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

His lungs felt like tattered cotton wool soaked in water; every breath was a ripping pain, and his throat tasted metallic. He Yuzhu, his back hunched, ran frantically through the maze-like narrow alleys. The footsteps and curses behind him grew closer, relentlessly pursuing him.

Three. Judging from the noise, there were at least three. Iron-Armed Chen's men arrived very quickly.

His mind raced—he couldn't go to the main road; it was too open, and he couldn't outrun these local bullies. South… beyond the city wall, there seemed to be an abandoned brick kiln; he'd heard someone mention it in his past life. The terrain there was chaotic, like a natural maze.

I'm taking the gamble!

He veered sharply into a darker side alley on the right, slipped, and nearly tripped over rotten vegetable leaves, only managing to steady himself by bracing himself against the wet wall. The cursing grew closer:

"You little brat...you can run pretty fast...I'll catch you and skin you alive!"

Suddenly, the view opened up, but it wasn't a road. A dark mass of ruins stood there, with a broken arched doorway gaping open. The moonlight barely outlined the uneven mounds of earth and the silhouettes of half-collapsed cave dwellings.

The brick kiln has arrived.

Without hesitation, He Yuzhu slipped into the nearest cave. It was deep and dark inside, filled with the smells of earth and mold. He ran a few steps inside, pressed his back against the cold, rough cave wall, and desperately suppressed the burning sensation in his throat, listening intently.

The footsteps stopped at the kiln entrance, hesitating.

"Damn it...where did it go?"

"It must be here! This dilapidated cave dwelling is interconnected."

"Split up and search! Brother Biao said, beat them to death, get the money back!"

Three voices. One of them sounded familiar; it was the tall, thin man he had taken down in the alley earlier that day. He Yuzhu's heart sank—the other party was serious.

He forced himself to calm down and focused his mind on sensing the "pre-drawn" reconnaissance map. He had never tried it before and was unsure of himself.

"System, activate the reconnaissance map, maximum range!" he commanded in his mind.

No response. Is the advance payment just empty talk?

Just as he was about to give up, a buzzing sound came from deep within his mind—not a sound, but an expanded "perception." A blurry outline unfolded in his consciousness, with a radius of about a hundred meters centered on him. The structure of the cave dwelling, the pile of waste bricks outside, and the shadow of the crooked tree further away all appeared intuitively.

Three pale red dots of light were creeping in from different cave entrances. The closest one, less than thirty meters away, was the tall, thin man who walked slowly and was unfamiliar with the terrain.

A range of 100 meters is sufficient.

He Yuzhu stretched his aching right arm, his gaze falling on a half-broken brick at his feet. He silently picked it up, weighed it in his hand, and threw it forcefully into a dark corner opposite him but closer to another point of light.

"Thud—crash!"

Bricks crashed onto the pile of rubble, the sound exploding in the deathly silence of the ruins.

"Over there!" came a low growl from three directions, and the sound of footsteps quickly converged.

It's now!

He Yuzhu moved swiftly like a owl scurrying along the shadows of the kiln wall, crept towards the nearest tall, thin man. On the map, the dot representing the tall, thin man was drawn by the sound and was looking away from He Yuzhu's original direction.

The cave dwelling made a right-angle turn here. He Yuzhu stopped at the corner, holding his breath, and checked the map to confirm that the other party was about to turn around. He casually picked up a discarded, short, thick wooden stick.

The short, stocky figure had barely shown half its body when the wooden stick swept across with a whoosh! It wasn't a shot to the head—that would be fatal—the target was the forearm!

"Ah!" A short cry of pain escaped his hand as the short stick flew out of his grasp. He Yuzhu gave him no chance, advancing to retrieve the stick and thrusting it again, viciously stabbing his stomach.

"Ugh..." The short, stocky thug curled up like a shrimp.

He Yuzhu didn't even look, picking up the fallen short stick—it was easier to handle than a wooden stick. The map showed that the other two people had heard the cries of pain and were rushing over alertly.

He plunged back into the darkness, circling around to the side and rear of another cave. The low wall, half-collapsed, was an excellent ambush spot. He crouched down, his breathing as still as possible.

The second thug, with a striped face, cautiously walked past the low wall, gripping a dagger and keeping his eyes fixed on the front and sides.

He Yuzhu suddenly sprang into action! His short stick swiftly and precisely struck the wrist holding the dagger from below.

"Crack!" A slight sound of bone breaking. The dagger clattered to the ground. The knife-faced man screamed in agony, clutching his wrist. He Yuzhu's knee had already slammed into his side, knocking him to the ground. The short stick struck his shinbone hard, and another suppressed cry of pain escaped his lips.

Only one remained—San Tuzi, whose neck had been grabbed during the day. On the map, his dot remained stationary, hesitant to move forward or backward.

He Yuzhu emerged from the shadows, carrying a short stick, and stood a few meters in front of the bald man. The moonlight filtering through the dilapidated kiln roof illuminated the bald man's terrified face and He Yuzhu's dusty, expressionless face.

"You...don't come any closer!" The bald man brandished his chains, his bravado masking his fear. "We're Brother Biao's men!"

"Iron-Armed Chen?" He Yuzhu asked, his voice echoing in the cave. "Tell him my name is He Weiguo."

Before he finished speaking, he lunged forward! The three bald men yelled and swung their iron chains down. He Yuzhu dodged to the side, the chains grazing his chest and creating a gust of wind. His left hand flashed out, not grabbing the chains, but instead gripping the three bald men's outstretched left wrist, his five fingers tightening like iron clamps. At the same time, his right hand, like a venomous snake, struck the outside of the three bald men's left knee.

The bald man felt a sharp pain in his wrist, his left leg buckled, and he screamed as he knelt on one knee. He Yuzhu released his wrist, and with a swift motion, the short stick struck him in the chin. The bald man groaned and fell backward, blood and foam spilling from his mouth, unconscious.

The whole thing took less than two minutes. All three pursuers lay on the ground groaning and unconscious.

He Yuzhu leaned on his short stick, his chest heaving, sweat trickling down his forehead and stinging his eyes. The pain in his right arm was more pronounced due to the outburst, but a cold, unfamiliar excitement coursed through his veins. This was the first time he had risked his life since his rebirth, and the first time he had used such force.

He took a few deep breaths to suppress his discomfort and squatted down to search them one by one. He found loose bills, a total of more than twenty yuan, on the striped-face man and the bald man. The short, stocky man had the least amount of money, but he had a cheap dagger tucked into his waistband.

He put away the money and dagger, walked over to the bald man who had just recovered and was looking at him in fear, and gently stepped on the hand that had been hit.

The bald man trembled in pain.

He Yuzhu looked down at the face contorted with pain and fear, his voice low but each word as cold as ice:

"Go back and tell Iron Arm Chen."

"My name is He Weiguo."

"Today, I will only cripple one of your hands and one of your legs."

"If you dare to mess with me again, or touch anyone around me..."

Apply slight pressure with your foot, grinding your finger joints.

"Next time, it won't just be your hands and feet that get broken."

"Did you understand?"

The three bald men nodded repeatedly in fear, making hoarse noises.

He Yuzhu stopped, looked away from everyone, picked up his short stick, turned and disappeared into the deeper darkness of the brick kiln ruins.

Only after he had left that area and returned to the alleyway with its sparse lights did he lean against the back wall of a house and slowly exhale a long, trembling breath. His fingers, gripping the stick, were numb.

A light screen appeared before my eyes:

[The host has been detected defeating and punishing multiple malicious attackers in self-defense.]

[Cash seized is converted into 200 points.]

[Defeat and subdue enemy units to receive an additional 500 points.]

[New player quest "Startup Capital" progress update: 1820/3000.]

[Ding—The progress of the beginner's task "Startup Funds" has exceeded 50%, performance evaluation: good. Partial reward will be advanced.]

The "Reconnaissance Map (Basic)" assistive function is now officially unlocked! Current effective range: 100-meter radius. It can be upgraded based on your mental strength or mission requirements.

[Note: The host has caused a minor bone fracture in another person for the first time. The action is classified as "fighting evil with violence." One "Karma Point" is awarded (the merit system is not yet activated; the point is temporarily stored).]

The reconnaissance map was indeed provided, though it only covered a hundred meters. And what about those "karma points"... merit points? He Yuzhu's lips twitched, devoid of joy, only weary and inexplicably heavy.

It's 1820. 1180 units to go. Only one day left.

He put away the short stick, straightened his clothes, wiped the obvious dirt off his face, and walked towards the courtyard.

As the night deepened, suppressed groans and dragging sounds could be faintly heard from the ruins of the brick kiln behind them.