Courtyard House: Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) Traded for an Aircraft Carrier, the Whole Count

That night, the jeep parked at the entrance of the alley did not linger.

Under Jiang Chen's icy gaze, the car, like a wild beast sensing danger, roared, kicked up fallen leaves, and disappeared into the darkness. Jiang Chen put away his gun, not giving chase. He knew very well that in this special era, enemy agents were like rats lurking in the gutter; killing one was easy, but digging out the entire nest required patience and bait.

The atmosphere at the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill was particularly oppressive early the next morning.

The sky was overcast, as if it were pressing down on people's heads. Although the loudspeakers in the factory were still playing the rousing song "We Workers Have Strength," the workers were hurrying along, their faces showing less of their usual chatty interest and more of a solemn expression.

I had barely arrived at the security office and hadn't even had a chance to sit down when the communications officer rushed in.

"Section Chief Jiang, Section Chief Nie wants to see you right now, immediately." The communications officer lowered his voice, his expression tense. "Go to that room."

Jiang Chen's heart skipped a beat. The so-called "that room" was a secret room deep inside the security department. It had no windows and the walls were soundproofed. It was only used when dealing with the highest-level classified incidents.

Pushing open the heavy iron gate, a musty smell of tobacco wafted out.

Section Chief Nie sat under the dim light, the ashtray in front of him overflowing with cigarette butts. His usually smiling, chubby face was now taut like a block of iron, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Upon seeing Jiang Chen enter, Section Chief Nie didn't exchange pleasantries. He immediately stubbed out his cigarette, took out a brown paper file folder with the words "Top Secret" printed in bright red from his drawer, and pushed it in front of Jiang Chen.

"Take a look." Section Chief Nie's voice was hoarse, revealing a deep weariness. "It's a notice just issued by the Municipal Bureau."

Jiang Chen untied the tangled white thread and pulled out the documents inside.

The first page prominently displays a line of alarming bold text: "Emergency Warning Regarding the Sabotage Operations of the Enemy Special Agent Organization Codenamed 'Pangolin' Against Our City's Industrial System."

"We received reliable intelligence that this group is acting under the direction of foreign forces, and their target is very clear—to sabotage the batch of Soviet precision equipment that we are about to import and install." Section Chief Nie stood up, walked to the map of the jurisdiction on the wall, and pointed heavily at the location of the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill. "Our mill, as a key unit of the ministry, is a disaster area."

Jiang Chen scanned the document quickly, his brows gradually furrowing.

This batch of equipment was acquired by the country at a significant cost of foreign exchange and is crucial for boosting the production capacity of the defense industry. If something goes wrong at this critical juncture, it would be a capital offense.

"Old Nie, what are the characteristics of this 'pangolin'?" Jiang Chen put down the document, his gaze sharp.

"Cunning, secretive, and professional." Section Chief Nie turned around, his expression grave. "Intelligence indicates they've infiltrated our ranks. They could be technicians, veteran workers, or even the canteen cooks. They're in the shadows, we're in the open; it's impossible to defend against them."

At this point, Section Chief Nie sighed deeply, patted Jiang Chen on the shoulder, and said, "Jiang Chen, you're the youngest and most quick-witted cadre in our section. I'm assigning this investigation task to you. No matter who's involved, no matter what their background, if they're suspected, arrest them first! If anything goes wrong, I'll take the blame for you!"

"I guarantee I will complete the mission." Jiang Chen snapped to attention and saluted, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Stepping out of the secret room, Jiang Chen didn't rush to mobilize his men for a large-scale search. Only a fool like Xu Damao would do something so foolish as to alert the enemy.

He walked alone through the bustling workshop. The massive stamping presses roared deafeningly, sparks flew, and waves of heat rolled in. Workers, clad in heavy canvas overalls, bustled about among the machines.

Everything seemed normal and bustling with activity.

But in Jiang Chen's view, the world presents a different picture.

"System, activate the malicious detection radar," he silently commanded.

Although the system's functionality was limited in this era and it could not directly identify who the spy was, this kind of radar with fuzzy perception could still detect malicious fluctuations in the surrounding environment targeting a specific target—that is, this batch of core equipment.

[Radar activated, continuously consuming mood points...]

Jiang Chen, with his hands behind his back, strolled leisurely from Workshop One to Workshop Two like a leader taking a leisurely walk. The radar screen was calm, with only a few red dots flashing occasionally; those were just complaints from a few lazy workers about their heavy workload, nothing malicious.

Until he entered Workshop 3.

Workshop 3 is the core of the entire factory. The several newly arrived Soviet-imported precision machine tools are located here, and the area is cordoned off.

Just as Jiang Chen approached the machine tools covered with tarpaulins, the radar in his mind suddenly jolted violently.

[WARNING! High concentration of malicious residue detected!]

Jiang Chen's steps abruptly halted. Remnants?

This means that the vandals have been here and left traces.

It was lunchtime, and most of the workers in the workshop had gone to the canteen, leaving only a few experienced workers on duty smoking in a corner. Jiang Chen quietly slipped under the cordon and lifted the tarpaulin covering one of the machine tools.

This is a high-precision crankshaft grinding machine, a true jewel in the crown of industry in this era.

Jiang Chen took out a flashlight and focused the beam on the core transmission bearing of the machine tool, following the direction indicated by the radar. At first glance, the bearing was as shiny as a mirror, coated with a thick layer of anti-rust oil, and showed no abnormalities.

But he didn't give up. He moved closer, almost pressing his face against the cold metal, examining it bit by bit.

Finally, on the inside of the bearing, at a very hidden chamfer, he discovered a mark as thin as a hair.

That wasn't a bump or scratch.

Jiang Chen stretched out his finger and gently stroked the mark with his fingertip. He felt an extremely subtle roughness.

This is a file mark carefully made with a diamond file, following the grain of the bearing. It damages the hardened coating on the bearing surface. As soon as the machine tool is turned on, under the high temperature and pressure generated by high-speed operation, this file mark will rapidly expand, eventually causing the entire bearing to seize up, or even causing the spindle to break.

This priceless piece of equipment will become a pile of scrap metal.

"Such ruthless methods." Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes, a chill rising in his heart.

This method of sabotage is extremely professional; someone who doesn't understand mechanical principles simply couldn't do it. Moreover, the location was chosen so cleverly that it would be impossible to detect without disassembling and inspecting the machine.

To have access to this place and understand this technology...

Jiang Chen straightened up and glanced at the shift schedule in the corner of the workshop.

Last night's night shift roster listed three names. Two of them were apprentices who had just joined the factory and weren't even qualified to approach the machine.

Only one person remained.

Jiang Chen pictured an honest man who always wore faded blue overalls, was usually taciturn, always smiled sheepishly at people, always volunteered for the dirtiest and most tiring jobs, and had even delivered mung bean soup to the security department a couple of days ago.

Old Li, a veteran fitter in Workshop 3.

"Dogs that don't usually bark are the ones that bite the hardest."

Jiang Chen stroked the fatal bruise, a cold smile curving his lips. The suspect had been identified; now, it was time to lure him into the trap.