The Courtyard House: The Little Red Devil Returning from the Peninsula

January of 1936.

The wind in Beiping is like a knife.

In the corner of the outhouse at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, the old window paper rattled in the cold wind, and the thin little boy on the kang (a heated brick bed) suddenly opened his eyes.

Zhao Weiguo was panting heavily.

My head is throbbing.

In my ears, I could faintly hear the cries of vendors outside.

"Baked flatbread—hot baked flatbread—"

"Coal briquettes, huh?!"

Further away, faint gunshots could be heard.

He stared blankly at the blackened beams of the roof.

The next second, a flood of memories rushed into my mind.

"I... I've been reborn?"

He was originally a senior engineer at a military research institute in the 21st century. He died suddenly after working through the night to participate in the testing of a new type of firearm.

When he woke up again, he found himself to be a ten-year-old orphan in 1936.

And here—

It's Beiping.

There was only a little over a year left until the July 7th Incident.

Zhao Weiguo slowly sat up.

The tattered cotton-padded coat he was wearing was stiff and cold, and the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) was covered with white frost.

The house was so poor that even mice wouldn't come in.

But what truly silenced him was not poverty.

It was outside the window.

He pushed open a crack in the window.

In the alley, several men in gray cotton-padded coats walked by hurriedly with their heads down, their waists bulging, clearly concealing weapons.

At the alley entrance, you can still see soldiers of the 29th Army patrolling.

They carried old Hanyang rifles on their backs, looking exhausted.

And further away in the direction of Fengtai.

The sound of cannons could be faintly heard.

Japanese troops are conducting exercises.

Zhao Weiguo's eyes gradually turned cold.

He knew all too well what was going to happen next.

North China fell.

Beiping fell.

A sea of ​​corpses and blood.

Just then.

A cold, mechanical voice suddenly echoed in my mind.

[Host consciousness awakening detected]

[Major Power Military Industry and Survival System Launched]

[Binding successful]

Zhao Weiguo's pupils contracted.

system?

next second.

A semi-transparent blue light curtain appeared before my eyes.

[Current Era: 1936]

Overall Rating: Extremely Dangerous

[New Player Quests Now Available]

[Task: Collect 20 kg of scrap steel]

[Reward: 10 high-calorie military rations; basic metal smelting technology]

[Failure Penalty: None]

Zhao Weiguo stared at the light screen and remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he suddenly laughed.

"it is good."

"Then let's give it our all."

He put on his worn-out cotton shoes, pushed open the door, and went out.

A cold wind instantly rushed into my neck.

In the courtyard, a middle-aged woman chopping wood frowned at him.

"Weiguo, are you better now?"

Zhao Weiguo nodded.

I didn't say much.

He has no interest in exchanging pleasantries with anyone right now.

This era.

Being alive is more important than anything else.

And industry.

That is the real power to change one's destiny.

-

noon.

Waste Material Alley in Dongcheng District, Beiping.

A group of ragged children are rummaging through a pile of garbage for scrap metal.

Zhao Weiguo was also squatting among them.

His movements were clearly more professional.

Rusty iron nails.

Broken door hinge.

Fragments of a discarded pot.

He didn't even spare the iron hoops that had fallen off the carriage.

Within the system space, numbers kept changing.

[Scrap steel + 0.7kg]

[Scrap steel + 1.2kg]

[Scrap steel + 0.4kg]

A few teenagers were envious of how quickly he collected the goods.

"Damn it, you little brat."

"Hand over the iron!"

A fourteen or fifteen-year-old hoodlum reached out and grabbed him.

Zhao Weiguo looked up.

His gaze was icy.

That's not the look a child should have.

The thug was taken aback by the stare.

next second.

Zhao Weiguo suddenly grabbed half a piece of iron pipe and smashed it hard against the other man's wrist.

click!

A scream rang out.

"ah!!!"

The thug was in so much pain that he knelt on the ground.

The others were completely dumbfounded.

They never expected that a ten-year-old child could be so ruthless.

Zhao Weiguo slowly stood up.

The voice was calm.

"Reach out again."

I'll break your legs.

The group was stunned.

No one dared to make a move.

Zhao Weiguo picked up the sack and turned to leave.

There was complete silence behind me.

After walking out of the alley.

The system notification finally sounded.

[Task Completed]

[Rewards are being distributed]

next second.

A vast amount of knowledge flooded into my mind.

Metal quenching.

Traditional steelmaking methods.

Impurity separation.

Simple high-temperature furnace structure.

at the same time.

Ten more compressed military rations appeared in the system space.

Zhao Weiguo's breathing became slightly rapid.

These technologies.

In 1936, its value would have been immeasurable.

Just then.

A commotion suddenly arose in the distance.

"Get out of the way!"

"Get out of the way!"

Several soldiers from the 29th Army carried a man covered in blood into the street corner.

The leading officer was furious.

"Damn it! The knife's completely dulled!"

"Those Japanese devils' swords are too hard!"

Zhao Weiguo's gaze sharpened.

He saw the large knife in the company commander's hand.

The blade has cracked.

Even curled edges appeared.

And the quality of that steel—

Terrible.

He spoke slowly.

Give me the knife.

The surroundings fell silent.

The company commander lowered his head.

It turned out that the one speaking was a child.

"Get out of here."

Zhao Weiguo, however, did not move.

"Your knife will break after two more cuts."

"I can fix it."

The air suddenly became still.

The company commander frowned.

"You know how to forge iron?"

Zhao Weiguo calmly said:

"I'll make it able to kill Japanese soldiers."

A few minutes later.

An abandoned blacksmith shop.

The stove was lit again.

Zhao Weiguo stood in front of the furnace, his eyes focused as if he were not a child.

Temperature control.

Tempering.

Cold forging.

Every step was terrifyingly precise.

The old blacksmiths nearby were increasingly shocked as they watched.

"This technique..."

"This is a ghost..."

One hour later.

Zhao Weiguo handed over the newly sharpened broadsword.

The blade was cold and menacing.

The cold light was chilling.

The company commander was skeptical, but he swung his knife at the scrap metal next to him.

click!

The iron block broke directly into two pieces.

The entire room fell silent.

The company commander's eyes suddenly turned red.

"A fine knife!"

He stared intently at Zhao Weiguo.

"Kid, what's your name?"

"Zhao Weiguo".

The company commander remained silent for a few seconds.

Suddenly, he pulled a Mauser pistol from behind his waist.

handed over.

"Do you know how to use it?"

Zhao Weiguo took the gun.

The familiar, cold touch made his eyes slightly unfocused.

past life.

He handled many advanced weapons and honed his marksmanship while testing firearms.

But at this moment.

This old Mauser pistol, however, was like the key that truly set fate in motion.

He pulled the trigger.

His movements were so practiced that it didn't seem like he was handling a gun for the first time.

The company commander's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Who exactly are you?"

Zhao Weiguo raised his head.

Under the gloomy sky of Beiping.

Those eyes were chillingly cold.

"after."

"Many Japanese soldiers will remember me."