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

Xu Damao, like a weasel that had just stolen some fish and was afraid of being discovered, shrank his neck and scurried into Jiang Chen's house.

As soon as he entered, he slammed the door shut behind him, even nervously bracing it with his back to make sure the lock was engaged before turning around. The main lights weren't on; only a dim, yellowish table lamp illuminated the room, casting Jiang Chen's long shadow on the wall, making the atmosphere feel particularly oppressive.

"Section Chief Jiang, this is a really big deal!"

Xu Damao, ignoring pleasantries, rushed to the table, pulled a stack of crumpled letters from his pocket, and handed them to Jiang Chen with trembling hands. His expression held both the ruthlessness of betraying a loved one and the fervor of someone about to rise to prominence.

"What is this?" Jiang Chen sat in the armchair, not reaching out to take it, but merely glancing at it indifferently.

"A pledge of loyalty! This is my pledge to our Revolutionary Committee and to you, Section Chief Jiang!" Xu Damao lowered his voice, his tone urgent and ferocious. "This is the evidence I've gathered these past two days regarding the Lou family's transfer of assets and their plans to flee! And... and that bitch Lou Xiao'e, how she usually insults our working class at home, how she looks down on our compound—I've written it all down!"

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow and reached out to take the stack of papers.

The handwriting was messy, clearly written in a hurry. The content, however, was shocking—it detailed several strangers that Lou Bancheng had been frequently in contact with recently, the number of antique paintings and calligraphy in his home that had mysteriously disappeared, and Lou Xiao'e's several unintentional remarks about "traveling to the south".

Xu Damao even drew a rough sketch of the approximate location of the Lou family's hidden gold bars, based on his memory.

"Section Chief Jiang, you have no idea."

Seeing Jiang Chen reviewing the materials, Xu Damao thought he had done a good job. His horse-like face contorted with the bitterness and indignation of a victim, and he began to pour out his grievances, "I lived a life that wasn't even human in that family! The Lou family looked down on me, calling me a lowlife who showed movies. That woman, Lou Xiao'e, never even gave me a second glance. She couldn't even have a child, and she was always giving me the cold shoulder!"

"I come from a poor peasant family, I have impeccable revolutionary credentials! I've long wanted to distance myself from these capitalists!"

Xu Damao became increasingly agitated as he spoke, spittle flying from his mouth, his eyes blazing with venom. "They want to run away this time, to take away the blood and sweat they've exploited from us workers? No way! Section Chief Jiang, just give the order, and I'll lead my men to raid that den of thieves right now! Arrest that old bastard Lou Bancheng and parade him through the streets!"

Jiang Chen listened quietly, his fingers rhythmically tapping on the table.

In the dim light, his expression was inscrutable. Looking at the man before him, who was willing to put his wife's family, with whom he shared a bed, to death in order to climb the social ladder, Jiang Chen felt a deep sense of contempt.

This is the evil of human nature. Faced with the temptation of enormous profits and power, even kinship and love seem so cheap.

However, this is exactly what he needs.

Only a mad dog like Xu Damao, with no bottom line, could muddy the waters and drive the Lou family to the brink of ruin, thus creating the perfect opportunity for him to "harvest" them.

"Da Mao."

Jiang Chen finally spoke, his voice low but carrying an undeniable authority.

"Hey! I'm here, I'm here!" Xu Damao immediately shut up, bent over at a ninety-degree angle, and looked at Jiang Chen expectantly.

"Your awareness is very high, that's good." Jiang Chen gently placed the stack of documents on the table, pressing his fingers down. "However, in such a big case, the key is to catch the perpetrator red-handed. Are you going to raid their house based on just a few pieces of paper? What if they've moved the items? What if they deny everything? If you alert them, can you bear the responsibility?"

Xu Damao was stunned, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his back: "This... then what do you mean?"

"Cast a long line to catch a big fish."

Jiang Chen stood up, walked over to Xu Damao, and patted him on the shoulder. This pat made Xu Damao feel flattered and light as a feather.

"The Lou family is a big fish, and you're not the only one watching them. Deputy Factory Director Li is also keeping an eye on them, and there are even higher-ups involved." Jiang Chen began to bluff, his tone serious. "This matter must be coordinated by the Security Department. Your task now is not to rush into action, but to continue to infiltrate and keep a close watch on their every move."

"Especially these past few days, you need to report to me immediately when they pack their bags, when they contact a car, and when they are ready to leave."

Jiang Chen stared intently into Xu Damao's eyes, his gaze sharp. "Remember, you are absolutely not allowed to act without my orders. Otherwise, not only will you lose your credit, but you will also be charged with 'leaking secrets'."

Xu Damao was startled and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes! I'll do whatever you say! Section Chief Jiang, you are truly visionary; I almost ruined everything!"

"Go ahead." Jiang Chen waved his hand, his tone softening, and offered a tempting reward: "If you handle this well, the Revolutionary Committee happens to be short of a deputy director. I think you, Da Mao, are a promising candidate. I'll mention it to Director Li later."

"Deputy...Deputy Director?!"

Xu Damao's eyes widened instantly, his breathing quickened, and he felt like he was floating. That was the position he had always dreamed of! Once he became the deputy director, who in this compound would dare to give him a hard time? Wouldn't that bastard Sha Zhu be obediently carrying his shoes?

"Thank you, Section Chief Jiang! Thank you for your guidance! You are like a second parent to me!"

Xu Damao was so excited he was incoherent, bowing and scraping repeatedly as he left the room, expressing his deepest gratitude. In his mind, he had truly latched onto a powerful figure, and his rise to prominence was just around the corner.

Little did he know that on Jiang Chen's chessboard, he was nothing more than a piece that could be discarded at any time.

The door closed.

Silence returned to the room.

The gentleness on Jiang Chen's face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold mockery. He picked up the "report letter" that Xu Damao treasured on the table and walked to the coal stove.

"Sizzle—"

He struck a match and lit a corner of the letter.

The orange flames flickered, reflecting in his unfathomable eyes. The paper quickly curled up, turned black, and crumbled into ashes, falling to the ground.

Xu Damao wanted to use him to kill someone, and to use the security department to raid the Lou family's property so he could get a share of the spoils, or even use it to gain credit and advance his career.

That was a clever plan, but unfortunately, it ran into Jiang Chen.

"You want to use my knife to kill someone?"

Jiang Chen watched the last spark die out, a cruel and greedy smile curling at the corner of his lips. He muttered to himself:

"Unfortunately, I intend to keep this piece of fat meat from the Lou family all to myself."

What he wanted wasn't just the Lou family's wealth, but also Lou Xiao'e herself, and their future plans in Hong Kong. As for Xu Damao? The climax of this drama would come when the Lou family was empty and he came up empty-handed.

Jiang Chen raised his wrist and looked at his watch. It was two in the morning.

"It's almost time."

He turned and walked to the wall, took down the black raincoat hanging there, and pulled the brim of the hat down to cover most of his face.

Now that Xu Damao has delivered the intelligence, it's time to go and check on the prey's condition tonight.