But he quickly replied, "This is the symbol of the 'Cherry Blossom Mound' organization. Only official members are branded with it. Outpost liaisons like me can only meet through passwords and codes. No one dares to use this symbol without authorization."
"Are they all Japanese people inside?"
Su Qingzhi followed closely, her brows furrowed deeply.
"No... there are also Chinese people."
The old man swallowed hard, his voice lowering.
"They are the descendants of the Japanese and locals who stayed here back then. They receive secret training from a young age and are infiltrated into various positions after growing up. Some of them don't even know their true identities until they reach adulthood."
Su Qingzhi looked at Shen Zhiyu, her lips moved slightly, but she didn't say anything.
"How many people are left in the lab? Tell me!"
The poison was almost touching the old man's lips, and the faint, foul smell made his nose sting.
The old man trembled all over, his teeth chattered, and he pleaded incoherently.
"I don't know, I really don't know... I'm just a small fry on the outermost edge, responsible for delivering supplies and relaying messages. I can't even get into the core area, I've never even seen a map... Please, let me go!"
"Still being stubborn? Then let's see if you can handle this medicine."
Su Qingzhi stared at him coldly, her tone completely unwavering.
The old man opened his mouth in pain.
"Ah, I'll tell you! I'll tell you! There are traps and mechanisms at the entrance..."
Finally, overwhelmed by unbearable pain, he broke down and confessed everything in one breath.
He raised his trembling hand and stretched it out towards Su Qingzhi, pleading intermittently, "I...I already told you...Save...Save me...Don't let me die like this...Please..."
"Please...please...give me...a quick death."
The old man's voice was hoarse, his jaw was chattering, and he managed to squeeze out a few words intermittently.
Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open with a soft creak.
The old man's eyes lit up, his cloudy pupils suddenly contracted, and he abruptly looked up at the door, thinking that his accomplices had arrived.
But the figure that entered made him freeze instantly.
It was a bear cub, a fluffy, brownish-black young that looked no more than a few months old, shuffling in through the door.
But it's okay, since the cubs have appeared, the mother bear must be nearby.
This group killed my brothers, destroyed the stronghold, and will soon be torn to pieces by the enraged mother bear!
The old man let out a chuckle.
His body was still convulsing, but a final hint of pleasure appeared on his face.
Even if I can't survive, I want to see you all die with me.
Although I'm poisoned, I won't die anytime soon, but you're all doomed first!
But the next second, his smile froze completely.
"Little guy, come here."
Su Qingzhi gently waved her hand, her voice soft and gentle.
The little bear grinned, its ears twitched slightly, its eyes sparkling, and it came running over with a bouncy trot.
With a nimble flip, it lay on its back at Su Qingzhi's feet, its furry belly sticking up high, rubbing against her palm while making satisfied purring sounds.
"You...you...this is impossible..."
The old man's eyes widened, his eyeballs almost bulging out of their sockets.
Su Qingzhi had no time to pay attention to him; her mind was entirely focused on the little bear in front of her, concentrating on coaxing this furry ball that had just recognized her as its owner.
Just now, this guy thought he had been abandoned by his owner. He was hiding behind a tree, whimpering pitifully, and tearfully scratching at the grass.
She pointed to the old man slumped on the ground beside her and said calmly, "I'm teaching this bad guy a lesson. He bullied others and tried to hurt us."
The little bear turned its head and its previously docile eyes instantly turned sharp.
It let out a low growl, its anger flaring up instantly. It stood up abruptly and raised its thick claws to deliver a vicious slap.
That palm strike was incredibly powerful, sending the old man tumbling over.
He spat out a mouthful of blood, mixed with broken teeth and saliva, and his chest visibly caved in.
The old man curled up on the ground, trembling like a leaf, his tattered clothes soaked with cold sweat.
Su Qingzhi rubbed her temples, looking slightly tired.
Then he reached out and pinched the bear's fluffy ears.
"You can't hit people randomly anymore, understand? Even if the other person is a bad guy, you can't use that kind of force. What if someone gets killed?"
The little bear blinked its eyes, its watery pupils filled with innocence, and its ears drooped down.
Su Qingzhi was also worried, her heart heavy.
She knew that one day this little guy would return to the mountains and become the true king of the wilderness.
But if we don't learn to control ourselves now, we might hurt people in the forest and cause trouble in the future.
They might be hunted down by hunters, or even bring disaster upon the entire tribe.
They need to be disciplined now, without any ambiguity.
Strangely enough, ever since this little guy drank from that mysterious spring, his behavior has been completely different from that of ordinary wild animals.
It not only understands human speech, but it can also read people's expressions, has a rich range of emotions, and reacts with astonishing sensitivity.
"Throw him out."
Su Qingzhi glanced at the blood-soaked old man on the ground and really didn't want to look at him anymore.
"Leaving here makes my place dirty."
Upon hearing this, Shen Zhiyu squatted down, placed two fingers in front of the old man's nose, sensed the faint breath, and nodded.
"He's still breathing, but his internal injuries are extremely severe, and he was poisoned before, so he won't last much longer."
He stood up, his tone calm.
“Alright, I’ll take care of him right away. There are too many insects outside, the miasma is everywhere, and the poisonous fog never dissipates. Even if he’s lucky enough to survive this palm strike, he’ll be eaten alive by those poisonous centipedes and ants as soon as he crawls out. He won’t survive on his own.”
Unexpectedly, the little bear seemed to understand what the two were saying, and its ears suddenly perked up.
It took a few steps forward with its short legs, and before Shen Zhiyu could even make a move, it used its thick forelimbs to scoop up the old man and toss him onto its shoulder.
Then, it huffed and puffed as it ran out, its furry figure quickly disappearing into the depths of the dense forest.
Only a string of messy footprints and the rustling sound fading into the distance in the forest were left behind.
Shen Zhiyu quickly chased after him.
The mist in the forest had not yet dissipated, and gusts of cold wind brushed against my cheeks.
But he couldn't care less about any of that; all he wanted was to get back to where he started as quickly as possible.
When he returned, he looked surprised and quickly told Su Qingzhi what he had just seen.
His eyes were wide open, and a trace of fear and disbelief still lingered on his face. He lowered his voice and said, "Niannian, I just... I just saw something incredible."
He was following the bear a dozen or so steps behind and witnessed the bear carrying a person on its back and throwing him into a dense forest.
The man seemed to have fainted, his body limply hanging on the bear's shoulder.
At first, Shen Zhiyu thought that Xiao Xiong might have misunderstood the mission and didn't understand their intentions at all.
He stood there hesitating for a few seconds, wondering if Little Bear had misunderstood the order and taken the prisoner away without permission.
But he soon realized that the situation was not so simple.
But after the little bear returned to his side and stood still, Shen Zhiyu noticed that the trees in the forest were suddenly swaying violently.
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