Chapter 772: The Ghost That Won't Go Away

Xu Tian's two sons were truly quite earnest, constantly offering toasts to He Yuzhu.

As a result, He Yuzhu was fine, but the two of them were already a bit tipsy.

It was likely related to their father's background in the gangs; they had that straightforward streak in their bones.

"You two, you are not allowed to do anything for the next two months; just follow your Siqiang and learn properly," Xu Tian declared.

He Yuzhu was stunned: "Brother Tian, are you for real?"

Xu Tian smiled: "Although my two sons did business in Hong Kong for a few years, you know how it is—gangs always act in a simple and crude way, which is different from here in the mainland. If they don't learn from you for a while, I'm afraid they'll stir up a massive disaster later on."

He Yuzhu thought about it and felt that was a reasonable point. In his previous life, he had seen plenty of bosses from Hong Kong who came over with bags of cash, hoping to get rich in the mainland, only to end up losing everything.

"Zhiwei, Zhisheng, if you are truly willing to learn, then you must thoroughly grasp our laws and regulations here. However..." He Yuzhu scratched his head, "Brother Tian, you know my courtyard is small; it really can't accommodate the two of them."

Xu Tian smiled: "Zhuzi, just buy the neighboring courtyards; don't pretend to be poor with me. If you don't buy them, I'll buy them for you; if you don't have the money, I'll pay."

He Yuzhu chuckled: "If we're talking about lodging, I do have space—two storage rooms could be cleaned up to live in, but I'm just afraid Zhiwei and Zhisheng would be wronged."

Xu Zhiwei and Xu Zhisheng immediately straightened their backs: "Siqiang, we aren't afraid of hardship!"

He Yuzhu waved his hand with a smile: "I'm just teasing you. I bought the No. 75 courtyard in this hutong a long time ago; let them live there, it's not far. We can just stay in touch by phone."

The table of people drank and toasted until the restaurant closed, then they dispersed.

He Yuzhu said: "Brother Tian, since you've just arrived in Si Jiu Cheng, the whole family should spend two days resting with the old man; a day or two won't make a difference for the apprenticeship."

Xu Tian nodded and left with his two sons.

He Yuzhu returned home and bumped into He Xiao and Fang Deng chatting in the living room; the atmosphere was quite lively.

The two were only two years apart; He Xiao was a freshman in college, and Fang Deng was a senior in high school. They were a handsome pair—looking at them, could they really be dating?

"Didn't you go to Shencheng with your mother? Why are you back so soon?" He Yuzhu asked.

He Xiao explained with a smile: "I'm majoring in architecture, and my mom said they're building high-rises everywhere in Shencheng, so she wanted me to go over and gain some experience. But I still have classes at school and can't miss them for long, so I had to rush back."

He Yuzhu looked at Fang Deng: "You'll be taking the college entrance exam after the New Year, right? Have you thought about what major you want to study?"

Fang Deng hesitated for a long time before speaking softly: "Uncle He, I want to study medicine, but the program is so long, I'm afraid..."

He Yuzhu interrupted her concerns directly: "Fang Deng, on the surface Wang Xia is your mother, but we are family through and through. You don't need to worry about tuition at all; even if you want to study abroad in the future, your uncle will support you until you graduate. Just pick the major you like; don't think about anything else."

Only then did Fang Deng say firmly in a low voice: "But the major I want to choose at the school takes eight years to finish; it's a bit long."

He Yuzhu pondered for a moment: "Which city, and do you want to study surgery or internal medicine?"

Fang Deng blurted out: "I want to apply for the eight-year combined bachelor's and master's program at Peking Union Medical College."

He Yuzhu immediately made the decision: "Alright! That's a good school and a good major. As long as you can get in, your uncle will support you until you finish."

Fang Deng was so happy her eyes turned red: "Thank you, Uncle He!"

Just then, the phone suddenly rang.

He Yuzhu picked up the phone; it was Liu Rusi calling.

The tone on the other end of the line was somewhat urgent: "Zhuzi, come to me immediately; I have something important to tell you."

"I'll be there right away." He Yuzhu hung up the phone and instructed Fang Deng and He Xiao: "You two get some rest early; I'm going out to handle something and won't be back tonight."

After saying that, he drove straight to Shichahai.

After greeting the security at the entrance, He Yuzhu walked quickly into the living room.

Liu Rusi poured him a glass of plain water, handed it to him, and advised: "You're getting on in years, drink less tea at night."

He Yuzhu nodded: "Even if I drink strong tea, I still sleep soundly. What major event has happened?"

Liu Rusi spoke slowly: "You should know that after I returned, Pingping took over my previous work."

He Yuzhu added offhandedly: "With that brain of hers, is she capable of it?"

Liu Rusi's expression darkened, looking somewhat displeased: "How old are you, and you're still picking fights with her? She has worked in intelligence for over thirty years; her ability is far greater than yours."

He Yuzhu laughed: "I was just saying it casually, why are you getting worked up? Are you going through menopause?"

Liu Rusi picked up a newspaper and tapped his shoulder lightly: "Stop with the glib talk. You made too much of a scene when you went to M Country last time, and the other side has sent a large number of personnel into Hong Kong. Pingping received news that there are a full three hundred of them, and their goal is to uncover the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of their people—in plain terms, they want to dig you out."

He Yuzhu said irritably: "They really are like ghosts that won't go away. I'll go to Hong Kong tomorrow and wipe them all out in one go."

Liu Rusi shook her head: "According to reliable intelligence, M Country still suspects that this matter was done by the Soviet Union's KGB. We can just use their own strategy against them, making a feint to the east while attacking in the west, so they can never figure out who the real culprit behind the scenes is."

He Yuzhu pondered for a long time: "If only I had a few KGB agents on hand, I could pin this matter on the Soviet Union."

Liu Rusi thought for a moment: "You forgot one person—Nina. She has been working for us in secret all these years; back then, the M Country side even mistakenly thought she was from the Shadow Organization."

"But is she willing to get involved in this kind of thing? After all, it's deliberately plotting against her own country." He Yuzhu was unsure.

Liu Rusi smiled faintly: "Have you forgotten how her best partner, Vasili, died? She doesn't have a shred of affection for the Soviet Union."

He Yuzhu's eyes lit up: "That couldn't be better. I'll join forces with her to first wipe out the M Country intelligence stronghold in Hong Kong, and then go to Hawaii for a vacation when it's done."

Liu Rusi frowned and stopped him: "You cannot go to Hawaii. Change your plans and go to West Germany to completely stir up the situation there. Once the situation between the two major camps of the US and the Soviet Union becomes tense again, no one will have the energy to investigate your affairs."

Following that, Liu Rusi told He Yuzhu everything about the scale of M Country's garrison in West Germany, as well as the approximate locations and troop deployments of several core bases.

Upon learning that hundreds of thousands of M Country troops were stationed within West Germany, He Yuzhu was completely stunned; mainly because his knowledge of military and history from his previous life was shallow to begin with.

For a moment, he couldn't help but feel anxious.

What if the commotion was too big and the two major military blocs directly broke out into a head-on conflict? If his interference caused the Soviet Union not to collapse as scheduled, would that be a benefit or a detriment to domestic development? These various concerns made He Yuzhu hesitate.

Liu Rusi had never seen He Yuzhu look so hesitant.

She patted his shoulder lightly: "Zhuzi, are you hiding something from me?"

He Yuzhu was silent for a long time before speaking slowly: "If there is no external force to intervene, the Soviet Union will likely collapse in a few years. By then, it will be M Country standing alone... If I force my hand and push these two superpowers into a confrontation, will it directly trigger a world war? Is doing this really beneficial for us?"

After hearing this, Liu Rusi initially felt some concern, but after thinking it over carefully for a while, she shook her head: "As long as we can make M Country personally feel fear and despair, they won't dare to start a war easily. After all these years of being together, I know your abilities best; you have always had heaven-defying means. As long as we completely crush M Country's confidence... by then, everyone will be convinced that the Shadow comes from the Soviet Union, and no one will ever suspect us again."

He Yuzhu slowly curled his lips, his smile revealing a ruthless streak: "Just wait for my good news. I'll first wipe out their Ramstein Air Base, and then see how things go and take some other actions accordingly!"