The entire courtyard is full of villains

"Alright, alright! Stop talking about this nonsense!" Zhang Guowei rubbed his temples, feeling that this courtyard was even more chaotic than any of the messy cases he had ever handled. "I'm asking you, have you seen him doing anything like spying or meeting with strangers?"

"I didn't see it." Zhang Erhe knew perfectly well that Zhang Guowei was trying to trick him into revealing information—if he had really seen it earlier, why didn't he report it? He deliberately gasped, feigning surprise: "Uncle Zhang, what do you mean by that? Is that bastard Yi Zhonghai a spy?"

Zhang Guowei stared intently into his eyes, his tone unwavering: "We are investigating. Think it over carefully."

"Really not!" Zhang Erhe waved his hand, his tone firm. "If I found out about these things, wouldn't I tell you? But if this old guy really is hiding a spy identity, he's really good at pretending!" He changed the subject, a hint of expectation flashing in his eyes. "Uncle Zhang, if we find out he's a spy, can we just execute him? If he's gone, my courtyard will be much quieter."

"Don't overthink it!" Zhang Guowei stood up and added, "Whether he's a spy or not is still uncertain. Don't spread this around, lest it cause unrest. I'll go ask around elsewhere."

"Hey, take care!" Zhang Erhe saw Zhang Guowei to the door, watching his retreating figure, and chuckled inwardly—even if they couldn't find out about the spy, Yi Zhonghai's dirty deeds would be enough to give him a hard time.

About half an hour later, Zhang Guowei returned to the central courtyard and bumped into Zhou Yong coming from the backyard. The two exchanged a glance and couldn't help but sigh.

"What did you find out on your end?" Zhang Guowei asked first.

"We didn't find a single thing!" Zhou Yong said, his anger rising. "Liu Haizhong in the backyard is a complete idiot! I asked him if Yi Zhonghai had any secret operations, and he just told me all the gossip about Yi Zhonghai and the widows in the yard, and all the dirty business he had with the half-closed door before Liberation. He's just spouting useless nonsense!"

“It’s the same on my end. Zhang Erhe just talks about the dirty tricks of the neighbors, but he doesn’t say anything that’s even remotely related to the topic.” Zhang Guowei frowned, and was about to say something more when the policeman guarding the door suddenly ran in: “Chief Zhang, Captain Zhou, Director Wang from the street office is here. He says he wants to see you two.”

Zhang Guowei and Zhou Yong exchanged a glance, and Zhou Yong waved his hand: "Let her in."

A moment later, Director Wang, covered in sweat, rushed in. As soon as he saw Zhang Guowei, he anxiously asked, "Chief Zhang! What's going on? So many police officers suddenly came to the compound, and they even took Yi Zhonghai away! Everyone in the neighborhood is talking about it..."

Zhou Yong sized him up and asked first, "Are you Director Wang from the subdistrict office?"

"Yes, yes, yes! That's me!" Director Wang nodded quickly and looked at Zhang Guowei.

Zhang Guowei stepped forward, his tone serious: "We are investigating Yi Zhonghai's case, and we cannot disclose the specifics at this time. Have you come here for something, or are you simply here to gather information?"

"No, no, no! I'm definitely not here to gather information!" Director Wang's face turned pale at Zhang Guowei's tone, and he quickly waved his hand to explain, "It was a resident next to the courtyard at No. 95 who saw a lot of police officers in the courtyard and ran to the street office to report it. That's how we found out about this. Thinking that you might have an operation that requires our cooperation, I rushed over here."

“We really do need your help from the neighborhood office.” Zhang Guowei glanced at Zhou Yong beside him, then turned to Director Wang and said, “There are suspects in the courtyard, and we’ve already taken them away. We need you to inform the remaining residents in the courtyard later. Before the case is officially announced, tell them not to spread rumors outside, so as not to disrupt the investigation.”

"I know, I know! I'll take care of it right away!" Director Wang nodded hurriedly, sweat still clinging to his forehead.

A short while later, Zhou Yong led a team and left. Zhang Guowei was about to follow when Director Wang pulled him aside, his voice extremely low: "Old Zhang, we've known each other for three or four years now, just tell me the truth—what's the big deal today? What...what mistake did Yi Zhonghai make?"

Zhang Guowei stared at him and lowered his voice: "I can't say much else, but I'll ask you one question: how deeply are you involved with Yi Zhonghai and Old Lady Long in the backyard?"

Upon hearing this, Director Wang's heart skipped a beat, and she felt a chill run down her spine. Clutching the hem of her clothes, she stammered, "A few years ago...a few years ago I had some connection with Old Lady Long. Two years ago, Yi Zhonghai, along with Old Lady Long, asked me to help them force out some 'disobedient' residents in the courtyard...I was confused at the time..."

Seeing his reaction, Zhang Guowei knew that the two had a close relationship. He patted Director Wang on the shoulder and said with a hint of warning, "Old Wang, take my advice and go back to the subdistrict office to confess to your superiors. Yi Zhonghai's matter is much bigger than you think. Don't wait for him to implicate you, or you'll have a hard time turning things around. You'd better watch yourself."

After saying that, Zhang Guowei turned and left, not giving Director Wang a chance to ask any further questions.

Director Wang froze on the spot, his legs gave way, and he sat down on the ground with a "thud," muttering curses under his breath, "Old Lady Long! You've really ruined me!"

The two street-level officials who came with him stood aside, looking at their director with blank expressions, unsure of what to do. After a long while, one of the officials finally mustered up the courage to step forward: "Director Wang, are you alright?"

Director Wang snapped back to reality, braced himself on the ground to stand up, his voice trembling: "You two are in the courtyard now, tell everyone in the courtyard not to talk nonsense!" After giving the instructions, he didn't care about his image and rushed to the street office—he had to find his backer to plead for him as soon as possible. If he couldn't get through this, his life would be over.

Chapter 21 Appearing Out of Nowhere

The interrogation room at the branch office was dimly lit. Yi Zhonghai was handcuffed to an iron chair. As soon as he was brought in, a spotlight was switched on across the room, shining directly into his face. He instinctively lowered his head, squinting his eyes, trying to avoid the glare.

"Name." The voice on the other end was as cold as ice.

"Yi... Yi Zhonghai."

"age."

Forty-six.

Place of origin.

"Liaoning Province..."

After Yi Zhonghai finished speaking, the interrogation room fell into a deathly silence. A few seconds later, a loud "bang" echoed as someone slammed their hand on the table: "Yi Zhonghai! Confess your questions honestly!"

"Leader, what...what should I confess?" Yi Zhonghai swallowed hard, his voice trembling. "What I did...do you all know?"

“You did it yourself, do we need to tell you?” another person chimed in, his tone menacing. “Let me tell you, we wouldn’t have brought you here without concrete evidence.”

Yi Zhonghai panicked, thinking that the filthy affair in the courtyard had been exposed, and hurriedly blurted out: "I...I confess! I had an affair with Jia Zhangshi in the courtyard! After Old Jia passed away, her family couldn't make ends meet, so they came to me for help, and I was bewitched...and I started an affair with her!"

"Who asked you that?" The person on the other end frowned, their tone full of impatience. "We're not the neighborhood committee; we don't concern ourselves with your messy affairs!"

"Huh?" Yi Zhonghai was stunned. After a few seconds of silence, he hurriedly added, "Then...then I'll confess! Back then, Widow Bai set a trap for me, forcing me to go to Baoding with her. I had no choice, so I tricked He Daqing into going...I'm sorry to him, I'm not human!"

The interrogator had completely lost his patience, slamming his fist on the table and yelling, "Just how many damn things have you done?! Yi Zhonghai, if you don't tell the truth, don't blame us for using force!"

"Huh? This...this isn't enough?" Yi Zhonghai was completely dumbfounded, his eyes filled with fear—he racked his brains but couldn't think of any other thing he could have done that could lead to him being taken to the police station.

Seeing that he was still pretending to be stupid, the lead interrogator stood up, took out a black and white photo from a drawer, walked up to Yi Zhonghai, and slapped it in front of him: "Yi Zhonghai, look who this is!"

Yi Zhonghai squinted, leaned closer to take a look, and froze instantly—the person in the photo was wearing a crisp uniform and a peaked cap, and bore a striking resemblance to him, only with a more sharp and imposing air. "This…this is…"

"Speechless now, huh?" the interrogator sneered. "Still not going to reveal your true identity?!"

"My real identity? I am Yi Zhonghai! What other identity could I have?" Yi Zhonghai's voice was trembling with sobs, and his hands were shaking.

"So you're going to refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit?" The leader stopped arguing with him and turned to leave the interrogation room. A moment later, two burly policemen walked in, and immediately, heart-wrenching cries and pleas for mercy echoed from the interrogation room from Yi Zhonghai's chest.

Outside, the interrogator leisurely lit a cigarette, and only after finishing it did he stub it out and enter the interrogation room, ordering the spotlights to be turned back on. Yi Zhonghai, his hair disheveled, face streaked with tears, and bloodstains at the corner of his mouth, slumped in his chair, seemingly drained of all his strength.

"Now, are you willing to tell the truth?" The interrogator squatted down and stared into his eyes. "Your real name, and your identity in Northeast China back then—stop pretending to be confused with me."

"I...I really don't have any other identity..." Yi Zhonghai slumped in his chair, his chest heaving violently, and his heavy breathing escaped from the bloodstains at the corner of his mouth. "Leader, please spare me! I'm just a worker at a steel rolling mill, how could I dare to have any other identity!"

"Hmph, still being stubborn." The interrogator picked up the photo from the ground and threw it back in front of him. "The person in this photo is clearly you, you when you were young! Wearing a uniform, and you still dare to say it's not you?"

Yi Zhonghai stared at the photo, his eyes filled with fear and confusion—the face in the photo was indeed his, but he had never worn that crisp uniform in his entire life. He swallowed hard, his voice trembling, "Boss, this really isn't me... When I was young, I was just an ordinary worker at Xinhe Machinery Factory, a Japanese-owned factory! Back then, we could barely afford to eat, how could I possibly be entitled to wear such nice clothes?"

"Then why did you run from Shenyang to Beijing?" the interrogator pressed, his tone still stern.

"I was forced into it!" Yi Zhonghai hurriedly explained, afraid of being beaten again. "When the reactionaries returned to Shenyang, our factory's Japanese boss was executed, and a new boss took over the factory. Not long after, someone reported that I had learned a trade from the Japanese and called me a 'pro-Japanese element,' and they wanted to arrest me! I had no choice but to sell my belongings with Tan Saihua and escape to Beijing! You can check if you don't believe me. Xinhe Machinery Factory, which was in Beiguan, Shenyang back then, still has many old workers still there!"

Seeing Yi Zhonghai's face covered in blood yet still persisting, the interrogator had his doubts—could it be that he really wasn't hiding his identity? But how to explain this photo?

At this moment, the interrogator next to him leaned over and whispered, "Should we try another round of methods on him? If he still doesn't confess, then do as he says and go to Shenyang to investigate the background of Xinhe Machinery Factory."

The interrogator nodded, stopped wasting words with Yi Zhonghai, and had him dragged into the adjacent interrogation room. Soon, Yi Zhonghai's heart-wrenching pleas for mercy echoed from inside: "Stop hitting me! I really didn't lie to you! Investigate Xinhe Machinery Factory..."

When the two men entered the interrogation room again, Yi Zhonghai was already slumped on the ground like a lump of mud, his consciousness was somewhat blurred, and he was still muttering "Xinhe Machinery Factory" intermittently.

“Judging from their appearance, they don’t seem like trained spies,” one of them said, frowning.

“Then let’s do as he says. Send a notice for assistance to Shenyang, check the old files of Xinhe Machinery Factory, and the matter of him being ‘reported as pro-Japanese.’” Another person sighed. “If it turns out he wasn’t lying, this case will be troublesome—we can’t convict him based on just one photo.”

Three days after the notice for assistance was sent to Shenyang, the Dongcheng Branch received a reply. On the other end of the phone, the comrade from the Shenyang Public Security Bureau spoke with certainty: "We checked the old archives in the Beiguan area, and there is indeed a factory called 'Xinhe Machinery Factory,' which was established during the Japanese occupation and taken over by a private individual at the end of 45. The archives contain Yi Zhonghai's employment record. He entered the factory as an apprentice in 1940, working as a fitter, and left in 46—the reason for leaving is listed as 'reported for being pro-Japanese, and left the factory on his own,' along with the signature of the person who reported him and a brief statement."

The interrogator, holding the phone, gradually relaxed his brow: "Have you found out his identity at the factory? For example, did he ever hold a special position, or did he associate with any suspicious individuals?"

“No,” the comrade from Shenyang continued. “We found Li Changwu, a 52-year-old former worker at the Xinhe Machinery Factory. He and Yi Zhonghai were apprentices in the same group back then. According to him, Yi Zhonghai was just an ordinary worker at the time, not very talkative, but with decent skills. His contact with the Japanese was only to learn techniques; he didn’t see him associating with any special figures. As for the ‘pro-Japanese’ accusations, Li Changwu said that it was a pretext used by the new boss to lay off workers, and Yi Zhonghai wasn’t the only one accused.”

After hanging up the phone, the interrogator immediately relayed the information to Zhou Yong and Zhang Guowei. Zhou Yong stared at the materials on the table, his expression somewhat grave: "So, Yi Zhonghai wasn't lying? Then what about this photo? It couldn't have just appeared out of thin air."

Chapter 22 Playing the Long Game

In the small conference room of the Dongcheng Branch, Director Song, Political Commissar Su, and Wang Xianyong were sitting together. Zhou Yong led Zhang Guowei in and handed over the interrogation records.

After the three carefully reviewed the records, Political Commissar Su spoke first, asking, "Based on the records, are you certain that Yi Zhonghai is not a suspect?"

“No, but it’s hard to say right now.” Zhang Guowei picked up the photo and explained, “But one thing is certain: there is no evidence to support the suspicion that Yi Zhonghai is a spy. However, the things he confessed before—such as his affair with Jia Zhangshi, helping the widow Bai set up a honey trap for He Daqing, and using his position as the steward to drive away the neighbors—although these do not constitute criminal offenses, they are enough to cause him trouble. There is no need for him to stubbornly refuse to talk about them.”

Su Lie nodded after listening, and then asked, "During your interrogation, did you discover that Yi Zhonghai had received special agent training?"

“No.” Zhou Yong shook his head. “We did use some methods, but Yi Zhonghai’s reaction was nothing like that of a trained agent. Of course, we can’t rule out the possibility that he may have received counter-surveillance training, but I think the probability is not high.”

"I see..." Director Song frowned. "Then what do we do now? Convict him directly based on his confession and the previous allegations?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xianyong quickly spoke up: "Director, I don't think this is appropriate. The photo has already been sent to the Municipal Bureau for authentication, and there are no signs of forgery; it should be genuine. If we sentence Yi Zhonghai now, won't the other side think that this lead has been completely cut off, and thus abandon this lead?"

Political Commissar Su nodded and pressed further, "So what do you mean?"

“What I mean is ‘cast a long line to catch a big fish,’” Wang Xianyong continued. “We’ll pick two less serious charges against Yi Zhonghai and substantiate them, so he gets some punishment, but not a long-term one. After that, we’ll secretly keep him under strict surveillance to see if we can lure out the person behind him.”

After listening, Director Song turned to Political Commissar Su. Political Commissar Su immediately stated, "Old Song, I agree with Xianyong's idea. It's safer to first give Yi Zhonghai a lenient sentence to stabilize the situation, and then uncover clues through surveillance than to directly convict him and cut off the trail now."

Director Song immediately approved the plan: "Okay, then proceed with this plan!" He then looked at Wang Xianyong and said, "Xianyong, this matter is your responsibility. Make sure you keep a close eye on it."

Wang Xianyong immediately stood up and saluted, his voice firm and resolute: "Please rest assured, Director and Political Commissar, I guarantee the mission will be accomplished!"

Meanwhile, in the steel rolling mill's office building, Yang Liming sat on pins and needles, pacing back and forth incessantly. Yi Zhonghai had been taken away for three whole days. During those three days, he had countless times considered confessing to his patron, yet he was torn between two options—fearing his patron would abandon him, yet still clinging to a sliver of hope that Yi Zhonghai wasn't a spy.

Three days passed, but there was still no news from Yi Zhonghai. He became increasingly panicked: if he didn't make things clear with his backer and completely cut ties with Yi Zhonghai and Granny Long, he might not only ruin his future but also lose his life if something really happened.

After much deliberation, Yang Liming gritted his teeth and picked up the phone. As soon as the call connected, his old boss's cheerful voice came through: "Liming, why are you calling me again?"

"Old leader, I... I have to confess something to you." Yang Liming's voice trembled.

The tone on the other end instantly turned serious: "What's wrong? Speak."

“It’s like this, old leader, I did act out of personal favoritism in my work.” Yang Liming swallowed and slowly said, “An old acquaintance asked me to help a seventh-grade fitter in the factory secure a spot. As you know, all the previous eighth-grade fitters in our steel rolling mill have been transferred away. Later, you approved an order allowing us to conduct our own assessments of two eighth-grade fitters as a front…”

“I know about this,” the old leader interrupted him. “As long as the seventh-level worker meets the technical standards, giving them a spot is no big deal. What are you panicking about?”

“But there’s something wrong with this guy!” Yang Liming said hurriedly. “He was fine when the public-private partnership was reviewing workers’ information, but three days ago, someone reported him as a spy, and he’s been taken away now!”

There was a sudden silence on the other end of the phone. After a long while, the old leader finally spoke: "Are you sure he's a spy now?"

"No, but they've been gone for three days and there's still no news. I reckon... the situation isn't good." Yang Liming's voice was even lower.

"Xiao Yang, let me ask you one more question," the old leader said, his tone scrutinizing, "you really didn't take any bribes from this worker?"

"No, really!" Yang Liming hurriedly explained, "It was someone who asked me for help. I owed him a favor before, so I helped him out."

"Sigh, Xiao Yang..." The old leader sighed heavily, "Alright, I understand. I'll try to find out more about the situation and get to the bottom of this. As long as you haven't taken any bribes, there's still room for maneuver."

With his former boss's assurance, Yang Liming finally felt relieved after three days of anxiety. He stared at the large tea mug on the table, picked it up, and gulped down a large mouthful. Just as he wiped his sweat and was about to leave, a knock sounded at the door. He quickly straightened his clothes and said in a deep voice, "Come in."

The door opened, and Kang Yunfeng led Wang Xianyong in. Yang Liming saw the two of them at a glance and immediately went to greet them: "Deputy Director Wang, hello!"

"Director Yang, hello." Wang Xianyong reached out and shook hands with him, while Kang Xiaoyong closed the office door behind him.

Just as Yang Liming was about to ask his secretary to pour tea, Wang Xianyong waved his hand and said, "Director Yang, we're here today to discuss official business. Let's keep it brief, there's no need for tea."

Yang Liming immediately waved for his secretary to leave. Once only the three of them remained in the office, he couldn't help but speak first: "Deputy Director Wang, if I may ask, what happened to Yi Zhonghai from our factory after he was taken away? What exactly happened to him? May I ask?"

“Okay.” Wang Xianyong took out a document from his bag and said slowly, “I came to see you today because of Yi Zhonghai. After he was arrested, he has denied being a spy. We also investigated his past—in 1946 he was a fitter in Shenyang, which does not meet the requirements for engaging in espionage. But we always believe in the worst-case scenario when it comes to these kinds of issues, so we need to make some adjustments to his work and require the cooperation of the steel rolling mill.”

"Don't worry! We will definitely cooperate fully!" Yang Liming nodded quickly. "But how exactly should we cooperate?"

“That’s right,” Wang Xianyong continued. “Yi Zhonghai confessed to having an affair with a widow in the compound and to introducing people to a fraud gang, but these things happened a long time ago and can’t be dealt with. However, he used his position as the compound’s liaison officer to drive away several households, and we will use this as a pretext to punish him. As for the factory, please cooperate in transferring Yi Zhonghai away from key production departments.”