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

Wang Dapao's gaze first fell on the lonely house, then slowly swept over the surrounding barren open space and sparse trees.

He turned around and, in a calm voice, instructed the comrades behind him: "Zhao Jun, Chang Gui, Xue Hua, listen to my instructions."

Each of you will lead a team, with that house as the center, to guard the three directions of winter, north, and south respectively.

Once the people inside show their faces, don't alert them; just follow them closely.

At this moment, Zhou Xudong was completely unaware of the net that was quietly tightening outside the house.

He glanced around at the faces around him, finally fixing his gaze on Chen Jianfei. His tone was calm but carried an undeniable force: "Tian Chuan-kun, find someone to pass a message to Jia Dongming."

"For example... in that scrap area west of the steel rolling mill, some goods of unknown origin were found."

He paused, a cold smile curving his lips: "This is exactly what Jia Dongming needs right now, he'll definitely go."

As soon as his men are lured away, we'll take action immediately—if the special workshop is blown up, the factory will be in chaos.

"Take advantage of the chaos, and Dongxi from the technical department will be ours."

Chen Jianfei's eyes suddenly lit up, his face filled with admiration, and he almost bowed as he leaned forward: "Colonel Koizumi! This feint attack was brilliant! This time, Jia Dongming will at least lose his position, and at worst... he might get shot."

Zhou Xudong listened to the flattery with pleasure, but his gaze was fixed on the darker depths.

He added unhurriedly, "Once the matter is settled, Jia Dongming will naturally be finished."

Yang Weimin is in charge of the special workshop, and with such a big mistake, he has to be moved.

At that time...

He didn't finish his sentence, but just gave a soft hum.

He straightened his back, facing his silent and tense subordinates in the room, and spoke in a low voice, each word striking a chord: "Gentlemen, we have been preparing for this moment for one year and four months."

Headquarters has promised that, once the mission is accomplished, each person will receive $100,000, which will be sent directly to their families back home.

"Colonel Koizumi!"

Almost simultaneously, several suppressed responses, tinged with excitement and greed, echoed in the confined space: "For the empire, we would die a thousand deaths!"

Not long after, the old wooden door was carefully opened a crack, and a head peeked out and looked around for a moment.

Immediately afterwards, more than a dozen figures emerged like ghosts and quickly disappeared in several different directions.

Jia Dongming pointed to a middle-aged man in a respectable dark Zhongshan suit in the crowd in the distance and whispered to Wang Dapao: "See that guy in black? Zhou Xudong, the deputy director of the steel rolling mill."

The short guy next to him, wearing a security uniform, is Chen Jianfei from our Second Brigade.

The other three men in uniform were also from the Second Brigade.

The remaining few unfamiliar faces are probably spies planted elsewhere.

Wang Dapao squinted as he watched his men follow him silently, like shadows.

He pondered for a moment and said to Jia Dongming, "Dongming, I reckon the one who went to the north gate is the one left behind to keep watch."

"As soon as our people approach this house, he can immediately use the phone in the duty room to send a message out."

Jia Dongming nodded, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate the brick wall and see that there was no one inside.

Given their cunning, it's impossible that they didn't have a backup plan.

"That's right."

He continued, "That man's name is Zhang Jianren, and the two who left with Chen Jianfei are also guards from the North Gate."

These three are the eyes and ears of this den.

There's a telephone in the guard room at the north gate; any disturbance here will spread like wildfire.

Wang Dapao frowned deeply and said slowly, "Dongming, the current situation is both an opportunity and a problem for us."

"The advantage is that the house and the tunnel should be empty, so our original plan to 'take down' the people inside is no longer needed."

"The problem is..."

He changed the subject, his tone becoming heavy, "If we want to get into that house and deal with the 'Dongxi' they buried under the special workshop, we absolutely can't get around that lookout."

The alarm went off as soon as he saw us.

Jia Dongming hesitated for a moment, then turned his gaze to Wang Dapao. "We need to take the North Gate first,"

He lowered his voice, "Before Director Li and the others arrive, Dongxi in the small house must be dealt with."

Wang Dapao mentally reviewed the plan and nodded. "This is the only way for now."

"Control the north gate and wait for Director Li to arrive before proceeding down."

Seeing that the other party had no objection, Jia Dongming continued, "I'll go to the duty room first and keep the people inside calm."

As soon as you arrive, immediately detain Zhang Jianren.

"I'll take over the remaining two guards."

"After Zhang Jianren is captured, send a few people into the small house, and leave the rest at the north gate."

I'll go back to the security office and keep an eye on Chen Jianfei—I'll call you immediately if there's any movement over there.

"become."

Wang Dapao gave a brief reply.

With the plan finalized, Jia Dongming emerged from the shadows, deliberately taking a longer route and heading alone towards the North Gate.

In the duty room, before the shift change, several security guards were chatting together.

Someone caught sight of a figure in the distance and nudged the person next to them with their elbow: "Jianren, Dajiang, the section chief is here."

Li Dajiang didn't take it seriously: "The section chief was wandering around the factory area this morning; I've run into him twice while I was on duty."

Though the speaker meant no harm, Zhang Jianren's expression darkened slightly.

A vague unease crept up my spine.

Zhou Jiefang, the shift leader, greeted him at the door with a smile: "Section Chief, you're not taking a break in the middle of the day! Come in, come in, it's sunny outside, come in and sit down!"

Jia Dongming stood in the shadows under the eaves, waved his hand, and said in a gentle tone, "You guys guard this place every day, exposed to the wind and sun. What's a little movement from me?"

Although the words were polite, Zhou Jiefang felt relieved—the leaders had finally recognized their hard work.

He stepped aside: "Section Chief, come in and have some water. You can also hear about the situation here."

Jia Dongming caught a glimpse of Wang Dapao and his group approaching from the side, so he stepped inside and sat down on an empty chair. "How's the food in the cafeteria been these past few days?"

He spoke as if he were having a casual chat.

Li Dajiang immediately chimed in, "That's wonderful! The kids at home haven't had any meat since the Lunar New Year, but they've finally tasted it these past few days—they've been talking about you, Section Chief!"

"Of course."

Jia Dongming smiled and said, "Director Lin hasn't retired yet, but I'm in charge of the department's affairs right now."

Everyone else is on guard duty at the front, so I have to take care of the logistics.

As he spoke, he noticed that Zhang Jianren's hand, which had been resting on the gun handle, had fallen down.

Right now.

Jia Dongming moved suddenly, like a cheetah pouncing on its prey, and slammed Zhang Jianren to the ground.

Zhang Jianren reacted and tried to break free, but his hands were already gripped tightly by iron clamps.

He turned his head, his face flushed, and roared, "Section Chief Jia! What do you mean?!"

This sudden turn of events left Zhou Jiefang and Li Dajiang frozen in place, unsure whether to step forward or retreat.

The door to the duty room was suddenly flung open, and three figures swept in, enveloped in the cold wind.

Leading the group was Wang Dapao from Jiaodaokou Police Station. His gun was pointed steadily at the two men inside the room, and his voice was firm and resolute: "Police! Don't move!"

Zhou Jiefang recognized the person at a glance, and was taken aback. He blurted out, "Director Wang? This is...?"

There is no misunderstanding.

Jia Dongming, who was holding Zhang Jianren's hand, raised his head and interrupted Zhou Jiefang.

His knee pressed against the back of the man on the ground, and his voice, though not loud, silenced the entire room: "Zhang Jianren is a spy."

He, along with Chen Jianfei, Wang Defa, and Zhao Dongfang from the Second Brigade, were all in cahoots.

Li Dajiang seemed not to have heard clearly, his eyes widening: "Section Chief Jia, this... how could Jianren possibly..."

"They dug a tunnel under the old duty room, which leads directly to the special workshop."

Jia Dongming's gaze swept over Zhou Jiefang and Li Dajiang's surprised and uncertain faces. "There are explosives buried below, enough to send the workshop and half of the factory area into the sky."

Zhang Jianren, who had been restrained, suddenly stopped struggling.

He turned his head to the side, glancing sideways at Jia Dongming, his voice distorted by his face pressed against the ground: "You've only been here three days... how could you possibly know?"

Jia Dongming didn't answer, but took a pair of shiny handcuffs from the policeman next to him.

Amidst the soft clanging of metal, he said calmly, "You shouldn't have tried to save trouble by dumping all the fresh soil you dug out of the tunnel into the cesspool behind the toilet."

Zhou Jiefang's mind went blank.

The last bit of luck they had hoped for—perhaps it was the wrong person, or perhaps it was someone with the same name—was shattered by these words.

He looked at the familiar yet suddenly unfamiliar face on the ground, his voice dry: "Jianren...why?"

Zhang Jianren grinned, his smile laced with icy sarcasm: "Zhou Jiefang, you bunch of idiots..."

The words came to an abrupt halt.

With a lightning-fast lift and drop of his hand, Wang Dapao dislocated Zhang Jianren's jaw, silencing all unspoken insults and potential self-destruction.

He made a hoarse sound in his throat, and only his eyes remained wide open, filled with resentment.

"This place is not safe to stay for long."

Jia Dongming stood up, patted the dust off his trousers, and said, "It's almost time for shift change, and there are too many people around."

"Chief Wang, we need to take him back to the branch office as soon as possible."

Wang Dapao nodded and gestured towards the door.

Before long, the sound of an engine grew louder as a grass-green jeep rolled across the frozen ground and came to a stop at the door.

Zhang Jianren was swiftly pulled up and shoved into the back seat.

The car door slammed shut, the car turned around, and disappeared into the gray morning mist outside the factory gate.

Li Dajiang stared at the direction the car had disappeared, his chest heaving violently. After a long while, he managed to squeeze out a voice through clenched teeth: "Damn Japanese devils... they really knew how to act! I should have..."

That's enough.

Jia Dongming interrupted him, his expression solemn, "Director Li of the Chengdong Branch will personally lead the bomb disposal team over; they'll be here soon."

Your task is to cooperate and stay together every step of the way.

in addition--"

He looked at Zhou Jiefang, "Chen Jianfei will most likely call the duty room."

If they call, answer it.

Just say Zhang Jianren had an upset stomach and went to the clinic; don't mention a single other word.

Zhou Jiefang stood ramrod straight.

When Jia Dongming first arrived, he looked down on this overly young section chief.

Later, seeing him subdue the arrogant Zhan Jun with his bare hands, he changed his stance out of resentment.

Later, I witnessed his marksmanship while hunting in the mountains—his shots never missed, every shot hit its mark—and I was truly impressed.

And at this moment, in just three days, this person has completely eradicated the malignant tumor hidden in the internal organs of the security department.

Zhou Jiefang felt a chill run down his spine. He snapped to attention, his voice ringing out:

"Yes, Section Chief!"

Having received Zhou Jiefang's confirmation, Jia Dongming turned to Wang Dapao and instructed, "Dapao, I still need to keep an eye on Chen Jianfei and the others at Corey's place, so I'll leave this to you."

If there's anything that needs to be coordinated, have Jiefang give me a call.

Wang Dapao responded almost instinctively, "Dongming, with me here, nothing will go wrong."

"Section Chief, where did you go? I've been looking for you everywhere!"

No sooner had Jia Dongming stepped into the office than Zhao Dongfang followed him in, his voice revealing Mingxian's anxiety.

When Jia Dongming saw Zhao Dongfang suddenly appear, a hint of surprise flashed through his mind, but his face remained as amiable as ever: "Comrade Dongfang, what urgent matter is it that you sought me out so urgently?"

Upon hearing Jia Dongming's question, Zhao Dongfang immediately recalled the task Zhou Xudong had assigned him and quickly lowered his voice to report: "Section Chief, I just received word that there's a sizable operation hidden deep in the woods not far from our factory."

"Do you think we should arrange for someone to serve it?"

This thing has always been seen as a tempting piece of meat by the police, the neighborhood committee, and even the security department of the steel rolling mill.

If Jia Dongming hadn't already figured out that Zhao Dongfang was a secret agent lurking in the factory, he probably would have been tempted by the clue he provided and been thinking about how to take down that bastard in one fell swoop.

Now that Zhao Dongfang's identity as a spy is a foregone conclusion, he happens to come and report the news at this critical juncture, clearly trying to play a diversionary tactic—once Jia Dongming has diverted the main force of the security department, they can more smoothly carry out their plan to sabotage the special workshop.