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

The night was as dark as ink, and the cold wind swirled withered leaves along the empty factory roads.

Jiang Chen wasn't in a hurry to touch the Lou family's lucrative assets; that was a long-term strategy with far-reaching consequences. In contrast, there was a more direct and discreet windfall he needed to secure tonight.

He put on a thick military overcoat, turned up the collar to cover half his face, and quietly left the courtyard, heading straight towards the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

As the newly appointed head of the security department, it was perfectly reasonable for him to return to the factory late at night to re-inspect the site, and no one could find fault with it.

The area around the power distribution room was cordoned off, and the door was sealed with tape. Jiang Chen skillfully tore off the tape, took out his key, opened the iron door, slipped inside, and locked the door behind him.

A faint smell of blood and burnt food still lingered in the air.

Jiang Chen turned on his flashlight, the beam of light slicing through the darkness before finally settling on an inconspicuous cement tile in the corner.

That night, as Agent Li fell to the ground after being shot in the head, though his body was out of control, his gradually unfocused eyes remained fixed on this corner. It was a mixture of extreme resentment and longing, like a miser staring at his treasure chest before he died.

"System, scan this area."

Jiang Chen issued the command in his mind.

A pale blue light wave, visible only to him, instantly covered that corner.

[Beep! High-density metallic reaction detected at a depth of 0.5 meters underground.]

really.

Jiang Chen's lips curled into a cold smile. These spies, they really are like rats, they all like to hide things underground.

He took out an entrenching tool from his system space and, without hesitation, pried open the paving stone. The soil underneath showed signs of being disturbed; although it had been disguised and compacted, it was still full of flaws in the eyes of an expert.

A dozen minutes later, the tip of the shovel hit a hard object, making a dull "clang" sound.

Jiang Chen brushed aside the topsoil, revealing a rusty tin biscuit box. The box looked quite old, with corroded edges, but it felt heavy and substantial in his hand.

He used a dagger to pry open the lid of the iron box.

A golden light, shining from the flashlight, instantly stung his eyes.

Even with Jiang Chen's composure, his breath hitched slightly at this moment.

Inside the tin box were two large gold bars, each as thick as a chocolate bar, neatly stacked. These were standard gold bars weighing ten taels each, stamped with the mark of the Central Mint of the Republic of China. Next to the large gold bars were eight smaller gold bars, each weighing one tael, and a stack of US dollars wrapped tightly in oil paper, estimated to be at least two thousand dollars.

In an era when the average wage was only a few dozen yuan, this was a huge sum of money that could drive anyone crazy.

But this is not all.

At the very bottom of the gold and US dollar bills, there was a palm-sized black notebook filled with densely packed numbers.

Jiang Chen picked up the notebook and flipped through a few pages; it was full of gibberish. This was the codebook for the spy organization, and also Old Li's biggest secret, which he had kept hidden in this factory for decades.

"Is this what they call 'activity funds'?"

Jiang Chen sneered. Old Li had lived a frugal life, pretending to be poorer than anyone else, but in the end, he had such a huge sum of money and didn't spend a single penny of it. Instead, it became his own wedding dress.

This is fate.

He took out the codebook separately and put it in his pocket. He had to hand it over; it was irrefutable evidence and a bargaining chip to further consolidate his position with the municipal bureau.

As for the rest...

With a wave of his hand, Jiang Chen caused the gold and US dollars in the iron box to disappear instantly, all of which were stored in the system space.

[Beep! High-value precious metals and foreign exchange detected.]

[Do you want to top up?]

"Recharge two small yellow croakers."

Jiang Chen didn't hesitate at all. Money in hand is just inanimate material; only by converting it into power can one truly succeed.

[Recharge successful! 2000 trading points awarded.]

[The system's experience points are currently full, and it is leveling up...]

Upgrade successful! Current permissions: Lv1.5.

As the system notification ended, Jiang Chen felt that the system interface in his mind seemed to become clearer.

[Unlock new feature: Dimensional Refresh Card (one per month).]

[Note: The host can use this card to actively refresh the trading plane once, no longer relying entirely on random mechanisms, and can roughly lock in either the technology-side or magic-side bias.]

This is a good thing.

Previously, dimensional refreshes were entirely based on luck; sometimes you'd get a "primitive human dimension" that offered nothing but animal hides and raw meat. With this refresh card, while it doesn't allow for precise targeting, it at least allows for broad filtering.

Jiang Chen looked at the rotating dimensional search radar on the system panel and a thought struck him.

"Use the dimensional refresh card to lock onto the 'war/military' inclination."

What he lacks most now is not money, but a stronger trump card. In this coming era of turmoil, having a gun in hand will give him peace of mind.

The radar spun rapidly before finally coming to a slow stop.

A new dimensional icon lit up.

The scene depicted a smoke-filled battlefield, with several soldiers in tattered gray uniforms lying prone in trenches, holding worn-out rifles. Below the icon, a line of small print read:

【The Legend of Sword (1940, Northwest Shanxi)】

Jiang Chen's pupils suddenly contracted, and then the corners of his mouth turned up wildly, revealing a meaningful smile.

In 1940, northwestern Shanxi was Li Yunlong's home turf.

What did the Eighth Route Army lack in those days? They lacked guns, artillery, medicine, cotton-padded clothes, food, practically everything!

What was there in that era? There were "old objects" that had disappeared in that time but were priceless in later generations, countless antiques abandoned in the war, and... various spoils that Commander Li might have possessed.

This is no battlefield; it's a huge, untapped gold mine!

"Commander Li Yunlong," Jiang Chen murmured to himself in the darkness, his eyes burning brighter than the two large yellow croakers, "I heard you're fighting with the brigade commander over a few boxes of grenades? Don't worry, I'll bring you some warmth right away."

He stood up, replaced the floor tiles to make it look like nothing had been touched, then dusted off his hands and strode out of the electrical room.

The night wind was still biting, but Jiang Chen felt hot all over.

With this new dimension, his arms business—or rather, his "interdimensional logistics business"—could finally officially begin operations.