demonstration
"You, come here!" a Japanese soldier shouted in broken Chinese, pointing casually at a few people in the crowd.
Among the group were a woman carrying a vegetable basket, a hunched-over porter, and a man who looked like an accountant, clutching a bundle tightly in his arms. Their faces drained of color instantly, and they stood there stiffly, as if they hadn't understood.
"Hurry up!" the soldier said impatiently, waving his rifle butt.
A commotion arose in the crowd, followed by several terrified screams. A young woman, who had been holding her four- or five-year-old child's hand, was suddenly dragged out by two soldiers. The child cried loudly in fright, clinging tightly to his mother's clothes.
"Let me go! What are you doing?!" the woman struggled in terror.
"Baka! Behave yourself!" a soldier said gruffly in Japanese, increasing the force of his blows. The woman slipped and almost fell, and the child followed, tumbling to the ground. The child's cries grew even more heart-wrenching, his little face covered in tears and snot, helplessly reaching out for his mother to hold him.
"Mother!"
Someone nearby recognized the woman; she was the wife of a deliveryman for "Leji Delivery." The man worked tirelessly delivering food from dawn till dusk, while the woman stayed home to take care of the children. Their life was simple but peaceful.
Meanwhile, a similar arrest took place at the entrance of the "Hao Zai Lai" restaurant not far away. Several soldiers rushed in, specifically targeting the owner. The owner, an honest and unassuming man, looked up in alarm upon hearing the commotion.
“You, it’s you! Take him away!” the soldier pointed at him.
"Sir, what...what did I do wrong?" Old Wang looked bewildered, dropping the ledger in his hand.
"Someone reported you! Your store delivered goods to the western suburbs! Get out of here!" The soldiers didn't give him a chance to explain; two of them stepped forward and grabbed him from both sides.
"The western suburbs? It's a Leji order! I didn't deliver it there!"
"Le Ji?" The soldier's eyes narrowed, as if he had heard a sensitive word. He snorted coldly and shoved the butt of his rifle into Old Wang's stomach. Old Wang doubled over in pain, his face contorted with agony.
Then, more citizens were randomly arrested, and the scene became increasingly chaotic. Screams, cries, and pleas for mercy filled the air, creating a scene resembling hell on earth. Some tried to resist but were immediately beaten and dragged away like dead dogs. Others were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground, only to be kicked up mercilessly by soldiers and carried away in a scrambling, stumbling manner.
Those arrested, regardless of age or gender, had only one thing in common: they were all ordinary citizens. The terror and despair on their faces seemed to be a source of amusement for the soldiers with their guns. The soldiers even wore cold smiles, as if they were enjoying a farce.
You Jiale witnessed the whole process when she went out in the morning to collect a sum of compensation to give to Xiao Liu's wife and mother.
His hands were clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. He had witnessed the peace of modern society, the glitz and glamour of its nightlife; the lives of those "idle rich kids" filled him with unbearable anger and fear at the sight of such blatant violence and the taking of lives. This wasn't a movie, not a novel; this was reality, a bloody reality.
He saw Xiao Liu's wife and child being shoved into a truck. The woman, clutching the child, was curled up in a ball, sobbing softly. He also saw the "Hao Zai Lai" shopkeeper being dragged onto the truck, his face bruised and swollen, his eyes vacant. And there were other innocent faces, their once vibrant lives now reduced to despair and fear.
This was absolutely not a simple arrest; it was for revenge, and even more so for deterrence. They bombed the Japanese base, and the Japanese wanted to repay them in blood, and to make everyone afraid, to let them know the price of resistance.
"Damn it!" You Jiale cursed under his breath. He knew he couldn't do anything; he couldn't rush out and fight the Japanese soldiers to the death. But he couldn't just stand by and do nothing, especially since it involved the people of "Leji" and their business partners.
He needs to live in order to help them.
The arrests continued, and the Japanese army showed no sign of stopping. More people were herded onto trucks and driven towards the city gate.
You Jiale's heart tightened. The city gate? What were they going to do with bringing people to the city gate?
By the time he reached the city gate, the sun was already setting, and the blood-red afterglow bathed the entire gate in an ominous hue. He saw a large crowd already gathered there, surrounding the square inside the gate, staring at something with terrified expressions.
You Jiale pushed through the crowd to the front. In the center of the square stood a row of brand-new wooden frames, the rough wood still bearing fresh saw marks. Their shape was clearly that of gallows used for executions!
"Order from the Imperial Japanese Army!" the translator shouted, his voice hoarse and shrill, "The western suburban base has been sabotaged by despicable traitors! This is a heinous crime! They must be severely punished!"
Some of the onlookers clenched their fists, their bodies trembling slightly with anger, but no one dared to utter a sound.
"In order to find the mole!" the translator continued, "we'll now begin arresting the suspects!"
You Jiale felt all the blood rush to his head. He heard people whispering in the crowd: "Suspicious persons? Isn't that just arresting people randomly? They even arrested the family members of the deliverymen at Leji!" "And the owner of 'Haozailai' restaurant, just because he accepted a delivery order from the western suburbs!" Although the whispers were soft, they were like dull knives, cutting into You Jiale's heart again and again.
"Deadline: Within three days!" The translator's voice suddenly rose, tinged with a cruel glee. "Hand over the saboteurs! Otherwise!" He paused, his eyes sweeping over the terrified crowd, a twisted smile on his face. "Every other day, here and now, one person will be executed!"
The last four words exploded like thunder, echoing in everyone's hearts.
You Jiale felt his head buzzing, and he could feel that bone-chilling cold returning, rising from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. This was no longer a simple act of revenge by arresting people; it was naked terror! They were using the lives of innocent people to threaten and coerce them.
He saw those who had been arrested, including the wife and children of the "Lok Kee" deliveryman, being taken off the truck by soldiers, tied up, and thrown on the ground next to the gallows.
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