Courtyard House: I Have Countless Bodyguards

Wang Pengfei nodded in satisfaction and gave specific instructions: "Time is of the essence, so go back and prepare immediately. We'll depart first thing tomorrow morning. You will be in full charge of this operation; you will be the commander-in-chief. The convoy will consist of four trucks with eight drivers rotating in shifts."

In addition, a logistics liaison officer will be assigned to coordinate supplies along the route, and a machine tool expert will accompany the group to provide technical support. Regarding security, you are allowed to select a section chief from your department, along with ten skilled security personnel. Including yourself, that makes a total of twenty-two people. The absolute safety of personnel and equipment must be ensured.

As Liu Jianguo left the director's office, his feelings were a mixture of excitement and solemnity.

The excitement lies in the fact that this long journey, through numerous remote and wild areas, presents him with an excellent opportunity to collect unique flora and fauna and expand the spatial ecology within this small world.

But the somber mood was even worse. This road from Beijing to Baotou was seven or eight hundred kilometers long. In the mid-1950s, the road conditions were extremely poor, the vehicles were old, and breakdowns were commonplace. It would take at least a month to get there.

Along the way, they not only had to contend with potential sabotage by enemy agents, but also had to be wary of rampant bandits and outlaws.

This is definitely a difficult journey filled with unknown dangers.

The risks are enormous, but the opportunities are equally enormous. A sharp glint flashed in Liu Jianguo's eyes; he had to be fully prepared.

He immediately picked up the phone, his tone urgent: "Have Chief Li Cheng of the Public Security Section come to my office right away."

Li Cheng arrived quickly. Liu Jianguo closed the door, his expression serious, and immediately gave the order:

"There's an urgent secret mission. You're coming with me on a long trip to Baotou, Inner Mongolia."

He spoke quickly and clearly: "First, immediately arrange for Deputy Section Chief Li Liang to temporarily preside over the work of the Public Security Section. Second, within the section, select ten absolutely reliable, best-skilled, and experienced 'veterans'—essential assassins—to form a special operations team."

He emphasized, "Third, you personally go to the equipment department and apply for weapons and ammunition, according to the highest combat readiness standards. Equip them with long guns and short guns, and make sure they have plenty of bullets."

A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes as he said, "Go and request ten more boxes of hand grenades. Most importantly, get me a heavy machine gun, along with enough ammunition."

Heavy machine guns were absolute deterrent weapons in this era, capable of decisively defeating bandits and enemy agents.

"The journey is long, it may take a month, so we must have enough ammunition."

"After obtaining the weapons, immediately assign four men to guard the four trucks and equipment at all times, starting tonight. The rest of you should pack marching supplies overnight, including compressed biscuits, dried meat, medicine, and warm clothing, to prepare for a month of wilderness survival."

"You go now to select your team and collect your equipment. Come back to me immediately afterward. You'll stay at my place tonight, and we'll prepare a detailed plan together. We'll meet at 8:00 AM sharp tomorrow and depart! Remember, absolute secrecy is required throughout!"

"Yes! I guarantee I will complete the mission!" Li Cheng sensed the gravity of the mission and accepted the order without hesitation.

Li Cheng accepted the order and left swiftly. Liu Jianguo processed several more documents in his office. After Li Cheng returned to report and confirmed that personnel, weapons, and vehicles were all in place, the two of them, one after the other, a distance apart, returned to the east wing of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, as if leaving get off work, their expressions normal. This was to avoid attracting attention.

Back home, Liu Jianguo opened his wardrobe and casually stuffed a few changes of clothes and toiletries into a worn-out military green suitcase—mere props to deceive others.

The real hard currency—large and small yellow croakers, national grain coupons, emergency medicines, and even some exquisite delicacies—had already been stored away in his absolutely safe, telepathically accessible little world with a thought.

The so-called tidying up was nothing more than going through the motions.

As darkness fell, lights began to come on in each household in the courtyard.

Liu Jianguo instructed He Yushui to go to the front yard and summon Qin Huairu, Li Bing, Li Wu, and other key personnel to the east wing.

Once everyone had arrived, he spoke concisely and seriously: "There's an urgent mission. Li Cheng and I will be away on business for about a month. The details of the mission are confidential; there's no need to ask any further questions."

His gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on Li Bing's face: "While we're away, Li Bing will be in charge of matters within the institute and department. If there's anything he can't resolve, go consult Secretary Nie or Factory Director Li. Everyone, stay alert."

He didn't reveal any details; this was both a matter of discipline and protection.

Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, everyone wisely stopped asking, but their expressions became more solemn.

The next morning, before dawn, the courtyard was shrouded in the stillness of the pre-dawn hours. Liu Jianguo and Li Cheng had already gotten up. The two quietly left the east wing, and Liu Jianguo locked the moon gate leading to the front yard from the inside with a large padlock. This was to tell the people in the courtyard that the master of the house had left and should not be disturbed.

Then, taking advantage of the dim morning light, the two rode their bicycles and disappeared into the empty streets and alleys, heading straight for the steel rolling mill.

When we arrived at the steel rolling mill, the factory area was still quiet, with only the lights on in the security guard's duty room.

Liu Jianguo ordered Li Cheng: "Blow the whistle, emergency assembly. Have the brothers fully armed and line up at the entrance of Warehouse No. 1."

"yes!"

Li Cheng strode away. A moment later, a sharp whistle shattered the tranquility of the factory area.

Liu Jianguo led a 20-man squad that had quickly assembled, was fully armed, and was in high spirits, and strode toward the heavily guarded Warehouse No. 1 at the rear of the factory.

The warehouse doors were wide open, revealing four military green trucks parked inside. The most eye-catching of them was a massive Coaster 706RT heavy truck with tires higher than a person's waist.

Its cargo compartment was completely covered by a thick, military-green tarpaulin, but judging from the weight-bearing deformation of its tires and the stable posture of its frame, it could be determined that the cargo loaded on the vehicle was extremely heavy, weighing between five and eight tons.

Liu Jianguo knew that this enormous object, wrapped in layers of packaging, was the absolute core of this mission—that precision medium-sized machine tool that was crucial to the fate of the nation!

"Li Cheng, take some men and check the condition of all four vehicles again carefully, including the oil, water, and tires, especially the heavy truck," Liu Jianguo ordered.

He personally went to the heavy truck that was loading the loader and carefully inspected the tarpaulin and the locks on the truck bed.

Then, he pointed to the Jiefang brand truck at the very front of the convoy, which was responsible for leading the way, and said sternly, "Mount the heavy machine gun on top of the cab of the lead truck and load it with ammunition belts."

This is a blatant show of force, intended to tell all potential opportunists: this matter concerns the fate of the nation, and anyone who dares to interfere will be killed without exception.

Everything was ready, and the first rays of dawn were breaking.

Liu Jianguo stood at the front of the line, his sharp eyes scanning every face, reaffirming the command hierarchy, communication codes, and emergency plans.

At this moment, Wang Pengyuan also arrived to see them off. Liu Jianguo quickly stepped forward, saluted, and said, "Director Wang, the troops are ready. Please give instructions!"

Wang Pengyuan returned the greeting, patting him firmly on the shoulder: "Jianguo, take care on your journey! Let's go!"