Old Zhang quickened his pace, eager to reach the liaison point, lure out his superiors, and end all this as soon as possible.

We had just walked deep into the alley.

"Move quickly and lure them out."

A voice suddenly rang out behind me.

Old Zhang suddenly turned around.

There was nothing behind me.

nobody.

Old Zhang broke out in a cold sweat instantly.

I looked around and checked every corner, but there was definitely no one there.

But that voice just now, so real, so clear, rang right next to his ears.

"Stop looking, or you'll die."

This is a warning!

Old Zhang shuddered.

They finally realized that the child was no ordinary person.

He can appear out of thin air, disappear out of thin air, and follow behind silently.

You can't escape.

You can never escape it.

Unless he truly lets himself go.

Old Zhang, facing the empty alley and the voice that seemed to be hiding somewhere, nodded and bowed repeatedly, forcing a smile:

"I'll go right away, I'll go right away, sir. Don't worry, I'll definitely lure the person out for you."

no respond.

Only the wind blowing through the alley, swirling up a few fallen leaves.

Old Zhang dared not delay any longer and turned to run.

They ran very fast, like they were being chased by a ghost.

A small figure slowly emerged from his shadow, and Lin Tian's lips curled into a cold smile.

Outside a remote courtyard.

This courtyard is hidden in the ruins of the southern city, surrounded by collapsed houses and overgrown weeds, with not even a decent road.

If it weren't for Lao Zhang leading the way, Lin Tian would never have imagined that anyone would come to such a godforsaken place.

Half of the courtyard wall collapsed, revealing the dilapidated main house inside.

The doors and windows are long gone, leaving only dark, gaping holes like skull eye sockets.

Old Zhang stopped at the gate of the courtyard and looked around warily.

After confirming that no one was following him, he slipped into the courtyard.

Old Zhang went straight to the kitchen.

There is a stone slab in the corner.

Old Zhang moved the stone slab, revealing a dark hole, and climbed down the ladder into the cellar.

Lin Tian followed to the cellar entrance and floated into the cellar.

The cellar was small, only about ten square meters, with earthen walls on all sides and wooden planks overhead.

There were some odds and ends piled up in the corner, and a broken table in the center.

Old Zhang squatted down in front of the table and pulled a wooden box out from under the table.

Upon opening the box, one finds an old-fashioned telegraph machine and several yellowed codebooks.

He began to adjust the machine, and the "beep beep beep" sound echoed in the small space.

"See, aren't you quite capable? You even told me it was only once a month."

Old Zhang's hand trembled violently, almost pushing the telegraph machine off the table, and he turned around abruptly.

Lin Tian stood less than a meter behind him, curiously examining the telegram.

……