Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

Wang Huanbo's vacation time slipped away quietly amidst a facade of leisurely sightseeing and a covert state of high vigilance. He wandered through Beijing's parks, teahouses, and secondhand bookstores, sometimes alone, sometimes with Lou Xiao'e, seemingly completely immersed in this rare moment of tranquility. However, the Pangu terminal on his wrist, disguised as an ordinary watch, and the powerful AI behind it, remained like the most loyal sentinels, silently scanning and analyzing the surrounding electromagnetic environment and information flow in the background.

That afternoon, the study in the west courtyard was quiet, with only the soft sound of turning pages. Wang Huanbo was intently reading an original English monograph on silicon planar technology, sunlight streaming through the window and casting dappled shadows on his serene face. Suddenly, he felt an extremely slight, almost imperceptible vibration on his wrist.

"Master, an anomaly detected." Pangu's calm and unwavering electronic voice resonated directly in his mind through the bone conduction headphones.

Wang Huanbo's fingers paused slightly as he turned the pages, his gaze remaining fixed on the book, his mind already connected with Pangu. "Speak."

"In the past 96 hours and 27 minutes, three shortwave radio signal transmissions with completely identical encryption patterns were detected within a 1.5-kilometer radius centered on the courtyard house. The signal source was moving, and each transmission lasted between 3.5 and 4.8 seconds, making it extremely difficult to track. The signal encryption algorithm was complex, not in accordance with civilian or ordinary commercial communication standards, and exhibited clear characteristics of intelligence operations." Pangu's report was accurate and swift.

Wang Huanbo closed the book, leaned back slightly, and his eyes sharpened. "Approximate location of the emission source? Can the contents be deciphered?"

"Due to the short duration of the signal and the possibility that the other party used frequency hopping technology, precise location is impossible. The triangulation vaguely points towards the abandoned industrial area in the west of the city. The content is highly encrypted, and it would take a long time to forcibly crack it with current computing power, and there is a risk of triggering the other party's alarm. However, considering the timing of the signal (which is highly correlated with the time of your outings), and the abnormal access traces in the Peking Union Medical College Hospital dental database regarding the deaf elderly woman's medical records (the access IP was disguised through at least three overseas redirects), the preliminary assessment is that you have a very high probability of being targeted by a hostile foreign force with professional technical background. The other party is acting cautiously and is currently in the intelligence gathering and confirmation stage."

Wang Huanbo stood up and slowly walked to the window. His gaze seemingly casually swept over the bustling street scene outside the courtyard, but his mind was already racing like a supercomputer. Taiwan's military intelligence bureau? The intelligence agency of a certain major power? Or… an even more complex force? The other party wasn't in a hurry to act, but patiently monitored him. This seemed more like confirming the target's value, activity patterns, and surrounding security forces, planning a precise operation. This style reminded him of some formidable adversaries.

"Pangu, upgrade the monitoring level to Level 2 alert. Focus on scanning the electromagnetic background noise in areas where the signal appears, and attempt to establish a signal characteristic model. Secretly connect to the main landline (enable deep stealth protocol to ensure absolute concealment), and set keyword trigger alarms (Wang Huanbo, Hongxing Factory, CNC machine tool, T... etc.). At the same time, conduct probabilistic simulations of my recent travel routes to identify the most likely ambush points."

"Command confirmed. Monitoring level upgraded. Stealth protocol activated, estimated full penetration time 127 seconds. Simulation in progress... Preliminary results indicate that the No. 3 pass on Xishan Road, the abandoned road near the North Suburb Target Range, and the tree-lined road leading to the old Hongxing Factory area are high-risk areas."

Wang Huanbo pondered for a moment. The enemy was in the dark while he was in the light; prolonged passive defense was not a good strategy and would only embolden the enemy. He had to turn the tables! The outline of a "fishing operation" quickly formed in his mind. He needed to leverage the organization's power to set a trap, luring the enemy into a snare.

He walked to the secure phone and quickly dialed the dedicated line to Li Huaide's office.

"Director Li, it's me, Huanbo. There's an emergency that I need to report to you and Secretary Yao immediately. It concerns... my personal safety and the potential risk of leaking the factory's core technologies."

Almost simultaneously with Wang Huanbo and Pangu analyzing the enemy's situation, a silent "family war" was escalating in the front yard of Yan Bugui's house. The cause was the enviable welfare benefits distributed by the factory.

Yan Bugui, holding a small notebook and wearing reading glasses, sat at the octagonal table, tapping his finger on the surface, and began another round of "ideological education" to Yan Jiecheng, who had just returned from get off work: "Jiecheng, did you bring back all the stuff the factory issued? I took a look, and this Angus beef is really expensive; I heard it's worth this much on the black market!" He held up three fingers and shook them, "And the cola, flour, canned goods... all added up, it's quite valuable!"

Yan Jiecheng's heart skipped a beat, a bad feeling creeping over him. He mumbled, "Yeah, I got it. Dad, this is all the factory's amount based on the number of people..."

"It's true that we're calculating based on the number of people!" Yan Bugui interrupted him, his small eyes gleaming. "But have you thought about it? You're a big guy, you have a big appetite, but can you finish all this food by yourself? Isn't it a waste? We're a family! We need to know how to plan and make the most of resources!"

"Dad! This was issued by the factory! I...I have my own plans!" Yan Jiecheng panicked. He had already planned to take out the half-pound of precious Angus beef, two bottles of cola, and several cans of fruit to visit his girlfriend Juanzi's house on his day off. Juanzi's father was a primary school teacher, and the family was relatively well-off, but these things were still rare items for them. He hoped to use these "hard currencies" to boost his reputation and settle the marriage as soon as possible. He dared not let his father know that he was dating. Knowing Yan Laoxi's personality, he would definitely scheme against the girl's financial situation, and might even suggest the absurd idea of ​​him "borrowing" money from his future father-in-law for the wedding, and then collecting interest! Yan Jiecheng only wanted to save money on his own and marry his wife in a grand manner.

"You have your own plans? What are your plans?" Yan Bugui's face hardened. "Are you planning to waste your time eating and drinking to your heart's content again? Let me tell you, Yan Jiecheng! This family hasn't been divided yet! I'm your father! All these things must be confiscated! Distributed uniformly! Marinate the beef and eat it slowly; give the flour to your mother, a daily ration; the cola... give your younger siblings one bottle each to try, the rest for guests during the New Year; lock the canned food in the cupboard, open it only when needed!"

"Why should I?!" Yan Jiecheng retorted, his blood boiling, "This is what I earned! I'm covered in oil and sweat every day in the workshop! Why can't I make my own decisions?"

"You earned this? Without me feeding and clothing you, could you even get into the factory? Without Engineer Wang's connections, could you get all these good things?" Yan Bugui also got angry, stood up abruptly, took out an old-looking ledger with its corners wrapped in kraft paper from the drawer, and slammed it heavily on the table!

"Snap!" A muffled sound rang out, and dust flew up.

"Didn't you ask me why? Fine! Today I'll show you!" Yan Bugui's hands trembled with anger as he flipped open the ledger filled with tiny handwriting. "Yan Jiecheng! Listen to me! From the day you were born, on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month of the thirty-seventh year of the Republic of China, the midwife's fee was five cents! And the milk powder money (which we could barely manage back then), every month..."

He read it aloud, word by word, as if reciting a treasured story: how much he spent on medicine when he was sick in which year and month, how much he paid for school, how much he spent on pencils and notebooks, how much he spent on new clothes (most of which were altered from Yan Jiecheng's old ones), and even how much he cooked an extra egg every year on his birthday! His handwriting was neat, the numbers were clear, and the time span was from Yan Jiecheng's birth until last year when he became an apprentice in the factory!

"...Until you started working at the factory last year and began receiving your apprentice's wages, over these eighteen years, the total expenses amounted to 873.54 yuan!" Yan Bugui finished reciting the last number, raised his reddened eyes, and stared intently at his pale-faced son. "This doesn't even include the hard work your mother and I put into raising you! Now you think you're all grown up? You can earn your own money? You want to abandon this family? Let me tell you, no way! What the factory pays you can't make up for what you owe this family! Starting next month, except for five yuan for pocket money, all your wages will be handed over! Until it's all paid off!"

Yan Jiecheng was struck dumb, staring blankly at the thick account book, at his father's face contorted with anger and calculation, the cold strings of numbers echoing in his ears. Never before had he realized so clearly that in his father's eyes, he wasn't a son at all, but an investment product whose input and output needed to be calculated and whose return was urgently needed! All the excuses about financial difficulties and being frugal were just pretexts; his father was, at heart, a ruthless and calculating person to the extreme!

A bone-chilling coldness shot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, instantly extinguishing the last vestige of warmth and illusion he held for his family. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but no sound came out; his chest felt suffocating, and his vision blurred. He whirled around, rushed back to the small room he shared with his brothers, slammed the door shut, and slid down to the floor, biting his lip hard to keep from crying out. Despair and a furious sense of utter betrayal were growing wildly in his young heart. He couldn't stay in this home any longer!

In his study in the west courtyard, Wang Huanbo had just finished a phone call with Li Huaide, arranging an emergency meeting. His keen hearing caught the commotion coming from the front yard and the loud slamming of the door; he shook his head slightly. The Yan family's farce was merely a microcosm of everyday life in this era. He had no time for anything else; a much larger storm was brewing. He needed to immediately prepare a seemingly reasonable intelligence analysis report that could convince Secretary Yao and Li Huaide. The real contest had only just begun.