Courtyard House: I Have Countless Bodyguards

Upon hearing this, Wu Tiansheng's face revealed a subtle hint of satisfaction. He admired this kind of efficient and work-oriented spirit.

"Yes, you've come at the right time. If you had come any later, I would have gone home."

He stood up, took out a bunch of keys from the drawer, picked one out, and handed it to Liu Jianguo. "The room at the end of the second floor, near the stairs, used to be used by Deputy Director Chen. It's been empty since he retired. It will be your office from now on. There's a rest room inside with a cot. Go to the logistics department to get the bedding and other necessities. Just say it's my arrangement and make do for a few days."

"Thank you, Director!"

Liu Jianguo took the keys and felt a little more at ease.

"Why are you being so polite with me?"

Wu Tiansheng waved his hand, then picked up the internal phone, "Xiao Zhang, come here for a moment."

A moment later, a young clerk in his early twenties, wearing glasses, jogged in. "Director, you wanted to see me?"

"This is the new Deputy Director Liu. Take Director Liu to his office, then go to the logistics department and get a clean set of bedding, a washbasin, towels, a thermos, and other daily necessities. Deliver them to Director Liu's office. He can make do in the office break room for the next few days."

"Yes, Director! Director Liu, hello! Please come with me."

Secretary Xiao Zhang quickly agreed and said respectfully to Liu Jianguo.

Liu Jianguo thanked Wu Tiansheng again and then followed Xiao Zhang to his office.

The room wasn't small; by the window was an old desk, two wooden chairs, and a filing cabinet—simple yet clean. Sure enough, there was also a small rest area with a metal-framed cot.

Xiao Zhang worked quickly and soon retrieved the necessary items from the logistics department:

A set of nearly new military green bedding (old but clean), an enamel basin with the double happiness symbol printed on it, a new towel, a bamboo-covered thermos, and even a packet of tea.

Xiao Zhang helped make the bed and prepare hot water before politely taking his leave: "Director Liu, if you need anything, please call me anytime. I'm in the office across the street."

"Thank you for your hard work, Officer Zhang. We're all set for now, you can go back to your work," Liu Jianguo said.

The door was gently closed, and Liu Jianguo was finally left alone in the office.

The noise faded away, and the silence of the winter night descended. He bolted the door, walked to the window, looked at the scattered streetlights in the factory area below and the twinkling lights of the residential area in the distance, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Only now did he truly have time to calm his mind and examine his greatest reliance—the system.

Consciousness sank into the mind, and a pale blue screen quietly unfolded. The first things that caught the eye were two system notifications that hadn't been properly examined due to the noisy environment:

[Ding! The host has successfully purchased the property "East Courtyard of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang," officially entering the core area of ​​this world's storyline. Rewards: 2 assassin summoning slots, 1 high-quality piglet (one male and one female).]

[Ding! Host has been detected to possess 4 unsummoned assassins. Summon them now?]

Liu Jianguo understood immediately. Sure enough, buying this courtyard was the first step in triggering the key plot.

Both assassins and piglets are the most useful things right now. He didn't rush to summon assassins, but instead focused his attention on the "small world" option.

With a thought, his "vision" seemed to enter a strange, hazy space.

The space is about the size of ten standard basketball courts, which is exactly ten acres (about 6666 square meters).

The land was a deep black, appearing extremely fertile. In the center of the space, the spiritual spring still bubbled gently, emitting a soothing aroma.

The entire space was silent, time seemed to stand still, yet it contained a vibrant vitality.

"Summon the piglets," he silently chanted to himself.

The light screen flickered.

The next second, two pink and chubby little piglets appeared out of thin air on the black soil of the small world.

They seemed somewhat bewildered by the sudden change in their environment, but were quickly attracted by the soft, fertile black soil beneath their feet and the clear spring water nearby, and began to root in the soil with their noses, appearing quite adapted.

Liu Jianguo keenly noticed that the moment the piglets appeared, the hazy mist at the edge of the small world seemed to retreat by a tiny bit!

Although the changes are minor, the area of ​​the small world has indeed expanded!

"Could it be... that placing living creatures inside can promote the growth of the small world?"

This discovery thrilled him. If it were true, the potential of this small world would far exceed his imagination!

Next, he turned his attention back to the summoning of assassins. The system offered two identity options:

Ordinary farmers from nearby villages, or descendants of veterans/martyrs (the system automatically generates a valid identity and letter of introduction).

While being a farmer is simple, arranging for them to work in a factory might be a bit more complicated.

Veterans or descendants of martyrs have a stronger identity, making it more legitimate to be assigned to the security department, and it also better suits my current needs.

The problem is that four people suddenly appear, and we need a plausible excuse... I've got it!

He already had a plan in mind: "System, summon four suicide soldiers, whose identities are set as: descendants of my comrades (martyrs), also veterans, who have practiced martial arts since childhood, are of good character, and are eager to devote themselves to revolutionary construction. Automatically generate reasonable identity documents and introduction letters at the street and village levels."

[Command received. Summoning 4 assassins... Identification information generated... Letter of introduction placed in system space... Summoning complete. The assassins will appear near the host in a reasonable manner within 12 hours and establish contact with the host.]

Having settled everything, Liu Jianguo logged out of the system, lay down on his cot, and put his hands behind his head. A monthly salary of 124.5 yuan was an absolute high wage in those days, easily enough to support four assassins.

The key is to assign them reasonable status and jobs. Tomorrow I'll go to the Armed Forces Department and ask the minister for advice. If that doesn't work, I'll have to swallow my pride and go to my old superior again.

In short, these four people must be arranged to be by my side as soon as possible and in a reasonable manner.

The next morning, Liu Jianguo arrived at the security department on time. He had barely sat down in his office when the department head's secretary, Xiao Zhang, came to inform him:

"Director Liu, Director Wu would like to invite you to a meeting in the small conference room. All the section chiefs are here."

Liu Jianguo straightened his newly received blue police uniform (without cap badge or collar insignia yet) and followed Xiao Zhang to the small conference room.

Five or six people were already seated around the oval table. They were all in their thirties or forties, with upright postures, sharp eyes, and an air of military discipline about them.

Wu Tiansheng was sitting in the main seat. When he saw him come in, he nodded.

"Everyone's here, let's start the meeting."

Without wasting words, Wu Tiansheng went straight to the point, "First, let me formally introduce you. This is Comrade Liu Jianguo, the newly appointed deputy director of the Security Department! 21 years old, three years of military service, he was awarded one First-Class Merit, three Second-Class Merits, and five Third-Class Merits on the Korean battlefield! He was transferred to civilian work at the deputy regimental level! He is a true combat hero!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the eyes of several section chiefs in the conference room instantly focused on Liu Jianguo, their expressions a mixture of surprise, scrutiny, admiration, and doubt.

At 21 years old, he was a deputy regimental commander, and he had received a first-class merit award. They knew all too well the significance of that.

"When Comrade Jianguo first arrived, he was mainly responsible for overseeing the Security Section and the Public Security Section."

Wu Tiansheng continued, "Now, everyone please introduce yourselves so that Director Liu can get acquainted with you."