Chapter 177: Being Schemed Against

He Yuzhu left Liu Rusi's home and drove the truck straight toward the train station.

The winter sky was gray and hazy, and the cold wind whipped up the fallen leaves on the ground, swirling them as they lunged at people.

He knew this operation was difficult, but he didn't want to let Liu Rusi down, and his heart felt heavy.

After parking the truck outside the train station, he wrapped his cotton-padded jacket tight and circled the platform, getting a general idea of the track layout toward Nanjing.

Afterward, he left the train station and walked forward along the tracks.

The tracks gleamed coldly under the winter sun, and the gravel between the railroad ties was frozen rock-hard.

As he walked, he pondered where exactly Feng Qingbo would choose to carry out the attack.

Back in the day, when the Japanese bombed Marshal Zhang, they had planted the explosives under a bridge.

Would this Feng Qingbo pull the same trick? After all, security on the railway was tight, but it was easier to find a loophole under a bridge pier.

Thinking of this, he quickened his pace.

After walking for half an hour, he realized that patrolling on foot was simply too slow; with a thought, he released the horse he had stored in his space a year ago.

The horse had been in the space as if asleep; it was still groggy when released, and it took a good while before it flicked its tail and woke up.

He vaulted onto the horse and rode slowly along the dirt path beside the railway, his eyes scanning sharply over every bridge arch and every tunnel.

This job was harder than he had imagined—he had to dodge track inspectors and patrols, maintain his balance on the uneven dirt road, and keep his eyes constantly on the tracks to see if a train was coming.

Meanwhile, in the Siheyuan at Baihua Shenchu in Xinjiekou, Xu Damao was pushing the door open and entering the room with a gloomy face.

A coal stove was burning in the room, making it warm, yet it couldn't dispel the gloom on his face.

Wang Donglai was sitting cross-legged on the kang; the moment he saw him like this, he cursed: "Xu Damao, why are you acting so dejected today, like a frost-bitten eggplant? Who gave you a hard time again?"

"It's nothing." Xu Damao stiffened his neck. "There isn't a single good thing in our courtyard; they're all just making things difficult for me!"

Ma Chun was simmering porridge on the stove and laughed upon hearing this: "Damao, let me say something unpleasant—you are the kind of person you are, so that's how you think of others!"

When Wang Donglai heard this, he chuckled: "Grandson, you sure know how to insult someone without using dirty words; that's vicious enough."

Xu Damao was so embarrassed his face turned red, and just as he was about to retort, Hu Yunbin walked in holding a list. He looked at the three of them and said: "The three of you, don't just sit idle today. We'll be gone for quite a while this time, so the items on this list must be procured today; we set off first thing tomorrow morning."

"Siqiang, with so much gear, how are we going to transport it?" Xu Damao asked while looking over the list.

"A camel caravan will come to meet us, no need for you to worry." Hu Yunbin waved his hand, lifted the door curtain, and went back out.

At this moment, in the study of the Shen Residence, Liu Rusi had been summoned early in the morning.

A fireplace was burning in the study, the flames making the room flicker with light and shadow.

"Father, what is it? Why call me over so urgently?"

"Today is your aunt's birthday, so I'm having you come over to help arrange things. We have guests coming tonight!" Shen Shichang held a teacup, his gaze sweeping over his daughter as if by chance.

Liu Rusi knew perfectly well—this was to prevent her from interfering with the train bombing. She didn't show a hint of it on her face, only complaining coquettishly: "You should have told me earlier; it would have been better if I'd called Zhuzi over to help. His Boiled Fish is absolutely peerless!"

"When did he get back?" Shen Shichang's heart tightened; he had calculated everything, but he hadn't calculated that He Yuzhu would return.

"Just now." Liu Rusi lit a cigarette and took a puff. "He happened to run into the war while in the countryside, and his parents wouldn't let him come back no matter what; he only just got home the day before yesterday."

Shen Shichang pondered for a moment: "If that boy were a few years older, I could have let you two get married. It would count as knowing his background..."

"Father! What are you saying?" Her ears burned. "If you really look into it, we're close relatives."

"That's long since beyond the five degrees of mourning, it doesn't matter." Shen Shichang was dismissive. "In ancient times, there were plenty of cousin marriages! Our Shen Family is no exception!"

These words were like a pebble thrown into the lake of Liu Rusi's heart.

She suddenly thought of Feng Qingbo—that man was handsome and of a suitable age, but he was far too pedantic. Although He Yuzhu was younger, he was much more interesting... Thinking of this, a blush appeared on her face, and she hurriedly lowered her head.

Just then, Shen Shichang suddenly spoke: "Xiao Si, do you know what your godfather went to Nanjing for this time?"

Liu Rusi's heart tightened; this father of hers really knew how to pick his moments. Just as her mind wandered, he asked a critical question. She feigned composure and shook her head: "How would I know about such classified matters?"

"He has already agreed to go to that island to serve as provincial chairman." Shen Shichang said slowly. "Before leaving, he promised others he would plant some people in Beiping; that is the reason he refused to let me arrange my own people."

Liu Rusi pretended to be shocked: "Then Beiping is going to be chaotic again! What should we do? Why don't you go abroad with me? Zhao Ying already has some foundation over there."

"Your godfather won't survive this time." Shen Shichang said indifferently. "It's not that I want to move against him, but he didn't play this fairly and touched everyone's interests. We were the ones who pushed him up, counting on him to do things for us, but he used this position as a bargaining chip and betrayed everyone."

"You want to move against my godfather?" Liu Rusi unconsciously touched her lips with her index finger.

Shen Shichang saw this gesture of Liu Rusi's, and his heart sank. "Xiao Si, you have already sent people to intercept and kill Feng Qingbo, haven't you?"

"I haven't!"

"You have." Shen Shichang stared into her eyes. "I had my suspicions before, but now I'm certain. You've had a habit since you were a child: whenever you lie, you unconsciously touch your lips with your finger. It was He Yuzhu who went, right? You think he's all-powerful and infallible, don't you?"

Seeing she couldn't hide it, Liu Rusi simply admitted it.

"Xiao Si, I'm afraid you're going to come up empty-handed this time!" Shen Shichang laughed.

"That's not necessarily true!"

"What exactly are you trying to do?" Shen Shichang slammed the table.

Liu Rusi's eyes turned red: "Father, I don't want to do anything against you, I just don't want my godfather to die. This time, I'm going to send him to the United States. You will still be you, nothing will change!"

Shen Shichang's anger dissipated slightly, and he took a sip of tea: "I can understand you thinking this way. When you were little, I didn't care for you enough. Although Lao Tian is a fence-sitter, he has been good to you. But he won't survive this time."

"You're going to blow up the bridge!" Liu Rusi blurted out.

"Your intelligence work is not bad, but you're still a bit green." Shen Shichang said triumphantly. "The code you obtained was left behind by people I sent."

"Father! Can't you leave him a way to live?"

"When cutting weeds, you must pull out the roots, otherwise there will be endless trouble."

Liu Rusi was truly panicked; she was still too green to fight this old fox.

"Then, you sending Feng Qingbo to blow up the bridge is a lie?" She asked with a trembling voice.

"It doesn't matter if I tell you now." Shen Shichang lowered his voice. "Him blowing up the bridge is just a backup plan. There are three people beside Lao Tian, all of whom I planted many years ago."

"Father! You've gone too far!" Liu Rusi's tears gushed out.

She remembered every little detail of her godfather taking her to visit Fuzimiao and tour the Qinhuai River, while her own biological father had never once taken her out.

At this time, He Yuzhu had already been patrolling the railway for an entire day.

Forty kilometers away from Si Jiu Cheng, He Yuzhu discovered an excellent demolition point—there was a bridge at the three-way intersection, and next to it was a small grove of trees, with some shrubs and crooked trees growing sparsely.

Under the cover of twilight, he crawled forward. As he neared the grove, he gasped—ten people were hiding inside, two to a group guarding four directions, and there was even a sniper in the large tree in the center.

Judging by that figure, it should be Feng Qingbo.

This arrangement was truly seamless.

He Yuzhu glanced at his watch; there was only half an hour left before the train passed, and cold sweat slid down his temple.