Fengshan General Offensive (Part Two)
Half a cup of tea's time passed in the blink of an eye, and there was still no movement inside the barbed wire fence. The young men who were following the truck were getting impatient and were about to go forward to argue when Uncle Hao stopped them. He warned the young men with his eyes that a small act of impatience could ruin a big plan.
After receiving the warning, the young men reluctantly sat back down on the carriage shaft. They simply leaned against the carriage and closed their eyes to rest. After waiting for about half an incense stick's time, they were attracted by a metallic clanging sound. They didn't see anyone pull the door open, but the door slid to the side by itself.
Besides Uncle Hao, the other young men in the car craned their necks curiously, trying to figure out the principle behind it. A young man in a plaid suit walked out of the iron gate.
Uncle Hao was surprised that Takahashi would personally receive him. He had already seen Takahashi's photo in the information provided by Wang Renyong; he looked slick and unmanly.
The surprise was fleeting. Uncle Hao immediately resumed his indifferent expression, tapped some ash off his cigarette on the car, put his pipe back in his waistband, and said impatiently, pretending not to recognize Takahashi, "Did Takahashi send you to inspect the goods? Hurry up, check it and pay."
Takahashi, who had been all smiles, froze the moment he saw Uncle Hao, and asked in accented Chinese, "Aido, did Tiger-san send you? Where is Tiger-san?"
"What do you mean by 'tiger funeral' or 'dog funeral'? Once the order is signed and the payment is settled, you can hold whose funeral you want. If you can't make the decision, then call Gao Qiao over." Uncle Hao said irritably, his eyes narrowed, seemingly quite angry about the previous neglect.
"Excuse me, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Takahashi, but I only do business with acquaintances. If Mr. Tora doesn't come, I can't accept the goods. I'll have to ask you to come again." Takahashi politely refused to accept the goods.
The young man was quite cautious. Uncle Hao had already heard Wang Renyong describe the Japanese as having petty manners but lacking in principle, using the utmost humility to do inhuman things. To put it simply, they could seamlessly switch between being a lackey and a treacherous wolf; they were hardly human. Dealing with this kind of person required…
"Ha! I guess I'm just unlucky. You'd better get cleaned up and wait for that old dog to crawl over to you tonight. Let's go." Uncle Hao didn't waste any more words with Gao Qiao. He took out his pipe, spurred his mule, and made a move to go down the mountain.
"Wait a minute, what do you mean by that? What happened to Tiger?" Takahashi stopped Uncle Hao, puzzled.
"Heh~tui~ Bad luck! In this world, who cares where an old dog dies? Goodbye." Uncle Hao spat at the foot of the bridge with a crooked mouth, then tapped his pipe twice on the cart.
As if struck by lightning, Takahashi stood there dumbfounded, his mouth slightly agape. Suddenly, he revealed his true colors, pulled out a Mauser pistol, and pointed it at Uncle Hao: "Who are you? How did you get this order? Did you kill Hu-san?"
Takahashi got excited, and the guards behind him also raised their guns to prepare to fire. The young men that Uncle Hao brought were not to be outdone either; they pulled out hunting rifles from under the carriage shafts at almost the same time, and the two sides faced each other in a tense standoff.
Uncle Hao sat on the cart shaft without showing any fear, twirling his pipe as he warned, "Young man, do you think I'm some kind of scoundrel like Old Dog, who thinks he can't afford it and just quits business? You're still too green to try and steal from me."
As Uncle Hao finished speaking, his pipe paused, and almost simultaneously a flash of cold light appeared on his wrist. A scream came from behind him. One guard was already lifeless, with a small black dart stuck in his forehead. The other guard hadn't even had time to pull the bolt when he suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood and collapsed to the ground in agony, convulsing.
The change came too quickly, and Takahashi was stunned. He didn't expect that after a dizzying moment, the tortoise shell would have a new owner, and he was face down, pressed tightly against the carriage shaft and unable to move. In his struggle, he tore off the red cloth on the carriage.
Red silk fluttered in the wind, and beneath the red cloth was a prison cart full of girls. To be precise, all the pretty girls were staring at Takahashi with eyes full of "fear." Even though Takahashi wasn't interested in women, his eyes lit up at that moment, and he exclaimed from the bottom of his heart, "They're really good stuff!"
The guards who heard the screams gathered at the entrance, but when they saw the girls, they all let out strange cries, and some even whistled with lewd laughter. Judging from their accents, some were Chinese and some were Japanese.
As the old saying goes, those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who have something to lose. Uncle Hao pressed his legs against Gao Qiao's body, and started twirling his pipe again, threatening, "I'm an old man who's almost buried in the ground. Trading me for a young man like you is not a loss."
"No, no, no—stop! No shooting! I'm discussing business with this gentleman, discussing business!" Takahashi's voice cracked with fright, but after witnessing Uncle Hao's ruthless methods, he returned to his original humble attitude.
"Talk business? Don't you only do business with acquaintances? We're not acquaintances." Uncle Hao deliberately changed his position, making Gao Qiao scream.
"There's a Chinese saying: 'Practice makes perfect.' I was blind to your greatness. May I ask your honorable name?" Takahashi asked cautiously, panting.
"I dare not accept your surname. People in the underworld have given me the nickname 'Red Dragon,' so just call me Red Dragon," Uncle Hao said casually, tapping his pipe a few more times.
"Okay, Mr. Akatsuki, I've accepted all your goods. I'll pay you right away. Please lift my feet and let me up." Takahashi was already covered in sweat, and his face was flushed red.
"Hmm? Is this your attitude in doing business? Young man, I don't see any sincerity from you." After Uncle Hao finished speaking, Takahashi realized that the guards at the door were too intimidating, so he quickly ordered them to return to their positions and said that the tortoise shell box in Uncle Hao's hand was a gift and did not need to be returned.
Now that Takahashi had shown his sincerity, Uncle Hao had no reason to cause any more trouble. He playfully pulled out one leg and said with a smile, "That's right, harmony brings wealth. Oh, since it's a good start for a new customer, I'll tell you a piece of news for free. This order is from my casino winnings. Old Dog can trade this order for one of his arms."
Gaoqiao felt as if half of the heavy burden on his back had been lifted, and the feeling of breathing freely was wonderful. He believed whatever Uncle Hao said now and nodded vigorously in agreement. After Uncle Hao removed the other leg, Gaoqiao slid heavily off the cart shaft and sat on the ground, panting heavily. Uncle Hao carefully covered the red cloth back on.
After Gaoqiao had rested properly, he led the mule caravan into the base openly, while Uncle Hao sat on the cart shaft humming a tune.
The old man seemed indifferent to the affairs of the base, but he had already silently noted down the exact location and number of guards in his mind, and also estimated the blind spots between the guards.
As the convoy rounded a corner, Uncle Hao quickly tapped the car body with his pipe. Gao Qiao, hearing the sound, assumed the old man was just tapping his pipe again and didn't even bother to look.
Actually, the uncle knocked over his cigarette butt this time, and Takahashi didn't even notice that a blurry figure emerged from under the car and quickly rolled into the nearby bushes and disappeared.
Another blind spot. Uncle Hao used the same trick again. He glanced at the child who jumped off the car and successfully hid. He breathed a sigh of relief and was about to have a smoke to cheer himself up when he realized that his pipe had already been ruined by that pretty kid from the city. He silently put away his pipe and closed his eyes to rest.
Kids, now it's up to you how you do!
Cai Tou, who got off the bus last, followed the marks left by Wang Renyong to a hidden storage room. The storage room was drafty and somewhat dilapidated. He used the light coming through the cracks in the room to find Wang Renyong's location.
Suddenly a dark shadow flashed past his eyes, and he reflexively dodged to the side. At that moment, he heard Wang Renyong's suppressed laughter.
"Boss, you scared me to death." Cai Tou complained, pouting. Only then did he notice that the dark figure was wearing a gray electrician's uniform with a name tag pinned to his chest. Without saying a word, Cai Tou immediately changed into the uniform. "You really are all-knowing, even knowing that there are such dilapidated houses in the base."
"It wasn't me, it was a ghost who told me," Old Wang suddenly said mysteriously in a low voice, his eyes glancing intentionally or unintentionally behind Cai Tou, as if there was something unclean behind him.
Cai Tou stared wide-eyed, frozen in place, too scared to move. Seeing that he was truly frightened, Wang Renyong patted Cai Tou's shoulder and teased, "You idiot! Where did this ghost come from in broad daylight? Go back and recite the Party's manifesto again. You don't even know what a ghost means. Don't say you're someone I brought out."
Only then did Cai Tou remember that the first sentence of the Party's Manifesto was: "A spectre is haunting Europe—the spectre of the G.C.Z.Y." Old Wang meant that comrades were helping to provide intelligence; who they were wasn't important, because the spectre was everywhere.
With their work clothes as a disguise, the two swaggered into Building 2. According to their plan, Cai Tou would first go to the first basement level to sabotage the backup generator, and then go to the second basement level to meet up with Lao Wang. However, things didn't go as planned. They discovered that there were armed guards on both basement levels, and anyone could pass through without a pass.
However, apart from their electrician's clothes, they had no pass and had to retreat back into the stairwell to discuss their next move.
"That ghost is no good. It didn't think things through properly and didn't even give us a pass," Cai Tou said with dissatisfaction. They were now in a completely unfamiliar environment, and the slightest mistake could mean certain death.
"No, today's situation is special. Look at that pass, it's obviously made on the spot, very rudimentary. And the fact that they're controlling it so strictly shows that their forces are depleted, so they have to tighten martial law." Old Wang slowly analyzed the sudden situation before him.
"Should we take out those two guards and break in?" Cai Tou was very confident in his skills.
“No, that would alert the other guards, and then we could only go to one floor and destroy one generator at most. But we have to destroy two generators to give Qingcheng and the others an opportunity to attack.” Old Wang immediately rejected Cai Tou’s rash idea.
Just then, footsteps sounded behind them, and the two immediately shut up, squatting on the ground in a lazy manner. A guard stopped abruptly as he brushed past them: "I've never seen you two before."
Wang Renyong and Caitou exchanged glances. If they could get away with it, they shouldn't alert the enemy. Wang Renyong immediately switched to a Shandong accent and asked, "Brother, I've never seen you before. Who are you?"
"Hey! I'm none other than the captain of the security team, Sa Xiaotian. Are you two slacking off?" Sa Xiaotian proudly announced to the two men, hands on his hips.
"So it's the silly captain. My brother and I have been at the base for a month or so, holed up in the basement reading electricity meters every day, living like mice. We've only come out for a little fresh air, and you're the first official we've ever met." Wang Renyong stood up and flattered him in a serious tone.
Captain Sa glanced at the nameplate on his chest and sneered, "Tch, so you're the reincarnation of Lord Rat, an electrician, huh? Get to work! If I see you two slacking off again, I'll kill you."
The two men, looking guilty after being caught, were about to leave when Captain Sa called them back: "Stop, or I'll go with you."
Captain Sa's attitude was subtle, so Wang Renyong decided to try to fool him again. He quickly patted the dust off Captain Sa's shoulders and said, "Silly Captain, you're joking. We wouldn't dare trouble you. We're all just doing the work. If you keep running around, you'll get your clothes dirty. That wouldn't be good."
"It's nothing, I'm just a little curious about what electricians do." Captain Sa's beady eyes seemed to be calculating something.
Seeing that he couldn't fool them anymore, Lao Wang had no choice but to agree for the time being, and even began to explain the electrician's job to Captain Sa in a serious manner. As Wang Renyong turned around, he gave Cai Tou a warning look, signaling him to leave first. Cai Tou picked up his toolbox, intending to go his separate ways with Lao Wang.
A gust of cold wind swept by, interrupting Cai Tou's thoughts. Snap—Wang Renyong covered Captain Sa's mouth, and when he let go, Captain Sa's head drooped at an eerie angle; he was already lifeless.
Being in the basement, which should have kept him out of the scorching sun, Cai Tou felt so hot and weak that he exclaimed in surprise, "Boss, you're too fast! I thought you were going to do it in the server room."
"No time, I have a new plan." Wang Renyong searched through the corpse and found the temporary pass in the chest pocket.
Old Wang smiled and showed Cai Tou their spoils. Now they could go wherever they wanted, or at least one of them could.
Together, the two pushed the body into the garbage disposal opening on the wall. Wang Renyong quickly changed into the clothes he had taken from Captain Sa, patted his face, and an arrogant expression immediately appeared on his face.
Before Cai Tou could understand what was happening, he was kicked out of the stairwell, followed by Old Wang's distinctive loud voice: "I told you not to slack off, get back to work! Believe me or not, I'll kill you!"
Their commotion was so loud that it quickly attracted the attention of the guards on the basement level. Old Wang pretended to be very disdainful and explained, "This kid was slacking off and was caught red-handed by our Captain Sa. Captain Sa told me to take him to check the electricity meter."
As Wang Renyong spoke, he took out the pass he had looted, and then quickly put it away.
Thinking they were one of their own, the guards waved them in helplessly. Old Wang shoved the bewildered Cai Tou and they entered the restricted area noisily.
The original principle of infiltration was: the enemy should be in the open while we remain in the shadows, so we can clearly see the situation and strike decisively. But Old Wang insisted on doing the opposite, which was a risky move, otherwise how could we give both of them a pass at the same time?
After the two successfully found the backup generator, Cai Tou wanted to smash it, but Lao Wang stopped him. The backup generator was just placed next to an electrical box, without a separate machine room.
Technicians in white coats passed by frequently. If they were to destroy it directly, it would be a complete disaster, but the two of them would be trapped.
Taking out tools from the toolbox, Cai Tou disassembled the circuit board to see if he should cut it. Wang Renyong made a shushing gesture and a strange smile appeared on his face. When no one was around, he took out a lighter and struck the circuit board a few times, producing a puff of blue smoke, as if he had succeeded.
However, Lao Wang didn't stop. He took apart a set of parts, fiddled with them for a while, and then replaced them with another set. Cai Tou watched Lao Wang's operation in utter bewilderment, thinking to himself, "Wow, Lao Wang really knows electrical work!"
After everything was done, Lao Wang had Cai Tou close the outer casing again, just like he had just checked the circuit.
Immediately afterwards, Lao Wang and Cai Tou left the scene in a dashing manner. Until they successfully infiltrated the server room on the second basement level using the same method, they found that the second basement level was empty, half of which was server room and the other half was of unknown purpose.
Compared to the bustling basement, it was as quiet as a cemetery. Cai Tou finally couldn't contain his admiration and exclaimed, "Boss, you're amazing! How can you even do electrical work?"
"No problem. In our line of work, you have to know a little bit of everything. Go find the main transformer." Old Wang glanced at his watch, his smile fading and his eyes filled with seriousness.
Time has been wasted. In at most another hour, Gao Junxiao and his men will definitely have to cease fire and persuade the enemy to surrender, and at the same time make strategic adjustments. Once the pressure on Fengshan is reduced, the pressure on the base will increase sharply.
Fortunately, Cai Tou was a worldly man and quickly found the main transformer. The huge green transformer lay quietly on the cement floor like a monster from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, while the backup generator looked like a well-behaved kitten in comparison.
Just as Wang Renyong was about to modify the circuit board, the guards' voices suddenly came from outside the door. The two of them immediately crouched down and hid, listening carefully to any key information that might come from their surroundings.
"Oh, three large truckloads of beautiful women have arrived today. I'd like to go and see them."
"What are you looking at? The leftovers from above probably won't even go to you or me. Let's get to work, or the boss will get angry if we're late getting the stuff."
"So hurry up! The bandit suppression team is definitely afraid of this thing. Maybe if we make one round trip, we can catch up with the second batch."
"It's good enough that we let you have your way, and you still dare to be picky."
From their conversation, we learned that they were bandits from Fengshan who were on their way to get something good for their leader. Old Wang glanced at the time and then made a sweeping gesture to Cai Tou.
Sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood. If Fengshan obtains some powerful weapon, Gao Junxiao's bandit suppression team will inevitably retreat in advance, which is not the outcome they want to see.
The two henchmen, unaware they were being watched, were cheerfully discussing the pretty girl and how the seller of her cart wheels only accepted cash upfront, not checks, which had given Takahashi quite a headache, and he was currently scouring the entire base for cash. They chuckled as they turned and opened a heavy door that resembled a bank vault…
Hmm~~
Click—click—
The basement fell silent again.
Old Wang and Cai Tou quickly dragged the body into the warehouse. As soon as they turned around, Wang Renyong couldn't help but curse, "Damn it!" Cai Tou, on the other hand, was so excited that he abandoned the body and started touching and exploring it like a country bumpkin visiting the Grand View Garden.
An entire armory unfolded before them, displaying a dazzling array of weapons including Type 38 rifles, Mauser pistols, Khorchin rifles, German-made weapons, and American-made weapons.
This place is simply a man's paradise! Old Wang was overjoyed at the abundance of weapons, his blood boiling uncontrollably. He casually picked up a Mauser and kissed it twice.
Haha, an armory! I was planning to have Kiyosumi and the others take it over before searching it thoroughly, but now it's right here without any effort at all.
Wang Renyong noticed that every time he took Qingcheng out on a mission, his luck was exceptionally good. Could it be that the little girl had the legendary lucky charm?
But a new problem arose: the armory had been discovered too early. With so many weapons, it was impossible to take them out, and blowing them up would be too wasteful. Under immense pressure, Old Wang had to think quickly and efficiently.
He rummaged around on his body for a while, and suddenly pulled out an oil paper package from a certain part of his body. Inside the oil paper package was a piece of white sugar cake.
Cai Tou had high hopes, but... that's it! He sat down on the ground in disappointment, while Old Wang, being the fool he is, waved the white sugar cake in front of Cai Tou: "Do you want some? Hehe, no, not for you."
"Boss, can you be serious for once? Is this the time to eat sweet cakes? I'll buy them for you myself when we get back, okay? Think of a good way!" Cai Tou was so exasperated by Lao Wang that he kept pulling his hair.
"This is a sweet cake that Qingcheng made herself." Wang Renyong said as he tore off a large piece of the sweet cake and kneaded it in his hand.
"It doesn't matter who cooks it," Cai Tou said, head bowed, showing little interest.
"It's a sugar cake with lots of spices," Wang Renyong continued to hint.
"Whatever ingredients you add, it's still just a piece of sugar cake. Do you think it can be used as a bomb?" Cai Tou replied irritably.
"Ding-dong, congratulations on answering correctly. I'll give you a way out. This stuff is called tough putty by Qingcheng. It can not only burn but also explode, but the explosion range is controllable." Wang Renyong put his hand on Caitou's shoulder to reassure him.
The plan might be a bit risky, but compared to the benefits they can gain, the sacrifice is worthwhile.
In the spacious underground second floor, Lao Wang and Cai Tou set up the scene in front of the machine room and the armory, respectively. The two bandits had not gone out, and if the guards were alert, they might rush in. They didn't have much time left.
It felt like a thousand-pound weight was pressing down on their shoulders, but the more critical the moment, the calmer they had to remain. Their minds and fingers were already accustomed to working under pressure, disassembling, assembling, and debugging...
Sure enough, the guards outside couldn't wait any longer, and hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor. Wang Renyong's heart pounded faster and faster. In the final step, he unscrewed a "little melon" and carefully poured out the gunpowder, which stretched all the way to the stairwell. Mission accomplished, it was time to make a run for it.
Meanwhile, Cai Tou had also set up the trap and came to meet up with Lao Wang. The sound of his footsteps, along with the guards' rough shouts, echoed back and forth in the empty basement. Wang Renyong took a deep breath and said to Cai Tou, "Comrade Cai Tou, are you ready? We're going to run away!"
Cai Tou nodded solemnly.
A bright red spark ignited from the match head, which was then dropped onto the gunpowder. The red flame burned along the black powder, crackling and popping. Cai Tou and Lao Wang sprinted towards the machine room at top speed.
With a loud bang, the two men covered their heads and fell to the ground, shaking off the rubble.
The guard was also knocked to the ground by the aftershock of the explosion. Staggering, he grabbed his gun and rushed towards the blast site. Just then, someone sounded the alarm, its piercing blare causing great annoyance. Wang Renyong, feigning ignorance, came out of the machine room, clutching his back, and grabbed a guard, asking, "What happened? Why did it explode again? You scared the hell out of me!"
"I'd like to know what happened too. Hey, what did you see in the basement just now?" the guard asked sternly.
"I don't know, I've been in the computer room the whole time." Suddenly, Wang Renyong said with a look of sudden realization, "I saw two people walking and smoking in the corridor, but I didn't pay attention, and there didn't seem to be anyone else."
"Go to hell! Two idiots dare to smoke in the warehouse! Go upstairs and get someone to come down and help!" The guard said and ran to the explosion site. Old Wang readily agreed and pulled Cai Tou, who had already changed into bandit clothes, upstairs as fast as he could.
The alarm attracted more and more guards down to the scene. Wang Renyong and Caitou pushed through the chaotic crowd, shouting, "Fire! Fire! Everyone, come and help!"
While everyone was busy supporting the armory, no one noticed a cigarette in the corner of the server room, about to burn out. It could no longer support the weight of the ash and, with sparks, fell onto the black gunpowder…
Bang!
The explosion sounded like the dying roar of a dragon, mournful and shrill. The entire second basement level was engulfed in red flames; no one survived.
Was that the end of it? Not at all. Not long after the explosion on the second basement level, the backup generator on the first basement level also began to shake violently. A few seconds later, black smoke billowed from above the machine. But the piercing alarm sounded like an invisible command, urging the medical staff in white coats to escape. Who would care about the backup generator malfunction?
As Wang Renyong and Caitou ran against the flow of people out of the building, a huge shockwave propelled them quite a distance. Fortunately, there was grass in front of them, and they suffered only minor injuries. Old Wang didn't explain much, but quickly got up and gave an OK sign to the distance.
On the hillside, Qingcheng lowered his binoculars and roared with all his might, "Comrades, are you ready?"
The stark contrast startled Hu Yukun so much that her jaw nearly dislocated. Ignoring her, she continued to yell, "Grab your weapons and come with me to take down the base!"
"We're ready." The boys behind Kiyosumi answered in unison. Each of them had many bottles and jars strapped to their waists and held a tin can in their hand, the purpose of which was unclear.
A major battle is imminent.
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