Chapter 394: The Shopkeeper Caught

In the attic of Warehouse No. 3 at the Steel Rolling Mill, the Shopkeeper curled up behind a mountain of old jute sacks.

The place exhaled a mix of mildew, iron rust and aged engine oil, but to them it smelled safe.

Through the cracks in the wooden planks, they could see the full layout of the warehouse below.

Further away, through the dust‑filled ventilation window, they could glimpse the two‑story building of the Security Department.

Li Ping'an's office was on the east side of the second floor.

At that moment, the window was open.

The Shopkeeper squinted.

Their eyesight was excellent; even a hundred meters away they could still make out the moving silhouettes inside the office.

Li Ping'an was talking to someone, tapping a finger on the desk—once, then again.

The rhythm was steady and forceful.

As if pounding someone's skull.

A faint cold smile tugged at the Shopkeeper's mouth.

The most dangerous place is the safest place.

They now fully grasped that old saying.

Who would have thought that a nationally wanted criminal was hidden right under the eyes of a ten‑thousand‑person factory?

Moreover, hidden beneath the Head of the Security Department's very eyelids.

It was more than mere evasion.

It was a provocation.

A thrill of observing the prey up close.

They needed to know Li Ping'an's daily routine, understand their habits, and feel out their rhythm.

Only then could they find a flaw.

One strike would be fatal.

Footsteps came from below.

Warehouse keeper Old Zhao hummed a tune as he pushed a handcart inside.

The cart was piled with newly arrived labor‑protection supplies.

The Shopkeeper held their breath, shrinking completely into the shadows.

After tallying the goods, Old Zhao jotted a few notes in his notebook and pushed the cart away.

The warehouse door closed again and locked.

Everything fell silent.

The Shopkeeper slowly exhaled a puff of stale breath.

They fished a half‑piece of hard, dense corn‑bread from their coat and began gnawing it slowly.

Their eyes never left that window.

Li Ping'an stood up.

Li Ping'an walked to the window, seemingly gazing over the plant.

Instinctively, the Shopkeeper recoiled a step, then realized that at this distance the other party could not possibly see them.

They relaxed and continued gnawing the corn‑bread.

The corn‑bread was coarse, scraping the throat.

But they ate carefully, even licking clean the crumbs that fell into their palm.

They had lived this way for almost a month.

Living like a mouse.

But they were not in a hurry.

They were waiting.

Waiting for the storm to pass, for Li Ping'an to let his guard down, for a suitable opportunity.

In the Security Department office, Li Ping'an was indeed looking out over the plant.

But his gaze swept over the corners where someone might be hidden.

"Head of the Security Department, the sweep is complete,"

Wang Dahu pushed the door open, holding a thick stack of forms, "In the past three months, 127 new hires have all had their identities verified—no issues. Of the nineteen who have been on long‑term sick leave, fifteen are lying in the hospital, the remaining four are indeed suspicious, but during last night's surprise inspection they were all at home."

Li Ping'an turned around.

"What about the warehouse?"

"They're being inventoried," Chen Jianghe added, "The plant has forty‑eight warehouses of various sizes; thirty‑nine have been checked, and so far no anomalies have been found. But…"

He paused.

"The keeper of Warehouse No. 3, Old Zhao, said there have been constant mouse activity in the attic lately; he set out rodent poison twice, yet nothing has settled down,"

Li Ping'an's eyes narrowed.

"Where is Warehouse No. 3?"

"It's in the northwest corner of the plant, near the scrap yard," Wang Dahu pointed outside the window, "That red‑brick building."

Li Ping'an followed his finger with his gaze.

It was an old, dilapidated warehouse, its outer walls mottled, the roof overgrown with weeds.

Its location was remote, rarely visited.

More importantly—

From there, one could see the Security Department clearly.

Li Ping'an's heart jumped suddenly.

"Let's go, take a look."

The lock on Warehouse No. 3 was covered in rust.

Lao Zhao pulled out a key and strained heavily to open it.

"This busted lock should've been replaced ages ago," he muttered, pushing the door open.

Inside the warehouse the light was dim, only a few high vents let in a sliver of daylight.

Dust and a musty smell hung in the air.

The floor was piled with safety gear, scrap parts, and some unidentified junk.

"Where's the attic?" Li Ping'an asked.

"Up there," Lao Zhao said, pointing to a wooden ladder at the far end of the warehouse. "We used to store unused ledgers and old files up there; when it got too full we sealed it. It's probably five or six years since anyone went up."

Li Ping'an looked up.

The wooden ladder was steep, and at its end was a cover plate.

A thick layer of dust lay on the plate, but on close inspection the edges seemed to bear fresh scuff marks.

Very slight; you couldn't notice them without looking closely.

"You two wait here," Li Ping'an whispered to Wang Dahu and Chen Jianghe.

He stepped onto the wooden ladder.

His steps were light, but the old planks still emitted a creak.

Reaching the top, he stopped.

He tilted his ear to listen.

The attic was dead silent.

But Li Ping'an's Divine Perception had already probed inside.

There was breathing.

Light and slow, but definitely present.

And only one person.

He inhaled deeply and slammed the cover plate aside!

Dust fluttered down.

At the same time, a dark silhouette darted out from deep within the attic, lunging toward the vent!

Li Ping'an was ready; his body shot in like an arrow, a mid‑air kick aimed at the dark silhouette.

The silhouette was forced to turn, and the two engaged hand‑to‑hand in the cramped attic.

The muffled thuds of fists and feet echoed through the spacious warehouse.

Wang Dahu and Chen Jianghe rushed up the wooden ladder.

"Chief!"

"Don't come up!" Li Ping'an shouted, "Hold the vent!"

The attic was too cramped; having more people only limited their moves.

That dark silhouette moved with superb skill, each move ruthless, all fighting for survival.

But Li Ping'an's Tai Chi had reached the pinnacle.

No matter how the opponent's attacks surged like tides, he remained unshakably still.

With supple force he guided and deflected, dissipating most of the power.

Spotting a flaw, he delivered an "elbow‑under strike" to the opponent's lower ribs.

The silhouette let out a muffled grunt, staggered back a few steps, and slammed into a corner piled with burlap sacks.

Dust rose and spread.

Li Ping'an surged forward, his fingertips tapping, sealing several of the opponent's pressure points.

The silhouette went limp on the ground, finally revealing its true form.

It was the Shopkeeper.

He had become very thin, his eye sockets sunken, his beard ragged.

Yet those eyes remained sharp, like knives tempered with poison.

"Zheng Bingkun," Li Ping'an slowly uttered the name.

The Shopkeeper smiled.

The smile was full of mockery.

"Li Chief, impressive skill. I hid this deep, yet you still found me."

"Darkness under the lamp, good game," Li Ping'an crouched, looking at him, "but when the lamp's too bright, shadows can't hide."

The Shopkeeper's smile faded slowly.

"What do you want?"

"That question should be mine," Li Ping'an stared into his eyes, "you hid in the Steel Rolling Mill not just to hide, right?"

The Shopkeeper was silent for a moment.

"I wanted to see what the person who could force me to this point actually looks like."

"Now you've seen?"

"Seen," the Shopkeeper nodded, "but that's all."

Li Ping'an was neither angry nor annoyed.

"Stubbornness is useless. Your network's cut off, your subordinates are captured, now even you are trapped in the net. What else is there to say?"

The Shopkeeper suddenly burst into laughter.

His hoarse laugh echoed in the attic, especially grating.

"Li Ping'an, do you think you've won?"

He stopped laughing, his gaze turning wild.

"I'll tell you, this game has never been just between you and me. You caught me, and others. You cut off this network, and other networks. As long as there are interests, power, and conflict in this world, people like me will always exist."

Li Ping'an listened quietly.

When he finished speaking, he finally spoke.

"You're right. But this no longer concerns you."

He stood up and shouted down, "Come up."

Wang Dahu and Chen Jianghe climbed up to the attic.

The moment they saw the Shopkeeper, both inhaled a gasp of cold air.

"It... it's really him!"

"Take him away," Li Ping'an said.

Chen Jianghe pulled out handcuffs and stepped forward to cuff the Shopkeeper.

The Shopkeeper did not resist, only stared at Li Ping'an.

"You'll regret this."

"There are many things I regret," Li Ping'an said, turning to descend the wooden ladder, "but catching you isn't one of them."

When the Shopkeeper was led out of the warehouse, the sunlight was just right.

He squinted; he hadn't seen such bright light in a long time, and it stung his eyes until tears streamed.

In the plant area, workers were on their lunch break.

Seeing the Security Department escort a person out, they gathered around to watch the spectacle.

"Who is this?"

"He looks unfamiliar, not from our plant, right?"

"Surely not a good person, look at that gaze..."

Voices of discussion rose.

The Shopkeeper lowered his head, not wanting anyone to see his face.

But Li Ping'an walked beside him, his voice calm.

"Raise your head, let everyone see. This is the enemy spy who has been lurking for over twenty years, Zheng Bingkun."

The Shopkeeper shivered all over.

He jerked his head up, staring intently at Li Ping'an.

The venomous resentment in his eyes almost overflowed.

The workers gasped.

"A spy? Hiding inside our plant?"

"My god, if this is sabotage..."

"Li Chief is impressive! To think you could uncover this!"

Words of praise, amazement, and curses intertwined.

The Shopkeeper's nails dug deep into his palm.

Shame.

It was the greatest humiliation of his life.

Being led in public, he was watched like a monkey in a zoo.

"Li Ping'an, you're so ruthless."

He roared inside his heart.

But on his face, he remained expressionless.

The transport vehicle was already waiting at the plant gate.

Zhou Zhengwei arrived personally, standing beside the vehicle, his expression solemn.

Seeing the Shopkeeper being escorted over, he stepped forward.

"Zheng Bingkun, we meet again."

The Shopkeeper twitched the corner of his mouth.

"Political Commissar Zhou, hope you are well."

"Thanks to you, I'm still alive," Zhou Zhengwei gestured, "Get in the car, we have plenty of time to talk on the road."

The Shopkeeper was led onto the vehicle.

Just before the door closed, he cast one last glance at the Steel Rolling Mill.

Under the sunlight, the plant area rang with machines, and workers bustled.

It thrived in prosperity.

He suddenly recalled the day the atomic bomb exploded, the cheers of people on the street.

That heartfelt pride and joy.

At that moment, he knew he had lost.

It wasn't a loss to Li Ping'an, nor to Zhou Zhengwei.

It was a loss to this era, to this group he once despised.

The vehicle started moving.

The Steel Rolling Mill gradually faded into the distance.

The Shopkeeper closed his eyes.

At the corner of his eye, a drop of murky tear silently slid down.

Li Ping'an stood at the factory gate, watching the car disappear at the street corner.

Wang Dahu and Chen Jianghe stood behind him, faces full of excitement.

"Chief, we can finally relax!"

"Yeah, this old bastard hid it deep; if not for you..."

Li Ping'an raised his hand, stopping their words.

"Notify the whole factory, increase alert. Also, thoroughly inspect Warehouse No. 3, see if he left anything."

"Yes!"

The two hurried off.

Li Ping'an stood alone for a while.

The sun shone on him, warm and cozy.

But in his heart, there was no imagined ease.

The Shopkeeper's last words still echoed in his ears.

"As long as there are interests, power, and struggle in this world, there will always be people like me."

He was right.

The Shopkeeper was caught, but the struggle is far from over.

As long as there are human hearts, desires, and darkness, there will always be new enemies.

But he is not afraid.

Because behind him are this country, these people.

There is everything he needs to protect.

Li Ping'an turned around, walked back to the factory area.

The roar of the machines continues as before.

The workers' shouts continue as before.

Everything remains as usual.

Yet it seems, something is different.

In the distance, children have finished school.

The song drifts over, still that song "Ma Lan Hua Kai".

The tender voice sings of the birth of the nation's heavy weapons.

Also sings of the hope of this era.

Li Ping'an smiled.

He strides toward the small building of the Security Department.

There, work still awaits him.

Forever there.