Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

Lin Weidong's hand gripping the receiver was bulging with veins, the phone creaking under his hand. He suppressed his surging anger and anxiety, saying, "I'm coming right now!"

After hanging up the phone, he turned around and rushed to Su Zhenbang's office.

Only the broken earpiece remained.

As he pushed open the door, Su Zhenbang noticed Wei Dong's strange expression and quickly stood up: "Wei Dong, what's wrong?"

"Deputy Director Su, I need to go home."

Lin Weidong spoke very quickly, deliberately omitting the kidnapping incident and only making up an excuse.

"I have some technical documents that I kept at home. They'll be useful for the sniper rifle project, and I need a car."

Seeing the barely concealed urgency in his eyes, Su Zhenbang sensed something amiss but didn't ask any further questions.

Lin Weidong's technical skills are well-known, so it's reasonable for him to keep his materials private.

He immediately picked up the phone: "Get me the convoy, and send a military jeep over for Team Leader Lin to use as a backup."

After hanging up the phone, Su Zhenbang patted Lin Weidong on the shoulder: "Be careful on the road, and contact me anytime if you need anything." He paused and added.

After Lin Weidong left, Su Zhenbang arranged for Lao Zhou from the convoy to lead a group to follow him from a distance.

A few minutes later, Lin Weidong drove his military jeep out of the research institute's gate.

Upon seeing this, two agents hiding behind a tree not far away exchanged a glance. One of them hurriedly turned around and ran towards the temporary safe house to report the news.

They assumed Lin Weidong was keeping his promise and coming alone, completely unaware that Lao Zhou was following them from a distance in another inconspicuous truck.

The jeep carrying Lin Weidong sped along the road toward the black pine forest on the outskirts of the city.

It was already dark, and the closer they got to the black pine forest, the more desolate the surrounding scenery became.

The black pine forest was eerily quiet, with towering branches and lush foliage blocking out the sun, preventing even a sliver of moonlight from penetrating.

Lin Weidong stopped the car, took a deep breath to suppress his anxiety, and walked into the depths of the pine forest.

Just as Lin Weidong had walked about a hundred meters into the pine forest, a voice suddenly came from behind the trees: "Lin Weidong, I didn't expect you to actually dare to come. Come on in."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Weidong flipped his wrist, and several steel nails that had been prepared in his sleeve flew out instantly.

The steel nail shot straight behind the tree with a whooshing sound.

There was a muffled thud, followed by the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground.

Before the spy could even scream, the steel nail pierced his skull, and he fell straight to the ground, his blood quickly soaking the fallen leaves beneath him.

Lin Weidong walked forward expressionlessly, and only after confirming that the other person had stopped breathing did he continue walking inside.

He knew perfectly well that it was most foolish for the enemy to be in the shadows while he was in the open; only by striking first could he seize the initiative.

With his keen senses, he would be able to detect the slightest movement from the other party first.

After walking along the forest path for about five minutes, we could faintly hear voices talking ahead.

Lin Weidong immediately bent down and, using the dense bushes as cover, stealthily crept over.

Through the gaps in the branches and leaves, he immediately spotted several people in the open space ahead.

A bespectacled man, a skinny man, and a burly man with a thick beard stood with their arms crossed, their eyes scanning their surroundings warily.

There was also a bald, burly man holding two Mauser pistols, looking arrogant.

Zhao Xiulan was tied to a large tree with thick hemp rope, and her mouth was stuffed with a strip of cloth.

"Damn it, it's been so long, why hasn't Lin Weidong arrived yet?" the skinny guy couldn't help but complain.

"Didn't they say they had already set off? Could they have gotten lost?"

"Shut up!" the bespectacled man shouted sternly.

"I have a bad feeling about this, like something terrifying is watching us."

"What could be more terrifying than the gun in my hand?" the bald, burly man scoffed disdainfully.

"When Lin Weidong arrives, I'll shoot him dead and see how tough he is then!"

The burly man with the thick beard wasn't so optimistic. He instinctively reached for the pistol at his waist, his expression grave: "Something's wrong. It's too quiet. Not even the chirping of insects. Everyone be careful."

Lin Weidong lay prone behind the bushes, staring intently at the group, his mind racing.

All four men were armed, especially the bald, burly man with his Mauser pistol, which was quite powerful. A direct assault would easily injure the mother, so they had to find an opportunity to take them down one by one.

Time ticked by, and the skinny man grew increasingly impatient. He stood up and said, "I'm going to use the restroom. You guys keep an eye on things." With that, he walked toward the direction where Lin Weidong was hiding.

Lin Weidong was overjoyed; his opportunity had arrived.

He held his breath, and as the skinny man walked to the bushes and unzipped his pants, he suddenly stood up and grabbed him by the neck.

With a crisp "crack," the thin man's neck was crushed, his trachea and blood vessels ruptured instantly, and he collapsed to the ground without even a chance to struggle.

Lin Weidong quickly dragged the body into the bushes, brushed off the fallen leaves, and continued to lie in wait.

The group of people waited for a long time in the open space, but the skinny man didn't return. The bald, burly man shouted impatiently, "Where the hell have you been? Come back now!"

After calling out several times without response, the bald, burly man's face darkened: "Something's wrong. I'll go check it out."

He cautiously approached, carrying a Mauser pistol. The bearded man and the bespectacled man immediately became alert, gripping their guns tightly and staring intently at the bald man.

Just as the bald, burly man approached the bushes, Lin Weidong suddenly sprang up like a lurking beast, his hands forming claws as he went straight for the man's chest.

The bald, burly man was caught off guard; he only saw a blur before a tremendous force pierced through his back.

His pupils constricted sharply, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and his body slumped to the ground.

The scene was so sudden that the bearded man and the bespectacled man were instantly stunned.

Once they realized what was happening, the two men immediately drew their pistols and fired wildly in Lin Weidong's direction.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Gunshots rang out in the silent black pine forest, bullets whistling through the bushes and hitting tree trunks, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

Lin Weidong was prepared and threw the bald man's corpse toward the two men.

The two hurriedly dodged, and in that instant, Lin Weidong flipped his wrist, and several more steel nails flew out, accurately piercing their palms.

"Ah!" A scream rang out, and the pistols in the hands of the two men fell to the ground. Their palms were covered in blood, and they were trembling with pain.

Zhao Xiulan, who was tied to the tree, was dumbfounded. She never expected that her usually gentle and refined son would be so agile at this moment.

"You...you stay away!" The bearded man tried to remain calm and stand up, but Lin Weidong kicked him to the ground.

Lin Weidong approached step by step, and the bearded man felt an invisible pressure coming at him, making it hard for him to breathe.

He suddenly stood up and lunged at Lin Weidong, trying to make a final struggle.