Chapter 87

Tong Shu tidied up the three wooden cabins for Wen Shaocheng and the others to stay in. After dinner, the special forces team did not immediately disperse to rest, but instead gathered in Wen Shaocheng and Liu Wanqi's room to discuss something.

“Nighttime is always a good time to lie in wait, but because of the poisonous mushrooms, we can’t operate at night. The herbal juice that Tong Meizi gave us has really been a great help.” Liu Wanqi couldn’t hide his joy.

Wen Shaocheng nodded: "Xiao Cheng and Xiao Yuan will set off tonight. They should finish marking the points before dawn and come back to report on the situation."

Xiao Cheng and Xiao Yuan, whose names were called, both responded in agreement.

"You still need to be careful. The poison gas won't harm you, but the killing vine's aggressiveness shouldn't be underestimated," Liu Wanqi reminded him worriedly.

"It's alright, Vice Captain," Xiao Cheng said confidently. "We've cut down tens of thousands, if not thousands, of Killer Vines along the way. As long as the mushrooms are no longer a threat, these vines are nothing to hurt us."

That's true. When Wen Shaocheng and his team were protecting the supply ships and civilians in the north of the city as they moved to the central region, apart from being caught off guard by the Killer Vine at the very beginning, they became more and more adept at dealing with this mutated vine. The researchers on the supply ships even formulated a medicine that could be sprayed on the body to effectively repel most of the Killer Vine.

“Speaking of which, Captain, should we send some herbal juice to Section Chief Li and the others? We can’t move around today anyway, so we might as well go back and let them know we’re safe. But it’s hard to explain what happened with Tong Meizi. If we do, some people will inevitably try to come here,” Liu Wanqi said with some difficulty.

When Wen Shaocheng thought of how Tong Shu had specially called him back after dinner and left him a backpack full of supplies, a hint of warmth appeared in his eyes.

"Tong Shu is ready. I'll go there myself later. You take the rest of the people and rest where you are until we return," Wen Shaocheng commanded succinctly.

"...You're going alone?" Liu Wanqi wasn't too supportive: "How about I go with you, Captain? At least I can help you carry some things."

"We're in someone else's house now. If we both leave, what are you going to do if something happens to the host?"

Liu Wanqi thought it made sense and reluctantly agreed.

That night, three figures left the Tong family's courtyard and headed in two different directions.

"It seems like Major Wen and some of his men have gone out," Wang Jie said quietly to Tong Shu after peeking through the curtains.

Tong Shu knew that Wen Shaocheng had gone to deliver supplies. She squinted and looked in another direction. Two other figures moved nimbly and were clearly heading towards the woods by the river.

Could it be that they're planning to wipe out those Japanese? Tong Shu wondered to herself.

However, Tong Shu quickly dismissed this idea. Wen Shaocheng was a very cautious person and would never let two team members risk their lives. These two people were most likely just scouting the location.

Tong Shu felt a surge of excitement.

Originally worried that something might happen to Tian Zhaozhao and the others, she only planned to provide some help within her own capabilities. But now that Wen Shaocheng and the others have arrived and brought news of those beasts, Tong Shu couldn't sit still anymore.

Ever since she learned that it was those damned Japanese devils who had kidnapped Tian Zhaozhao and the others, Tong Shu's heart had been restless. Suppressing her emotions, she gave Wang Jie a wink, and the two of them pretended to be nonchalant as they walked to a corner.

"What?!" Wang Jie was glared at by Tong Shu and pinched on the arm. He immediately covered his mouth and lowered his voice: "You mean, Tian Zhaozhao ran into those Japanese people?"

Tong Shu nodded: "Wen Shaocheng and the others also followed these people here. They've probably already started making preparations."

"...Do you have any ideas?"

"If these people don't die, I'll never get over this hurdle in my heart." Tong Shu's tone was flat, but it revealed a deep hatred.

Wang Jie glanced at her, his eyes filled with the same ruthlessness as Tong Shu's: "Fine, what do you plan to do? I'll go with you."

Tong Shu's family built their own courtyard, so naturally they knew how to sneak out quietly without anyone noticing.

No one noticed when Wang Jie and Tong Shu left the courtyard. The two put on the night vision goggles they had exchanged with Wen Shaocheng and carefully made their way towards Tian Zhaozhao's base.

They were covered in a thick layer of medicinal powder, and even the killer vines had to retreat when they approached.

There was no need to search for Tian Zhaozhao's new base at all; Tong Shu could see from afar that the blazing flames surrounded several rough, unfinished bungalows.

Wang Jie held up a telescope and looked for a while, then nudged Tong Shu's lower back with his elbow: "Look, look at what's hanging from that tree?"

Tong Shu frowned and took out a pair of binoculars to look over. She saw that on the giant tree that was not surrounded by the fire ring, there were many burlap sacks hanging swaying, and they were placed at a very low height. Tong Shu looked closely and found that it was exactly the maximum height that the Killer Vine could grow at.

The more Tong Shu looked, the more uneasy she felt. Her intuition told her the sack wouldn't contain ordinary items; it was most likely...

"Damn! They put people in bags!" Wang Jie felt a chill run down his spine: "I saw a foot sticking out of the bag; that person must be dead."

Tong Shu crushed the withered branches under her feet into tiny pieces in an instant.

Although the poisonous mushrooms here weren't as rampant as those on the other side, their density indicated that the concentration of poisonous gas here wouldn't be low. Tong Shu and Wang Jie had drunk the juice from the Lala Vine, so they didn't feel anything. After seeing that there was no one guarding the bungalow, Tong Shu was puzzled, but relying on her means of self-protection, she still secretly led Wang Jie over.

“Shushu,” Wang Jie said, leaning against the tree trunk, “this sack above our heads is moving.”

Tong Shu and Wang Jie exchanged a glance and immediately understood his meaning. She winked at Wang Jie, then scrambled up the rope in three quick steps, swiftly cutting the rope that was hanging down. Wang Jie, below, managed to grab the falling sack tightly in his arms without making a sound.

The sharp blade slid across the bag opening, and a face instantly peeked out – by sheer coincidence, it was Tian Zhaozhao.

Tian Zhaozhao had been hanging for an unknown amount of time, and her eyes were now unfocused. When she suddenly saw the light, tears streamed down her face.

"Tian Zhaozhao? What happened to you? How did you get stuck in the tree!" Tong Shu slapped Tian Zhaozhao's face to bring him to his senses.

It took Tian Zhaozhao a while to come to his senses. By the light of the fire not far away, he finally saw Tong Shu's face clearly. In an instant, his nose tingled and he really cried.

"Sister Hua...you've finally come to save us..."

...

Tong Shu and Wang Jie carried Tian Zhaozhao to a secluded spot, gave him some water, and listened as he choked back tears as he recounted the events that had transpired.

"...At first, it was the people who went out to collect bricks who ran back, saying that your men had shot and killed one of our men. You know, we've all been terrified by your shooting." Tian Zhaozhao said with difficulty, panting, "But I know you're good people, otherwise you wouldn't have just used rabbits to scare us. Besides, we've been behaving ourselves and haven't done anything wrong..."

Tong Shu found him long-winded and interrupted him with a frown: "Get to the point."

"Later they found the base and discovered that we were unaffected by the poisonous mushrooms. They interrogated the people at the base. Since our place is a mixed bag, they found out about the Lala Vine Juice with a little bit of skill."

"You gave them the vine juice?"

Tian Zhaozhao shook her head weakly: "No, the juice of the Lala Vine is our most important resource. Right now, only my sister and I know where it is hidden. I also know that many people in the base have ulterior motives. Without this Lala Vine juice, I can't control them at all."

"So this group of people hung you up."

Tian Zhaozhao nodded: "They...they wanted to know the whereabouts of the Lala Vine Juice, so they hung me and my family on trees. They also killed several of my close friends and colleagues every day...I...I haven't drunk Lala Vine Juice for several days, and I'm about to give up too. I was just thinking how long it would take for you to find out we were in trouble and come to rescue us...Thankfully, thankfully, I waited..."

No wonder they only light campfires at night and don't send anyone to stand guard outside. This group of people have never drunk the juice of the Lala Vine and have no resistance to the poisonous gas released by the poisonous mushrooms.

After thinking for a moment, Tong Shu took out a bottle of Lala Teng juice, pried open Tian Zhaozhao's mouth, and poured it into her mouth.

"Cough cough..." Tian Zhaozhao choked and tears streamed down her face again.

"Brother, feed him some eight-treasure porridge," Tong Shu said to Wang Jie.

"...Hua, Sister Hua, what are you doing?" Tian Zhaozhao asked in horror.

Tong Shu smiled kindly at him: "Zhao Zhao, I'm sorry, please hang in there for one more day."

"Huh?" Tian Zhaozhao was stunned and didn't react.

“When they come to ask you first thing tomorrow morning, just tell them you’ve decided to tell them where the 'Lala Vine Juice' is hidden.” Tong Shu leaned close to Tian Zhaozhao’s ear and whispered to him, “When it’s getting dark, take them to the woods about a kilometer upstream from the riverside park.”

"...You, you guys are planning to be there...?"

"Yes," Tong Shu affirmed decisively, "but you'll have to take the risk. Are you brave enough?"

Tian Zhaozhao had regained much of her strength by now. Thinking about how these people had taken the lives of her family members in just a few days, she was filled with boundless hatred: "Don't worry, Sister Hua, I'll definitely deceive everyone I can. At worst, I'll take them all down with me!"

Tong Shu patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction, gave him a few more instructions, then tied the sack tighter and hung Tian Zhaozhao back on the tree.

______

"Should we go again tomorrow? How many do you think Tian Zhaozhao can trick into the woods? Can the two of us handle them?" Wang Jie asked, but he didn't hesitate at all. He wanted nothing more than to get rid of those Japanese people.

"I called you over to help me clean up this mess." Tong Shu pushed open the back door of the courtyard. "I'll kill as many as they come. I'll avenge Sister Xiaoxiao myself!"

"Woof woof woof!" A fluffy ball of fur suddenly appeared at Tong Shu's feet. Tong Shu didn't notice and stepped on its little paw, making it yelp in pain.

"Oh my, why are you up so early?" Tong Shu quickly picked up the little guy and blew on his front paws.