Courtyard House: Home Alone

The most urgent task is to wait for news from Stone and get his hands on the poultry, livestock, and seeds as soon as possible. With these, his self-sufficiency plan can take its first step.

As for the people in the courtyard, he doesn't need to pay attention to them for now. As long as they don't provoke him, he's too lazy to bother dealing with them.

If they really don't know what's good for them, he wouldn't mind teaching them a lesson again.

Lin Yifan stayed in the space for a while, checked the supplies, and took out some flour and dried meat, planning to cook something simple for lunch.

His body is still growing and needs extra nutrition. Besides, with such good conditions, there's no need for him to suffer.

At this moment, in the president's official residence in Chongqing, Director Dai of the Military Intelligence Bureau stood in front of the president, cautiously looking at President Jiang, who was holding a telegram.

Jiang Kaishi held the telegram, which contained only a dozen or so characters, and read it for more than ten minutes before placing it on the huge mahogany desk in front of him.

Then he raised his shiny bald head, looked at Director Dai and said, "Yu Nong, look: all the Japanese have been slaughtered, the banks have been robbed, and Beiping has become an undefended city."

"With such a huge commotion, your Military Intelligence Bureau still hasn't found the culprit?"

Director Dai's forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat, and he bent his waist even lower: "President, I am incompetent! Beiping has mobilized all its forces."

But... but those people acted very strangely, as if they appeared out of thin air and then disappeared without leaving any valuable clues.

The bank's vault had reinforced concrete walls that were impossible to open by ordinary means, yet they were able to silently plunder all the gold bars and banknotes from various countries.

Even the guards... were silenced. The ruthlessness and the strangeness of their actions were unprecedented!

Jiang Kaishi tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making a "tap-tap" sound. His eyes were deep and unfathomable, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice tinged with barely perceptible weariness: "No defenses... Ha, the Japanese have ruled Beiping for so many years, boasting of its impregnable fortress, yet now they're being accused of having no defenses. They've utterly lost face!"

He paused, then changed the subject, "Yu Nong, this matter absolutely cannot be left like this. No matter who the other party is or what their purpose is, to be able to cause such a commotion in Beiping, they are no ordinary person."

Listen to me, you must investigate at all costs! Even if you have to turn Beiping upside down, find this person or this group of people!

We need to figure out whether they're friend or foe. If they're friends, perhaps we can... send more people to Beiping. We can't let the Red Party beat us to it." He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

Director Dai's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly replied, "Yes! The President is wise! I will immediately send more men and personally oversee this matter! I will definitely give the President an explanation!"

Jiang Kaishi waved his hand, signaling him to leave. Director Dai, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, carefully withdrew from the office.

In the large room, only Jiang Kaishi remained. He picked up the telegram, read it again, and frowned.

"All the Japanese soldiers were slaughtered..." he muttered to himself. "Who could it be? How many people would it take to pull off such a massive operation? Could it be..." One possibility after another flashed through his mind, but he rejected them one by one. This matter was full of too many strange things.

Meanwhile, in Beiping, at a secret outpost.

A man wearing a black Zhongshan suit and with a scar on his face said in a deep voice to the group of people in front of him, "We have received orders from above to do everything in our power to find the people who robbed the Yokohama Specie Bank and attacked the military police."

One of the men couldn't help but speak up: "Captain, this was handled so well, maybe it's one of our own? Why bother searching for it?"

Scarface glared at him fiercely: "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask! An order is an order! No matter who the other party is, to be able to do such a big thing under the noses of the Japanese, their strength should not be underestimated."

The above means that it's best to incorporate it. If that's not possible, you should at least clarify its true purpose to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and conflicts. Do you all understand?

"Understood!" everyone responded in unison.

Scarface nodded: "Alright, disperse. Everyone, be on your guard and investigate thoroughly! Don't let any suspicious people or things slip by!"

In an instant, the entire city of Beiping was in turmoil because of Lin Yifan's appearance. Various forces began to take action, and an invisible net was quietly being cast.

Meanwhile, in a cave dwelling in the Northwest, Mr. Wu was standing next to Chairman Li, who was also holding a telegram with similar content, and was looking at it for more than ten minutes.

Then, he lit a cigarette and said, "Comrade Wu Hao, what's your opinion on this matter?"

Mr. Wu stroked his beard, his gaze fixed on the rolling loess hills outside the window, and said in a deep voice, "Chairman, what happened in Beiping is truly earth-shattering! Overnight, the elite of the Japanese military police were wiped out, the Yokohama Specie Bank was ransacked, and even their expatriates were not spared."

This was no ordinary act of bandits or small groups. The decisiveness and ruthlessness of their actions, the meticulousness of their planning, and the terrifying strength of their forces all pointed to an extraordinary background.

He paused, turned around, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "'All the Japanese devils have been slaughtered, the banks have been robbed, and Beiping has become an undefended city.' These few figures are not only a heavy blow to the Japanese invaders, but also a kind of...demonstration, or rather, a declaration of power."

Chairman Li took a deep drag on his cigarette, his brow furrowing slightly amidst the swirling smoke: "Yes, this is unusual. The skinheads are reportedly in a state of chaos, having mobilized every available resource, yet they haven't found a single hair."

This is even more interesting. Are they our people? I had my subordinates investigate, and none of the base areas have recently dispatched such a large task force or action group to the Beijing-Tianjin area.

Moreover, this near-devastating method of attack is not entirely in line with our current guerrilla warfare strategy of "accumulating small victories into a major victory" behind enemy lines.

"Could it be another faction of the skinheads, or a local force?"

Mr. Wu pondered for a moment and said, "Or perhaps... some deeply hidden civilian anti-Japanese forces? After all, the Japanese rule in Beiping was unpopular, and the people had long harbored resentment. It is not impossible that some righteous people with special skills and full of passion would emerge."

Chairman Li slowly shook his head, stubbing out his cigarette in the simple ashtray: "It's unlikely. The Skinhead Party is riddled with factions and infighting. If they had that kind of power, how could that guy surnamed Dai be completely unaware?"

Local forces are disorganized and incapable of accomplishing such a feat. As for civilian heroes… they might be able to act alone, but to organize such a meticulously planned operation and escape unscathed must require a powerful organization or… an unfathomable key figure.

He stood up, paced a few steps inside the cave, and said in a thoughtful tone, "What is the purpose of this person, or this group of people? Is it merely to rob the rich to help the poor, or to kill Japanese devils to vent their anger?"

Or are there deeper considerations? What impact will their appearance have on the anti-Japanese war situation in North China and even the whole country?