Chapter 64 Mark
Xie Shiyu's footsteps returning home startled Gu Qiuyue. She suddenly looked up and asked silently.
"Don't be afraid," Xie Shiyu said in a low, steady voice, his fingertips lightly brushing his wife's slightly cold cheek. "We've got a few minions holding them down, a net covering them, and double guards at the door."
His gaze passed over his wife's shoulder and fell on the baby sleeping soundly in her arms. The little girl was unaware of the wind and rain and was sleeping soundly. This warm picture was like an ice needle, piercing Xie Shiyu's heart.
Gu Qiuyue did not ask any further questions. She buried her cheek deeper into her husband's tense shoulder, absorbing the steady heartbeat. The two of them hugged each other silently in the darkness before dawn, and the heavy feeling of shared hatred flowed in the silence.
The twisted strokes of the spider pattern burned repeatedly in Xie Shiyu's mind. What could it be? A secret code? An organizational signature? Or perhaps the coordinates for a decisive kill? The thick fog of uncertainty made the danger even more unpredictable.
There was a slight noise coming from the inner room. It was the mother Wang Xiulan who was awakened. She was gently patting the twin brother who was sleeping in the small bed. The little guy hummed twice and fell into a deep sleep again.
The sky was grayish, the atmosphere in the family compound was solemn, the number of patrolling soldiers increased, and entry and exit were strictly checked.
Xie Shiyu was "on standby" at home, but in fact he was like a dormant cheetah, fully alert.
The noise from the vacant courtyard next door broke the silence - the new neighbor had arrived. Xie Shiyu stood behind the window, looking coldly through the gap in the curtain.
The newly moved-in hostess, Wu Cui, was wearing a patched blue cloth shirt and commanding the soldiers with nimble hands and feet. She had a smile on her face, but her eyes were shrewd. She quickly glanced at Gu Qiuyue's bright clothes hanging out to dry and the milk powder cans on the windowsill, and greedily inhaled the aroma of food wafting from the Xie family's kitchen.
Gu Qiuyue was holding her little daughter in the yard for some fresh air. Wu Cui immediately greeted her warmly across the low bamboo fence: "Oh, sister, this little girl is so rare. Is Deputy Commander Xie at home? Wow, the meat smells so good. It's just different with a man at home. This milk powder... must be very expensive, right?" Her tone was envious, but her eyes were like searchlights, sliding across the kitchen window and the milk powder cans, and the jealousy that could not be concealed almost overflowed.
Gu Qiuyue felt uncomfortable being stared at by her, and responded vaguely and retreated into the house.
Wang Xiulan came out of the inner room, holding her brother, who had just woken up and was still a little confused. Seeing this, she frowned slightly, but said nothing, just hugged her grandson tighter. Xie Shiyu in the room listened to the barbed conversation and frowned.
"Shi Yu," Gu Qiuyue came in and handed the child to her mother-in-law with an uneasy look on her face. "The fence is too low, it's as good as nothing. How about... talk to the logistics department and build a mud wall? It's higher, thicker, and safer." The last few words were light and low.
Wang Xiulan, holding her grandson, nodded in agreement, "We should build it higher. The two children are about to learn to climb and run. A low fence won't stop them. If they run outside, it will be worrying."
"Okay!" Xie Shiyu stood up without hesitation, "I'll go right away."
The yard of the Logistics Department was filled with broken tables, chairs and sundries. Xie Shiyu had just explained the purpose of building the wall to the person in charge and was waiting for his signature and approval when he heard two soldiers who were helping to sort things out at the door of the warehouse next door muttering while moving things.
"... Just look at Mrs. Wu who just moved in next door. Didn't a relative come to visit a few days ago and help her clean up the house? That young man, who is said to be her cousin, seems very diligent, but his eyes are a little wandering." Soldier A lowered his voice.
Soldier B continued, "Yes, there is such a person. I remember him. The day before yesterday, I saw him wandering around here and he asked me to borrow a pen and paper.
He said he was helping his cousin look at the layout of the new house she was given, and note where to buy what furniture... He was talking nonsense, asking all sorts of questions, and kept glancing towards the archives..."
A military family member visiting relatives? A cousin? Xie Shiyu paused, his pen in hand, the terrifyingly accurate map of the family compound flashing through his mind. A military family member visiting relatives, concerned about the layout of their newly allocated housing, would need to borrow paper and pen to wander around the logistics archives to inquire? This behavior itself was extremely unreasonable and peculiar.
All the clues were connected in an instant like lightning. The picture in Zhao Laosi's hand was most likely from the hand of this so-called "cousin". Alarm bells in his heart were ringing wildly, and a chill rushed to his head.
His face remained expressionless, as if he was just concentrating on looking at the approval slip. He quickly signed it and handed it back to the clerk: "Please arrange it as soon as possible. I have a young child at home, so safety comes first." His tone was normal.
"Don't worry, Deputy Captain Xie. We'll send people over to dismantle the fence and start the work this afternoon." The clerk agreed readily.
Xie Shiyu nodded, turned around, and strode out of the logistics department with a swift step, heading straight for the group leader's office: "Report!"
Cheng Tuan was slightly surprised to see it was him. "Why aren't you staying at home? Didn't you say your wife got frightened yesterday?"
"Report to the regiment commander, there's a new development!" Xie Shiyu said seriously, "A cousin of Captain Lu's has just moved in. Are you aware of this?"
"I know. Lu Hongjun reported to me that the person was his family's cousin. He heard that he had applied for a house in the family compound, so he came specially to help his cousin's family. What's wrong?" Cheng Tuan asked in confusion. Shouldn't Xie Shiyu be focusing all his energy on his wife and children now? Why is he still concerned about the affairs of his neighbors?
"Report to the captain, I suspect that this person is the one who drew the layout of the family compound and leaked it to Zhao Laosi." Xie Shiyu said surprisingly.
Cheng Tuan frowned, "No way, Old Xie, I understand how you feel now. If my wife encountered such a thing, I would also think everyone is a bad person. But we can't just rely on our own conjectures, we must also produce factual evidence.
Besides, this cousin of Lu Hongjun looks like an honest villager, you can't doubt him like that."
"I have a well-founded suspicion," Xie Shiyu recounted the conversation he had just heard at the door of the logistics department.
Hearing this, Cheng Tuan's brow furrowed even more. After a moment, he called his orderly over and said, "Fire someone to keep an eye on Captain Lu's cousin, Wang Li. Also, call his hometown to check his background."
"Yes!" The orderly saluted and went out.
Cheng Tuancai looked at Xie Shiyu and said, "Old Xie, don't worry. We will investigate it right away and make sure to get to the bottom of it. Just go back and take good care of your family. She is the treasure of our military region!"
"Yes!" Xie Shiyu still needed to go out and talk to Captain Wang, so he didn't stay in the captain's office for long.
But before he left the office, the phone on his desk rang. Cheng Tuan picked up the phone and called out to Xie Shiyu, "Old Xie, it's for you."
"Thank you!" Xie Shiyu thanked him and said "Hello" into the receiver. Then he heard Gu Qiuhan's icy voice from the other end: "Shiyu, that pattern is the 'Black Spider Seal'. It's the death mark of the cross-border 'Black Spider Gang' that Zhao Laosi fought for back then. Once you touch it, you'll never stop fighting. He might be colluding with remnants of the gang abroad and is determined to drag everyone to hell.
Yueyue and the child are in great danger. I've reported this to the commander. My parents have been taken into custody. I'm on my way and will arrive tomorrow night at the earliest."
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