When they returned home, the furniture had not yet been delivered.
Tangtang could hardly wait. She placed the black box on the square table they had just wiped clean.
As if her tiny hands possessed magic, she picked up the battered soldering iron and screwdriver they had just bought and began taking it apart.
Lin Wan couldn’t understand the circuitry itself, but the system kept flooding her mind with notifications.
[High-frequency oscillation coil detected…]
[Filter array detected…]
[The child is rebuilding the circuitry! She’s converting a discarded transformer into a signal receiver!]
[A genius! An absolute genius!]
[Her speed and logic surpass even top engineers from the future!]
Although Qin Zhan couldn’t follow the technical details, he recognized Tangtang’s intense concentration.
It reminded him of a sniper lining up the perfect shot.
Half an hour later…
The ugly black box had been transformed beyond recognition.
Half of its casing had been removed, revealing a maze of coils and transistors.
A long copper wire extended from it through the window and was hooked onto the clothes-drying pole outside.
“It’s done.”
Tangtang wiped the sweat from her forehead and inserted two D-cell batteries.
Bzzz…
A burst of static filled the room.
She slowly turned the homemade tuning dial.
At first there was nothing but noise.
Gradually, as she fine-tuned the frequency, the static faded.
A clear voice emerged.
“This is China National Radio…”
Qin Zhan nodded.
“Not bad. You fixed it. It can receive radio broadcasts.”
In those days, anyone who could assemble a working radio was already considered remarkably skilled.
But Tangtang shook her head.
“That’s not what I wanted.”
She continued turning the dial.
This time, she tuned into an extremely obscure frequency.
There were no normal broadcasts.
Only rhythmic…
Beep… beep… beep…
Like the sound of a telegraph.
Qin Zhan’s expression changed instantly.
As a career soldier, he knew that sound all too well.
Morse code.
Encrypted Morse code.
“…Yangtze River… Yellow River… Eagle… Returning to Nest…”
He silently translated the coded message in his mind.
The more he decoded…
The darker his expression became.
This wasn’t an ordinary transmission.
It was communication between enemy spies.
And the signal…
Was nearby.
Very nearby.
Perhaps inside this military compound.
Or one of the neighboring courtyards.
“Tangtang, don’t touch anything.”
Qin Zhan signaled everyone to stay quiet.
He grabbed a notebook and rapidly copied down every sequence of dots and dashes.
Even Lin Wan found herself holding her breath.
[System Alert: Unknown encrypted signal detected.]
[Attempting decryption…]
[Decryption successful.]
[Message: Operation Falcon has encountered obstacles. Asset Number One (Lin Xue) has been compromised. Activate Plan Two.]
[Objective: Obtain the new alloy formula from the military research institute.]
[Meeting place: General’s Temple.]
[Time: Midnight tomorrow.]
Lin Wan’s pupils contracted sharply.
[Holy crap!]
[So that crazy Lin Xue accidentally told the truth? There really is something going on at the General’s Temple?]
[And this “Plan Two”…]
[If Lin Xue was Asset Number One… then who’s Number Two?]
[Su Rou?]
[Or Zhao Gang, the guy who just got cheated on?]
[Or someone we haven’t even met yet?]
Snap.
The tip of Qin Zhan’s pen broke.
He had also heard Lin Wan’s thoughts.
General’s Temple.
Tomorrow night.
Midnight.
This intelligence was priceless.
If Tangtang hadn’t accidentally built this improvised receiver…
And if Lin Wan hadn’t been a human decoding machine…
The enemy might have stolen the military secrets before anyone even realized what was happening.
“Turn it off.”
Qin Zhan spoke quietly.
Tangtang obediently cut the power.
“Daddy, that sound isn’t nice.”
“It sounds like mice squeaking.”
“That’s right.”
Qin Zhan gently patted her head, his eyes filled with admiration.
“Tangtang has done something amazing.”
“This little machine will help Daddy catch some very big rats.”
He folded the page filled with coded notes and tucked it securely into the inside pocket of his uniform.
“Stay home.”
“Don’t go anywhere.”
“Watch over them.”
The last sentence was directed toward Lin Wan.
He never explicitly said he trusted her.
He didn’t have to.
The trust was obvious.
“I’m going to Headquarters.”
Putting on his cap, Qin Zhan strode out the door.
His departing figure carried the chilling aura of a soldier marching toward battle.
Lin Wan looked at the black box before turning her gaze toward the darkening sky.
[Life just keeps getting more exciting.]
[I just finished dealing with jealous women…]
[Now we’re hunting spies.]
[Still…]
She glanced at Tangtang, whose little legs were happily swinging because she had just been praised.
[With a genius daughter like her…]
[A husband who can fight…]
[And me, equipped with cheat codes…]
[Those spies must have been cursed in their past eight lifetimes to run into our family.]
[General’s Temple tomorrow night, huh?]
[I’d really like to see what kind of monster this Number Two asset turns out to be.]
Night fell like ink.
The General’s Temple on the western outskirts of the city lay in ruins.
Long ago it had been a thriving place of worship.
After the campaign against the “Four Olds,” it had been smashed apart.
Only half-collapsed walls and a headless stone statue remained.
Mass graves surrounded the area.
Even during the day, few dared approach.
At night, cold winds howled through the ruins while ghostly phosphorescent lights flickered among the graves.
It was now midnight.
A shadow slipped cautiously from the overgrown weeds.
The figure wore black from head to toe.
A cloth mask concealed everything except a pair of sharp, watchful eyes.
Holding a small shovel, he dug a few times behind the broken stone statue.
“Hoo… hoo…”
He imitated the call of an owl.
Moments later, another dark figure emerged from the woods.
“Heaven’s King Covers the Earth Tiger.”
“Treasure Pagoda Suppresses the River Demon.”
They exchanged their coded challenge and response.
“Where’s the package?”
The newcomer deliberately lowered his voice.
“Here.”
The first man pulled an oil-paper bundle from inside his coat.
“It’s a copy of the newest alloy formula.”
“It took a tremendous effort to get.”
“Take it quickly.”
“Security has gotten tight lately.”
“That lunatic Qin Zhan is everywhere.”
“And that idiot Lin Xue has already been exposed.”
“She was simply incompetent.”
The second figure sneered as he reached for the package.
“As long as we get this…”
“Our mission is complete.”
Just as their hands were about to meet—
Click!
A blinding flashlight suddenly exploded to life.
The beam struck both men squarely in the face.
“Who’s there?!”
The spies were startled and instinctively reached for their pistols.
“Don’t move!”
“Hands up!”
Instantly, dozens of armed soldiers rose from the surrounding grass.
A forest of rifle barrels pointed directly at them.
Qin Zhan stepped out of the darkness.
The powerful flashlight remained fixed in his hand.
His cold face carried a faint mocking smile.
“Gentlemen.”
“Quite late for a friendly meeting.”
“The scenery at General’s Temple is lovely…”
“Though there are rather too many mosquitoes.”
The spies were seasoned operatives.
Seeing themselves surrounded, they exchanged a glance.
Instead of retreating…
They charged.
“Go!”
They lunged toward Qin Zhan while throwing a cloud of white powder into the air.
Lime powder.
“Watch out!”
Qin Zhan reacted instantly.
Twisting aside, he avoided the powder and delivered a powerful spinning kick.
Bang!
The spy carrying the lime was launched backward.
He slammed into the stone statue and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The other spy immediately turned to flee.
Suddenly…
His foot snagged on something.
Looking down, he saw an incredibly thin steel wire stretched across the ground.
“Argh!”
He crashed face-first into the dirt.
Before he could stand…
A heavy boot planted itself firmly on his back.
“Running?”
“Where exactly do you think you’re going?”
Lin Wan stepped out from behind a tree.
A length of fishing line was still wrapped around her hand.
[Now that’s what I call a trap.]
[System-issued nano fishing line.]
[Guaranteed to deal with any troublemaker.]
[Qin Zhan’s fighting skills are impressive…]
[But even heroes need a little high-tech support.]
Qin Zhan looked at Lin Wan and sighed helplessly.
He had specifically told her to stay home.
Instead, she had secretly followed him.
Her excuse?
She had claimed she was “worried he’d accidentally step on the pile of crap Lin Xue buried.”
Yet…
The trap had actually proved useful.
The soldiers rushed forward and tied both spies up securely.
The black cloth masks were ripped away.
Under the flashlight’s beam…
Everyone saw their faces.
A collective gasp echoed through the ruins.
One of them…
Was the furniture saleswoman from the supply cooperative.
The other…
Was the seemingly honest purchasing clerk from the military research institute’s cafeteria.
“Not bad.”
Qin Zhan let out a cold laugh.
“One kept an eye on supplies.”
“The other watched the cafeteria.”
“You certainly had your network well established.”
“Take them away.”
That night…
No one slept.
With the capture of these two “Number Two” assets, the Falcon spy network that had infiltrated the military compound was uprooted completely.
Beneath the stone statue’s pedestal…
The soldiers really did uncover an iron chest.
When they opened it…
They found not only the original arsenal blueprints…
But also numerous gold bars and silver dollars from the Yuan Shikai era.
“We’re rich…”
Lin Wan stared at the glittering treasure with wide eyes.
[How much braised pork could all this buy?]
[System Notification: Donate everything to the nation.]
[Reward: 5,000 Merit Points.]
[Exchangeable for one advanced future technology blueprint.]
[Tch. That’s pretty stingy.]
[Still… with a technology blueprint…]
[Tangtang could build things like televisions and washing machines someday.]
[That sounds even better.]
Seeing Lin Wan’s little miser expression, Qin Zhan couldn’t help smiling.
He walked over, removed his military overcoat, and draped it around her shoulders.
The night wind had grown cold.
“Let’s go home.”
“The gold belongs to the country.”
“But as for braised pork…”
“You can eat as much as you want.”
Lin Wan pulled the coat tighter around herself.
It still carried Qin Zhan’s warmth…
…and the clean scent of soap.
She smiled.
Beneath the cool moonlight, her smile was especially warm.
“Then I want two bowls!”
“Fine.”
“I’ll give you the whole pot.”
The two of them walked home side by side.
Their shadows stretched long beneath the moon.
Even in an era filled with danger…
…and uncertainty…
As long as there was meat to eat…
A home to return to…
And someone to walk beside you…
Life didn’t seem nearly so difficult after all.