Chapter 353: Spider Silk: The Name on the Borrowing Card

The "Awakening" command hung over their heads like a cold sigil, putting the Project Team's surveillance of Su Xiulan into an unprecedented state of tension.

This seemingly unassuming library female manager, each time she lifts her head, each time she frowns, each time she writes neat characters on a borrowing card, tugs at the watchers' sensitive nerves.

Yet Su Xiulan's life trajectory remains as if drawn with the finest ink line—precise, monotonous, flawless. Work, organize books, attend readers, off work, buy groceries, return home, close the doors.

She is like a wound‑up precision instrument, repeating the same daily routine; that bone‑deep calm actually makes people more uneasy.

Li Ping'an did not relax his vigilance over the Steel Rolling Mill's interior. He knows well that if the "Yaozi" target truly concerns industrial intelligence or sabotage, a key unit like the Steel Rolling Mill will always be a potential target.

Under the pretext of inspection, he appears more frequently in various Workshops and warehouse areas, especially near the technical archive room storing blueprints and the special materials warehouse.

His Divine Perception is like an invisible radar, sweeping every corner, missing no trace of abnormal aura fluctuations.

At the same time, he also instructs Chen Jianghe to tighten checks at all factory entrances and exits, especially night‑time personnel and vehicle inspections, outwardly saying "learn the lesson, enforce strictness as usual," but internally to guard against possible Infiltration via internal staff or channels.

The plant has indeed been a bit "unsettled" lately, but this "unsettled" differs entirely from the shadow of Li Ping'an's vigilance; it carries an absurd comedic tone, with the protagonist naturally being Xu Damao.

Xu Damao's report, containing a "grand blueprint" for establishing a Material Supervision and Inspection Team, was finally presented with "utmost reverence" to Li Huaide's desk.

Li Huaide, after reading it, gave no verdict, merely telling him "put it aside for now; the plant's current focus is digesting early‑stage work results, stability first."

This lukewarm watering cooled half of Xu Damao's heart, but who is Xu Damao? He's a "strategic genius" who knows indirect tactics! If we can't openly build the road, we'll covertly cross Chen Cang!

He no longer loudly promotes "forming a team," but breaks it into pieces, using the "Supervision Team Office Daily Inspection" as a pretext to continue "identifying problems" and "making suggestions" across various logistical fringe links.

He even "innovatively" started conducting "surprise inspections," targeting lunch breaks or just before evening shifts, running to secondary warehouses and tool rooms to see if there were any "early departures" or "disordered item placements."

Indeed, he actually caught a few workers napping in corners or slipping out a few minutes early.

Xu Damao, as if finding a treasure, recorded it solemnly, then turned it into a "Report on Lax Labor Discipline in Certain Logistics Positions," copying it to the relevant departments and Li Huaide to demonstrate his "deep work and keen eyes."

The workers he caught naturally harbored a gnawing hatred, secretly calling him "Xu Que De" and "Kua Dan."

Xu Damao heard this without anger, instead feeling smug: "Let them hate, let them hate; the more they hate, the more I exist, the more I've hit some people's 'pain points'!"

He feels he is gradually establishing authority, weaving a network of connections.

He even begins to note which team leaders are courteous to him, which are outwardly compliant but secretly defiant, which could become his future "capable officers," and which need "key education."

That afternoon after work, Xu Damao didn't rush to leave, but strolled around the plant, calling it "checking post‑work order."

As he wandered to the relatively old bungalow warehouse area at the western edge of the plant, night had already fallen.

This warehouse mainly stores seldom‑used spare parts, discarded equipment, and some labor‑protection sundries; it is rarely visited, watched only by an old widower, Old Man Geng.

Geng Da Ye is hard of hearing and unsteady on his feet; once darkness falls, he basically locks the door and rests.

Xu Damao hadn't planned to come here; he was just wandering aimlessly.

Suddenly, he vaguely saw, beneath the door gap of the large warehouse storing discarded metal parts, a flashlight beam flickering by!

Huh? Geng Da Ye should be eating in his hut or listening to the radio now; who would go to that dilapidated warehouse? Could there be a thief?

Xu Damao was first startled, then delighted: a chance to earn merit arrived! Catch a thief, get both the thief and the loot; that's far weightier than catching a napping worker!

If he could also uncover some internal theft clues, he'd have an even bigger chance to show himself before Director Li.

His blood surged, adrenaline spiking. He looked around, grabbed an old wooden stick propped against the wall, and tiptoed toward the warehouse.

The warehouse entrance consists of two massive hinged wooden doors locked with an old iron lock, while a small side door stands ajar—the light streams from there.

Xu Damao held his breath, edged to the side‑door gap, squinting one eye inside. Inside, piles of chaotic scrap metal parts, broken machine shells, rusted iron racks filled the space, like a massive steel graveyard.

A flashlight beam flickered deep inside, vaguely revealing a silhouette crouching behind a heap of scrap, searching for something. The dim light obscured the face.

"You brat! How dare you come to the plant to steal!" Xu Damao muttered, his desire for merit overriding fear; he kicked the side door open, brandished the wooden stick, rushed in, and bellowed, "Don't move! What are you doing!"

The flashlight beam "whoosh" went out, plunging the warehouse into darkness, with only a faint sliver of daylight filtering in from the doorway.

The dark figure seemed startled, emitting a short low gasp, followed by rapid rustling sounds as it fled deeper into the warehouse.

"Stop! You can't run!" Xu Damao waved the wooden stick, stepping unevenly as he chased inside.

The warehouse was cluttered, causing him to stumble; his pursuit was clumsy, his heart racing with anxiety and fear, while he shouted, "Security Section! Catch the thief! Someone, hurry!" trying to bolster his courage and alert anyone nearby.

The dark figure seemed more familiar with the warehouse, weaving nimbly among the scrap piles.

Xu Damao chased behind a stack of towering old gears, then suddenly lost the trail. He panted heavily, thrusting the wooden stick aimlessly into the surrounding darkness, his heart pounding wildly.

At that moment, his foot seemed to snag on something soft. Instinctively, he shone his flashlight—

"Oh my god!!!"

A shrill, warped scream erupted from deep within the warehouse, shattering the plant's twilight silence.

Xu Damao, like a cat whose tail was stepped on, sprang backward, flinging the wooden stick and flashlight, rolling and crawling back as his crotch instantly soaked.

What he had just illuminated was a ghastly twisted human face! Geng Da Ye! The Geng Da Ye who watches the warehouse, lying stiff behind the scrap heap, eyes bulging, a horrific purple‑black ligature mark around his neck, already lifeless!

Xu Damao's spirit shattered, his mind a void, only boundless terror remaining. He collapsed at the warehouse doorway, trembling like a sieve, trying to shout but his throat was blocked, emitting only a strange "ho ho" sound.

That dark figure… that dark figure wasn't a thief, but a murderer! He had almost faced the killer eye‑to‑eye!

The commotion finally alerted people. A few workers finishing the night shift in nearby Workshops heard the noise, rushed over, were startled by Xu Damao's condition and the vague scene inside the warehouse, and quickly some ran to summon the Security Section, others to find the plant leadership.

Li Ping'an arrived almost simultaneously with Chen Jianghe, who had received the report.

Seeing the pallid, urine‑soaked Xu Damao and then the corpse of Geng Da Ye in the warehouse, Li Ping'an's brows knit into knots.

He immediately ordered the Security Section to seal off the scene and preserve evidence, while directing Chen Jianghe to dispatch teams to trace possible escape routes and inquire if anyone nearby saw suspicious individuals.

Preliminary examination shows Geng Da Ye was strangled from behind with steel wire or a thin rope, his death occurring roughly one to two hours earlier.

The killer likely entered the plant by climbing over a damaged low wall at the rear of the warehouse, then retreated the same way after the crime.

The warehouse had been rummaged through, but what exactly was missing remains unclear, as the stored items were already chaotic.

"Xu Damao," Li Ping'an approached the mud‑like limp Xu Damao, and in a deep voice asked, "Did you see that person clearly?"

Xu Damao's gaze drifted, his lips trembling: "Black… black… didn't see the face… just… just a shadow… he… he killed Geng Da Ye!" He nearly burst into tears at the end.

"Why did you come here at this time?" Li Ping'an pressed.

"I… I was inspecting… saw a light… thought a thief had entered…" Xu Damao stammered.

Li Ping'an stopped questioning him, ordering someone to help Xu Damao to the side to rest.

His gaze fell on the scattered footprints and drag marks on the warehouse floor, then he glanced again at the low wall behind.

The killer's target was clear, the method seasoned, and after the murder fled quickly; it was clearly not for stealing some scrap copper and junk iron.

Old Geng, a solitary widower, watches over this dilapidated warehouse; what could be worth the killer murdering to steal it?

Unless… what the killer is after, or intends to hide, is something else.

And the warehouse's chaos and seclusion happen to make the best cover.

He suddenly recalled that the Project Team was vigorously pursuing the "Yaozi" and Su Xiulan.

A seemingly unrelated library administrator, and an elderly watchman who died in the dilapidated warehouse…

Could there be a connection between the two? Or is this merely another independent malicious case within the plant?

But intuition tells him that in this tumultuous autumn, any abnormal death warrants vigilance.

He ordered Chen Jianghe to immediately search Old Geng's cottage carefully, to see if there were any unusual items or letters.

At the same time, he briefly reported the situation to Sun of the Project Team.

Any case involving a life exceeds the scope that the Security Department can handle independently.

Night fully enveloped the Steel Rolling Mill. The dilapidated warehouse was cordoned off with a yellow warning tape, and inside Old Geng's corpse awaited forensic examination.

Xu Damao was sent home, likely to spend the night plagued by nightmares. Rumors began to spread in the plant area, and people's hearts grew uneasy.

Li Ping'an stood on the open ground outside the warehouse, the night wind carrying a chill.

A homicide, like an abrupt black stain, splashed onto a canvas already roiling with undercurrents.

It interrupted Xu Damao's comical performance and pulled everyone's attention back to safety, the heaviest of topics.

Who is the killer? What is the motive? Is there any link to the "Awakening" Yaozi? Does it share origins with the Spy Network attempting to steal special components? One question after another weighed heavily on his mind.

Just as Li Ping'an was concentrating, Chen Jianghe hurried back from the cottage, his complexion odd, holding a Small Cloth Bag.

"Director, found it in the brick gap beneath Old Geng's bed, hidden very discreetly."

Li Ping'an took the Cloth Bag, opened it, and found no gold or silver, only a few items: an empty "Da Qianmen" cigarette pack, a folded, yellowed Steel Rolling Mill old access badge, and—an old‑style library borrowing card from the district library, the name field written in faded blue ink: Su Xiulan.

The borrowed title was "Introduction to Mechanical Principles," dated… three years ago.

The borrowing card was very old, its corners worn, clearly having been handled many times.

How could Su Xiulan's borrowing card end up in the hands of a watchman who died in the Steel Rolling Mill's dilapidated warehouse?

Three years ago, Su Xiulan borrowed a copy of "Introduction to Mechanical Principles"? A library administrator borrowing such a book?

Li Ping'an pinched the seemingly weightless yet thousand‑pound‑heavy borrowing card, his pupils suddenly constricted.

The library's "Yaozi," the Steel Rolling Mill warehouse's deceased, the borrowing card… points that seemed unrelated were faintly linked by a subtle yet real thread.

The night grew deeper, the wind colder. The pieces on the board seemed to shift a few squares oddly, pointing toward an even more enigmatic, peril‑filled situation.

And Xu Damao's terrifying ordeal unintentionally slammed open a small door leading to an even darker depth.