Chapter 311: Secret War

The man carefully probed the tip of his Dagger into the door crack, shifting it up and down.

With a soft click, the wooden bolt slid open in response.

The north wind howled mournfully outside the courtyard, completely swallowing the sound of the door hinges turning.

Wang Xia was bent over an enamel washbasin, washing her face; the warm steam condensed into tiny beads of water on her cream-like skin. Her figure, projected onto the wall, appeared curvaceous.

Just as she scooped up a handful of clear water to splash on her face, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.

She whipped her head around, terrified to find a tall man radiating cold air standing in the doorway.

In her desperation, she flipped the washbasin over, splashing the entire basin of warm water onto the intruder with a splash.

"Don't move! Move again and I'll shoot!" The intruder wiped the water from his face, his pitch-black gun barrel pointing straight at Wang Xia.

Outside the window, He Yuzhu had long since aimed his gun at the dark shadow behind the window paper, but he hesitated to pull the trigger—he was worried that a rash shot might accidentally injure Wang Xia.

"Kuang Jiaming!" Wang Xia retreated to the corner of the wall and quickly recognized the intruder. "Your Bald Party has already run away; how dare you come back?"

"I've been looking for you for three whole years..." Kuang Jiaming's voice carried suppressed agitation. "I never expected you to have defected to the Communist Party."

"What exactly do you want by looking for me?"

"What else would a man want when looking for a woman?" Kuang Jiaming let out a nauseating, lecherous laugh. "Sleep with me for one night, and I'll let you go. Otherwise..." He shook the gun in his hand.

"Shameless! You degenerate!"

"Why is it shameless for a man to want a woman?" He took a step forward, his eyes scanning Wang Xia greedily. "To tell you the truth, I've liked you for a long time. Back then, watching Yi Xiansheng enter your room, I was insanely jealous. Every time I went to the countryside to deliver things to you, I wanted to do something..."

"Don't come any closer! If I scream, the neighbors will come to catch you immediately!"

"Then you'll lose your life." Kuang Jiaming pressed on step by step.

He Yuzhu could no longer listen; he gently pushed the door open and entered.

"My dream is finally about to come true!" Kuang Jiaming lunged at Wang Xia, but she agilely dodged him.

The moment Kuang Jiaming reached out to grab Wang Xia's collar, He Yuzhu stepped forward and slammed a heavy punch into the center of his back.

Kuang Jiaming crashed to the floor with a thud.

Wang Xia looked at the suddenly appearing He Yuzhu, still shaken, her chest heaving violently.

"I'll kill you!" Kuang Jiaming struggled to reach for the Dagger strapped to his thigh.

He Yuzhu kicked him in the neck. Kuang Jiaming passed out instantly.

Wang Xia's legs went weak; she slumped onto the edge of the kang, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably as she began to sob in a low voice.

He Yuzhu gently patted her shoulder and asked with a frown, "Sister, what's this guy's background?"

Wang Xia shook her head with a bitter smile: "He was Yi Xiansheng's driver; they were from the same hometown. When I lived in the countryside, he often came to deliver things... Back then, I thought he was an honest man... I really don't know how he found this place..."

"This matter isn't simple." He Yuzhu pondered for a moment. "I'll interrogate him."

He Yuzhu gagged Kuang Jiaming with a strip of cloth and let him have a taste of the Tiger Bench. It didn't take long before Kuang Jiaming couldn't hold out any longer.

"Confess everything you know honestly, or there's something even worse waiting for you!" He Yuzhu said coldly.

"After Yi Xiansheng died, the Nanjing Military Statistics Bureau got news that Wang Jiazhi was in Tianjin, so they sent the three of us to investigate. We never found a lead, so they left us at the Tianjin Secret Service Bureau. When they retreated, they ordered us to go underground..."

"Why come to Si Jiu Cheng?" He Yuzhu pressed.

"The United States found out that the person who shot down several of their aircraft lives in Si Jiu Cheng, and they ordered the Bald Party to eliminate this person..."

"Sorry, Sister, it seems I've implicated you." He Yuzhu smiled bitterly.

"Speak, how did you find me?" He Yuzhu continued the interrogation.

"We found some thugs in Nancheng; one of them, named Li Hua, is a subordinate of Xiao Erduo. He said he knew you, He Yuzhu, and even knew you lived at Nanluoguxiang 95..."

"Persistent pests!" He Yuzhu cursed.

"Where are your accomplices?"

"It's useless, we were acting separately. I happened to recognize Wang Jiazhi while I was tailing you, which is why I was caught by you." Kuang Jiaming said weakly.

After the interrogation, He Yuzhu felt a chill down his spine—if he hadn't been alert tonight, Wang Xia would likely have been in grave danger.

"Sister, this guy seems useless now; how do you plan to dispose of him?" He Yuzhu asked.

"Hand him over to the organization..." Wang Xia's tone was depressed when she said this; clearly, she did not want too many private matters known by outsiders.

"A useless secret agent is a disaster if left alive." He Yuzhu twisted his hands, and with a snap, Kuang Jiaming breathed his last.

Wang Xia widened her eyes: "Why didn't you hand him over to the organization to handle?"

"This matter ends here. I don't want him to leak any more of our affairs!" He Yuzhu looked straight into her eyes.

"I appreciate your good intentions. Remember the report meeting tomorrow afternoon; you should go back first." Wang Xia waved her hand wearily.

He Yuzhu carried Kuang Jiaming's corpse out of the courtyard, immediately stored it in his space, and headed straight for the Municipal Bureau.

Tian Dan's office was brightly lit.

She looked up and saw He Yuzhu, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment before she smiled lightly: "You're increasingly showing the spirit of a young hero. This trip to the battlefield wasn't in vain."

He Yuzhu sat down, his expression grave: "Sister, I caught someone tailing me tonight and got an important piece of news—the Bald Party, under the instigation of the Americans, is investigating our Anti-aircraft Gun project; they must have deployed quite a few people..."

"Where is the person?"

"During the interrogation, I hit him a bit too hard; he died after telling me what he knew. Do you still want the corpse?" He Yuzhu smiled sheepishly.

"You don't know your own strength." Tian Dan glared at him. "What's the use of a corpse?" But there was no blame in her tone. "Tell me your thoughts."

"Liu Xiaohua must be protected as a priority; the arsenal cannot do without him. You need to send more men."

"You can rest assured about that." Tian Dan nodded. "Leave it to me."

"When are you coming to work for me?" Tian Dan asked.

"Wait until the war is over! I'm still a soldier; I could be recalled to the front line at any time."

Tian Dan nodded in understanding.

In the days that followed, He Yuzhu was busy between the arsenal and the street workshops.

The braised meat workshop was temporarily set up in the East Cross Courtyard where He Yuzhu lived.

He Yuzhu set up a shed in the Courtyard and propped up several large pots.

Every day, dozens of workers were busy in the Courtyard, and the rich aroma of meat enveloped the entire Courtyard.

Jia Zhangshi cursed and grumbled in her room every day; she could smell the fragrance but couldn't eat it, and she was bursting with anger.

Some neighbors were so tempted by the drifting aroma that they simply went to buy some braised meat to satisfy their cravings.

He Yushui and her little friends were very happy these days, as they could eat meat every day.

The three Grandmasters came for a round every day, feeling a great sense of accomplishment.

Liu Haizhong pestered him relentlessly, so He Yuzhu had no choice but to arrange for his wife to work in the workshop as well.

The braised meat tasted good, and with the New Year approaching, the ten-day trial operation yielded astonishing profits.

Not only were the wages of over forty people covered, but a significant amount of income was also turned over to the neighborhood office.

The chili sauce business was even more explosive.

Although the first batch was made in a hurry, the taste was rich and spicy, and it was snapped up by the canteens of various units as soon as it hit the market.

Once the neighborhood factory was on the right track, He Yuzhu devoted all his energy to the Military Factory.

That afternoon, as soon as he saw Liu Xiaohua, he was tightly hugged by the other man.

"Hey! Buddy! Let go, I don't have that hobby!" He Yuzhu joked.

"Screw you! Our anti-aircraft guns can now hit targets over ten thousand meters away! Let's go, let's go to the shooting range and see for ourselves!" Liu Xiaohua said excitedly.

"That really is good news!" He Yuzhu said.

Not long after the car left the factory area, He Yuzhu noticed the black sedan behind them—it kept a fixed distance, following neither too fast nor too slow.

He Yuzhu deliberately took a long detour, but that car still followed relentlessly.

"Is there a problem with the car behind us?" Liu Xiaohua asked alertly.

He Yuzhu nodded: "Spies want to take us out. If I'm not mistaken, there might be a sniper in that car. Lie down in the back seat, quickly!"

The atmosphere inside the car suddenly became tense, and the fates of the two men seemed to hang by a thread once again.