Chapter 171: Midnight Thunder

The fish soup of Shichahai still lingers on the lips and teeth, and life in the Siheyuan seems to have returned to calm.

Li Ping'an smoothly entered the design department of the Textile Factory, and Xu Damao still works as his Apprentice Worker in the publicity department, bragging all day that he will soon set out.

But Li Ping'an knows in his heart that the thread involving Zheng Zeming will not be cut so easily.

That night, Li Ping'an was meditating and training, his Divine Perception as usual covering a radius of a hundred meters. Suddenly, an extremely faint footstep reached his ears—not the ordinary steps of a night‑returner, but a deliberately softened, rhythmical sound.

He snapped his eyes open, a flash of sharp light flickering in the darkness. Silently moving to the window, he peered through the crack and saw three dark silhouettes slipping along the base of the wall, their movements too agile for ordinary people.

"So they've arrived…" Li Ping'an sneered inwardly. He knew that Zheng Zeming had been caught, and the forces behind him would not give up easily.

The three silhouettes circled the alley a few times, then stopped outside a vacant courtyard opposite Li Ping'an's house. One of them deftly pried open the lock, and the three slipped in one after another.

Li Ping'an frowned slightly. The owner of that courtyard had moved away only a few days earlier, so it should have been empty. Their choosing this spot as a base clearly indicated they came prepared.

He gently pushed the door open, slipped over the courtyard wall like a fallen leaf, and approached the courtyard silently. His Divine Perception probed inside, seeing the situation there with perfect clarity.

The three were speaking softly inside, and they were speaking Japanese!

"Brother Zheng was too careless, falling into the hands of a petty Security Section Chief," a hoarse voice said.

"Talking about this now is useless; the urgent task is to find what he left behind, especially that Code Book, which must not fall into Chinese hands."

"I've already verified it; Li Ping'an lives opposite. Should we…"

Li Ping'an felt a chill; they had indeed come for the Code Book! It seems Zheng Zeming had already passed the information before being captured.

He was contemplating his response when his Divine Perception shifted, detecting another group approaching. This time four figures arrived, moving even more covertly, arranged in a dispersed encirclement—clearly trained professionals.

"Interesting…" Li Ping'an's lips curled slightly, "A mantis catches a cicada, while the yellow bird waits behind?"

He slipped back into the shadows, watching silently. The four later clearly noticed the Japanese in the courtyard, gestured outside, and swiftly took advantageous positions.

The Japanese inside the courtyard seemed to sense the danger, and their conversation abruptly stopped. In the darkness, only tense breathing could be heard.

"Bang!"

A gunshot ripped the night sky, followed by a hail of fire. Two groups clashed in a gunfight inside the courtyard!

Li Ping'an's brows tightened. This was a residential area after all; stray bullets could easily harm innocents. He could no longer stand by.

While the two sides were locked in fierce combat, he slipped into the courtyard like a phantom. The Carefree Step unfolded effortlessly in the cramped space, as if he were a fish in water. In the darkness, his sight was unimpeded, and he saw every enemy's position with crystal clarity.

"Baka! Someone's behind you!" a Japanese Spy shouted, swinging his gun around.

Li Ping'an neither ducked nor dodged; at the instant the opponent pulled the trigger, he sidestepped the bullet, rushed forward, and a precise palm strike cleaved the spy's neck side. The Japanese Spy collapsed limp, not even a groan.

The other two Japanese Spies, shocked, raised their guns, but Li Ping'an was already whirling forward like a cyclone. In a flurry of fists and kicks, the two fell to the ground.

The four who arrived later clearly hadn't expected a sudden intervening force, and were momentarily stunned.

"Who are you?" the leader asked in a lowered voice, speaking Mandarin with a southern accent.

Li Ping'an gave no answer, his Divine Perception scanning the four. On them he sensed a distinctive aura—not ordinary jianghu folk, but more like… from the Special Forces.

"Which branch are you from?" Li Ping'an retorted.

The man hesitated, then produced an ID: "National Security Department, on a mission."

Li Ping'an glanced at the ID by moonlight; it seemed authentic, but he keenly noted that the other three kept their hands on their waists, ready to draw guns.

"So you're comrades from the National Security Department," Li Ping'an said casually, "We'll leave these Japanese Spies to you; I'll call the Police Substation for you."

He gestured as if to walk out.

"Wait!" the man hurriedly blocked, "This small matter doesn't need the Police Substation; we'll take them away ourselves."

Li Ping'an sneered inwardly; it was indeed a ruse. Genuine National Security Department personnel would never refuse the Police Substation's assistance.

As the standoff lingered, a police whistle sounded in the distance. Clearly the earlier gunfire had alerted the neighborhood defense squad.

The four's expressions changed, and they exchanged glances.

"Retreat!" the leader barked low, and the four swiftly scaled the wall, moving cleanly and efficiently.

Li Ping'an did not pursue; his focus remained on the three Japanese Spies. One, though knocked out, still twitched his fingers, evidently feigning unconsciousness.

He deliberately turned, pretending to go meet the defense squad. At that instant, the feigning spy sprang up, a flash of cold steel, and a dagger plunged straight into Li Ping'an's back!

Li Ping'an seemed to have eyes on his back, sidestepping the dagger, his right hand clamping the foe's wrist like iron tongs.

"You're the one I've been waiting for!" Li Ping'an sneered.

The Japanese Spy gasped, reaching again for his waist. Li Ping'an showed no mercy, delivering a heavy punch to the abdomen; the man arched like a shrimp, collapsing in pain.

At that moment, Wang Dahu burst in with the defense squad: "Chief! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Li Ping'an said, pointing at the three Japanese Spies on the ground, "Tie them up and thoroughly search this courtyard."

During the subsequent sweep, they uncovered a shocking secret in the vacant courtyard: the basement housed a high‑power Radio Station and abundant evidence of spy activities. Most startling was a diary noting that a spy chief codenamed "Grey Wolf" was planning a sabotage operation against key industrial facilities!

"Chief, this is huge!" Wang Dahu's face turned pale, "We must report immediately!"

Li Ping'an nodded, but harbored another plan. Who were those four posing as National Security Department agents, and why were they interested in these Japanese Spies? All this likely tied to the mysterious "Grey Wolf."

The next day, Li Ping'an was urgently summoned to the city Public Security Bureau. The conference room was tense, populated by Public Security Bureau leaders and several unfamiliar faces in Zhongshan suits.

"Comrade Li Ping'an, you achieved another Great Work last night!" the director clasped his hand, "Based on your tip, we've pinpointed several suspected Grey Wolf hideouts."

A man in a Zhongshan suit stepped forward: "Comrade Li Ping'an, I am Director Chen of the National Security Department. The 'Grey Wolf' is an old adversary we've been tracking for years, extremely cunning. We hope you'll cooperate with our next operation."

Li Ping'an noted that Director Chen's accent matched exactly that of the leader among the four last night.

A warning bell rang in his mind, but his face remained impassive: "Cooperation is expected; what do you need me to do?"

Director Chen spread a map: "We've received intel that the Grey Wolf has been active around the old‑goods market in South of City. You know the area; we hope you'll lead our men to scope it out."

Li Ping'an studied the map, while his Divine Perception carefully sensed Director Chen's aura. He detected a deliberately suppressed murderous intent—far from the demeanor of a National Security official.

"No problem," Li Ping'an replied readily, "When do we move?"

"Tonight at eight, we'll rendezvous at the east gate of the old‑goods market."

Leaving the Public Security Bureau, Li Ping'an felt a heavy heart. He was eighty percent certain that Director Chen was the leader of last night's group. They were trying to lure him into a trap, a turtle‑in‑a‑jar scheme.

But Li Ping'an is no soft persimmon to be easily manipulated.

Back at the Steel Rolling Mill, he immediately summoned Wang Dahu: "Dahu, tonight take a few reliable brothers and cover the outskirts of the old‑goods market. Remember, without my signal, do not act rashly."

"Section Chief, is there any danger?" Wang Dahu asked nervously.

Li Ping'an patted his shoulder: "Don't worry, Section Chief, I'm tough as nails. Remember, if you see me give a signal, go straight to the Public Security Bureau's Liu, the Deputy Director, and say 'Hui Lang is about to emerge'."

Night fell, and Li Ping'an arrived alone at the Old Goods Market. It was bustling during the day but terrifyingly silent at night. The broken sign swayed in the wind, emitting a creaking sound.

At exactly eight o'clock, three jeeps silently stopped at the east gate. Director Chen got out with six subordinates, each dressed in civilian clothes, but their waists bulged, clearly bearing weapons.

"Comrade Li Ping'an, you're very punctual," Director Chen said with a smile, his eyes cold as knives.

"When Director Chen orders, how could I be late?" Li Ping'an also smiled, "Do you know the specific plan for tonight?"

Director Chen pointed to an old bookstore deep within the market: "According to intelligence, 'Hui Lang' has been appearing at that bookstore lately. We plan to search it, and we need you to keep watch outside."

Li Ping'an sneered inwardly; this was clearly a move to put him in the most exposed position.

"No problem." He agreed readily, and his Divine Perception had already locked onto the bookstore. In his perception, the store was empty, but in the alley behind its back door, at least ten people were lying in ambush!

It was indeed a trap.

Just as Director Chen led his men toward the bookstore, Li Ping'an suddenly shouted loudly, "Director Chen! Watch out for an ambush!"

That shout rang especially loud in the silent night sky. Director Chen and his others instinctively halted, nervously looking around.

In that instant, Li Ping'an moved. He darted out like a leopard, lunging straight at Director Chen!

Director Chen reacted swiftly, sidestepping to draw his Handgun. But Li Ping'an was faster; before Chen could pull the trigger, he had seized Chen's wrist and twisted it hard!

"Clack!" The sound of a wrist bone snapping was clearly audible.

"Ah!" Director Chen cried out miserably as his Handgun fell to the ground.

The other few were just about to act when Li Ping'an had already forced Director Chen back to the wall: "Don't move! Otherwise I'll snap his neck!"

At that moment, countless lights suddenly flared around the Old Goods Market, and dozens of Public Security officers surged from the shadows: "No movement! Raise your hands!"

Wang Dahu, leading Joint Defense personnel from the Steel Rolling Mill, also flanked in from another direction: "Section Chief! We're here!"

Li Ping'an looked at the ashen-faced Director Chen and sneered, "Mr. Hui Lang, this show is over."

In the subsequent interrogation, the impostor National Security Director "Hui Lang" finally confessed the truth. He was indeed Zheng Zeming's superior, and to retrieve that Code Book he even went in personally. The four Japanese spies were helpers he had summoned from abroad.

This Spy Network that had been infiltrating for years was finally uprooted.

At the celebration, the Public Security Bureau Director patted Li Ping'an's shoulder: "Li Ping'an, you've achieved another great feat! What reward do you want?"

Li Ping'an smiled, looking at the bustling street outside the window: "Director, no need for a reward. As long as the people can live peacefully, that's better than anything."

Stepping out of the Public Security Bureau, the night wind brushed his face. Li Ping'an took a deep breath; the heavy stone in his heart finally settled.

But he knew the road to safeguarding this peace was still long. He was already prepared; whatever challenges lay ahead, he would face them one by one.

Because that is his duty, and the responsibility a grandmaster should bear.