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

For the next three days, Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill was caught in a strange atmosphere of outward relaxation but inward tension.

Almost all the security personnel were deployed, working in shifts around the clock, lurking in the shadows of key workshops and warehouses. However, the spy codenamed "Pangolin" seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace whatsoever.

Even the "damaged" machine tool that Jiang Chen deliberately left behind was no longer touched by anyone.

The opponent was very cunning, seemingly knowing the security department's shift schedule and patrol routes inside and out. Every time a patrol team turned a corner, the opponent could precisely take advantage of those few dozen seconds to change positions.

Section Chief Nie's temper flared, and a string of blisters appeared at the corner of his mouth. The deadline given by his superiors was only two days left. If they couldn't catch the person soon, not only would they lose this batch of equipment, but he would also lose his position as section chief.

"Jiang Chen, are we going in the wrong direction?" In the office, Section Chief Nie paced anxiously back and forth. "Maybe it's not an insider at all?"

"No, he's waiting." Jiang Chen sat in his chair, toying with a pen in his hand, his expression still frighteningly calm. "He's waiting for us to tire, waiting for us to relax. These old spies have more patience than wolves."

"But we can't afford to waste any more time!" Section Chief Nie slammed his fist on the table.

"Then let's try a different approach." Jiang Chen stood up, straightened his collar, and said, "Since we can't catch him on the ground, let's catch him from the sky."

"The sky?" Section Chief Nie was stunned. He looked up at the ceiling, his face blank.

Jiang Chen didn't explain, but just smiled mysteriously: "Section Chief, remove all the sentries around Workshop 3 tonight. Since he wants to play hide-and-seek, I'll show him what it means to have nowhere to hide."

It was 2 a.m. when night fell.

This is the time of day when people are least alert and most sleepy. The entire steel rolling mill is like a sleeping giant, with only a few dim streetlights swaying in the cold wind.

Jiang Chen arrived alone at the top of the tallest water tower in the factory area.

It's more than forty meters above the ground here, and the biting wind feels like knives cutting your face. But the view is expansive, offering a panoramic view of the entire factory area.

He wrapped his military overcoat tighter around himself and activated the system shop.

Although he hadn't caught anyone in the past few days, he had accumulated a lot of positive points by dealing with a few troublemakers in the factory. Coupled with the huge sum of money Qin Huairu had contributed earlier, his balance was now quite substantial.

"Exchange for a miniature military drone, a silent reconnaissance version, equipped with a thermal imaging module."

[Ding! 300 emotion points deducted. Items have been sent to system space.]

Jiang Chen flipped his hand, and a palm-sized, black drone coated with wave-absorbing material appeared in his palm. In an era where even a crystal radio was considered high-tech, this thing was practically a miracle from the future.

"Go."

Jiang Chen tossed it gently.

The drone's four rotors began to spin silently, like a black phantom, and instantly disappeared into the night sky.

Jiang Chen put on a specially made monocle, and a green screen instantly lit up in front of his eyes. This was real-time footage transmitted back by the drone, and it was in thermal imaging mode.

In this mode, darkness is meaningless.

All the heat sources in the entire factory area were clearly visible. The old men dozing in the guardhouse were orange-red orbs of light, the still-warm boilers in the workshops were dazzling white, and even the stray cats running through the grass were clearly visible.

The drone hovered in the air, like a celestial eye, coldly watching everything below.

Time passed second by second.

3:10 a.m.

Just when Jiang Chen thought he would go home empty-handed again tonight, a faint heat source suddenly appeared on the edge of the screen.

That spot was located near the waste pile behind Workshop 3.

That location was a blind spot for the searchlights and a place that patrol teams most easily overlooked.

Jiang Chen perked up and immediately controlled the drone to descend and zoom in.

On the screen, the orange-red humanoid silhouette was moving in an extremely bizarre posture. Instead of taking the main road, it clung tightly to the wall, using both hands and feet, like a giant gecko, gliding silently in the shadows.

With each move, he would stop and observe for a few seconds, avoiding the sweeping lights in the distance. That level of caution and skill was something no ordinary thief could possess.

"Found you." Jiang Chen's lips curled into a cold smile.

The drone hovered silently ten meters above the target.

Through infrared contour comparison, although the facial features were not clearly visible, Jiang Chen recognized the figure and the habitual limp when walking at a glance.

It was that honest, simple-minded old Li who always smiled at everyone!

Old Li had no idea that a pair of eyes were watching him intently from above. He bypassed Workshop 3 but didn't go in. Instead, he suddenly turned and headed towards the east side of the factory area.

"That direction is..." Jiang Chen was startled.

That's the factory's power distribution room!

If the power distribution room is blown up, the entire steel rolling mill will be paralyzed instantly, and the blast furnaces in operation will explode due to the shutdown of the cooling system, with unimaginable consequences!

"What a ruthless plan to wipe out their entire family line!"

On the screen, Old Li had already reached the window of the power distribution room. He looked around warily, then pulled a bundle of tubular objects from his pocket.

Even in thermal imaging, Jiang Chen could guess what it was.

Homemade explosives, and in generous quantities.

Old Li began setting up the fuse on the windowsill, his movements so swift they were astonishing.

"Trying to blow up the power distribution room? You're asking for it."

Jiang Chen's eyes flashed with murderous intent. He quickly put away his monocle, and without even taking the stairs, he jumped over the water tower railing, grabbed the maintenance ladder on the outer wall, and slid down as fast as a monkey.

It's only a few hundred meters away.

We have to get there before he lights it!