Courtyard House: Home Alone

Zhao Gang's smile froze for a moment. Although he had never met Chen Gongshu, he knew that his master, Old Master Tang, had a good relationship with this station chief of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Beiping station.

At the same time, he also knew that the middle-aged man in the gray wool coat in front of him was the top assassin of the Military Intelligence Bureau.

"Hello, Mr. Chen." Zhao Gang quickly concealed his unusual expression, clasped his hands in a respectful greeting, and said, "My men are my brothers, Zhao Gang's brothers."

Chen Gongshu nodded slightly, but his gaze swept around the pharmaceutical factory's courtyard. The three-courtyard compound, with its blue bricks and gray tiles, looked like the layout of an ordinary business, but from the inconspicuous shadows in the corners, he could clearly smell the presence of sentries—their breathing was shallow, their positions were cunning, and they were all experienced.

"Brother Zhao,"

Lin Yifan took two steps forward, his boots crunching over the thin layer of frost on the ground. "Take Mr. Chen to meet Xu Zheng and the others, let the brothers have a get-together."

After saying that, he turned to look at Chen Gongshu: "Go and see your men, try your best to persuade them. To be honest, their hands are stained with the blood of Japanese devils and traitors. 'Ghost' also hopes that they can join in and make the Japanese devils tremble with fear."

Chen Gongshu nodded: "Young master, don't worry, I will definitely persuade them to willingly follow you and 'Ghost'."

Zhao Gang led the way, passing through the front yard piled high with sacks of medicinal herbs, and turning into a moon gate. The back yard was much more spacious than the front, with several side rooms surrounding an old well, the well platform covered with a thin layer of ice.

Xu Zheng was practicing martial arts with several men in an open space when they saw Zhao Gang enter, and they all stopped their stances.

"Xu Zheng, Liu Quande," Zhao Gang shouted, "Look who's here!"

When they saw Chen Gongshu appear from around the corner, they all froze. Xu Zheng's military dagger clattered to the ground, and Liu Quande's face turned deathly pale. He instinctively took a half-step back.

"Station...station chief?" Xu Zheng's voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, trembling with disbelief.

The veterans of these action teams knew better than anyone else about Chen Gongshu's reputation at the Military Intelligence Bureau's Beiping station.

"What's the panic?"

Chen Gongshu's voice wasn't loud, but it made several people straighten their backs simultaneously. "I'm no longer with the Military Intelligence Bureau. From now on, I'll be working for you. So, you don't need to panic."

His gaze swept over these familiar faces—Xu Zheng had once been his student, and Liu Quande had followed him for several years, only becoming deputy station chief after he was placed under house arrest, while the position of station chief remained vacant.

"Station...station chief, what did you mean by 'working for me'?" Liu Quande asked.

Chen Gongshu glanced at his men and said, "This isn't the place to talk. Brother Zhao Gang, is there a suitable place for us to sit down? I'd like to have a chat with you all."

Zhao Gang understood and gestured towards the main room next to the well, where a cotton curtain hung: "Mr. Chen, please come into the inner room. The brazier has just been filled with charcoal; it's warm."

Xu Zheng and Liu Quande exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and doubt in each other's eyes. They both knew the station chief was under house arrest, but how could he have become "my man" in just a few days? Just who was that teenager to make someone like Chen Gongshu bow down to him?

Everyone went inside, but Zhao Gang didn't follow. He stood guard at the door, like a door god. Chen Gongshu glanced at the furnishings inside—an eight-immortal table, a grand master's chair, a plaque on the wall that read "Hanging a gourd to save the world," and a rosewood medicine cabinet in the corner with yellowed labels on the drawers. It was a typical reception room in a pharmaceutical factory, nothing to complain about.

"Sit down, everyone." Chen Gongshu took a seat first, pulled out a pack of "Da Qianmen" cigarettes from his pocket, took out a few and threw them on the table. "What are you standing for? Afraid I'll eat you?"

Xu Zheng hesitated before sitting down, but Liu Quande remained standing: "Station Chief, you have to give the brothers an explanation. What about the Military Intelligence Bureau…?"

"I'll handle things with the Military Intelligence Bureau."

Chen Gongshu struck a match, the flame leaping in the dim room. "You've all followed me all these years, you know what kind of person I am, Chen Gongshu. I was spared from this life by that young master. He taught me one thing—"

He took a drag of his cigarette, the smoke swirling in front of him, obscuring the expression in his eyes: "All the traitors we've killed and the Japanese we've stabbed over the years, in the end, it's all for nothing compared to a single word from above. If Boss Dai wants me dead, I have to die; if he wants me under house arrest, I have to obediently squat in the cellar. But I'm different."

Xu Zheng leaned forward slightly: "Station Chief, you mean...?"

"That's what I meant."

Chen Gongshu tossed the matchstick to the ground, sparks flying across the blue bricks. "I work for 'Ghost.' Follow me, and killing Japanese devils is real; you won't have to be subservient or have to pay a death bill. The blood on your hands is merit here, not demerit."

The word "ghost" felt like a burning ember, settling in the hearts of everyone in the room. Xu Zheng's Adam's apple bobbed, Liu Quande's expression changed repeatedly, and the other men exchanged glances.

"Station Master," Liu Quande finally spoke, his voice extremely low, "you mean... that young master has connections to 'Ghost'?"

"The young master made me vote for 'Ghost.' I told him I wanted to see what 'Ghost' was capable of."

Chen Gongshu gave a bitter smile. "Just this morning, in the cellar. I checked the cellar three times. The ventilation opening is about the size of a bowl, and the entrance was blocked with a cabbage basket, but he just walked in, like he appeared out of thin air. When I had the gun pressed against the back of my head, I heard him say two words—'Don't move.'"

The room was so quiet that you could hear the soft popping of charcoal in the brazier.

"And then?" Xu Zheng couldn't help but ask.

"later?"

Chen Gongshu stubbed out his cigarette. "Later, before I even left the cellar, the young master was already waiting for me outside."

Six sparrows flew over the yard at that moment. The young man stood still, without even raising his hand, and all six sparrows fell to the ground at the same time, their heads all smashed.

Xu Zheng, you've followed me for five years, have you ever seen such a method?

Xu Zheng's expression changed completely. He was the best marksman in the action team, and it wasn't impossible for him to shoot down birds within fifty meters, but to shoot down six birds at the same time, all of them hitting the head, and the person who made the shot didn't even sway his shoulder—this was beyond the scope of "skill".

"Station Master,"

His voice was hoarse, "Are you sure... it wasn't a hidden weapon?"

"I'm sure." Chen Gongshu stood up, walked to the window, and lifted a corner of the cotton curtain.

With a loud crash, Liu Quande knocked over the chair behind him.

Chen Gongshu lowered the cotton curtain, turned to look at his old subordinates, and said, "I told you to..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across each face: "Following 'Ghost,' the good life is a minor matter; the chance of survival is ten times greater than following the Military Intelligence Bureau."

The words "ten times" were like two nails, driven into everyone's hearts. Those in their line of work understood the weight of "survival" better than anyone. They knew the casualty rate of the Military Intelligence Bureau's action teams better than anyone else.