Courtyard House: A System Connecting Two Worlds, Resources for the Nation

Xu Damao's heart pounded violently for a while, and cold sweat streamed down his temples. It took him a long time to calm down.

He glanced at the expressions of the two people to his left and right, but all he saw were cold profiles.

"Comrades...comrades, is there some misunderstanding? I...I'm just an ordinary worker. I reported Zhou Feng for...for the sake of revolutionary vigilance. I didn't make a false accusation..."

"Whether it's a false accusation or not, we'll find out when we get there. Xu Damao, be quiet."

At this moment, the person sitting in the passenger seat said something without turning his head. His tone was very calm, but it made Xu Damao's body stiffen. He immediately shut his mouth, leaving only deep breathing.

The car made several turns and was heading out of the city when it finally entered a large compound with high walls and electric fences.

The gate was heavily guarded, and armed guards checked identification before allowing entry.

Xu Damao, who was taken off the bus, was so weak that he could barely stand. He had to be supported by two people to move forward.

He'd seen prisons before. This one wasn't particularly large, but the security measures were far too thorough; it didn't seem like an ordinary place!

After passing through several heavy iron gates, there is a dimly lit corridor with mottled walls.

The air was filled with disinfectant and some kind of indescribable stuffy smell.

On both sides of the corridor were rows of tightly closed iron doors.

Finally, they stopped in front of an iron gate. The leader took out a key, unlocked the door, and pushed Xu Damao inside.

With a click, the iron door behind him was locked. The small cell contained only a bare wooden bed and a chamber pot that reeked of disgust.

Above them were yellowish incandescent bulbs, the walls were rough cement, and there was a small window with iron bars high up.

Xu Damao collapsed onto the cold cement floor.

This isn't right!

Even if someone commits a crime, shouldn't they first be sent to a detention center, and then go to prison after being tried?

How did he get arrested so easily?

"Hey! Is anyone there? Let me out! I'm innocent!"

He struggled to his feet and pounded on the door, but there was no response.

He kept shouting until his voice was hoarse, his hands were numb from clapping, and his arms ached, before he slowly slid down to the ground, leaning against the iron gate.

"New guy, shut up! What did you do to get in here?"

A faint voice drifted over from the next cell.

Xu Damao jumped in surprise and quickly moved closer to the wall next door, lowering his voice: "Brother! Brother, were you also arrested here? What kind of place is this? What right do they have to arrest me?"

"Where? The front hall of the King of Hell's palace!"

The guy next door sounded a little defeated: "You're already in here, and you still don't know? This is the Special Operations Division's cell, they deal with people like us."

"Special Operations Division?"

While pondering this word, Xu Damao realized he had never heard of it before and had never had any dealings with them!

Wait, he just said "people like us"?

"Brother, I really didn't break the law. I just reported a neighbor, saying he might be a spy, and that's why I got arrested. What got you arrested?"

At this moment, the voice next door had become Xu Damao's lifeline.

"Enemy agents?"

The man next door chuckled, his voice laced with mockery and a numbness: "Kid, nine out of ten people locked up here are the 'enemy agents' you're trying to report. The remaining one is you. Who did you report that you have such influence that they could send you here?"

"It's...it's one of those guys in our department, named Zhou Feng!"

Xu Damao's eyes were red. He had finally found someone to confide in, and he poured out all his grievances, from introducing Zhou Feng to him, to being stripped naked, and then being covered in a sack last night.

The person next door listened intently, and only after he finished speaking, panting heavily, did they ask quietly, "Do you think... someone who could use connections to get you here would even consider a deputy factory director worthy of his attention?"

Xu Damao's expression, which had been indignant, froze instantly.

But before he could speak, someone next door asked again, "That Zhou Feng you mentioned earlier, how old is he? Is there anything special about him?"

"He's only in his early twenties. What's unusual about him is that his family has a lot of supplies, and he has a female leader from the municipal bureau with him—their relationship is unusual; she's always protecting him. When I said I wanted to report Zhou Feng today, she even tried to stop me! But without even asking any questions, she just brought me here!"

Suddenly, there was silence next door.

After a long while, Xu Damao thought the other person had fallen asleep, when the voice sounded again.

This time, his tone was truly complex, even carrying a hint of sighing.

"Kid, you've really messed up this time!"

"What do you mean?" Xu Damao's heart skipped a beat.

"What else could it mean? A young guy, protected by the Municipal Public Security Bureau, and the Special Operations Unit can arrest him directly, tsk tsk tsk..."

The man next door sighed deeply: "I just finished my trial last month. The charge was that I was an enemy agent and stole state secrets. I'll probably be shot this month."

"When they arrested me, they interrogated me first before deciding whether to put me in jail. Your operation is much bigger than mine!"

"Your neighbor, who could make those living devils of the Special Operations Division so eager to kill you, is either someone with an incredibly high status, or he's one of their own."

"No matter which one it is, do you think you'll end up well?"

Xu Damao's mind went blank for a moment, as if something had exploded inside him!

Is the guy next door an enemy spy who's about to be shot?

I was actually arrested in the same place as him?

Even his own mobilization was bigger than his?

"No...that's impossible. He's just a young guy. I have to pull strings for him to become a purchasing agent! That's impossible!"

Xu Damao still stubbornly tried to refute, but his voice was already trembling uncontrollably.

"A purchasing agent?"

The person next door sneered.

"Do you know what the guy who arrested me did for a living? That guy swept the streets in front of my house for two whole months!"

"Kid, calm down for a bit. You're already in here; there's no way you're going to get out unscathed. Behave yourself, and you'll suffer less!"

"By the way, don't even think about asking anyone to do anything. There's no such thing as visitation in this prison. Just leave it to fate!"

Knowing about Xu Damao's situation, the neighbors developed a wicked sense of amusement and kept saying things that were trying to break down Xu Damao's mental defenses.

Finally, his last words broke Xu Damao down, and he collapsed onto the bed.

This is the first time in his life he's come so close to death!

"Dinner's ready!"

A sound came from outside, and the small window under the iron gate was pushed open, throwing in an aluminum lunchbox.