Chapter 206: Special Agent: Clouds of Suspicion

The failed arson in the scrap area and the seizure of the secret radio station were like two boulders thrown into a deep pool, stirring up thousand-layer waves inside the Steel Rolling Mill's Security Department, yet externally they remained strictly sealed with no ripples; only a handful could sense the undercurrents moving beneath the surface.

Li Ping'an's office desk had the factory area map and personnel files spread out. His fingertip traced over the areas marked in red on the map—the scrap area, the bungalow where the radio station was discovered, and the initial capture site of Zhu Yeqing. These three points seemed unrelated, yet faintly formed a vague triangle.

"Internal contact……" he muttered, his eyes sharp as a blade, scanning the stacks of files on the desk. The scope was too large—from workshop workers to administrative clerks, even inside the Security Department……everyone was a suspect, everyone could be wearing a mask.

Wang Dahu pushed the door open, his face showing the fatigue of staying up late and a hint of excitement: "Director, I checked—last night that guy in the scrap area, called Zhao Ergou, is a temporary worker from the Third Workshop, usually a loner with no friends. But he has a cousin in the factory transport team."

"Transport team?" Li Ping'an looked up. The transport team's vehicles came and went frequently, with broad contact—indeed a good place for transmitting messages and smuggling contraband.

"We've already sent someone to watch them covertly." Wang Dahu lowered his voice, "Also, that radio set is old, an outdated model left behind when the Japanese surrendered, but it's well maintained. Preliminary handwriting analysis of the code book shows it's not the same person as the one in Zhu Yeqing's contact list."

"They've been replaced, or……maybe more than one." Li Ping'an's eyes turned slightly cold. The enemy was more cunning than imagined; after cutting off their tail to survive, they immediately activated backup channels and personnel. This meant they likely still had deeper reserves.

"Increase the investigation efforts, focus on those with relatives in sensitive departments or whose recent behavior is abnormal. Don't startle the snake." Li Ping'an ordered, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

"Yes!"

Wang Dahu departed with the order. Li Ping'an remained alone in the office, sunlight streaming through the window, casting interwoven light and shadow on his resolute profile. He knew this was a patient contest, a matter of who would first reveal a flaw.

At the same time, the Siheyuan remained just as usual—a scene of chickens flying and dogs jumping—as if the outside turmoil had nothing to do with this little world.

After Sha Zhu's house renovation, his spirit was refreshed, and his marriage to Ma Dongmei was formally put on the agenda. The two often gathered to discuss what to add, their faces glowing with anticipation for future life. He Yushui watched her brother happily, her worries easing a bit, and she occasionally exchanged a few words with Ma Dongmei.

After Xu Damao became a regular worker and got a house, he was even more proud, walking with his head high and chest out, like a peacock displaying its tail. Seeing Sha Zhu and Ma Dongmei together, he inevitably made a few sour remarks: "Oh, you're starting to live the good life now? Sha Zhu, let me tell you, once you bring this wife home, you won't be able to sleep in anymore!"

Sha Zhu was in a good mood, too lazy to argue with him, humming a little tune: "I'm willing! What business is it of yours? If you're capable, go find one yourself! Stop fluttering around like a headless fly all day!"

Jia Zhangshi continued to find ways to torment Qin Huairu every day, pointing at mulberry trees while cursing locust trees. Qin Huairu's belly gradually showed her pregnancy, her movements becoming increasingly inconvenient, her complexion more wan. Sometimes she would secretly glance toward the Xi Kua Yuan, watching Lin Xueqing's composed figure; deep in her eyes lay an envy she could not hide and a hint of indescribable bitterness. She had once been young, once had dreams of the future, but now she was like stuck in a mire—the more she struggled, the deeper she sank.

Yi Zhonghai had been promoted to eighth-level worker, his prestige in the courtyard risen, but seeing Li Ping'an leave early and return late each day with a stern expression, he also harbored some vague suspicions. He didn't care about the specifics; he only worried whether it would disturb the courtyard's "stability" and affect his authority as the First Elder.

Liu Haizhong remained oblivious to the recent "rumors" at the factory, still lost in his own "official dream," occasionally holding a "family meeting" at home to deliver a nutritionally empty "leadership speech," which made his two sons privately roll their eyes.

Yan Bu Gui's abacus calculations grew sharper; he began to ponder how, when Sha Zhu's wedding banquet came, he could accept the least gift while eating the most meat.

All of this was seen by Li Ping'an and Lin Xueqing in the Xi Kua Yuan.

In the evening, Li Ping'an returned home; Lin Xueqing served him a meal and, seemingly offhand, said: "Today I saw Qin Huairu washing clothes in the courtyard and nearly fainted, while Jia Zhangshi was still scolding her nearby."

Li Ping'an took a bite of rice and said nothing. He had no interest in the Jia family's troubles, but Qin Huairu was, after all, a pregnant woman.

"The factory……things are quite tricky?" Lin Xueqing asked softly.

Li Ping'an set down his chopsticks, rubbed his brow: "The enemy is very cunning, hidden deep. We are in the light, they are in the dark."

"Even the craftiest fox will leave footprints." Lin Xueqing gave him a piece of vegetable, "Watch your safety."

As they spoke, Xu Damao's exaggerated laugh and Sha Zhu's impatient rebuke came from outside the window. Li Ping'an listened to this familiar, noisy street sound, and his tense nerves oddly relaxed a bit. This might be what he was giving his all to protect—despite all the schemes and baseness, it was ultimately a vibrant, lively, human world full of the warmth of everyday life.

He walked to the window, looking at the swaying tree shadows in the Central Courtyard and the light—bright or dim—shining from each household's windows. Enemy agents were like bedbugs hidden in wall cracks, unable to tolerate light. And he would use the most meticulous methods to ferret them out one by one.

"Footprints……" he murmured, his eyes regaining sharp focus. Whether it was the complex clues at the factory or possible unnoticed abnormalities in the courtyard, he would let none slip.

As the night deepened, the Siheyuan gradually grew quiet. The lights in the Xi Kua Yuan also went out. Li Ping'an lay in bed, listening to his wife's even breathing beside him, while his mind raced, rearranging the seemingly unrelated clues.

And in the darkness not far away, perhaps someone was just like him, racking their brains, plotting the next act of sabotage and concealment. This silent contest was far from over. Where would the next strike come? How would it be carried out? Li Ping'an closed his eyes, all his senses heightened to the extreme, like a hunter lurking in the night, waiting for the prey to reveal itself.

Outside the window, the crabapple tree swayed gently in the cool night breeze, its leaves fluttering as if silently guarding this courtyard, and also as if foreshadowing that a more intense storm was quietly brewing.