Courtyard House: I, the eldest son of the Jia family, have returned from the battlefield.

A look of flattery crossed Zhang Guoping's face, and he quickly replied, "I have time! Section Chief, please wait a moment, I'll be right there with a notebook."

Before long, the two left the security building one after the other and headed deeper into the factory area.

As they disappeared into the distance, Chen Jianfei stood quietly by a window on the third floor.

He stared at the two receding figures, a chilling glint in his eyes, his voice barely audible, as if squeezed out between clenched teeth:

"Jia Dongming, I am indeed not as good as you at winning people's hearts... but your mistake is that you insist on blocking this path."

"Let's see if you can still laugh after tonight."

Zhang Guoping accompanied Jia Dongming as they walked slowly along the main road, passing through a noisy workshop and material storage area. It took them about half an hour to reach the vicinity of the special workshop.

Outside the workshop gate, three armed guards stood ramrod straight.

Upon seeing Jia Dongming, one of them quickly stepped forward and saluted, his voice strong and clear:

"Good morning, Section Chief! Song Qifeng, Wang Weiguo, and Zhou Heping from the First Brigade are on guard duty at the special workshop. Please give your instructions!"

Jia Dongming returned the salute to the three security officers who saluted him, his face gentle: "Song Qifeng, Wang Weiguo, Zhou Heping, you're busy."

Section Chief Zhang and I are just taking a walk and looking around; there's no need to be formal.

After exchanging pleasantries, he gestured for Zhang Guoping to follow, and the two strolled along the perimeter wall of the special workshop within the factory area.

The layout of the workshop unfolded before his eyes. Jia Dongming walked slowly, but his mind was racing.

If he were Chen Jianfei, the undercover agent, and wanted to completely disrupt production here, where would he begin without leaving a trace? He put himself in the shoes of his opponent, carefully analyzing every possible opening.

Just as I was concentrating, a solitary low house came into view—it was crouched about twenty or thirty meters behind the workshop, gray and drab, completely out of place with the neat buildings around it.

Jia Dongming stopped and gestured with his chin towards the house: "Guoping, what's that little room used for? Why is it standing there alone?"

Zhang Guoping looked in the direction he pointed and immediately explained, "Section Chief, that's a temporary duty room that was built when the special workshop was constructed years ago."

At the time, it contained the factory's most valuable equipment, so to prevent sabotage, a surveillance point was set up.

After the workshop became fully operational and the security system was established, the room was left vacant and never used again.

Jia Dongming listened quietly, but his gaze was fixed on that low house.

An inexplicable sense of unease, like threads, entangled my heart.

The building itself was nothing special, but its presence in this orderly factory area seemed somewhat out of place.

What exactly was the problem? He couldn't quite pinpoint it for a moment.

With doubts arising, he turned his head and asked casually, "Since it's no longer useful, why didn't the factory demolish it? This piece of land is not small; after leveling it, there would be enough space to build a supporting workshop."

Zhang Guoping shook his head: "I'm not too sure about that."

The general affairs department or the factory office must have their own reasons.

Jia Dongming didn't ask any more questions. He had already made up his mind: he would have to go to Li Huaide's place later to find out what was going on in this house.

He showed no sign of it on his face, only smiling at Zhang Guoping and saying, "Let's go, let's go look around somewhere else."

The two walked slowly through the factory area for about half an hour before turning back and heading towards the security department.

As Jia Dongming passed a fork in the road, the sound of two sanitation workers chatting by the roadside drifted into his ears.

"...This is really strange. The toilet behind the special operations workshop was cleaned just two weeks ago, how come it's full again? After all this time, it turns out some scoundrel filled the latrine with dirt. What kind of nonsense is this!"

Jia Dongming didn't stop walking, but he took in every word of those words.

He had previously received a secret report that Chen Jianfei intended to use Zhang Yi to cause trouble in the special workshop, and he intuitively felt that Zhang Yi was just a pawn placed in the background, and that Chen Jianfei must have a backup plan.

He had just finished his rounds and, apart from the small house that made him feel uneasy, he had not found anything else unusual.

The cleaner's words, however, were like a suddenly lit match, extinguishing the doubts that had been lingering in his mind.

It ignited with a loud bang.

Soil... soil to be filled into a latrine... who would do something so pointless and only adds to the trouble? The answer is almost obvious.

A clear hypothesis quickly took shape in his mind.

He needs to verify it immediately.

To avoid alerting the enemy, Jia Dongming suddenly stopped, turned to Zhang Guoping, and said calmly, "Guoping, I suddenly remembered that I have an urgent matter to discuss with Deputy Factory Director Li in person."

"Go back to Corey first, you don't need to come with me."

Zhang Guoping, unsuspecting, nodded respectfully: "Yes, Section Chief, I'll head back now."

After watching Zhang Guoping's figure disappear around the corner of the factory, Jia Dongming did not head towards the office building. Instead, he turned around and quickly returned to the special workshop area along the same route.

Before long, he had returned to a distance where he could see the outline of the workshop.

He hid behind a row of storage bins, gazing at the heavily guarded main workshop and the quiet, low building to his side and rear.

Ever since he suspected that Zhang Yi was a decoy put forward by Chen Jianfei, he had been pondering repeatedly: how could Chen Jianfei effectively destroy this key workshop without exposing himself? The inexplicable sense of unease he felt when he first saw that small house was now even more pronounced.

Until I heard "fill in the soil"

In those two words, all the scattered clues were instantly linked together by an invisible logic.

He recalled the accident that happened in Workshop 2 last year.

Zhang Yi's name was on the duty log that night.

Chen Jianfei covered up Zhang Yi's unauthorized departure from his post not to win him over, but because he had already regarded Zhang Yi as a disposable pawn to take the blame at any time.

If Zhang Yi had not been alerted and had not reported it to him, then Chen Jianfei's plan was likely to be: first, to place explosives in the vicinity of the foundation below the special workshop in some way, and then to lure Zhang Yi into bringing another key item into the workshop.

At that time, with coordinated efforts from both inside and outside, a single signal would be enough to send the entire workshop flying into the air.

And that abandoned guard room, that latrine filled with mud... perhaps, are the starting point and concealment of this secret passage.

If Jia Dongming had not taken off his military uniform and returned to civilian life, the position of head of the security section would definitely have belonged to Chen Jianfei.

Once the disaster in the special workshop occurs, Chen Jianfei will be able to take charge of the investigation as the head of the security department.

At that time, Zhang Yi, who died in the workshop, became his most useful pawn.

Chen Jianfei could easily bring up the old incident from last year's accident in Workshop 2—Zhang Yi was on duty that time as well.

A lonely soul with no relatives or friends in Beijing is labeled a "lurking enemy agent".

The hat couldn't be easier to make.

After carefully considering this clever scheme of escaping unscathed, Jia Dongming couldn't help but admire its brilliance.

If it weren't for his unexpected intervention, Chen Jianfei would probably have already secured checkmate in tonight's game.

The current challenge facing Jia Dongming is how to quietly sneak into that lonely little house, find the hidden tunnel entrance, and dismantle the things buried underground in the special workshop before Chen Jianfei can act.

He was frowning in thought when he suddenly raised his hand and slapped his forehead—how could he have forgotten that!

The "Hawk Eye" reward for your first sign-in.

This is the perfect time to put it to good use.

The system had clearly stated that this ability could see within a radius of 100 meters, and even the underground could not escape it.

Without further hesitation, Jia Dongming's mind stirred, and his gaze seemed to pierce through the night and bricks, looking directly at the small house.

Sure enough, a deep tunnel meandered from beneath the small house, leading deep into the foundation of the special workshop.

With the penetrating power of the eagle eye, Jia Dongming not only saw the densely packed dangerous objects buried underground, but also saw two figures busy in the tunnel, pulling on the connecting wires.

Without those eyes that could see into the depths of the earth, he would never have imagined that the enemy had planted so many deadly schemes in the heart of the factory.

Chen Jianfei is a sure thing, but inside the steel rolling mill, there is clearly another figure in a higher and more hidden position than Chen Jianfei.

One of the two men setting the fuse in the tunnel was wearing a security uniform—the net had been cast wider than expected.

Thinking of the consequences if the gunpowder were to explode, Jia Dongming no longer hesitated.

He must act, but he must act wisely.

He walked straight toward the administration building of the steel rolling mill, already having a destination in mind.

He wasn't entirely sure who was right and who was wrong in the management team, but there was one person he chose to trust—Li Huaide.

Based on those fragments of memories about the future, this person can stand firm in the storm and turn around skillfully in the waves; he is by no means a simple character.

Right now, he is the most suitable stepping stone.

When Jia Dongming knocked on the deputy factory director's office door, his expression had already calmed down. "Director Li, are you busy?"

Li Huaide, who was engrossed in reading at his desk, looked up upon hearing the voice. Seeing that it was Jia Dongming, a hint of surprise flashed across his face. He then warmly stood up to greet him: "Section Chief Jia? What a rare guest! Please come in and have a seat."

What brings you here today?

Jia Dongming strode into the room, closing the door behind him. His calm expression turned serious: "Director Li, there's something important I can only discuss with you."

Seeing his solemn expression, Li Huaide also stopped smiling and said seriously, "Speak."

I will do my best as long as it is within my duties.

Jia Dongming didn't reply immediately. His gaze lingered on Li Huaide's face for a moment before he suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "Director Li, can I trust you?"

The sudden closing of the door and the question startled Li Huaide.

He studied Jia Dongming's solemn expression, slowly sat up straight, and replied word by word: "Comrade Jia Dongming, I, Li Huaide, may have some shortcomings, but I will never be confused when it comes to matters of principle."

I am worthy of your trust and can withstand any test.

Jia Dongming nodded and stopped beating around the bush: "According to the information I have, there is more than one enemy agent lurking inside our steel rolling mill."

They've infiltrated the security department, and... they might even be in management.

Li Huaide's pupils suddenly contracted, and he leaned forward, his voice extremely low: "Is there any basis for this claim?"

"Absolutely true."

Meeting his gaze, Jia Dongming said with unwavering certainty, "What we can confirm at the moment is Chen Jianfei, the captain of the Second Security Brigade, and team member Wang Defa."

But this is just the beginning.

Text cleanup and core analysis have been completed.

Li Huaide's face looked as if all the blood had been drained from it, instantly turning ashen.

Chen Jianfei? The guy who always smiles and hands out documents in the logistics department, could he be an undercover agent? His throat went dry, and before he could process the news, Jia Dongming's next words sent a chill down his spine.

The special workshop—the beating heart of the entire steel rolling mill, so heavily guarded that not even a stray cat could get in—had been hollowed out and filled with enough explosives to wipe it off the map.

Although he wasn't directly in charge, if that place were to turn into ruins, the entire factory would be finished.

Li Huaide gripped the edge of the table tightly, his knuckles turning white: "Section Chief Jia! What are you waiting for? Take control of Chen Jianfei and Wang Defa immediately!"

Jia Dongming stood still, his gaze as calm as a deep pool. "Director Li, I've only been at the steel rolling mill for a few days, and I don't yet know how deep the waters run in the security department."

"If we take action against these two, there's no guarantee that accomplices lurking in the shadows won't get wind of it."

He paused, lowering his voice even further, "What's more troublesome is that, according to reliable intelligence, enemy agents have already extended their reach into the management level."

At least one of them is hiding among you.

I came to you to find him.

"Management?"

Li Huaide's pupils contracted, and his voice involuntarily rose, "Where's the evidence? What makes this judgment?"

Jia Dongming didn't answer immediately; a heavy shadow crossed his face. "Do you remember the accident in Workshop Two last year? Jia Dongxu, who sacrificed his life… was my younger brother."

Li Huaide certainly remembered.

He personally handled the aftermath, and he signed the report. "It was an accident; the investigation team concluded it was a mechanical malfunction."

"No."

Jia Dongming shook his head decisively, his eyes burning with a cold fire. "That wasn't an accident."

Yi Zhonghai, an eighth-level fitter, was processing a batch of special parts at the time. The accident was aimed at him, at that batch of parts that were heading west.