Courtyard House: Home Alone

There weren't many pedestrians on the street. Most of them hunched over, walking hurriedly along the roadside. When they saw a passing Japanese patrol, they would immediately stop and bow in greeting.

Lin Yifan was small, and his goal was small too. Relying on the original owner's memories, he went to six breakfast shops and restaurants in a row before he could buy a hundred vegetarian buns, which were made from a mixture of flour and water. He didn't want any other cornbread. Damn it, he miscalculated again. It seems he can't even be lazy.

I'd better make it myself in my space when I have time. Anyway, I seized two big pots and several steamers from the merchant guild, and I have all kinds of ingredients in my space. I should probably look for a place to gather information.

Looking up, I realized I was standing in front of a teahouse. Wasn't this the perfect intelligence gathering center? But it didn't seem right for a kid like me to go in and sit there drinking tea all day. What should I do?

Lin Yifan's eyes lit up, and an idea came to him. He saw a small stall selling cigarettes and matches at the entrance of the teahouse. The stall owner was an old man with gray hair, shivering in the cold wind.

Lin Yifan walked over, took out a few crumpled coins from his pocket, and bought a pack of "Hademen" cigarettes.

"Sir," Lin Yifan lowered his voice and asked casually, "What kind of people usually go to this teahouse? Is it lively?"

When the old man saw a customer come to his door, he put on a smile, took the money, counted it, and then slowly said, "Lively? Heh, how could it not be lively! People from all walks of life are here."

There were well-dressed businessmen, gun-wielding "bosses," and some idle "gentlemen"... But kid, this isn't a place for you. It's a melting pot of all sorts of people; be careful not to get yourself into trouble.

Lin Yifan understood and nodded with a smile, "I know, I was just asking out of curiosity. Thank you, sir." After saying that, he took the pack of cigarettes and, instead of going directly into the teahouse, went around to the back alley of the teahouse.

The back alley was narrow and dark, piled with clutter and garbage, and smelled musty. Lin Yifan walked to the back wall of the teahouse, quickly spread his spiritual energy, found no one around, and flashed into the space.

He subtly unleashed his spiritual power, covering the entire first-floor lobby of the teahouse. The teahouse was indeed bustling with activity, filled with swirling smoke. Around several tables sat people of different attire, chatting animatedly.

He held his breath, carefully discerning the conversations. Most were mundane family matters and business trivia, but some useful information was also mixed in.

"...Have you heard? Last night, the 'Fushun Cloth Shop' in the east of the city was raided by the military police, and the shopkeeper was taken away, accused of colluding with 'bandits'!" A merchant wearing a silk mandarin jacket said in a low voice to the people at the table.

"Oh? Is that so? Isn't the cloth shop owner supposed to have a close relationship with the Imperial Army translator?" another person asked in surprise.

"Hey, times have changed! Things are tense now, who knows? Maybe he offended someone and someone leaked the information..."

Lin Yifan's heart skipped a beat. Were the Japanese arresting people again? Were they really colluding with bandits, or just using this as an excuse to extort money? He continued listening.

At the next table, a few men dressed in shorts and shirts, with rather loud voices, seemed to be cart pullers or porters, and were complaining: "...Life is unbearable! Food rations have been reduced again, and it's all moldy old rice and cornmeal! Cloth is ridiculously expensive; a single layer of clothing costs half a month's worth of food. How are we going to survive this winter!"

"You're right! The other day I was picking up fares when I ran into a Japanese soldier. He thought I was in his way, so he came up and hit me with his rifle butt! Damn it, if I wasn't outmatched, I would have fought him to the death!"

"Keep your voice down! Do you want to die?!" Someone nearby quickly pulled him back.

Lin Yifan listened silently. Although the information was fragmented, it gave him a more concrete understanding of the situation in the city. The Japanese occupation policies had indeed caused widespread resentment among the people, and this resentment had accumulated to a certain extent.

As he listened intently, he suddenly sensed several people in black uniforms with guns at their waists entering through the door.

The leader was a tall, thin man with triangular eyes and a sinister air about him. The noise in the teahouse seemed to subside, and many people subconsciously lowered their heads.

"It's someone from the Special Higher Police!" someone muttered under their breath.

Lin Yifan's heart skipped a beat. Special Higher Police? These guys were the eyes and ears of the Japanese, specializing in intelligence and counter-espionage, even more troublesome than the military police.

He "saw" those people from the Special Higher Police walk straight to the counter, ask the teahouse owner for a private room upstairs, and then turn around and go up to the second floor.

Lin Yifan's heart skipped a beat. The fact that the Special Higher Police would come to such an ordinary teahouse and even request a private room meant they probably weren't there to drink tea.

He quickly focused his mental energy on the stairwell, and sure enough, the Special Higher Police officers went upstairs and into the innermost private room on the second floor.

The soundproofing of the private room seemed to be quite good, but under Lin Yifan's mental perception, even the slightest movement of their eyebrows was clearly visible in his mind.

The tall, thin man with triangular eyes entered the private room and irritably tugged at his collar, cursing at his subordinates behind him: "Damn it! This weather is freezing! The Commander-in-Chief has given us a strict order to solve the case within a limited time, and the Lieutenant Colonel is putting pressure on us. Now we're practically digging three feet into the ground in Beiping! Where are we supposed to find the murderer?!"

A short, stout subordinate hurriedly offered him a cigarette with obsequious flattery and lit it for him: "Sir, please calm down. That murderer is very cunning. He killed so many people from Matsui Trading Company, wiped out Chief of Staff Tanabe's entire family, and even raided the foreigners' general store. His methods were clean and efficient, leaving no survivors or clues. It's really difficult to investigate him."

The man with the triangular eyes took a deep drag on his cigarette, threw the butt on the ground, and ground it under his foot. "We have to investigate, no matter how difficult it is! The Commander said that if we don't catch them within three days, the entire Special Higher Police will have to commit seppuku! Do you want to commit seppuku?"

The short, stout subordinate trembled in fear, shaking his head repeatedly: "No, no, sir, I don't want to die!"

"If you don't want to die, think of a way!" The triangular-eyed man glared at him fiercely. "With the whole city under martial law for so long, the murderer must still be in the city! He killed so many people, he must need a place to hide, and he needs food and water!"

"Increase the search efforts, especially in the slums and shantytowns, as well as all the inns and temples in the city—leave no one unchecked! Also, closely monitor all entrances and exits from the city; not even a fly should be allowed to escape!"

Another subordinate cautiously said, "Sir, we've turned the city upside down, practically searched every rat hole, but we still haven't found anyone suspicious. Could it be... that the killer isn't a single person? Or perhaps he has some special way of hiding?"

The man with the triangular eyes frowned deeply: "Special methods? What special methods could he possibly have? Does he know how to use earth magic? I think it's just that you've all done a poor job! Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"