Courtyard House: A Start with Black Gold Swallowing 100,000 Silver Dollars

Her throat was tightly constricted, and she couldn't even breathe in a mouthful. Her face instantly turned a deep purplish-red, and she frantically clawed at the hand with her ten fingers, leaving several light white marks on her nails.

"Stop! Release Major Mitsui immediately!!!"

Uehara Tadako drew his gun and pressed it against Li Wenguo's temple, his voice strained.

The gun barrel was icy cold, yet Li Wenguo didn't even blink. With a thought, he could silently slip the gun into his personal storage space.

But he didn't move.

He also needed to know where Dong Haitang was, whether she was injured or trapped, whether she was alive or dead.

My hand loosened.

"Thump!"

Mitsui Miri crashed heavily to the ground, curled up and coughing violently, her chest heaving and her throat burning, yet she greedily swallowed large gulps of air—it turned out that being alive and breathing was such a pleasurable and luxurious thing.

"Major Mitsui, are you alright?"

Kamizumi squatted down, her voice filled with anxiety.

"Oh, a major? So all these years I've been sleeping with was a proper Japanese officer?" Li Wenguo scoffed. "You've got some nerve."

"Shut up!!!"

A vein throbbed on Shangyuan Tianzi's forehead as he roared – both to protect his master and to protect his own crumbling dignity.

She was secretly alarmed: This man was on the verge of death, yet he was still so stubborn. Was he truly unafraid of death, or... did he simply not take the gun seriously?

"Li Wenguo, do you know you deserve to die right now?"

Mitsui Miri pushed herself up from the ground, her face turning pale and then red with shame and anger. Before she could finish speaking, she raised her hand and slapped him across the face.

"Snapped!"

It wasn't the sound of a slap, but the crisp sound of a wrist being firmly gripped.

"Stop acting. I don't have time to waste on you. Where is Dong Haitang? Explain yourself."

He shook off her hand with a swift and decisive motion.

"Baka!!!"

Mitsui Miri's fingertips trembled, and in a fit of rage, she blurted out a swear word in her native language.

"Shut up! If you say another word, I'll turn on you right now."

If he hadn't been so eager to get them to talk, he would have already pinned those two Japanese female spies to the ground and beaten them so badly they wouldn't recognize their own mothers.

"Don't move! I'll shoot if you move again!"

Uehara Tadako raised the muzzle of his gun by half an inch again, his voice trembling with tension.

"Okay, I'll leave after I finish speaking."

Mitsui Miri, catching her breath, finally dropped all pretense: "Your wife, we're taking her away. If you want her to live, you'd better obey—otherwise, she'll die."

Her heart skipped a beat, a chill running down her spine. Over the years, she had manipulated countless men; some had collapsed to their knees on the spot, others had gritted their teeth and struggled, their eyes glazed over – all had lost their composure under her pressure. But this Li Wenguo before her showed no fear whatsoever; instead, he seemed to have her cornered, even her words sounding like they were being forced out of her throat. Strange! Extremely strange!

Little did she know, Li Wenguo had seen right through her scheme: he simply wanted to use Dong Haitang as a noose around his neck and lead him around. Otherwise, why would he have pulled out Dong Haitang's identification? If he really wanted to silence him, he should have pulled out his gun long ago. Even if he had fired, it wouldn't have hurt him in the slightest—that's why he dared to be so calm and unyielding.

"I'll do your work, but I need to see the person tonight!"

Li Wenguo's voice was deep and steady, each word ringing with conviction: "No talk without seeing Dong Haitang!"

As long as she's alive and under his nose, he dares to assert: saving her is a piece of cake.

Don't ask how to save them—the answer will naturally emerge when the space opens and the clone appears.

Mitsui Miri frowned and her gaze suddenly swept over Uesomoto Dako.

"explain!"

Seeing the other person hesitate, she cut him off coldly, brooking no delay.

"Major Mitsui... he's still in their hands. They only handed over an identification document, saying... it will be handed over tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning?!" Li Wenguo suddenly looked up, his pupils shrinking. "Bullshit! If they lay a finger on my wife tonight—believe me, I'll drag out every single Japanese spy hiding in Beijing before dawn, chop them up, and feed them to the dogs!"

He panicked, his heart was burning; he wasn't afraid of death, but of being cuckolded.

Concern clouded my judgment, and I forgot why I had stepped into this courtyard in the first place—Dong Haitang's relatives had just arrived.

Japanese spies, on the other hand, always followed orders with absolute discipline and would never dare to disobey.

"Tianzi, why are they delaying the release of the people?"

Mitsui Miri's face was gloomy, her fingertips digging into her palms. She had long seen through and loathed Jingcun's underhanded tactics.

"I don't know... but they did mention that there's an operation tonight."

Ok? !

action?

Li Wenguo's heart skipped a beat, as if he had been hooked – he had been keeping a close eye on the group of Japanese spies who had their eyes on Sai Xishi all night!

Could it be that the same group of bastards who kidnapped Dong Haitang were the same people?

If we take them down tonight and get them to talk, wouldn't we be able to find out where Dong Haitang is hiding?

He immediately said, "Since you said you'd hand them over tomorrow, one of you two should go and keep a close eye on them. I'll be here before dawn."

"Shut up!" Kamizono Tadako snapped, a vein throbbing on her forehead. "You're a prisoner now, not your master! Who gives you the right to tell people what to do?"

Her fingertips went numb with anger—who was the one with a knife to their throat? This person was being threatened yet still acting arrogantly; their skin was thick enough to withstand a cannonball!

Li Wenguo didn't even lift his eyelids, his gaze fixed on Mitsui Miri's face.

"OK!"

Mitsui Miri squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth, her cheeks taut and stiff.

Having spent a long time with him, she had long since seen through Li Wenguo's true nature: ruthless, unyielding, and harder to tame than a wild dog. Refusing would only make things worse. With that, she turned and left.

She wasn't stupid—Li Wenguo had spies everywhere outside the courtyard. If she lingered any longer, she might be kidnapped on the spot and replaced, making all her efforts futile.

"Aren't you leaving yet?" Li Wenguo glanced sideways at Uehara Tadako, his tone tinged with amusement. "Aren't you afraid I'll drag you inside, skin you alive, and interrogate you mercilessly?"

"No." She straightened her back, her voice steady. "I'm just an external liaison officer. I don't even know which way the main gate of the base faces. You can arrest me and torture me, but you won't get a single word out of me."

He paused, then added, "From now on, I'll be in charge of the coordination."

Yo?

Is this treating him like fish on a chopping board, ready to be sliced ​​and cooked?

Do they really think Li Wenguo is a clay figure to be manipulated?

He scoffed, "I hope so."

"Hmph!" she sneered, her eyes sharp as knives. "I advise you to be sensible, otherwise... if your wife is missing a piece of flesh, no one will replace it for you."

Grass!

What kind of thing is this, daring to give me that look?

Li Wenguo's eyes turned icy cold. He took a step forward, his aura so oppressive it was hard to breathe: "Who do you think you are? You dare to act tough in front of me? You yourself said—you're just a errand boy. If I kill you today, Major Mitsui will at most replace you with a messenger, he won't even bat an eye."

Uehara Tadako's face flushed red instantly, her lips moved, but she couldn't utter a single word.

Half an hour later, Li Wenguo turned and left the courtyard, his steps as swift as the wind as he headed straight for the Lixing Society.

At this time, Wen San and the others had not yet returned.

He could only sit under the lamp and wait, while summoning Police Chief Niu Dali and ordering him to select the most trusted agents to cast a wide net and search every possible hiding place where Mitsui Miri might be hiding.

After waiting for another quarter of an hour, footsteps came from outside the door—Wen San and the others had returned.

What relieved Li Wenguo even more was that Jingcun had been captured alive.

In the interrogation room, Jingcun was tied up with his arms behind his back and hung from a thick wooden beam, his whole body suspended in the air, making it easy for him to be whipped.

He had been shot in the left shoulder. The bleeding had stopped, but the area around the wound was bluish-purple, and the skin and flesh were torn up, indicating that it had been hastily bandaged.

This time, Li Wenguo stepped into the torture chamber, where the dampness seemed to seep into his very bones.

"Give me the whip!!!"

He did it himself.

"Master Li, leave this job to me. You just ask the questions."

Wen San hurriedly stepped forward.

"Just hand it over when I tell you to. What's with all the fuss?"

His wife had been kidnapped, and a fire was burning in his heart.

He snatched the whip, soaked in salt water, from Wen San's hand.

Originally, I used to dip it in chili water, but when I flicked it, the chili juice splashed everywhere, and once it got directly into my eyes, causing both choking and burning pain that made me stomp my feet. So I simply switched to concentrated salt water—like rubbing salt into a wound, it still hurt terribly.

"Smack!!!"

First, hit the ground to get a feel for it.

Unexpectedly, Jingcun immediately shouted:

"Dong Haitang!!!"

Li Wenguo's eyelids suddenly twitched, and his pupils contracted.

It was them after all!

Wen San, Wu Xiaogou, and Xiao Jie looked at each other, completely bewildered.

Wen San frowned and demanded, "You bastard, why are you dragging our Captain Dong into this?"

"Hahaha!!!"

Jingcun threw his head back and laughed wildly. After catching his breath, he slowly said, "Dong Haitang from your Third Special Agent Team has already been detained by us. If you know what's good for you, release her now, or I won't be able to get back, and her head will be rolling on the ground."

"what?"

The three of them froze on the spot, their eyes darting around.

"Stop playing tricks!"

Wen San's voice boomed, spitting everywhere.

"Don't believe me? Go check it yourselves! See if Captain Dong is still in his office? At home? Out on the street?"

"Smack!!!"

The whip tip whistled through the air and grazed Jingcun's left cheek—the flesh instantly tore open, and blood spurted out.

He screamed like a pig being slaughtered.

"Oops, sorry, sorry! This is my first time hitting someone, my technique is a bit clumsy, please forgive me!"

Li Wenguo scratched the back of his head, a hint of apology still on his face.

Seeing this, Wen San and his men immediately became apprehensive: If Master Li believed them, why would he actually take action? This kid is probably just talking nonsense!

"It's true! Absolutely true! Dong Haitang has really been kidnapped by us! If you don't believe me, go and ask around the whole city..."

"Smack!!!"

Another hard slap.

This time, it went straight for his lower body—I don't know if it hit him properly, but Jingcun's whole body arched up suddenly, like a shrimp out of water.

"ah--!!!"

"Mr. Li, how about... we send someone out to investigate?"

Wen San tentatively opened his mouth.

"Damn! Mr. Li, I'm fast on my feet!"

Wu Xiaogou immediately puffed out his chest.

"No need to go."

Li Wenguo said calmly, "He's right, the person is indeed gone."

Before the words were even finished, the whip was raised again—

"Smack!!!"

"ah--!!!"

The blow was powerful, tearing open the flesh and revealing deep red marks.

Ah? ? ?

Aunt Dong...was really kidnapped?!

The three felt a heaviness in their chests and a coldness in their hands and feet.

"Then, Mr. Li, what's wrong...?"

Wu Xiaogou wanted to ask: Since the person had already been arrested, why didn't they try to get information from him first, instead of beating him mercilessly?

"Smack!!!"

"Smack!!!"

"Smack!!!"

Three consecutive lashes, each one drawing blood, left Jingcun's voice hoarse.

Li Wenguo then stopped his attack and asked coldly, "Tell me, where is Dong Haitang?"

"Oh……"

Jingcun grinned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Let me go, and I'll tell you."

He was met with two crisp cracking sounds—

"Slap! Slap!"

Where is Dong Haitang?

"Let me go... then I'll tell!"

"Smack!!!"

"ah--!!!"

"Smack!!!"

"ah--!!!"

Where is Dong Haitang hiding?

"You...you..."

Jingcun's tongue was tied, and he couldn't find the words to reply for a moment.

The next second, two more heavy blows followed.

"Slap! Slap!"

Li Wenguo didn't want to be led by the nose.

Releasing people in exchange? That would be tantamount to handing their lifeline to the other side—once Jingcun escapes, Dong Haitang might not even be able to find his body.

We must crush him first before discussing business.

Wen San, Wu Xiaogou, and Xiao Jie all kept their mouths shut and watched with bated breath.

Half an hour passed.

Where is Dong Haitang?

Jingcun had already fainted once, but his jaw was clenched tightly.

If he speaks out, he will become a pawn and will surely die.

Only by holding onto Dong Haitang as a trump card can he survive.

After half an hour, his body was already limp and weak, and the rope hanging from him was almost his only support.

Several Japanese spies who were interrogated by others could not answer any of the questions asked.

The only clue left is this bloodied body.

"Wait...wait...I...I can...exchange myself for her...otherwise...you can break my bones...and I won't utter a single word..."

His voice was hoarse and intermittent, like a broken bellows being pulled to its limit. If it weren't for the rope around his neck, he would have collapsed to the ground long ago.

"Stop his bleeding immediately, don't let him die! Bring back a Japanese spy to go outside and shout a message."

It was quickly agreed that the hostages would be handed over in an open area three hours later, with each side sending three people to the scene.

Overcrowded? The hostages died on the spot.

Li Wenguo certainly brought more than three people, but apart from Wen San, Wu Xiaogou, and Xiao Jie, the rest were lying in ambush in the distance—as soon as the gunshot rang out, they immediately opened fire and fought to the death.

If the army hadn't strictly prohibited entry into the city, he would have had Xu Wanqing send in a company long ago to keep these bastards locked up here.