Courtyard House: The Long-Lost Eldest Son Returns with Military Merit

Upon noticing the thin thread, Jia Dongming activated his Eagle Eye ability again and discovered that the other end of the thread was connected to two objects.

This discovery sent a chill down Jia Dongming's spine—if he had rashly opened the entrance just now, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

After dismantling the connecting mechanisms, Jia Dongming carefully lifted the floor tiles, revealing a dark opening.

Having learned from his previous experience, Jia Dongming was extra cautious, and only crawled in after confirming that there were no other traps inside the cave.

Although it was his first time entering this underground chamber, Jia Dongming knew its layout perfectly.

Seeing the codebook on the table, he recalled the message sent by Ye Quanwang the previous evening, and used the codebook in front of him to decipher it according to the frequency of the message.

After deciphering the telegram, Jia Dongming was greatly shocked.

It turned out that Ye Quanwang had already noticed the surveillance by the Criminal Investigation Division of the branch bureau. The reason why the other party did not flee immediately was to keep the branch bureau's investigators in check and buy time for the ongoing plan.

This telegram greatly surprised Jia Dongming and also aroused his curiosity about the enemy's plans.

In order to find out the enemy's intentions, Jia Dongming carefully searched the entire secret room, but found no valuable clues and had to give up for the time being.

Before leaving, he rearranged the traps set by Ye Quanwang, erased all traces of himself, and after confirming that everything was in order, he quietly left Ye Quanwang's residence.

After leaving the Ye family, Jia Dongming rode his bicycle to No. 107 Sesame Alley—the courtyard where Xiao Quan lived.

Yesterday, Jia Dongming came here only to confirm Xiao Quan's identity and did not carefully examine the abandoned courtyard.

Upon arriving outside the courtyard, Jia Dongming immediately activated his Eagle Eye ability to survey the dilapidated courtyard before him.

Soon, he discovered a hidden compartment in a collapsed house.

Using his eagle-eye vision, Jia Dongming saw a wooden box hidden in a secret compartment in the wall, containing a gun, two magazines, a piece of paper, and more than ten gold bars.

Although Jia Dongming didn't know what the piece of paper was, the fact that it was treasured along with the gold bars showed its importance.

Jia Dongming looked around to make sure no one was there, then turned and entered the courtyard.

After quietly entering the courtyard, he quickly walked towards the collapsed house and cautiously went inside.

Soon, Jia Dongming arrived at the wall where the hidden compartment was located.

He frowned as he saw the dense spider webs covering the wall.

These spiderwebs indicate that the items in the hidden compartment have been forgotten by Xiao Quan for a long time.

Once the hidden compartment is opened, the spider web will inevitably be destroyed, and if Xiao Quanruo comes to check, he will surely find that someone has tampered with this place.

"Ding! The host can place their palm on the wall and concentrate their mind on the items inside the wall to store them in their space."

Just as Jia Dongming was pondering how to retrieve the item, a system notification sounded in his mind.

Upon receiving the system message, Jia Dongming realized that he only needed to touch the object to add it to the system space.

The system's prompt made Jia Dongming scratch the back of his head with a self-deprecating smile. He then placed his hand on the wall and silently recited the name of the wooden box in the hidden compartment.

Soon, Jia Dongming took a wooden box into his hands.

Upon opening the wooden box, an appointment letter came into Jia Dongming's view: "Xiao Quanjun, Colonel and Station Chief of the Military Intelligence Station in Beijing!"

Although Jia Dongming had already determined that Xiao Quan was an enemy agent, what he did not expect was that Xiao Quan was the enemy agent leader he had been tracking for a long time.

After Jia Dongming put the appointment letter into the wooden box, he did not put the box back in its original place in the hidden compartment.

Now that Ye Quanwang's superior has been identified, the truth about what Ye Quanwang and his associates are plotting can be revealed simply by arresting them all.

Determined to close the net, Jia Dongming immediately abandoned his search for enemy supplies in the abandoned courtyard, hopped on his bicycle, and headed towards the East Branch Bureau.

"Deputy Chief Jia! What brings you to the branch office today? Please come in."

Jia Dongming arrived at the door of Zhang Huanchun's office and knocked.

Zhang Huanchun, who was sitting inside the house, was surprised to see Jia Dongming's sudden visit and quickly invited him to come.

Jia Dongming entered Zhang Huanchun's office in response, and said with a smile, "Captain Zhang! The blacksmith shop case is now ready to be closed."

"What! Deputy Captain Jia, is what you said true? The blacksmith shop case can really be closed?"

Upon learning of Jia Dongming's purpose, Zhang Huanchun was greatly shocked. He abruptly stood up from behind his desk and looked at Jia Dongming with disbelief to confirm the news.

Faced with Zhang Huanchun's questioning and his surprised expression, Jia Dongming nodded firmly and replied, "Captain Zhang! According to our reconnaissance, that blacksmith shop is actually an intelligence relay station for enemy agents."

Enemy agents would use the pretext of purchasing or repairing ironware to conceal intelligence within wooden handles, which would then be transmitted through the shop.

"Furthermore, based on the clues already obtained, the detachment's detectives had already been alerted by Ye Quanwang, the blacksmith inside the blacksmith shop, when they were monitoring the shop."

The main reason they weren't in a hurry to flee was that they were carrying out a plan, and that plan had entered a crucial stage.

"Deputy Captain Jia! You just mentioned that enemy agents are carrying out a plan. Do you know exactly what they are plotting?"

After hearing Jia Dongming's account, Zhang Huanchun's expression showed even greater surprise, and he hurriedly asked Jia Dongming for answers.

Upon hearing Zhang Huanchun inquire about the enemy's plans, Jia Dongming subconsciously shook his head and replied, "Captain Zhang! As of now, I also don't know what kind of plan these Taiwanese spies are implementing."

However, I have confirmed that the head of this spy organization is named Xiao Quanjun, a colonel and station chief of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Beijing branch. He is currently using the alias Xiao Quan and works as a security guard at a scrap metal recycling station in Jingshan Subdistrict.

After speaking, Jia Dongming took out his briefcase, took out the wooden box he had found in Xiao Quanjun's house, and placed it in front of Zhang Huanchun.

Zhang Huanchun saw the wooden box that Jia Dongming had taken out, and immediately opened it. The first thing he saw was an appointment letter.

He picked up the appointment letter, then noticed the seal and small gold bar beneath it, and couldn't help but ask Jia Dongming with curiosity, "Deputy Captain Jia! Where did you find these items?"

Upon hearing Zhang Huanchun's question, Jia Dongming solemnly introduced, "Captain Zhang! I found this item in a hidden compartment in Xiao Quanjun's house."

In addition, I also discovered a secret passage inside his house that led to an abandoned courtyard not far from his home.

The secret chamber beneath that small courtyard contained a large quantity of supplies and weapons.

"Another matter: yesterday, when I was following Ye Quanwang, I accidentally discovered that the courtyard where Ye Quanwang lived was actually a deliberately exposed cover point, and his real hiding place was in the courtyard next door."

There was also a secret room built underground in that courtyard, containing weapons and a radio transmitter.

"In addition, we also discovered the identities of two of Ye Quanwang's subordinates who were responsible for transmitting intelligence."

One of them is named Miao, who works as an editor at a newspaper, and her husband, Zhao Huiming, is the deputy director of Changping Commune.

As for whether her husband is involved in the case, our factory security personnel are still investigating.

"Another enemy agent is named You Wan'an! He is a purchasing agent at the cotton mill and currently lives alone in the cotton mill's residential compound."

The social background and network of relationships of these two enemy agents are still under investigation.

Criminal investigation officers had been monitoring the blacksmith shop for over a month but had not obtained any valuable clues; however, Jia Dongming had only been in charge for a day and had already identified most of the main members of this enemy agent group.

While feeling humiliated, Zhang Huanchun also deeply admired Jia Dongming's investigative abilities.

Zhang Huanchun placed the appointment letter back into the wooden box and asked Jia Dongming with a serious expression, "Deputy Captain Jia! What are your plans next?"

When Zhang Huanchun asked about the follow-up plan, Jia Dongming thought about his own scheme and replied solemnly, "Captain Zhang! This group of enemy agents knew they had been exposed, yet they still risked arrest to deceive us. This shows that their plan is no small matter."

"To prevent any unforeseen complications, I believe we should immediately close in and arrest these enemy agents, and then try to get them to talk and find out what kind of conspiracy this group of spies is plotting."

Zhang Huanchun agreed with Jia Dongming's plan, then stood up again and said, "Let's go! We'll go to Director Li's office together to report this matter, and then hold a meeting to discuss the specific arrest plan."

Before long, Jia Dongming and Zhang Huanchun arrived at Li Xidong's office.

Upon seeing the two arrive at the same time, Li Xidong asked with a hint of curiosity, "Comrade Huanchun! Comrade Dongming! What brings you two to my office today?"

After Li Xidong raised the question, Zhang Huanchun answered first: "Director, our detachment received a tip that the blacksmith shop in the east of the city might be problematic, possibly an enemy spy stronghold."

"After receiving the tip, we arranged for personnel to secretly monitor the blacksmith shop and conduct a covert search of the suspect's residence, but found nothing unusual."

"Recently, a case occurred at the steel rolling mill where the stolen scrap steel was sold to a blacksmith shop in the east of the city."

Deputy Squad Leader Jia suspected something was amiss at the blacksmith shop, so he spoke with me about it.

At this point, Zhang Huanchun felt somewhat embarrassed, thinking about how his detachment had gained nothing from monitoring the area for over a month, while the steel mill's security department had made significant progress in less than a day.

With a look of shame, he continued his report: "Chief, our investigation has been going on for a long time without any breakthroughs, so I am transferring this case to Deputy Chief Jia."

Unexpectedly, he identified several enemy agents and gathered sufficient evidence in just one day.

Then, Zhang Huanchun placed a wooden box in front of Li Xidong and respectfully reported, "Director, these are items that Deputy Captain Jia secretly searched out of a hidden compartment in the enemy's residence."

After listening to the report, Li Xidong looked at Zhang Huanchun's ashamed expression, reached out and opened the wooden box. The first thing he saw was a letter of appointment.

After reading the letter of appointment, he learned that the enemy agent who had been discovered was actually the head of the Taiwanese intelligence station stationed in Beijing. He was greatly excited and immediately asked the two men, "Comrade Huanchun, Comrade Dongming, what are your plans next?"

Zhang Huanchun immediately replied, "Director, during a secret investigation, Deputy Chief Jia accidentally discovered that enemy agents were plotting an operation."

"But we do not yet have a grasp of its specific plans."

After discussing with Deputy Chief Jia, we decided to arrest the enemy agents we had identified.

After a moment of contemplation, Li Xidong solemnly instructed, "Comrade Huanchun, Comrade Dongming, I agree to your plan."

However, meticulous planning is essential before any action is taken to ensure absolute safety, while also prioritizing the safety of oneself and the public.

Zhang Huanchun and Jia Dongming stood up simultaneously, saluted Li Xidong, and assured him, "Please rest assured, Director, we will resolutely complete the mission!"

After leaving the director's office, Zhang Huanchun and Jia Dongming were preparing to go to the conference room to gather personnel and arrange the arrest operation.

At that moment, a young policeman rushed over and reported to Zhang Huanchun with a grave expression: "Team leader, the suspect in the textile factory finance office case is dead."

"What? Guokai, explain yourself! How did the suspect die?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Huanchun showed an incredulous expression and asked sternly.

Guo Kai hurriedly reported: "The suspect has been kept in the interrogation room since he was brought back."

For reasons unknown, he died suddenly.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Huanchun's expression turned grave, and he said solemnly, "Let's go to the interrogation room."

Seeing Zhang Huanchun's grave expression, Jia Dongming couldn't help but ask, "Captain Zhang, what case is it that you're taking so seriously?"

As Zhang Huanchun walked, he explained, "Deputy Captain Jia, the textile factory's finance office was robbed a few days ago, resulting in a loss of more than 13,500 yuan, which was the factory's monthly salary."

"After receiving the report, our team rushed to the scene immediately, and after investigation, we quickly identified and arrested the suspect."

"However, during the search of his residence, only a little over 1,500 yuan in cash was found; the whereabouts of the rest of the money are unknown."

"In order to trace the whereabouts of the remaining funds, we brought the suspect back for interrogation."

Unexpectedly, before the details of the funds could be determined, the suspect died in the interrogation room.