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

As soon as Zhou Feng said this, the whole room seemed to be muted instantly.

Those neighbors who were just crowding at the door, craning their necks to watch the excitement, and some even whispering about which appliances they should use when it was their turn, all froze in place.

The expression on his face changed from curiosity, excitement, and greed in an instant to bewilderment, astonishment, and finally overwhelming fear.

"National...state secret?"

A man who had just registered his name with Zhou Feng looked at his name on the paper and shuddered violently, his voice even changing slightly!

"Zhou Feng! What...what nonsense are you spouting!"

Liu Haizhong was the first to react, his face turning deathly pale, his finger trembling as he pointed at Zhou Feng. "You said it yourself, those are just electrical appliances! What state secrets! You...you're framing me!"

Yi Zhonghai, who had been standing calmly to the side, also became anxious, and a layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead: "Zhou Feng! This is no joke! Director Zhao is still here! We were just neighbors borrowing something, how did it get involved in state secrets? Quickly explain to everyone that this is all a misunderstanding!"

Sha Zhu, his face full of sarcasm and anger, glared at Zhou Feng with his neck stiff: "Stop trying to scare us with your nonsense! State secrets? You're kidding me! I think you just don't want to bring out the good stuff! If you're going to be stingy, just be stingy, why are you making such a big deal out of it!"

"Everyone should leave when it's time to leave. We are all glorious working class, let's see what he can do to us!"

As he spoke, he took the lead and walked towards the door. Noticing that Bai Ling was still standing there, he even reached out and tried to push Bai Ling away.

"Comrade Bai Ling, please step aside. I'll just walk out this door and see what he can do..."

Before Sha Zhu could finish speaking, and his hand was only halfway out, Bai Ling's eyes turned cold. She shifted her feet, and with lightning speed, her left hand grabbed his outstretched wrist, pressing it down. At the same time, she subtly pushed her right knee forward and twisted her body to the side.

"Ouch!"

The captured Sha Zhu felt a sharp pain in his wrist. A clever force came through, and he immediately lost his balance. Bai Ling cleanly and neatly threw him there like a broken sack.

The floor of the room was solid cement, and the fall left him completely disoriented, seeing stars, and unable to catch his breath for a long time. He could only lie on the ground groaning, "Ouch, ouch."

The change happened so fast that no one saw how Bai Ling moved. They only saw that Sha Zhu, such a big guy, was lying on the ground in the blink of an eye.

"Silly Zhu!"

"Pillar!"

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong exclaimed in surprise and instinctively wanted to step forward.

"Stop right there! Don't move!"

Bai Ling gave a cold shout, her right hand already on the bulging holster at her waist, her eyes sweeping over the restless crowd.

"You have already broken the law. If you dare to step forward again, it will be considered violent resistance to law enforcement, and you will bear the consequences!"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of authority and severity.

The sight of Sha Zhu still groaning on the ground, along with her hand on her holster, instantly stunned the entire scene.

"Gun...gun!"

Someone cried out.

This caused an uproar both inside and outside the house!

But this time it wasn't a commotion, but a deathly silence of fear that spread.

Everyone instinctively stepped back, crowding together, their faces drained of color.

Their generation experienced war and had seen guns before, but those were always pointed at the enemy.

Now, the guns might be pointed at them! The feeling is completely different!

Qin Huairu was so frightened that she covered Banggeng's eyes, her face turned pale, and she trembled all over.

Madam Jia exclaimed "Oh my god!" and almost collapsed to the ground, feeling extremely frightened. Luckily, she had managed to pull her daughter-in-law back!

Zhou Feng, sitting to the side, looked at Bai Ling with a light in his eyes!

As expected of the wife he's chosen, this one gesture instantly boosted his emotional value.

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong were also shocked. Although they acted like old men in the courtyard when they had nothing to do, they were respected in the factory because they were seventh or eighth grade workers.

But in the face of real state violence, that kind of status is nothing!

Bai Ling is a police officer from the Municipal Public Security Bureau. The fact that she dared to draw her gun means that the nature of the matter might really be different!

"Comrade Bai... Bai Ling! Don't be impulsive! Please don't be impulsive!"

Yi Zhonghai's voice trembled slightly as he raised his hands to indicate his innocence. "It's all a misunderstanding! We were just... just making a suggestion, we didn't mean anything by it! Zhou Feng... Zhou Feng was just joking! How could those be state secrets!"

Liu Haizhong was also covered in sweat and stammered, "Yes, yes, yes! Just kidding! We just think the electricity usage is unfair... no, no... we just..."

"joke?"

Zhou Feng's voice rang out slowly as he picked up the list on the table and gently shook it.

"It's all in black and white, right in front of the police officers at the local station. They collectively requested to use, contribute, and take turns using this special equipment. Can you really call that a joke?"

He walked up to Yi Zhonghai, his eyes filled with mockery: "Uncle, didn't you just say you wanted me to donate the machine to the old lady in the backyard as a token of your filial piety? What, you don't want it anymore now?"

"Hey? Right, where's the old lady? Should we call her over and ask her?"

Yi Zhonghai felt uneasy under his gaze, opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word.

Zhou Feng then looked at Liu Haizhong: "Second Uncle, didn't you say you wanted to make unified arrangements and use the resources fairly? The list is here. Why don't you make the arrangements?"

Liu Haizhong's face turned red, and he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"As for you, Comrade He Yuzhu, you are far more formidable!"

Zhou Feng squatted down, looking at Sha Zhu lying on the ground, baring his teeth, his tone calm but every word piercing.

"You led the charge against law enforcement officers, attempting to seize special equipment involving state secrets... Your awareness is truly remarkable. Compared to you, Xu Damao is a law-abiding comrade."

Sha Zhu was already in pain from the fall, and Zhou Feng's words made him so angry that he almost fainted. But when Zhou Feng mentioned Xu Damao, he was genuinely scared.

He struggled to get up, stammering, "No...no, Zhou Feng...Brother Zhou Feng! I was wrong! I really didn't know! This whole thing, I just had a loose tongue! I admit my mistake! I apologize! Comrade Bai Ling, Director Zhao, I...I'm just a fool, please forgive me..."

"Tsk tsk tsk, the baby died and you're already feeding him, the car crashed into a tree and you know to turn, the snot got in your mouth and you know to shake it off? Sorry, too late!"

Zhou Feng stood up, too lazy to look at him anymore, and turned his gaze to Director Zhao. "Director Zhao, you have seen the situation. Even after Comrade Bai Ling presented the special approval certificate from the relevant department, these people still gathered to question and make unreasonable demands. Some even tried to forcibly borrow the protected special equipment and left written evidence."

"I believe this has gone beyond the scope of an ordinary neighborhood dispute and involves suspected spying, coveting, and even attempting to illegally obtain information about protected special materials. Comrade Bai Ling, as the on-site protection personnel, took necessary measures to stop the potential harm, which was reasonable and lawful."

Good guy!

As Director Zhao listened to Zhou Feng's eloquent words, his mind was in turmoil.

He's not stupid; he can naturally see that Zhou Feng was setting a trap from the very beginning!

That proves it's true, and there's probably some truth to the electrical appliances, but it's definitely not as exaggerated as "state secret".

But Zhou Feng seized upon the weaknesses of this group: greed, ignorance of the law, and a penchant for moral blackmail. He used rhetoric to entangle them all and even left behind irrefutable evidence!

Bai Ling cooperated flawlessly, using force and drawing her gun as a warning, instantly escalating the situation.

What can this "small" police station chief do now?

He was even cursing inwardly at these old men and idiot Zhu for making trouble for no reason.

Zhou Feng is clearly not an ordinary person, so why did you recruit him?

But given the current situation, he has to make a statement.

On one side is Zhou Feng, who holds special credentials, is protected by Bai Ling, a key figure in the Municipal Bureau, and has an unfathomable background; on the other side is a group of residents who think they are clever and have left themselves vulnerable. Do they even need to think about who to help?

"Cough cough—"

Chief Zhao cleared his throat, his expression turning serious. He waved to the two young police officers behind him, "Xiao Wang and Xiao Li, cooperate with Comrade Bai Ling to maintain order at the scene! Everyone on the list, stay put and do not leave without permission! He Yuzhu, you are suspected of obstructing official duties with violence, handcuff him!"

"yes!"

Although the two police officers had their doubts, the station chief gave the order to carry it out immediately.

One man pulled out handcuffs and started to pull the idiot Zhu off the ground, while the other man stood in the doorway, glaring menacingly at the ashen-faced neighbors.

Sha Zhu was completely stunned as he was handcuffed with cold handcuffs, forgetting even to cry out for justice.

The other people who signed felt their legs cramp, and several timid women couldn't help but cry out.

"Chief Zhao! We're good people! We were just following along..."

"I didn't mean to steal it! I just thought it was something new..."

"Master Yi and Master Liu sent us!"

When Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong heard that someone had implicated them, their faces turned even more ashen.

Yi Zhonghai forced himself to remain calm and tried to plead: "Director Zhao, I'm an eighth-grade fitter, an advanced worker in the factory! Master Liu is also a seventh-grade forger! We just... we were just momentarily confused, but we absolutely didn't mean any harm! Could you... could you be lenient? We promise we'll never get involved in anything Zhou Feng does again!"

Liu Haizhong nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes! We apologize! We deeply apologize!"

"An eighth-grade fitter? A seventh-grade blacksmith?"

Zhou Feng scoffed, "You two experienced masters, your skills are excellent, your contributions are significant, and the organization has never shortchanged you in terms of honors and benefits, has it? But that's no excuse for you to disregard the law, lead the way in moral blackmail, or even attempt to seize other people's legitimate property!"

"Being technically skilled means you should also know the rules and abide by the law! Today you're just jealous of my few appliances and you're inciting the whole hospital to force me to 'contribute.' Tomorrow, will you use some other reason to force others? Shouldn't you guys tone down your 'big boss' attitude?"

Zhou Feng's words were blunt, and Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong were so embarrassed by his retort that they turned red in the face. But just as they were about to say something, they remembered their current situation and obediently shut their mouths.

The neighbors around them looked at them with resentment.

If it weren't for these two "old men" instigating them, how could they have ended up in this situation?

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps and a car engine came from outside.

Immediately afterward, several young men dressed in ordinary civilian clothes, but quick in their movements and with sharp eyes, strode in. The one in the lead nodded to Bai Ling: "Comrade Bai Ling, Director Sun has arrived."

Before he finished speaking, Sun Yue walked in with a sullen face, followed by seven or eight equally capable men and women.

In the courtyard outside, three military green jeeps and a tarpaulin-covered truck could be vaguely seen parked, with several armed soldiers standing beside them.

This is a much larger group than the police station staff who came earlier!

A somber and heavy atmosphere instantly enveloped the entire backyard.

Sun Yue's gaze swept around the room, passing over the handcuffed Sha Zhu, the ashen-faced Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and the others, before finally landing on Zhou Feng and Bai Ling. He nodded slightly.

He walked up to Director Zhao first, extended his hand, and said, "Director Zhao, thank you for your hard work. This matter is now being handled by our Special Operations Division."

Director Zhao quickly shook hands: "Director Sun, you're too kind, it's my pleasure."

He breathed a sigh of relief; the hot potato had finally been handed over.

Sun Yue said no more, turned to look at the appliances and food in the house, and ordered his subordinates: "Group One, immediately register and seal all non-standard equipment in the house! Pay attention to operating procedures, these are all important items! Group Two, detain all involved personnel, verify the lists, and prepare for relocation! Group Three, guard the perimeter; no one is allowed to enter or leave this yard without permission!"

"yes!"

The men responded in unison and immediately split up to take action.

Several professionals quickly stepped forward, took out cameras to photograph the appliances in the room from various angles, and then carefully sealed them one by one with special shockproof material and wooden boxes, affixing seals and writing numbers on them.

His cautious and professional demeanor was completely different from how Zhou Feng treated these machines; it didn't look like he was handling ordinary household appliances at all.

The others took the list and began to check the neighbors who were paralyzed with fear inside the house. For each one checked, two operatives would "invite" them to the side to keep a close watch on them.

Seeing this, Yi Zhonghai's last hope vanished. His voice trembled as he said to Sun Yue, "Leader...leader! We really didn't know! We're just ordinary people, we just had a little...a little selfishness, absolutely no bad intentions! Could you..."

Sun Yue gave him a cold look and interrupted him: "Do you know that whether someone has bad intentions or not isn't determined by words? If you have something to say, go back and tell us slowly."

Soon, the appliances were packed into boxes, carried out one by one, and loaded onto the back seat of the jeep.

The twenty or so neighbors who had signed, including Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and the handcuffed Sha Zhu, were also escorted and lined up. Under the watchful eyes of the operatives and armed soldiers, they walked dejectedly toward the truck.

Throughout the entire process, the other residents in the courtyard who were not involved stayed far away, watching this direction with trepidation, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Only then did they truly realize that Zhou Feng was not from their world!

Provoking him will really bring you a lot of bad luck!

First Xu Damao disappeared, and now even Uncle Yi, Uncle Er, Shazhu, and so many other people have been taken away like criminals!