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

The vat was covered with a thick layer of grime. He held his breath, braced his hands against the rim of the vat, and forcefully moved it away.

A square opening was visible underneath, dark and emitting a damp, earthy smell.

Jia Dongming did not go down immediately.

He crouched down at the entrance of the cave and waited quietly for a moment. Feeling no foul air rising up, he then crouched down and crawled inside.

The cave was pitch black.

But for him, eagle eyes see as clearly as day.

This is a small cellar with rammed earth walls on all four sides. Rows of old wooden boxes are neatly arranged on the floor, their lids covered with a thick layer of dust, indicating that they have been lying dormant here for many years.

The dust and the style of the box led Jia Dongming to conclude that it was probably hidden by the previous owner of the courtyard, and was probably unrelated to Zhou Xudong or those troublesome matters.

A strange thrill, like discovering treasure, welled up inside me.

He walked to the nearest box, brushed away the dust, and opened the lid.

A pair of blue and white porcelain vases lay quietly on the cushions inside the box. The vases were decorated with coiled dragons, figures, and pavilions. The glaze was calm and the shape was dignified.

Almost the instant his gaze fell upon it, a clear stream of information naturally surfaced in his mind: a Yuan Dynasty blue and white porcelain vase with dragon-shaped handles and figures, 37.5 centimeters high and 8.5 centimeters in diameter...

Jia Dongming was stunned.

He never expected that this eagle eye could not only spy, but also identify treasures.

An unexpected surge of joy washed over my chest like gentle waves.

He gently closed the lid of the box and turned to another, slightly smaller box next to it.

Upon opening the lid, a dazzling golden hue suddenly burst into view.

It's a gold bar.

The roots, neatly arranged, gleamed with a heavy, alluring glow in the dim cellar.

The information resurfaced: large yellow croaker, weighing 31 grams...

He counted silently; twelve sticks in a row. Judging from the depth of the box, there were probably as many as thirty-six sticks in the box.

Based on the current exchange rate offered by banks... he quickly calculated in his mind, his fingertips tingling slightly.

Suppressing his turbulent emotions, he opened the two boxes further inside.

One box contained scroll paintings and calligraphy, while the other box contained various jade artifacts, their warm luster seemingly glowing faintly in the darkness.

There's no need to look at anything else; what's right in front of you is enough for a person to change their world and live a worry-free life.

Jia Dongming took a deep breath, the musty smell of the cellar filling his nostrils and cooling his boiling blood slightly.

He composed himself and finished inspecting the remaining boxes one by one.

The final inventory of Mingbai's items revealed two boxes of large yellow croaker, two boxes of small yellow croaker, three boxes of silver dollars, one box each of jade and jewelry, and the remainder consisting mainly of ancient books, paintings, and various antiques.

With a slight thought, the heavy wooden crates on the ground disappeared one after another, being stored in a strange space that only he could perceive.

He then meticulously erased all traces of himself, even smoothing out his footprints.

Only after confirming there were no further flaws did they retreat from the cave entrance.

Move the broken water tank back to its original position and cover the entrance.

Jia Dongming patted the dust off his hands and turned to walk towards the dry well in the center of the yard.

He gripped the cold well rim, focused his gaze once more, and looked into the bottomless darkness.

This time, Jia Dongming didn't go into the well. Instead, he followed the deep, secluded passage and crawled out from behind the back wall of an abandoned courtyard house.

He pushed his old bicycle slowly along the alley, the wheels making a soft, crunching sound as they rolled over the gravel.

In just two or three minutes, the secret passage came to an end—at the end was a dark room of about forty or fifty square meters.

There were two radios inside, and a dozen wooden crates were piled up in the corner, which looked like they contained weapons.

A middle-aged man and woman were leaning over a map spread out on the table, discussing something in hushed tones.

Jia Dongming immediately held his breath and focused his mind, unleashing his extraordinary hearing abilities.

"That idiot Koizumi!"

The middle-aged woman stared at the map, gritting her teeth, "I told him long ago that once the tunnel was completed, we should blow up the special workshop immediately."

He was arrogant and overconfident, completely disregarding the police—and now, his plans at the steel mill are all ruined.

After she finished cursing, the man said worriedly, "Miss Keiko... I'm afraid Koizumi won't be able to withstand the interrogation and will give away 'Sakura'."

The woman called Keiko smiled upon hearing this: "Yamamoto-kun, Koizumi's wife and children are still in the hands of the organization."

Knowing him as I do, he wouldn't utter a single word for his family.

"But Miss Keiko,"

Yamamoto's tone remained heavy. "Didn't you just scold him for being too confident and making a mistake? The police have already raided the secret vault in Xishan, which is enough to say that Ming Xiaoquan may have already confessed."

We... need to prepare for both scenarios.

Huizi remained silent for a moment, her brows gradually furrowing.

Finally, she nodded: "You're right."

"Then, activate a few more undercover agents to coordinate with subsequent operations."

"Yes, Miss Keiko, I'll do it right away—"

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongming already understood: Yamamoto and Koizumi should be of the same rank, while Keiko was the leader of this group.

The "Cherry Blossom Project" they were talking about

This is probably far more serious than destroying a steel rolling mill.

Wanting to hear more, he pretended to stop his bicycle and take a break.

But as soon as they regained their footing, a strong wave of dizziness suddenly struck them—the scene in the basement vanished instantly, and the conversation between the two people came to an abrupt end.

"Ding!"

"The host's mental energy is severely depleted, and the system has automatically shut down the Eagle Eye and Clairvoyant Ear functions."

Cooldown time: 12 hours.

A system notification sounded in my mind.

Jia Dongming pressed his throbbing temples. Mingbai could no longer look into the room, so he quietly retreated behind a low wall in the distance and stared at the small courtyard above the secret room.

About twenty minutes later, the courtyard gate was opened from the inside.

A middle-aged man first peeked out and looked around, then quickly pushed his bicycle out.

Jia Dongming was alone, facing two targets, and for a moment he didn't know which one to follow.

The dialogue reveals that Yamamoto was there to mobilize the enemy's hidden agents; while Keiko, who remained in the courtyard, was able to command Yamamoto, indicating that she held a higher position and was likely a key figure.

Just as I was hesitating, the courtyard gate opened again.

This time, an elderly woman with a cane came out. She looked to be in her sixties or seventies and walked with a limp.

Although Jia Dongming could no longer see through the disguise with his eagle eyes, he immediately determined from her figure and gait that this was Huizi.

Without further hesitation, he followed after them from a distance.

"old lady"

I walked very slowly, stumbling and falling, and it took me almost fifteen minutes to reach the nearby bus stop, where I shakily boarded an arriving bus.

Jia Dongming hopped on his bicycle and followed along the road at a distance that wasn't too close or too far.

The bus passed five stops, and the old lady got off the bus with her cane.

She stood by the roadside, looked around, then turned and slowly walked into a public toilet next to the road.

Jia Dongming, watching the old woman's cautious demeanor as she got off the bus from a distance, couldn't help but scoff inwardly: This Japanese woman is indeed quite alert. If it weren't for his ability to track her and following the bus from a distance of two or three hundred meters, she probably would have noticed him long ago.

As he muttered to himself, a middle-aged woman dressed in a Lenin suit and walking briskly came out of the toilet.

Jia Dongming caught a glimpse of the woman's figure and appearance, a mocking smile appearing on his lips. He murmured to himself, "No matter how cunning the fox, it will eventually fall into the hunter's clutches."

After leaving the public restroom, Huizi quickly crossed the road to the bus stop on the other side and boarded another bus.

The vehicle stopped and started along the way, eventually pulling over at a station in Dongcheng District.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Huizi quickly got out and walked along the side of the street.

Jia Dongming watched the direction she was heading, his brows gradually furrowing—she was walking on the road leading to the Dongcheng Public Security Bureau.

To find out what this woman was up to, Jia Dongming decided to continue following her.

He pushed his bicycle, keeping a safe distance, and followed slowly behind.

"Good heavens... this is a classic case of being blind to one's own shortcomings!"

When Jia Dongming saw Huizi turn and walk into a tailor shop next to the branch office, an incredulous look flashed across his face, and he almost blurted out, "This little Japanese woman, to become the head of enemy agents, she's definitely no ordinary character. She's incredibly bold!"

Jia Dongming stood quietly at the intersection for more than half an hour, but Huizi never came out of the shop.

For a moment, he almost wanted to use "Hawk Eye".

Let's investigate the tailor shop to see what's inside.

However, since his mental strength would take twelve hours to recover, he had no choice but to abandon the idea.

A moment later, he got back on his bicycle and, pretending to be just passing by, headed towards the gate of the Winter City branch.

Upon entering the branch office building, Jia Dongming went straight to Li Xidong's office.

Through the half-open door, he saw Li Xidong sitting at the table reviewing files, so he raised his hand and knocked on the door, politely asking, "Director Li, is it convenient for us to say a few words now?"

Hearing the voice, Li Xidong looked up and saw that it was Jia Dongming. He looked somewhat surprised and said, "Section Chief Jia, what brings you here today?"

Jia Dongming didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "Director Li, I would like to see Zhou Xudong."

Upon hearing this, Li Xidong assumed that he was about to take action against Zhou Xudong again, and quickly said seriously, "Section Chief Jia, enemy agents are certainly hateful, but your interrogation methods are sometimes too extreme."

Our branch's interrogation experts have their own methods; sooner or later, they'll get Zhou Xudong to talk.

After hearing this, Jia Dongming thought about what he had learned from the day's investigation and almost blurted out that he had discovered Zhou Xudong's online presence.

But then he remembered the valuables recovered from the abandoned courtyard and the capture of the two enemy agents, and swallowed his words—there were some things that were not convenient for Li Xidong to know at the moment.

Seeing that Li Xidong was unwilling to let him participate in the interrogation, Jia Dongming immediately added, "Director Li, don't worry, I will only ask him one question and will not touch him with a single finger."

Seeing his insistence, Li Xidong couldn't help but become suspicious.

His intuition told him that Jia Dongming must have obtained some crucial clues, which was why he was so eager to find Zhou Xudong to verify.

He looked at Jia Dongming with a solemn expression, his tone becoming heavier: "Section Chief Jia, tell me the truth—have you discovered some important clues again?"

Jia Dongming was not surprised by Li Xidong's keen insight.

The image of Huizi disappearing into the tailor shop flashed through his mind, and his expression became serious: "I have indeed found some clues."

But at the time, I was afraid of alerting the enemy, so I didn't get to see the whole thing.

Now... I'm afraid we'll have to pry some Dongxi out of Zhou Xudong.

Li Xidong stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly stood up: "Come on, I'll personally take you to be interrogated."

Before long, the two arrived at the door of an interrogation room.

Li Xidong pushed open the door and entered, followed closely by Jia Dongming. They immediately saw that Zhou Xudong's hands and feet were firmly handcuffed to the interrogation chair, and his face looked haggard.

Li Xidong waved to the two police officers inside: "Xiao Zhang, Xiao Wang, you two go out and rest for a while. Leave this to me and Section Chief Jia."

After the two men left and closed the door, Jia Dongming sat down behind the interrogation table, his gaze sharp as he looked at Zhou Xudong, whose face was etched with exhaustion, his tone carrying a hint of mockery:

"Mr. Koizumi, you've lived here for so many years, you must have heard the saying, 'Confess and you'll be treated leniently, resist and you'll be punished severely.'"

Yes or no?"

Zhou Xudong slowly raised his chin, his gaze falling on the faces of the two people opposite him.

A contemptuous smile curled at the corner of his lips as he spoke in a hoarse voice: "Confess and you'll be treated leniently? Jia Dongming, that should be rephrased—confess and you'll rot in jail; resist and you'll be sent home for the New Year."

He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing, "I've lived in China for over twenty years and I've learned the lesson that the victor is king and the loser is villain."

Since we're already in your hands, we're going to die anyway, so why drag others down with us?

A short, cold laugh escaped Jia Dongming's nose. "Mr. Koizumi, don't try to portray yourself as so noble."

You're keeping quiet only because your wife and children are still under the organization's surveillance—you're afraid they'll die because of you, am I right?

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Xudong's pupils constricted sharply.

A flicker of panic crossed his brow, quickly masked by a blank expression. "My wife passed away a few years ago."

He raised his voice, "Jia Dongming, what nonsense are you spouting?"

That fleeting moment of embarrassment did not escape the eyes of the two people opposite.