Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

In November 1958, while Beijing was peaceful and bustling with activity as new homes were being built, and the nation's industries were booming, a tense and relentlessly busy scene unfolded within the compound of the Beijing Special Operations Bureau.

The cause of the incident remains an unsolved mystery within the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.

Several nights ago, the General Administration building was under tight security, with sentries both visible and hidden throughout the building. Night patrols checked the building every fifteen minutes, and the director's office doors and windows were locked from the inside, with guards stationed outside all night – it was virtually impenetrable. Yet, despite this impenetrable defense, the mysterious person entered Li Keqin's private office as if it were empty, appearing silently and without warning.

There were no signs of forced entry, no alerting of sentries, and no sightings by patrol personnel. Even the guards on duty outside the office only paused for a moment, completely unaware of anyone entering or leaving. When Li Keqin opened the office door the next morning, the entire room was already completely filled with mountains of top-secret files.

No one knows where he came from, when he entered, or when he left, leaving behind a room full of core secrets that could shake the entire intelligence front. As for the code name "Decade Knight," it was a message relayed back by our underground intelligence agents infiltrating the United States, Japan, and Taiwan from scattered fragments of secret talks among high-ranking enemy officials. No one in China had ever seen this person's true face, let alone knew his real identity.

The CIA's overseas infiltrator list, the island nation's Special Higher Police's mainland intelligence network, the infiltrator files left over from the previous dynasty's Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, cross-regional intelligence communication secrets, secret contact codes, ledgers of fund flows, maps of outposts... all are categorized and clearly organized, and are all top secrets that major powers have kept hidden for decades and guarded with the utmost vigilance.

These files, which outsiders see as top-secret incriminating material capable of overturning the espionage landscape, are, in Li Keqin's eyes, a peerless weapon to completely eliminate enemy agents lurking within the country and sever foreign spy networks.

In recent days, Li Keqin personally took the lead, guiding the core backbone of the General Administration to work around the clock to sort out case files, verify intelligence, and compare files of undercover agents.

Relying on this flawless top-secret information, the national security team followed the clues and launched a precise attack, arresting dozens of veteran spies who had been working in various industries for years or even more than a decade within just a few days.

These arrested individuals are far from ordinary peripheral figures; they are all core informants who have been deeply involved in their work for many years, holding secret positions and possessing crucial intelligence. Many of them have blood on their hands, having participated in numerous heinous missions, including assassinations, bombings, intelligence theft, and defection operations, harming our soldiers, grassroots cadres, scientists, and innocent civilians—their crimes are unforgivable.

The spy network, which was originally disguised and deeply hidden, was exposed and collapsed one by one in the face of absolutely detailed secret files.

However, the interrogation work initially reached a major impasse.

These veteran agents are all hardened criminals who have undergone rigorous training, are well-versed in interrogation rules, and possess extremely strong psychological fortitude. When faced with questioning, evidence collection, and policy explanations from national security personnel, they either remain silent, display a sinister gaze, and refuse to cooperate, or they vehemently deny everything, plead innocence, and feign madness, insisting that they are just ordinary citizens and refusing to admit any intelligence identities or criminal acts.

They were convinced that their identities were secretive, their superiors were unreachable, and there was insufficient evidence. They claimed that we couldn't produce any solid evidence and could only detain and interrogate them, not convict them. They were determined to die in the interrogation room rather than reveal a single word of information, hoping to outlast us and turn the tables.

Tough interrogations, persuasion that combines reason and emotion, and promises of leniency were all ineffective against these die-hards.

In the stalemate, Li Keqin unleashed his ultimate move.

In the dimly lit and solemn interrogation room, the light shone directly onto the table.

The agent sitting opposite him, surnamed Chen, was a veteran intelligence officer who had been working undercover for twelve years. He was leaning back in his chair, a faint, cold smile playing on his lips, his eyes filled with mockery and certainty. He had already withstood three rounds of interrogation, dodging all questions, and had long since concluded that the other side had no solid evidence whatsoever; it was all just a bluff.

Li Keqin remained calm, offering no further questions or harsh reprimands. He simply tossed a thick personal file lightly onto the table in front of the other person.

Snap—

The heavy file fell to the ground with a crisp sound, which was particularly jarring in the silent interrogation room.

The agent surnamed Chen casually glanced at the file, initially with a hint of mockery, assuming it was just a fabricated document cobbled together to trick him into talking. But when his gaze fell on the number on the cover and the heading, his smile froze.

He leaned over instinctively, his fingertips trembling as he turned to the first page.

His real name, place of origin, resume, years of infiltration, disguised identity, past missions, codenames of his superiors, list of his subordinates, salary flow, secret hideouts, and even the specific time, details, and people involved in each operation were all recorded clearly and without error. Even extremely private matters such as spraining his ankle during a late-night rendezvous three years ago and secretly sending money to his elderly mother in the countryside last year were written down in black and white.

His breathing became heavy instantly, and his fingers clenched tighter and tighter, causing deep creases to form on the paper.

When he turned to the last page, he suddenly stopped.

At the end of the file, there was a bright red steel stamp from the Special Higher Police Headquarters Archives! The pattern was clear, the ink color was accurate, and the number was in the correct position, exactly the same as the stamp on his file when he joined the company.

This could not possibly be a forgery.

This is a genuine top-secret archive in the headquarters' archives. It is a core secret that their upper echelons have sealed and archived, locked under heavy guard, and never to be leaked to outsiders!

The agent surnamed Chen felt his blood freeze almost instantly, his pupils shrink to the size of pinpoints, a layer of cold sweat instantly seeped out of his back, and even his lips trembled uncontrollably.

His mind went blank, with only one thought running through his head: the headquarters' archives were heavily guarded and encrypted, and he himself had only seen his own file once when he joined the company. How could this file have ended up in Li Keqin's hands?

Unless... unless headquarters handed it over voluntarily.

The thought, the moment it surfaced, bit into his heart like a venomous snake.

They are not afraid of interrogation, imprisonment, punishment, or even death, but what they fear most is being betrayed by their own people and being completely abandoned by their superiors.

He spent twelve years in hiding, concealing his identity, enduring humiliation and hardship, risking his life to serve the empire, gambling that he had the organization backing him up and the support of his superiors. Even if something happened, the organization would do its best to rescue him and protect his family.

But what does it mean that this private file, bearing an official stamp and sealed in absolute secrecy, has appeared intact in the hands of our interrogators?

This means that from beginning to end, he was a pawn that the upper echelons could discard at any time!

This means that all his secrets, all his trump cards, and all his action records have long been fully known to headquarters and can be handed over at any time!

This means that in the eyes of their superiors, these undercover agents who risked their lives were nothing more than disposable pawns who could be sacrificed or betrayed at any time!

A profound sense of absurdity, betrayal, and despair instantly overwhelmed him, shattering the faith and obsession he had upheld for twelve years.

My worldview has completely collapsed.

The organization I was so desperately loyal to had long since sold me out! My efforts to keep the secret, refuse to confess, and try to be loyal to the organization were all just a complete joke in the end!

If those in power are so heartless, why should their subordinates be expected to be loyal?

In an instant, all the persistence, all the stubbornness, all the obstinacy crumbled.

The agent, who had initially been defiant and defiant, completely broke down. He slumped in his chair as if his bones had been removed, speaking rapidly and eagerly, revealing all the intelligence he knew. His superiors' identities, the network of his subordinates, secret outposts, codes and passwords, funding channels, infiltration plans, and unexecuted assassination and sabotage missions—he told everything without reservation, pleading for leniency and a lighter sentence.

Once the defenses of public morale collapse, there is no longer any point of resistance.

This scene played out repeatedly in the interrogation rooms.

The contrast between each die-hard's initial unwavering skepticism, his disbelief upon seeing the file, and his complete collapse of faith upon confirming the steel stamp was so stark that even the interrogators were secretly alarmed.

With this precise and insightful interrogation method, Li Keqin made rapid progress.

After each captured core agent confessed, the national security team followed the clues and dug deeper and deeper into the hidden chain, successively uncovering a large number of middle and lower-level agents hidden in various industries.

The foreign intelligence network, which had been deeply entrenched and hidden for decades, was peeled away layer by layer and eliminated inch by inch, exposing countless secret lines to the light of day.

Behind the remarkable achievements lies endless busyness and exhaustion.

No one knows exactly how many secrets were buried in the pile of classified files left behind by Emperor Decade, or how many spies were involved. The intelligence that has been sorted out and the enemy agents captured are only the tip of the iceberg. The office is still piled with a huge number of top-secret documents that have not been sorted, deciphered, or verified.

In order to completely eliminate all espionage threats before the potential dangers erupt, the Special Operations Bureau issued an emergency order to all personnel: cancel all leave, require all personnel to be on duty, work in shifts day and night, and go all out.

The entire headquarters building was brightly lit day and night, with printers running non-stop, files constantly being transferred, and staff constantly on the move. Everyone ate and slept at their posts, working overtime without rest, and no one dared to slack off even when they were physically and mentally exhausted.

Li Keqin was extremely busy, sitting in his office day and night to coordinate the overall situation, analyze intelligence, deploy arrests, and check case files, almost without sleep.

A breeze begins with a ripple on the water, and a wave is formed from a gentle ripple.

No one knows why the mysterious Imperial Knight made his move, why he delivered such a crucial confidential document, or how he managed to sneak into the heavily guarded headquarters building without anyone noticing.

But everyone knows that with the release of these top-secret files, a nationwide purge aimed at eradicating foreign spy networks has begun.

The gloom will dissipate, the evil spirits will be eliminated, and the vast land will gradually become clear and bright.