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

The night wind was like a knife, stinging my face.

Jiang Chen's figure left a trail of afterimages in the darkness, his leather boots making a dull, rapid sound on the cinder-strewn road. Old Li, ahead of him, clearly knew the area like the back of his hand, slipping like a mouse, deliberately darting into those dead-end alleys piled with junk and barely wide enough for one person.

"Trying to get rid of me?" A cold glint flashed in Jiang Chen's eyes.

In the past, such complex terrain might have allowed the old spy to escape. But at this moment, Jiang Chen's thoughts stirred, and the long-dormant option in his mind instantly lit up.

"System, load [Basic Body Enhancement], full power output."

boom!

His heart pounded violently, as if injected with a potent dose of adrenaline, pumping scalding blood to every limb and bone. Muscle fibers tensed under the strain, and every bone emitted a booming, battle-ready roar. His previously dim and blurry vision instantly cleared; the sounds of the wind, insects, and even Old Li's heavy breathing ahead seemed amplified many times over, reaching his eardrums with crystal clarity.

Old Li was running so hard his lungs felt like they were going to explode. He dared not look back, relying solely on instinct to weave through abandoned coal sheds and walls. As a veteran who had been lying in wait for many years, he was extremely confident in his physical abilities and escape skills. The series of changes of direction and tunneling he had just executed would be impossible for even a professionally trained police officer to keep up with.

Just as he thought he had shaken off his tail and was about to climb over the two-and-a-half-meter-high red brick wall in front of him, a tooth-grinding scraping sound suddenly came from behind him.

That was the sound of shoe soles rubbing violently against the wall.

Old Li turned around in horror, his pupils instantly shrinking to the size of pinpoints.

Instead of looking for stepping stones like ordinary people, Jiang Chen used the momentum of his run-up to run a few steps along the side wall, almost sideways. Then, he suddenly exerted force from his waist, like a roc spreading its wings, and lightly leaped over the mountain of scrap steel on the ground. He grabbed the top of the three-meter-high wall with one hand and flipped up like a ghost.

This isn't a human! It's more like a cheetah in human skin!

"Damn it!" Old Li cursed, his fear turning into the ferocity of a desperate man. He dared not hold back any longer, and without even bothering to conserve his energy, he scrambled and stumbled toward the alley entrance.

The two of them, one after the other, like two black lightning bolts, rushed out of the steel rolling mill area and plunged into the intricate maze of hutongs in Nanluoguxiang.

Meanwhile, deep within Nanluoguxiang.

The winter night was bitterly cold, but the Jia family's house was as cold as an icebox.

Banggeng huddled under the covers, his stomach rumbling loudly. Ever since Shazhu was drained of his blood by Qin Huairu and then punished by Jiang Chen to the point that he dared not bring back any more lunchboxes, the Jia family's food standards had plummeted. Tonight, there was only half a cornbread and a bowl of thin porridge so watery you could see your reflection in it—not even enough to fill a gap in the teeth of a growing boy.

"Mom..." Bang Geng mumbled sleepily, but all he heard was Qin Huairu's tired snoring and his grandmother Jia Zhangshi's thunderous snores.

Hungry, piercingly hungry.

The hunger was like a poisonous insect, gnawing frantically in his stomach. Banggeng finally couldn't bear it any longer, quietly lifted the quilt, skillfully put on the patched cotton-padded jacket, and tiptoed out the door.

As the infamous "master thief" of this alley, Banggeng had his own philosophy of survival. If he couldn't find it at home, he would look outside. His targets included whose kitchen window wasn't closed properly, whose doorstep had leftover food, or whether there were rotten apples thrown away in the trash can at the alley entrance.

The alley was quiet at this time, with only a few barks occasionally breaking the night sky.

Banggeng, his neck hunched and hands tucked into his sleeves, scurried along the wall to the corner of the front yard. Luckily, he found half a rotten apple—who knows who threw it away—in a broken basket in the corner. Although it was frozen solid and had a few wormholes, to Banggeng at that moment, it was an unparalleled delicacy.

He crouched in the shadows, wiped the rotten apple on his sleeve, and opened his mouth to take a bite.

The sound of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the alley entrance, accompanied by heavy breathing, which sounded particularly jarring in the quiet of the night.

Banggeng was startled and instinctively wanted to hide. Running around in such a hurry in the middle of the night, he was definitely not a good person; maybe it was some man catching a thief.

But he had been squatting for too long and his legs were a little numb. Just as he stood up, a dark figure, carrying a strong smell of rust and gunpowder, suddenly crashed into his arms.

"Ouch!"

Banggeng screamed, the rotten apple in his hand flew out, and he was knocked dizzy and fell to the ground with a thud.

Old Li was also startled. He rushed into the dead end in a panic, not expecting to bump into someone. But his years as a secret agent allowed him to react instantly, and he regained his balance almost the instant of impact.

Just then, the footsteps that seemed to cling to the bone arrived from behind.

Jiang Chen appeared at the alley entrance, a gun in his hand, his chest rising and falling slightly, his eyes, gleaming coldly in the darkness, fixed on Old Li.

Pursuers were ahead, and a dead end lay behind.

A desperate glint of ruthlessness flashed in Old Li's eyes. He looked at the boy on the ground, rubbing his bottom and groaning, and a wicked thought arose in his mind.

"court death!"

Old Li let out a low growl, and his withered, claw-like hand suddenly shot out, grabbing Bang Geng's collar and lifting him off the ground like a little chick.

Before Banggeng could react to what was happening, he felt a sharp pain in his scalp, followed by a cold, hard, tubular object being pressed hard against his temple.

The icy touch made his blood freeze instantly. Although he was young, he had seen his share of things in the courtyard house over the years—that was a gun! A real one!

"Don't move!"

Jiang Chen chased them to within ten meters, then abruptly stopped, his boots kicking up a cloud of dust on the ground.

He held the gun up, the muzzle steadily pointed at Old Li's forehead, but his finger did not pull the trigger.

"Uncle Jiang... Uncle Jiang?" By the dim moonlight, Banggeng recognized the tall figure opposite him and cried out as if he'd seen a savior, his voice trembling with tears, "Help! This old madman is trying to kill me!"

"Shut up!" Old Li tightened his grip on Banggeng's neck, pressing the homemade hunting rifle against Banggeng's head, the rust on the barrel even scraping against Banggeng's tender skin. Hiding behind Banggeng's thin body, only one bloodshot eye visible, he roared at Jiang Chen with a ferocious expression:

"Don't come any closer! If you do, I'll shoot him! Back off! Put your gun down!"

Jiang Chen watched this scene expressionlessly, his eyes as cold as a stagnant pool.

Things have gotten complicated.

If it were just Lao Li alone, Jiang Chen would have a hundred ways to kill him. But now he had a hostage, and a child from the courtyard at that. Although he didn't have much affection for Bang Geng, that ingrate, it was still a human life, and if Bang Geng died in front of him, that troublesome Qin Huairu would definitely bite him like a mad dog, and public opinion would become very unfavorable to him.

That old spy certainly knows how to pick a scapegoat.

"Don't be impulsive." Jiang Chen slowly lowered the gun, raising his hands slightly to indicate that he meant no harm. "Old Li, you've been in this factory for a long time, you should know that this old gun can't stop me. Release the child, and I'll give you a way out."

"Stop your fucking nonsense! I don't believe a word you officials say!" Old Li was clearly on the verge of a breakdown; his hand was trembling violently, and the finger on the trigger could easily go off. "Back off! Back to the alley entrance! Or I'll really shoot! I'll count to three! One!"

"ah--!"

Feeling the increasing pressure on his temples and smelling the nauseating stench of blood from Old Li, Bang Geng finally broke down completely.

Overwhelming fear broke through his psychological defenses, and a warm stream flowed down his crotch, instantly soaking his cotton trousers and leaving a dark stain in the dust on the ground.

Well, now that's settled. First, Sha Zhu was scared to death, and now Bang Geng is scared to death. The double pissing incident in this courtyard can be considered accomplished.

"Two!" Old Li's voice became sharp and hoarse.

Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes, his muscles tensing again, like a fully drawn bow. He was waiting, waiting for a one in ten thousand chance, or waiting... for the commotion here to wake up everyone in the courtyard.

After all, sometimes chaos is the best cover.