Courtyard House: I only wiped out 30,000 Japanese pirates

Yi Zhonghai couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

To be a deputy? That would be openly being a lackey. He had been half-coerced and half-coaxed by He Dajun, and had verbally agreed before.

If He Dajun were to formally recommend him to the Japanese now, he would truly become a "traitor's deputy," with no way to turn back.

If it weren't for the surprise attack this morning, He Dajun would have almost died. He thinks it's okay, even willing.

But now, being a traitor is very dangerous.

Yi Zhonghai wanted to refuse immediately, but after opening his mouth, he swallowed the words back.

Looking into He Dajun's silent eyes, he recalled the image of Wang Aipeng's head being smashed open with a stick, and the bullet holes in Old Zhao's body.

The words of refusal circled in my mouth, but in the end I didn't dare to say them.

He could only nod helplessly.

As he nodded, he mentally cursed He Dajun's ancestors for eighteen generations.

How come that bastard wasn't blown up earlier? A grenade hit his face, the driver was killed, how is he still alive? He's a menace who lives on for a thousand years.

Now he's dragging himself into this mess too. What will the neighbors think of him? When he gets back to the courtyard house, how will his wife explain to people that he became a traitor's henchman? The key point is, there's no benefit to being a traitor.

He Dajun's mind clicked; Yi Zhonghai had contributed another ten points for exterminating ghosts and breaking through defenses.

He Dajun looked at the prompt on the system panel, sneered inwardly, and almost wanted to slap Yi Zhonghai.

He raised his eyelids, looked at Yi Zhonghai's bitter and resentful face, and said slowly, "Zhonghai, you look a bit unhappy? If you really don't want to, I'll go find Xu Wude. He should be quite happy to."

"Or there are definitely other workers who would be willing to do it. Don't believe me? I'll give it a try."

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai's bitter expression instantly transformed into a smile.

The smile was plastered on his face, but his mouth was upturned while his eyes drooped down, making him look uglier than if he were crying.

He said repeatedly, "Yes, yes, Dajun, I am very willing. Thank you for giving me this opportunity." His tone was so sincere that it seemed like he was truly grateful, but the tremor in his throat betrayed how frustrated he felt.

He Dajun nodded, a satisfied expression on his face, and added, "Alright, thanking me is fine too. Give me five yuan after you get paid, as a thank you fee."

He Dajun heard another notification in his mind: Yi Zhonghai had sent him five more Ghost-Slaying and Defense-Breaking Points.

The guy glanced at the newly popped-up defense breakpoint notification on the system panel, a slight smirk playing on his lips. He didn't say anything more, patted Yi Zhonghai's shoulder like he was patting a newly tamed dog.

Just then, a Jeep pulled up at the factory gate.

Sasaki got out of the car, followed by four guards.

Suzuki quickly jogged over and stood beside Sasaki to report in a low voice.

As Sasaki listened, he kept glancing at He Dajun, his expression remaining unchanged throughout.

After listening, he walked up to He Dajun, who had already stood up and looked very apprehensive.

Moreover, his left leg hurt so much that he grimaced as soon as it touched the ground, but he managed to stand firm.

After that, Sasaki started talking about culture. He Dajun repeated what he had just said to Suzuki, speaking with great emotion and detail, almost exactly the same.

After listening, Sasaki pondered for a long time.

Unlike Suzuki, he didn't press the issue of how someone could have thrown a grenade from the outpost, nor did he show any inclination to believe or disbelieve.

He simply looked at He Dajun, his gaze lingering on the wounded but still ramrod-straight-standing Great Xia man for a long while, then nodded and said, "He Dajun, you've worked hard. The Imperial Army knows your loyalty."

He Dajun immediately bowed, his voice choked with gratitude: "Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir! My life was given to me by the Imperial Army, and I will serve the Imperial Army to the very end, even unto death!"

Sasaki looked at his desperate state and his lips twitched slightly.

He turned around and whispered an instruction to the guard behind him.

A short while later, the guard brought over a set of Japanese military uniforms.

It was a civilian uniform for ordinary soldiers, made of coarse yellow-green cloth, without any rank insignia.

"Here, put this on." Sasaki pointed to the outfit. "This is a reward from the Imperial Army."

In ancient times, this was equivalent to being awarded a yellow riding jacket.

He Dajun took the clothes, his hands trembling. His expression changed from gratitude to ecstasy, and then to being flattered.

He kept saying "Thank you, sir," his voice so loud that it could be heard throughout the entire factory gate.

Then he limped into the wooden house, took off his tattered gray cloth jacket, and put on the Japanese soldier's uniform.

The clothes were a little small, after all, he was tall, and looked somewhat like Sun Wukong wearing the official robes of the stable boy.

But this did not diminish the smug look on his face as he walked out of the wooden house.

He stood in the factory area, chest puffed out, his bright yellow-green military uniform standing out in stark contrast to the dusty-faced workers around him.

More than 300 workers were on the scene, some squatting on the ruins carrying bricks, some pushing wheelbarrows to transport scrap materials, and some using crowbars to pry open deformed steel beams.

When they saw He Dajun walking out of the wooden house dressed in Japanese military uniform, they all paused for a moment.

Those gazes held envy, jealousy, disdain, fear, and a complex mix of emotions that were hard to define.

But most of all, I felt envy.

Why? We're all just laborers working for the Japanese, so why should he get to wear the Imperial Army uniform?

Why can he ride a motorcycle to work? Why does he only get a scratch after stepping on a landmine, and stand here receiving a reward after being hit by a grenade? This kid is too lucky.

He Dajun stood at the factory gate, feeling the gazes of those around him.

His smile became brighter, his back straighter, and although he still walked with a limp, he took bigger steps than usual, as if wearing that outfit made his legs feel no pain.

He beckoned to Yi Zhonghai, his tone carrying a hint of condescending friendliness: "Zhonghai, come on, I'll take you to see Mr. Sasaki and tell him about this. From today onwards, you'll be my deputy."

Standing in the crowd, Yi Zhonghai looked at He Dajun's yellow-green military uniform, and his heart skipped a beat again.

Finally, he gritted his teeth, forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, and followed He Dajun, walking step by step toward Sasaki.

As Yi Zhonghai followed He Dajun toward Sasaki, Liu Haizhong gripped a crowbar tightly with his knuckles.

He stared at Yi Zhonghai's back, his eyes practically spitting fire.

This Yi Zhonghai usually acts like a nice guy in the courtyard, always smiling at everyone, but behind the scenes he secretly climbed the social ladder by getting close to He Dajun.

Liu Haizhong is a true careerist. In the world of the TV series "Birds in the Courtyard," this guy worked in a steel mill for decades, dreaming of climbing the ranks.

He really wanted to tell He Dajun to let him become a traitor, but unfortunately, Yi Zhonghai, that cunning bastard, beat him to it.

Therefore, he decided to try to get in touch with He Dajun through the back door tonight.

Liu Haizhong even thought that Yi Zhonghai had gotten in through He Dajun's back door.

Sasaki was quite surprised to see He Dajun bringing Yi Zhonghai over.

While Liu Haizhong was lost in thought, He Dajun had already led Yi Zhonghai to Sasaki.

He Dajun bent down, a smile on his face, pointed to Yi Zhonghai behind him, and said to Sasaki, "Sir, this is Yi Zhonghai, an old technician at Lou's Steel Rolling Mill. He is hardworking, honest, and reliable, and extremely loyal to the Imperial Army."

"I am currently injured and I am worried that this might delay the Imperial Army's construction schedule. I would like to recommend him as my deputy to help me with some of the work of managing the workers. Please approve, sir."

Sasaki glanced at Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai stood behind He Dajun, his back bent even deeper than He Dajun's. He didn't know where to put his hands, rubbing the back of his right hand with his left. His expression was tense and fearful, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Sasaki's gaze lingered on him for two seconds, then looked at He Dajun, his face expressionless.