Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

Wei Chenniang looked over with concern, her eyes full of heartache: "You must be exhausted. Go wash your hands and eat."

Wei Chen casually placed the commendation letter from the street on the cabinet, as if it were just an ordinary piece of paper. He bent down and ruffled his sister's hair, then patted the head of Da Huang, who had come closer. Da Huang affectionately rubbed its head against his leg, making a satisfied purring sound in its throat.

"It's alright now, things are much quieter outside." Wei Chen's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible relaxation. He walked to the washbasin stand, turned on the tap, and the cool water washed over his hands, seemingly washing away the hostility and dust he had picked up outside.

He sat down at the table and picked up the bowl of steaming, thick, and fragrant cornmeal porridge. The rough texture and the simple aroma of the grains were the taste of home.

Outside, the undercurrents of the courtyard still surged, calculations, resentment, and bitterness silently fermenting in the late autumn twilight. But at this moment, Wei Chen only felt a sense of peace and warmth in the bowl of porridge in his hand. He lowered his head and took a big gulp, feeling soothed in both his stomach and heart.

Big Yellow lay quietly at his feet, its ears twitching slightly as it listened to the sounds in the yard, like a silent barrier.

There's grain in the bowl, and a dog in the yard. In the chill of late autumn, under this small roof, is his firmly rooted fortress, strong enough to withstand any storm.

As for those fleeting fame and scheming, they are nothing more than a few wisps of wind brushing across a deep pool. The claw marks he and Da Huang left are clearly imprinted on the order of this street, and also on the restless hearts of some.

Under the swift and decisive joint security crackdown, the streets and alleys surrounding the steel rolling mill finally regained a semblance of calm. Those scoundrels and thugs who had taken advantage of the chaos were swept away like dew under the scorching sun by Jin Aiguo and the steel rolling mill's security team.

The worry on Director Wang's face dissipated, and outside the factory wall, the residents looked more at ease. The joint patrols by the factory's security department and the police did not slacken, but the pace changed from a rapid, intense effort to a steady, continuous one.

Although the operation has come to a close, the joint operation has not been withdrawn. Jin Aiguo also conveyed the order from his superiors to conduct a period of inspection to consolidate the results of this operation.

Wei Chen led Da Huang along the familiar patrol route. The late autumn wind carried a biting chill, swirling fallen leaves in its wake. Da Huang's ears twitched frequently, its nostrils flaring, alertly filtering out any unusual activity in the air.

Wei Chen's mental perception, like invisible tentacles, spread out more acutely than ever before, covering everything within his field of vision and even further afield. The security situation had improved, but his vigilance hadn't diminished. Having experienced the madness triggered by shortages, he knew all too well that beneath the calm surface, deeper whirlpools might lurk.

The light of dusk was rather dim that day. Wei Chen and Da Huang were on their routine patrol when they reached the perimeter of the steel rolling mill, near a section of abandoned warehouses on the west side. The area was relatively secluded, with few pedestrians around.

Just as Dahuang suddenly stopped and made a very faint, questioning growl in its throat as it headed towards the sparse poplar grove opposite the warehouse area, Wei Chen's mental perception instantly detected an unusual presence.

A figure huddled behind a thick, old locust tree at the edge of the poplar grove. The person wore a faded, patched old cotton-padded jacket and a dirty, tattered felt hat pulled low over their head, almost obscuring most of their face.

He was carrying a similarly worn-out burlap sack, which seemed to be filled with scraps of cardboard, scrap metal, and other odds and ends. At first glance, he looked like an ordinary scavenger.

However, in Wei Chen's mental perception, this person was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples that were exceptionally clear. His "ordinariness" was too deliberate, and his movements were stiff and unnatural.

More importantly, his "gaze"—even though it was dozens of meters away and the brim of his hat obscured it, Wei Chen's mental power clearly "captured" that the focus of his gaze was not the garbage on the ground, but rather, beyond the wall, it lingered for a long time and focused on the towering chimneys, the outlines of the rows of factory buildings, and the workers and vehicles entering and leaving the factory area.

It was a gaze that carried the meaning of scrutiny, recording, and evaluation, cold and focused, completely out of place for a scavenger struggling to make a living.

Was it just a coincidence? Wei Chen remained calm, leading Da Huang along the wall, his mental energy like an invisible thread, firmly locked onto that figure.

The man seemed oblivious, continuing his "scavenging" posture, occasionally bending down to pick up a piece of cardboard, but most of the time, his attention was on the factory area.

The next day, at the same time, Wei Chen "coincidentally" encountered him again. The location was slightly different, but the angle of observation still pointed to key facilities inside the factory area—the boiler room and a location that looked like a machine repair workshop. The third day was the same. The man was like a ghost with a pre-programmed schedule, appearing in this area on time, posing as a "scavenger" while secretly spying.

"Something's wrong...something's definitely wrong." Wei Chen's heart sank. This was no ordinary idler or petty thief. Thieves might scout the place, but they wouldn't observe the factory's production layout and personnel flow with such regularity and persistence. A chilling intuition told him: this was very likely a lurking viper, a hostile agent on a special mission, spying on this important state-owned factory!

We must find out his background! Wei Chen decided to take the risk. He made an excuse and had his teammates continue patrolling with Da Huang, while he, taking advantage of the complex terrain of the abandoned warehouse area, stealthily moved like a cheetah blending into the shadows, keeping a close watch on the "scavenger" from a distance.

The other party was clearly an experienced individual, highly vigilant. After leaving the observation point, they didn't go straight home but instead wandered around several nearby alleys, sometimes even stopping to pretend to sort through the "harvest" in the sack, while actually checking for any tails following them. This counter-surveillance tactic further confirmed Wei Chen's suspicions.

However, under Wei Chen's powerful mental energy, these tricks were child's play. Wei Chen's mental energy was like an invisible radar, firmly locking onto the target, while he himself perfectly concealed himself using walls, piles of debris, and even the figures of passersby. He was like a patient hunter, unhurried and calm.

After wandering around for nearly an hour, it was completely dark. The man finally turned into a narrow alleyway deep inside, filled with sewage and reeking of mold and rotten garbage. Finally, he pushed open a creaking, dilapidated wooden door and slipped into a cramped, overcrowded courtyard.

Wei Chen didn't follow him inside. He stood in a deeper shadow at the entrance of the alley, closed his eyes, and focused his mental energy into a single line, like the most precise probe, slowly probing behind the broken door.

Mental energy penetrated the thin walls and cluttered obstacles, outlining the scene inside the courtyard: low, crooked shacks huddled together, tattered clothes hanging on clotheslines, and piles of junk in the corners. The "scavenger's" hut was the innermost one, equally dilapidated.

His mental energy penetrated deeper into the room. It was messy and filthy, filled with the stench of cheap tobacco and stale sweat. Unrecognizable bedding was piled on the kang (heated brick bed), and scrap was scattered on the floor. On the surface, this appeared to be the cramped dwelling of a scavenger struggling at the very bottom of society.

However, when Wei Chen's mental energy penetrated the thin ground and probed downwards, a chill instantly shot up his spine!

Underground! Less than a meter deep, there was a cleverly disguised, cramped space that could only bend down and enter one person at a time—an extremely well-hidden basement!

What shocked him even more was that, through his mental energy, he could "see" a clear metallic outline in a hidden compartment in the corner of the basement, covered by broken bricks and mud—a small radio transmitter wrapped in tarpaulin! And in an inconspicuous earthenware jar next to the compartment, there were several tubes of... explosives sealed with oil paper! There were also some detonators and fuses scattered around!

A chilling, palpable sense of impending doom permeated the air. In this day and age, what kind of good person could be secretly hiding these things?! This is no ordinary criminal offense; this is deadly enemy espionage! A time bomb planted in the factory, buried among the people!

Wei Chen abruptly withdrew his mental energy, his back instantly drenched in cold sweat. A night wind blew, bringing a chill to his bones. He forced himself to calm down. The evidence was conclusive, but he absolutely could not alert the enemy! This enemy agent was likely just one link in a vast network. The next step was to report immediately!

Without alerting anyone, he left as quietly as he had come, quickly returning to the steel mill's security department. He had already mentally prepared a plan—how to report this significant discovery to Jin Aiguo without revealing his special abilities.

The lights were still on in the security office. Jin Aiguo was hunched over his desk, studying a map of the jurisdiction, his brow furrowed. Seeing Wei Chen push open the door with a serious expression, he immediately put down his pen: "Xiao Wei? It's so late, is something wrong? Where's Da Huang?" He noticed that Wei Chen had returned alone.

"Jin Ke," Wei Chen said, closing the door behind him. His voice was low, carrying a deliberately adjusted urgency and tension, "Something's wrong! Something serious!"

Jin Aiguo abruptly stood up, his eyes sharp as an eagle's: "Speak!"

"Just now, when we were patrolling near the abandoned warehouse area outside the west wall, Da Huang suddenly became very agitated, growling at the poplar grove and refusing to leave." Wei Chen spoke quickly but clearly. "I felt something was off, so I paid closer attention. I spotted a scavenger near the grove, who looked quite ordinary. But Da Huang's reaction was so unusual, so I kept an eye on him for a while. That person... that person had a certain smell!"

"The taste?" Jin Aiguo pressed.

"The smell of gunpowder! And... a very faint, pungent chemical smell, similar to nitroglycerin!" Wei Chen's tone was very confident. "Jin Ke, you know, I've specially trained Da Huang. It's particularly sensitive to the smells of common dangerous substances, such as gunpowder, gasoline, and certain chemicals! Last time, it was because of its smell that it caught the thief of engine oil!"

Jin Aiguo's expression instantly turned extremely serious. As a veteran security guard, he knew all too well what this meant. How could an ordinary scavenger have the smell of gunpowder and high explosive residue on him? This was no coincidence!