Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

The kerosene lamp in the main room was blindingly bright.

The middle-aged man stood in the center of the room, the steel ball in his hand no longer spinning. His usual nonchalant expression was gone, and his eyes swept over his core subordinates with a sinister look.

"The operation three days from now must be flawless."

His voice was deep and carried an unquestionable command: "Send two men disguised as deliverymen to infiltrate the steel mill's R&D workshop."

"The explosives are hidden in the cargo, to be detonated when Lin Weidong works overtime, and we must blow him and the workshop to smithereens."

He paused, his tone growing increasingly serious: "Things are very tense outside right now."

"The Municipal Bureau has already launched an investigation. We are already short-staffed, and these people in the compound are the last force we can mobilize."

"This operation must succeed; failure is not an option. We must minimize losses and avoid any further manpower casualties."

The subordinates nodded in agreement, their faces filled with a murderous aura. No one noticed that a dark figure was quietly placing something outside each of the lit doors, close to the wall.

Lin Weidong moved with the speed of a leopard, placing the time bomb steadily under the windowsill or behind the door. He set the timer to a uniform time, gently pressed the switch, and the faint "tick-tock" sound was covered by the night.

As they were being moved outside the main house, the conversation inside could be clearly heard.

When Lin Weidong heard the middle-aged man say, "These are the last forces we can mobilize in the yard," a cold smile crept onto his lips.

Once this place is destroyed, the remaining forces of these Manchu loyalists will be completely wiped out.

Without lingering, he placed the last bomb and quickly returned the way he came.

He climbed over the courtyard wall and got into the jeep parked at the intersection.

He looked at the dark courtyard in the distance, raised his hand to check his watch; there were still ten minutes until the detonation.

This place was deserted, with no residents around. He deliberately increased the amount of explosives in each bomb, intending to wipe out this group of ruthless bastards in one fell swoop.

Time passed second by second, just when Lin Weidong thought everything was going according to plan.

The courtyard gate was suddenly pushed open, and the middle-aged man walked out alone.

He glanced around warily before quickly walking toward the alley entrance, seemingly heading somewhere.

Lin Weidong frowned. This was an unexpected turn of events, but it was too late to adjust; the timer had already started.

Just as the middle-aged man had walked less than fifty meters, a deafening roar suddenly erupted from the courtyard behind him!

Flames shot into the sky, illuminating the entire night, and scorching heatwaves swept in, scattering weeds and pebbles around them.

Immediately afterwards, a second, a third... explosion followed one after another.

The entire courtyard house collapsed in flames, the sounds of shattering bricks and crackling wood mingling together, creating a scene of utter devastation.

The middle-aged man was knocked to the ground by the huge shockwave, his body covered in dust and rubble.

He struggled to his feet, looked back at the courtyard engulfed in flames, his face instantly turning deathly pale, his eyes filled with terror and panic.

He instantly realized that it wasn't that their operation had been exposed prematurely, but rather that Lin Weidong's revenge had come!

"Lin Weidong!" he roared through gritted teeth, then turned and ran into the depths of the alley.

He knew that if he lost the courtyard house and his men, he would surely die if he were caught.

But he had only run a few steps when he saw a jeep parked at the end of the alley.

Lin Weidong was leaning against the car door, arms crossed, looking at him with icy eyes.

"Run! Why did you stop running?"

The middle-aged man's heart sank, and he turned to run in another direction.

But they found themselves in a dead end. Behind them was a burning courtyard house, and in front of them stood the menacing Lin Weidong. There was no way to escape.

"What...what do you want to do?"

The middle-aged man shouted, his voice trembling with fear, as he instinctively reached for his waist.

However, they discovered that the weapon had already been lost in the shockwave of the explosion.

Lin Weidong didn't say anything, but walked towards him step by step, his eyes filled with anger that was almost bursting out.

He quickened his pace and punched the middle-aged man hard in the face.

With a muffled thud, the middle-aged man screamed as blood gushed from his nose, and he staggered back a few steps.

"Speak! Who are you people? Why do you want to kill me?"

Lin Weidong grabbed his collar and punched him in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

The middle-aged man curled up on the ground in pain, but gritted his teeth and refused to speak.

Seeing this, Lin Weidong's anger intensified, and he kicked him hard in the stomach and chest with all his might.

"You won't talk? Let's see how long you can keep up this stubbornness!"

The intense pain caused the middle-aged man to break out in a cold sweat and convulse.

He knew that he was no match for Lin Weidong, and if things continued like this, he would be beaten to death sooner or later.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" He finally couldn't hold back anymore and wailed for mercy.

Lin Weidong stopped and looked at him coldly: "Speak quickly, don't waste my time."

The middle-aged man, panting heavily, said intermittently:

"It was the deaf old woman who paid us to get rid of you."

Lin Weidong immediately slapped him across the face, saying, "Tell me your identities in detail."

"And what is the purpose of your organization?"

"I...I am the former commander of the Imperial Guards of the Qing Dynasty, my surname is Guan."

"The deaf old woman... she was a concubine of a prince in the previous dynasty."

After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, we lay low, waiting for an opportunity to restore it…”

"Restoration?"

Lin Weidong scoffed and kicked him again, "What era are we living in? Still dreaming of restoration?"

"What else? Tell us everything!"

Commander Guan dared not hide anything any longer and revealed the time they had been infiltrating, their contact methods, and several other hidden strongholds.

Lin Weidong listened carefully, and after confirming that nothing was missed, he took out the rope he carried with him and tied him up tightly.

Seeing Commander Guan lying on the ground, barely alive, Lin Weidong's anger finally subsided slightly.

Lin Weidong looked at Commander Guan on the ground. "By the way, what did the deaf old lady ask you to do?"

"She rarely asked us for help, but years ago she did ask us to threaten a cook named He Daqing."

"After that, we basically lost contact until recently when she asked us to investigate a widow."

Lin Weidong immediately recognized her as Widow Li and became interested.

"Who is the other party?"

Lin Weidong was shocked when he heard the other party's identity. No wonder he was so smart, he was actually a bandit leader.

No wonder, she can fool all the people in the courtyard.

Lin Weidong threw the dead-dog-like Commander Guan into the jeep, drove straight to the entrance of the Municipal Bureau, and stuffed a note into his body.

The document was filled with details of the other party's crimes and previous confessions, but Lin Weidong deliberately omitted any information about the deaf old woman.

Most of the city bureau staff rushed toward the direction of the explosion tonight, and Lin Weidong encountered quite a few people along the way.

After abandoning the person, Lin Weidong sped away from the Municipal Bureau. The guards, seeing the person left in the car, rushed over to check on him.

Upon seeing that it was a person who was tied up, they then saw the contents of the note.