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

The smoke in the conference room could kill you.

The ashtray was overflowing with cigarette butts, a few still smoldering. Old Sun stubbed out his cigarette and lit another. Yang Xiaobing sat in the corner, twirling a pencil in his hand, his eyes fixed on the large sheet of paper that had just been hung on the wall. The paper was covered with circles and arrows, names linked together, threads connecting threads, like a spider web.

He Yuzhu stood in front of the paper and circled Zheng Huaiyuan's name in red pen.

"How long have you been monitoring this lead?"

Old Sun exhaled a puff of smoke.

"Three months. Starting from the day he entered the steel rolling mill."

He Yuzhu circled Tong Zehou's name again.

"What about this one?"

Yang Xiaobing then spoke.

"For even longer. Jinzhong confessed that he had been keeping an eye on things since then. But he didn't move, so we couldn't make a move either."

He Yuzhu moved his pen to Yu Li's cousin's name.

"In Taiwan, there's Yu Dehai. He and Zheng Huaiyuan used the same Hong Kong address."

Old Sun nodded.

"Yes. So these three lines are actually one."

He Yuzhu connected the three circles together. The line drawn with red pen looked like a knife's edge.

"It's not that three lines have merged into one. It's that they were already one line all along, and we're only realizing it now."

The room was quiet for a few seconds.

The smoke swirled under the light, like a thick, unyielding fog. Yang Xiaobing put down his pencil.

"Captain, what exactly do they want?"

He Yuzhu looked at him.

"Internal combustion engines. Military product data from steel mills. And the high-speed steel technology we developed."

Yang Xiaobing was taken aback.

"Quite an appetite."

Old Sun stubbed out his cigarette.

"The US-Chiang Kai-shek intelligence agencies. There are people over there specifically monitoring our industrial projects. They became famous for high-speed steel, and as soon as the internal combustion engine project was approved, they caught wind of it and came here."

He Yuzhu turned around and looked at the drawing. The red lines drawn on the drawing weren't completely dry yet, and they gleamed under the light.

"What's the situation with Yu Li right now?"

Yang Xiaobing said.

"He's become obedient. He does laundry and cooks every day, occasionally goes for a stroll in the streets, and doesn't ask about anything anymore."

He Yuzhu nodded.

Where is Zheng Huaiyuan?

Old Sun said.

"He's still at the steel rolling mill, going to and from get off work every day, and occasionally going to the old house in the east of the city. He went to Old Man Tong's place three times, staying for an hour or two each time."

He Yuzhu thought for a moment.

"They haven't received their goods yet?"

Old Sun shook his head.

"No. We're keeping a close watch on them; they wouldn't dare to make a move."

He Yuzhu walked back to the table and sat down. The chair leg scraped against the floor with a screeching sound.

"Then let them move. How will we know how deep the water is if they don't move?"

Old Sun looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

He Yuzhu reached out and tapped on Zheng Huaiyuan's name on the picture.

"Pass Zheng Huaiyuan something. Don't be too obvious about it, but don't be too fake either. Make him think you're clever, make him think you're about to succeed."

Old Sun was stunned for a moment.

"Pass me what?"

He Yuzhu thought for a moment.

"False information. A mix of truth and falsehood keeps them confused. People are prone to making mistakes when they feel things are going well."

Yang Xiaobing chimed in from the side.

"Team leader, that's a brilliant move. By making them think they're close to success, we'll expose more of their contacts."

Old Sun nodded.

"Okay. I'll arrange it."

He Yuzhu stood up and walked to the window.

Outside the window, the laboratory was brightly lit, and people were working overtime. The lights shone brightly on the open space.

He turned around. The smoke behind him hadn't completely dissipated, still swirling in front of the power map.

"Add another checkpoint at the lab. Outer patrols must be continuous, day and night. Internal access is restricted; no one is allowed in without my signature."

Yang Xiaobing stood up.

"clear."

He walked to the door, then turned back.

"Commander, those recruits are almost done with their training. Should we take them out and use them?"

He Yuzhu thought for a moment.

"Keep this in mind. I'll let you know when I need it."

Yang Xiaobing pushed open the door and went out.

The door closed, and the room fell silent again. Old Sun looked at He Yuzhu.

"Old He, do you think something bad is going to happen?"

He Yuzhu didn't reply. He walked back to the table and looked down at the picture. Zheng Huaiyuan, Tong Zehou, and Yu Dehai were circled together in red. The other end of the line was blank, and beyond that, the Americans.

He remembered what he had heard through the bug that day.

"The Americans are pushing hard."

What's their rush?

He folded the picture and put it in the drawer.

The drawer closed very quietly.

the phone is ringing.

He answered the phone; it was Old Sun on the other end.

"Old He, Old Man Tong is missing."

He Yuzhu's hand tightened slightly.

"When?"

"Tonight, my men were watching the old house. The lights were on at seven o'clock, but went out at eight. When they found nothing, they went in and found the person gone."

He Yuzhu stood up.

"Where are the things?"

"They took everything. The house was ransacked, like they left in a hurry."

He Yuzhu held the microphone but didn't speak. He looked down at the folded drawing on the table—it was now lying in the drawer, with three red circles together.

Old Sun said from the other end of the line.

"He probably noticed. We were watching him too closely, and he became suspicious."

He Yuzhu remained silent for a few seconds.

"What about Zheng Huaiyuan?"

"Still here. Didn't go out tonight."

He Yuzhu thought for a moment.

"Keep an eye on it. Old Man Tong has run away, and Zheng Huaiyuan is the only remaining lead."

Old Sun nodded.

The phone hangs up.

He Yuzhu stood there, slowly putting the microphone back, his finger lingering on the receiver for two seconds.

Outside the window, the laboratory lights were even brighter than before. Some people were working overtime, some were rushing to finish their work, and some knew nothing at all.

He turned around and looked out the window at the pitch-black night.

Old Man Tong ran away.

Did they realize it, or do they have other plans?

he does not know.

But he knew that his time was running out.