The entire courtyard is full of villains

Zhang Erhe ignored her and walked straight outside.

"Tong Dawei, where is the person we just caught?"

"Yes, Section Chief Zhang!"

"Bring it in."

Tong Dawei and two others dragged in a man with a limp.

"This kid tried to run away, but we broke his leg. Section Chief Zhang, is everything alright?"

“It’s alright,” Zhang Erhe stared at Hei Tou, “as long as his mouth isn’t damaged.”

Zhang Erhe walked over and stood in front of Hei Tou. Hei Tou instinctively shrank back when he saw Zhang Erhe approaching, but he didn't expect Zhang Erhe to step directly on his broken leg.

"Ah—!" Blackhead screamed instantly, "Leader, leader... I confess, I confess! It was... it was Fan Laosan from our compound! He told me to keep an eye on things, to get information from Xu Shihong... but I... I was afraid something would happen, so I paid Liu Caifeng to help me get the information..."

"Then why did you look for Liu Caifeng?"

"I...I saw them...after they finished playing cards, they crawled into a bed together..."

Where do you live?

Despite the excruciating pain, Blackie said tremblingly, "Sir, my home is at No. 65 Xieyuan Hutong... a courtyard house... I'll take you there, I'll take you there!"

"Fine. If you really catch Fan San, I won't hold you responsible for what happened today."

"Thank you, thank you, leader!" Blackie struggled to get up.

Zhang Erhe turned to Wu Qian and instructed, "Take half the men and take them back to the fourth brother's courtyard to keep watch. I'll take the rest to arrest Fan San."

"Second Brother, should I go?" Wu Qian stepped forward. "That Fan San is clearly a spy, what if he's carrying a gun..."

"Get lost, and just stay put. I don't want to lose you after losing Fourth Brother."

Wu Qian wanted to say something more, but Zhang Erhe didn't respond. He led his men out the door and onto the truck.

The group got out of the car at the alley entrance and quietly made their way into the courtyard. Blackhead followed behind with a limp, whispering, "Boss, this Fan San'er usually works at the steel rolling mill."

"A steel rolling mill? Which one?"

"Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill".

"Good heavens, the darkest spot is right under your nose." Zhang Erhe squinted. "How many people are in his family?"

“He’s all alone. When others asked him, he said his wife and children died during the war… He’s been alone all these years. Some people have tried to introduce him to potential partners, but he said he can’t forget his wife.”

"Hmph," Zhang Erhe sneered, "This guy is obviously a spy."

They had already arrived at the courtyard gate. Blackie hurriedly stepped forward and knocked on the door:

"Uncle Hu! Uncle Hu! Could you please open the door?"

P.S.: I really can't get up!

Chapter 182 Putting in the Effort

After a while, the door hinges creaked open, and an old man with a hunched back poked his head out.

"Blackhead? You're so late..." Before he could finish speaking, he saw several unfamiliar young men standing outside. He instinctively tried to close the door, but Zhang Erhe grabbed him by the collar and pulled him out.

"Hey, security guards at the steel mill, on a case. Open your mouth, no shouting or yelling, understand?"

The old man nodded frantically.

Zhang Erhe let go of his hand, and the old man glared at Hei Tou first. Hei Tou then gave an embarrassed smile.

"Is Fan San in the yard?" Zhang Erhe asked.

"Yes, yes, I checked when I locked the door last night, and Blackhead wasn't there," the old man quickly replied.

"Okay, show us which house it is, and then you wait here at the door."

"Understood, sir." Old Hu was very tactful. He led his men into the courtyard quietly and pointed in the distance, "That side room."

Zhang Erhe looked over; the room was dark. He beckoned and led his men over. But when they reached the door, he sensed something was wrong and grabbed Tong Dawei, who was about to rush in with his men.

Tong Dawei was puzzled, but Zhang Erhe didn't explain. He simply pressed his ear against the door to listen, then quietly retreated and found a brick in the corner of the yard. He walked to the door, yanked it open, and threw the brick inside!

"Ugh—!"

Sure enough, a painful groan came from inside.

Zhang Erhe threw the brick and instantly slipped inside. He saw a man whose head had been hit by the brick and who was covering his face. When he saw Zhang Erhe come in, he immediately reached for his waist.

Zhang Erhe didn't give him a chance, kicking him against the wall. Before the man could even groan in pain, his neck was firmly gripped. Immediately afterward, Zhang Erhe unleashed a flurry of punches, slamming his fists into the man's cheeks, instantly knocking out all his teeth.

Tong Dawei then realized what was happening and led his men in, turning on the lights. Fan San was already being held firmly to the ground by Zhang Erhe.

"Come here and tie him up!" Zhang Erhe shouted.

Tong Dawei's eyes widened in disbelief—he had never heard of Section Chief Zhang having such skills before!

Once everyone was securely tied up, Zhang Erhe shone his flashlight on the ground and, sure enough, among the scattered teeth, one was clearly different from the others.

"Fang," Zhang Erhe said coldly, "It seems you are undoubtedly a spy."

Fan San remained silent, only staring intently at Zhang Erhe with resentful eyes.

"You know me? You know me and you still dare to harm my brothers!" Zhang Erhe twisted forward and punched Fan San hard in the stomach. Fan San immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, but his eyes were still full of resentment.

"Not convinced? Fine." Zhang Erhe used his old trick again, clearing the way with his sledgehammer. Fan's thirty fingers were smashed to pieces, but he still gritted his teeth and remained silent.

“Okay, he’s a tough nut to crack.” Zhang Erhe nodded and turned to Tong Dawei, “Dawei.”

"Hey! Section Chief!"

"Go outside and find a stick."

"A stick?" Bao Shihong asked, puzzled.

"Yes, a round stick, about as thick as a child's arm will do."

Although Tong Dawei didn't understand, his greatest virtue was his obedience. He quickly brought back a stick from outside: "Boss, this is the broom handle for sweeping the yard."

"Okay, pull his pants down."

Fan San's face turned pale instantly.

Ignoring everything else, Zhang Erhe waited until his pants were pulled down, then went up and thrust the rod inside!

"Ah—!!" Fan San let out a shrill scream.

Zhang Erhe continued stirring with the pole: "You can keep quiet. But I've heard that if you keep poking with this thing for too long, the blood will drain out and the person will die."

"I...I'll talk! I'll talk!" Perhaps the scene Zhang Erhe described was too terrifying, or perhaps the method was too humiliating, Fan San's psychological defenses finally collapsed. "The person who was blown up a couple of days ago was my subordinate."

"Tell me who you went online with."

"I...I wasn't online." Fan San's eyes flickered, still clinging to hope.

"Not online? Okay." Zhang Erhe said expressionlessly. "Dawei, go out and find another one, thicker than this one, preferably with bumps on it."

"Okay, I see."

After a while, Bao Shihong came back from outside with a stick. He looked disgusted as he carried it. "Section Chief, I found this at the entrance of the public toilet... I guess it's for breaking ice and smashing feces in winter to prevent them from freezing."

“This is the real good stuff.” Zhang Erhe took the stained and suspicious-smelling stick and weighed it in front of Fan San. “I just don’t know if our Master Fan San can withstand it this time.”

"I confess! I confess!!" Fan San's face turned green when he saw the stick—heaven knows how much filth that stick had pierced! If it had pierced him, even if he didn't die, he couldn't die such a humiliating death!

That Zhang Erhe is a real devil!

"Section Chief Zhang, I confess! I'll tell you everything!"

Soon, he rattled off a string of names. The more Zhang Erhe listened, the more solemn his expression became.

After Fan San finished explaining, Zhang Erhe pulled Bao Shihong outside and asked, "Dawei, do you know where Deputy Factory Director Li lives?"

"It seems... I know."

"That's good. Drive there right now and pick up Deputy Factory Director Li. Be quick."

"understood!"

Tong Dawei left quickly, but Li Huaide arrived even faster. Although he didn't know why Zhang Erhe was looking for him in the middle of the night, he knew Zhang Erhe wasn't someone who spoke without reason. Upon entering, he saw Fan San bound on the floor, bleeding from his lower body, and utterly exhausted. He glanced at him and looked at Zhang Erhe: "What happened?"

“Brother Li,” Zhang Erhe put his arm around his shoulder and lowered his voice, “Originally, I just wanted to avenge Lao Si. But I didn’t expect to uncover a spy case. They’ve been planning a big heist at the factory recently—blowing up the machines. This Fan San is from the fitter’s workshop in our steel rolling mill. He also implicated a deputy director of the fitter’s workshop, who is Lao Yang’s confidant. I heard this news was too important, so I quickly called you here.”

After listening, Li Huaide remained silent for a long time before patting Zhang Erhe's shoulder heavily: "Erhe, you are my lucky charm! I haven't been in the factory for long, and the reason I was able to get things started was because you helped me get the supplies. But I never expected that you would help me again and give me such a huge credit!" He took a deep breath and said sincerely, "Thank you, Erhe."

"Brother Li, why are you being so polite with me?" Zhang Erhe waved his hand. "But what should we do next?"

"You don't need to worry about this anymore. Just have someone guard this place. I'll go back to the factory, call my father-in-law at the security office, and then bring the security personnel over. You don't need to worry about the rest."

"Okay." Zhang Erhe nodded without asking any further questions.

Li Huaide gave him a deep look, then suddenly asked, "Erhe, aren't you afraid I'll steal your credit?"

“Fine, I’ll take it,” Zhang Erhe chuckled. “I don’t care about the credit or not. I just want to avenge Lao Si. Besides, don’t I know you? You, Lao Li, aren’t that kind of person.”

"Good! Good!" Li Huaide's eyes were full of admiration. "I won't say anything more. But I guarantee, Erhe, you will definitely get a lot of credit this time. Secretary Su has already submitted the application for Ma Qianli's martyr title, and I'm urging him to do so. No matter what, he deserves great credit for this."

After speaking, Li Huaide had someone drive him back to the steel rolling mill. When he returned, a whole carload of security personnel had come out and escorted Fan San and the others away. Zhang Erhe keenly noticed that there were many unfamiliar faces in the security department, and their demeanor was unusually imposing.

He realized that this commotion was probably not just the work of the steel mill's security department. Li Huaide's father-in-law had really put in a lot of effort.

P.S.: I've seen the person off and I'm exhausted. I'll get a good night's sleep tonight and be back to work like a dog tomorrow!

Chapter 183 Getting Restless

Two days later, on the morning of Ma Qianli's funeral, the funeral was to be held.

Ma Yunduo held the portrait, while Zhang Jiaoze carried the funeral banner. Logically, this should have been done by Ma Qianli's son; if not, it should have been his nephew. But Ma Qianli had fled to Beijing with his father when he was young and didn't even know where his hometown was, so Zhang Jiaoze had to do it in his place.

The group exited the city gate. Ma Qianli's grave was right next to his father's—this was Ma Qianli's dying wish. He said that if it weren't for his father when he was a child, he would have been eaten like livestock on the road during the famine. Later, he became wealthy and burned plenty of paper money and offerings every year, but he always felt he hadn't fulfilled his filial duty, so he often said he wanted to be buried next to his father so he could continue to show his respect in the afterlife. Zhang Erhe used to take it as a joke, but now he could only sigh deeply.

The pallbearers were hired. The grave had already been prepared. When the appointed time arrived, the coffin was slowly lowered into the earth. Zhang Erhe stared blankly, knowing that from this day forward, the fourth brother would no longer exist in this world.

After everyone finished burying the animals, Sun Xiangdong walked over with red eyes: "Erhe, are you alright?"

Zhang Erhe waved his hand: "Boss, take him back and make a good impression. Nan Yi, the factory cook, has arrived. Have him prepare a good meal. Everyone came all this way to see Lao Si off; he can't leave on an empty stomach."

"Okay, I got it. What about you?"