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

Sure enough, not long after, Zhou Feng strolled back from the street corner.

Bai Ling rushed forward immediately: "What just happened? That man is an enemy agent, did you know that? Why didn't you let us take him down directly?"

A barrage of questions nearly left Zhou Feng speechless. Slightly embarrassed, he scratched his head, put his arm around Bai Ling's shoulder, and greeted Sun Yue.

The latter coughed lightly, somewhat embarrassed.

Zhou Feng's actions were somewhat ahead of their time; there should still be some taboo between men and women.

Didn't you see those big guys next to you staring wide-eyed?

They were right there, staring intently at them.

"It's nothing, he's just a nobody. I was thinking of getting a free meal from him and finding out what he's up to."

Zhou Feng calmly rubbed his slightly full stomach and winked at Sun Yue.

The latter immediately understood his meaning and led him directly to the jeep parked nearby. The surrounding staff members all consciously went into a state of alert, and only Bai Ling got into the car.

Sun Yue consciously sat in the passenger seat, while Zhou Feng plopped down in the back seat and leaned back against the seat.

After seeing Bai Ling come up, he couldn't help but put his arm around her waist.

Bai Ling glared at him irritably, but didn't move away directly. Instead, she moved closer to him to make his movements more concealed.

Who is Sun Yue?

Such subtle actions by the two of them naturally did not escape his notice.

As Bai Ling's superior, he should indeed say a few words.

But faced with Zhou Feng's special status, he could only twitch his lips and wisely pretend that he hadn't seen anything.

Ever since Zhou Feng started talking to the higher-ups, he no longer had much say in front of Zhou Feng.

Taking a deep breath, Sun Yue simply looked away from them and began to speak to Zhou Feng.

"Comrade Zhou Feng, can you talk now? Why did you stop us from taking action?"

"That Wang Aiguo. We're pretty sure he's an enemy agent. This group is targeting you now, and if we don't arrest him, it could pose a threat to your safety!"

Hearing Sun Yue's slightly heavy tone, Zhou Feng yawned and rubbed his stomach. Bai Ling immediately glared at him.

That bastard, can't he rub his own stomach?

He pulled his phone out of his pocket with his free hand and waved it in front of Sun Yue and Bai Ling with a slightly smug look.

"Director Sun, don't be impatient. This guy's just a nobody; I saw through him at a glance. I just wanted to tease him. Besides, I have everything I need!"

As he spoke, Zhou Feng patted his lower back before turning the conversation to his phone: "Don't ask what this device is for. But I recorded what I just said to him, so you can listen to it."

As he spoke, Zhou Feng swiped his phone screen, opened an audio file, and turned the volume up to the maximum.

"...The people behind us can protect the entire city of Beiping..."

"...You just need to provide the supplies, and we'll take care of the rest..."

"...This isn't exactly some kind of 'whatever you want' thing; it's also about allocating resources to meet the needs of the people nationwide..."

Sun Yue leaned forward, listening intently, his expression growing increasingly serious.

Bai Ling also turned to the side, leaned closer to listen, and frowned.

The car was so quiet that only Wang Aiguo's ingratiating yet arrogant tone could be heard in the audio, and Zhou Feng's occasional perfunctory "uh-huh" and "ah".

Sun Yue listened to the entire fifteen-minute recording without moving an inch.

After the video finished playing, Sun Yue breathed a sigh of relief, and his expression towards Zhou Feng became much more complicated.

"Comrade Zhou Feng, the contents of this recording are very important to us. Could you hand over this equipment to us? We can extract more information from it and perhaps catch the person hiding behind it."

Upon hearing Sun Yue's words, Zhou Feng swiftly shoved his phone back into his pocket, clutching it tightly like a mother hen protecting her food.

"No, please don't even think about it. This kind of thing is extremely valuable even in the US; most people can't get their hands on one. I only have this one, and I can't give it to you!"

You have to understand, this is the contact number Lin Su gave him. If it were given to people of this era, although they might not be able to decipher it, what if it were violently destroyed?

There's still a lot of his data on this phone!

Who knows if it can be recovered after violent destruction?

Sun Yue was taken aback by this guy's words, but seeing his expression, he didn't press the matter further and could only take out a notebook and a pen from his briefcase.

"Alright, then Comrade Zhou Feng, please play it again. I'll make a note of it here."

Zhou Feng didn't take Qiao'er's phone, but instead reopened the recording and played it segment by segment.

Sun Yue was taking notes as Zhou Feng played the video, frantically writing everything down.

Bai Ling, who was standing to the side, almost couldn't hold back when she saw the two of them like this.

The dignified head of the Special Operations Division acted like a primary school student in front of Zhou Feng.

Outside the car window, most of the special operations officers at the entrance of the BBQ Season had already been evacuated. After all, they had other tasks to continue guarding and investigating, and it was impossible for everyone to stay here.

It was just a few plainclothes officers posing as passersby wandering around the area.

Upon hearing Wang Aiguo say again that he could cover the entire city of Beiping, Sun Yue chuckled and curled the corners of his mouth.

"I never expected this guy to have such a powerful backer, he's just a bit arrogant."

"Having connections to the heavens doesn't necessarily mean you have it, but having a limited perspective like a frog in a well certainly does."

Zhou Feng replied lazily.

"A truly influential person wouldn't allow their subordinates to flaunt it so openly. Are they afraid people won't know? Either this person is just bragging, or their superiors are incompetent."

Sun Yue smiled dismissively.

"Having connections and influence everywhere" is utter nonsense!

They don't even know Zhou Feng's real information, so why are they here doing business with him? Why are they buying chickens?

It's obvious that Wang Aiguo's backing isn't high enough!

Bai Ling interjected with some curiosity, "Could it be that these people are deliberately creating a smokescreen? To make you think they are powerful, thus lowering your guard?"

"Don't even think about it. I can't let my guard down with anyone, except..."

Seeing Zhou Feng raise his eyebrows at her, Bai Ling's face flushed red instantly.

This bastard is about to die, and Director Sun is still here, yet he says things like this!

Sun Yue pretended not to hear and continued to keep his notes in silence.

"Whether they are truly amazing or just bragging, one thing is certain: they have channels for selling their goods abroad."

Watching Sun Yue finish copying the last sentence, Zhou Feng put away his phone, straightened his expression, and looked at him.

"Director Sun, the reason I stopped you from arresting people today wasn't because I was soft-hearted, nor because I had any ulterior motives. It's just that we figured we might as well make use of this channel that's been provided!"

Sun Yue raised an eyebrow: "You mean..."

Zhou Feng leaned forward and lowered his voice: "Think about it, this guy wants to get supplies from me to smuggle abroad, so let's cooperate with him. He wants goods, I'll give him goods, but most of the items are things we originally wanted to exchange for foreign exchange."

Sun Yue gripped the pen tightly and squinted.

"Think about it, this person is looking for me to get supplies from me and resell them. They must be interested in my stable supply and the high quality of the goods. So let's play along—he wants the goods, I'll give him the goods, but not the scarce supplies, but the things that our country currently has overcapacity and is worried about where to sell."

Sun Yue's pen stopped on the paper, and his eyes narrowed.

Zhou Feng continued, "You see, isn't our country currently figuring out how to generate foreign exchange? Now this ready-made channel has been delivered right to our doorstep, and they even came to us of their own accord. How can we not take advantage of it?"

"He can contact overseas sellers of our goods, and we can sell them through them, earning foreign exchange, which is also real money!"

"Most importantly, this money was taken from the pockets of enemy agents. Doesn't it feel great to have these guys generate foreign exchange for our country?"

Zhou Feng watched his expression closely and added fuel to the fire: "These people can come to me today, but they can come to someone else tomorrow. We have connections here, so we're not afraid. But rather than letting them potentially contact those reckless bastards who actually dare to smuggle strategic materials, we might as well take over and keep this channel in our own hands."

"They can only sell what I give them. If we don't agree, not a single wire will leak out! That's what you call using enemy agents' money to do your own thing."

"Besides, catching Wang Aiguo, a nobody, is pointless; it doesn't even amount to any merit. But by following the trail, you can make money and eventually catch a big fish. Why not?"

The entire jeep remained silent for a full half minute.

Sun Yue carefully read through the dense notes he had written in his notebook, and after a long while, he slowly exhaled.

"Comrade Zhou Feng!"

His voice was slightly low, but it carried a clear sense of appreciation.

"With a brain like yours, it's a waste that you're not a detective."

Sun Yue truly didn't expect Zhou Feng to say something like that.

How did something that was supposed to be about catching enemy spies veer into something about generating foreign exchange for the country get twisted into something else entirely?

Most importantly, the method this guy described is actually very likely to be implemented!

Bai Ling nodded vigorously, "If Comrade Zhou Feng were a scout, he would definitely be far superior to us!"

After all, the most important thing for a scout is not how good their skills or marksmanship are, but that they have a sharp mind.

Hearing the two people praising him incessantly, Zhou Feng felt a little embarrassed and scratched his head.

"Hey! Please don't be so modest. I just thought I couldn't just freeload off someone's meal. Even enemy spies have needs, you know. I was just trying to find him some work to do."

Sun Yue chuckled wryly.

This isn't about finding work for people, is it?

Isn't this just treating them like farm laborers from the old society?

Not only do we have to use them to earn foreign exchange for the country, but we also have to make them grateful.

This is far more ruthless than the methods those poor, hard-working people who catch enemy spies come up with.

After pondering for a moment, Sun Yue put away his notebook and looked at Zhou Feng solemnly: "I personally think your idea is very valuable, and I can also make decisions regarding the handling of enemy agents."

"However, the decision on what products and materials to use in the transaction with Wang Aiguo still needs to be made by the higher-ups."

Zhou Feng nodded seriously.

"Furthermore, your safety is always the top priority. No matter what conditions or temptations they offer, you must ensure your personal safety. If any abnormalities or potential dangers are discovered, we will immediately terminate the cooperation and close in. Comrade Bai Ling is your contact person and your protector. Communicate with her immediately in case of any situation, understand?"

Zhou Feng didn't even need to agree to this request.

It concerns his own personal safety, a point that doesn't even need Sun Yue to mention.

If the other party makes any move that tries to threaten him, he will either draw his gun or return to the modern world immediately.

"Understood." Zhou Feng replied readily, then turned to Bai Ling and winked. "Did you hear that? You're my protector. You'd better protect me well from now on, preferably by staying close to me!"

He naturally whispered the last word into Bai Ling's ear.

The latter gave a soft hum and didn't respond, but her ears quietly turned red.

Sun Yue pretended not to see it and continued, "From now on, the three of us will form a special task force to specifically investigate Wang Aiguo's case."

"Comrade Zhou Feng will lead the attack, Comrade Bai Ling will assist, and I will be responsible for providing external intelligence support and controlling the timing of the operation."

After he finished speaking, he paused, then added, "Comrade Zhou Feng, you were right to stop this arrest today."

Zhou Feng chuckled a little embarrassedly, "Of course, even though I don't use my brain often, it still works pretty well."

Bai Ling rolled her eyes at him: "You think you can get away with anything just because I gave you a little credit?"

"What's wrong with opening a dye shop?" Zhou Feng said matter-of-factly. "Once this batch of goods is sold and we earn foreign exchange, the government might even give me an award."

Sun Yue smiled, a rare occurrence, shook his head, and said nothing more.

He opened the car door, and a blast of cold air rushed in.

"Alright, that's enough for tonight. Comrade Bai Ling, you take Comrade Zhou Feng back to his courtyard house. Be careful on the way."

Bai Ling got out of the car as instructed, and Zhou Feng followed suit.

Sun Yue stood by the car, watching the two young people walk side by side on the winter night street. Zhou Feng put his hand on Bai Ling's shoulder again. This time, Bai Ling did not dodge, but just lowered her head.

He could only sigh softly, turn around and get into the car, saying to the driver, "Back to the office."

The jeep started and slowly drove away from the intersection.

Sun Yue leaned back in the back seat, closed his eyes, and fell into deep thought.

Zhou Feng's words today gave him a completely new perspective.

Instead of passively defending, it's better to actively infiltrate.

Why can't the channels used by enemy agents be used by the Chinese nation?

This deal was definitely a good one.

But how exactly is this kid's brain structured?

In the time it takes to eat three pounds of mutton, he can devise a complete scheme to "make enemy agents generate foreign exchange for us." If only he put that kind of energy into something worthwhile…

Forget it, I won't force it. Being able to use it occasionally is enough.