Silent Thunder
Volume Two, Clash of Shadows, Chapter Twelve (Final Chapter)
The air inside the tree hollow seemed to freeze, save for the lingering warmth of the radio and the heavy breathing of everyone. An urgent telegram from headquarters struck like a silent thunderclap, shattering the brief tranquility that had just been achieved.
Fighting on two fronts, the task is far more arduous than ever before.
Shen Lanjun took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and broke the silence first: "Time is of the essence, we must act immediately. Tieshan, do you have a target for your plan to capture 'tongues'?"
Gu Tieshan's gaze was calm, clearly indicating that he had made a decision in the short time he had just made it: "Yes. Onizuka Ichiro has a translator named Nakamura Yuya. This man is not a pure Japanese; his mother is Taiwanese. He is fluent in Chinese and is deeply trusted by Onizuka, handling many confidential documents. He has a weakness—he is a womanizer. Every few days, he secretly goes to a brothel called 'Drunken Immortal Pavilion' in Heihe Town for pleasure, usually accompanied by only two guards. The environment there is complicated, making it the best place for us to strike."
To infiltrate a town heavily guarded by the Japanese army and kidnap the trusted translator of the intelligence chief right under his nose! This plan was so audacious it bordered on insane!
Geng Dashan and Xiao Chen gasped, but seeing Gu Tieshan's unwavering gaze, they immediately swallowed their doubts, leaving only resolute determination.
“Alright!” Shen Lanjun didn’t try to stop her. She knew this was the most direct, and possibly the only, opportunity to obtain core intelligence. “I will use all available channels to investigate the details of the Black Dragon Society’s expert team and its cultural infiltration. You… must be careful!”
Her gaze fell on Gu Tieshan's face, filled with a complex mix of worry and trust.
Gu Tieshan walked up to her and took out the pair of dragon scale bracelets he had always treasured close to his body. The cold metal gleamed eerily in the dim light. He picked up one of them, took Shen Lanjun's hand, and solemnly placed it in her palm.
“Keep this.” His voice was low. “If we… don’t come back, take it to Political Commissar Yang. He knows what it is.”
Shen Lanjun's hand trembled slightly as she tightly gripped the dragon scale bracelet that still carried Gu Tieshan's warmth. She knew it was not only a token of their love, but also a symbol that Gu Tieshan considered her his only benefactor. She didn't refuse or say anything sentimental; she simply nodded heavily and pushed the other dragon scale bracelet into Gu Tieshan's hand: "You should keep this too. We...we all have to come back."
A simple conversation, yet it carried a thousand unspoken words. The shadow of separation and death loomed over their hearts, but neither of them revealed it.
"Dashan, Xiao Chen, check your equipment. Only bring a gun and a dagger. Get ready to go." Gu Tieshan turned around, his tone returning to its usual calm and decisive manner.
"yes!"
Shen Lanjun immediately sat down at the radio and began sending emergency instructions to Wang Degui and Qinghe, mobilizing all possible resources to focus on the "Black Dragon Society" and the "Expert Team." Her profile appeared exceptionally slender in the flickering firelight, yet it contained astonishing resilience and strength.
Half an hour later, everything was ready.
Gu Tieshan, Geng Dashan, and Xiao Chen changed into tattered clothes that would allow them to blend into the town, cleverly concealing their weapons. They were about to infiltrate the brightly lit but perilous enemy-occupied territory.
At the entrance to the tree hole, Gu Tieshan took one last look at Shen Lanjun. She didn't come out to see him off; she remained with her back to the entrance, focused on her radio and codebook, as if only in this way could she suppress the surging emotions within her.
Gu Tieshan took a deep look at her stubborn and frail back, then turned around abruptly, and silently disappeared into the deep night with Geng Dashan and Xiao Chen.
What awaits Shen Lanjun is a long and agonizing vigil, as well as an even more treacherous intellectual contest with a hidden enemy.
Gu Tieshan and his two companions were like three sharp knives drawn from their sheaths, piercing straight into the enemy's heart.
Taking advantage of Geng Dashan's familiarity with the terrain of Heihe Town, they bypassed the main checkpoints and sneaked into the town through a long-neglected drainage outlet in the city wall. The town was still bustling, with Japanese patrols passing by from time to time, and dim lanterns hanging outside taverns and brothels illuminating the faces of those indulging in debauchery.
"Drunken Immortal Pavilion" is the most famous brothel in Heihe Town. Located in a relatively bustling area, it is dark under the lights and not heavily guarded. Gu Tieshan and his two companions split up and moved like ghosts in the shadows, silently taking care of the two guards who were dozing in the backyard. Then, based on the information they had scouted beforehand, they went directly to the private room on the second floor that Nakamura Yu usually reserved.
Inside the room, the faint sounds of a man and woman laughing and joking could be heard. Gu Tieshan gestured to Geng Dashan and Xiao Chen, who immediately stood guard at either end of the corridor. He took a deep breath and suddenly flung open the door!
The scene inside the room was erotic and chaotic. Nakamura Yuya, a seemingly refined man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, was disheveled, embracing a prostitute, the table littered with cups and plates. Upon seeing Gu Tieshan burst in, his eyes cold, Nakamura Yuya's smile instantly froze, replaced by utter terror! He opened his mouth to scream, but Gu Tieshan pounced like a cheetah, delivering a precise chop to his neck! Nakamura Yuya's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed limply. The prostitute, about to scream in terror, was stopped by Xiao Chen, who had followed her in, who pressed a gun to her forehead and hissed, "Dare to make a sound, or I'll kill you!" The prostitute immediately covered her mouth, trembling violently.
The whole process was clean and efficient, taking no more than ten seconds.
Geng Dashan quickly entered, tied up Nakamura Yuya with the prepared hemp rope and rags, gagged him, and stuffed him into a large sack. Xiao Chen then warned the prostitute a few times and locked her inside the room.
The three men shouldered the sacks and quickly retreated along the original route, disappearing into the night of Heihe Town without anyone noticing, as if they had never existed.
Only after they were far from the town and back in the relatively safe dense forest did the three of them breathe a sigh of relief. They found a secluded ravine and woke up Nakamura Yuya.
Faced with Gu Tieshan's gaze, which seemed to freeze one's soul, and the cold muzzle of the gun pressed against his temple, the usually arrogant translator completely broke down. Tears streamed down his face, and in order to survive, he spilled everything he knew.
He confirmed the existence of the "Iron Wall Encirclement" plan for the spring sweep. Although he did not know the specific attack route (this was a core military secret known only to a few high-ranking officers such as Onizuka), he revealed a crucial piece of information: the vanguard of the sweep would set off simultaneously from three directions—Heihe, Huma, and Qike—at dawn five days later, on April 28th! Onizuka Ichiro's command post would move along with the main force from the Heihe direction!
He also mentioned the "expert team" of the "Black Dragon Society," whose leader was a veteran spy named Takeshita Hiroki, skilled in psychological warfare and cultural infiltration. The team brought a large amount of propaganda materials and a complete "appeasement" plan, aimed at "civilizing" the Chinese people in the occupied areas, especially the young people...
They obtained valuable intelligence, but also alerted the enemy. Onizuka will soon discover Nakamura Yuya's disappearance and will inevitably increase their vigilance, possibly even taking action ahead of schedule.
Gu Tieshan acted decisively, executing Nakamura Yuya and burying his body. Then, he took Geng Dashan and Xiao Chen and returned to the tree hollow as quickly as possible.
When they returned, covered in dew and exhausted, carrying the weighty intelligence, the eastern sky was already beginning to lighten.
Shen Lanjun didn't sleep a wink that night and immediately sent out the preemptive strike time via radio. Headquarters replied with only two words: "Received. Be careful."
The crisis has been temporarily communicated, but a larger storm is brewing. Inside the tree hollow, Gu Tieshan and Shen Lanjun stand side by side once again, gazing at the sky outside that is gradually brightening.
“Takeshita Hiroki… cultural infiltration…” Shen Lanjun murmured, her eyes sharp, “This line must be cut off.”
Gu Tieshan nodded, gripping the dragon scale bracelet tightly in his hand. His gaze seemed to have pierced through countless mountains and forests, seeing the impending blood and fire that would sweep across thousands of miles.
The silent thunder has already sounded, and the chapter of forging souls in the flames of war is about to turn a new page. An even more magnificent and blood-soaked struggle awaits them.
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