Courtyard House: Home Alone

The outline of Beiping City was already in sight, the city walls appearing particularly solemn and heavy under the moonlight. Lin Yifan slowed down slightly, stopped the car, and stored it in his spatial storage.

He didn't want to waste time at the city gate, so it was better to sneak into the city. Lin Yifan walked around for a while, arrived at the foot of the city wall, used his lightness skill to lightly tap the wall twice, and was on top. Then, he flipped and leaped down the wall, landing silently in Beiping City like a cat.

The night was deep, and the streets were deserted, with only a few dim streetlights swaying in the wind, casting dappled shadows.

Lin Yifan released the Jeep again, stepped on the gas, and sped towards Grandpa Tang's house. Before leaving, he had instructed the old man to arrange for someone to seal off the courtyard house of Kenji Doihara and his family. Now, not knowing the situation, he needed to communicate with Grandpa Tang first to understand the specific details.

The wheels rolled over the silent street, making a soft, rustling sound that was particularly clear in the still night.

Lin Yifan gripped the steering wheel tightly, his sharp gaze sweeping across the road ahead. The jeep's headlights, like two sharp swords, pierced through the thick darkness, illuminating the road ahead.

Soon, his car stopped in front of the Tang residence. It was already three in the morning. Lin Yifan got out of the car and knocked on the gate of the Tang residence.

Three soft thuds, "thump, thump, thump," were particularly clear in the quiet night. A short while later, light footsteps sounded from inside, followed by a voice asking, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Lin Yifan," Lin Yifan replied in a low voice.

There was a moment of silence inside, followed by the sound of the latch being pulled open. The door creaked open a crack, revealing the wary face of the butler, Old Zhang.

Upon seeing that it was Lin Yifan, the wariness on Old Zhang's face immediately disappeared. He quickly opened the door to let him in, while nervously looking around to make sure no one was there before closing the door.

"Mr. Lin, you're finally back! The old man has been waiting for your news, he's been so worried he hasn't been able to sleep well." Old Zhang said in a low voice as he led Lin Yifan inside.

"Where is the old man now? How is he?" Lin Yifan asked without stopping.

"She's in her room, just fell asleep. As for Doihara... as you instructed, our men have quietly placed that courtyard house under surveillance. We've been watching everyone coming and going, and haven't noticed anything unusual yet," Old Zhang reported.

"That's good."

Lin Yifan breathed a slight sigh of relief, but then frowned again. "Old Zhang, go wake up the old man now and tell him I have something extremely urgent to discuss with him and need to see him immediately. Remember, keep it quiet and don't alert anyone else."

"Okay, I'll go right away!" Old Zhang didn't dare to delay and quickly turned around and walked towards Old Master Tang's bedroom.

Lin Yifan stood in the courtyard, quickly thinking about the next steps in the dim moonlight.

Not long after, Grandpa Tang, wearing an overcoat, came out quickly, supported by Old Zhang. Although the old man had just been woken up, his eyes were still sharp. Seeing Lin Yifan, he asked anxiously, "Xiao Fan, what happened? Why are you in such a hurry to come back to me?"

"Grandpa, the situation is urgent. Let's go inside and talk," Lin Yifan said in a low voice, gesturing for them to enter.

The three of them quickly entered the main room. Lin Yifan closed the door behind him and, without bothering with formalities, got straight to the point: "Grandpa, I just returned from Tianjin. Due to some issues with the Japanese, I decided to come back."

I am prepared to take immediate action to control Kenji Doihara and his communications team, cutting off all his contact with the outside world so that he cannot transmit any messages to the surrounding Japanese troops or mobilize Japanese troops in North China.

As for taking action against Kenji Doihara, that's my responsibility. However, the custody of those captured will require your cooperation, especially someone knowledgeable in telecommunications to take over their radio station, mimic Doihara's tone, and stabilize the situation.

After listening, Old Master Tang nodded solemnly: "Controlling Doihara is the right move! As long as we control him, the Japanese in North China will be leaderless."

But I don't have anyone here who understands telecommunications; you'll have to find another way."

"I know that!" Lin Yifan said. "Grandpa, please arrange for someone to go to the 'Xilai' teahouse immediately and find Manager Zhou. He should have someone who knows about telecommunications."

"Remember, have Manager Zhou personally lead the men here. Be quick; they must arrive at the Tang residence before dawn. Also, tell Manager Zhou that this matter is of utmost importance and that absolutely no word of it must leak out."

Lin Yifan added, his tone leaving no room for argument. Old Master Tang's expression hardened, and he immediately instructed Old Zhang beside him, "Old Zhang, you go there yourself and tell Manager Zhou that Xiaofan has a life-or-death matter to discuss with him, and that he must come immediately without delay!"

"Yes, sir!"

Old Zhang didn't dare to delay, turned around and left in a hurry, his figure quickly disappearing into the night.

Inside the main room, Lin Yifan and Old Master Tang stood facing each other, and the atmosphere became somewhat heavy.

Grandpa Tang looked at Lin Yifan, his eyes filled with trust and worry: "Xiaofan, controlling Kenji Doihara's actions is extremely dangerous. The guards in his courtyard are no pushovers. Do you have a foolproof plan?"

Lin Yifan nodded firmly, his eyes resolute: "Don't worry, sir, I have my own methods. You just need to arrange for people to meet you outside and handle the subsequent custody and radio takeover."

He paused, then continued, "Once we control Doihara and his communications team, we will have the initiative."

However, the premise is that things must remain absolutely stable in Beiping, and Doihara's disappearance must not arouse suspicion from the outside world.

Especially those Japanese devils around Beiping, this time I'm going to give them a big beating, so they'll never dare to lay a finger on Beiping again.

After a moment of silence, Old Master Tang slowly spoke: "I will do my best to maintain stability in Beiping. I still have a voice among some of the chambers of commerce and local gentry in the city."

The Japanese strongholds that were exposed after Doihara are all under our control, and we should be able to stabilize them in the short term. But, what do you plan to do with Doihara? Yes…” Old Master Tang made a throat-slitting gesture.

Lin Yifan shook his head: "We can't kill him now. Keeping him alive can not only stabilize the situation, but may also be useful in other ways."

"I'll deal with him after I've settled things in Tianjin and the area around Beiping. Then I'll settle accounts with him and Prince Asaka Yasuhiko together!" A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, a deep-seated hatred for the invaders.

Just then, light footsteps came from the courtyard, and Old Zhang led a man in a long gown and a top hat into the courtyard.