Chapter 209: Night Raid on the Scrap Station

Li Ping'an stands in the shadow by the window like a frozen statue, only his sharp gaze sweeps through the night. After that strange rustle there is no further sound, but the warning in his heart has not faded. Years of experience tell him it was neither a stray cat nor the wind.

He slips back into the house silently, quickly dresses, checks his sidearm. Lin Xueqing has already woken, leaning at the head of the bed, the lights off, merely conveying a question with her eyes.

"Might be something, I'll go out and take a look," Li Ping'an lowers his voice, "Lock the door."

Lin Xueqing nods, her eyes clear and steady: "Be careful."

Li Ping'an melts into the night like a fallen leaf, startling no one. He does not go straight to the Front Courtyard; instead he circles to the back courtyard, slips out through an inconspicuous corner, and his figure vanishes swiftly into the darkness of the Alley. The place he heads for is Old Liu's scrap station in Nan Cheng. His intuition tells him the "net" over there should be taken down.

Soon after Li Ping'an leaves, behind the window of Xu Damao's house in the back courtyard, a pair of eyes greedily watches Xi Kua Yuan. Xu Damao had drunk two extra cups that night, got up to use the water, and happened to glimpse Li Ping'an's agile figure climbing over the wall, disappearing toward Nan Cheng.

"It's so late… Li Ping'an sneaking out, what for?" Xu Damao rubs his eyes, fully awake, a surge of jealousy and malice bubbling up. He immediately spins a vivid speculation: "He must be going to meet a lover! Bah! He always pretends to be a gentleman, but he's just a hypocrite! Lin Xueqing is still in the dark!"

He feels he has grasped a huge leverage over Li Ping'an, spinning excitedly around the room, eager to broadcast this "earth‑shattering scoop" to the whole world.

Meanwhile, at Old Liu's scrap station in Nan Cheng.

Under the night's veil, piles of junk rise like mountains, emitting a mixed scent of rusted metal and decay. Several low sheds sit in pitch black, like sleeping monsters.

Wang Dahu, with a few capable security officers, had long since, according to Li Ping'an's prior orders, been lying in wait on the high points and hidden corners around the scrap station. When Li Ping'an appeared at the prearranged rendezvous like a phantom, Wang Dahu immediately stepped forward, whispering, "Chief, everything's set. Old Liu locked the gate at eight p. m., and there's been no movement since."

Li Ping'an nods, his gaze scanning the dead‑silent scrap yard. It's too quiet, which in turn hints at something unusual.

"Action. Team One seals the perimeter, Team Two follows me inside." Li Ping'an issues the decisive order, his voice low yet imbued with unquestionable authority.

Team Two moves like trained leopards, silently approaching the sheds. The shabby lock yields with a click under professional tools. Inside are heaps of scrap copper, rusted iron and tattered paper, the air thick with dust.

Li Ping'an swings his flashlight, the beam like a sword, sweeping every corner. Suddenly, behind a stack of old newspapers, he discovers a half‑covered Secret Door leading underground.

"There's a basement!" Wang Dahu exclaims low.

Li Ping'an gestures; two officers first draw their guns and enter. The lower chamber is small, yet makes everyone's hearts tighten— in a corner sits a Radio Station draped with canvas; though the model is old, its maintenance is clearly far better than the one seized last time! Beside it is a locked Iron Box.

"Search! Search thoroughly!" Li Ping'an commands, while he watches the entrance vigilantly.

At that moment, a short whistle sounds from outside—a warning signal from the outer team!

"Situation!" Li Ping'an's eyes harden, and he immediately leads his men out of the basement.

They see, at the base of the scrap station's back‑yard wall, a dark figure trying to climb over the wall with hands and feet!

"Stop!" Wang Dahu shouts, leading the chase.

The figure is thin and small yet unusually agile, about to crest the wall. Li Ping'an lifts his hand, the barrel tilts slightly, and a crisp "Bang" cracks the night, the bullet striking the brick beside the figure's hand, spraying a spray of sparks!

The figure flinches, its movement delayed by half a beat. In that instant, Wang Dahu lunges, yanks the figure down hard, pinning it to the ground. The flashlight reveals a gaunt, terrified old face—it is the owner of the scrap station, Old Liu!

"Let me go! What are you doing? What crime have I committed?" Old Liu struggles, his eyes frantic toward the sheds.

Li Ping'an steps before him, towering, his voice cold as ice: "What crime? Illicitly hiding a Radio Station, colluding with enemy agents—enough to shoot you ten times!"

Old Liu's face turns ashen, he collapses limp on the ground.

The Radio Station and the Iron Box are swiftly seized. Inside the Iron Box, besides a new Code Book, are several cipher‑written potion notes detailing production conditions and personnel movements of certain workshops in the steel‑rolling plant!

The information is tightly sealed, yet Li Ping'an's overnight absence and the faint gunshot heard from the direction of Nan Cheng at dawn still ripple through the Siheyuan like a water droplet dropped into hot oil.

The next morning, various speculations and rumors begin to ferment.

The instigator Xu Damao, sporting two dark circles under his eyes, can't wait to spread his "exclusive discovery." He first "accidentally meets" Yan Bu Gui by the sink, whispering mysteriously: "Third Elder, guess what I saw last night? Li Ping'an! In the dead of night, he climbed over the wall and headed toward Nan Cheng! You see, at this hour, a cadre shouldn't be sleeping at home—what is he doing out there?"

Yan Bu Gui's small eyes widen instantly, he adjusts his glasses: "Is that true? Can't be… Li Chief isn't that kind of person…" Yet the seed of doubt has already been planted in his mind.

Xu Damao runs to the Central Courtyard, adding fuel to the fire for Jia Zhangshi and a few old women: "I think he definitely went out for some unsavory business! You all saw how sneaky he was! Poor Dr. Lin…"

Jia Zhangshi, hearing this, immediately perks up, spitting: "I told you! Officials are all rotten! One face in front, another behind! He must be looking for a wild woman! Bah!"

Rumors spread like plague. Some believe, some don't, but the glances toward Xi Kua Yuan now carry a hint of inquiry and oddity.

Sha Zhu, hearing this, blocks Xu Damao in a corner, grabs his collar and shouts: "Xu Damao, if you keep spewing crap, do you think I'll tear your mouth off? Brother Li Ping'an is a man of business!"

Xu Damao turns pale with fear, yet retorts: "You… why are you shouting at me? If you've got guts, go ask Li Ping'an! See where he went in the dead of night!"

Yi Zhonghai also hears the wind, furrows his brows, feeling the matter isn't simple. He leans toward believing Li Ping'an was on a mission, but Xu Damao's vivid tale sways public opinion against Li Ping'an. As First Elder, he feels it necessary to understand, to maintain the courtyard's "stability" and "atmosphere."

Even Liu Haizhong in the back courtyard adopts a leadership posture, telling Er Da Ma: "Comrade Li Ping'an's personal conduct is no small issue! We must monitor the development!"

In Xi Kua Yuan, Lin Xueqing naturally also hears those vile rumors. She remains calm, still goes to work and home on schedule, buys groceries and cooks, as if nothing happened. Only those familiar with her can read a faint chill in her straighter back and more tranquil eyes.

Li Ping'an returns only near noon, exhausted but his eyes bright, clearly the operation achieved major progress. As soon as he steps into the courtyard, he feels the odd atmosphere and the evasive glances.

Lin Xueqing steps forward, takes his coat, whispers: "The idle talk in the courtyard need not be heeded."

Li Ping'an instantly understands; he glances at the nearby Xu Damao, whose eyes dodge, and the whispering Jia Zhangshi, a cold curve lifts his mouth corner.

He offers no explanation, nor needs to. He simply nods to Lin Xueqing, warm‑toned: "I know. Things have moved forward; we caught a big fish."

His calm and composure instead leaves those spreading rumors a little at a loss.

Yi Zhonghai hesitates, then comes over, tentatively asking: "Ping'an, last night… the courtyard heard some movement, everyone's concerned…"

Li Ping'an looks at him, his gaze deep: "First Elder, the factory has discipline; some matters are not convenient to elaborate. Everyone should mind their own affairs, guard the courtyard's gates, that's the greatest support."

His words are airtight, neither admitting nor denying, yet carry an undeniable momentum that blocks Yi Zhonghai's further words.

Sunlight shines brightly into the Siheyuan, yet seems unable to pierce the darkness of some people's scheming hearts. Li Ping'an returns with a night's worth of battle‑earned merit, upright and unafraid of slanting shadows. And those who hide in the gutters spreading rumors, in their self‑perceived "victory," have already been thoroughly defeated.

Yet the seized intelligence shows enemy agents' reach seems closer to ordinary lives than expected. Where is the next corner that needs cleaning? Li Ping'an's gaze again turns toward the seemingly calm yet secretly turbulent depths of the courtyard.