The entire courtyard is full of villains

P.S.: I'm picking someone up from the airport tonight, so I'm posting this chapter early. It might be a little late tomorrow morning, but at least it's a holiday tonight. I heard there are some great clothes to collect. To the reader in the comments section, I'm also very sorry, but the outline is already this far, and there's no point in padding it out any further! Sorry! Finally, I wish everyone a happy new year, with good food and drink, lots of money, and great health! May you never lack love or romantic partners!

Chapter 179 is really troublesome.

At dawn, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Qiqige's courtyard had already undergone a complete transformation.

After leaving the hospital, Wu Qian, without Zhang Erhe needing to speak, had already proactively found someone specializing in funeral arrangements. Ma Qianli was still young, so everything, including the coffin, needed to be arranged urgently. Sun Xiangdong was busy directing and coordinating everything. By the time dawn broke, the entire courtyard had been transformed into a solemn mourning hall.

Inside the room, Zhang Erhe, Sun Xiangdong, Wu Qian, and Section Chief Zhou sat around in a somber atmosphere.

"Section Chief Zhang," Section Chief Zhou cleared his throat and reported in a deep voice, "It's like this... Someone reported a pair of spies to the police station. The police station was worried that their own staff were all familiar faces, and they didn't want to alert the spies. They were also concerned that the spies might have guns, so to be on the safe side, they contacted our security section for assistance. At the time, Ma Qianli said that he was acquainted with Zhang Guowei, so he took the initiative to take on this task."

He paused, then continued, "Yesterday evening, Ma Qianli sent someone to say that the spy couple seemed to be on guard. Without delay, Zhang Guowei immediately ordered the arrest to begin that night. The operation started smoothly, but somehow, the spy couple seemed to have been prepared... As soon as Zhang Guowei and his men rushed in, the spy couple detonated a grenade. Ma Qianli... kicked Zhang Guowei out of the house to save him, but he himself didn't manage to dodge."

Section Chief Zhou looked at Zhang Erhe, whose face was cold, and said solemnly, "Section Chief Zhang, rest assured, we will report Comrade Ma Qianli's deeds to the Armed Forces Department in detail and will definitely apply for the title of martyr for him."

Zhang Erhe nodded expressionlessly: "Okay, thank you, Section Chief Zhou."

After finishing speaking, Section Chief Zhou also felt a tightness in his chest, so he stood up and said, "Then I'll go back to the factory first."

"Okay. Could you please... ask Director Li for leave for me?"

"rest assured."

After Section Chief Zhou left, Sun Xiangdong slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Erhe! Isn't this Zhang Guowei the one who gave you the cold shoulder before?"

Zhang Erhe did not answer.

Wu Qian, standing to the side, looked so gloomy he could drip water: "Yes, it's him. Looks like his good days are over." He turned to Zhang Erhe: "Second Brother, don't worry about this, leave it to me. After all, Fourth Brother calls me Third Brother."

“Alright,” Zhang Erhe finally spoke, “You don’t need to worry about this. I have my own way of handling it.”

He turned his gaze to Wu Qian: "Third brother."

"Second brother, give your orders."

“Those two spies are dead, but their superior hasn’t been found yet. Go spread the word: anyone who can provide a clue about the spy’s superior will be given two thousand dollars.”

“Alright! Second Brother, I’ll go deliver the message right away.” A cold glint flashed in Wu Qian’s eyes as he immediately agreed.

Sun Xiangdong was somewhat worried: "Erhe, aren't you offending too much by offering such a bounty? They are..."

“A bunch of rats in the gutter,” Zhang Erhe interrupted coldly, his tone full of sarcasm. “So what if we offend them? Boss, either don’t do it at all, or do it thoroughly. Don’t hesitate.”

He continued, "I'm afraid I won't be able to take care of things these next few days. There's no capable man in the fourth brother's family, so you'll have to help manage all the funeral arrangements, inside and out."

"Okay, I'll take care of it."

Zhang Erhe got up and went outside, but soon returned and threw a bag of money and a key to Sun Xiangdong.

"Remember that warehouse I took you to last time?"

"I remember!" Sun Xiangdong nodded quickly.

“You can use as much of the grain and meat inside as you need. Here is a thousand yuan,” Zhang Erhe’s voice deepened, and when he spoke again, it had become extremely serious. “I have only one request—the funeral arrangements for Lao Si must be handled in a grand and glorious manner.”

Around 10 a.m., the delegation from the steel rolling mill arrived. Leading the way was Secretary Su, accompanied by Li Huaide.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Erhe hurriedly stepped forward: "Secretary Su, Factory Director Li."

"Sigh..." Secretary Su sighed heavily, raised his hand and patted Zhang Erhe on the shoulder, "My condolences."

Li Huaide took over, his tone somber: "Erhe, Secretary Su has already urgently reported Comrade Ma Qianli's deeds to the Ministry of Metallurgy. Such an outstanding comrade sacrificed his life at his post to prevent spies from sabotaging and to protect state property. He is a role model for our entire factory. Secretary Su and I have come to visit the family on behalf of the steel rolling mill."

Zhang Erhe nodded and silently led them to the mourning hall.

Qiqige, heavily pregnant and overwhelmed with grief, fainted several times and could only rest in the inner chamber. In front of the mourning hall, only Ma Yunduo, a small figure, knelt there, adding paper money to the brazier.

“Yunduo,” Zhang Erhe called softly, squatting down, “These are your father’s factory leaders, they’ve come to see your father. This is Grandpa Su, and this is Uncle Li.”

The little girl looked up, her eyes red and swollen, and said timidly in a low voice, "Hello, Grandpa Su, hello, Uncle Li."

Zhang Erhe explained to the two leaders, "This is Ma Qianli's daughter. His wife is heavily pregnant and has fainted several times from crying, so she is resting inside."

Secretary Su and Li Huaide looked at the thin, lonely figure and sighed in unison. They stepped forward and respectfully offered incense and burned paper money for Ma Qianli.

Li Huaide pulled Zhang Erhe aside and whispered, "Erhe, don't worry. I will do my best to help you get Ma Qianli the title of martyr, and the compensation will be no less. As for his job... he's on the security department's payroll. If his wife is willing, I'll find a way to transfer her to logistics after she gives birth. With me here, I will never let this family suffer in the future."

"Thank you, Brother Li," Zhang Erhe said in a low voice.

"Please accept my condolences. You don't look well," Li Huaide said, looking at him with concern. "Old Zhou told me when he got back to the factory that you beat up Zhang Guowei from the police station? Are you alright?"

"Something's wrong? Let them come and arrest me then. I'd like to see if they have the nerve to do it."

Before the words were even finished, as if a prophecy had come true, a commotion was heard outside the courtyard gate.

Hearing the noise, the group went outside and saw Zhang Guowei from the police station being carried on a door panel to the entrance of the courtyard. His face was deathly pale, and there was blood on his clothes.

Zhang Erhe's eyes turned cold, and he strode forward to block the doorway.

"Zhang Guowei, how dare you show your face here?"

“Erhe…” Zhang Guowei began weakly, his voice hoarse, “I…I’ve come to burn incense for Xiao Ma and kowtow…”

"I don't need your pretense!" Zhang Erhe shouted decisively.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Guowei's face paled even more, and he coughed violently. After coughing, he covered his mouth with a handkerchief, which revealed another patch of glaring red.

Upon seeing this, Song Wenguang, the director of the Dongcheng Branch, who had followed, frowned. He stepped forward and said to Zhang Erhe, "Comrade, I am Song Wenguang from the Dongcheng Branch."

Zhang Erhe knew his identity, but he just looked at him coldly and didn't say anything.

Song Wenguang had no choice but to continue: "Comrade Zhang Erhe, we acknowledge that Comrade Zhang Guowei bears significant responsibility for this incident. But such a tragedy is something none of us wanted to see..."

“Now that you’re here, Director Song,” Zhang Erhe interrupted him without any politeness, “I’d like to ask you a question in front of you!”

He stepped closer and asked sternly, "Zhang Guowei, if you discover clues about spies, shouldn't you report it immediately?"

“…Yes.” Zhang Guowei replied in a hoarse voice, not daring to look him in the eye.

"Then, if he concealed the truth and acted on his own, wouldn't that be considered greedy for credit and reckless, wanting to take all the credit for himself?" Zhang Erhe turned to Song Wenguang, pressing him relentlessly.

Song Wenguang's face turned ugly. He opened his mouth, but couldn't find a way to refute it.

"How could the agents have prepared such a well-planned arrest operation in advance? When and how were the bombs brought in? Was the scene thoroughly searched before the operation? Have you investigated these questions thoroughly?!"

A series of questions, delivered with force and conviction, left Song Wenguang speechless.

"Instead of crocodile tears and feigned compassion here, you should go back and thoroughly investigate what went wrong within your organization!" Zhang Erhe's voice was filled with suppressed anger. "I don't want anyone else to be so inexplicably ruined next time!"

"puff--!"

Upon hearing this last sentence, Zhang Guowei, who was lying on the door panel, became agitated and spat out another mouthful of blood, then slumped down.

Zhang Erhe showed no pity whatsoever. Instead, he coldly told the two young policemen carrying the door, "Take it back to the hospital. Hurry up, don't let it die on the way." He paused, then added in an extremely icy tone, "If this kind of useless piece of trash dies on the way, does it count as a work-related injury?"

After saying that, he didn't look at the crowd at the door again, turned around and walked straight back to the mourning hall.

The two police officers stood there, stunned, looking at Director Song with a bewildered expression.

Song Wenguang was also furious. He waved his hand irritably and said, "What are you looking at me for? Get him to the hospital right now!"

The two then hurriedly lifted the door panel and ran towards the hospital.

Song Wenguang stood at the entrance of the small courtyard, looking at the solemn white mourning hall inside, he sighed heavily, his brows furrowed.

"This is... really troublesome."

P.S.: Sorry it's too late today, I'll write more to express my apologies!

Chapter 180 Please Come Back

Inside the mourning hall, Secretary Su and Li Huaide witnessed the entire confrontation between Zhang Erhe and Director Song of the Dongcheng Branch Bureau. When Zhang Erhe returned with a cold expression, Secretary Su gave Li Huaide a meaningful look.

Li Huaide understood, pulled Zhang Erhe aside, and whispered, "Erhe, aren't you being a bit too impulsive? You've really offended the people at the Dongcheng branch, and what will happen in the future..."

“It’s not that I offended them, Brother Li,” Zhang Erhe interrupted him, his voice filled with suppressed anger, “it’s that they handled this matter too carelessly! Knowing that they were dealing with potentially armed spies, they neither thoroughly investigated the scene before the operation nor reported it according to procedure. They were greedy for credit and acted rashly, which is why Lao Si lost his life!”

Upon hearing this, Li Huaide couldn't help but sigh: "Alas... the people below are all green with envy when they see credit. If it's reported up, the credit will be divided up layer by layer, so they might as well keep it all for themselves. This kind of mentality... is harmful."

"Brother Li, I need to ask you for a favor." Zhang Erhe's gaze was deep.

"You said."

"I want to find out the truth about this for Xiao Ma and get justice. But I'm just a commoner with no official status, so some things are difficult for me."

Li Huaide pondered for a moment, glanced at Secretary Su not far away, and leaned closer to say, "Secretary Su is in charge of the militia. I'll have him issue an appointment later, and you'll be appointed as the deputy captain of the militia brigade. I'll also transfer a few men from the militia for you. As long as no guns are used and no major chaos ensues, I'll cover for you if anything happens."

Zhang Erhe nodded emphatically: "Brother Li, I'm deeply grateful for this favor. From now on, you can decide what to do."

“Alright,” Li Huaide patted him on the shoulder, his tone complicated, “To be honest, I’m quite envious of Ma Qianli having a brother like you…”

……

In the afternoon, as expected, several militiamen from the factory arrived, carrying guns they had obtained from the security department. Leading them was Tong Dawei from the forging workshop, who handed Zhang Erhe a Type 54 pistol and an appointment letter stamped with a red seal.

Zhang Erhe took the gun and documents and said to the men, "Since you brothers have come to help, I won't stand on ceremony. How much is your militia allowance per month?"

"Section Chief Zhang, we get three yuan a month."

"Okay, this month, I'll give each of you an extra ten yuan."

Upon hearing this, the men's faces immediately lit up with joy: "Oh, thank you so much, Section Chief Zhang!"

"You're welcome. But I'll have to trouble you all to work with me for the next while."

"It's alright!" Tong Dawei patted his chest. "As long as I can help you, that's all that matters!"

……

As evening approached, Wu Qian hurriedly returned on his bicycle. He walked in, put the bike down, grabbed a water cup, and gulped down several mouthfuls.

"Second Brother, we have a lead! Four leads have been submitted today."

"Four?" Zhang Erhe's gaze sharpened.

"Yes. One is from an apprentice at the Jiaodaokou Police Station canteen, who said he saw Chef Xu, the head chef, sneaking out yesterday. The other two are from the spies' neighbors. And the last one is from a colleague at the spy factory. Which one should we start investigating?"

"Investigate?" Zhang Erhe sneered. "Investigating cases is the job of the police. I'm not a police officer."

Wu Qian was taken aback: "Then..."

"Bring them all back." Zhang Erhe's tone was calm, yet chilling.

“But… Second Brother, it’s not dark yet, we…”