The Fitter Master in the Courtyard: Surrounded by Dead Men

It wasn't until after 3 p.m. that Yang Ping stopped working, checked on the two people's progress, explained the next steps, and then got up to leave the R&D department and head to the workshop.

The workshop scene remained unchanged, just as it always had.

When everyone saw him return, they only glanced up briefly before burying themselves back in their work.

The initial novelty and curiosity I felt when I first returned from the R&D department are long gone.

Yang Ping was not surprised by this.

On the contrary, he felt that the current calm was the best situation—less attention and more focus were the best possible outcome for him and his work.

Yang Ping wandered around Xie Quancai and the others for a while, his gaze sweeping over the scattered parts.

Occasionally, he would notice something amiss and offer a few words of advice.

When there was really nothing left to watch, he strolled over to Lü Shuitian, and the two of them brewed tea and chatted casually.

This class is quite peaceful and comfortable.

As the sun began to set, the workday bell rang precisely on time.

Yang Ping tidied herself up, walked out of the workshop, and went straight to the parking lot to wait.

Before long, Gao Yue appeared.

As usual, he escorted her to her doorstep, watched her go inside, then turned his bike around, hopped on his old bicycle, and slowly rode towards the courtyard.

As dusk deepened at the intersection, the roadside corner became a spectacle.

A figure suddenly appeared in his line of sight.

Li You.

Yang Ping recognized him at a glance.

It was Engineer Li from the R&D department, who was known for his eccentric temper.

But Li You's attire at this moment was completely different from that during the day.

He was dressed in an inconspicuous dark outfit, with the collar turned up high. Most of his face was buried in his scarf, with only his eyes showing, which were alertly scanning left and right.

This deliberate attempt to conceal something gives off an air of not wanting others to know.

Yang Ping gripped the brakes and stopped in place for a few seconds.

After a few thoughts raced through his mind, he lightly touched the ground with his toes, silently turned the car around, and followed the figure at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

He wanted to see what this Engineer Li was really up to, dressed like that.

Li You pedaled steadily, yet with a barely perceptible urgency.

After riding for a while, he seemed to sense something and suddenly turned his head to look back—the street behind him was empty, with only the long shadows of withered trees stretched out by the streetlights.

He paused, as if to breathe a sigh of relief, and then continued forward.

The instant he turned his head, Yang Ping had already slipped into the shadows of a narrow alleyway beside him, holding his breath.

He only leaned out again after the sound of the wheels resumed and faded into the distance.

And so, one after the other, the two bicycles weaved through the streets and alleys in the fading light.

Li You appeared quite wary, and several times he suddenly turned around or turned into a side road, but Yang Ping always managed to disappear into the wall or around the corner at the last moment, like a silent shadow, firmly following behind.

Finally, Li You's car stopped at the back wall of a large courtyard.

It was a secluded place, rarely visited by people.

He looked around warily once again.

Yang Ping had already shrunk into a pile of abandoned baskets not far away, only peeking out through the gaps.

Seeing that no one was around, Li You quickly took out a long, thin object from his pocket, which looked like a small bamboo tube.

He flicked his arm, and the thing traced a low arc, "thud."

With a soft thud, it landed inside the high wall.

Having done all this, he didn't hesitate, got on his bike and quickly left, his figure soon disappearing into the darkness in the distance.

Yang Ping emerged from his hiding place, gazing at the silent high wall, then at the direction where Li You had disappeared, his brows slowly furrowing.

He looked around, and after confirming that no one was there, he quickly put away his bicycle, disguised himself briefly, and quietly approached the courtyard.

Holding his breath, he watched in complete silence within the walls. With a swift movement, he gracefully vaulted into the courtyard.

That small bamboo tube resembled a ballpoint pen refill in later times, hollow inside, with a roll of paper tightly packed inside.

Yang Ping picked up the bamboo tube, and without pausing, immediately turned around and jumped over the wall.

Returning to the depths of the alley, he pulled out a scroll of paper from the bamboo tube and unfolded it. It clearly stated the recent adjustments to the R&D department, the details of his own transfer, and the battery project that was underway.

His expression suddenly darkened.

By relaying the R&D department's activities to the outside world—it's obvious what role Li You is playing without much thought; this is undoubtedly the work of a hidden enemy agent.

Without hesitation, Yang Ping rolled up the paper and stuffed it back into the bamboo tube, then casually put it into the system space.

He then took out his bicycle and sped off in the direction Li You had left.

At his speed, he quickly caught sight of that familiar figure again.

"Engineer Li!"

He shouted.

Li You's back stiffened, but he quickly regained his composure, stopped the car, and turned around. When he saw that it was Yang Ping, a hint of surprise flashed across his face.

"Yang Ping? What are you doing here?"

He took off his scarf, revealing his face, and casually stuffed the scarf into his bag, but one hand remained inside the bag, not immediately pulled out.

"It really is you, Engineer Li! I thought it looked like you just from your back view from afar."

Yang Ping smiled frankly, "I was taking my girlfriend home; her house is in a nearby compound."

He adopted a completely harmless demeanor, solely to lower the other party's guard.

Li You's expression visibly relaxed; it turned out to be just a coincidence. He had thought he had revealed some flaw.

The hand was finally pulled out of the bag, and he smiled as he replied:

"I'm going to Qianmen Street to buy something, and I was thinking of taking a shortcut, so I'll just go through here."

"Where does Engineer Li live? If it's on our way, we can go together."

Yang Ping had a smile on his face.

"I need to turn around up ahead."

Li You raised his hand and pointed ahead.

"I've been walking straight ahead, it seems I can't keep up with Engineer Li."

Yang Ping replied.

He sighed inwardly, thinking that Li You's response was truly watertight, as he neither mentioned his own residence nor deliberately took a different route.

The little note clearly stated the address of the courtyard house at No. 7 Nanluoguxiang, but Li You insisted on changing course and not following his path.

Just now, Li You's hand that reached into his bag was most likely trying to pull something out of it.

Luckily, I was quick-witted and knew to lower the other party's guard first, otherwise I probably would have been beaten to a pulp.

"Um."

Li You nodded, his expression returning to its usual indifferent demeanor, as if nothing was amiss.

Yang Ping's lips curled up slightly.

"Mr. Li, I have a question I'd like to ask you."

The lead used in lead-acid batteries is currently refined using pyrometallurgical methods. Can't it be purified using electrolysis?

He posed a direct question.

Currently, lead-acid batteries are generally manufactured using pyrometallurgical refining, as electricity is not yet widely available, energy storage technology is limited, and the direction of electrolytic refining has not been explored in depth.

"Um?"

Upon hearing this, Li You's expression suddenly hardened.

Electrolytic refined lead

These four words seemed to open a brand new door for him.

Electricity does indeed have the potential to refine lead metal—this is a completely unprecedented idea.

He fell into deep thought and began to consider how to use electrolysis to purify lead metal.

"Got it!"

A possible solution quickly flashed into his mind, and he was about to speak—

"Bang!"

The next instant, a brick came flying through the wind and landed heavily on the back of his head.

Li You rolled his eyes back and collapsed limply to the ground.

"Why abandon being a dignified citizen of the Xia Kingdom to become a ghost in the shadows!"

Yang Ping stuffed the half brick into his pocket and patted the dust off his palms.

He crouched down and opened Li You's bulging satchel.

Sure enough, a dark, heavy object was lying under the clutter.

If I hadn't disarmed the other party beforehand, I would probably be the one injured right now.

Thinking of this, a sense of relief swept over him.

Yang Ping deftly tied the man up with hemp rope, then pushed the bicycle leaning against the wall over and slung the limp Li You across the back seat.

He can't handle this privately; handing it over to the police is the best course of action.

The police station isn't far away; you can walk there by pushing your cart in the time it takes to smoke a cigarette.

"Stop! What are you doing?"

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, a low shout came from inside.

A police officer instantly raised his arm, the muzzle of his gun steadily pointing at him.

Yang Ping's face remained expressionless.

Anyone who sees a living person bound hand and foot on the back of a bicycle would probably have the same reaction.

He had long been used to all sorts of looks along the way.

"Yang Ping?"

A clear female voice rang out with surprise.

Zhou Xiaobai strode out of the inner room, her eyes and brows full of smiles.

"Comrade Xiaobai."

Yang Ping nodded in agreement.

"Put your guns down!"

Zhou Xiaobai turned to his colleague and said crisply, "This is my friend. Last time we captured enemy agents, thanks to him, Lao Zhao and I were able to escape with our lives."

Upon hearing this, everyone relaxed, lowered their guns, and focused their attention on Yang Ping.

His name had already spread throughout the police station because he was able to save two comrades from gunfire, but no one expected that it was such an ordinary-looking young man.

Zhou Xiaobai quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why did you come here today?"

She took a few steps closer and asked in a low voice.

"We arrested someone."

Yang Ping gestured with his chin towards the back seat, "Our factory's engineer, Li You."

He wrote down the situation in the R&D workshop in a confidential document and sent it out.

He paused, then lowered his voice further, "He's also carrying a gun."

Zhou Xiaobai was slightly taken aback. Her gaze fell on the man who had been subdued on the ground, then turned to Yang Ping, who had a calm expression.

She recalled the life-or-death situation she had faced not long ago, during which she nearly lost her life to barely capture an enemy agent. In comparison, a complex mix of emotions welled up in her heart.

But then he remembered that Yang Ping had saved him, and his surprise quickly subsided, turning into a sense of natural conviction.

"Someone come here!"

She steadied herself and called out clearly into the courtyard, "Bring the person in first, prepare for interrogation!"

Several police officers rushed out and quickly helped the man named Li You off the back of the bicycle.

Someone looked down to examine it and exclaimed, "Huh?"

He said, "Comrade Xiaobai, this person has a head injury, and the blood hasn't dried yet. Should we bandage it first?"

"Keep it simple, don't delay important matters."

Zhou Xiaobai gave the instructions.

The officer nodded and ran away.

She then turned to Yang Ping, her tone softening: "Comrade Yang Ping, I'll have to trouble you to come in with me to make a detailed statement."

Yang Ping nodded and casually pushed the bicycle leaning against the wall: "I got this bike from him too, so I won't keep it to avoid any complications."

He already has a new car, so he naturally doesn't want to get involved with things of dubious origin.

After saying that, he stepped inside.

He was familiar with this place—though not at this time and place, he had been to similar places many times in the years that followed, so he was at ease and showed no signs of the unease that ordinary people would feel when entering such a place.

Inside the interrogation room, Zhou Xiaobai spread out paper and pen.

Yang Ping recounted the events methodically, from how he noticed something was amiss, to the brief exchange in the alley, and finally to the details of the blow that knocked his opponent unconscious.

He took out a thin bamboo tube he carried with him, unscrewed it, and poured out several neatly folded pieces of paper, which were covered with numbers and symbols. Among them, the phrase "When the statement was about to be completed, the previous police officer knocked on the door and came in, whispering to Zhou Xiaobai: "Preliminary assessment: he is indeed an enemy agent."

The items found on him, along with the password records, all matched.

"understood."

Zhou Xiaobai closed the notebook, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

The bureau's initial assessments are rarely wrong; this matter is now a foregone conclusion.

She looked up at the darkening sky outside the window, knowing in her heart that this arrest was just the beginning.

When Yang Ping walked out of the police station, it was already close to evening.

The streetlights had not yet come on, and a gray-blue twilight enveloped the long street.

"Yang Ping, shall I take you home?"

Zhou Xiaobai's voice came from behind.

When she chased after him, her breath was slightly short and her cheeks were flushed, as if she had mustered up her courage to say those words.

"Okay."

Yang Ping turned around and smiled.

Zhou Xiaobai was handsome, with a scholarly air about him. He was naturally happy to travel with such a girl.

It saves me from having to pedal that old bicycle myself, which is quite easy.