Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Starting with the Korean War, returning home to take charge

It was still barely dawn when Old Sun called.

"Carter changed his ticket. It's the 10 AM train today, not this afternoon."

He Yuzhu sat up in bed. It was still gray outside the window, just beginning to get light.

"What happened?"

Old Sun lowered his voice: "Our men kept watch on him all night last night; the light in his room was on the whole time. At four in the morning, he went downstairs to make a phone call. This morning at six, he suddenly checked out and went straight to the train station. He probably caught wind of something."

He Yuzhu started getting dressed.

"Where am I going?"

Xizhimen Railway Station. Arrive before 8:00 AM.

The phone hangs up.

He Yuzhu walked to the door and glanced back. He Yushui was fast asleep, her head covered by the blanket. He gently closed the door, thought for a moment, then pushed it open a crack to peek inside before closing it completely.

The courtyard was quiet. A few sparrows chirped in the locust tree.

Xizhimen Railway Station was bigger than he had imagined.

The platform was packed with people—those carrying rolled-up canvas luggage, those holding children, and those carrying enamel mugs. The loudspeaker repeatedly announced, "Attention passengers," and in the distance, a long whistle blew as a green train pulled into the station, puffing out white smoke. Vendors pushed their carts through the crowd, shouting at the top of their lungs, "Tea eggs—hot!"

He Yuzhu squeezed through the crowd and found the waiting room that Lao Sun had mentioned.

Old Sun stood behind the pillar and waved to him.

"The 10 o'clock train to Guangzhou is on platform 3. Carter bought a ticket, but we haven't seen him yet."

He Yuzhu scanned his surroundings.

"Will we board at a different platform?"

Old Sun shook his head: "There are people guarding each of the entrances; they'll follow him if they see him."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a man in a gray uniform ran over and whispered a few words in Old Sun's ear. Old Sun's expression changed.

"He went straight into the station."

He Yuzhu followed Lao Sun and ran towards the platform.

On the third platform, passengers were queuing to board the train, a large crowd gathered. Old Sun looked around anxiously, sweat beading on his forehead.

He Yuzhu's eyes were like a comb, looking at each face one by one.

Suddenly, he stopped.

A man in a dark gray suit was walking towards the carriage door. He was in his forties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and carrying a brown leather suitcase. He didn't walk fast, but each step was steady. Before boarding, he glanced back—just that one glance, and He Yuzhu saw it clearly: his eyes were so clear, unlike the blank look of ordinary passengers, but rather a gaze that encompassed everyone around him.

"that."

Old Sun followed his gaze.

"Sure?"

He Yuzhu had already started walking forward.

He walked through the crowd, stood behind the man, and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Mr. Carter."

The man turned around. Behind his gold-rimmed glasses were a pair of wary eyes.

"Who are you?"

Old Sun and his men surrounded them, showing their identification.

"We are from the National Security Bureau. Please come with us."

Carter took a step back, only to be blocked by the person behind him. He hugged the suitcase to his chest, his voice rising several octaves.

"I am a British citizen! I have diplomatic immunity! You have no right to detain me!"

Old Sun looked at him: "Checking luggage doesn't require diplomatic immunity."

Carter's face turned a deep purplish-red. He lifted the suitcase and hurled it at Old Sun. Old Sun dodged to the side, the suitcase crashed to the ground, the lid swung open, and its contents scattered everywhere.

Documents. Drawings. Several rolls of film. And a photograph—of a blonde little girl, about seven or eight years old, smiling and showing her gap-toothed jaw.

Carter turned to run, but He Yuzhu grabbed him by the back of his collar. He struggled desperately, elbowing himself backward, cursing:

"Get out of my way! You yellow-skinned monkeys! Chinese! Lowly people! How dare you stop me—"

He Yuzhu's hand tightened slightly.

"What did you say?"

Carter was breathing heavily, his glasses were askew, and his face had turned purple.

"I said you're Chinese! An inferior race! Do you understand? Every extra day I stay in this wretched place is torture! You should be treated like pigs—"

He Yuzhu punched him in the stomach.

Carter grunted and bent over like a shrimp.

He Yuzhu threw another punch.

"I slaughtered your Allied forces on the Korean battlefield like slaughtering pigs."

Carter knelt on the ground and vomited a mouthful of bile.

He Yuzhu grabbed him by the collar, lifted him up, and whispered in his ear, "British citizen? Diplomatic immunity? Ask those British soldiers lying on Shangganling if they had any immunity."

Carter's lips trembled, and he couldn't speak.

He Yuzhu released his grip and took a step back.

"take away."

Two plainclothes officers stepped forward and lifted Carter up. Carter was still retching; his glasses had fallen to the ground and were crushed.

Old Sun squatted down and picked up the scattered documents. After flipping through a few pages, he looked up at He Yuzhu.

"Your technical data. The formula for the special alloy."

He Yuzhu didn't say anything.

He watched Carter being carried off the platform, watched the onlookers pointing and whispering, and watched the green train slowly drive away, leaving behind a plume of white steam.

The train pulled away, and the platform became quiet.

He Yuzhu looked down at his hands. There was a little blood on his knuckles; it wasn't his.

He wiped his hands on his pants.

The interrogation took place that afternoon.

He Yuzhu didn't participate. Old Sun later told him that Carter had confessed everything. He had been hired by a man called "Mr. Liu" to come to China to collect industrial technology intelligence. Mr. Liu paid him a considerable sum and promised to help him leave China for Hong Kong.

Carter didn't know who "Mr. Liu" was. Each meeting took place in a different location; the man wore a hat and a mask, obscuring his face. But Carter said the man spoke with a southern accent, was short, and had a round face.

A photo flashed through He Yuzhu's mind.

Liu Fusheng. The man who jumped into the sea in Tianjin. To this day, he has neither been found alive nor dead.

When I got home in the evening, it was already dark in the yard.

He Yushui sat on the threshold waiting for him, holding an ice pop in her hand. The ice pop was half melted and dripped down her fingers.

"Brother, why are you only just getting back?"

He Yuzhu sat down next to her.

"work."

He Yushui handed him the popsicle: "It's almost melted, eat it quickly."

He Yuzhu took it and took a bite. It was cool and sweet.

He Yushui looked at him.

"Brother, did you get into a fight today?"

He Yuzhu paused for a moment.

"How did you figure that out?"

He Yushui pointed to his hand: "I saw blood when you wiped your hands. You wiped them with your trouser leg."

He Yuzhu didn't say anything.

He Yushui leaned on his shoulder.

"Brother, please don't let anything happen to you."

A cool night breeze was blowing.

He Yuzhu finished his popsicle and placed his hand on her head.

"Won't."

He Yushui yawned and fell asleep leaning against him a short while later.

He Yuzhu didn't move, just sat there. The moon peeked out from behind the clouds, illuminating the courtyard in a white light. In the distance, the sound of a train whistle could be heard, muffled and distant, several miles away.

The voice in my head rang.

[Side Quest 5: Industrial Guardian Completed]

[Mission Reward Points: +2,500,000]

[Current total points: 49,430,000 + 2,500,000 = 51,930,000 points]

Fifty-one million.

He didn't look at the number.