Era: Starting from the local police station

Feng Yi looked at Wu Yao: "Is there a list of people who were dragged into this in that notebook?"

Wu Yao shook his head: "No."

Feng Yi said in a deep voice, "Then immediately organize personnel to interrogate them again and get the list. Those who are here tonight, take them away directly."

Wu Yao stood up and replied, "Yes."

Feng Yi called out to Jiang Zhenghua, who was about to leave, "Deputy Director Jiang, please stay for a moment."

Jiang Zhenghua immediately stopped and replied, "Yes."

After everyone else left, only Feng Yi, the department head, Miao Qing, the deputy director of the municipal bureau, Yang Zhan, the branch bureau chief, and Duan Chengzhi, the security officer of the municipal bureau, remained in the conference room.

Feng Yi took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, which had a pair of pandas printed on it.

"Sit down and talk."

As he spoke, he took out a cigarette and offered it to everyone.

Jiang Zhenghua took the cigarette, took out a match, struck his name, and handed it to Feng Yi with both hands.

Feng Yi reached out and lit the fire, saying, "Don't be shy. I just want to know some details of the case, and also some of your thoughts."

Jiang Zhenghua lit a cigarette, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

Feng Yi looked him up and down and laughed, "You really are a handsome man. No wonder Old Jiang kept praising you, saying that he lost a tiger general but managed to squeeze a bottle of Moutai out of me. Now it seems that he really didn't lose out."

Jiang Zhenghua looked at him in surprise: "You know Commander Jiang?"

Feng Yi nodded: "We're old comrades-in-arms. Back in northern Shaanxi, we worked together with Commander Li on security and intelligence. Later, I stayed with him while he went to the front lines, and that's when we parted ways."

Jiang Zhenghua's eyes widened as he asked, "The 'Chief Li' you're referring to is 'Minister Li, Old Li'?"

Feng Yi smiled slightly: "What? Didn't Jiang Zhengyuan tell you?"

Jiang Zhenghua shook his head: "He never talks about these things with me. All I know is that he once worked in Yan'an and taught me a lot about infiltration and counter-infiltration. He was my mentor. He never mentioned anything else to me."

Feng Yi laughed and said, "That's definitely like his personality; he doesn't like to show off. If he hadn't called me a few days ago and asked me to take care of you, his old subordinate, I wouldn't have known that he had been transferred back to work by the commander's side."

Jiang Zhenghua was taken aback again: "He was transferred to the Investigation Department?"

Feng Yi nodded.

Jiang Zhenghua said with a wry smile, "I asked him before, and he said it was a secret and he would give me a surprise. He also said that we should be able to meet soon."

Feng Yi took a drag of his cigarette and asked in a deep voice, "He told me some things about your situation. What do you think these people are trying to do this time?"

Jiang Zhenghua pondered for a moment and said, "It's not clear yet. The people who did this are probably from the island. They're just trying to create panic, sabotage construction, or carry out assassinations."

He paused briefly: "With National Day just around the corner, I'm worried they might make a fuss about it."

Feng Yi nodded: "That's what I'm worried about too. This enemy is very cunning; they actually thought of using our equipment to manufacture things. This not only reduces the possibility of exposure but also makes it difficult to obtain operational plans from other places."

Jiang Zhenghua continued, "What I'm worried about now is that many people are being deceived and genuinely believe it's just about reselling supplies. They don't even understand the core plan unless they find the person in charge."

Feng Yi nodded: "And this 'Green Eagle' guy is probably bait deliberately thrown out by the enemy to attract our attention."

Jiang Zhenghua asked, puzzled, "This person came from the Linli class; he should be a key figure. How could the other side bear to part with him?"

Feng Yi said in a deep voice, "I've heard of this person before. According to information provided by our comrades, he joined the army with the sole intention of serving his country. Back then, he only targeted the Japanese and even cooperated with our comrades, sharing some intelligence."

"That makes sense. People like him are considered traitors by their own people, and they even want to get rid of them as soon as possible."

"That's right. If it weren't for his enormous contributions during the War of Resistance against Japan, and his timely escape after the victory, he probably would have been dealt with long ago."

Jiang Zhenghua sighed, "In that case, his wife and children are probably..."

"I think he was mentally prepared."

Upon hearing Yang Zhan's words, everyone felt a chill run down their spines, and the entire conference room fell into a deathly silence.

Feng Yi sighed, "Those who do this kind of work are usually mentally prepared for this. I reckon he already knew what was going on when you came knocking. He was already prepared to be abandoned, which is why he readily confessed everything, hoping the other party wasn't ready to make a comeback and could catch him off guard. It's also a way for him to accumulate some merit and lessen his punishment."

No sooner had the words been spoken than a crisp report came from the conference room door.

"Come in."

Wu Yao pushed open the door and walked quickly to Feng Yi, handing him a small notebook, only a few centimeters in size: "Director, this is the list of people who have been recruited."

Feng Yi took it and examined it carefully: "He always carries it with him?"

Wu Yao nodded: "He said he knew that his actions would eventually lead to his being silenced, either as bait to be arrested or shot in the back, so he always carried the list with him."

The sound of a report came from outside the door again.

Jin Hong strode in, holding a piece of paper in his hand, his face grave.

Feng Yi asked, "What happened?"

Jin Hong handed over the paper in his hand: "This is the list of people who were brought back. Among them are five government staff, eight factory managers, four workers, and as many as eleven people from the business community."

Miao Qing took it, glanced at it, and handed it to Feng Yi.

Feng Yi did not take it, but said to Wu Yao: "Take a look at the list. Take away the overlapping ones immediately, and organize manpower to arrest the ones who are not there. If you don't have enough manpower, apply to the ministry for support immediately."

Wu Yao quickly took the list, glanced at it, and said, "Half of the people are on it, but they are all insignificant minor figures."

Feng Yi nodded: "Report the list to the ministry immediately, get the other groups to cooperate, and also detain all the family members of these people to prevent any unforeseen complications."

Wu Yao and Jin Hong responded and left.

Jiang Zhenghua, who was sitting down, suddenly stood up, pulling the stool beneath him and making a screeching sound as it scraped against the ground.

Feng Yi frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"

Jiang Zhenghua's face was grim, and he spoke rapidly: "I forgot about Gu Youliang's family. At first, I thought it was just a simple theft case and didn't arrange for anyone to protect them. Now that those people are involved, given their ruthless methods..."

The expressions of everyone present changed drastically.

Feng Yi immediately shouted, "Take your men there right now!"

Yang Zhan stood up and rushed outside: "I'll go with you."

Feng Yi loudly instructed, "Take a platoon of soldiers."

Jiang Zhenghua flung open the door and ran outside.

Upon seeing this, Wu Yao and the others in the courtyard quickly asked, "What happened?"

"Transfer one class of people to Gu Youliang's house."

Jiang Zhenghua did not stop.

Wu Yao's expression changed, and he shouted loudly towards the interrogation room door, "Platoon Leader Jing, take a squad and follow them."

Platoon Leader Jing immediately rushed to the outer courtyard, shouting orders as he ran: "First Platoon, assemble! Depart immediately!"

Jin Hong shouted, "Drive my car, there's a radio in it."

When Yang Zhan and Jiang Zhenghua arrived at the front yard, Jin Hong's jeep had already started, and the soldiers were quickly climbing onto the troop transport truck.

Jiang Zhenghua and Yang Zhan jumped into the jeep and said urgently to the driver, Xiao Li, "Quickly, go to Gu Youliang's house."

Zhang Chongguang jumped into the car right after and gave the address.

Li stepped on the gas pedal, the engine roared, and the car shot out of the yard like an arrow.

The vehicle sped along the empty road, breaking the silence of the night.

A few passersby heard the roar of the engine and hurriedly hid in the alley; several workers in overalls stood by the roadside, initially watching the speeding vehicles quietly, but after seeing the soldiers with guns on the trucks, they immediately quickened their pace and left.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Jiang Zhenghua watched the streetlights rushing past, then suddenly slapped his thigh, filled with regret: "I actually forgot something so important."

Yang Zhan reached out and patted him on the shoulder: "Don't blame yourself. Things changed too quickly, and some oversights were inevitable."

Zhang Chongguang chimed in, "This isn't entirely your fault; none of us expected it. Besides, things might not necessarily turn out badly. Perhaps the neighborhood committee staff are still at his home handling the funeral arrangements."

Jiang Zhenghua took out cigarettes and offered them to the two men. After lighting one, he took a deep drag and said, "You're right, the people from the neighborhood committee might still be at home."

Just as they were anxiously waiting, the vehicle finally approached the entrance to the alley where Gu Youliang's house was located.

Jiang Zhenghua shouted urgently, "Turn right, the fourth house is it."

"Creak—"

The screeching sound of brakes was accompanied by the screech of tires rubbing against the ground.

As the car turned into the alley, its headlights swept across the corner of the wall, and two men in work clothes froze on the spot, staring dumbfounded at the speeding vehicle.

Jiang Zhenghua's gaze swept over the two men: one was tall and burly, looking honest and simple; the other was slightly overweight, dressed neatly and cleanly, wearing a black hat that covered half of his face.

As they passed the second courtyard, Jiang Zhenghua saw the lights shining from the entrance of the fourth courtyard ahead. His expression changed drastically, and he shouted angrily, "Stop the car! Stop the car now!"

"Creak—"

There was another sharp screech of brakes, and the four people in the car lurched forward.

"What's wrong?"

"What happened?"

Yang Zhan slammed his head against the seat in front of him, bracing himself with his hands.

Jiang Zhenghua jumped out of the car and shouted at the alley entrance, "Grab those two people, quick!"

Just as Platoon Leader Jing was about to speak after poking his head out of the Liberation truck, he heard the order and immediately pushed open the truck door, jumping out while simultaneously ordering, "Quickly, everyone get out of the truck, arrest the man!"

The soldiers jumped off the trucks and hurried towards the alley entrance, shouting in unison, "Stop! You in front!"

Zhang Chongguang jumped out of the jeep and quickly drew his pistol from his waist: "What's going on?"

Jiang Zhenghua said, "Go after the murderer who killed Hou Laicai. I'll go check on Gu Youliang's family."

After saying that, he took off running, simultaneously pulling back the slide of his pistol, and with a "click," a bullet was chambered.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chongguang grabbed his gun and ran quickly towards the alley entrance, shouting, "Be careful!"

Yang Zhan jumped out of the car, drew his pistol, and quickly chased after Jiang Zhenghua.

Jiang Zhenghua sprinted forward with all his might. As the lamplight at the entrance of the courtyard house was about to disappear, he shouted, "Don't close the door, police!"

The lights that had disappeared came back on, and the courtyard gate swung open.

A middle-aged man in a red vest poked his head out. Seeing Jiang Zhenghua rushing towards him with a gun, his expression tightened. He was about to close the door when he saw Jiang Zhenghua in a police uniform in the light, and his expression immediately relaxed: "Officer, what's wrong?"

As Jiang Zhenghua ran, he asked, "What were those two people doing here?"

"They said it was a fellow worker who had received food, who came to return his belongings."

"Where are the things?"

Jiang Zhenghua's expression changed drastically.

The middle-aged man was stunned and immediately became flustered.

Jiang Zhenghua strode to the door and demanded sharply, "Where are the things?"

The middle-aged man also sensed something was wrong and hurriedly pointed into the yard: "It was packed in a box, and my son took it to the Gu family's house in the backyard."

Without saying a word, Jiang Zhenghua strode into the courtyard.

Yang Zhan arrived, panting, and asked urgently, "What happened?"

Jiang Zhenghua shouted without turning his head, "Evacuate the crowd! It might be a bomb!"

Before the words were even finished, the person had already rushed into the courtyard and disappeared behind the screen wall.

The middle-aged man's face turned deathly pale instantly, his legs went weak and he almost collapsed, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Yang Zhan's expression changed drastically. He stepped forward, grabbed the man's collar, and shouted sternly, "Don't stand there! Call for help and evacuate!"

The middle-aged man finally came to his senses and nodded frantically, "Okay, okay."

He tried to run inside, but his legs went weak and he fell to the ground with a thud.

At this moment, Xiao Li drove up to the gate.

Yang Zhan shouted angrily, "Xiao Li, evacuate the crowd immediately! There's a bomb in the courtyard!"

After saying that, he put away his gun and rushed into the yard, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Come out quickly, there's a bomb!"

Xiao Li jumped out of the car, his face changed, and he rushed into the yard, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Evacuate quickly! There's a bomb!"

The middle-aged man scrambled inside, his voice trembling uncontrollably: "Everyone, get up! There's a bomb!"

Jiang Zhenghua rushed to the backyard like a madman; the backyard was brightly lit at the moment.

Not far away, several men squatted on the ground smoking and chatting; several women sat at the door of the west wing, occasionally glancing towards the east wing.

The sound of weeping came from the east wing, mixed with words of comfort from a woman.

At the entrance, a young man was carrying a small wooden box, and standing opposite him was Qi, an official from the neighborhood committee.

Just as Officer Qi took the box and was about to turn around and go inside, he heard hurried footsteps and immediately looked towards the second gate.

Jiang Zhenghua shouted sternly, "Don't move!"

Everyone froze in shock at the shout and turned to look at the person who had stopped them.

Officer Qi was both surprised and suspicious: "Deputy Director Jiang, what brings you here?"

Jiang Zhenghua, ignoring his breath, strode closer, his face as cold and stern as iron: "Officer Qi, don't move! Everyone, retreat immediately!"

Everyone was stunned and stared at him blankly.

"Evacuate immediately, there's a bomb!"

Yang Zhan's roar from the front yard pierced through, and everyone's expression changed drastically, their eyes instantly filled with terror.

Jiang Zhenghua shouted, "Officer Qi, there's likely a bomb in that box. You stay put, everyone else, retreat immediately!"

Now everyone heard him clearly and saw his police uniform, and they immediately panicked and desperately tried to dodge him.

The young man standing opposite Officer Qi was terrified and screamed, "Oh my god!"

He turned and ran wildly towards the main house, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

The others were also fully awakened and scattered in cries.

"Run! Run!"

"Mom, get up quickly! There's a bomb! I'll carry you and run!"

"Wife, quickly grab the baby and crawl under the table."

"Honey, pull me up and run!"

In an instant, the cries of children and the screams of women rose and fell, and the whole courtyard was in chaos.

Officer Qi's face turned deathly pale instantly. The box trembled violently in her arms, and she could barely speak coherently: "Deputy Director Jiang, is...is there really a bomb?"

Jiang Zhenghua came to her side, panting heavily, and said in a gentle tone, "It's alright, I'll take care of it right away."

As he spoke, he reached out and took the box, carefully placing it on the ground.

Seeing that Qi, the clerk, still didn't move, Jiang Zhenghua looked up and said, "Go and evacuate the crowd. What are you standing here for?"

Qi, the clerk, said with a mournful face, "I...I'm feeling a bit weak in the legs."

As soon as he finished speaking, a person walked out of the door of the east wing. It was Xue Yun, the director of the street office.

She asked, "What's going on? Who shouted there was a bomb?"

Jiang Zhenghua said in a deep voice, "Director Xue, immediately have the people inside take precautions. I suspect someone has brought a bomb."

After saying that, he ignored Xue Yun and carefully opened the box.

Xue Yun's expression changed, and she immediately shouted, "Xiao Qi, quick, evacuate the crowd. Or use tables to prop up the door, have the crowd squat on the ground, and place the tabletops flat in front of them."

Officer Qi took a deep breath and replied, "Yes."

Jiang Zhenghua shouted, "The entire row of rooms in the east wing must be evacuated to prevent any more from outside the wall."

Xue Yun responded loudly, "Understood."

"Xiao Qi, quickly evacuate the people in the courtyard."

Seeing Xue Yun rush towards the east wing, Qi, the clerk, immediately said, "I'll handle things for the Gu family."

"Quickly evacuate the rest of the crowd. That's an order."

As she spoke, Xue Yun rushed towards the other rooms, shouting, "Run outside quickly! If you can't run, crawl under the table immediately!"

Just then, Yang Zhan ran into the backyard, panting, "Zhenghua, how is it? Where's the bomb?"

Jiang Zhenghua pointed to the box and said, "There's a clock chiming inside; it's probably a time bomb. I'm checking it now. Quickly check the surrounding walls, especially the east wing. Try to get everyone to turn left and run in the direction we came from."

Yang Zhan shouted outside, "Xiao Li, quickly check the fence."

Xiao Li replied, "Yes."

He looked at Xue Yun: "Director Xue, organize people to leave, turn left and run."

He strode over to Jiang Zhenghua, panting heavily, and asked, "Are you sure?"

Jiang Zhenghua did not answer. With the flashlight in his mouth, he gently took out a blue work uniform from inside, revealing a clock lying on its side. The time was 3:47, and the alarm clock hands were pointing to 3:50.

He reached inside and gently lifted the fabric covering the sides of the clock, revealing several round brown paper tubes and a few wires connected to the clock.

Yang Zhan's expression tightened: "It really is a time bomb."

Jiang Zhenghua held the flashlight and carefully examined the wires.

Yang Zhan breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank goodness, thank goodness it was set by a clock, there are still three minutes left."

As he spoke, he reached out to grab the clock.

Jiang Zhenghua grabbed his hand and said sternly, "Don't move."

Yang Zhan looked at him in confusion: "Quickly adjust the time back, otherwise if there's a short circuit ahead of time, it'll explode."

Jiang Zhenghua's face was grim as he said, "This isn't an ordinary time bomb; it's a delayed-action bomb. Turning off the alarm won't work. Even if you turn it off, the gears inside are still turning, and it will still explode..."

"Bang!"

A gunshot rang out from afar, instantly silencing the previously noisy courtyard.

Then, even greater panic ensued.

"Oh my god, there's shooting outside!"

Someone screamed and rushed into the house again.

"Go back inside quickly and lie down on the ground. It's not safe outside."