Ji Shuyu, seeing the person behind Zhang Zhiyuan, took two steps back, avoiding his powerful flying kick.
He Yuan had long since appeared behind Zhang Zhiyuan. Seizing the moment when Zhang Zhiyuan was entirely focused on Ji Shuyu in front of him, He Yuan kicked directly at the back of Zhang Zhiyuan’s knee.
Caught off guard, Zhang Zhiyuan stumbled and fell to his knees. Then, the men behind He Yuan stepped forward and immediately pinned Zhang Zhiyuan to the ground.
“Zhang Zhiyuan!”
Zhang Zhiyuan struggled, but He Yuan called out his name as Zhao Qiang and two others held him down. A third person quickly searched him, and after confirming he had no weapons, shook his head at He Yuan.
The whole process was clean and efficient, everything happening in the blink of an eye.
Li Cuihua, standing to the side, was dumbfounded, her mouth agape, trembling with fear. Her previous arrogance vanished without a trace.
She instinctively tried to run, but upon turning around, found the courtyard gate guarded by two other soldiers, completely cutting off her escape.
He Yuan didn’t even glance at Zhang Zhiyuan, who lay on the ground like a dead dog. He strode over to Ji Shuyu, shielding her with his body, and looked her over. “Are you okay? Were you hurt?”
“I’m fine. You arrived just in time.” Ji Shuyu shook her head, breathing a sigh of relief. If Zhang Zhiyuan had tried to attack her further, she might have directly exchanged points for the super-strong pepper spray from the system store. Whether Zhang Zhiyuan died or went blind wouldn’t have been her concern.
Hearing that Ji Shuyu was unharmed, He Yuan finally turned his cold gaze towards the subdued Zhang Zhiyuan. His eyes were icy, as if they could tear Zhang Zhiyuan apart.
“Zhang Zhiyuan, Li Cuihua, sneaking back into a militarily controlled zone without authorization, with the intent to assault a military dependent. Do you understand the severity of this?”
Pinned to the ground, his face against the cold floor, Zhang Zhiyuan struggled and roared, “He Yuan! You set me up! If you have any guts, let me go and fight me one-on-one!”
“It was you! You had Lin Zhou find me! You had Lin Zhou trick me into leaving this place, making me leave here and get saddled with a mountain of debt!” He shouted recklessly, consumed by fury. If it weren’t for He Yuan, he wouldn’t be in such a miserable state. He thought leaving the island meant going to make big money, never imagining he’d end up in debt. Thinking back carefully, Zhang Zhiyuan looked at Li Cuihua beside him and understood why.
Li Cuihua had caused trouble for Ji Shuyu repeatedly, and he himself had been very attentive to Li Cuihua during that period. For He Yuan, using his own hands to deal with Li Cuihua was the best solution. Because nothing else would make Li Cuihua give up the chance to remarry He Jiang—unless she found a better prospect, like him. And he indeed needed money, needed an opportunity to prove he was better than He Jiang. So, when Lin Zhou approached him, he hesitated, but his desire to earn money and prove himself outweighed everything else. He never expected to fall into the trap just like that. Zhang Zhiyuan was so angry he wished he could skin them alive.
“One-on-one?” He Yuan’s tone was stern yet laced with contempt, as if he held Zhang Zhiyuan in utter disdain. “I am a soldier. My duty is to protect and subdue, not to engage in reckless brawls with you. Your actions are suspected of breaking the law. The law will naturally judge you.”
He waved his hand and ordered Zhao Qiang, “Take them away separately for detention. Search them thoroughly, confirm their identities and belongings, then immediately transfer them to the security department for processing!”
“Yes, Regimental Commander!” Zhao Qiang and the soldiers responded loudly. They handcuffed the ashen-faced Zhang Zhiyuan and the trembling Li Cuihua, who was shaking like a leaf, and led them out of the small courtyard.
The courtyard instantly returned to quiet.
He Yuan turned around, carefully closed the courtyard gate, and then gently pulled Ji Shuyu into his embrace, his large hand soothingly patting her back.
“Alright, it’s over. Just two mice who thought they were clever, walking right into the trap. Were you scared?”
Leaning against his solid chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, Ji Shuyu’s last bit of tension dissipated.
“With you here, I’m not afraid,” she said softly. “I just didn’t expect them to be the first to show themselves.”
“Good timing. Dealing with these two nuisances will bring some peace and quiet,” He Yuan said steadily. Thinking of the person hiding in the shadows, his eyes narrowed slightly. “As for the real big fish… since he has his eyes on you, and after witnessing tonight’s farce and our surveillance, he’ll probably be more cautious. But the net we’ve cast is also tightening.”
The confidence and steadiness in his tone made Ji Shuyu feel immensely reassured. She knew that no matter who the enemy in the shadows was, with He Yuan here, the sky wouldn’t fall.
Meanwhile, the mole was hiding in an abandoned lookout post on the island.
Fortunately, before coming, he had familiarized himself with all the locations; otherwise, he wouldn’t have found this place to hide.
The mole gnawed on a hardened biscuit, his eyes full of venom.
Damn He Yuan and Ji Shuyu, their defenses were so tight.
He was so close, just one step away, and he could have left this place.
Now the whole island was under strict security, and Ji Shuyu actually wanted to use herself as bait to lure him out.
Luckily, those two idiots made a move first; otherwise, he didn’t know where he’d be now.
He took out the experimental data from his backpack, looking at the clearly recorded lines, and clenched his teeth.
“No, the items must be sent out as soon as possible. Otherwise…” The mole didn’t dare to think further. If this continued, whether he’d even have a life left, or be able to leave this island alive, was hard to say.
The island-wide investigation was getting tighter, and this temporary hiding place might not be completely safe. Every extra day spent here meant more danger.
On the other side, after comforting Ji Shuyu, He Yuan didn’t relax in the slightest.
“Zhao Qiang!” he called in a low voice.
“Here!” Zhao Qiang immediately stepped forward.
“Interrogate Zhang Zhiyuan and Li Cuihua immediately. Focus on how they sneaked back onto the island, their movements after returning, who they contacted, and especially, whether they noticed anything else unusual on the island or any unfamiliar faces.” These two came back so sneakily; they might have seen something. It could serve as a breakthrough point, worth asking for now.
He Yuan issued the order, his eyes sharp. “They might be foolish, but they might have seen something unintentionally. Interrogate them separately and compare their statements.”
“Yes, sir!” Zhao Qiang accepted the order and left.
He Yuan knew that at a time like this, not a single clue could be overlooked.
Then, he turned to Ji Shuyu, his expression serious. “Shuyu, think carefully. Did that temporary recycling materials person have any particular behavioral habits while at the research institute?”
Ji Shuyu concentrated, thinking hard. Suddenly, her eyes lit up slightly.
“He seemed particularly obsessed with cleanliness. Every time he recycled waste, even wearing gloves, he would always wash his hands repeatedly afterward. And…” She paused, trying hard to recall. “Once, I think I accidentally saw him reading an old copy of the ‘Haicheng Daily,’ and he was reading it very carefully…”
“I didn’t pay attention at the time, but thinking about it now, that newspaper seemed to be from six months ago. And it didn’t seem to be the culture or news section; it was more like the inside margin or the classifieds section?”
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