Courtyard house: Just the right amount of pressure, leaving you bewildered but not brain-damaged.

Chapter 73 An Unsuccessful Start

"Section Chief, I heard—"

The next morning, Gao Xiaosheng arrived at the factory and went to Zhou Jiasheng's office to report the situation.

The whistleblower, Sun Youtian, was glossed over, with the emphasis placed on the possibility of a gambling ring operating within the factory.

"Investigate, you must investigate. I'll have Li Shuguo cooperate with you. Once you've identified the gambling den, don't act rashly. Come back and report first. Bring a few more armed officers to arrest people and make sure you wipe them out in one fell swoop."

"Xiao Gao is great. He has a keen sense of smell, is proactive, intelligent, and hardworking. He is an invaluable talent in our security department."

""

"Just go for it boldly, and come to me anytime if you encounter any difficulties."

""

Zhou Jiasheng was quite decisive, immediately deciding to investigate thoroughly, and even patted Gao Xiaosheng on the shoulder, praising him profusely.

When Gao Xiaosheng walked out of the office, his back was straighter than a poplar tree.

No wonder he's willing to chat with Section Chief Zhou; he's really good at getting along with people.

They didn't make empty promises or draw up grand schemes; they never mentioned promoting Gao Xiaosheng or giving him a raise, but their words were full of praise, providing him with plenty of emotional nourishment.

If this were one of those simple-minded, steadfast, and passionate young people, they'd probably be screaming with excitement right now.

Of course, Gao Xiaosheng wasn't much better off; his feet felt like they were walking on cotton, and he was a bit unsteady on his feet.

Less than two minutes after the lunch break bell rang, Li Shuguo, carrying four large lunchboxes, ran happily to the factory gate.

"Brother Sheng, these two boxes are for you. Chef He filled them to the brim, with at least five or six slices of fatty meat."

Gao Xiaosheng took the lunchbox and, together with Li Shuguo, found a shady corner where they could observe the gate but were not easily seen. They squatted on the ground, eating while staring at the empty gate.

"Brother Sheng, the section chief asked me to cooperate with you in investigating the gambling case. How do you plan to investigate? Do you already have a target?"

'

Li Shuguo was so excited that he couldn't even stop eating. He didn't care about making progress or not; he just wanted to solve a few cases with Gao Xiaosheng. He really couldn't muster any enthusiasm for patrolling on time every day.

"There is no specific target, we only know that there are about thirty people, mostly young people in their twenties, and we don't know anything else."

Gao Xiaosheng shook his head, stuffing a mouthful of steamed bun and a bite of vegetables into his mouth, his eyes fixed on the door.

"Huh?" Li Shuguo was taken aback, turning to look at Gao Xiaosheng. "Brother Sheng, how are we going to investigate?"

"When you see someone who matches the age, follow them and eliminate them one by one until you meet the right person."

""

Gao Xiaosheng's answer extinguished Li Shuguo's last shred of hope.

"Ugh, ugh"

Perhaps due to the huge psychological gap, and because he was not paying attention while eating, he choked on a big mouthful of steamed bun.

Li Shuguo rolled his eyes and patted his chest a few times. Seeing that it had no effect, he quickly picked up the Type 50 military water bottle on the ground, pulled out the cork, and gulped down several mouthfuls.

"Eat your food first, we can talk after you finish." Gao Xiaosheng looked at Li Shuguo with a look of disdain and shook his head slightly.

Can you really expect a partner who almost caused a murder while eating a steamed bun to offer any constructive advice?

Li Shuguo, his face flushed and neck bulging, took several deep breaths to relieve the embarrassment of being short of breath and lacking oxygen.

Too embarrassed to speak, they buried their heads in the food and launched a fierce attack.

Gao Xiaosheng glanced at the kettle next to Li Shuguo and examined it carefully.

Besides the August 1st Army emblem, there is also a line of small characters on the body of the kettle: "Logistics and Supplies Department of East China Military Region, 1953".

O

It's exactly the same as the one in his house, without any difference.

Don't be fooled by its appearance as an ordinary military water bottle; there's actually a lot more to it than meets the eye.

To avoid detection, the troops that crossed the Yalu River used unmarked, clean-cup canteens.

Anyone with military insignia and writing on their uniform is definitely a demobilized soldier who did not fight on the Korean Peninsula.

In plain terms, it means that his military achievements are not impressive enough; he is not ranked highly in terms of either his unit or his personal abilities.

Therefore, Gao Xiaosheng would rather bring a large tea mug to the factory than leave his military water bottle at home to gather dust.

Moreover, this kettle isn't actually that good. If the cork is soaked for too long, the water will have a woody taste. If it's not filled with water for a long time, the cork will dry out and leak.

Li Shuguo must have traded in this kettle before he was discharged from the army, replacing it with a new one.

After finishing their meal, the two leaned against the wall and smoked a cigarette. Only then did workers begin to stroll towards the door.

"Brother Sheng, should I go and take a look?" Li Shuguo asked in a low voice.

Gao Xiaosheng shook his head, "No need, these few are a bit too old, let's wait a bit longer."

There were only two of them, so they had to choose the most suspicious one to follow, otherwise it would be a waste of effort.

The lunch break is a total of one hour. Excluding meals, the gambling time is no more than forty minutes at most.

Following the wrong path once is equivalent to wasting a whole day.

"Brother Sheng, look at that guy behind you. Isn't he your neighbor? His name is Jia Dongxu, right? He's young."

Li Shuguo was quiet for less than a minute before pointing excitedly at the door again.

I have to admit, this guy has a really good mentality. Even though he knows that what follows is like finding a needle in a haystack, he still firmly believes in the light and in luck.

"Yes, it's Jia Dongxu, he—"

Gao Xiaosheng frowned and pondered for a moment before grabbing Li Shuguo, who was trying to follow him.

"He probably doesn't have money to gamble. Let's leave him alone for today and ask the neighbors tonight."

"But this guy eats really fast, his lunch break is only ten minutes long." Gao Xiaosheng had a slight doubt in his heart.

A few minutes later, the number of people at the gate gradually increased. Gao Xiaosheng randomly picked a young worker who smoked Daqianmen cigarettes and asked Li Shuguo to go and take a look.

He wasn't idle either. He selected another worker and followed him all the way into Dongzhimen. He watched as the worker walked into an alley and into a courtyard before reluctantly returning to the steel rolling mill.

It's obvious that this guy lives nearby and probably had something to do at home, so he came back to check on things.

Anyway, there are definitely no gambling dens in this place.

People come and go in the alley; if someone were really gambling here, they would have been reported to the police station and the whole gang would have been arrested long ago.

When Gao Xiaosheng arrived at the factory gate, Li Shuguo was already waiting for him.

"Brother Sheng, have you caught up with them yet?"

"Old Li, did you make any money?"

3

They both spoke at the same time, and then shook their heads at the same time.

"Damn it, that guy just went out to buy a pack of cigarettes, and he was so slow, he wasted so much time."

,

Li Shuguo muttered curses and complaints as he took out a cigarette from his pocket.

Heavy smokers are like this; whether they hear the word "cigarette," mention it themselves, or see others smoking, they will have a subconscious reaction, and their bodies urgently need to replenish nicotine.

"Alright, it's only the first day, don't rush, take it slow."

Gao Xiaosheng took the cigarette from Li Shuguo and found a shady spot to continue watching the doorway.

He remembered Sun Youtian saying that some gamblers were so addicted that they didn't return to the factory until after lunch break.

"Old Li, you keep an eye out for them too. Try to memorize the ones who come back close to work time. Pick one to follow tomorrow; maybe you can catch them off guard and lead them to the gambling den."