Chapter 354: The Story Behind the Library Card

The yellowed library card and the equally aged, mismatched Steel Rolling Mill access pass, like two rusted yet razor‑sharp keys, slipped unexpectedly into the Project Team's taut nerve center.

Indeed, a hidden link sealed by time existed between Su Xiulan and the gatekeeper of the Steel Rolling Mill's abandoned warehouse, Geng Daye.

The Project Team's office stayed brightly lit through the night. Technical experts quickly conducted a more meticulous examination of the library card and the access pass.

The access pass showed a young man in his early twenties, his expression naïve; the issuing department was the personnel section of the former Yongli Machine Factory, the Steel Rolling Mill's predecessor, dated the 36th year of the Republic of China (1947). The name field read: Zhang Jianguo.

"Zhang Jianguo…"

Group Leader Sun, looking at the enlarged photocopy of the credential photo under the light, said, "An elder from the Yongli Machine Factory era, if still alive today, would be about the same age as Geng Daye.

But this photo is clearly not Geng Daye. Geng Daye's real name is Geng Fugui; he only entered the plant after the liberation."

"Investigate! Two directions," Li Ping'an pointed at the physical evidence on the table. "First, search all records from the Yongli Factory era concerning this 'Zhang Jianguo' to see where he went later, whether he's dead or alive, and what relationship he had with Geng Fugui. Second, find out why Su Xiulan borrowed 'Principles of Mechanical Theory' three years ago, who recommended or suggested she borrow it, what motive a library administrator has for that book, and how this library card ended up in Geng Fugui's hands?"

"One more thing,"

Group Leader Sun added, his eyes sharp, "Geng Fugui was murdered; the killer rummaged through the warehouse, likely looking for these two items or other evidence that could expose this link. This shows the link not only exists, but for some people it has reached a point where it must be 'cleaned' out."

The operation launched immediately. One team rushed to the Steel Rolling Mill archives, scouring the mountain‑high piles of old papers for surviving records from the Yongli Machine Factory period.

Another team, led personally by Li Ping'an, prepared to make an "enhanced" contact with Su Xiulan—not mere peripheral observation, but a suitably direct approach to the core issue, probing her reaction while applying pressure to seek a breakthrough.

Over at Chen Jianghe, a preliminary result had been reached regarding the inquiry of Xu Damao.

Still shaken, Xu Damao stammered as he recalled, that black silhouette "seemed short, moved very swiftly," "had a smell… a smell of machine oil and rust, but most of us who work in the plant have that scent."

He also mentioned that when he rushed in shouting "Security Section, catch the thief!", the black silhouette seemed to pause, then accelerated its escape.

"He may have reacted to the 'Security Section'," Li Ping'an analyzed, "either a plant worker turned thief feels guilty, or… an outsider who fears the plant's security forces."

The search in the Steel Rolling Mill archives ran into difficulties.

After wars and reforms, the Yongli Machine Factory era files were severely scattered, and records concerning an ordinary worker "Zhang Jianguo" were almost nowhere to be found.

Just as they were at a loss, a soon‑to‑retire senior archivist, scratching his few remaining hairs, muttered, "Zhang Jianguo? That name sounds familiar… I think my master mentioned it once, saying that when the plant first merged, during the cleanup of old files, there was someone with that name, apparently… apparently linked to the machine sabotage incident that year; the person vanished afterward—some say he fled, others that he died. I can't recall clearly."

"Machine sabotage incident?" Li Ping'an asked immediately, "Which year exactly? What machine?"

"Ah, that was ages ago; I'll have to flip through my old notes, might not have anything…" the archivist said shakily as he went to retrieve his personal items.

The clue seemed to point to a deeper, older grievance. Meanwhile, the person who went to the district library to investigate Su Xiulan's borrowing record returned clearer information: three years ago, Su Xiulan borrowed 'Principles of Mechanical Theory' as a one‑time loan, with no renewal record.

The duty log at the time showed no one else present to recommend the loan. However, a detail: on the book's borrowing card, before Su Xiulan's signature, the previous borrower's signature was exactly "Zhang Jianguo," dated early 1948.

That means the copy Su Xiulan borrowed was likely the same one Zhang Jianguo had taken out decades earlier! Is this a coincidence, or some deliberate retrieval or remembrance?

"Su Xiulan knows Zhang Jianguo, and the relationship may not be superficial."

Group Leader Sun judged, "Borrowing the same book could be a covert form of commemoration or information transmission. The library card and access pass hidden by Geng Fugui are physical evidence linking Su Xiulan and Zhang Jianguo. Geng Fugui may have known something, hence was silenced."

In the afternoon, Li Ping'an returned to the district library.

This time, he skipped the reading room and went straight to the book storage workroom where Su Xiulan was.

The workroom was piled with old books awaiting classification and repair, and the air grew even more oppressive.

Su Xiulan, wearing a sleeve cover and glasses, was carefully repairing a loose‑stitched ancient volume; when she heard footsteps, she looked up, saw Li Ping'an, her eyes flickered imperceptibly, then steadied, and she set down the tool in her hand.

"Li Chief, you're here again? Any more issues with the data?" her voice remained even, revealing no emotion.

Li Ping'an did not beat around the bush; he pulled the photocopies of the library card and access pass from his pocket and gently placed them on the workbench before her. "Comrade Su Xiulan, do you recognize these two items?"

Su Xiulan's gaze fell on the copies, and her body became subtly, imperceptibly rigid.

She stared at her own name on the library card, then at the unfamiliar young face, her breath seeming to pause for a moment.

The room was left only with the rustle of old paper and the faint distant sounds of carts and horses.

After more than a dozen seconds, she slowly extended her hand, her fingertips trembling as they touched the name "Zhang Jianguo" on the copy, her voice so low it was barely audible: "He… you found him?"

"We found this access pass in the hands of an elderly Steel Rolling Mill worker who was just murdered."

Li Ping'an stared intently into her eyes, "His name is Geng Fugui; he was killed last night in the abandoned warehouse he was guarding. The killer was looking for something. Comrade Su Xiulan, who is Zhang Jianguo? What relationship does he have with Geng Fugui? And what is your relationship with him?"

Su Xiulan jerked her head up, her face as pale as paper, the eyes behind her glasses filled with shock, fear, and a trace of long‑buried pain.

"Geng Daye… dead?"

She murmured, then realized her lapse, biting her lower lip tightly, both hands gripping the hem of her work uniform, her knuckles turning white.

"Zhang Jianguo… is my brother."

She finally spoke, her voice hoarse as if she had used up all her strength, "A half‑brother. I took my mother's surname; he took his father's. At the end of 1948, the machine at the Yongli Factory where he worked had an accident; they said his mishandling caused critical equipment damage and he was to be arrested. He fled overnight and vanished thereafter. This library card…"

She looked at the copy, "I found it later while sorting through his belongings, tucked inside that 'Principles of Mechanical Theory' book. That book was one he often read. I… I just wanted to see the book he read, to understand what he actually faced…"

"What about Geng Fugui?"

Li Ping'an pressed, "How did he come to have your brother's access pass and your library card?"

Su Xiulan's eyes grew vague and painful: "Geng Daye… he also used to work at the Yongli Factory, apparently in the same workshop as my brother. After my brother fled, he once slipped by me secretly, slipped me some money, saying he was sorry for my brother, but he dared not say more. That access pass was given to me at that time; he said it was my brother's leftover, for me to keep as a memento."

"The library card… I don't know how it ended up with him. Maybe when I later went near the Steel Rolling Mill to inquire about my brother, I accidentally dropped it? Or… he found it? I don't know…"

She covered her face with both hands, her shoulders trembling slightly, a suppressed sob leaking through her fingers.

Li Ping'an did not interrupt, allowing her to vent her emotions a bit.

Su Xiulan's account partially confirmed the earlier conjecture, linking Zhang Jianguo, Geng Fugui, and herself.

But this still does not explain the codename "Yaozi," nor the appointment at the "Listening Rain" teahouse, nor why Geng Fugui was killed because of it.

"Comrade Su Xiulan," after she steadied herself, Li Ping'an said gravely, "Your brother Zhang Jianguo may have been involved in more than a simple accident. Geng Fugui's death was certainly not accidental. Lately, has anyone contacted you in your brother's name, or reached out by other means? Given you any orders? Or asked you to go somewhere?"

Su Xiulan shivered all over, lifted her tear‑filled eyes, her gaze full of struggle and fear. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but bit her lips hard and slowly shook her head: "No… nothing. I'm just an ordinary library administrator; what could I possibly know…"

Li Ping'an knew her mental defenses were loosening, yet a deeper fear still blocked her. "'Yaozi.'" he suddenly articulated the two words clearly.

Su Xiulan seemed struck by lightning, her eyes bulging open, looking at Li Ping'an in disbelief, her body trembling uncontrollably.

"'Listening Rain' teahouse, third seat by the window, six o'clock sharp."

Li Ping'an continued calmly, "Who are you waiting for? Or who is waiting for you? You received the 'Awakening' command, didn't you?"

"You… you…"

Su Xiulan's voice shattered, the color drained from her face, as if the last layer of her protective shell had been ruthlessly stripped away.

She slumped in the chair, murmuring, "So… you've known all along… it's… they came to me. A few months ago, a letter was slipped into the crack of my door. It was unsigned, only saying that my brother's accident back then was a frame‑up, that he might still be alive, and that if I want the truth I should wait at the time and place indicated in the letter… they will tell me. The letter… mentioned the codename 'Hawk', saying my brother had used that designation before…".

"So you went to the tea house?"

"I went… but I didn't meet anyone. I was scared, and vaguely felt something was wrong, so I came back. After that, there was no further news."

Su Xiulan wrapped her arms around herself, as if shivering, "I don't know who they are, nor what they want. My brother… is he really still alive? Uncle Geng's death… was it because of them?"

"Very likely."

Li Ping'an said gravely, "They are using your brother's whereabouts to hold you hostage, and may also be exploiting your 'Hawk' identity for some operation. Geng Fugui might have known some inside information back then, or possessed certain evidence, and was therefore silenced. Comrade Su Xiulan, you are in great danger now. They may come after you again, and might even act against you to silence you."

Su Xiulan's tears fell silently, a mixture of years of longing, fear, the sorrow of being used, and a deep, helpless complexity.

"You need our protection, and you must tell us everything you know, so we can vindicate your brother and keep you from falling into greater danger."

Li Ping'an's tone softened, yet carried undeniable authority, "Think carefully: besides that letter, have there been any other unusual incidents? Among the people you've recently dealt with, has anyone paid special attention to you, or inquired about your brother or the old affairs of the Steel Rolling Mill?"

Su Xiulan strained to recall, her brows knit, then suddenly remembered: "Probably… about a month ago, a person wearing a mask and a hat came to the library, saying he needed to check some old industrial journals from the Republic era, and specifically asked me to help find them. The questions he asked… were odd, not like pure historical research, more like cross‑checking some information. He seemed… to unintentionally ask whether any of the old workers from Yongli Factory were still alive… I didn't think much and replied that there probably weren't many left. His eyes looked a bit disappointed, and he left quickly."

"What did this person look like?"

"He wasn't tall, a bit thin, spoke with a hint of accent, something like… a southern accent? Yet not exactly. His hands… were rather rough, as if used to manual labor." Su Xiulan tried to describe.

Li Ping'an immediately noted these traits. A southern accent, rough manual‑worker's hands, inquiring about Yongli Factory's old workers… these overlap partially with the Xingyi Quan master from Ghost Market and the possible killer of Geng Fugui, but don't match completely.

It could be a different role within the same group.

"From now on, we'll assign someone to protect you covertly. Continue your normal work and life, but stay especially alert to any unfamiliar contact. If they reach out again, or if you recall any clue, report it immediately using the method we've provided."

Li Ping'an stood up, "We'll keep investigating your brother Zhang Jianguo's case as well. You must believe that only by bringing everything into the light can we truly be safe."

When they left the library, dusk was falling. Li Ping'an felt even heavier. Su Xiulan's confession lifted part of the veil on the 'Hawk'—a pitiful woman being used, searching for her brother's whereabouts.

But that also means the other side had long been targeting her, perhaps even planting this piece the moment her brother 'had an accident' years ago.

It's a game of chess spanning more than a decade! The 'Chick' was deliberately cultivated and hidden, then 'awakened' when needed. The depth of the scheme and the patience involved are terrifying.

Was Zhang Jianguo's 'accident' back then truly an accident, or a conspiracy? Is he dead or alive? If alive, where is he now? What does the other side hope to gain from the Steel Rolling Mill—or from Su Xiulan herself—by using her as a piece?

The clues seem to have multiplied, yet the fog grows denser. The blood of Geng Fugui and Su Xiulan's tears both foretell that this game is entering the most brutal mid‑game crushing stage.

Li Ping'an knew he had to untangle the threads faster, before the opponent strikes again.

The opponent's goal may not be merely intelligence; it could also involve people—pieces like Su Xiulan caught up in it, perhaps even the entire peace of the Steel Rolling Mill.