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

The truck bed panels were closed, and the engine roared to life.

Before leaving, Sun Yue walked up to Zhou Feng and Bai Ling, his face expressionless but his eyes showing a hint of helplessness: "Comrade Zhou Feng, you've been frightened. We'll take these things and people back to deal with them first. We'll leave someone to protect your residence temporarily until the assessment is complete."

Zhou Feng nodded: "Thank you for your help, Director Sun."

Sun Yue glanced at Bai Ling again, his tone softening slightly: "Bai Ling, you stay here and take good care of Comrade Zhou Feng. The relevant report can be submitted later."

"Yes, Director Sun!"

Sun Yue said no more and turned to get into one of the jeeps.

Three jeeps escorted the truck carrying people and classified equipment as it drove out of the courtyard and disappeared into the night.

Bai Ling rolled her eyes at Zhou Feng, annoyed: "Are you satisfied now that this matter has become such a big fuss?"

The latter chuckled, keeping an eye on the ever-increasing progress of the double penetration points within his body.

Those guys who were put on the truck were like top-tier cattle, frantically contributing emotional value to him.

Moreover, they might even run into Xu Damao on their trip!

That guy has been contributing almost nothing lately, maybe he's become numb. This group of fresh blood can give him a good jolt.

"If you're thinking of doing this again, give me a heads-up beforehand, or I won't be prepared."

Hearing Bai Ling's slightly complaining words, Zhou Feng secretly grabbed her hand, and the two walked into the house with their fingers intertwined.

"I doubt there will be a next time. This time it's caused such a big fuss, who would dare to mess with me again?"

As he spoke, Zhou Feng glanced around the courtyard.

Qin Huairu, who had been secretly watching this side, turned pale when she met his gaze and ran towards her home.

This wave of heavily armed troops, and the group of neighbors who were taken away, really terrified her!

As for the captured Sha Zhu…

Who is Sha Zhu?

He's just my neighbor, we're not close!

It was almost night, and the truck bed was pitch black. Apart from breathing, the only sounds were the roar of the engine and the sound of the wheels rolling over the road.

About twenty neighbors who had signed the papers huddled in the dimly lit carriage, barely daring to breathe.

Inside the courtyard, they still thought of so many people, and weren't afraid that Zhou Feng might have any bad intentions.

But what about now?

Those were a group of armed soldiers!

What makes Zhou Feng so special?

Yi Zhonghai leaned against the carriage wall, his face ashen and his eyes vacant.

He had lived to such an old age and was respected in the courtyard and even the steel mill. He never imagined that one day he would be loaded onto a truck and taken away like a prisoner.

His status as an eighth-grade worker had no effect whatsoever in front of this group of people; they didn't even give him a chance to speak.

His mind was in turmoil. One moment he regretted following Sha Zhu's foolish actions, the next he resented Zhou Feng for making a mountain out of a molehill, and then he remembered the old deaf woman's advice to him...

Liu Haizhong, on the other hand, was in a different state. His obese body was trembling slightly due to tension and fear, and his forehead and collar were covered in cold sweat.

He kept muttering to himself, "It's over...it's over...it's all over..."

His eyes would occasionally dart towards Sha Zhu, who was handcuffed in the corner, his heart filled with hatred.

If it weren't for this idiot instigating things, if he hadn't stupidly pushed Bai Ling, how could things have escalated to this point?

Sha Zhu, with his hands cuffed, sat in the far corner of the carriage, his head bowed.

He was in this state when he was taken away, and Sun Yue and the others didn't mention to Director Zhao that they had removed his handcuffs.

They handcuffed him and lifted him onto the truck.

Bai Ling's fall still causes him a dull ache in his chest, but that's no longer important now.

"Attack on law enforcement officers", "Stealing state secrets"...

These are all accusations Zhou Feng has leveled against him. If they're proven true, what will he do in the future?

If even the senior technician status of the first and second uncles is no longer effective, will his status as a chef still hold any weight?

Someone in the carriage started sobbing, and then low complaints and mutual blaming began.

"It's all Second Uncle's fault! Why did he have to call a hospital-wide meeting? If it weren't for him, would we even be here?"

"Exactly! That old man was something else, always talking about maintaining unity in the courtyard... and look what he's done, this is what they call unity!"

"I think it's all Sha Zhu's fault! Comrade Bai Ling tried to stop him, and he still dared to lay a hand on him!"

"Let's all keep quiet... What's the point of saying all this now... We don't even know where we're headed..."

Fear spread like a plague, and some of the more timid ones began to feel weak in the knees and could only barely stand by leaning against the walls of the carriage.

Upon hearing his name called, Liu Haizhong abruptly raised his head, his eyes red, and hissed, "Blame me? If He Yuzhu hadn't gone door-to-door stirring up trouble, would I even be in this meeting? He's the real culprit!"

Yi Zhonghai also sighed, his tone heavy: "Zhu Zi, you were too impulsive this time."

Sha Zhu suddenly raised his head. He wanted to ask, if you weren't trying to take advantage of the situation, why would you be on that list?

But at this moment, everyone in the carriage was blaming each other. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say anything and buried his head deeply again.

The truck drove for an unknown amount of time before finally stopping.

The rear panel was opened, and a blinding beam of flashlight shone in.

"Get off! Line up! Follow along!"

The group was forced off the bus and found themselves in a high-walled compound. The surrounding buildings were square and imposing, with numerous sentry posts. The atmosphere was more than ten times more oppressive than that of a police station.

They were led into a drab building, passed through several corridors with heavy iron doors, and finally locked in several small detention cells, each containing only a hard bed and a chamber pot.

Click! The iron gate was closed, and comrades in Zhongshan suits, carrying the list provided by Zhou Feng, began to call them out one by one for individual interrogation.

The interrogation room was brightly lit, and a serious-looking interrogator sat behind the table.

Why go to Zhou Feng's house?

"Who suggested it?"

Who organized this?

"What did you say?"

"What did you do?"

What are your thoughts when you see those appliances?

Why collaborate?

"Does she have some ulterior motive towards Zhou Feng?"

Do you know the nature of those devices?

...

Faced with this situation, how could these ordinary residents possibly withstand it?

Most of them were terrified inside the truck, answering every question and explaining the whole story clearly.

The results presented in the transcript are: Liu Haizhong's "presiding over the meeting", Yi Zhonghai's "tit-for-tat" response, and He Yuzhu's "active coordination and violent behavior".

Of course, everyone has to add: I was instigated, I was unaware of it, I was confused for a moment, and I had no malicious intent!

Finally, the three most important people were left for the final interrogation by Sun Yue and his team.

From the moment Liu Haizhong entered the interrogation room, he began bowing and scraping, his chubby face plastered with a fawning smile, but cold sweat streamed down his back: "Comrades, I apologize! I deeply apologize!"

"I just... I just felt that Comrade Zhou Feng was young and should think of the collective when there were good things, that's why... that's why I got confused!"

"It was mainly He Yuzhu! He was the one who instigated it! And Yi Zhonghai, he's a big shot, I wouldn't have dared to do it without his approval! I really didn't know those things were... were state property! I wouldn't have dared to do it even if you gave me ten lives!"

At this point, he stopped arguing with Yi Zhonghai for the right to speak and became completely obedient in front of the Special Operations Division.

Yi Zhonghai was slightly better than him, managing to maintain a semblance of composure, though his voice trembled: "Comrade, I'm the head of the neighborhood, and mediating neighborhood disputes is my responsibility. Comrade He Yuzhu reported that Comrade Zhou Feng's household electricity might be affecting the collective, which is why I agreed to hold a meeting to understand the situation."

"As for what happened later... it was completely unexpected. Comrade He Yuzhu's behavior was indeed excessive, but the vast majority of us really just wanted to communicate and had no malicious intent whatsoever. We were also unaware of the special nature of those devices. Ignorance is no excuse, but please let the organization investigate."

After all, they were two people who had experienced a special period, so they were definitely flustered, but at least they could still give a coherent explanation.

Sha Zhu was completely dejected.

After all, he was really targeting Zhou Feng!

At first, he tried to put on a brave face, but all his previous statements proved that he was maliciously targeting Zhou Feng!

Taking advantage of the situation, they instigated a large meeting, led the disturbance, and eventually even resorted to violence.

He alone is worse than all the previous neighbors combined!

As dawn broke, Sun Yue finally received the summary of all the people's statements and rubbed his temples in exasperation.

This matter is basically consistent with the report given by the comrades on duty in the courtyard.

Sha Zhu was dissatisfied with Zhou Feng and dragged along two uncles to cause trouble for Zhou Feng. As a result, Zhou Feng took advantage of these ordinary residents' herd mentality and greed for small gains and set them up.

In fact, apart from Sha Zhu's outrageous behavior and Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong bearing the main responsibility for organizing this group, the others were mostly coerced.

The incident itself wasn't serious, but its nature was rather egregious, especially considering it involved a particular individual like Zhou Feng.

After a moment's thought, he quickly issued the instructions.

Soon, the neighbors who had signed were called out again.

A man in a Zhongshan suit stood in front of them, expressionlessly called out their names, and then waved his hand, restarting the truck.

"All of you are being released this time because it's your first offense and the circumstances are minor. However, you need to reflect deeply on your actions after returning home and refrain from harassing or questioning Comrade Zhou Feng again. If any further investigation is needed, you must cooperate. Understand?"

"Understood, sir!"

Liu Haizhong was the first to raise his hand in agreement.

He was now filled with relief; Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu had been spared, while he had been released!

From the moment he was released, Liu Haizhong made up his mind that from now on, the ancestor of the courtyard house would be surnamed Zhou!

What does it matter if he's called "Second Uncle" or "Seventh-Grade Worker"? None of that matters!

Old Yan is really good at shrewd calculations. While everyone else was thinking about small gains, Old Yan directly clung to Zhou Feng, such a super powerful figure!

They were all exhausted after a whole night, and they didn't know if it would have any lasting effects, while Old Yan's whole family got to eat the meat and pastries and could rest easy at home!

From now on, I, Lao Liu, will also change my strategy.

What Lao Yan can do, I, Lao Liu, can also do; what Lao Yan can't do, I, Lao Liu, can also do!

He has such a powerful figure in the courtyard and he doesn't even try to curry favor with them. He was even thinking of picking a fight before. His brain must be full of mush!

Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu, who were left behind, got into another vehicle and watched helplessly as their neighbors got into the truck bed. Their hearts sank.

Upon arrival, they were escorted through even more heavily guarded passageways to a prison area.

It was darker and damper here, with the air filled with the smell of disinfectant and staleness.

The iron doors of the prison cells were tightly shut, with only a faint light coming through the small windows above.

The two were put into adjacent cells.

The iron gate closed behind me, the sound of the lock echoing in the empty corridor.

"That's not right! They didn't even try us, how come they just sent us straight to jail! And they didn't even say how long we'd be locked up!"

Yi Zhonghai slumped onto the cold cement floor, leaning against the wall. Suddenly, he thought of this problem and grabbed the small window by the door, shouting outside.

They didn't even notify them of their sentences, either the officers guarding them forgot, or they were planning to keep them locked up indefinitely!

It's obvious that the first scenario is impossible!

Sha Zhu slid down against the iron gate and put his hands behind his head.

Although the handcuffs on my wrists were removed, the areas where they had been tightened still burned with pain.

He truly regretted it this time. He had lost his mind. Knowing that Zhou Feng had connections, why did he still have to go against him?

"Government! Leaders! I know I was wrong, please forgive me this time! I will definitely correct my mistakes and be a better person in the future!"

The two shouted, but received no reply; only echoes reverberated in the corridor.

Just as they were wallowing in their despair, a faint, nasal, yet somewhat familiar voice suddenly came from the next cell: "Oh... new recruits? Judging from the noise... more than one? What did they do? Are they enemy agents? Or saboteurs?"

"We are not enemy agents, nor are we saboteurs; we are innocent!"

"Yes, we are the glorious working class, just like you..."

Sha Zhu abruptly stopped mid-sentence.

The two suddenly raised their heads and tilted their ears.

That sound just now…

Why does that sound so familiar?

The person who was about to mock them seemed to freeze in place.

After a long pause, his voice suddenly rose, filled with an unbelievable excitement, even cracking slightly from the intensity: "You...you two! Are you Uncle Yi and Sha Zhu? Sha Zhu! He Yuzhu! You bastards came in too!"

"You are Xu Damao!"

Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu shouted the name almost at the same time!

Xu Damao, who had been missing for a long time and whose only known fact was that he had been arrested, was also imprisoned here!

A series of crackling sounds came from next door. Xu Damao jumped out of bed and scrambled to the cell door. He clung to the small window in the door, desperately trying to see this way, even though he couldn't see anything.

"Haha! Hahaha! It really is you guys! Yi Zhonghai! He Yuzhu! Hahahaha!"