The Mysterious Soldier of the Anti-Japanese War

Chapter 424: Shocking Moment: They Regained the Initiative from the Enemy's Gunpoint

The sergeant took the identity document from Lei Tao and examined it sharply. His fingers casually flipped the paper, making a subtle sound that was particularly jarring in the tense atmosphere. His eyes moved back and forth between the document and Lei Tao and his group. Suddenly, his pupils contracted slightly - Lei Tao keenly caught this subtle change.

"What are you going to Manchuria for?" the sergeant suddenly asked coldly.

Lei Tao was well prepared, and still had a humble smile on his face. He replied slowly: "Mr. Sergeant, we are commissioned by Mitsubishi Corporation Headquarters to go to Manchuria for important official business for the Kwantung Army Headquarters. This information is related to the Imperial Holy War and cannot be delayed." After that, he lowered his head slightly to show respect, but his eyes were fixed on the sergeant's index finger on the document - that finger was unconsciously stroking the document number, revealing his inner doubts.

The sergeant frowned, slammed the document on the table, and shouted, "Such important information, why wasn't it reported before? You guys are lying!" As the sergeant shouted, the surrounding Japanese soldiers immediately raised their guns, the black muzzles pointed at Lei Tao and the others. Liu Zishan's hands clenched unconsciously, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Li Shuiniu's breathing was rapid, and he swallowed nervously. Meng Xiaoyu and Li Shuiyang also tensed up, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Outside the city gates, ordinary citizens awaiting inspection by the Japanese army quickly moved aside, and a low murmur suddenly rose in the crowd. A young man asked a nearby passerby in confusion, "What are these devils up to?" A middle-aged man sneered, "Lock them up! It's better to fight them. It's just a dog-eat-dog situation, and we can just watch the fun." The people around them listened, some nodding silently, while others, with worried expressions, quickened their pace, avoiding Lei Tao and his men, fearing they would be caught up in this sudden disturbance.

Lei Tao glanced at the brand new Type 14 Nambu pistol on the sergeant's waist - completely different from the worn pistols of other Japanese soldiers. Lei Tao caught a glimpse of the wine stains on the other's boots - it was the sweet smell of "Kiku Masamune" sake, which was completely consistent with the record of the Japanese military police that he had accidentally obtained that "Hase Jiro was drunk after blackmailing a businessman."

Lei Tao's heart sank, and he made a split-second decision. He cursed, "Baka!" and instantly raised his hand to slap the sergeant across the face. The crisp, piercing sound of "slap" was particularly harsh in the silent air.

The sergeant's head lurched to the side with a thud, his ears ringing, and he saw stars. He was stunned. Before he could react, Lei Tao swooped in like a bolt of black lightning. His left hand gripped the sergeant's wrist tightly, while his right hand, with uncanny precision, pulled the brand-new Nambu pistol from the holster at his waist.

Amidst the subtle sound of metal rubbing against metal, Lei Tao's wrist flexed, his index finger hooked onto the trigger guard and yanked hard. With a crisp "click," the bolt was instantly pulled, and the safety came on. The muzzle of the gun rested firmly against the sergeant's brow.

"Bastard!" Lei Tao suddenly switched to Kyoto dialect and cursed, knocking the barrel of his gun heavily on the other party's brow. "You've delayed the Empire's progress in equipping new tanks and affected the Greater East Asia Holy War. Do you think the military police will let you go?" He paused deliberately, watching the sergeant's pupils shrink violently. "The commander of the regiment has remembered you."

Lei Tao's lightning-fast counterattack left the surrounding Japanese soldiers completely dumbfounded. They had not expected this seemingly gentle businessman to be so ruthless. Their guns were still pointed at Lei Tao and the others, but the soldiers' hands began to tremble slightly, unsure whether to shoot or lower their weapons.

Beneath a locust tree outside the city gate, Old Man Wang, a tofu seller, squatted on his tricycle, pretentiously wiping the copper scales, his peripheral vision fixed on the movements at the gate. A woman in a blue shirt cradled a child in a street corner. As the child began to cry, she hurriedly covered her mouth. Three days earlier, Uncle Zhang from next door had been lashed with twenty military sticks for looking too long at a Japanese truck.

"Did you see that? That guy in the suit beat up the lady!" The accountant in a melon-shaped hat huddled at the door of the teahouse, his sleeves covering half his face, his voice trembling like a sieve. "Last year, Translator Zhao from East Street said 'The lady's methods are a bit cruel.' I don't know who leaked it, but he was dragged to the gendarmerie that night, and when he came back, his tongue was gone..."

"Shh..." Old Li, who sells sugar paintings, suddenly knocked on the copper pot with an iron spoon. The sweet smell of syrup mixed with the smell of gunpowder penetrated his nose. "Didn't you see that Taijun's gun was shaking?" He raised his chin towards the city gate. The bayonets of several Japanese soldiers were trembling slightly with Lei Tao's movements. "Last month, a batch of goods came from the mountain. It was such a 'merchant' who pulled it in with a donkey cart. The next day, the Japanese stronghold was blown up..."

The sergeant at the city gate checkpoint turned pale as a sheet. His lips trembled, and he tried to speak, but fear choked his throat. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, soaking his collar. He suddenly remembered the secret letter from the military police he had received three days earlier. Every word of Lei Tao's threat hit him like a hammer.

After a few seconds of stalemate, the sergeant squeezed out a few words with difficulty: "Don't... don't be impulsive, we can talk it out." His voice was full of trembling and fear.

Lei Tao snorted coldly, without moving the gun in his hand at all, and said sternly: "Tell your men to put down their guns immediately. If you dare to stop me again, you will not survive today."

The sergeant did not dare to disobey, and hurriedly waved to his men, shouting in a crying voice: "Put down your guns, quickly!" The Japanese soldiers looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and slowly put down their guns.

Lei Tao shouted again, "Get out of the way! We must head for Manchuria immediately. If you delay any further, I will report the truth to your headquarters and let you know the consequences of obstructing the transportation of imperial military secrets!" As he spoke, he pressed the barrel of his rifle against the sergeant's temple. With his free hand, he quickly pulled out an expedited document with the red seal of Mitsubishi Corporation and waved it in front of the sergeant's eyes. "This document is so classified that even your regiment commander would have to salute it. Do you want your whole family to follow you in committing seppuku to apologize?"

The sergeant's Adam's apple rolled violently as he looked at the eye-catching "Top Secret" mark on the document, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back. He raised his hand tremblingly and signaled to the soldiers: "Stand back! Let them pass!" The soldiers looked at each other in confusion, but their fingers gripping the guns slowly loosened.

Lei Tao saw out of the corner of his eye that his companions had retreated to a safe place, so he suddenly pushed the sergeant forward, quickly disassembled the Nambu pistol into parts and threw it at the sergeant's feet. "Remember, if our whereabouts are revealed, you can prepare to commit seppuku to apologize." He adjusted the collar of his suit, turned around and led everyone towards the city.

The sergeant stumbled and slammed against the stone wall of the city gate, his left hand clutching the side of his face where half his palm had been slapped, leaving it silvery. He watched helplessly as Lei Tao and the others disappeared around the corner. He stared at the scattered pieces of the Nanbu pistol at his feet, his right hand clenching into a fist. That was the new service pistol he had acquired from the regiment adjutant last month at the cost of the lives of a dozen villagers.

He muttered to himself, "I wanted to ask for some bribes, but I didn't expect the Mitsubishi people to be so tough... This slap was in vain." He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. A muscle in his forehead twitched, and he squatted down to pick up the parts of the Nambu pistol on the ground. He stood up, turned around and walked towards the sentry box.

"Sergeant Hase, that group of people just now..." a young Japanese soldier next to him whispered. The sergeant waved his hand to interrupt him: "Mind your own business! We can't afford to mess with those idiots of the Kwantung Army." He reached out and touched the muzzle of the gun on his temple, which was still aching slightly, and his Adam's apple rolled up and down.

Lei Tao and his companions hurried down the street, turning three corners before finally stopping in front of a building with a wooden sign reading "Songyue Inn." The innkeeper, a middle-aged man with a broad smile on his face, immediately bowed to greet them upon seeing the group dressed in suits and ties. "Dear guests, would you like to stay at our inn? The rooms upstairs are spacious, bright, and absolutely quiet!"

"I want a five-person suite." Lei Tao lowered his voice and glanced at the street vigilantly.

The innkeeper said: "The five-person room in our inn is very spacious and comfortably furnished."

He turned and shouted to the waiter, "Ah Fu, why don't you take these guests to the five-person suite?"

After wiping the table, the shop assistant quickly responded, "Oh, here I come," and walked over to Lei Tao and the others and said, "Guests, please follow me."

With that, the clerk led the way. Lei Tao and the others followed behind him, keeping a certain distance, still observing their surroundings vigilantly. The clerk walked along the corridor, occasionally looking back at the others, and kept introducing the inn. "We don't usually have many guests here, so everyone's staying quite comfortably. The suite is just around the corner, very quiet, and won't disturb your rest."

When we reached the door, the shop assistant paused and gently pushed it open. A familiar yet warm atmosphere filled the room. Five beds were placed in the room. While not brand new, they were perfectly tidy. There was also a small table in the center, surrounded by several stools.

Lei Tao frowned slightly, glanced at Liu Zishan, motioned him to be quiet, then turned to the shop assistant and said, "Well, it looks good. Prepare some water and other things for us."

The shop assistant quickly responded, "Okay, okay. Don't worry, gentlemen. I will clean it up properly and make sure you have a satisfying stay!" Then he left the room to prepare some hot water for everyone.

After the innkeeper left, Lei Tao cautiously glanced outside the door, confirming there were no suspicious individuals. Only then did he lead the group into the room. Only after the wooden door slammed shut behind them did the oppressive atmosphere suddenly relax. Liu Zishan slumped down in the armchair and laughed heartily. "Brother Lei, that slap you gave me was truly satisfying! My palms were bleeding, terrified I'd be fighting the devils in the next second!"

Lei Tao gestured for Meng Xiaoyu to go to the window and observe the situation. He then turned to the crowd and said, "The devil has that kind of servile nature in his bones. Sometimes, you have to beat him up before he obeys you."

Meng Xiaoyu leaned against the earthen wall, her fingertips twirling a corner of the window paper, her eyelashes nearly brushing the glass—this was the eavesdropping posture she'd learned at the Anti-Japanese University. She was observing the movements around the street corner through the crack. "Don't get too excited just yet. When we entered the city, I noticed that one of Sergeant Hase's soldiers was secretly memorizing our facial features. And while that 'confidential document' might scare people for a while, as long as they examine it briefly..."