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

Seeing her lost in thought, Lou Zhenhua approached, raised his hand to pat her shoulder, but stopped mid-air. "Child, your mother was hoping you could have someone to rely on, which is why she was deceived by that Xu couple."

What's done is done; we need to look forward.

He paused, thought for a moment, and said, "Mingtian, call Xu Damao home."

I arranged for someone to accompany him to the hospital for a thorough check-up.

What if... there's still hope for a cure?

Lou Xiao'e slowly shook her head, and the tears that had been welling up in her eyes finally rolled down her cheeks. "Dad, Mom,"

She looked at her two closest relatives, her voice barely a breath, "Regardless of whether his illness can be cured or not, what's the point of saying all this now?"

The sun was gradually rising higher outside the window.

At the same moment, the security department of the steel rolling mill had just finished their training session.

After Jia Dongming and his teammates finished practicing the last set of movements, they were covered in sweat.

He quickly took a shower at the bathhouse, changed into clean clothes, and then pushed his bicycle out of the factory gate.

The wheels rolled over the road, kicking up fine dust.

Twenty minutes later, the gray brick building of the Dongcheng Public Security Bureau was not far away.

Jia Dongming slowed down, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over a tailor shop on the street corner.

His gaze narrowed slightly, a kind of focus that was hard for ordinary people to detect flashed across his eyes—the scene in the shop was no longer obscured in his eyes.

Inside a shop facing the street, a female tailor greets customers with a smile, deftly measuring with a soft ruler in her hand. Sunlight shines on the spread-out fabric, creating a soft, shimmering effect.

Inside the tailor shop, five sewing machines hummed, and several female workers were engrossed in the fabric and needles, their fingers flying across the paper.

Upstairs by the window, a man held up binoculars, his gaze fixed intently on the Winter City Police Station across the street.

No one would have guessed that deep beneath this shop lay a secret room filled with firearms, and a quietly extending tunnel that was being dug inch by inch toward the police station.

The other end of the tunnel is hidden in the vast and old drainage system of Beijing.

Jia Dongming had searched the place inside and out, but he couldn't find the woman named Huizi.

His heart sank; the cunning fish Mingbai was not hiding there.

The tunnel was deep and secluded, pointing towards Fenming, instantly reminding him of the tunnel beneath the special workshop of the steel rolling mill.

A clear idea popped into his mind: they wanted to do the same thing and lift the Wintertown police station out of the ground.

The date will likely be set for that so-called "Cherry Blossom Project".

When it is executed.

He didn't turn into the branch office gate, but rode his bicycle straight to the small courtyard where he had glimpsed Huizi's figure last time.

The wheels rolled across the road, lightly and steadily.

A dozen minutes later, the courtyard came into view.

Jia Dongming stopped a distance away, found a blind spot to hide himself, held his breath, and focused his "eagle eye"...

Its perception penetrates downwards like silk threads.

The scene in the basement gradually came into view: Keiko and Yamamoto were whispering in the shadows.

Having learned his lesson from the mental exhaustion he suffered last time, Jia Dongming only activated his "All-Hearing" ability this time.

He heard every word of their conversation.

"Yamamoto, how much longer until we reach the tunnel leading to the branch office?"

Huizi's voice was cold and clear, revealing an unquestionable seriousness.

Yamamoto immediately bowed and replied respectfully, "Your Excellency, there are less than ten meters left."

However, because the branch office is guarded by police officers day and night, the progress had to be slowed down to avoid disturbing them with the sound of the excavation.

It's estimated that it will take another month and a half.

Keiko paused for a moment, as if weighing her options, before speaking with a more stern tone: "Yamamoto, the root cause of Koizumi's exposure lies in their stupidity—they actually dumped the excavated soil and rocks into the septic tank near the workshop."

The newly appointed security chief of the steel rolling mill only gleaned a clue from a casual conversation among the cleaners, and by following the trail, he brought them all down.

She paused, her gaze sharp as a knife: "The amount of earth we've piled up in the drainage ditch is not small."

If heavy rains hit Beijing and block the drainage systems, leading to investigations, the consequences could be disastrous.

I don't want the same mistake to happen a second time.

A flicker of lingering fear crossed Yamamoto's face as he quickly replied, "Your subordinate Mingbai! I will arrange for men to clear the accumulated soil from the canal this afternoon and transport it elsewhere."

Keiko's expression softened slightly, and she continued, "The people who were monitoring the branch office earlier fell asleep on duty due to excessive fatigue from digging at night, which prevented us from detecting the police's actions against Koizumi in advance."

This was a fatal oversight.

After you go down there, order all surveillance points, especially those around the police stations, to be extra vigilant.

If they make any further mistakes, let them atone with their deaths.

Yamamoto looked troubled, but still respectfully replied, "Your Excellency, we are really short-handed."

The original monitoring personnel were overworked and thus made this oversight.

Could some of the newly arrived personnel be transferred to supplement the monitoring team? This would help prevent similar incidents from occurring again.

Hearing this from the shadows, Jia Dongming felt a cold sweat break out on his back.

It turns out that the enemy's spies had already been planted in front of several police stations.

Looking back on the operation that day, if the monitor hadn't fallen asleep, the branch office's every move would probably have been under the control of enemy agents.

If they were cornered and detonated prematurely, the special workshop would have already been reduced to ruins.

A thought flashed through Jia Dongming's mind in the shadows of the alleyway.

If the Winter City branch had been hollowed out, what about other places? The city bureau, other branches—this thought struck him like a cold needle, catching him off guard.

He immediately decided that he would ride his bike to visit several places later.

From inside that door deep in the alley, Keiko's voice was low and firm: "Yamamoto-kun, you handle this matter yourself."

After the incident with Koizumi, my husband, Lao Yang, has become very wary of me.

"Unless it's an extremely urgent situation, please do not contact me before the Cherry Blossom Project begins."

"Old Yang"

The moment those two words reached Jia Dongming's ears, his back stiffened slightly.

Director Yang's face, which was always indifferent to him, suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Impossible—the thought jumped out of my head almost instinctively.

If he really was from that area, how could Director Yang have been ousted by Li Huaide during the incident at the courtyard house? And how could he have possibly returned to power at the steel rolling mill after the reform and opening up? This is absurd.

Once suspicion takes root, it can never be suppressed.

He was determined to keep a close eye on Huizi today and find out if there was any connection between her and Yang Weimin.

The wooden door in the alley creaked open.

Yamamoto pushed his bicycle out, glanced around at the door, and then rode off towards the alley entrance.

Jia Dongming held his breath and waited, but Huizi did not change her clothes and come out like last time.

He shut his "all-hearing ears".

Switch to "Eagle Eye"

Looking down into the dark room underground—in the dim yellow glow of a flashlight, Keiko was moving toward the hidden exit of the abandoned courtyard.

He immediately got on his bike and rushed to the abandoned courtyard.

Not long after, Keiko appeared from the dilapidated doorway.

She stood at the doorway, her gaze slowly sweeping across the empty alley before pushing a worn-out bicycle out of the yard, hopping on it, and leisurely heading towards the main road.

Jia Dongming remembered the experience of almost being dumped by her last time, so he kept his composure and followed her until her figure disappeared at the alley entrance.

Sure enough, Huizi circled around on the road, turned into a supply and marketing cooperative, and came out a moment later carrying a net bag. She then got back on her bicycle and drove erratically through several streets before finally turning into the gate of the People's Hospital.

Jia Dongming watched from afar and saw a person in a white coat greet her familiarly.

She's probably an employee here.

Just as he was trying to see which building she went into, a heavy feeling of dizziness suddenly seized his brain.

He immediately severed "Eagle Eye".

With a burst of speed, the bicycle sped into the hospital gate.

Following the last direction, I came to a drab three-story building with a sign that read "Logistics Office Building" hanging by the door.

The wooden sign.

Jia Dongming stopped the car in front of the building but did not go inside.

Given Keiko's vigilance, it would be too risky to go in now.

He turned his bike around and pedaled furiously toward the steel mill—he had only one thought in mind: he had to confirm whether Yang Weimin's wife was the woman from earlier.

Twenty minutes later, the familiar iron gate of the steel rolling mill came into view.

Jia Dongming wiped the sweat from his forehead and slowly rode into the factory area.

Should we go directly to the personnel department to retrieve Yang Weimin's file? No, that would be too much of a commotion; it would definitely reach Yang Weimin's ears.

He thought for a moment, then turned and rode towards Li Huaide's office.

The office door was closed.

Jia Dongming walked to the door and heard some rustling sounds inside.

He raised his hand and knocked on the door, his voice steady: "Director Li, are you there?"

There was a sudden moment of silence inside, followed by a slightly flustered rustling sound.

A few seconds later, Li Huaide's voice came through: "...Yes, please wait a moment."

The door lock popped open, and the door opened a crack.

Li Huaide appeared at the door, his shirt collar askew and his hair somewhat disheveled.

He forced a smile, but his tone was a little unnatural: "Section Chief Jia, I was just taking a nap inside when I closed the door."

Did you need something?

Jia Dongming's gaze swept over the man's clothes, which he hadn't had time to smooth out, and then landed on the man's body, which remained blocking the doorway.

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind—could the things between Li Huaide and Liu Lan in the plot have already...? He didn't show his expression, and seeing that the other party had no intention of letting him in, he smiled and said, "Director Li, there is something I want to ask you."

"Since it's not convenient for you, I'll go back to the security office first and come back later."

He nodded after he finished speaking, then turned and left.

The footsteps were clearly audible in the empty corridor.

As Jia Dongming walked to the corner of the administration building, he paused involuntarily.

Behind the tightly closed wooden door at the end of the corridor, a very faint sound could be heard, like the clinking of cups or the rubbing of fabric.

He recalled the glimpse of a light-colored hem peeking through the crack in Li Huaide's office door earlier—not the gray-blue that the factory's female workers usually wore, but rather something like off-white polyester.

Liu Lan seems to like wearing this color a lot lately.

Unfortunately, "Hawkeye" is currently...

Since he had no use for it, he had no choice but to turn away and walk towards the old building of the security department.

When I opened the door, the afternoon sun was slanting across the window, casting a bright square on the cement floor.

Jia Dongming's throat went dry. He pulled out a small tin can from the bottom of the cabinet, picked up a pinch of tea leaves given to him by the system, and threw them into the enamel mug.

The moment the hot water was poured down, a refreshing fragrance spread, calming the restlessness in his heart.

He had just settled into his chair with his cup in his hand when the phone rang suddenly.

"Hello, this is Jia Dongming."

Li Huaide's voice came through the other end, tinged with laughter, though his breathing was a little unsteady, as if he had just hurried to the phone: "Section Chief Jia, I'm sorry, I was busy just now and didn't have time to invite you in for a seat."

Jia Dongming leaned back in his chair, looked at the ceiling and smiled: "Director Li, you're too kind."

You're "busy working" with the door closed during the day; your energy is even greater than that of us young people.

However, as one gets older, one still needs to be careful about their back.

There was a moment of silence on the phone, followed by Li Huaide's voice after two dry coughs: "Let's get down to business—did you come to see me this morning because it's important?"

"I wanted to ask you about someone."

Jia Dongming's smile faded, and he tapped his fingertips lightly on the table. "How much do you know about the specifics of Director Yang Weimin's family?"

Li Huaide was clearly not prepared for this topic. He paused for a few seconds before replying, his tone revealing a hint of wariness: "Old Yang? He's an old revolutionary who carried a gun and crossed the river. His family background is crystal clear."

Section Chief Jia, that's a question... Have you heard something?

"Don't overthink it, it's just a normal conversation."

Jia Dongming softened his tone, "After all, our security department should have a good understanding of the family situation of the factory leaders."

Li Huaide was silent for a moment, then spoke faster as if he wanted to spill everything he knew: "Old Yang had three children with his ex-wife."

The eldest son got married in Tianjin, the second son married the son of his old comrade-in-arms, and the third son is still in the army.

His ex-wife's surname was Xue. She died before the liberation and was a martyr's family member.

His current wife is named Zhang Huizi. She used to be a nurse at the hospital. She took care of Lao Yang when he was injured and hospitalized, and they later got married.

The couple has no children...and the reason is unclear to outsiders.