Courtyard House: Starting with handing over the keys, the state helps me abuse birds.

Yan Bugui felt that he had never run so fast in his life.

run.

Run as far as possible.

Leave this damned city, leave that courtyard house that holds monsters, leave that young man who makes him tremble every time he thinks of him!

Yan Bugui had no idea how long he had been running.

When he finally stopped, he leaned against the wall, his back hunched, panting heavily. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead and into his eyes, stinging painfully, but he didn't bother to wipe it away.

He glanced back.

Behind him was an empty alley, with no footsteps, no chasing figures, and no movement whatsoever.

No one came after them.

Yan Bugui's heart, which had been pounding in his throat, finally slowly returned to his chest.

But he still didn't dare to stop.

He forced himself to straighten up and checked his direction.

He chose the south.

The further south you go, the more prosperous the area becomes, and the easier it is to blend in with the crowd. He could get off the train in a small county town, rent a room with fake documents, and live in anonymity, never again living such a life of fear and trepidation.

Yan Bugui touched the bulging oil paper package in his arms and felt a little more at ease.

Nine hundred yuan, if he spends it sparingly, is enough for him to live on for a few years. A few years later, when things have calmed down, he'll try to use his connections to get a new household registration and completely clear his name.

"Yes...that's what we'll do...that's what we'll do..."

He muttered to himself and quickened his pace.

Night is the best cover.

Yan Bugui deliberately chose to walk in the alleys without streetlights, stepping carefully in the shadows.

Almost there. Another twenty minutes' walk, and he'll be out of town, then he'll be free.

But just then, a light appeared in the darkness ahead.

Those were beams of light, swaying and blinding, like flashlight beams.

Yan Bugui suddenly stopped, as if he had been frozen in place by a spell.

He squinted, trying hard to see what was in front of him. What he saw chilled him to the bone.

Two military trucks were parked below the Guang'anmen gate tower, their headlights shining brightly, illuminating the gate as if it were daytime.

At least a dozen uniformed police officers and several soldiers stood at the city gate, checking every vehicle trying to leave the city. Several cyclists were stopped, their documents checked, and their luggage searched meticulously.

Some even brought wolfhounds.

The wolfhound panted, its nose twitching as it sniffed the ground, each breath releasing a puff of white mist.

The city gates were sealed off.

Yan Bugui felt as if his heart had been squeezed tightly, and he could barely breathe.

How could this happen? Why would the city be locked down in the middle of the night?

He hid in the shadows at the alley entrance, staring intently at the police and the few wolfhounds, his mind a complete mess. Just as he was desperately trying to figure out what to do...

A beam of flashlight shone directly onto his face, without missing a beat.

"Hey you over there, are you still out so late?"

A voice came from behind the beam of light, majestic and steady.

Yan Bugui shuddered, instinctively wanting to run away, but his legs felt like lead, and he couldn't take a single step. He could only watch helplessly as the figure drew closer and closer, the flashlight beam growing brighter and brighter until he couldn't open his eyes.

Once the light shifted slightly, he could see the man clearly: a policeman in his early thirties with thick eyebrows, a square face, a crisp uniform, and his collar buttoned up meticulously.

Yan Bugui's throat tightened, and he desperately told himself, "Don't panic, don't panic. You're just an ordinary citizen who went out in the middle of the night. Nobody knows what you did."

"Comrade, I'm asking you a question." The policeman approached, his gaze sweeping over him. "Why are you still on the street so late?"

Yan Bugui forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, his voice dry: "I...I have some urgent business at home, I need to go out of town..."

"Leaving the city?" The policeman's gaze fell on his clothes, which were covered in mud and torn in several places, then on his hands, which were covered in blood and had broken nails. "Leaving the city, your clothes got like this? And your hands are all cut, did you fall?"

Yan Bugui looked down and realized how disheveled he looked. The torn sleeves from climbing over the wall, the moss from climbing the air-raid shelter, and the bloodstains on his hands—any one of these things could arouse suspicion.

"Yes, yes..." he stammered, "It was dark, I couldn't see the road clearly, and I tripped and fell in the alley..."

The policeman stared at him for a few seconds, his gaze sharp as a knife, dissecting him from head to toe.

Yan Bugui felt his heart pounding like a drum, almost doubting that the other person could hear it. He gripped the hem of his clothes tightly, his fingertips digging into his palms, forcing himself not to tremble.

Just when he thought he was doomed, the policeman sighed.

"Comrade, I'm not trying to be mean, but do you know how dangerous it is outside in the middle of the night?" His tone became helpless, as if he were scolding a disobedient child.

"The station received a call tonight; a fugitive wanted for a major case has entered the city. He's a murderer with blood on his hands. There's a city-wide manhunt, and all roads out of the city are blocked. What if you run into some thugs while you're wandering around like this?"

Yan Bugui was stunned.

fugitive?

murderer?

Was the lockdown because of arresting fugitives?

He opened his mouth as if to ask something, but his throat felt like it was blocked with cotton.

"Alright, stop staying out here and go home." The policeman waved his hand. "Don't go out at night for the next few days. We'll talk about it after we catch the fugitive. Where do you live? Do you want me to take you?"

"No, no need..." Yan Bugui quickly shook his head, his voice finally regaining some strength. "I'll go back myself... it's not far ahead..."

"Then hurry up and get going." The policeman glanced at him again, turned and walked towards the city gate, muttering to himself, "It's the middle of the night, and none of them can stay still. Do they really think they're plainclothes officers..."

The beam of the flashlight gradually receded into the distance.

Yan Bugui stood still, like a wooden stake, without moving.

The night wind blew across his sweat-drenched back, chilling him to the bone.

He slowly, very slowly, squatted down.

Why now of all times?

He cursed the damned murderer and his ancestors for eighteen generations in his mind. Of all times to escape, tonight was the only option; of all places to hide, the capital was the only option; of all days to impose a city lockdown, it had to be just when he was about to leave!

Just twenty minutes to go.

No, ten minutes.

If he hadn't walked through those winding alleys, if he hadn't stopped to catch his breath for those few minutes, if he had walked a little faster...

But it's too late to say anything now.

Yan Bugui squatted against the wall, holding his head. The city gate in the distance was still brightly lit, with wolfhounds barking and police conducting checks. Every car trying to leave the city was stopped, and every pedestrian was searched.

He can't get through this. He absolutely can't get through tonight.

But does that mean he should go back to that hellish courtyard house?

He was to go back and face Xie Weihong's calm, lifeless eyes? He was to go back and continue to be treated as a traitor, to be looked at with those eyes by Yi Zhonghai and the others? He was to continue to hold that damned banner tomorrow, standing on the sidelines watching others being tortured?

Yan Bugui buried his face in his knees, his shoulders trembling violently.

After an unknown amount of time, he slowly raised his head, his face expressionless.

Let's go back.

Where else could he go but back home?

He touched the bag of money in his pocket; it was still there, untouched by the police officer. This was probably a stroke of luck amidst misfortune. As long as the money was still there, he still had hope.

"Just one more night..." Yan Bugui muttered to himself, his voice so low it sounded like he was chanting a mantra, "Just one more night... tomorrow... the lockdown should be lifted tomorrow... I'll definitely leave tomorrow..."

He leaned against the wall and slowly stood up, his knees aching as if they were filled with vinegar.

Yan Bugui stood at the entrance of the alley, looking up at the familiar gatehouse. Two hours ago, he had climbed over the wall here, thinking he would never come back.

Two hours.

In just two hours.

He stood there again, like a fool being toyed with by fate.

"Just one night," he said to himself again, his voice almost inaudible. "The lockdown will be lifted at dawn. Tomorrow night... no, tomorrow during the day there will be more people. I can blend into the crowd and leave the city... I can definitely do it..."

Without further hesitation, he pressed himself against the wall and made his way toward the familiar fence in the backyard.

Dawn was approaching, and he had to hurry. Once it was fully light, people would be active in the courtyard; Duan Chengyi would come, and Xie Weihong would come too. Then he would no longer have a chance to sneak back unnoticed.

Over the wall.

This is his only path.

Yan Bugui stood under the two-meter-high blue brick wall again, looking up at the top of the wall.

This time, he was more skilled than when he went out. He hugged the wall and climbed up inch by inch, his eyes fixed on the ever-getting closer top of the wall.

One foot, five inches, three inches...

His fingers finally touched the edge of the wall.

Yan Bugui clung tightly to the top of the wall, suspending his entire body weight on his two nearly dislocated arms. Sweat blurred his vision, making it impossible for him to see clearly ahead; he could only lift one leg up by feel.

His knees got stuck in the wall, and with his last bit of strength, he managed to prop his upper body up to the top of the wall.

Then, he saw that familiar figure.