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

With spatial abilities at their disposal, they can scale walls and cross houses as if they were in an empty house, without damaging a single brick or tile, and with speed, accuracy, and stability.

If it were Ding Xiaoqi? Just picking the lock would take half an hour, and once inside, he might even have to tear up two pieces of the floor to find clues.

It was just past eleven o'clock.

The street was so quiet that only the wind could be heard. Occasionally, a rickshaw would speed by, kicking up a few withered leaves; occasionally, a Volkswagen Beetle would whiz by, its taillights leaving two red streaks. Ordinary people had already turned off their lights and gone to bed, while those with a little more money were busy with their wives in bed, preparing for the important event of having a baby.

The streetlights were old-fashioned, only a few dozen meters long, their dim yellow light spreading through the fog, barely illuminating three feet in front of us—perfect time to do some "special business."

Well, to be precise, it's about doing revolutionary work!

Ding Xiaoqi obeyed and moved to the door to block the view.

Li Wenguo reached out and covered the door lock. With a thought, the entire brass lock and latch disappeared.

He gently pushed open the wooden door and then put the lock back in place.

This is a secret concerning life and death, and even Ding Xiaoqi, whom he trusts most, cannot know it.

After entering, he took out a short-barreled Mauser pistol and an aluminum-cased flashlight from his storage space, and first scanned the area in the dark to make sure no one was there.

Even though there's a 90% chance no one will be there, being cautious never hurts.

Looking around, the photo studio was simply furnished: the main hall contained only a few tables and chairs, a camphor wood cabinet, and the rest of the items were photos, frames, developer bottles, and the like. He knocked on the walls, stomped on the floor, lifted the carpet, and even checked the window frames. All obstructions were temporarily stored away, to be put back in their original positions after the inspection.

Next, we moved to the darkroom—a small cubicle used for developing films.

It was so dark inside that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, and even the musty smell was stronger.

When the flashlight is shone, the beam pierces the darkness, and the sink, tray, and medicine bottle become clearly visible.

The room was cramped, with only a water table with a drain and an old-fashioned tin cabinet standing against the wall.

After repeatedly checking the cabinet, Li Wenguo put it back into his space and then tapped the wall with his knuckles.

"Thump, thump, thump!"

The sound was crisp and clear, quite unlike the dull echoes elsewhere—like striking a hollow board.

"Heh, there was definitely something fishy going on."

He took a closer look and indeed found a hair-thin scratch at the seam of the wall, outlining an invisible door frame about half a meter square.

"You hid it well, but unfortunately you couldn't fool me."

"hey-hey!!!"

A tiny hole, the size of a grain of rice, was embedded in the crack in the wall to the left of the hidden compartment. Li Wenguo took out a thin screwdriver from his personal space, gently poked it in, and then turned it to the right—click! The entire brick wall popped open.

"Let's see what treasure you're hiding!"

Li Wenguo's fingertips felt slightly warm, and his heart pounded, as if he had pried open someone's most secret weakness.

The first thing I saw was an old-fashioned radio, with a blue hardcover codebook lying next to it.

"Wow! This fish is quite big!"

For spies, the most valuable and coveted item in the world is undoubtedly the codebook.

It's the keyhole to enemy intelligence—once you pry it open, you can hear their heartbeat, see through their defenses, and strike a fatal blow, leaving them not even ashes. How significant is it? No need to elaborate; those who understand, understand.

Further down, there were several bulging brown paper bags.

Li Wenguo unfolded the document and saw that it was full of photos.

Ok?

A sudden tightness ran down my neck, and a chill shot straight up my spine.

Most of the people in the photo were strangers, but he recognized a few: there were people in official robes, shop owners wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and several respectable figures who often appeared in newspapers.

The scenes were appalling – some were drunkenly leaning against tatami mats with Japanese women in their arms, some were taking photos with Japanese officers, and others were raising their glasses in toasts with smiles on their faces.

Every single piece of evidence is irrefutable proof of his defection to the enemy.

"Damn it, so that's what Yan Ming and Yao Yao were planning!"

"That's really vicious."

"If you really get caught up in it, you'll become their puppet on a string from now on."

Li Wenguo felt both angry and depressed, his chest burning with a tightness.

But then he thought, he was an undercover agent, and now that he had gone deep into the lion's den, even if he fell into a trap, he would just play along and use himself as bait.

"Not only did he not fail, but he should actually be credited with a merit."

That being said, he had absolutely no desire to give anyone leverage over him.

"Tsk, these things are practically death warrants."

"Anyone who dares to have any ulterior motives? Just shove it into the desk of the Party Affairs Investigation Department—hehe!"

He deftly retrieved a Nikon camera from his spatial storage and snapped away, capturing every page of the codebook, all the photos, and even the densely marked map with crystal clarity.

The last two documents were a yellowed hand-drawn map with several glaring red circles; the other was a thin file that he didn't even bother to scan, just snapped a photo, and then stuffed back in its original state.

The hidden compartment was pushed back, and the brickwork was reset; the cabinet was moved back to its original position, fitting perfectly; the door lock was tightened, and it clicked shut.

"Is someone tailing you on the street?"

"Get into the car," Li Wenguo asked.

"No, Master Li!" Ding Xiaoqi answered crisply.

"Return."

As soon as the car turned into a narrow alley, a man in black suddenly rushed out from the side—a hideous gash on his chest, from which blood was gushing out.

"Help...me!!!"

The man lunged at the car window, his voice hoarse like sandpaper grinding iron. Before he could finish speaking, his body went limp and he collapsed to the ground.

"Holy crap... I actually stumbled upon this cliché plot twist?"

Li Wenguo rolled his eyes inwardly.

"Master Li, what should we do?!" Ding Xiaoqi slammed on the brakes.

Almost simultaneously, chaotic footsteps and rough shouts came from the depths of the alley—the pursuers had arrived.

"Since we've bumped into each other, it must be fate. Put them in the car and let's go!"

Li Wenguo leaned forward and grabbed the man in black under his armpits. Ding Xiaoqi immediately lifted his legs, and the two of them together shoved the man into the back seat.

"Master Li, quickly press on the wound! Don't let him bleed to death!"

Ding Xiaoqi came from the guard team, and first aid rules were ingrained in her bones.

"clear!"

Li Wenguo reached out and pressed down, but his palm froze the moment it touched the ground.

soft!

temperature!

It's also a little elastic!

Oops!

It's a woman!

He subconsciously clenched his fist again, gently making a fist—

Ok……

It feels really good.

But the blood was still flowing.

He looked down and realized that his hand was pressing on the wrong side, directly on the soft flesh under his ribs.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Reluctantly, he moved up two inches to firmly press down on the wound.

Ding Xiaoqi kept a close eye on his surroundings and saw a figure moving at the alley entrance. He turned the steering wheel, swerved the car, and entered the adjacent side road.

Where are they?!

"Damn it! Where did you run off to?!"

A group of armed men rushed to the alley entrance, cursing and looking around.

Inside the carriage, Ding Xiaoqi asked in a low voice, "Mr. Li, are we taking him to Dr. Ke?"

He wanted to say "go home," but the words caught in his throat.

When rescuing someone, you must get them to a place where they can survive.

"Let's go see Dr. Ke."

Should we really drag him home? He probably won't last until dawn. We don't even have a first-aid kit at home.

Li Wenguo pressed his hand firmly against the wound, while his other hand lifted the black mask covering the man in black.

It was so dark all around that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, and you couldn't make out anything.

He reached into his personal storage space, pulled out a flashlight, and turned it on with a "click."

Wow, she's actually quite pretty!

Although she had lost too much blood and her face was as white as paper, her eyebrows and eyes were still exquisitely beautiful, and her lips were so pale they were almost transparent. She was curled up there, looking as frail as a willow in the wind, which made people's hearts ache at first glance and made them want to protect her.

Before long, the group stopped in front of an inconspicuous little courtyard.

The door creaked open, and a man in his forties came out.

His surname is Ke, and his given name is Zhuangxiong. The name sounds powerful and vigorous, but he is thin and frail, with narrow shoulders and a slender waist, and is not at all like the character "Zhuang" in his name.

The discrepancy between name and reality is baffling.

He was a surgeon by training, specializing in treating knife and gunshot wounds. Li Wenguo had long been aware of the guards' frequent injuries, so he simply spent a fortune to secure him a place in the team.

"Dr. Ke, this person looks like they've been shot! Please help!"

Li Wenguo scooped up the woman in black and strode across the threshold. Before he could finish speaking, he was already inside the house.

"Alright, Mr. Li! I'll go prepare the equipment right away and start the surgery immediately."

The person was quickly placed on the operating table. Ke Zhuangxiong leaned over to examine the wound for a moment, then frowned slightly: "It is indeed a gunshot wound, thankfully it didn't damage the heart. The bullet needs to be removed immediately, but we're completely out of anti-inflammatory medication at home, and even the hospital is out of stock—what if it gets infected..."

He paused, not continuing, but the meaning was crystal clear: his life hung by a thread.

Li Wenguo remained calm, slipped his hand into his pocket, and when he pulled it out, two boxes of medicine were lying steadily in his palm—one box of tablets and one box of injections.

Having already taken action to save her, how could we let her die halfway through?

"Mr. Li! Your generosity is truly astounding!" Dr. Ke's eyes lit up, and his voice rose three fen. "These days, medicine is more precious than gold, and so many people die because of just one ingredient! And you, you just casually pull out two boxes. I'm impressed, truly impressed!"

Ah!

He chuckled inwardly—there were still nearly a hundred boxes piled up in the warehouse!

This batch of medicine was forcibly "stolen" from Kotaro and Eideri of Mitsui Trading Company. If they were to sell it, they would have made at least several hundred thousand silver dollars.

But Li Wenguo never even considered it.

Money? I don't lack it right now.

Things that can save your life, you'll feel more at ease keeping them.

No matter how many, who would complain about being too tough?

"Is this enough?" He lazily tossed his chin up, behaving like a nouveau riche.

"That's enough! More than enough! If the wound gets infected, three pills or three injections will guarantee a cure!" Dr. Ke patted his chest and gave his assurance.

"Okay, let's save the rest for when the brothers need it."

"clear!"

"Well... I'll get started now, you two..."

The second half of the sentence was left unsaid, but everyone understood the meaning—it was time to avoid it.

"I'm leaving first," Ding Xiaoqi said, glancing at Li Wenguo. Seeing that he didn't say anything, she turned and left.

"Mr. Li, what do you think... we should also avoid this area for a while?"

Seeing that the person didn't move, Dr. Ke had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask again.

"Oh? Oh, I forgot to tell you—I studied abroad in my early years and even studied a few medical books. I'd like to learn from them on the spot today."

Li Wenguo spoke with absolute confidence and without the slightest embarrassment.

What he was really thinking about was the astonishing fullness he had felt when he held her in his arms earlier—it was definitely not ordinary to the touch.

"Oh, I see! Please make yourself at home!"

How could Dr. Ke dare to refuse his benefactor? He simply believed it.

Unfortunately, he only cut a small piece of cloth above the wound, covering it perfectly. Li Wenguo stood on tiptoe and peered for a long time, but couldn't catch a glimpse of the wound.

"Alright, alright, you go ahead with your work, I'm going out for some fresh air."

Once his interest waned, he waved his hand, turned around, and left.

Ke Zhuangxiong was so focused on disinfecting the towels that he didn't notice when the person behind him left.